The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-08-18
SONS OF THE
REVOLUTION
Continued from Page L.


The Minister in Stockbridge wrote, We
are greatly burdened with people who
have fed from the New Hampshire
Grants, almost down to the Connect
cut line" Picture the scenes which
, were on all sides in the beautiful
Housatonic Valley. Frightened moth
ers with tender children, grim men,
tstruggling between love for their help
less families, a sense of duty to the
country and the strong desire to fight
land save the homes which were fall
ling into the hands of a ruthless enemy
to be devastated by sevages, whose
methods of warfare blanched the cheek
and froze the blood of the listener.
Everywhere there was encouragement
and a growing conviction that the
flight for liberty was a failure This
was fostered and encouraged by the
procIamations frequently published by
the British generals offering amnesty
Ito those who would promptly submit.
but threatening a vengeance very ter
rible to the obdurate who held out
against their lawful sovereign George
Third The Americans we'll knew what
this vengeance meant, for the Indian
allies of the despotic and arrogant
/ English Government were entrusted
/ with its execution.
/ But not all patriots were discouraged.
/ Through the New Hampshire Grants"
| in the Connecticut and Merrimac VAL
lleys; down on the coast; in the hills of
Berkshire, the fire of liberty existed,
and revived with bright flame as
the enemy gained victories and SEEM
| ed on the point of overwhelming the
| little armies of Americans. But there
was no money in the Treasury and the
assembled farmers at Exeter sat silent
and uncertain. John Langdon, a Ports
mouth shop keeper arose and said Il
| have $4,000 in cash, my plate can be
pledged for as much more. I have 20
/ hogsheads of Tobago rum, which can
| be sold for what it will bring. These
| are at your service. If we succeed
the state can pay it back; if we fail
| they are of little use to men' Courage
at once revived; the militia was re-
organized. John Stark was commits
stoned by the colony of New Hamp-
shire, a general and given free rein
to do as he willed. Orders were given
to march rapidly to the Connecticut
and rendezvous at Charlestown. Soon
the militia were there, about 1900 Of
them, under Colonies Stickney, Nichols
and Hobart, General Stark being the
leader of the whole force. The men
were rapidly drilled. Some engaged
in running a solitary bullet mould
night and day. One musty old can
non was found. 1t was quickly mount
ed on pair of cart wheels, and the
little army started over the hills for
Do piy
or lost altogether, then lusty men
dragged the gun up the rugged hill /.
sides.
Meantime the rural towns along the
Housatonic were sending men to
Schuyler, who having a very poor opin-
ion of the New England soldier, late
in July sent most of them home, to
their disgust and disappointment
Schuyler meantime was urging Wash
ington to send troops from his own
depleted ranks whence they could i'll
be spared. He also ordered Stark to
join him at Saratoga, but that officer,
who did not hold a Continental COM
mission. fatty refused. In his opinion,
which was also that of Washington,
though Stark did not know it, the
course which promised most success
was to hang on Burgoyne's flank and
rear. attacking whenever possible and
cutting off small attachments.
Burgoyne. who on July 30th reached
the Hudson and whose course it SEEM
ed impossible to stem, was in serious
need of transportation. 1t was repre-
scented to him that the Americans had
established large stores, especially of
horses, at Bennington, which might
easily be captured, and he resolved to
send out detachment to bring them
in. Generals Phillips and Reidesel,
whose experience led them to believe
that the Americans still possessed
forces under leaders of dash and abil-
| ity, and that separate detachment
would occupy position of great peril,
protested against this plan. Bat Bur-
goyne was obdurate. and only enlarged
| the scope and extent of the plan. His
| instructions to Lit. Col. Baum, the Ger
man officer who was assigned to the
! command of the expedition, were to
proceed to Bennington, capture the
stores and horses, sending them back
! at once, while the remainder of the
! force advanced to Brattleboro, thence
| to return through the northern part
| of Berkshire and rejoin the army at
Albany. Baum was to be accompanied
| by Peters corps (this was composed
| to Tories and Indians) which was to
scour the country and carry off all
cattle, sheep and horses. 1t is about
| thirty miles from Batten Kill on the
Hudson to Bennington, and Baum was
expected to make the dash inside of
| two days.
| With a force of about eight hundred
among whom were over four hundred
of the finest disciplined troops in the
British army Peters corps of about
one hundred and fifty men, two field
pieces and a company of dismounted
dragons, who were to be mounted on
the horses captured at BENNINGTON,
Baum set out, early in the morning of
August 18th. If one is to Judge of the
armament from the huge sword pond
terous musSet and brass helmet now in
the Massachusetts Senate chambers. it
will not appear strange that. instead
of being able to make a quick dash.
lsome of those troops We're capable of
standing up at all in the muddy for
est through which their route lay 1t