Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1902-04-25
BATTLE OF HUBBARDTON.
A Letter from Gen. st. Clair Describing
the A fair ReceniIx DiscnXered.

n. II. 1t is believed to be a
letter from General st. Clair, who was in
command of the American troops in the /
battle of Hubbardton.
The letter was evidently written to
member of the committee of safety and
was found by Mr.. Fits in an old desk
which belonged to his great. grandfather,
Lieut.. Abraham A. Fits, a soldier of the !
Revolution.
Mr., Fits had been through the papers
in the desk a number of times, but had |
never before known of the existence of
this letter, although he had at other
times found many documents which
proved of much value in the compilation |
of the history of the town of Gambia.
That letter was written to a member
of the committee of safety, and probably
to his great-grandfather, Mr.. Fits has
no doubt, because on the bottom of the
sheet is a list of names of men, many of
whom appear in the list of those who
served in the Gambia company in the
war.
The letter reads as follows:
"Comd. AT Otter Creek, July 9TH, 1777.
of the I'd instant this Day, the exertion
of the convention to reinforce us at Ty-
condiroga merits my warInest Thanks,
tho they have been too late to answer
the Good purpose intended; finding that
the Enemy were ready for the march,
and that 1t was morally impossible we
Could maintain the post with our Hand
full of Troops. and at the Same Consider
ing how necessary to the State 1t was to
preserve our army. Small as it is, 1t
was determined in Council of the Gen.
eral Officers that the post on Tycoon
deroga q mount independence should be
evacuated, and Retreat attempted to
Scheensboro by the way of Castle ton
and that every thing we could remove,
with the Sick should be sent by water to
the Same place Covered by the armed
Vessels, this was accordingly at
tempted the Night of the Sixth, and in
part Executed, tho not So perfectly as
Could have wished with respect to the
Stores, owing to the Confusion that nat
urally attends Operations in the Night
and to the want of that Regulation that
nothing but Discipline and Experience
Can Give troops. Just at the break of
Day the army got on their march, un-
preceived by the Enemy although they
were all round US and Should have eff
fected it perfectly had it not been for the
burning of house, whether from &C.
cident of for want of Thought | cannot
Say, but it Served to inform the Enemy
of our retreat, and party CT them were
on the mount before the whole of our
people had got off of it,-they did not
attempt, however, to pursue US but fired
few Shot from the Heights which did
us no Damage, we pursued our route to
Castleton which we reached last Night
with the main Body, having met on our
way party of the Enemy who had been
Collecting Cattle in the Country these
were Immediately dispersed, and few
prisoner taken. Coll warren with about
a thousd men Stopped Six miles Short of
Castletown where he was attacted this
morning the Event of the return | cannot
as yet ascertain the accounts are so Var
ious from the persons who have Come in,
but believe it has been pretty Severe
on both Sides. | am now on my way to
Bennington which place am obliged to
make on account of provisions, the Enc
my having last Night possessed them
selves of Scheepsbourgh of which | got
intelligence this morning.
(which determined me to take the road
for that place and there beg that the
reinforcements Coming by No. may be
Sent, as shall immediately march from
there for the North river, and Endeavol
to throw my Self betwiXt the Enemy
and the inhabitants, and prevent Mr.
Burguyne pene trating into the Country
81 am, Sr, yr very Humble, Servent
MI. st. Clair.
81 must beg that all the flour thai
Can he got may be Sent forward.
81 have Sent to the Commanding
officer Of the militia to take the Shortes
rode to Bennington, with directions tC
Send the Same orders to Such others a:
may be already on this Side Number
four"
The following is list Of names
appearing on the sheet. Many of then
are erased with ink lines and some ar,
scarcely legible
"Abjsh Pilsbury, Benin Fellows
Benin Wadleigh, Caleb Brown, Jere
NH Quincy Joseph Holman, Jane
Prescott, Jonat Woodman, Jermh Burpee
Peter Prescott, James Verrman, JOIN
Lynn, James @, Jeremiah Towle
Nicholas Smith, Nicholas French, Nath
MaXfield, Oliver Smith, Robert Smart
Stephen Fyfeld, Simon Kemp, Sam
= Warthorn, Willm Hicks, Benin Seton
$ Benin Smith, Jane Miller, Obadiatl
+ Smith, Obedn Hall, Theoph Clough
y Thomas Patten, John Carrionet, Philil
n Morse, James Libey. Amos knowlton
, Benil Eaton, Benin Rowel."
1 1t is probable that Mr.. Fits will
y present the letter to the Mancheste
n Historical association.
!. (The National Cyclopedia of Amer
!. lean Biography gives the name of tn
= General st. Clair with the forces tina
: evacuated Fort TicOnderoga as Arthu
ST Clair -EdO