Connecticut western news., 1874-10-16
THE ANTHONY OBSERVATORY.

MIR. EDITOR Mt. Anthony is situated three miles southeast from Bennington, Vt., facing north and east, the west and southern approaches being very easy.
 The summit is twenty-five hundred feet above tide water, and on the extreme northern point the observatory is now be- ing built, being the third one erected at this point, the two proceeding ones having been blown down-the last one last winter. The present one is an octagon thirty feet in diameter at the base, and has reached the height of one hundred feet. The floor at that point being sixteen feet across The structure will be carried thirty feet higher and finished with cupalo roof. 1 Outside the tower at several of the angles, long heavy timbers are securely planted reaching nearly thirty feet high, and as far from the base, for traces. In addition to these there are iron guys secu rely bolted at the top and anchored in the rocks at s uita- ble distances to give it all the appa rent strength it needs; but with all these pre- cautions, the two preceding ones blew down in fierce wintry storms that sweep the mountain summit, snapping the iron guys which were one inch ID diameter.
 From the observatory magnificent pau- orama is spread out before us. Looking north, Mt Tom at the head of Lake Cham plain and the whole of the Adirondacks can be seen. A little to our right we can see Killington Peak, thirteen miles east of Rutland, and looking up the Battenkill valley in the dim distance. we see the level, open country reaching to Lake Cham plain. Easterly we see the Valley of Glas- tenburY Creek winding up among the hills, along which the Glastonbury road is built, which we can sec nearly its whole length, A little more to the right we see the church at Woodford city, and range after range of tue Green Mountain hills, as tar as Keen, in N. H. Coming around southerly Will lialnstown Valley and Saddle Back noun tain are prominent objects, and to the west the most distant objects are the hills in Washington Co.,, N. Y.
 From this point on a clear day thirty villages can be seen, including Saratoga and Balston spa. Bennington and North Bennington are directly beneath us. A little to the left we sec Hoosic Falls, North Hoosic and Eagle Bridge where five rail- roads centre or intersect it. Thirteen rail roads can be seen from here. among which are the Harlem extention, Burlington and Rutland, Troy & Boston, Rutland 6 Wash ington, Delaware & Hudson, Rensselear & Saratoga, Johnsonville 6 Greenwich, New York Central aud the Glastonbury road.- The names of the others we do not now remember.
 Looking nearer home the magnificent valleys of Bennington, Hoosic and the Walloomsie are spread out before us.- Every farm house and building, field, grove, fence, road, lake and creek for miles and miles in extent are mapped out, and perhaps nowhere in New England is the laud under higher state of cultivation than in these valleys. We see every evil dence of prosperity and comfort about us, but the most interesting feature in the land scape remains yet to be described, and we refer to the battle field of the battle of Ben nington, fought Aug. l6. l777. The cir cumstances that led to the engagement are briefly as follows:
 The Patriots had gathered quantity of stores at Bennington, which Burgoyne de sired to capture, to accomplish which he detailed Generals Baum and Breyman with one thousand Hessians to make detour from the main army north of Saratoga General Stark hastily gathered together about an equal number of patriots to de- fend the Continental stores. With his un- l position about one mile west of Benning- ton where the stores were accumulated and awaited the result. Baum soon ar rived with his army and found the Patriots too strong to be attacked, hastily entrench- ed himself in wood about one mile west of the Patriot encampment, sent couriers to Burgoyne for re-enforcements. Stark, not caring to wait for the enemy to strengthen himself, determined to attack him without delay. Accordingly calling his men about him and mounting a bar post, delivered the following laconic speech Boys, are you ready (hurrah } We will conquer to-day or Molly Stark will be widow tonight" (Hurrah! ! HURRAH! HURRAHD
 The woods where the Hessians were en- trenched is across a field ascending from the Hoosic river and facing southeast Stark led his men down to the river bank and under the brow of the hill until oppo- site the enemy's entrnchment, when, form ing in line of battle, charged upon the