The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1895-12-06
THE EARLIEST OF VERMONT HIS
TORY.
And One Of Its RoniancesThe Two
French Military Posts in the North
Fort Dmmmcr and the Attack on II.
From the burlington Free Press. J

IRON INC burlington FREE 1Tchs.(
The territory which is now Vermont,
! then known ah the New Hampshire
Grants, was au almost uninhabited
wilderness until Canada had been
coded to England, after he close Of the
French and Indian war, which ended
with the defeat of Montcalm and fall
of Quebec in 100. Hunting and fish
| ing parties of the Canadian Indians
made summer camps on the lakes and
| streams: but there was no permanent
Indian village this side of the Canadi-
I an line. and no white population. All
! that the Grants had TO do with any of
! the colonial wars was 10 furnish the
! sites for one or two outposts and the
paths through the forests. over which
passed the raiding parties of French
and Indians which from time to time
attacked the outlying settlements TO
the south and east. The first military
outpost established IN the region
which Is now Vermont was Fort st.
Anne, on Isle La Motto, built by the
French in 1868 for defence against the
! Irroquois. The next was established
in 1880, at Chimney Point, in the town
of Addison, by the mayor and officers
of the city and county of Albany. who
sent Capt. Jacobus D'Warm to occupy
the pass in the lake at that point with
a party of seventeen men. who built a
small stone fort on the point, after
wards abandoned when the stronger
fortification of Fort Fredric was built
on the opposite shore. 1t is recorded
that Col. Schuyler stopped at this
small stone fort, when be came through
the lake. on his return from his eXpe
dition against La Prairie in August
1890. This was during King Williams
war The stone fort was still there, as
il is supposed. in 1880; but no trace
of it remains. The next outpost was
established in 1924 in the southeastern
part of the present town Of BrattlehorO
by Massachusetts, and was called Fort
Dummer. after Lieut.. Gov. Drummer
of that province. This fort. surround
ed by a stockaed. and armed with four
swivels and one large gun. was built
for protection against the hostile In
dians, who. though England and
France were then at peace. were secret
ly stirred up by the French governor
of Canada to raid the settlements and
check the English from pushing to the
north in the Connecticut galley. These
outposts were the first civilized occu
patione of the soil of what is now YER
mont.
OF the raids which crossed the New !
Hampshire Grants. that against Deer |
field in l70i was one of the most !
famous. This was in February. 1I04. I
during Queen Anne's war
In 1924 Fort Drummer was attacked ,
by 40 Indians, and four or five of the /
garrison were killed and wounded. !
What route this party took is not stat /
ed in the histories. The next year a
party of 90 settlers under Capt. ,
Wright. secuted mp the Connecticut to
Wells River and across through Wi
nooski valley, till they came within
sight of Lake ChamPlaiu. This was
farther into the wilderness of the :
Grants than any English party had
thus far penetrated. Being short of
provisions they went no further north.
In 1747 a large force of French and
Indians. under Col. Dcbeline, was
sent from Crown Point against Fort
No. 1. on the Connecticut, now
Charleston. y. II. They passed no
doubt. up the Otter Creek, across tie
ridge II Mount Holly and
down the Black river. The fort. No.