The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1912-10-10
eral parties seem to have camped

about here From one of these eddies
they seem to have turned their course
across the river, transporting the
walkers, for the journey to Norridge-
wock Falls was made on the north
side.
No home was upon the Island at
! the time of Arnold's passage, but d
camping ground had been cleared by
the Indians upon the high ground 10
the center and the southeastern sec
ton, which made convenient resting
place for the weary men, and a place
for looking over and eaulking their
bateaux. Tradition says they camp
ed there, and in all probability part
of them did, but several of the jour
nails say they camped upon the main
land, and some of the parties went up
the river half mile TO camp, while
some made the passage in the day
time and camped at Norridgewock
There was the beginning of a mill
situated on the same spot as the
later mill built by Peter Haywood
The sluiceway came directly across
the end of the island, cutting off the
point of the egg, and making of that a
small island. A big ledge came up
in the middle of the entrance which
WAS afterwards blasted away 10 form
the mill pond. There We're two falls
in the sluiceway, which carried quite
a volume of water, and constituted an
effective power before the dams were
built The mill was constructed
across the sluiceway, with one wall
upon the main island and the other on
the little one. 1t belonged, says Cap
tain Thayer, to Mr.. Copelin, a name
by which he elsewhere refers TO the
Major Colburn who had the shipyard
at Gardnerstown, and made the ba-
teaux. This enterprsing pioneer
had evidently extended his business
up the river into our primitive set
tlement
The trail across the Island lay mag
netically east and west, and measured
in straight line forty-four rods. With
the winding necessary to avoid bog
holes and lodges, it would not come
far from the sixty rods mentioned by
most of the records.
The officers and men Of the Arnold
Expedition seem to have been ready
of pen, and many of them kept jour
nails of their experiences. | have found
in sixteen of these journals a record
of the passage of the army through
this region
1t was on the oath or 25th of Sep
TENDER that the exploring party dnder
Lieut.. Steele passed through Skowhe-
gan, bringing to the settlers probably
thefrst knowledge of the coming of
the army Col. Arnold had sent
/ I 1o To 10 ~
Lake Megantic, and ascertain the
course OF the stream emptying into
it. The party consisted of eleven
men including two Indian guides, and
they travelled in two canoes. Their
passage was swift one, and there
is no record of a stop near this place.
Another exploring party of ten men
under Lieut.. Church, which was sent
out to note the courses and distances
TO Dead River, passed through here
about the same time
I On Sept 18th, the first division OF
the army arrived at Skowhegan, hav-
ing left Fort Western on the 18th.
This consisted of the three companies
of rifiemen. led by the gigantic Viz
ginian Capt. Daniel Morgan. 1t was
Capt. Morgan who, after Arnold was
disabled, led the desperate rush upon
the barriers in the assault on Que
bee. Later in the war he was one
OF the most brilliant of Washington S
generals, did conspicuous service at
saratoga and on many other battle
fields, and in especial was the hero of
the famous battle of CoWpens. His
own company had marched from Nir-
ginia to Cambridge six hundred miles
in three weeks. The other two com
panies of riflemen were from Pennsyl-
tania, and were commanded by Capt
smith and Capt Hendricks. The
latter, whom Judge Henry describes
rs of mild and beautiful countenance,
WAS one OF those who fell in the as
sault on Quebec. These riflemen had
been trained in border Indian war
fare, and their craftsmanship with the
crude weapons of their day was some
thing extraordinary. Two women,
/ wives of soldiers, accompanied the
rifiemen, and shared all the hardships
of the way.
This first division had orders to pro
coed with all speed so as to open up
the trail for the others, and they car
/ lieu IeSh UdS gu tldu lilt TEST oO
we'll did they fulfil their commission
that they covered the forty miles be-
tween Augusta and Skowhegan Falls
] in four days. Ii was heavy work
pulling the bateauN up against the
stream, mostly BY polling. Usually
four men propelled each bateau, and
/ the others walked along the shore.
The water was fGll OF rocks and
shoals, so that the men were obliged
to get into the water to haul the boats
over, and the bottom vas so uneven
that they were sometimes up their
chins in water, while another writer
says they were obliged to nearly swim.
/ One of the diarists, George Morrison
OF Hendricks company, comments
/ here: This WAS not the worst of
our distresses, for many of the bat
| eauX were so badly constructed that
whether in or out of them we were
wet Could we have then come with
in reach of the villains who construct
ed these crazy things they would full
! ly have experienced the effects of our
vengeance. Many of them were lit
/ tie better than common RATS, and in
/ several of them our provisions and
/ camp equipage We're much injured.
Avarice. or a desire to destroy us, per-
haps both, must have been their mo-
tives-they could have had none else.
Did they not know that their doings
were crimes-that they We're cheating
their Scountry and exposing its de-