Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-05-14

! besides one thirteen inch mortar and
! number of swivels. This surprise was car
ried into execution in the gray Of the
morning Of the 10th of May, 17775.
" The sun seemed to rise on that morning
with superior lustre, and Ticonderoga and
its Dependencies smiled to its conquerors,
who tossed about the flowing bowl and wish
/ ed success to Congress and the liberty and
J freedom Of American
IRON THE JOURNAL OF EDWARD MOTT (IN THE
COLLECTIONS OF THE CONNECTICUT HISTORICAL
SOCIETY,"
PRESTON, Friday. 18th April, l7777j.-Set
out for Hartford, where | arrived the same
day. Saw Christopher Lefhngwell, esq.
who inquired of me about the situation oi
the people Of Boston. When | had given
him an account he asked me how they could
be relieved, and where | Thought we could
get artillery and stores. | told hin | knew
not, except we went and took possession of
Ticonderoga and Crown Point, which l
thought might be done by surprise, with
small number of men. Mr.. Lefhngwell left
me, and in short time came to me again
and brought with him Samuel II. Parsons
and Silas Deane, Esqrs., when he asked me
il | would undertake in such an expedition
as we had talked of before. told him
would. They told me they wished ! had
been there one day sooner that they had
been on such plan, and that they had sent
off Messrs Noah Phelps and Bernard Ro-
mans, who they had supplied with 1900 in
cash, from the treasury, and ordered them
to draw for more if they should need ; that
said Phelps and Romans were gone by the
way of Salisbury, where they would make
stop they expected n small number OF men
would Join them and i'll would 60 after them,
they would give me an order or letter to them
TO JON with them, and to have my voice with
them in conducting tie affair and laying out
the money and also that might take I'VE
or six men with me. On which, l took with
NE, Mr.. jeremiah Halsey, Mr.. Epaphras
Bull, Mr. William Nicholas, Mr.. Elijah
Babcock, and John Bigelow joined me and
Saturday, the Doth of April, in the alter
noon. we set out on said expedition. That
night arrived at Smiths in New Hartford ;
stayed that night. The next day, being
Sunday, the 30th April, arrived at Salisbury
tarlied.all night and the next day, having
augmented our company to the number OF (
sixteen in the whole, We concluded it was /
not best TO add any more, as we meant to |
keep our business a secret and ride through /
the country unarmed till we came to new |
settlements on the grants. We arrived at |
Mr. Deweys in Sheffield, and there We sent /
off Mr. Jeremiah Hal-ey and Capt John |
Stephens. to 20 to Albany in order 70 dis /
cover the temper Of the people in that place, /
and to return and inform Us a. soon a. p0ss.-
be
That night we arrived at Col. Elstlu in
Pittsfeld, where we fell in company with
John Brown, Esq, who had been at Canada
and Ticonderoga about month before on
which we concluded to make known oar bu-
siness to Col. EastOn and said Brown, and to
take their advice on the same. was ad-
vi-ed BIZ Messrs. Deane, LefingweA and
Parsons. at Hartford, not to raise our men
till we came to New Hampshire grants, lest
we should be discovered by having too i1n-
march through the country bu5 when We
advised with said Easton and Brown. they
advised u that a. there was great scarcity
Of provisions in the grants, and "a the peo-
pie were generally poor, II would be 1l'hcult
t. get q sufficient number Of men there
therefore we had better raise a number Of
men sooner said East0n and Brown con
cluded to q with Us. and E4S;oa said be
would assist me in raising some men IN bis
lNC-lliElt ~ e AAtl tlAiH4Ai-f'A AH4 lli' q" =
with Col Easton TO Jericho and Williams
town 70 raise men, and the rest Of Us % .
forward 10 Bennington and see If they could
purchase provisions there. We raised -
men in jericho. and L. in Nil.mmstlwu.
and got them equipped ready To march,
Then Col Ea>Ion and | set olt ior Benniuc-
ton. That evening, We met an expreS- t-1rl
our people informing u that they had seen
. L. f-...r o.
he ini0-mel them that they were Reinforced
az Iicluderosa, and were repairing the gar
ri>5n. and were every way on their -1ar1,- :
therefore it was best Tor Us 10 di-mi-- the
men We had raised and proceed No further,
as We should not succeed. asked who the
man was, where he belonged, and where he
was going. bat could get no account, on !
which | ordered that the men should not be :
dismissed hut that We would proceed
The next day | arrived at Bennington. !
