Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-11-10

of vermont 10 Inc Continental Congress, was az /
comnanled by the offer TO congress OF 'the , SET
vices OF more than i've thousand haray sOluicIs,
cspnhlr Of bearing arms In defence Of American
liberty" That was the offer OF man IRON every I
family, In new community where me strong
arms iha' had hui begun TO suhdne tn forest, could
not he spared without sore privatlon IN thc rustic
homes aud HOUSEHOLDS. IN ner nsNu So OH a,n
ted to the Union. offered TO furnish IRON year 20
year an equal number OF troops IN Inc ncii' III
proportion 10 their number, as congress shall cs-
innate the atiu,as of the several States In proper
lion TO their numbers which troops shall he
mont" Yon Know how the infant state Untitled
these pledges. Her lrSi regiment col sen Wat,
ueis ike the First Vermont Volunteers IN the litc
war was organized Tor temporary service. Her
next was fun continental regiment which served /
Throughout the war for indepcnIrhcr. lhr cmuts /
i1,I though only part could reach the ground IN
time TO take part in the battle. ~ lIicr hi'c We
mud the State In 7er perjury laying LAY Tor III" |
snnnnrt of l. 500 mon In tile army NcrmOrlcrs |
took the first forts captured from inc Brtish |
planned aud furnished troops for the hrst Invasion
| Of Canada formed u third vi Stalks force al Ben /
utuutnn defended their own territory and part oi
New York without help from the rest OF me CON
| tncntal army; fought SIDE Gv sue WIN ihcir
hruthrrs throughout the Revolutionary war and
made the title Of Green Mountain B1ya synonym
fnr courage hardihopl, effective bghlng aud I'M
selfish patriotism. III proportion 10 nleans and
numbers no Siuc OF the old Thirteen gave more
or suffered more or accomplished more for Ameri-
In many respects. however. our state was far
less ready 10 answer eau 10 arms IN l-o' thhn II
was in li15. The eighty years between the Rrvo-
lu'inr ami the Rebellion had made many States
popnlouS aui wealthy; hut had made Vermont
! neither. For nearly a quarter OF u century the
state had been stationary IN population and nearly
so IN uluprriV. The times when every Ncrlnonter
was AS handy with the rine ~ with the axe hal
pIs,ca away. The military SPIRIT mad become dor
nuui and apparently extinct The S'alr finally
ceased to make appropriations Tor inc militia or iu
require any military duty of the citizens. The
.Iulr trainings became farce and then hut the
memory Of a farce. For The ten years previous to
i-5l there was not the scnb ancc of any military
organization In the state. The few Independent
milf nv companies organized IN the SIX years fol
iuwinp were ina uiainrd moro for amusement than
with any anticipation of actual service The NUT
ferinus of the coming storm were Indeed unlns-
one who looks back IN that time in The light Of
/ stllscQue II events, the unwngness OF our people
to believe IN tho possibility of cvil war, even
. while the southern States were armlng, and ScZ-
ing United States forts and arsenalS. and moving
raiidly ON In the formation Of a separai" ruyer-
neni L. the strangc.t feature Of tho situation The
messenger who came 10 Governor Fairbanks IN the
/ first week in January, l-il. from the one man in
New England who was tulll alive TO the imminence
I of the war to say that he buying Ovcrcoais,
and hail cartridges for the Massachusetts militia !;
, and that he hoped the governor OF Vermont would
at once commence similar preparations for tile de-
fence Of the National Tapal.tOOk back 10 Governor
4 Andrew no very encouraging response. When, three
weeks later tie nr,t indication that our state ali-
,horins had rea hcd the point OF action came, in
an order to the ga Jams NJ the companies OF uni
Termed militia directing mem "a asceraln hownlany
= men IN their companies would respond 10 a call
Tor troops to maintain the Constitution and the
laws, hut ten cap'iins responded IN writing They
fashion. partially equipped and willing To march,
If ordered to tie defence of Washington. The
I captains OF three or -four more companies proha-
i biz responded verbally. I'M AZ most the STATE lAd
!. of citizen soldiers less than enough to form sin
| gle regiment. while to arm levy, II, had, all
= told Us musLps, mos, ut them smooth. hurcs, uud
l. some of Them ancient nn-!ucks. and 5U3 Cot,
pistols described in the report ot Qulrtermaster
General DAVIS. Us 'of no practical Use whatever !.
