The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-06-02
CHANGES SINCE 1862
THREE MEN LEFT WHO EMBOSSED
OFFER TO PAY BOUNTIES
TO SOLDIERS.

There Were 1903 Signers to the Origi-
nal Guarantee - Montpelier Paid
Nearly $4,000 "Reminiscences OF
Civil War Days.
Montpelier has had the reputation
from its early settlement OF being an
unusually healthy town. and its death
rate today is comparatively low, yet
the frequent changes among It's bust
ness men, resulting from death, form
"a subject of comment. There is hard
ly man in business on Main or State
streets today who has been there %
some mathematician to work out the
average duration of business life In
Montpelier.
! How great and how general are the
changes is brought to mind by exam
ming a roll of signatures of men who
endorsed the selectmens offer in 1862
to pay bounty of $50 to every volun-
teer from Montpelier. There were 1903
signers of the guarantee AS years ago,
some of them comparatively young
men, but of all that number only three
are living today.
The record of this matter not only
shows the mortality among the bus
mess men but the public spirit and
patriotic purpose that animated the
citizens oil the capital at that time.
When the call was made for nine
months volunteers for suppression of
the rebellion the selectmen issued
this statement:
Montpelier, VT, Aug. 10, 1862.
1--WE the undersigned, selectmen of
the town of Montpelier, pledge the
faith of the town for the payment of
$50 to each volunteer from the town of
Montpelier for the nine months SER
vice of the United States enlisting liz
the company now being raised by
A. c. Brown.
DEL FOSTER,
CARLOS BANCROFT,
Selectmen."
Immediately following this an
lOuliNCudcuI w wv SVASSSAiVh q pun
lie meeting was held and their pledge
of the faith of the town was endorsed
by this paper: ~
I'VE the undersigned, citizens of
Montpelier, hereby pledge ourselves to
sustain and back up the selectmen in
the above proposition
This was signed by James r. Lang
don, Geo. c. Shepard, e. P Jewett, Ju-
Illus Dewey, T. c. Phinney, G.. w.
Willard, Henry Barnes, R. Richard
son, Charles Reed, Charles Dewey, G..
| w. Reed, j. 7. Thurston, H. s.
Boutwell,, Denison Taft. |. P. Denny,
c. S. Newcomb, d. Baldwin, c. Rob-
inson, P. P. Pitkin, Joseph Poland,
A. S. Paige, j. A. Page, j. C. En-
cry, d. Mcdonald, H. w. Heaton, R.
! w. Hyde, S. C. Woolson, B. F. FL
field. l.. F. Pierce, Henry Mutt, A. A.
Mead, c.. j. Gleason, S. p. Redfield,
j. w. Ellis & Co., S. B. Colby, TIM
othy Hubbard, c.. w. Storrs, G.. w.
Collamer Cat $3.50, A. C. Bailey, c..
B. Chandler, o. p. Forbush, j. A.
Wing, John Spaulding, l.. b. Hunt
ington, l.. Palmer, w. B. Hubbard, c..
G.. Barnes, Luther Newcomb, Orrin
Pitkin, Robt. Hargin, j. C. Page, G..
w. Scott, T.. c. Lille, John B. Lang
don, S. P. Scott, Geo. w. Tilden, T.
| G. Barrows, w. H. H. Richardson,
H. S. LOOMS, d. G.. Knapp, A. T..
Keith, Z. Gunnison, G. H. Cross, A.
w. Wilder, Il. ID. Washburn, G.. s..
Richardson, Joseph Fisher, w. S.
Smith, Luther Cross, @. ID. Cole, c..
w. Rublee, e. C.. Holmes, Andrew
Davis, w. F. Braman, Frank Marsh,
D. and w. C.. Lewis, Josiah Douglass,
George Watson. 7. Cross, w. Sprague,
IS. Lease. r. H. Whittier, N P.
Brooks, R. r. Keith, Geo. w. Wilder,
A. j. Ruler, Eli Ballou, j. G.. Hall,
T. R. Keith, e. S. Camp. Charles A.
Reed. G. B. Reed, 7. r. Merrill,
Erastus Hubbard, l.. Burnham, q. r.
True, S. E. Robinson, |. H. P. Rowell,
]. H. Brown, Roswell Perrin, w. II.
Ballou, II. d. Hopkins.
OF the 103 men who signed that
guarantee the only ones now living
are B. F. Fiefield, T. C. Barrows and
l. H. p. Rowell.
They were never called on to pay
the guarantee, though it was made
in good faith.
The example of more than hundred
men standing back of the offer made
by the selectmen had so great an in
fluence that the town itself voted
the bounty and paid other bounties
under other calls for troops.
But some amounts were paid for
the Quitting of men and companies,
and Mr.. Barrows recalls the enthus-
iasm with which some of them con-
tributed toward the uniform and
equipment of MIA. c. Brown" then a
printer and editor, who raised the
company. At the public meeting held
to enlist men, Daniel Baldwin stood
On the head of barrel at the head OF
the hail. and passed gold dollar to
each man who signed the enlistment
| papers
The cost of the war to Montpelier
was heavy, and is given in the fol-
lowing letter from Joel Foster, Carlos
Bancroft and James 7, Thurston, Sc
| lectmen: