Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-09-14

IN idfi-N-A BLOODY CONFLICT WITH TIE
ToRiES-CAPTURE OF TWO soSs-THEIR
E-cAPE FROM CANADA.
The author of the following interesting
bit OF traditionary history was the late Mrs.
RhOda Pierson Foot. Mrs Foot was the
youngest daughter of Moses Pierson. and
was the aunt of Mrs. l.. NJ. Ilagar, OF this
city, who still retains the manuscript, and
to whom We are indebted for a copy for print
ing. 1t was written in 1860.
History Of a family an Vermont from the
memory Of the youngest ciiH (q0iu eiqhiV
three ycarS OhO, which mdS toid her by her
parents and Cider brothers and SISTERS, uhen
d chitd, rrhich as a true history.
Before the revolutionary war, man
whose name was Moses Pier.on, settled in
Vermont on the border. of Lake Camplain.
The name of Shelburn was given to the
town where he lived; his family consisted
OF r wife and several children. lie pur-
chased Il ,00O) one thousand acres of land
for binselt and family before his removal
from New Jersey. A block house of hewn
logs and a log barn made them very COM
Portable in the wilderness. About six
years they lived there in peace and quiet
tude but one sillction gave them sorrow.
That was the death of their eldest son with
consumption. James vas promising son,
but disease had been proving on his lungs
some time which ended his days On earth
When Independence was declared by a
lew States uniting together, it aroused
hing George of Great Britain, and he i'm
mediately proclaimed war against them.
Then frontier troubles began. Canada was
in the Kings dOmniOns and their scouts
were sent out like bees from hive TO invade
the suburbs OF the new territory. There
were but few families in the same town with
Mr.. PlersOn, and 1t was the nearest settled
place to the Canada line One of his
neighbOrs was Mr. Tyler, from Copnec
ticut. lie turned Tory, lett his family and
fled to Canada and his house became a Tory
rendezvous. Vermont was very thinly set
tied in l116 when war commenced There
were some alarms, but nothing serious till
the Fall OF - when they had fears of being
disturbed a small company OF men were
sent to MIR. PiersOn's relief under the charge
OF Lieutenant Barnum. There being no
trouble, part of the company lett in Feb
ruary IS; only fifteen remained with the
family. On the first of March the guard
heard the enemy coming and being alarm
ed, iOrgOt to fie his gun, ran in and cried 4:
'Ihey are coming. they are coming" The
men sprang to their feet and caught their
guns at that instant the house was fired on
The men had to get their chance of firing
from the small windows. Lieut.. Barnum
gave orders till bullet struck him in the
breast. lie fell across a kettle and his blood
ran into it ; he died there The Tories |
set the house on fire with pOrt-fre |
which was discovered and put out with beer |
Capt. Sawyer took command, and the |
firing was too hard for the tories. They |
skulked behind the house. when one peeped |
out, he was shot at from the house. The |
battle commenced an hOar before day. and |
lasted till the sun was an hour high. The |
tories then crept off rs they could and took |
their tracks back on the ice. Three of the |
wings were killed and some Others wounded. |
Six tories were found dead. One of them was /
great stout Indian. and in crossing the ice
they were seen to cut hole IN the ice and |
put IN some that died. Lieut. Barnum and
the other two that were killed were put in
ccihns. a hole was dug and the enemy we're
all piled in together. The Indian was thrown
IN first with his face downward, an old |
Dutchman calling out. dig YOUR way
down To hell. SIX tories were taken pris-
oners. They cried for quarter behind the
barn AMI were told to come forward il they
wanted quarter
During the battle Mrs Pierson was in the
bed with her youngest daughter, ten months
old Three other girls were lying in another
bed beside hers and were not hurt As soon
as the enemy had left. Mrs PiersOn got up
leaving the child in bed. When she went
To her, she found her covered with blood |
but not hurt. Mr.. Pierson got out of bed.
reached up TO the beam for his rifle and a
bullet went through his shirt and left two
holes in it, None of the family were hurt.
