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HISTORY
VERMONT
COL L I N S
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THE NEW YORK
PUBLIC LIBRARY
A8TOR. LENOX
TILDEN FOUNDATIONS
Thomas Chittenden
The first governor of Vermont
A HISTORY OF VERMONT
WITH THE STATE CONSTITUTION, GEOLOGICAL
AND GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES, BIBLIOGRAPHY,
CHRONOLOGY, STATISTICAL TABLES,
MAPS, AND ILLUSTRATIONS
BY
EDWARD DAY COLLINS, Ph.D.
INSTRUCTOR IN HISTORY IN YALE UNIVERSITY, 1899-I90I
PRINCIPAL, STATE NORMAL SCHOOL, JOHNSON, VERMONT, I904-1909
PROFESSOR OF PEDAGOGY, MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE, I909-
REVISED EDITION
GINN AND COMPANY
BOSTON • NEW YORK • CHICAGO • LONDON
ATLANTA • DALLAS • COLUMBUS • SAN FRANCISCO
\^\vp^
THE I^EW YORK
PUBLIC LIBRARY
73909B
ASTOR, LENOX AND
TIUDEN FOUNDATIONS
R 19 6 L
COIYKIGHT, 1903, lyl6, BY
EDWARD DAY COLLINS
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
516.4
(Cbe gtftengum jgregg
GIN'N AND COMPANY • PRO-
PRIETORS • BOSTON • U.S.A.
PREFACE
The charm of romance surrounds the discovery, explo-
ration, and settlement of Vermont. The early records
of the state offer an exceptional field for the study of
social groups placed in altogether primitive and almost
isolated conditions ; while in political organization this
commonwealth illustrates the development of a truly
organic unity. The state was for fourteen years an
independent republic, prosperous and well administered.
This book is an attempt to portray the conditions of
life in this state since its discovery by white men, and
to indicate what the essential features of its social, eco-
nomic, and political development have been. It is an
attempt, furthermore, to do this in such a way as to
furnish those who are placed under legal requirement
to give instruction in the history of the state an oppor-
tunity to comply with the spirit as well as with the letter
of the law.
Instruction in state history rests on a perfectly sound
pedagogical and historical basis. It only demands that
the same facilities be afforded in the way of texts, biblio-
graphical aids, and statistical data, as are demanded in
any other field of historical work, and that the most
approved methods of study and teaching be followed.
Indeed, in certain respects state history offers a superior
field for instruction in the public schools. It affords
the student an opportunity to study at first hand the
vi PREFACE
development of those institutions which are to demand
the activities and interests of his maturer life. These
institutions are state rather than national.
Furthermore, in the interplay of local and federal
politics state history illustrates the evolution of the
essential relations between local institutions and the
central government. It is thus a direct preparation for
the study of civics and national history. It certainly
is pragmatic to acquaint students with the genesis of
the social, economic, and political conditions in which
they find themselves placed and forced to act ; but
this is quite in touch with the trend of the present
educational movement.
The rapidly changing conception of what history
really is appHes, of course, to this department of his-
torical study as to any other. These green hills and
fertile valleys would have been peopled and tilled by
men of essentially the same fiber if Ethan Allen had
not succeeded in his audacious attempt on Ticonderoga,
if Stark had not won a brilliant victory at Bennington,
or if Macdonough had not been successful in a naval
battle off Cumberland Head. While the political des-
tiny of the state may have been shaped to some degree
by military events, the social and industrial organiza-
tion within the body politic has developed essentially
unchanged thereby. From this point of view military
events necessarily play a relatively unimportant part,
and industrial activities a relatively important one.
To those who may use this book for instruction a few
suggestions are due. Since the subject is taught to
different grades in different schools, no attempt has been
PREFACE vii
made to limit the scope of the work to the requirements of
any one grade. It has been left to the teacher to deter-
mine in each case the possibilities of his own classes.
The work indicated in the map exercises on page 280
should always precede the study of the narrative. The
source extracts at the beginning of the chapters and in
the text illustrate the kind of material from which his-
tory is written, and provide means for further analytical
study. Constructive ability may best be developed by
individual research and reports on topics of local interest.
