The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-01-20
THE ST. ALBANS RAID
Rr collections of Ex-GOy. Josiah
GroMt-MajOr of Regiment Raised
For Guarding the Frontier.

GroMt-MajOr of Regiment Raised
For Guarding the Frontier.
Vermont had the unique experience
among Northern States of being ac-
tually raided by an armed body of
Confederate troops. Other States
along the northern border were fear
full at times of such an attack, but
Vermont alone suffered one Mon
tread was perfect hotbed of seccion-
lists during the war and Quebec Prov
ince was sympathetic toward the
Southerners. But Ontario was as
strongly for the North as the North
'ern States themselves and southern
'sympathizers or refugees found lit
tie aid and comfort there, so that the
eastern border States alone We're in
danger, though that was not known
until after the war was ended
The st. Adams raid was the one
military operation of the Confeder-
ate States in the North. While it ac-
'complished little for the South il
Served to alarm all the States along
the border and to create almost a
panic Of fear in this State.
1t is one of the peculiar coinci-
'dences of history that the man who
was i'll charge of the troops raised
for the protection of the frontier af-
ter tha& raid had thrown a thorough
scare into the people of Vermont
should have been Governor of the
State at the opening of the Spanish
War, the next time when it was nee
essaly to raise troops in the Green
Mountains
Josiah Grout enlisted IN the First
Vermont Cavalry watch was mustered
in in 1861, and in his service with
that arm received a bullet from one
OF Mosbys men. He was mustered
out in 1863 and thought he had
had enough of warfare Being then a
young man and his education having
been interfered with by the war he
Went to Galesburg, H., and entered
the University at that place, then I'M
der the direction of Dr.. James p.
Weston of blessed memory. In Octo-
der, 1854, Mr.. Grout was summoned
home by telegram from his broth
'er, William W., then in charge of the
forces on the east side of the State,
of
ond district for long time
After coming home he was en-
gagged in frontier duty at differ
ent points and was active in the
organization of companies. The
story of the St. Adams raid was told
him by many different people about
the State and when hewas later sta
tioned at ST. Adams, and his version
of it is as interesting as any, because
Ii is the impression left on his mind
after hearing the recollections of
many persons who witnessed the
event itself. Probably no really cor
rect version of the affair can be had
1t happened so unexpectedly that few
people saw it, and lasted so short a
time that it was all over before the
few who witnessed the affair realiz-
ed what was happening. This Is the
version of the affair as Former Gov
ernor Grout tells it, from his recol-
lection of what was told him, without
any reference to published accounts
of the raid
A company of men who made up the
body of the raiders gathered in st
Adams, coming from Montreal, and
an examination of the hotel ant
boarding house registers shows tina
they came one by one and were sew
eral days in arriving. All together
they made up company OF between
twenty and thirty men. NO suspicoi
of their purpose was aroused or en-