Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-05-11

1
tory Of the Battle Of Bennington" In a
pamphlet Of - pages. IN this work Mr.
Coburn says, "One Hessian gun and
bayonet, one broadsword. one brass-Dar-
relied drum, and one Grenadier's cap, of
the captured trophies were presented to
each Of the States Of Vermont, New
| Hampshire and Massachusetts"
The reoeipt of these trophies was ac-
knowledsed by Thomas Chittenden, presi-
dent of the Council of Safety, by letter
| eated at Bennington, Sept. 90 III. Gener-
al stark also presented to the Vermont
Council Of Safety a Hesstan broadsword
MS a mark Of his appreciation OF their
zeal in the public cause.
! The receipt of this trophy was acknow-
| lodged by Joseph Fay, secretary in n let
Ter dated Sept. 6. III, both of these let
| ters are reproduced in Mr.. Coburn's his
| tory.
sincerely hope this article will catch
the eye of some person who can shed
some light on the disposition of these
trophies given by the Heroic Stark to the
| State of Vermont. l am enclosing an in
teresting letter relating to the Battle Of
Remington by the Rev. =. 3. Fisk of
| i'ianfed. which may be appended to
this article If desired.
HORACE w. BAILEY.
Newbury, Vt, May /, 1911.
Following Is letter from Rev p. B.
Fisk Of plainfeld, written Mr.. Bailey
and which explains itself
MY Dear Sir:-Having lust read with
much interest Din the Montpelier Journal
Of this date your article concerning
the Hessian guns In our State House. /
an moved to tell you bit of a story
which attaches to them in the Fisk fam
lily.
I'm 1867 I attended the centennial of
the town OF Shelburne. Mass, and met
for the first time the late Rev. Ezra
Fisk, D. D., of Iowa, n man Of at least
seventy years, who was fun of reminis-
cences Of his childhood residence in Shell
burne during one summer.
zone Of his heroes was Levi Fisk an
elderly veteran of the Revolution, an
elder son of Dea Ebenezer Fisk of Shell
burne, my grandfather. Dea. Moses Fisk
who died in Waitsfeld, VT, 1870, being
a younger son In the same family. The
above Levi Fisk always went by the
rame OF 'Uncle Ding
The venerable Ezra, before mention
ed, related to me the following. He said
he was one morning sitting astride Tn
Gle Ding's knee facing him. and now
and then being tossed. as a man often
tcs.ee a child, when Uncle Ding began to
laugh, and said 10 his mother. This re-
minds me OF the way Warfield came
down astride of that bras. cannon at Ben
nington.' He then related that Warfield
wa. another Shelburne recruit well
known 70 himself and his brother, Sine
on, all three having rushed to the stand
nrd Of Gen. Stark Just before the battle
of Bennington. The brothers were very
large. and tall young men. Warfield was
very short but very vigorous. Being
townsmen, they wished to keep together,
but their captain ordered Warfied to the
other end OF the line whereupon the
other two made protest. At next order to
fall In Warfield was between them again
and had to be ordered to his place This
was repeated TIL the captain was tired
OF 1t, and the men all plainly on War
fields side, so at the said battle the three
finally marched together.
He said II was very cloudy and moist
as well as very smoky as soon as the
firing began, that they charged while
fore them clearly. and when they came
close TO the enemy Warfield was right
up to the muznle Of one of the cannon,
and they q little streak OF fire,
which proved to be the gunner moving
TO apply the 'lintstock to the printing
"Warfield was quick enough to drop his
gun and. putting his hands on the mugzle
Of the gun, leaped straddle Of it. and
bang II went, And the aforesaid Ezra
WAS tossed again. and let down rather
-olidly to illu.trate). Uhen-a little later
their part Of the line had to fall back,
tie three wheeled the gun, loaded It with
ammunition placed hard by, and Warfield
fired IT at its former gunners. And when
they had driven the British troops final
ly, they took care to leave the field at
point where they could see that gun again
and were ordered to drag it back toward
Bennington.
Ezra said that while he sat wondering
at all this, as any little fellow would.
the mother. (who was cooking hard byJ
asked. Didn't it almost kill Warheld"
Uncle Ding replied. / rather think 1t
did jar his constitution some! And. said
Ezra, I studied a long while, trying to
satisfy myself what his constitution
was.
II very much wish we could now iden-
tify that very gun. but whether it is
now in the State house, at the monument
In Remington, or elsewhere. the story is
good enough to repeat
"Respectfully yours
PERRIN B. FISK"
May /, 1911.