There. overlook our people, all but M Noah a
Phelps and Mr. Hesc0ck who were gone i1r- :
ward 10 reconnoiter the Fort, and Mr.. Hal 5
sey and Mr.. Stephens had not got back from L
Albany. ] inquired why they sent back 10 q
me to dismiss the expedition, when neither !
our men from Albany nor the accommodating
party were returned They said they did
them that fellow they saw knew nothing /,
about the garrison that | had seen him :
siace, and had examined him strictly and \
that be was lying fellow and had not been {
al the fort | told them with the TWO hun :
dred men that we proposed to raise, was 1
not afraid 10 ~ round the Fort ia open light. t
it il was re-euior,ed with five hundred men. a
they would not follow Us Out into the woods {
HI i
70 back with, and tell in Hartford While
On this discourse, Mr.. Halsey and Stephens
came back from Albany, and both agreed .
with me that it was best to 20 forward after !
which, Mr.. lalsey and Mr.. Ball both de- I;
clared that they would not 90 back for no !
story. till they had Seen the Fort themselves. q
On which II was concluded that We would (
proceed and a. provisions were very scarce I
On the Grants, we sent Capt. Stephens and v
Mr.. Hewitt to Albany New City 10 purchase d
provisions and send 10 Us, as soon a. they \
could and Mr.. Romans Left u and joined
20 more we were all glad, Is he had been !
4 trouble to Us, all the time he was with Us.
Then we proceeded to raise the men As
last u possible, and sent forward men on
whom we could depend, TO waylay the roads
that lead from those places we were raising
men in 10 Fort Edward Lake George. Skenes-
borough, Ticonderoga, or Crown Point o
with orders to take up all those who were C.
passing from either OF those garriS0ns and "
'ent 10 u to be examined, and That all who !
we're passing towards those garrisons, from 1
j., should be stopped. 50 that no intelligence u
should 90 from Us to the garrisors and on 4
Sunday night, the seventh of May, we all :.
arrived at Cassel Town Castleton the place :.
where We had appointed for the men all to 4
meet ; and on Monday the Sth of May, the Y
Committee all got together, to conclude IN s.
what method We would proceed in order to
accomplish our desigp,-of which Commit a
ee, ! was chairman. p
And after debating on the different meth c
ld>, and in what manner to retreat in case d
J.; repulsc, we resolved and voted that we "
would proceed in the following manner, ~
IL; That party Of thirty men, under :,
be command of Capt. Herrick, should the :,
iext day, in the afternoon, take into custody N
.lajor skene and his rarty and boats ; and
hat the rest OF the men, which consisted OF OF
bout 40, should 20. through Shoreham, to OF
be Lake, opposite TO IicOnderoga and that IN
art Of the men that went to Skenesbor- ed
ugh shoald, in the night following, 20 81
own the Lake by TieonderOga, in the boats, ~
o Shoreham, in order 10 carry men acro-s .l'
he Lake to Ticonderoga. We also sent "
apt. Douglass to 20 to Crown Point and see n
he could not agree with his brothe1-in-law, NJ
tho lived there, to hire the kings boats On ne
1me stratagem, and send up the Lake from te
here, TO assist in carry ing over our men. Ii nc
as further agreed. that Col. Ethan Allen A
Mould have the command Of the party that c,
Mould 90 against Tic1nderoga, agreeable To co
" promise made to the men when engaged y
ZEN to go, that they should be commanded oi
: their own officers. 40
In the evening after, the party that was ~ ~
20 to SkenesbOrough was drafted out, and - ~
OIL. Allen was gone to Mr.. VESSELS, in q,
lolehaH' 10 meet soihe men WHO were 20 ON