The statistical tables will furnish material for both ana-
lytical and constructive work of a still different nature
on the plan illustrated on pages 211, 212, 215, and espe-
cially 221—223. The pupils should always be required
to study the maps and illustrations in connection with
the narrative.
I wish to acknowledge a special indebtedness to Pro-
fessor George H. Perkins for suggestions on the archae-
ological portions of the history ; to Hon. G. G. Benedict
for a similar service on the portions dealing with the
military history of the state during the Civil War ; and to
Mr, F. D. Nichols for his efforts in securing the illustra-
tions by which the volume is so materially enriched.
Barton Landing E. D. COLLINS
Sept. 16, 1903
CONTENTS
Chapter Page
I. The Strength of the Hills i
II. The French and Indian Wars .... 13
III. The Widening Trail 38
IV. The Debatable Land ...... 66
V. The American Revolution 90
VI. The Gods of the Hills iii
VII. An Independent Republic 120
VIII. From the Revolution to the War of 181 2 . 140
IX. The War of 1812 172
X. From the War of 181 2 to the Civil War . 192
XI. The Civil War 234
XII. From the Civil War to the Present Time . 255
APPENDIX
PART I
GEOGRAPHICAL AND GEOLOGICAL NOTES
Geographical Notes : Mountains, Rivers, Lakes and Ponds,
Counties 273
Geological Notes : Metals and Minerals and their Distribution 278
PART II
FOR REFERENCE AND FURTHER STUDY
Map Exercises 280
List of Maps 281
I. Vermont at the Close of the French and Indian
Wars facing 40
II. Early Map of New Hampshire, soon after the Erection
of Fort Dummer 69
ix
X CONTENTS
List of Maps — cGntinued Page
III. The First Political Division of Vermont ... 74
IV. Vermont at the Close of the Revolution . facing 122
V. Railroad Map of Vermont . . . . " 220
VI. Geographical Map of Vermont ... " 275
VII. Township Map of Vermont, in colors . . " 302
Topics 284
Bibliographical Note 288
Chronological Table 291
PART III
STATISTICAL TABLES
Table A. New Vork Land Grants in Vermont . . . 298
B. Governors of Vermont 299
C. Congressional Districts and Senators in Congress . 300
D. Population of the State by Decades from the First
Census . 301
E. Population of the State by Counties from the First
Census ......... 302
F. Population of the State by Towns in 1910 . . 303
G. Growth of Manufactures in Vermont since 1850 . 308
H. Farms, Acreage, and Values of Farm Property since
1850 308
Supplement to Tables G and II .... 309
I. Agricultural Products in 1 8 50 . . . . 309
J. Leading Manufactures 310
I. In 1840.
II. In i860.
III. In 1870.
IV. In 1880.
V. In 1890.
VI. In 1900.
VII. In 1909.
PART IV
Constitution of Vermont 314
Index 337
A HISTORY OF VERMONT
A HISTORY OF VERMONT
CHAPTER I
THE STRENGTH OF THE HILLS
Continuing our route along the west side of the lake, contemplat-
ing the country, I saw on the east side very high mountains, capped
with snow. I asked the Indians if those parts were inhabited. They
answered me yes, and that they were Iroquois, and there were in those
parts beautiful valleys and fields fertile in corn as good as any I had
eaten in the country, with an infinitude of other fruits, and that the lake
extended close to the mountains, which were according to my judgment,
fifteen leagues from us. — Extract from Champlavi's narrative y i bog
First Discoveries by White Men
In the year 1534 Jacques Cartier, sailing under com-
mission from the king of France, passed through the
Strait of Belle Isle into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, pos-
sessed of a belief that he was on the high road to Cathay.
The Breton sailor had but Httle time that summer to
make explorations before the coming of the autumn
winds bade him seek again the shores of France. With
the following spring, however, he returned to his quest
and sailed far up the river in eager search for a water
way to the East Indies through this continent. That
way he never found, but on this trip an incident befell
him which has some interest for us.
