St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1890-03-06

WIND; through much dl1ncuitv we
Landed
% Day. We lodged on Skilton's
Island.
80 Sunday. We got to Gilliner's
Greek.
July 1776 we arrived to Crown
Point
The entries for the next month are
Of the details of camp life at Crown
Point, of the coming and going of of
ficers, of sitting upon court martials,
amounts of provisions received, and
money paid to the men; and through
all are seen here and there glimpses
of the mortality that prevailed
among the men after the retreat from
Canada, as witness these:
Day. Sunday. People die very
fast, ten buried today.
Day. Capt. Wilkins died last
Night. l have been to his burying
1 saw Sc graves of New England
People and two in some graves that
died within three weeks.
9Day. l set on Court martial to
try Joshua Bedel.
10 Day. Isaw eight men whipped.
15Dav. | embarked for Ticondero-
ga and lodged five miles south of
Sherburn
16 Day. Iarrived at Sherburn and
settled with We men there to the II
of this month.
25 Day. l was Relieved Of Main
guard.
26 Day. 1 went on fatigue over
We lake.
81 Day. went over to We Mount
to clear Encampment.
% Day Sunday. l moved over
to we Mount.
% Day. l dined with the General.
DIR. Weatherspoon came in.
3ODay. 1 received Letter from my
wife. My child died 20 July
And now we catch a glimpse of
what the war was to the settlers in
this frontier town, and the danger to
New England when Burgoyne began
his expedition.
% Day. l chopped wood III We
swamp, an Express came from Gen
cral Schuyler to take every Fifth man
of the Militia to go to Ticonderoga.
"a Day. We drafted the men of
this town.
% Day. They Past Muster.
26 Day. They set out.
81 Day. l made shingles. In the
after Noon drilled Capt. Taplin's
Company at Robt. Johnston's.
March 13. Capt. Taplin's Com
pany met at We State House. The
old Officers gave up and chose new
ones | enlisted over. Snow nearly
all gone and the River breaking up.
This interesting relic ends abruptly
at the bottom of the fourth page. If
the rest of it is extant it ought to be
published as a most valuable con-
tribution to the early history of
Eastern Vermont.
But of the author it is known that
he was in the army, where he rose to
the rank of Colonel, and served in the
campaign which resulted in the sur
render of Burgoyne; that he was
sent on several important commits
sions connected with the levying of
troops and raising of provisions; and
that he spent considerable time at
home, between the periods of active
service At last he came near being
captured within sight of his own
house, for he was in command of the
fort at Newbury when surprised by a
British force in the evening of June
II, 1882, and the garrison saved
themselves by hasty flight.
After the Revolution there was a
period of about thirty years, during
which Newbury was relatively far
more important town than now, as
it was for some years the county
seat and wanted to be the state CAPT
tai, the Assembly meeting here twice
Orange county included all of Yer
| mont east of the Green Mountains
and north of Windsor county; Haver-
| hill on the other side of the river was
the principal town in northern New
| Hampshire and there were many
wealthy and aristocratic families in
both towns
There were several Revolutionary
officers of distinction, lawyers by the
dozen; educated men who gave q
high tone to the society of Newbury
| Bath and Haverhil1, and who were
intimately connected with the
wealthy families of the seaport
towns Among these families that
of Col. Frye Bailey ranked high, his
name constantly occurs in the rec
ords of those times, and old people O
thirty years ago used to tell no enc
of stories about the great doings
when they were young.
In the remaining A. pages of this
book the names of almost every
prominent man within so miles APP
pear, and if space permitted much
could be said about the side lights
which these records cast upon those
times. To mention a few: His re-
ceipt of money from the state "tC