Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-08-17

meet my concurrence. ,
Burgoyne was in Montreal full month
before he applied for means OF transport
and the inadequacy of his supply at last
was the Chief cause OF his disaster. Ills
body Of troops, though smaller than he
asked, was splendid army corps. tbur-
goyne had asked for 5000 regular troops
exclusive of artillery, 1000 Canadians 70
act as an escort and working parties, ana
900 Indians, besides a large NUMBER oil
prOvincials for transport duties. lie re
ports his actual force at 7,25l regulars, l4l
Canadian militia. and 500 Indians. This
was exclusive of 5lI artillery-men, and an
accession of tories from the States, but be
was obliged to leave l 900 men to garrison
Saratoga, greatly to his regret. lie thought
Carleton should have furnished the garri-
son, and then complained that "it drained
the life blood of his force.) The German
soldiers had learned war when Frederick
was at his best, and the British were the
veteran troops of England. A magnificent
park of artillery, and body of picked can
noniers. accompanied the march. The 9TH
GERS, Phillips and Riedesel, Frazer and
Hamilton. Kingston, Balcanas and Ackland,
we're men of brilliant and various dlstlnc-
ton. For an army of its size. no inner body
conld have been set down on this continent.
The general knew. OF ought to have
known, his foe lie was in Boston when
the British army twas, as he expressed it.
.nnrecoversd from the CONSERVATION at Lex
ington" lie had directed the firing of the
batteries against Bunker Hill, and hand
someIy commended the obstinate defence and
orderly retreat. lie therefore only imposed
on himself when he proclaimed to his army
that the enemy were infinitely inferior to
the kings troops in open chase and hardy
combat" The event made it even ludicrous
in him to announce it. They replied; "Only
IN intrenchments and rifle pieces, and it will
be our glory and preservation to storm
them " And it was still graver folly to
threaten that enemy with devastation.
famine and every eoncomitant horror. for
he only exssperaied when he sought to ter
rily. Had he had the Thousands of In
dams of whom he boosted, to do this work.
instead of his paltry 500, he spoke to men
who had heard a londer war -whOop than
his. They turned his flaming proclamation
into doggerel rhyme and called him "Chro-
Observation-Disclosures.
Yet there were anxious hearts as he moved
towards Lake Champlain. Men called II
conderOga the key of North America.
Schuyler had written to New Hampshire
that 1.-THE loss of 1t would be dreadful, If not
altogether fatal 10 the liberties of the coun
try Washington said the consequences
would be " irreparable" Meanwhile the
public mind was feverish with excitement
and the air thick with alarms. The enemy
had landed at Newport and headed for Pro-
violence; they had landed at Fairfield, had
DESTROYED Danbury and were expected at
Rye. Eighteen ships were seen above Peeks-
kill. Cartoons boats were said to be at
Split Rock, 40 miles from Ticonderoga. The
cry Is raised IN New Hampshire and Con-
- Ii hoiio off hu
enemy to spread counterfeit money" In
trenching tools are found under barn in
Hollis, and firearms at Groton. Half the
men of STAFFORD Joined the regulars.
The tories wrote Sullivan, "are
everywhere lifting their heads. secret COM
binations are discovered in HillsborO. in
western Massachusetts and northern New
uampshire. The New Hampshire commit
tee of safety recommend to all persons capa-
BILE of bearing arms. to constantly carry
them to public Worship and all places
where business leads them, for VIC know not
tine day nor the hour OF an attack on the
borders, and we must stop those internal
traitors among ourselves" But how to get
arms The same committee, two days later,
informed their congressman that great
number of their militia were without fire.
arms, and in the hali-manned fortress OF
Ticonderoga not one man in ten had
bayonet.
On the first of July, so gunboats and two
lrigates hove in sight of TicOnderoga,
stretching across the lake from east to west
The garrison declared themselves ready for
the bloody fray, and Parson Allen was will
ing ito leave this body Of his corpse on
the spot" On the morning of the 5th, they
were amazed to see body OF red coats
planting battery on Mount Defiance,
commanding every corner OF their fortress.