2 HISTORY OF VERMONT
In October, 1535, he came to a place on the shore of
the river where the Indians had a settlement. It was
then called Hochelaga ; at the same place, three fourths
of a century later, the French laid the foundations of the
city of Montreal. The Indians received the white men
kindly, and during their brief stay guided them to the
top of the mountain which rose behind their town. If
that day was clear when Cartier looked eastward over
the miles of frost-painted forest, he saw lying sharply
against the sky line in the distance the pointed summit
of Jay Peak, flanked by its domelike neighbors. Years
were to come and go before white men drew near to the
land of those dark hills, but when the time came they
were countrymen of his who claimed the honor.
It was nearly three quarters of a century later — and
nearly three centuries ago — when Samuel de Champlain,
servant of France in the New World, founded the city
of Quebec. In that year, 1608, Milton was born; John
Smith's story of the Jamestown settlement was printed
in London; Sir Walter Raleigh lay imprisoned in the
Tower of London writing his history of the world. The
Pilgrims were then leaving the shores of old England for
their brief stay in Holland before coming to the bleak
coast of Plymouth; Henry Hudson had not then carried
the Dutch flag into the river that bears his name ; the
King James version of our Bible had not been finished ;
and Shakespeare had not laid aside his pen.
In the following year Vermont was first visited by
white men. When the April sun had loosened the grip
of ice and snow on lake and river the gallant Frenchman
started on a voyage of exploration. He left Quebec,
THE STRENGTH OF THE HILLS 3
accompanied by a few of his own men and a party of
Indians in their birch canoes, and set out up the river in
a chaloupe. Where the Richelieu empties into the St.
Lawrence he took the smaller stream, and in June came
to the Falls of Chambly. Here he left the chaloupe
and went on in canoes with two of his own men and the
Indians. On the morning of July 4, 1609, Champlain
and his companions glided silently into the waters of
that beautiful lake which henceforth was to bear his
name. He wrote:
There are many pretty islands here, low and containing very
fine woods and meadows with abundance of fowl and such ani-
mals of the chase as stags, fallow-deer, fawns, roebucks, bears
and others, which go from the mainland to these islands. We
captured a large number of these animals. There are also many
beavers, not only in this river but also in numerous other little ones
that flow into it. These regions, although they are pleasant, are
not inhabited by any savages on account of their wars; but they
withdraw as far as possible from the rivers into the interior in
order not to be suddenly surprised.
They paddled on past the islands, and the further
scenes which his eyes beheld Champlain recorded in the
words which you read at the beginning of the chapter.
The Land and its People
Before Champlain and his followers left the lake they
had stained their hands with blood. It was no peaceful,
undisputed territory into which they had so boldly come.
It was a border land between great Indian nations, the
hunting ground and fighting ground of Algonquins and
Iroquois.
4 HISTORY OF VERMONT
South of the great lakes and eastward to the Hudson
River and Lake Champlam Hved the Iroquois, compris-
ing powerful tribes; while through New England and
the St. Lawrence region, and even to New Brunswick,
were scattered the various Algonquin tribes. The Indi-
ans who accompanied Champlain well knew the dangers
of this trip, and came with him only on the under-
standing that he would help them fight the Iroquois if
they should chance to meet.
They did meet, and Champlain kept his promise. The
Iroquois fled from the deadly guns of the Europeans, —
weapons which were new and strange to them. But they
did not forget, and they were slow to forgive. So the
little battle by the lakeside, in which the arquebuses of
three white men won the day, was destined to breed
trouble for the French in Canada in later years. It
turned the friendship of the Iroquois away from the
French toward the English ; it counted much in that
long contest between the two nations which was to
determine the destiny of this continent.
But Champlain and his two countrymen could not
foresee that. They sat in the red light of the camp fire
that evening and watched their Indians tormenting the
captives with tortures which to Christian eyes must have
seemed strange and pitiless.
The great basin of the Champlain and its tributaries
furnished scenes for many such combats of which history
has no record. The shores of the lake and the lands as
far eastward as the mountains were not safe for perma-
nent settlement by either of the two great rival tribes.
