The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-11-09
TO HONOR MAcDoNoueH
Some interesting Facts Bearing Upon
Battle of Lake ChampIain.

tive DOnnelly or NergenneS INTENDS
that the members of the Assembly
shall lack no information concerning
the need of money for the Mac
donough bodybuilding centennial cele
bration at Vergennes and has pre-
scented to each member of the legisla-
ture a statement from the memorial
association of which Judge F. l.. Fish
is president. The following is the
statement:
"The construction of the American
fleet at the city OF Vergennes in the
spring of 1914, by Commodore Thorn
as Macdonough, was an event of such
historical Importance that an appro-
priation from the state has been
asked for in order that the centennial
of the event may be properly cele-
brated and a suitable memorial erect
ed. We think that the building of
this fleet was the most important
single military event that ever occur
red in Vermont, and we hope II may
be the pleasure of the state through
it's representatives at Montpelier to
mark its centennial with becoming
ceremonies and to provide for Com
modore Macdonough and the Vermont
sailors and soldiers of che war of 1912
at the spot where the fleet was built,
a suitable monument.
"On December 81, 1913, the Ameri-
can squadron on Lake Champlain
went into winter quarters at Yer
gennes. Marlborough chose that
place after careful and deliberate con
sideration, as being the best adapted
to his plans, as it offered facilities
for building and fitting out the fleet
and was at the same time inaccessible
to the enemy. 1t was situated at the
head waters of navigation and con-
nected with the road leading to Bur
lington at the north and to Boston
and New York points on the south.
Among its industries was a blast
furnace, an air furnace, eight FORCES,
a rolling mill and a wire factory, be-
sides grist. saw and fulling mills.
There was timber in abundance for
ship building, and free communica-
ton with the lake was provided by
the Otter Creek. The presence of
troops at Burlington protected the
point from the north Dead Creek and
its contiguous marshes afforded a
barrier to the west, and the narrow
ness and crookedness of Otter Creek
precluded the possibility of a success
full attack by water.
"Macdonough was instructed by the
navy department to build about 10
gunboats, or a ship, or a ship and
three or four gunboats, as he thought
best
Work went on briskly at Yer
gennes. Two new gunboats were
quickly put into the water, and on
April IL, the 26-gunship Saratoga was
launched. Mr.. Brown, the shipbuilder,
had guaranteed to launch a ship of "a
guns in 60 days. He did even better.
On March 2, the Saratoga's timbers
were standing in the forest; on the
9TH, her keel was laid and on the 18th
of April she took to the water, AZ
days from the living tree TO the man
of war
The ship Saratoga was a boat Of
734 tons. She had a crew of 210 men
and carried 26 guns. The brig Eagle
was a vessel of $50 tons; her crew
numbered 100 and she carried 20
guns. The schooner Ticonderoga
was of $50 tons burden: she had a
crew of 10 men and carried II guns.
The former vessels were built at Yer
gennes, together with several smaller
craft carrying guns, and the latter
vessel was fitted out here IL is ap.
parent from the foregoing how impor.
tant the work at this point was in a
fleet having all told but sc guns al
the battle of Plattsburgh.
The Saratoga was larger than the
| Peacock, the Wasp, the Hornet, the
Intrepid, the Boxer, the Enterprise
and the Bonhommie Richard, so dis
tingushed on the ocean, and was ex
ceeded in size only by the Constitu
tion and a few ships of that class
while the Eagle, although much small
er than the Saratoga. was larger
than any ship engaged on either side
in Perrys famous battle on Lake
Erie. II will give some idea of the
magnitude of the task of fitting out
this fleet that IL took so teams tc
carry one consignment of nava
stores from Troy to Vergennes.
Too little attention has been paid
W NNHAiAOu0At AdNubnOuEus anu lut
magnitude of the battle fought OF
Lake Champlain is not generally un
derstoOd. Macdonough was con
temporary and peer of Decatur. Hull
Lawrence. Perry and Stewart and Col
Roosevelt says of him that down to
the time of the Civil war. he was the
most conspicuous figure in our naval
history" He was born in Delaware
on December 81, 1888. and was ap
pointed midshipman of the navy by
President John Adams, February 5
1900. He. remained i'm the service un
I'll his death at sea, November 10
1925. He served in the war OF the
United States against the Barbary
States and was with Decatur in the
recapture of the Philadelphia in the
harbor of Tripoli in 1904 He was as
signed to the command of the naval
force on Lake Champlain in 1913.
1T is a matter of no little concern
and pride to our state that the head.
quarters Of a great naval commander
should have been at one time within
our borders and that the fleet should
have been assembled, fitted out and
largely built in Vermont, which de.
stroyed the British feet on Lake
Champlain on the 18th OF September.
1914.
"It was the nurnosa of tho pritieb