That night came an order to evacuate. 1t
was received in the fortress literally with |
curses and with tears, and cry OF execra- |
ton and lament swept through the country. |
"Such a retreat" wrote one of the garri- |
son, was never heard of since the creation |
OF the world" The men talk of treachery. |
We never shall hold post" said stout |
John Adams, " till We shoot general
Burgoyre wrote home The rebels have |
no men Of military science" King George |
rushed into the Queens apartments, shout |
ing, Z" have beaten them, | have beaten |
all the Americans" and he talked OF red |
ribbon for his general.
But they were all mistaken. The rebels |
had men of science. Sir John Trumbull |
had proved on the spot q year before that |
this verv thing could happen. Schuyler |
and ST. Clair were no traitors. They only |
Numbered. 1t was grave error in Schuyler |
to accumulate such precious stores and
priceless arms for capture and destruction
in ill-proyisiOned and half-defended fort
resses. 1t was a most lame and lmposent
conclusion for st. Clair to boast that. "if
the enemy come hither, he will go back
faster than he came and within one week
he stole away by night. The news OF the
loss of Ticonderoga fell on this whole
region like the bursting Of a water-spOut-
For miles along the lake and up the Otter
creek the settlers claimed British protection
or fed from their homes. The inhabitants
of ALBANY ran about their streets in terror.
Williamstown and Stockbridge were crowd
ed with fugitives. The New Hampshire
towns along the Connecticut from Walpole
to Hayerhill were sending off messages of
alarm Bezi Woodward wrote from
Hanover at midnight, "F0r Gods sake,
come without delay" But George had not
beaten all the Americans, and Burgoyne
did not earn the red ribbons. There were
on these New Hampshire grants. in the
words of Congress, people called Green
Mountain boys, and they were not ready
to resign their homesteads after the struggles
Of dozen years, and that song, though
unwritten then, was sung through their
hearts
Here We halt cur march and pitch Cur tent,
On the ragged forest ground,
And light our fires with the branches rent
Bv winds from the borders round,
Wild storms have torn the ancient wood,
But wlderis at hand,
With hail of iron and rain Of blood
To sweep ard desolate the land
Down in Berkshire there was a company
that had been disappointed of "a fight"
Over in New Hampshire there was gallant
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 Mon
moth and Yorktown. There was man
whose name was Seth Warner, clear headed,
resolute. unfnching, every inch a soldier,
and acquainted with every loot OF this
ground. There was also man whose
name was John Stark, born and bred
warrior, a man Of genuine military instinct
and genius. who could find his place and
hold it, too ready. when he knew he was
right, to take all risks, whether it was the
anger of Shuyler. the censure OF Congress,
or the widow hood OF MOLLY Stark" There
was noted tavern in town, land when
there were gathered there Ira Allen,
Thomas Chlttendeu, Jonas Fay and their
staunch comrades, there was one catamount
on the sign-pOst and IL catamOuDts with
in There was another committee OF
safety at Exeter, and while it contained
such men as Mesheck Weare, Nicholas Gil
man, Josiah Bartlett, the republic was not
lost. I'VE can repulse them, wrote Ira
Miller, eff we have assistance"
In three days New Hampshire voted the
assistance of % companies of Stark's
brigade. IL was then, when there was no
money in the treasury and no light ahead.
that uprose John Langdon in his place,
rendering his money, his merchandise and
his plate" ''lf we gain our independence,
| shall be repaid if not, what matters my
property ?'' The Legislature adjourned on
Saturday night All that night and the
next Gay an American was riding from
Exeter to Concord. Sunday afternoon he
dismounted at church door and walked up
the aisle The minister stopped and said.
Capt. Hutchins, are you the bearer of q
message?" ''Yes. BurgOyne is on his
march to Albany. Stark will command the
New Hampshire men, and. If we all turn
l. Aftr