Alter breakfast they gathered up their
things and started on the ice for Shore
ham with their horse-teams The cattle
were driven by land through the woods.
There the family made stop, took farm
and staid till next Fall.
About this time some scouts from Canada
came out and burnt Mr.. Pierson house and
barn and all the other buildings. They
next went to Vergennes. where they found a
few people hom they took prisoners. Alter
having burned all the log houses, they
started for Quebec. Among the prisoners
were Mr.. Persons eldest daughter Mrs.
Sarah Van Arnum, her husband and child
year old, named Miles. They had compassion
enough Tor the prisoners to let them ride on
the horses they had taken and on the way
gave Mrs Van Arnum her ehild's clothing
which they had taken. They were all kept
in prison at Quebec till the war was over,
then they we're exchanged. The next
Spring she had another son born who was
by the Priest. George Frederick,
and named for King George. The same
Fall these were taken, another party went
on to Shoreham burning on the way all the
houses they could find. They burned several
in Cornwall. Only two escaped; they were
near a large swamp and were missed
When Mr.. Persons family LETT ShOreham !
; katr 81 I
and in Clarendon till peace was declared,
but had left their cattle and hogs and two
oldest boys, IIba and Uzal, to kill their
meat and try their lard. which they had
ione and were all ready to start on the
next morning. Before day tins squad
came. fired ON the house, which frightened
the cattle and they all fled to the woods, but
were afterwards found. The two boys and
A Mr.. More, ON whose farm they had lived,
were made prisoners with Others they found
IN the town, and taken to st. Johns. They |
.et fire to the house and burnt up the meat
and lard After they arrived at ST. Johns,
LIba was handcuiled and kept in the prison
ne being nearly eighteen years old. Uzal
was in ms sixteenth year and small OF his
,ge. lie was allowed to 60 out. lie kept
good lookout Til he found place where /,
they could make their escape. After few
lays Iba's handouts were left off, and
he had liberty within the tort. When
be was taken. pocket compass was found
IN him which the captain took from him.
4 day or two before his escape the captain
tart.d on another scout and came and /,
hook hands with him, leaving the compass =
n Zlba's hands As soon as they could G
cave in safety, they crept out while the t
entinel slept and went to an old house oc t
..k
he next night. then started ON their jour i
ley through woods and sometimes through t
hearings. sleeping in barns when they /
ould find them. otherwise staying in the s
woods 1t was March, I779.
They had been two days without prOvis t
Ons. They came TO French house. As |
hey entered the door, they SAW Il man a
utting bread with u large knife. lie laid it |
IOwn. The boys snatehed each slice and !
he knife and ran 10 the woods. by the help L
1 the compass they went on. Somewhere v
hey found II hatchet. As they travelled l
Trough the poor French settlement. some L
Il them were kind and would give them
Ood. A lew days after leaving the tort
hey were afraid they should be captured
nd stald Il week IN II barn concealed IN tine =
ay, creeping out at night TO seek food
hlch they seldom found. They became 50 '
amt anu hungry lnht iutN ~lIuth hu bA WI
he head with the hatchet, then cut his e
hroat and skinned the thighs and took the
kin to wrap up their feet, and ate some OF "
he meat.
At one place they saw men getting out !,
ait of timber They silly crcpt to the
uuse where they found an old man drunk '
nd asleep ON the floor Several knapsacks
we're hanging up filled with bread They II
ach took one and IL camp kettle oi meat and :
cans and II gun and ammunition and n
uttle of rum. then took to the woods :,
gain. and Jared well tll 1t WAS gone. Al !
.rward- they had To live nn such wild game
: they could shoot, killing even martens y
nd eating them The snow began to 3"
lelt the first oi April, and they had to ~
'alk through snow and water. Winter broke ~
y and Spring advaLcIng. they came to >,
AXE ChamplAin. They made n raft ut n>Od =,
ood. tied together with peeled bark and "A
TOSSED t. land. let tneIr THit 70 and soon :,
,und they were on an Island. which they Il
Iterward- supposed to bo Isle of Mott. l.,