Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1877-08-24
vERMONT'S CENTENNIAL.
Grafton by Prof y. q. bartlett Of Dart.
mouth College.


tent and beauty. Westward the Adj
rondacks, dim with the distance of a hun
dred miles or more, the Helderbergs and
Catskils to the south, Greylock, Saddle
and Bald, the long Green Mountain wall on
the east, aud the Killington Peak, sixty
miles away TO the north, outline a vast am
phtheatre of hill and vale, of fertile fields
and graceful forests, dotted with thrifty
villages and happy homes. The steam
pufs up in sight from half dozen railway
lines, and there are gllmpses of the Hoo
sac and Waloomsac bordered with manu-
factories. Nestled invisibly away are
schools, and banks, and printing presses,
here a vane and there college. As the
day declines, silver streamlets come glid-
ing forth with reflected sunbeams from the
broad expanse, of rich farming lands
near fountain spreads its lofty spray upon
the air, and at length there settles down
over the whole landscape that mellow, low
and dreamy hue which makes it seem of
some other world. But this is no drelm-
land vision. These things all lie ON the
soil of these sovereign States, and they are
the substantial tokens of industry, culture,
peace and prosperity, the ripest fruits of re-
publican liberty.
On bright morning one hundred years
ago to-day, German officer on an emf
nenee FIVE miles from here looked forth adj
miringly on q part of this same landscape,
then "ripe" he said, with pastoral beau
ty"-"a wide sweep OF stately forests, in
terrupted al remote intervals by green
meadows aud fertile corn fields, with here
ap1 a ChpH n nj hpr nrimi-
tive edifice," and Bennington was "a clus-
ter OF poor cottages in a wild country"
Around him was a well-appoinled military
band, glittering with arms, some of the
men in brass helmets, some in red coats,
some in citizens garb, and dusky forms in
war paint hung upon the outskirts. Two
miles this side of him, hidden from his
sight was another band, ill-armed and mis-
cellaneously clad, largely in cloth Of tow
or linen dyed with butternut or maple,
and too deeply absorbed in their day break
preparations to spend one thought upon
the glory of the earth or sky. Between
these two bodies Of troops, and in good
measure on that days struggle, hung pend
ing the question whether the pastoral beau
ty Of that time should unfold into all the
civil freedom and blessing OF this.
The natural theme of our thoughts, there
fore, is, The Place of the Battle of Ben
nington in the History of our Country.
The early days of August, l777, were
eliminating time of gloom and alarm. For
more than a twelvemonth the tide of our
prospects had steadily ebbed till the shoals
and reels were plainly in sight. In the
opening OF our great conflict, the first clash
OF our arms had carried all before it. The
British army and its favorle generals,
Gage, Howe, Clinton and Burgoyne, were
penned up in Boston, with bitter memories
of Lexington and Concord, then driven
forth 10 find a shelter in Halifax. Lord
Dunmoie was expelled from Norfolk, and
took refuge ON his fleet. Ticonderoga,
Grown Point, st. Johns and Montreal had
been taken in rapid succession, and Que
bee alone had escaped. From Canada 10
Virginia we had made clean sweep.
But a change comes. Just before our In-
dependence was declared the last of our
troops were driven out of Canada, in the
strong but true language of the day, 'dis-
GTeeesaku d!etffi2dfscipiiHed.'e ntfat dISplJlSH,
that declaration was read to the army on
broadway, Howe landed on Staten Island
the first detachment of twenty six ihous-
| and troops Then followed the disastrous
battle OF Long Islasd, the evacuation Of
| New York, the reverse OF White Plans,
| the surrender OF Forts Lee and Washing
| ion. The chase of our army through the
| Jerseys and the capture of Charles Lee,
| the second in command and then The idol
of the army, Just as he was wrlllng 10
| Gates profane attack upon his chief. Ana
before our great general retreated grimiy
southwark, conspired against by ms lead-
| ing officers, distrusted even by John Ad-
ans for his Fabian policy" chafed by the
| internal iealousies of his army and bafhed
| of every plan by the incessant changes oi
his troops, there came, like some OF JOB
| messengers, tidings from the north that ouI
| fleet of fileen sail on Lake Champlaln was
| exterminated, Crown Point burned and
abandoned, and our northern army cooped
up in its last Stronghold at TicOnderoga
| Washington, indeed, kept merry Chflst.
mas with the Hessiaus at Trenton, and palC
his New Years compliments to The Brit
ish at Princeton. These two flashes alon'
f1iekered over the sombre scene.
The flush and ardor of transient contilct'
had now given way to the tug and strain
protracted war. And what warl OneI
destitute of tents, blankets, medicines
good clothing and wholesome food, shor
ofarms and ammunition, without money
credit, might almost say, long wlthou
an army. For by short enlistment GU
troops continually melted away, sometime
in the presence of the foe. And short en-
listments were growing difficult; for II
| those sparse, new and poor settlements hoN
could the men he spared from their homes
The camp, too, was as fatal as the battle
field, 1t was invaded by camp fever an
dyseutery, and steadily beleagured by tn
small pox. At one time in '76 Schuyle
in three months lost halr OF his ten tbous
and men by death and desertion, ana twC
fifths of the remainder were on The sic
| list.
dens. Vermont was engaged in the lon
| and gallant strI TO for state rights ana ma
yidual ownership of the soil. New Ior
was oyerrun with loyalists, of whom nun
bcIs had been sent to the New Englan
states for safe keeping-two hundred at or
| time in the iails and houses of New Ham!
| pba Gfata Of Naw HamnGhirp. IL
tensely patriotic that only seven hundre
and seventy-thre out of her whole popu
. lation had, whether for conscientious or p'
litical scruples, refused TO sign the pleut
TO visit the foe with arms at the RISK
our lives and our fortunes, was YET ui
tracted with the magnitude and the mull
tude of her efforts. may not weary yt
with the long recital. Enough that when
state militia enrolment extended fro Il
age of sixteen up to fifty and had 'alar
list to sixty-five, and when at length o
ders are given to drait one'halI even OF III
alarm list we may be sure that the slra
has reached her vital forces.
The outlook also, in these earlier monll
ofthe year was forbidding. Apowerlul ne
Law southwark at the centre OF the nallO
ready TO strike at any part OF our vast Coz
line, The way was well nigh clear Tor
early invasion from the north. Canadl
sympathies were lost. The Indian trlol
that six months before had refused TO mi
Gle in this "quarrel," as they phrased
Sbetween two brothers and one blooo
were listening to the enemy. Frank
was waiting in vain at the French col
= for recognition of our country.
And now the plot was deepening. Bl
goyne, in London, laid before King Geoi
In February, plan to close the war. Ho
had sent across the ocean a still larl
scheme (Howe proposed to open tue ca
m paign of the southern army with $500 N n
in In three army corps one 10 cover N
in- Jersey, one to act on the side Of Rho
led Island with a view to recovering Bosl
at - a., = ,Lt,d 10 nnoua nm north To Alba