lfit he true, ~ Gen ". 4. sherman has said. tina
when the war came mo people on earth were les
l- urrplrel for 1t lnu those OF the lnited States
T. ali. tfl t, "A ~ :
prepared Tor 1t than those OF Vermont. Yet tn
a nurra Illness Of Our people was not owing To TN
H. apathy of stupidity or fear: was Father the re
suit of a devotion 10 the Union 50 absolute that it
y possessur. could moi find in their hearts to he
NJ icyc that it was not shared 10y any considerable
port iuu of their cuunltymcn, AMI OF Il conidcn
trust that the better impulses of the southern
L masses would ycJ cuuuicrac the rdltorous scheme
OF their leaders,
Y Unwilling as they were to hclicvc in the posi-
hly OF the dreadful Alternative of citil war. III
attitude Of the NcrnOnturs towards treason and re
bellion was ut no time dpuhtiGl. II was Vernon
Judge. sitting in the United States Circuit Court Il
H. Sew YORK civ who more than three months hcfor
Al Sumter was fired on. electrified the country by
!, memorable charge 10 the grand Jury, in which h
Ii defined the seizures of Federal property hy tn
l. suu'H IN militia acts Of treason. and charge
1 that 'iny individual owing allegiance 10 tn
= United States who shall furnish these southcr
l. traitors with arms or munitions Of war, vessels q
means OF Transportation. OF materials which wi
~ ad the traitors III carrying ont their trat0r0us Pun
y poses Is cearly liable 10 be indicted; tried, con
vcied and executed as trIltor-inr DEATH add
d ed he, lis the penalty of treason. This was bOl
ui,crancc TO be made in city filed with southern
rrs and southern symplthizcrs. many of them Ell
d gagged in supplying -hlrs and arms and ammuni
ton to the trditors-a city whose mayor had apo
IF oszed to sena'T Ioonbs Of Georgia for the siol
IL Of a shipment Of arms 10 arm the militia of tha
l. state; and whu had more than limited threat tha
in case of war New YORK would set herself up
~, Free city,. apui from allegiance 10 either govern
IT. ment II was Il Vermont senator, VINO IN January
1851. Introduce the irst amt | believe the on
/ PRACTICAL measure of resistance to the rcbcllio
that was proposed IN that Congress. IN his bill al
\ Ihor,Ziug the President TO close The ports of m
seeded states, and suspending the United state
r. mai service IN those States. And IN these EXPIRE
i, sloi,s Judge Smailey and senator CGllamcr 1T
III spoke the loyalty and purpose OF the Nermontcl
OF both political parties.
k. Wien The actual call 10 arms came. you rcmcu
-, her how Vermont rose with the great uprising
Nv the North We could not. indeed, reply 10 sun
so ter a. our ioreia,hers replied 10 lexington wit
Il he ,.apiure of a walled fortress We coull NJ
~, send II regiment 10 march with the Massachusr
w SIKH through rcbelllOus Baltimore. lui 'hc pro,
III amation of our governor. converting the lrgl'l,
turc to provide men and arms bore even date Wi;
Mr.. Lncoln's proclamation aud ancdatcd by
least 4 day all similar wocanaon' of other GOV
crnur- AMI our frst regiment was ready IN TN
al 10 make the it>i permanent occupation of the 81
tu Of Virginia. made by the troops OF the niUn IN
H. To take a hand IN the frs battle.
Inc Asia numbers furnished tor the WAY. 1t i.
- think not putting II too strong to say that Vernon
~ sent "A greater proportion of her able-bodled me
"a hoihc service than any oihc, STATE. Governt
es curtin Of Pennsylvania, AT he meeting OF the 5
Isl gie,y Of ne Army OF tie folomSc n siS sal
$, one IN seventeen of her populaon-a ratio larg
ll than that OF the conscrpton Of lsli, IN France
PENNSYLVANIA was a great, wealthy and populoL
state, full OF ablc-hodicd w0rku.cn. ana havlI
IL An Immense pecunary stake IN the preservation
d. the Mon II our little community, far from Il
theatre OF war and from danger OF INVASION did
well AS the Keystone State of the Republic, 81
NJ dd well. But, computed on the general basis
he all Snch comprehensive credits on the books
on the Provost Marshal General OF the United States
iy, vermont furnished Tor the war not one
ed ,eyentGeen but one n fe9 Of her pontpl
nj large proportion ; but no other had 80 small
do proportion of rs citizens liable To aud III for mi
To lary duty with the possible exception OF Mass
he chGsctts, whose large excess of female populate
by must Of course he taken into the account. No Of
or cr state, however.-npt Massachusetts or Maine
mt New lilmpshre,--had been depleted of youn
he able and cntcrprlslng men-the very class viii,
My supplied the Noluntcors-as was Vermont. II
10 census Of lss0 shows that there are more natl'
Isc Neinunters d0mlcllcd in other States than a
Ill now residing within our borders land II that vi
he NOT the case IN lsGo the fact could not have con
ny much short II. OF course every State had maj
les sons who fought III the ranks of the regiments
act other States; hut not one, venture to say. had
ng many as vermont. count OF the native We
A. mUntcrs in the Second Minnesota regiment ma,
cir on Capitol I'M IN July, oGl, showed that 40,
zee unc-iith Of the aggregate of the regiment we
nd horn IN Vermont, yet there were several Weste
IN states IN which native Ncrmoniers were mo
cs plenty than IN Minnesota. II the inll statisti
est could lie obtained they would probably show III
i've rs many men born IN Vermont were included
Inc The rolls OF other States as in our own; VIII
On, int muster rolls oi our Vermont regiment snow
the very small sprlnhng of men Of other natlvlti,
IS a The hone and snew, life, energy intelligence,
III Out commonwealth was under arms or engaged
OF the support of the troops IN the hell. No 9th
his community, II Is safe to say nearly approach
yas unanimity IN loyal sentiment. No man occupy
en-, any onclil Oi representative position In our ii
ck, gave any aid or sympathy 10 the rebellion. I
list OF northern traitors consigned to Forts War;
ant aud la Fayc,tc, contains the name OF no VI
montcr The number Of our citizens VINO by We
or thought opposed the war, was the merest lr,
ton.
~: Our people gave of Their means as freely as
so their men. frugal folk, unused 10 large
hat penditures for anything NermOns llrsi app
var pratiOn for war purposes milton dOid
IIIv And the New YORK World said OF II, without 81
1tI- trddlctlon from any quarter; "Many have du
ree i,pps "u huhc, icapu ctsscuhsIutlcu, nave tlu
lrly ms our outlay oI money iuI me IetIullll