Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1901-08-23
THE BATTLE OF BENNINGTON.

~OON
THE BATTLE OF BENNINGTON.
General Grout in his address at Dewey
park last avening in speaking of the
battle of Bennington mentioned one inc.-
dent that may well be used 10 point a
moral. When General Stark with his
force Of 1900, composed about equally of
Vermont and New Hampshire militia men
confronted Colonel Baum and his Hes
SLAMS at Bennington on the night of
August II, Ia. his force was numeri-
cally Inferior 10 that of the enemy Stark
kLew that another large force of Hessans
was within easy marching distance and
likely to come forward at any time, while
the only possible additions to his own
strength were 50 men coming up from
Berkshire county, Mass. and Col. Seth
Warmers band of 1870 Green Mountain
Boys, who had Just suffered a severe
logging by superior force and were
encamped at Manchester, some twenty
miles away. August u came on and
with it a fearful downfall of rain that
lasted without cessation all day. and it
was that rain that showed the difference
in the stun of which men are made.
Colonel Warner and his little Vermont
band plodded through mud and rain all
day. and on the night of the 10Th en-
camped with Stark at Bennington. In
the meantime Colonel Breyman and his
500 men who were to aid Baum remained
in camp out of the wet and did not march
a mile. The result was that at the criti-
cal point of the battle next day Seth
Warmers little force was the rock around
which Stark's broken ranks rallied and
finally drove the trained British and Ger
man soldiers from the field. captured
their cannon and turned the tide of the
Revolution in favor of the colonies. The
moral is that it is the man who doesn't
stand back from wind and weather, but
always makes ready in advance to be
where he can strike hardest that wins the
battles of life. Had Warner remained at
Manchester Stark would have been beat
EN-. Had Stark lost Gates could not have
conquered Burgoyne at Saratoga, and it
was the surrender of Burgoyne that
brought aid from France and the in
dependence of America.-B Times.
<OO~
CUBA . aGHlCOlI URAL RESOURCES.
The island of Cuba is a gigantic farm
OF 2S,00O,O 900 acres of marvellous fertile
soil. Thirteen million acres remain as
virgin forest. Her present population is
little above one and half millions.
Were CUBA as densely populated as
Massachusetts, her census would show
II 900, 900 inhabitants. An equal density
with that of England would give her up
ward of y 100000 Her ability to sup
port population per square mile equi-
valent to that of England, so large per-
centage of which is dependant upon
manufacturing interests. is somewhat
doubtful, from the fact that Cuba pres
ents little or no possibility of ever be-
coming manufacturing center. In a
measure. the comparison with Massachu-
sets is also faulty, for the same reason.
Yet, in the latter case, the vastly
greater fertility of Cuban soil would OIL
set the manufacturing feature, and there
is little doubt that Cuba, along the line of
her particular agricultural advantages,
can provide comfortable and reas Onably
profitable living for population of TO-
100000 of moderately indus trious cti-
zens.-Albert G.. Robinson, in Review of
Reviews.