Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-09-04

Neshobe- Brandon; thence she escapes;
Int her companion in captivity is held
and marched northward for Canada. inc
commander at the fort ut once oiuels
out a select force to pursue the lugl.is;e2;'
and. if possible, to recover inc Ioe' Wv.
zen But the effort, though long pei
sistent, is unsccesstul.
One dav in the month of June the fol-
lowing wear. several soldiers on scout
mo eynedition, discover near the north
line of Brandon quite formidable body
of Indians. Not being in sufficient force
to attack them with any prospect OF
success, they hasten back to the tort
and make known their discovery to the
commander. This with information OBJ
tanned from other sources, conylnces
that officer that night attack upon his
garrison is contemplated, and is designed
10 be a complete surprise. He at once
laws his plans to give the redskins a re-
cention that should be worthy OF thelr
mission. Early in the evening he sends
ont n detachment of soldiers a little dis
lance from the fort, in the direction
from which he supposes the Indians will
advance, and orders them to lie IN am
bush until their approach and then they
are to fire upon them and Immediately
retreat within the fort. A little past
midnight the ears of the listening sol
diers. catch the cautious tread or aglle
feet, and soon appears in the distance
Iong line of dusky forms, pressing on
ward towards the fort. At the favor
able moment the signal is given, volley
is noured into their ranks and the SOL
diers are soon within the fort. The
sound of the musketry is Immediately
followed by the most bideous yells
which soon die away, and with them
also dies the courage of the braves.
The contemplated attack is not made.
Early next morning the soldiers sally
ont TO discover the result of the night
ambuscade, and they discover blood and
other evidences which convince them
that their volley has been effective.
After the war the old Chief who had
command of the invading party retired
with his warriors to his native village
Cauphnawaga in Canada-and there at
ter holding sway over his tribe during a
period of forty-four years he was carried
to his grave, bearing the marks of the
wound he had received at Fort Ven
geance.
We have sketched other anecdotes,
though we will take time to notice one
more only, and this has bearing upon
the subject now under consideration.
After the fort was completed Major
Ebenezer Allen of Tinmouth, with a
small body of men was put IN command
of it. They had been established IN
their new quarters but short time
before the commander ascertalned by
his scouts that considerable number OF
the enemy were lowering in the vicinity,
and fearing vigorous attack he called
for assistance. The call reached the
no or OH of hp
mountain where a company of forty
two men were already organized under
the command of Captain Jesse Stafford.
A call for assistance had also been re-
ceived from the town of Royalton, and
inasmuch as both of these towns needed
help, the company divided; one-hal1
of them went to RoyaltOn, and the other
half to the fort at Pittsford.
Among the number who went to Pitts
ford was young man by the name OF
Caleb Houghton On the 18th of July
following young HoughtOn went to
the house of Joshua June to OBJ
tain some garments which Mrs. June
had been washing for him. He OBJ
tanned his garments and started on
his return, but he had been gone
from the house but few moments be-
fore Mrs. June heard the report OF a
gun. Stepping to the Goor and looking
up along the road, she saw an Indian in
the act of transfixing Houghton with his
bayonet. Houghton not returning to
the fort as was expected, a party OF
men were sent out to look for him and
they soon found his body about half a
mile south of the fort bearing marks of
fierce struggle. This took place be-
meath an oak tree little distance north
east of Mr.. Junes house, and when the
land was cleared this tree was thought
fully spared, and may still be seen point
ing out the spot where HoughtOn fell.
The soldiers took the body of their COM
rade, carried it to the fort, and thence
buried il on the small knoll some ten or
fifteen rods east of the present residence
of Deacon Samuel Hendee.
Major Allen, after making unsuccess-
full efforts to discover the perpetrator of
the deed, collected his men in front OF
the large gate on the east side of the
fort, and publicly vowed vengence
against all and every Indian that should
come within his power, and then as a
memorial of his vow, he took a junk
bottle filled with rum, stepped out in
front of his men and dashed the bottle
against the gate, and christened the es-
tablished fort, ''Vengence," name by
WHICH III WAS ever dlI6T hHOWu.
Caleb Houghton, of whom we have
been speaking, was a descendant of
Robert Houghton, who was born in
1858. Robert had one son, Ebenezer,
who had a son Cyrus born in 1929.
Cyrus married Hadessa, daughter of
Simon Houghton, of Petersham, and
settled in Bolton, Mass, where their son
Caleb was born in 1850. Caleb had
brothers, Cyrus, Ebene1er, and another
whose name is not given, older than
himself, and Aaron who was younger.
He had sisters, Olive, Abigail and Mary,
all his seniors in years. The parents,
with their children, removed from Boil
ton to Putney, VT, before the Reyo1u-
tionary war.
Caleb Houghton first appears as a SOL
der in the year 1777, when he was en-
rolled in company commanded by
Captain John Patty in Colonel Williams
regiment. This company was called out
in August, and was in the service TWEEN
ty-five days. Young Houghton received
for his service 60, los. Sd.
His older brother, Ebenezer, was a
member of the same company. There
was also James Houghton in the com
pany, who might have been the brother
whose name we could not obtain.
We next hear of Caleb as member
of Captain Jesse Safford's company,
Major Ebenzer Aliens detachment, aud
it was in this capacity that he came to
Pittsford and was killed in the manner
we have represented.
After his death, and burial beneath a
large tree on yonder knoll, the soldiers
erected rude headstone at his grave,
but this was long since removed and the
mound leyelled, so that the stump of the
tree alone remained to point out the
place where brave soldier lay.
And now after having laid these nine
ty-three years the town of Pittsford at
tempts to honor his memory by inscrib-
ing his name upon the same monumental
shaft containing the roll of that noble band
OF patriots, composing the first military
company ever organized in town, and
there may that shaft remain, not only to