St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1890-03-06
TFor the Caledonian.1
REVOLUTIONARY JOURNAL AND
ITS A UTHOR.

thICkneSSeS OF brown paper and sack
ing, pasted together, in which is part
of a newspaper printed in Boston
about ITO. The first four pages
contain a part of the diary of Col.
Frye Bayley, prominent man in his
time, one of the first settlers of New
bury, and an officer in the Revolu-
tionary War.
The Journal begins abruptly on
June 10, 1776, during the retreat of
the American army from Canada,
and the first two pages carry the
narrative to August of that year
There is a leaf missing, and the last
two pages begin Jan. 2 and close
March 81, 1777, at his home in New
bury.
1t is known that he kept diary
through the greater part of his life;
but whether any other portion of 1t
than this fragment is in existence or
not | cannot learn. This book is
probably made up from the scattered
sheets of the original diary.
The remaining A pages are filled
with accounts dating from 1868 to
1876, between Col. Bayley and 149
other persons.
Bv the kindness of its owner and
at the request of the editor of the
Caledonian, | propose to give some
extracts from this interesting relic
and some account of its author. He
was born in or near Newbury, Mass,
in 1880, and lis known to have)
served in Canada in the Old French
War. Whether he was related to
Gen. Jacob Bayley of Newbury or
not no one seems to know, but the
two were very intimate and seem to
have had many business interests in
common, both before and after their
coming to Newbury.
Both spelled their name as | have
given it here, but the descendants of
Gen. Bayley spell the name Bailey.
Frye Bayley came to Newbury be-
fore 1910 and bought land which he
cleared into fine farm and built
house, still in good preservation, a
large, Imprinted, two-story mansion
on the river road about half way be-
tween Wells River and Newbury.
He was man of good education and
soon became prominent in the new
settlement. 1t must be noted that
the principal settlers of Newbury and
Haverhill were men of considerable
wealth who took up the great
meadow farms, and these settle
ments had made a great advance
toward an established state of soci-
ETY. before much progress had been
made i'll the towns around them.
The towns then became a base of
supplies for the newer settlements,
and the military experience of a few
men stood the whole region in good
stead when the Revolutionary war
broke out.
At what time Frye Bayley entered
the Continental army does not APP
pear, but in Feb. 1776, he was sent
on some mission by Gen. Bayley,
(tben Commissary General for north
ern New England to Montreal and
remained with the army during its
retreat to TicOnderOga.
In March 1776, several companies
of Col. Bedel's regiment marched on
snowshoes from Haverhill, N. H., to
Montreal, a distance of $50 miles.
They followed a line which in 1774,
was run through the woods from
Barnet to Missisquoi Bay on Lake
ChampIain, thence down the lake
and the Richielieu river. Frye Bay
ley seems to have accompanied this
expedition having been sent to Mont
real on some commission by Gen.
Jacob Bayley.
The brief entries in his journal are
very interesting and have, l think
never been in print before.
June 1776) 10 Day. Provision
Day. One man died at st. Johns
with Pain i'll his Breast One man
died with the Small Pox in a tent
just by me.
II Day. l made Return of sick
and we'll Col. Wait came in. The
Small Pox goeth very hard with We
men,
II Day. Very hot. Bad for We
sick. Iheard bad news from We Three
Rivers.
13 Day. Our Company drew Nine
teen Blankets and six Kettles.
IA Day. John Tribble's Clothing
was vandued. | went to Chambly
One man Died.
Is Day. Capt. Esterbrooks died
Minchin set out to go to Sorel
16 Day. Sunday. went on
Fatigue to stop We Road to Laprara
II Day. Invent on Scout to guard
the Battoes from Chambly.
IS Day The Army Retreated to
We Isle-aux-Vair.
To-Day The sick die very fast.
20 Day l set out with Col Pow.
ers' Regiment for Crown Point
Lodged on Isle la Mott.
81 Day. Lodged on Skilton's Is
land
% Day The Wind being against
us we were forced on a small Island