The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1875-05-28

'-Ae ~ ny oAAouhuAub1 AhJ pdOlhnnh
Like at my feet. Far, far on the distant
horizon, where the landscape seemingly
penetrated the sky, 1 saw the broker
outlines Of the Green Mountains, from
which descended pleasant valleys and
smiling farming lands. All the vas
country, from lake shore to mountain
edge, was dotted with graves and vii
lagos, cosy, sequestered hamlets, and
quiet, lovely homes.
} l had proceeded to the point without
a guard. l could see before me the ruins
) of Fort Ticonderoga, nay, even the little
entrance leading to the bomb-proof in
which yesterday crawled, the crnmb.
ling passages, and the remains of the
French lines before which Abercrombie
met his terrible defeat. 1t was up this
perilous mountain side that Burgoyne,
in the year 1777, ventured under the
guidance of his engineers, to escort his
army and drag his heavy guns.
1 have already stated that no carriage
can ascend its summit, even now, and
when Borgoyne ventured the attempt a
heavier, sturdier growth of timber cloth
ed the mountain than at present grown
there. But the engineers of Burgoyne
overcame all natural obstacles; men
with Clearers and axes headed his line
and cut road through the forest, troughs
were formed from the slipped bodies of
the felled trees and the artillery was
dragged up by ropes The endeavor was
successful. / stood to-day upon the pre-
else point of rocks where the English
General mounted his first gun, whose
black mouth was pointed directly at
Fort Ticonderoga. st. Clair, who com
manded the fort, saw the strong move
made by Burgoyne and shuddered. He
at once convened a council of military.
and before the British had fred gun it
was decided that the fort could not be
maintained, and that the lives of hun
dreds depended upon immediate evacu-
alton. The very same night succeeding
the afternoon in which Burgoyne made
his grand ascent of Mount Defiance the
conclusion was carried into effect.
THE FORT ABANDONED.
Under the shadows of darkness two
hundred boats, under the command of
Col. Long, proceeded down the lake to
what was then Skensboro, now called
Whitehall. Thenight was so dark that
the little Aotilla escaped observation
from the British sentinels. st. Clair,
while endeavoring to escape, however,
with the leading column, was discover
ed, routed and pursued, but finally made
good his retreat to Castleton.
Thus was the fort at Ticonderoga once
more in the hands of the British, cir
cumstance received throughout all Eng !
and with the widest demonstrations of 6
lelight, while no event Of the Revolu- i
ion cast gloomier chill upon the hearts /
If American patriots. 1t is stated that {
he courageous heart of Washington, i
lpon receiving the news, was animated
With modification and rage. 1t was the
unanimous verdict that st. Clair had
proven himself coward, and he was in
stantly suspended.
Thus did Burgoyne, flushed with VIC
5ory and pride, gain Fort Ticonderoga, {
still holding his superb position on /
Mount Defiance. No sooner had the s
lews of the recapitulation swept the {
limits of the colonies than Colonel Allen, i
With force of 500 men, was ordered to 6
proceed from Manchester, Vt, sever the a
of Burgoyue, and, if a
possible capture his strongholds at the c
1ase of Ticonderoga and ON the summit
If Mount Defiance. 1t was desperate v
as the Mount commands a
view of all the surrounding country. t
However, he gained the mountains {
edge without discovery. AS the awful {
sleeps of Defiance were unknown to him q
lis ascent was slow and dangerous. iii
passed the point to-day-a precipice
where, it is stated, that ascent was only {
occurred by one soldier climbing over the
ihoulders of the other L passed also the S
'lace, sleeper still, where, it is said, c
many of the privates were pulled up i
rom below with ropes and heavy chains. |
10 cautiously and tigerIike did they
move that they finally reached the sum-
nit undetected, captured the sentries- /
'ushed with a wild cry upon the sleep
ng battery and demanded its surrender
Without exchanging a shot. Their de-
nand was granted, and thus Mount De-
lance became the spoil of the Ameri-
ans. 4
ALLEN AND TIcoNDERoGA.
Though Mount Defiance shared in the
yravest historic recollections, and though
IN Monday next hundreds, coming to
risit these revolutionary fields, will ven
ure to scale its sides, the chief interest
If the ceremonies will be centered in the [
'ecital of Ethan Aliens daring passage of
Jhamplain and his subsequentcapt of
he fort. / have already given an ac-