The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1891-08-27
those Nev England farmers on whose isees

tuose Nev ofial1 iAfhtfs on wboee ise'
desperation hsd tiudlci the supcrostur,
J light OF battle which never shines 10 vain
That ootfiict ~ss tho ! hope OF ib
Hsmspire Grants They were fighting "a
ell they hsd on esr,h. shether OF poss' 8
.ions or .oi rights They could rot c
home deiss,ed. for they would have hs
no home to 20 10. tbs drsolste land tLs
Burgoyne would have left. New loH
would have taken. Not msn was on Is
field by compulsion or upon the 'slish,rs
expectation Of personsl rlvsutase or re
wsfd. The spiri, which made the ds.
possible, sas shown i that Stephen Fa,
OF Bennington, who had i've sons 10 th
fsht When the hrs, born was brougt
home to him dead, II thank God" b,
said. "tbs, | had a sou. willing to give Lil
lie for his eouutry."
Such. IN merest and briefest outline W,
Bennington. lite story. imperfectly pre-
served. comes down to us only 10 flashes
but they are flashes Of glorious Il, ,.ht. III
consequences were immedis,esnd fsrreset
ing. 1t was the first sacc-ss Of the rcvolu
ton with bore any fruit. Its guns sound.
ed the fret no 10 the knell which an
nounced that the power Of Great Britain
over the colonies she had created and bad
sscridced, was passing away, Burgoyne
heard il, aud knew what il meant. Wa ID
ington rd it, and hearing took heart
again. Confidence replaced despair. Gates
succeeded Schuyler in command at Ssra,o
ga. and lba militia Hocked into his camp.
The invncibi'ity of the British commap
der was gone. He fought desperately but
in vain. On October II be surrendered
II Bennington had no! been fuoght. or
had been fought without SUCCESS, the juno
tion between Clinton aud Bursoyne could
not have been prevented ;and his surrender
would not have taken place. II had sue
ceeded there. be wrote TO his government,
should have marched TO Albany,
Bot Bennington ives only an episode in
the early life OF Vermont. Striking, heroic.
corspicuous. yet still but an episode The
outbreak OF the revolution folud the peo
pie OF the Hampshire Grants already en-.
gagged 10 the contest with the powerful
colony OF New York, which had for ten
years tsxed their utmost resources. The
first to occupy the uubroken wilderness
which is now Vermont, they had taken
and paid for their titles TO the lands. Us
a part OF the colony OF New Hampshire,
under regular grants from it's governor as
vice gerent OF the British crown. They
had organized townships, built roads.
cleared forests and established their homes
Up to that time the territory had been IN
iversaliy regarded sss part Of New Hamp
shire. and the early maps so laid il down.
New York for more than hundred years
from the date OF her charter. bad attempt
ed no jurisdiction over It, But after tne
New Hampshire Grants had been made
and occupied New York set up the claim
thet her EASTERN boundary was the Conn 90
ticut river The line between that Pre-
vince and New Hampshire was so loosely
defined 10 the charters, issued when the
Of the country was almost IN,
known, that it was impossible to be dc
by their language. The charters
we're in fact conflicting. The greater in
iuence OF New York. aud her better means
II prosecuting her case before the privy
,ouncil, obtained from the crown in l7G4.
IN order establishing the Connecticut as
he dividing line. But this was only the
Irbitrary adjustment Of boundary, incsp
Ible OF other settlement. It's legal effect
vas prospective. not retroactive. 1t estsb'
ished Jurisdiction. IL did not invalidste
tiles previously vested. under which
,rief and adverse posse ssion exist d, and
vhich had been derived from the oom'
ION source Of title. the king. Of whom the
ontesting governors we're alike the agents
nd while the te ritory wra de fscto q part
Z New Hampsl ire. Nor was II the inten
ion OF the crown or Of the rrivy council
hat it shopd have such an effect. When
n l767, three yeals later, the settlers, re
istng thc Efforts OF New York to confs
ate their lsnds. succeeded by great eItr.
ions 10 biiDgiugthe case again before that
,odv. upon its unanimous aud emphatic
ndpemen',. further grants by New York
| lands grant "a by New Hampshire p or
D l764 were positively prohibited by tie
ing
Notwithstanding this explicit order. the
olonisl government OF New York contin' ,
ed to make grants, 10 large quantities, iof
,nds occupied adversely under the New
lam psbire titles, without the least regard Z
, the rights Of the inhabitants, or the dis {
'essipg consequencesia IL which tbeywould 4
Q involved. These grants we're m ade not
settlers, but TO specnlatofs and poliii. ,
II fsvoritas, upcn payment Of enormous
'es TO the governor. Nor even compen. q
.tion WAS offered for the improvements .
'hich had given ie lands all the value Z
icy had, rescued them from the ssvsge I
ID the Wild beast. aud msde them hsbiis G
Ie by man. No greater outrage had been '
tempted under the forms Of Eagl ish r
US since the days Of JefIfies. !, would {
OF only have been 10 violation Of fuDda 0
entsl principles il il had been done by a
le crowns. bat il was 10 direct contrsven a
on Of the orders OF the crown. based Q
pon the judgement Of the pri,y coun il
1
The occupsnts oftbs Hampshire Grants
I'd no means OF legal resistance. They !,
ere without money, without counsel. With
nt Influence. They made ons effort st
sfepcs 10 suit tried at 'bsuy bat soon !,