St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-08-31

that no enemy could move through New
England, except on his bier. 1t signi-
fed to the British General what he con-
fessed nine weeks later, that his opin-
ions of the rebel troops were "delusive.n
1t signified to the Indians that it was
time to abandon the British service. 1t
signitied to insurgent Tories that they
better depart or be still. 1t signified
TO the neighbOring states and TO Con-
gress that the New Hampshire Grants
were certainly to become Vermont, and
on the spirit of the nation-the army
and the people-the effort was magical.
Well did criers proclaim it round the
street in Boston and all the bells ring
out the victory. 1t was Il "capital eX
plot" 1t. was the definite beginning
of the distant, but now certain end,
cOnfessing it at once paralyZed Bur-
gOyne's operations. 1t rallied in flOcks
the forces that stopped him at Still
water. Bennington meant Saratoga, too,
when Burgoyne looked northward.
John Stark lay i'll the rear This clus-
ter of events determined the treaty
with France and thus furnished openly
the arms, ammunition and aid which
before were given only in secret. 1t
Y y
Bills. too soon for King George, and
too late for America. ItprObably slim
ulated Spain into war with Great
Britain, encouraged the disaffection of
Ireland, fostered the British opposition
at home. and thus embarrassed the
Government. 1t hastened hther the
| foreign military skill which did so much
! for our enemies. 1t cooled off the hope
of Canadian and Tory help, and detach-
ed the last band of Indian allies. "Thc
very existence of the infant state OF
| Vermont" wrote Ira Allen long after
ward, "their families and property were
all pending on the event" We might
almost call it our Thermopyl9, only
that our Leonidas and most of his troops
survived to strike other blows for their
country.
1t is a singular token of the skill of
our mark sm1 1n, and the bewilderment
of the foe, that while the British cleft
2O7 dead on the spot" and many Others
mortally wounded, our lost was about
thirty killed, and about forty wounded.
Thirteen tories, "buried in one hole, >
mostly shot through the head lis they
looked over their breaStwOrk, told OF
the aim of the New Hampshire sharp
shooters, and the bayOnet of William
Clement, that never was withdrawn
from the skull of another, told of the
hand tO-hand conflict that closed the
strife. But there was mourning on oul
side. The chief havoc was in the regi-
ment of Nichols which gave the sigma
and opened the fight on the hill. IL
each of four honOred homes i'll Benning
ton, there were orphans and Il widow
Four New Hampshire officers were
killed and two died of their wounds
Ten of their tOwnsmen, privateS, were
laid with them in the grave. Chaplain
Hibbard in his old age, remembered
well that "burial service" as the mos
mourntul occasion of his life. New
Hampshire sent two of her fOremos
! men, Josiah Bartlett and Stephen Pea
body, "to do everything in their powe
. to assist the sick and wounded" LIE
the names of those dead be carved her
, on a monument that shall be cO-eva
= with this state and this nation, ant
while the grass grows green on tres
mountain sides, aud the granite rocl
lies firm and solid beyond the Coz
} necticut. let the name of Seth Wane
he craven in Vermont, and the name o
: of New Hampshire.
: Friends and fellow citizens: Tht
! records of the past speak to us in vain
t unless they speak also for the futule
I Many suggestive thought clings t.
/ this historic spot and first of all, tn
battle field of Bennington is as com
| memorative of piety as of bravery.
4 should he false to the truth of histOr
I did fail to recognize the strong, re
= ligious spirit in which this victory ha
z its preparation and achievement. TIL
: smoke of the battle field mingled as
a rose with the incense of prayer, Fac
a of the three states that shared the vic
+ tory, had appointed in the first half c
= August its special fast day, i'll view c
/ the approaching confiict.
|. The Berkshire men fired no shot i
! the battle till their pastor had praye
$ with them to the God of battles. Co
o Nichols is said to have knelt with hi
i men in prayer before he had led theI
e to the onset. McClay, on the previOu
4 Sabbath was exhOrting his soldiers t
4 remember the Lords day, and the buI
n let from his fatal wound and the bibl
e from his breast pocket were Ion pre-
I served together, i'll his family. All da
: long while the sound of the camno
e came pealing from the battle field, in til
!. churches of Bennington and Williams
e town, the voice of prayer was ascend
Il ing ; it never ceased till tidings came {
e victory. John Stark forwarded to Ne
e Hampshire the Hessian equipments I
:. trophies of that glorious victory give
: them by the Divine Being who ovel
e powers and rules all things. The me
Y who achieved our deliverance her
s feared God and they feared nOthin
Il else.
: 'They came as brave men eyer came,
Il To stand to fight, to die;
" No thought of fear was in the breast,
81 No qualing in the eye
N If the lip faltered, twas with prayer,
Amid those gathering bands
t For the sure rifle kept its pOise
l. In strong untrembling hands"
l. This consecrated spot speaks to us
A lesson of fraternity. This region WI
: once the New Hampshire Grants, al
d BenningtOn's charter transmits the nan
of Benning Wentworth, a New Haml
'e shire Governor. Nine-tenths of ii
'. early settlers of Vermont came fro
t, Massachusetts, Connecticut and RhOC
y Island. The troops of these common
d wealths fought in noble rivalry al
II with equal courage for the safety
Is these times and for the common wei
e Their dead sleep side by side. And
Of | look over the roster of those requir
D. ments l read the Welsh name of Evan
of the Norwegian Peterson, the Scott
of Webster. The names of McGregC
at McClary, Gregg, Stark and their COZ
er panions, show that the Scotch-Irish fu
rs nished some of the best fighting sto,
80 of America, while the great bulk
st those troops were of the pure Angl