New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-08-20

nm that Should slgnaize such al occasion. Well
NAV Vermont throw open this day her gates ana her
heart. Well may she call her children homo. Ana
| with display uncommon to her staple NE, WIN
| trumpets, and banners. and acclamatl0ns, aud the
triumphant voice of cannon offer unbounded welcome
| to the great concourse that has gathered U her
it IS appropriate and gratifying that the Chief
Magistrate Of the Nation should DC ut such time our
most honored guest In this scene, party differences
are forgotten. We are only Americans Ana III
loyalty that great Office. and respect for the IN
cumbent who fills it so weH we arc all this day on
History is full Of battles. All its pages stained
with blood. Instruments, for the most part 0f am
well Tor the world to be spared the misery they
wrought IL would be well tor Its history II tngr
nevertheless whose smoke went up like incGSc con
secracd in the sight Of heaven by the cause they MAN.
| henceforlh stand.
If battles were to be accounted great in proportion
| 70 the numbers engaged, Bennington wOuu be Dut
small In comparison with Marathon, and WatetIoo.;
ana Getty sburg, IL In that view only an aialr VI
ouposts Int II is not numbers alone TINT give I'M I'M
pOrtanCc 10 battlcuedS. The fame Of IherhoPS lao
would not have survived had the Greeks been grei.
army instead OF three hundred. 1t Is the cause rd'
fought for, the herosm and self-sacnhce GLpiaSc
and the consequences which follow, moral ana pOnuCh
as well military, that give significance to cohnc,s
of Judged by these standards, Bennington biqJ
well be reckoned among the memorable batteS Vi 'ne
| world. -, c.,....,
| 1t was on our SIDE the peoples fight No Govern
ment directed or supplied it no regular force was con
ccrned II was part Of no organized campaign ~
| Hampshire sent her hastily embodied mlnu,t, ny 'no
| less volunteers. In Vermont and Massachusetts IL
was the spontaneous uprising OF rural ana phNo
loving population, resist invasion, t. defend thc;r
homes. 10 vndlCate their right OF sel-gOVerlneut.
Lexington and Bunker Hin in this respect us
| only parallels IN the Revolutionary war ,,.
The march of BurgOync from Canada to Hudson
had been ill then continuous victory. lIo WIS
brave and sklul soldier, leading welEappolntcd
and powerful army. Ticonderoga the hey and strong
hold OF the northern frontier, had fallen uneApeeledB
without a blow. The NcrmOnters retrrathg tneiCo
had been oyeralen and utterly defeated at Hubbard
ton. The advance OF the British 10 saltwater hau
been almost unopposed; and there as yet no
DpDu q
steel proof against despair, wrote tmt ne 81" not
how BurgOyne's march 10 Albany could be checkeu'
The situation OF the inhabitants Of the Hampshire
Grants WIS most critical. Their whole tiOntlef was
open to tue incursons Of an enemy whose allies were
Scattered snarsely through the country upon their
almos, destitute OF the material OF war, except the
E sht or ,a a They called upon God rst
in day Of fasting and prayer appohtea ny GT
S kept And then ncy O called upon NewHampshIe
and John stark New-HampshiTc ablaze win patIl-
otto feeling issued instant orders for her militia TO
march. starlis reply brief for he was nov
man Of words " | am on the way" said he, with
ali the men I can musterp With the eye Of born
soldier he saw TINT the vermonters were right when
they declared that there could be no o re Ciran
frontier Of armed men mat n Tue eond he resisted to
whom the gates OF the country were thuS tnlomn
open And that the elrecual blow against bufsoyhe
must be struck on his flank. ,,.,
Fun Justice has been DONE history and tradition
to the bravery and patriotism OF John osarh Pu t
as thew deserve. No better piece of military work
was in the Revolution than ne ana IA tat preI
and sudden campalgn lie concentrated inc scatteIot
militia at Charleston with "a rapidly that was mar,
velous. He was impeded by the want Of the most
wrote, for lack Of bullet moulds 6" but one pair in
town; they had their own bullets to cast dest
tute he wrote again. Of campkcttleS, STRIVING IN
vain 10 get three four held-pleces mounted the
powder be had depended upon r & RS2ed the 3 m G
were all at their homes, he marched WIN the last OIL
them from ChaTes9n on the 30 OF n oH d 'g
across the Green Mountains, by incapable ROADS and
without any adequate transportation. on the gin
~ Si az and Vermont men organized and in
hand. on the 18th he engaged the enemy on the
battle nj all. such CELEBRITY and precision of movement,
with an irregular force, in the face Of such difficulties
wOud alone have been geHerashp Of the highest order
At Manchester he was met by pereEptory order
from Congress to march at once TO Join SCHUYLER leaY-
The cause was more to him than Congress, ana he
understood its necessities better than they did on
news Of it had reached them, that body adopted
resolution that his conduct was preIuacal 10 as as
mandng New-lIampshlrc to revoke the orders nnder
w9 c ne was ars tcr ony eonfron to The Victory
that caused the destruction OF Burgoyne a.
