Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1877-08-24

! uOIen years, anu lndl sOnBt lnOuBn unWlh-
ten then, was sung through their hearts;
Here we halt our march and pitch our tent
on the ragged forest ground,
And light our fires with the branches reut
by winds from the borders round.
Wild storms have torn the ancient wood,
But wilder is at hand,
with hail Of iron aud rain Of blood
To sweep and desolate the land.
Down in Berkshire there was company
| that had been disappointed OF "a fight"
over in New Hampshire there was gal
liant body of men, who had held their own
| at Bunker Hill Till the very last, had led
the van at Trenton, fought at Princeton,
| was bound for Saltwater and Saratoga and
| Monmouth and Yorktown. There was
| man whose name was Seth Warner, clear
headed, resoluie, unfinching, every inch a
soldier, and acquainted with every foot Of
| this ground. Theie was also man whose
name was John Stark, a born and bred
warrior, of genuine military instinct and
| geIiu1, who could find his place aud hold
| II, too, ready, when he knew he was right,
| TO take all the risks, whether IL was the
| anger of Schuyler, the censure Of Con-
! gress, or the widowhood of "MOlly Stark"
There was noted tavern In town, "and
when there were gathered there Ira Alien,
| Thomas Cbittenden, Jonas Fay and their
slaunch comrades, there was one catamount
on The sign post and IL catamounls Within"
| There was another committee of safety al
| Exeter, and while 1t contained such men as
Mesheck Weare, Nicholas Gilman, Josiah
Bartlett, the republic was not lost I'VE
| can repulse them," wrote Ira Miller, "ir
| we have assistance"
| In three days New Hampshire voted the
| assistance of three companies OF Stark's
brigade. 1t was then, when there was no
| money in the treasury aud no light ahead,
| that uprose John Langdon in his place,
"teudering his money, his merchandise
| aud his plate" "If we gain our indepen-
dence shall be repaid if not, what mat.
| ters my property?' The Legislature adj
| journed on Saturday night. All that nigbt
| and the next day an American was riding
| from Exeter To Concord. Sunday afternoon
| be diSmounted at a church door and walk
ed up the aisle. The minister stopped aud
said "Capt. Hutchns, are you the bearer of
| a message2' "Ycs, Burgoyne is on his
march 10 Albany. Stark Will command the
New Hampshire men, and If we all turn
| out, we can cut him ofi.' MY hearers"
said the Rev. Timothy Walker, "you who
| are ready to 90 better leave at once" All
! the men len the house bu, Phineas Virgir.
| who had no shoes. "Yuu shall have a pair"
| said Samuel Thompson the shoemaker,
| "beiure tomorrow morning."
| While Warner was sending his messen-
gers on fresh horses TO call the militia and
| alarm the Inhabitants of Vermont, and
| Heirick was raising bis rangers. all New
| Hampshire was in whirl-ofiicers hasten
| ing 10 Charlestown to halt returning troops,
| a
new enlistment, the minute men ever on
| the alert lest summoned to be ready. |
! hold in my bands venerable paper dated
| EAST Kingston, Aug. 4, l777," and reading
| thus: 1--WE the subsc ihers, do severally
| enlist ourselves or engage 10 stand in read
| iness at a moments warning, equipped ac.
cording to law, with six days prov Visions,
ready to march wherever called for in the
| New England states, 10 which We promise
obedience 10 our officers. We engage TO
| stand ready ill the 2ith of September next.
| Enoch Chase" and l3 others. Siark's
name was tower OF strength in New
| Hampshire, and his officers and men were
| in great measure select ciiiZeus, owners
| of the soil, good men and true. brigade
| Chaplain Hubbard was graduate nl the
second class of Dartmouth college, future
| govornor and chief justice of the state.
