Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-11-06
FORT GUNNER.
History Of the Fertilization,
WITH INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT
THE PEOPLE OF THE TIME,
And an Exact Reproduction Of the plan
of the Fort rs Made in 1910.

The bringing to notice of plan of Fort
Dummer as it was in 1749 in the archives
of New Hampshire. which is herewith re-
produced, has drawn attention to the his
tory of that fertilization. The territory
about here was within the Province OF
Massachusetts, Bay. On December y.
1928, during the French and Indian war
begun in 1722. the General Court of that .
province voted
THAT it will be Of great service to all the west
ern frontiers both in this and the neichborng gov
eminent Of Connecticut to build a Block HouS" |
above Mortified In the most convenient place on |
the lands cad the Equivalent Lands and to post |
in it 40 able men English and Western Indians to |
be employed in scouting at good distance up |
Connecticut river West river, Otter creek, and |
sometimes eastwardly above great Monadnuck for |
the discovery Of the enemy coming towards any |
of the frontier towns and that so much Of the said
Equivalent Lands as shall be necessary for a
Block House bc taken up with the consent Of the
owners of the said land together with five or six
acres of their interval land to be broke up or
plowed for the present use of the Western In
dams in case any of them shall think fit to bring
their families thther."
Mortified then came up on both sides of
the river to where the line between the
Howe and Hubbard farms in Vernon now
is. The Equivalent lands went down to
the mouth of Broad brook, and were owned
by Lieut.-GOv. William Drummer, acting
governor of the Province, William Brattle
of Cambridge, Anthony Stoddard and John
White of Boston. Assent to the building
of the fort was given and it was located on
the bank of the river where the valley be-
tween the mountain and the rugged hills
toward Guilford is narrow, and where Mr..
Simon Brooks has lived many years. No
settlements had been made above the neigh
borhOOd where Mortified village is, and
the route to the place for the fort was from
there up on the east side of the river to OPP
posite the place and across the river to it.
1t was begun February 3, 1924, and built
under Col. John Stoddard by Lieut.. limo
Othy Dwight of Northampton, who was
the first commander of it, with three car
penters from Mortified, one John Crow
foot, an Indian from Springfield, who was
paid shilling day more than others, u
soldiers with narrow axes" and two
teams. 1t was in shape an oblong running
in length northeast and southwest, with
corner cut off forming short side on the
top of the bank of the river. 1t was built
of the yellow pine timber covering the
meadow, hewed square, laid up about 20
feet high and locked together at the cor
ners. The northwest side was about $50
feet long, the southwest 112, the southeast
100, the northeast 80, and the short side on
bank of the river about 20. 1t had a
double two-story house in the southwest
corner, with two fireplaces below and one
in chamber; two-story house in the
northwest corner with two fireplaces below,
and a One-story double house adjoining it
along the northwest side; two-stOry house
in the northeast corner with two fireplaces
below; a watch box in the short side on
the bank of the river; a gate in the south
east and southwest sides; and covered
underground way under the short side to
the river. The walls of the fort made the
outer walls of the houses, and the inner
walls of the houses were built like the wall,
of the fort, with single roofs sloping from
the walls of the fort inward, and doors anC
could be closed and barricaded Col
Stoddard wrote to Gov. drummer Februar,
3, 1924: 'We intend the fort shall be 81
built that the soldiers shall be as safe if tn,
enemy were in the parade as if they wer,
without the fort" 1t had one great gun
for alarms, which could be heard at a lon!
distance, and four small swivel guns for de
fence in the houses. 1t partly covered tn
ground where the present house of Mr.
Brooks stands, and a foundation stone 0
one end of the short side, hollows left il
the places of some of the cellars of tn
houses, and the place where the cOvere
way was, are plainly visible now. 1t wa
completed in that summer and was Gale
Fort DUmmer in honor of the lieutenan
governor.
Here is the roll of officers Capt. Time
thy Dwight, Northampton; Lieut.. Elish
Scarf, Northampton; Sergt. John McRar
ney, Springfield; Sergt. John Burke, Hal
field; Sergt Robert Cooper Mortified
Sachem Hendrick, Maqua Sachem An
paumet, Hudson river Indian. There weT
36privates, seven from Springfield, five froI
Windsor, four from Suffied, two each froI
Deerfeld, Mortified, Marlboro and Fran
ingham, and the others one each from VI
rious places Hendrick had four Maqua
under him, and Ampaumet seven Hudso
river Indians and one "ScaticOOk" undo
him. The Maquas were a part of the Mo
hawk tribe of Indians occupying the ea
part of the valley of the Mohawk, whic
was at first called the Maquese river. I'll
Hudson river Indians were those Occup
ing the valley of the Hudson above Alb
ny, among whom were the SchaghticOl
Indians, who went there from above Nj
nadnOck in New Hampshire about 1872.
A committee of clergymen were desire
"tO procure person of gravity ability al
prudence" for chaplain. Daniel Dwight
Northampton was chosen; his pay was to
e100 year, and besides his duties as cha
lain he was to ''instruct the Indian II
tives residing Whereabouts in the tn
Christian religion" On October II, 172
the fort was attacked by about 20 of Il
enemy and four or five of its Occupan
were killed or wounded but the attack vi
repulsed 1t does not appear to have ev
been attacked afterward. Capt JOSEF
Kellogg had a company Of scouts wi
ranged between this fort and that at CO