Although the Indians told Champlain that the Iroquois
THE STRENGTH OF THE HILLS 5
dwelt in those parts, it is not likely that they were more
than hunting grounds through which parties might rove
in search of game without making a fixed abode. At
any rate the Iroquois left here no name of mountain,
lake, or river. The Indian names which are preserved
by us are those of the Abenakis.
The Green Mountains formed a natural barrier throusfh
the length of the state which red men rarely crossed
until the days of the French and Indian wars. The
Coosuck Indians, another branch of Algonquins, dwelt
undisturbed on the broad flats which stretch back from
the Connecticut River at Newbury and above — known
to early rangers and settlers as the Cohasse intervals, or
Coos meadows — until the white men came and drove
them to Canada. Men now living have seen near Wells
River the remains of an old Indian \allage and fort ; and
within the memory of some the St. Francis Indians
made periodical visits to Charleston, and pointed out to
white settlers the seams and scars in old maples where
their ancestors had tapped the trees in spring for their
annual sugar making.
Relics of the Past
We must not think because there were no tribes in
peaceful possession of the land when white men first
came, that such had always been the case. There are
traces of more than a transient residence by Indians.
Such relics as we possess inform us of the fact of their
occupancy, but they give no certain knowledge by which
we can tell who those early inhabitants were.
6 HISTORY OF VERMONT
The following description was given in 1873 of an old
burial place of these people. It is the only such place
within the state of which we have any knowledge.
About two miles north of the village of S wanton in north-
western Vermont is a sandy ridge, which was formerly covered
by a dense growth of Norway pines ; the thickly set, straight trees
resembling somewhat a huge growth of hemp. The place was at
one time called " the old hemp yard," a name which still clings to
it. Rather more than twelve years ago it was discovered that
beneath this forest stone implements were buried, and further
investigation has shown that the spot which was so covered with
large trees and stumps when the white men first came into the
region had been, ages before, used as a burial place by some
people whose only records are the various objects which the affec-
tionate care of the living placed in the graves of the dead. From
directly beneath the largest trees or half-decayed stumps some
of these relics were taken, so that we may feel sure tliat before
the great pines which for many years, perhaps centuries, grew,
flourished, and decayed, had germinated, these graves were dug,
and with unknown ceremonies the bodies of the dead were placed
in them, together with those articles that had been used during life,
or were supposed to be needed in a future existence. We cannot
know how many successive growths of trees may have followed
each other since the forest began to usurp the place set apart for
sepulture.
We find also very many relics of more recent Indian
life and occupancy. Along the borders of the streams
which empty into Lake Champlain, along the higher
lands beside them, on the shores of the lake itself, and
on the islands, the specimens of their handiwork and arts
have been frequently found.
In a few instances multiplicity of domestic implements
has indicated the site of a village or a frequently visited
Prkhistoric Implements eound ix Vermont
Slate knives ; gouges or hollow chisels ; points and scrapjis ; pipes
8
HISTORY OF VERMONT
camping ground. One such place was near Swanton,
where the St. Francis Indians had a village near the
river which they had occupied from ancient times. Here,
too, was an old burial place, four or five miles from the
ancient graves mentioned above. The Indians had no
knowledge of these earlier graves, but knew only those
of their own kinsmen.
Across the lake, on a sand ridge north of Plattsburg,
there were kilns where pottery was burned. Here were
scattered about clus-
ters of burned stones,
masses of burned clay,
and numerous bits of
pottery. Remains of
old fortifications have
been found, with many
arrow and spear points
near by, while on
Grand Isle in the lake
the remains of many
arrow and vSpear points
and unfinished articles show that once there was a manu-
factory of them there. Less common than arrow and
spear points are the gouges and chisels of various kinds
of stone, some hard enough to scrape the charred embers
from logs which were burning out for canoes, others so
soft as to be of little use except to smooth the seams
of deerskin garments or be used in dressing leather.
