The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-08-28
ECHOES FROM BENNINGTON.
Pat Comments on Events Connected with
the Battle and the Late Celebration.
HOW CONGRESS TRIED TO sQUELCH GEN
STARK

Pat Comments on Events Connected with
the Battle and the Late Celebration.
HOW CONGRESS TRIED TO sQUELCH GEN.
STARK.
Precisely this character OF things
Congressional interference had oc-
CURED with Stark, the hero of Benning-
ton. In fact so great had been the sights
heretofore put upon him Thy Congress-
that Stark had Indignantly quit the
army. In this he had the sympathy of
Washington, who resented a treatment
that denied this gallant colonel bri-
gadier-generalship when several officers
of less or no S rvice AND junior to him
were thus rewarded.
But Stark, when New Hampshire
placed few struggling militia under his
command and Vermont sent messengers
beseeching aid, made this terse but
swift response, 81 am on the way with
all the men l can MUSTER
Jealous of this Independent move
ment, made without It's orders or grac-
ious permission, Congress made haste to
terminate it and to prevent one of the
greatest victories of the revolution But
for Stark's open and patriotic disobed-
fence Congress would have succeeded
and history might have to-day been
written vastly different. On his way to
Bennington and reaching Manchester,
Stark was met by peremptory order
from Congress ito march at once to join
Schuyler and leave Vermont to its fate.
He gave point blank refusal to obey and
diligently proceed on his mission. He
understood the necessities better than
Congress. Even three days after the
glorious victory had been won, history
states the fact: ''On the 10Th, three days
after the battle but before the news had
reached them, that body adopted a res
olution that his conduct was prejudicial
to discipline, and injurious to the COM
mon cause, and demanding of New
Hampshire to revoke the orders under
which he was acting. Three days later
Congress sent Gen. Stark a vote of
thanks, their only contribution to the
victory that caused the destruction of
Burgoyne. "-Bufidlo Times.
JOHN LANGDoN's TOBACCO RUM.
In the light of subsequent events the
Bennington raid seems to have been rash
and injudicious. Had it proved success
ful Gen. Burgoyne would have been pro-
nounced great military strategist. That
he was Over-confident of the fighting
qualities of the British regulars as
against an undisciplined militia cannot
be questioned. The victory was of all
the more advantage to American arms
as test of spirit by which the two
armies were animated.
1t was a critical time. There was
great alarm from Boston to Bennington.
The troops were poorly equipped The
quarter-master and cOmmissary were as
hard up as the private soldier. But when
John Langdon made the public declara-
ton that he had $4,000 in hard money
which he would turn into the military
chest, that he had plate worth $4,000
more, and seventy hogsheads of Tobago
rum" which he would contribute to the
cause, for which he might be remun-
Grated if the firesides and the homes of
the people were saved, but which he
would have no use for if theyl were not,
and when John Stark volunteered from
his temporary retirement to lead an in
dependent regiment to the rescue, there
was no hesitation or lack of enthusiasm
and valor. lt5t f-| 49,.
Such force as General Stark put into
the field at Bennington was simply in
vincible, and it is to the memory of these
stalwart Fathers of the Revolution that
the monument has been erected Wash
ington Star. -...
THE FAMOUS CATAM0UNT TAVERN.
The famous old Catamount tavern was
burned in 1871. 1t stood on Bennington's
Main street, not far from the
site of the new monument. The name
''Catamount'' was given to the house
because its sign of hospitality and good
cheer for the traveller and wayfarer was
a stuffed Green Mountain catamount,
which sat crouching on the top of %
foot post, with mouth open and teeth
grinning defiance to New York, toward
which commonwealth the animals
nerveless eye was pointed day and night.
The reason for-that, of course, is to be
found in the old story of the warfare
over the land grants. Bennington was
in those days the most pretentious town
In Vermont, and its geographical posi-
ton, moreover, made it the headquar-
| tiers of the old council of safety, of
which the Aliens, Seth Warner, Gov.
| ernOr Chittenden and others were prom.
inent members. Now right in this tav.
ern was the favorite place for holding
the secret meetings of the council during
| the troublesome period of 1770-90. There
too, Stark and Warner planned their op.
erations in the field against Lieutenant
Colonel Baum, who had been dispatched
by General Burgoyne to seize horses and
supplies at Bennington, but who never
returned to tell the story of his disas-
trous incursion. 1t was at this same
tavern that Ethan Allen, who at the time
of the Bennington fight was held cap.
tive in Canada, ran up his famous debt
for New England rum, which remains
unpaid to this day-so the story goes. A
well-built modern residence stands
where the tavern once stood.-Spring.
field Republican
GRAND AND SUCCESSFUL AFFAIR.
The Bennington celebration was a
grand, great, glorious and successful af.
fair, graced by the presence Of President
Harrison, Secretary of War Proctor, Gen
eral Alger, Gen. Carr, governors, states.
men, veterans, military, and host OF
distinguished public men. besides LARGE