The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1891-08-27

man OF vofds. u an on Tue usy, said
he. with all the men can muster. With
the eyes OF born soldier be sav that The
vermon,ers were right when they deelsr-
"a, that there could be no iropiier but .
frontier Of armed mer That The New
Hampshire Grants must be held. becsuss
no enemy could be resisted 10 whom the
estes OF the country we're thus thrown
open. And thx, The saee,ual hlos asAins,
Bursoyne mus, be struck on his f.nk
Fal! justice has been done. in history
and tradition. 10 ,be bravery aud the pat
rio,ism OF John STARK. But his great qasl
tiles as . general have not been set forth
a. they deserve. No better piece Of mili.
tary work vas seen 10 the revolution than
he did 10 The, brief aud suidea campaign
He concentrated the scattered militia st
lChariesten with . rspdity that VAS mar,
vellous He Was impeded by the want Of
the most nece.sary and ordinsr, supplies
Detained, be wrote, for lack OF bullet
moulds; "but one pair in town" for
they bad their own bullets to cast; desti.
tute. be sfois aesia. even the camp ket
Ties striving 10 vain 10 get three or four
field pieces mountrd; the powder he de,
pended upon, half spoiled Yet receiving
hi. orders on July %. while the militia
we're all at their homes, be marched with
tka f.at ~ thar. frnp, Gha ariaesnn m An
ust 3. On the 7tb be was at Manches,
ter. through the wilderness and across
the Green Mountains. by Incapable roads
aud without any adequate transportation.
On the 9th be was at Bennington with his
own forces and the Massachusetts, aud Yer
mon, men organized hand in hand On the
18th he engaged the emmy; on the l6tb
the battle Was fought. II there bad been
no battle at oil, such celebrity and precis,
lon OF movement With an irregular force
10 the face OF such difficulties. would
alone bsve been eeperslsLip OF the high
est order
At Manchester be vas met BY peremp
tory order from Congress to march ct once
to join Schuyler leaving thegrapts to their
fate. He refused to obey IT, The cause
was more TO him than Congress. and be
understood its necessities better than they
did. On the 10Th three days after the bat
lie. but before the news OF il had reached
them, that body adopted resolution that
his conduct was prejudicial to discipline
aud Injurious to the common cause and
demanding OF New Hampshire to revoke
the orders under which be was acting.
Three days later they sent him vote OF
thanks, their only contribution to the vic'
tory that caussd the destruction OF Bur,
goyne
Meanwhile the men Of the grants had
not been idle. Every nerve had been
strained in their own behalf The council
OF safety, improvised for the occasion. sat
continuously at Bennington, assuming all
the powers OF government. Every availa,
BILE man turned ont. No woman bid hus,
band. son or brother stay. Such scspty
supplies as by the ntm st exertion could
be collected. were thrown into the com.
mon stock. The very day before the bait
tie. expresses we're sent out through the
farm houses to gather lead, urgently
needed. said the council. The woods we're
on fire. Not with the transient blszs that
sweeps through the dry leaves and is gone
but with the deep nquenchable combus, {
tion that burns 10 the roots and the I
earth. q
OF the stores that had been previously I
gathered 1t Bennington, much hss been .
said, and bu little is known. Their i'm. a
portancs hss probably been exaggerated. '
That Burgoyue needed them such ss they |
we're and desired still more to deprive bis /
enemy OF them. may be true. But they /
we're by no means the principal object Of '
The expedition be sent ont. although dis.
to so small matter. I He saw ;
rs clearly as Stark did, THAT bis left was
The dangerous quarter. II vas not the fee =
Bile resistance before him that he was
,fraid Of, which had not yet fred an eflec :,
ual shot II was what he we'll called the !;
gathering storm that was hanging on his :
eft He perceived that be must strike =
. blow in that quarter which would put ),
lown opposi'iou and msks safe bis flank +
md bi. rear. He meant TO mount his dis !,
pounted drsgoous on horses obtained in a
he grants and to occupy and secure that !,
yround. The troops be sent out we're \
therefore, choice and we'll commanded, and
ollowed by strong support. And their @
riders we're. not merely 10 capture Ben. n
,ington. but to cross the country to Rock /,
pgham and thsncs march to Albany. 3
The British Commander proceeded with tc
be caution the importance 'of bis expedi, Il
ion demanded. When be found that be b.
must fpht, snd perceived the resoIu,s and "a
borough s,ldiership OF Bisrk's move Q,
nents. he chose position with excellent fe
entrenched bimself strongly .,
nd placed hs troops and bis euns to the y
'est advantage. Stark could not wait o. n
10 wonld have done for his enemy'ssd 81
snce. He vas unable to snbsist his i'll bl
rovidsd forces long. nor could he keep st
hem from homes thst were suiisring for Is
heir presence His only chance Was 10 q,
tack At once and bis dispositions for IL, N
,o,t ably seconded by Warner. his right Ii
and man. were msstsrly beyond criticism ii
70 bad no artillery. 20 csvslery. no trans NJ
10 ommisssrist but the woman ci
o the farms Hall Of his troops were with
ut bsyone,s.and even ammunition bad b,
0 be busbsnded. He lacked everything v
q, men. and his men lacked everything o,
ut hardin oodhnd indomitsbIs resolution. q,