The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1906-12-21
WORN BY BURCOYNE
.. oFs EheL ssH' orIkERi1L IS
IN AMERICA. ]
elft,to 90, Elisha Porter, 81 Il. 4 H:ssdIey,
# MSS HAS Been T'reasured !
S 81 any Heirloom since Revolu !.
a.
: uoHdFyksNNAT.* ssssEsSa$g:Es &

Of NE reaplutio ii.t Var 81 nIMasasa CHI.
sets is . as s bel On gins
Sc. Gen. Bur goyn. .,was present.
tHdssby him to COR Elisha Porter, III
! Hadley, and which is now in the pos:
session Of Col. orter,s great:g,rrand-
! SON., Samuel D.. Saith, Of Hadley, says
the Boston Globe .ss sa ~.
. After: Burg me' s surrender at5sara,
stogas the prisoners. some 7,o0os:in
number, were marched from Albany
'af POP u y hencs they we're to BE
Sent to England on condition of their
r not taking up ARMS against the
:colonists again. ~ -.
!. ;rha: Hessians. were sent by one
route and the English, under charge
Of Col. Thomas Seymour, of Connec-
ficut, by another. The latter route
was what was known as the Old Bay
road, and was pretty nearly the same
route as: that now traversed by the
Massachusetts,. Central railroad. -
:. When the pris oners reached Hadley
they were CHARTERED, at the foot of
what: Isl now, West street, near the
Connecticut river. -.
Rurgqyne. was ill.,: and: Col. Porter,
WIN" lived where his gfeat-grandson
now lives, invited h i'm to his home
to- restsover hight* The next morning,
before the general left for Boston, he
gave Col, Porter ahig; sword, which has
been in the family ever SINCE
COX Porter, charged: his son never
10 ) stalaow. itsto: gossouts of the. family,
the son repeating the, charge to his
sQR;sa9a he to-, the: present members
of the family, Samuel D. Smith and
his slater, Miss Lucy Smith; who prize
Gen. Burgoyne's gift very highly.
The sword. is.-wl1at is known as a
dress sword, or rapier. It is a beau
tiful piece of workmanship, the handle
being of silver exquisitely wrought,
and the blade Of finely tempered steel
covered WITH. de1icate,stracery:.-s ="
On one side ,of."the blade near the
hilt is the'| kings: seal, with the we'll
known words: "H s.tIi j, SOFT :qui NAL y
pense;;" onl the other side is crown
and the letters &c. RI, which. stand
for "GeorgipsIR Rex :*'*:<z> - :
Authorities awho have examined the
sword say they have never seen these
: letters on "a swordabefore; and sug.
. gest that it was presented to Gen,
Burgoyne by the king, with whom he
was a great favorite.
The original scabbard, which was
of leather, was silver mounted. This
scabbard long since crumb1ed to
pieces, and has been replaced by an.
other on which the original silver
mountings are placed. They contaih
the. words: :"Loxhaus, Royal Elk
change"
:, This sword is all the more inter
esting from the fact that it was last
worn at the battle of Saratoga, which
without doubt, was the decisive battle
Of the revolutionary war, for as the
result of this battle the French were
led to send money and troops to the
colonists.sat a time when they were
most needed.
After Burgoyne's soldiers reached
Boston congress ord cred officers and
men sent to Georgia. Many of the
soldiers settled in. that state.
Burgoyne was allowed to return tc
England the next: spring., where he
soon entered parliament and became
a stanch friend of the colonists,