Stone pestles and mortars for pounding corn were not
uncommon ; while other pestles, made of slate, were
sometimes used to crush or mash the grain by rolling
Copper Knives and Points
I'rehistoric Implements found in Vermont
Ornamental jar found at Colchester; a larger globular jar; triangular, quadrangular,
double and single edged axes or celts ; points ; ceremonial stones
lO HISTORY OF VERMONT
it upon a flat stone or log. The slate if used in sharp
contact with another stone would have left too much
grit in the grain even for an Indian's taste. Stone axes
and hatchets have been found. Fragments of soapstone
pots and jars have been found, but only two entire jars
are now in existence. In fact only four or five from the
whole of New England are now known to exist.
Other pots and jars, made of burned clay, have been
found more plentifully. They are of various shapes and
sizes, and some are quite remarkable. One exception-
ally fine specimen of an ornamental jar of Indian manu-
facture was found at Colchester, near Burlington, in 1825.
Copper articles seem to have been rare among the
Indians of this state. Those which have been found are
apparently made of native copper which probably came
from Lake Superior, beaten into the desired shape.
They must have come here in the course of war or trade.
Agricultural implements are also rare. Some flint or
hornstone spades have been discovered, and some of
these might have been attached to handles and used
as hoes.
In Indian ceremonials and tribal proceedings perhaps
no single article was so important as the calumet, or pipe.
It was indispensable in declaring war or peace, in ratify-
ing treaties, and in the settlement of religious questions.
Specimens of pipes have been found in the Champlain
Valley, some of them carved and variously ornamented
with designs of animals.
In two places within the state the Indians left inscrip-
tions on rocks. One of these, known as '' Indian Rock,"
is at Brattleboro, near the junction of the West and
THE STRENGTH OF THE HILLS n
Connecticut rivers. It has pictured on its surface ten
or eleven figures of birds, mammals, and snakes. The
other inscriptions are on two granite rocks near the
Connecticut at Bellows Falls. One of the rocks bears
on it the rudely graven figure of a large head, some
twenty inches long, surmounted by rays ; the other has
twenty heads of varying sizes but all smaller than the
one just mentioned. Some of these also have rays, and
all are similarly made, being roughly outlined with a
broad shallow groove, the eyes and mouth consisting in
most cases of mere circular depressions, and the nose
being usually omitted altogether. Various guesses have
been made as to the meaning of these inscriptions, but
we hav^e little reason to suppose that they were designed
to convey any special message.
From these scattered relics and others that have been
found it will be seen that although the Indians left no
written records they did leave many things which tell us
of their lives in war and peace. We have the measure
of their skill in the weapons and tools which they fash-
ioned ; and these silent witnesses to their arts and crafts
enable us to form some idea of their degree of civilization.
We can see how far they learned to use the gifts of nature
as raw material for their crude workmanship. We have
evidences of what their taste and skill in ornamentation
were. From their tools we can gather what their highest
attempts were in rough carpentry and agriculture.
We know also that here in our state, when it was but
an unnamed wilderness, were hunting grounds inhabited
by many kinds of game in abundance. Here and there
on the broad intervals of the lar<rer rivers were fertile
12 HISTORY OF VERMONT
fields where the Indian women could raise maize and
their few vegetables ; while the hunters roamed the forest
for game, or sought the streams where salmon ran, the
mountain brooks where trout were ever abundant, and
the lakes where lay great maskinonge.
From the skins of the deer, elk, moose, and beaver
they could fashion their rough garments and frame some
protection from the winter's cold. The flesh of their
slaughtered game furnished the main part of their sus-
tenance ; and thus through the changing seasons they
lived, halfway between the hunting stage and the agri-
cultural stage, depending on Nature's bounty, till the
white men came.