| jeremiah Smith had his gun stock broken
and face qrazed by mnsket tall at Ben
| nington. The members ofsevcfal mpanies
were neighbors, friends and relatives from
| the little town of Salisbury, n. ii. With
only 100 ratable polls, 81 were in the con-
nici. Their captain was the father Of Daniel
| master, Euward Evans, Yea. DvIJAuI'h
| Huutoon, Representative Matthew Peiten-
gill, Selectmen Ardent PeitenPill, and 9th
ers of the same quality. This one family
| of Pettengill sent to the battle three broth
ers and sisters husband. My great
grandfather, one of them, died of his
| wounds. 81 in Vermont five sons oil Jonas
Fay were there, one of them slain. Massa-
| chusetts sent lawyers, physicians, Judge
and n fighting parson. Ii was the Oest
| blood of these states.
While this c1mmolion WAS fermenlng
in the states. Burgoyuc was happy and
easy. lie ordered JcH dc JOie III honor OF
his victory on The very day on which
Schuyler was declining 10 furnish soldier
or a muskct 10 defend Vermont. Instead
OF nus hing on by Lake George aud the old
road he halted at Whit, hail, while his
troops cut their way through the dense lor-
est, made 20 bridges in tue 10 miles, and
two miles Of luG-wOrk over one morass.
If may have been, as lie claimed, his besl
course, but his need Of supplies became
early apparent, ahd, about the lst of Aug.
tbe irunns we're all designated for Baum's
eXneditiun. They did not march until lhe
18th. Tn Sc ten or twelve days ol decay
lost hi> only chance Of success, for the oth'
or John never luitered live days aiter h(
was notified of his appointment. He ap-
peared in CharlestUwn in advance OF MS IN
structious lie was forwarding troops Il
Vermont, waiting the enemy and looking
up his supplies. 1t would be amusing
were it not distressing, 10 read of his dim
cuties-detained for want Of bullet moulds
> as there is but one pair in town, vanly en-
deavoriug to get four cannon mounted
: finding third of the powder worthless, II
want OF kettles, pals, spirits and even seal
ing-wax aud paper, but he makes NJ
| anOlOQleS
or fears. AS fast as his men come In d.
q, squads, he sends them along. Just as sool
l as the bullets were run Stark and his mel
-, | went Off at the enemy. He comes IN sign
i at Manchester, receiving orders 10 Jol
SCHUYLER and fatty refusing TO abandon
: Vermont. BY two felicilous mistakes, on
when Congress supported him ana on
- when New Hampshire gave him indepen
;, dent command, he was free TO follow hi
n own sagacity. He chose a course for whic
. Washington had hoped the enemy woul
/ give the opportunity, and he fulfilled th
o prophecy of former years, that poverty
army would come from the north, whic
o he with the Green mountain boys woul
}, cut off wing by wing.
t. When all this stir around Connectict
" had reached its height, things began
IS move on the Hudson, like the opening
,e some tragic romance. The British generi
D, had bored his way dOggedly through fores
Is and swamp, and creek. He looked ana
e, iously down the river for some trace
5. Howe, but no tidings came. Ten messeI
II gers had gone by different routes, but neN
h er one had gone through. Even the di'
a. patch sent him by Clinton in silver bu
A. let from Saltwater, though swallowed b
10 the bearer, was recovered by an emeli
O. and the messenger was hanged as sp
of Only one message from Howe found l
)" way to Burgoyne, packed in qnlll, out
a came too late and brought no hope. On u
ne very day July 30) when he was wrltln
IL ~ am in total Ignorance of the situation
Is intention of Gen. Howe" Washington W
n, writing, "Howe's in manner abandonlI
ne Burooyne is so unaceountable a matt
that, while am fully assured of it, ! ca
is not help casting my eyes continually b
IN hind me-" Why II was, remained stan
at ing puzzle in America and Great Britai
er but Charles Lee knew why. When B9
iy goyne sailed for England, Lee was by
" own folly prisoner, clustering and COZ
nd ardly, ill-mannered and profane, ambitio