Every nerve had been strained in their behalf.
The Council Of safety, mprovised for the OCCASION sat
Of government. Every available man turned out.
No woman bid husband, son or brother stay. such
scanty supplies rs by the utmost eXerton could be
very day before the battle expresses sent out
needed said the Council The woods were on fire.
Not with the transient blaze that sweeps through Tue
dry leaves and j. gone, but with the deep unquench-
able combustion that burns in the roots and the earth
OF the stores that had been previously gathered aJ
bennington much has been said, and but little is
known. Their Importance has probably been exag-
gerated. That Burgoyne needed them. such as they
them IS undoubted. But they were by no means the
principal object OF the expedition he sent out; alto
ssfF tv pr ar dd ha i lett s' the
quarter 1t was not the feeble resistance before him
ecctaa shot It was what be we'll called the gather
ing storm that was hanging on his left,p lie Per,
which would put down opposition ana make sae
his flank and his rear lie IN meant ante to
in the Grants and TO occupy and secure nat groqnd
Tho troops he sent ont were Therefore choice ana Wg
their orders were. not merely 10 capture Bennington
but 10 cross the country to Rockingham, and thence
British commander PRECEDED with the w Ta1i%9 on
ana thorough soldiership Of 9tarlts movements, he
himself strongly and placed his troops AID guns to the
bet advantage stark could not wait as he TQnld have
SIS his iprovided forces long nor could he keep them
from homes that were suffering for their presenCe.
Ills ONLY chance to attack at once, and his Dis
nn inns for IT. most ably seconded by Warner his right
band man. were mastery beyond criticism. lie had no
artillery no cavalry, transportation no comml--
sarqt but the women the farms Half of his troops
were without hay0nets and even ammuniton had to 3e
men lacked everything but harlihood and indomaDle
resolution. Upon all known rules and experience of
vararr the successful stOrmng. by hastily 0;SluiZed
militia. of entrenched position az the top OF NIL
held by an adequate regular force, would have been de
clarei Impossible But ii was the impossible that hap
penci in a rout Of the veterans that amounted 10
destruction History and literature, eloqnence ana
noetry have combined to enshrine in the memory or
manllnd those decisive charges, at critical moments
hy W:c great battles have been Won ana epoch, IN
spIendor of them all that final onset mp yonder hill
and over lis bea,tworks Of those New England farm
err. on whose faces d@spelation had klndled we
supernatural light Of battle which never shines in va H.
THAT conflict was the last hope Of the Hampshire
Grants They were fighting for all they had earth
whether Of possessions OF rights. They could not 20
homo defeated for they would have no homes TO go TO-
The desJate land that Burg0yne would nave leiJ New,
| York Wouf1 have taken. Not q man WIS On tH u"I
by compuson. or upon the SLIGHTEST expectation OF
he day possible WIS shown In that stephen Fay, OF
Ronninc6n. who had five sous In the fight When me
Grst bonn was brought home TO him dead, :" | thank
cod" he said that had son, willing to give MS HE
| FOR his country