Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1903-08-24

party tney can Seno. Every NeceS-
sary Peice of Intelligence shall Com
municate. If Mrs. Bedel's health will
admit of your leaving home should be
glad to see you here, and in that case
you must come out with Dixon as
there will not be any guards left be-
hind him.
"We shall eat up the flower he
brings and then return. l snail be
much obliged to you if you will Ride
up to Camp on Receipt of this and see
that Duncan has it in bis power to
send on the provisions ordered;-
what | have said here will be best to
keep to yourself"
Your Humble Servant,
MOSES HAZEN.
Col BEDEL.
Several things are made certain by
this letter, one is that Col. Hazen
was at work upon this road August
"a, 1879, and near where he finally left
off rk;-tha5 he had then deter
mined to close his labors upon it by
the next Saturday night; -and that
what he was writing he desired Col.
Bedel to keep secret. Why he did not
complete this road to ST. John or Can
ada line, or why he should construct
it to the summit of the Green Noun
tains, and where he could see easily
with the naked eye the Queens do
minions, and then abandon it history
fails to give US any very reasonable
and logical reason, so far as have
been able to learn. Miss Hemenway
in her history about Lowell says:
"Colonel HAGEN cut a road through
this town in 1879 80. His regime Mt
encamped on the banks of the Missis-
quot River, while his men cleared the
road and made it passable for the
ordnance of war. He had cut the
road to the notch of the mountains,
when the news of peace came, and he
left hia unused road for the benefit of
the settlers. The notch wh-re he
|
Hazen's Notch in honor of Col. Hazen.
1t was some six miles ahead of wher q
his regiment was encamped, in the
town of Westfield." Now the state
ment that Col. Hazen had cut this
road to the notch of the mountains,
when the news of peace came is GER
tsinly not correct as peace was not
declared until 1888 Mr.. Wells in his
history of Newbury says: "Work was
discontinued on the military road the
last of August, the reports of forces
being dispatched from St. John to
capture the constructing party hasten
ing the abandonment" 1t is quite
probable that this was correct. as Col.
in his letter to Col. Bedel, Civ en-
above, refers the fact that he Nigh
be attacked; but many causes may
have contributed to the termina tiou
of this work. In 1879, the situation
in Vermont was extremely critical.
On the 9Th day of September 1879
only fifteen days after the date of the
above letter, delegates from New
York laid before Congress the instr NC
tions of the legislature of that State
directing them to make use of all pos
sible exertions to obtain the speedy
and effectual interposition of Congress
against the Vermonters as the only
means of preventing resort to mill
tary force. New Hampshire, which
had formerly been friendly to Yer
mont had become hostile and lait
claim for part of the state, at least
and this was not all; it was rumoret
in Congress that the British Ministr,
were favoring the Vermonters, with
view to inducing them to look t.
them for deliverance." Vermonter
were deserted by the Continent, poor
ly equipped to defend themselves
and lay at the mercy of Canada and
swarming horde of the savages of tn
( forest. This condition of things ma
have had more than we know to d
3 with the termination of work by Co
: Hazen upon this military road. Eve
r under these circumstances the cour
age of the Green Mountain Boys wa
9 equal to the occasion, as shown b
: some lines written at that time, frol
9 which quote in closing this address
g "Ho-all to the rescue! For Satan shall wo,
r No gain for 8 legions of Hampshire ar
- York!
They claim our possessions-the pitif
:, The tribute WE pay shall be prisons al
graves.
O Let Clinton and Ten Brock, with brides
r their hands,
Still seek o divide us, and parcel our land
We've coats for traitors. whoever they ar
II The warp is Of FEATHERS the filing of TIA
- Does the Old Bay State threaten? Do
q. Congress complain?
n Swarms Hampshire in arms our horde