The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-10-20
VermOnt's alleged Indebtedness to
the Government.

A special correspondent of the Springfield
Republican was in town Saturday, investi-
eating the above subject, and reported to
his paper as follows: The letter of Auditor
Williams was shown to-day to General p.
7. Pitl<in, who was OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
of this state from the years 1864 to 1878, and
who probably knows more about the mill
tary affairs of the state during that period
than any one else and from his statements,
together with short examination of the
1uartermaster-generaPs reports kept in the
state library, the following facts in regard
to Auditor Williams statements were found.
The S669S0 due this state is a suspended
balance of claims. filed by Vermont under
the act of July u, 1861, amounting in the
aggregate to 1924, 49,, of which 1857 ,S45 has
been audited and paid. These claims were
for fitting out the first six regiments who
went into the war. The state uniformed
these men and furnished horses for the
mounted officers. She also uniformed the
officers and furnished them with side arms.
The custom was for officers to furnish their
own uniforms and arms; and the United
States government paid back what the
state paid to furnish equipments, etc, to
privates, and suspended her claims as to the
rest. This balance the state has been call
ing upon the government to pay for some
time, and the report which came yesterday
TO the state officers of an Indebtedness on
the part of the state to the United States of
over half million dollars was surprise to
tlltIl all. lHlS dlltStl lnueDleuntSS is LOT
arms and equipments furnished to Vermont
by the war department in the year 1864
when an invasion Of the state was threat
ened from its northern frontier. A large
number of confederate sympathizers and
bounty-jumpers had shown themselves in
Canada and We're concerned i'm the st. AL
bans raid. RumOrs of an invasion were
| rife and the state organized, by an act of
| the legislature, a militia of seventeen regi-
ments Of infantry, three batteries and
| twelve companies of cavalry. The governor
of the state, which office was then held by
j. Gregory Smith, had power by the act to
! bring the militia Unto camp" which Gov
ernor Smith thought could mean to bring
them into camp on or near Canada line
| There was no authority nor means for arm
| ing the militia, and they were needed at
once to protect the frontier. Governor
Smith, in company with General Pitkin,
went to Secretary of War Stanton to see If
the United States could not equip the
militia Secretary Stanton was well aware
of the danger threatened this state and the
| United States from what seemed an inn
pending invasion from Canada, and had
| been anxious to have the government send
troops to the frontier. The necessary num-
Der, however, could not be spared from the
regular army, and he determined to make
the Vermont troops effective for the service
required, by furnishing the necessary arms
and equipments. The only law which
could possibly be construed toauthorize such
action was the old law of 1908, which appro-
priated an annual sum of 500, 200 for arming
The entire militia OF the United States, the
arms so bought to be distributed TO the sew
eral states in proportion TO the number of eff
fective militia in each, BY his construction OF
this law Secretary Stanton, on reuuisitions
approved by Governor Smith, furnished the
state 1000 rited muskets, l,2O0 horse
equipments, three six-gun batteries of Ma