CHAPTER II
THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS
Voted, That it will be of great service to all the western frontiers,
both in this and the neighboring government of Connecticut, to build
a Block House above Northfield, in the most convenient place on the
lands call'd the Equivalent Lands,^ and to post in it forty able men,
English and Western Indians, to be employed in scouting at a good
distance up the Connecticut River, West River, Otter Creek, and some-
times eastwardly, above great Monadnuck, for the discovery of the
enemy coming towards any of the frontier towns. — Massachusetts Court
Records, Dec. <?/, lysS
Colonial Politics
It was not very many years after the French had
established settlements in the St. Lawrence Valley, at
Quebec and Montreal, before English settlers sought
homes on the rocky New England coast, and the Dutch
sat down to trade on the island of Manhattan, in that
1 The " equivalent lands " were tracts lying in the southern part of
the present state of Vermont which were given by Massachusetts to
Connecticut, to take the place of some Connecticut land which Mass-
achusetts had by mistake been granting. Boundaries were a little
uncertain in early days, and when in 17 13 they were determined, it
was found that Massachusetts had granted 107,793 acres which did not
belong to her. But since she very naturally wished to retain the juris-
diction over the settlers, it was arranged that Connecticut should accept
an equal number of acres in ungranted territory. They were called for
this reason the " equivalent lands." Connecticut sold them at public
auction, at Hartford, in 17 16, for ;^683, New England currency. The
money thus obtained was donated to Yale College, then a young
institution of learning. The lands were bought by gentlemen from
Connecticut, Massachusetts, and London.
13
14 HISTORY OF VERMONT
wonderful harbor which is the glory of all true New
Yorkers. So it came to pass that three great powers
of the Old World found themselves neighbors in the
New World also. From the time when they opened
their eyes to this fact they began a struggle for the
possession of this part of our continent. The Dutch
did not struggle long, for in the year 1664 an English
squadron sailed into the harbor and compelled the crusty
old Dutch governor, Peter Stuyvesant, to yield the
city. Its name was then changed from New Amster-
dam to New York, in honor of the king's brother, the
Duke of York.
News like this made the French settlers in Canada
and the French government in France more anxious
than ever to curb the growing power of the English
here in America. And the English, as they heard how
the French were finding their way far up the rivers
and even beyond the great lakes, grew more and more
anxious to curb the growing power of the French. One
could say that it became the policy of the French to
drive the English from America, and the policy of the
English to drive out the French. This was the great
theme of colonial politics. Instead of taking sides for
candidates and talking about the men who wanted to be
president or governor, the English in America all took
sides against the French, saying to themselves, '' We
must drive them out of Canada." This was as accurate
an expression of their political creed as modern party
platforms are of ours to-day.
When two great nations hold such utterly contradic-
tory notions about the same thing it does not require
THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS 15
a prophet to foresee trouble. Of course so long as
the French remained quietly in Canada and the English
remained quietly in New England, with a great stretch
of uninhabited country between them, they could not
enter on this great and necessary work of driving each
other out. So it came to pass that in their attempts to
get rid of each other the colonists of the two nations
and their allies crossed and recrossed this intervening
territory in a long series of raids and forays which have
gone down in history as the French and Indian wars.
This is the real meaning of those wars : the French
and English were trying to oust each other from the land.
What especially concerns us is the fact that a very
important part of this country through which they made
their bloody trails was the land which came in after
years to be our state of Vermont.
The French, the English, and the Indians
It would be well if we could remember how very
differently the French and English colonists went about
their work of gaining a foothold in the New World. It
would help to explain many things. It would tell us
why their interests clashed and why they hated each
other so ; why the French pushed so rapidly through
leagues of forest and stream, while the English clung
close to the coasts ; why the Indians hated the English
and clove to the French and so helped them in these
savage wars.
While the English cut away the forests to make clear-
ings for their little homes and farms which they could
till, the French went here and there through uncut
l6 HISTORY OF VERMONT
forests, trading with the Indians for furs. In conse-
quence of this, while the English were confined to little
settlements along the shores and near the mouths of
the larger streams, the French had made their way
along the St. Lawrence River, through the great lakes,
northward, far, far up the rivers into the heart of the
Hudson Bay country, and southward back of the line
of English colonies which stretched like a narrow fringe
along the Atlantic coast.
As for the Indians, they looked upon the English
clearing away the forest and destroying the old hunt-
ing grounds, and they knew that although the settle-
ments at first were small and the settlers ready to be
friendly, the time would surely come when the settlements
would be large and the white men their enemies. The
French, on the contrary, destroyed no hunting grounds.
Their fur trade depended on the hunting grounds. They
came, too, and dwelt like brothers among the Indians and
ranged the forests with them, sharing their hardships.
In fact, sometimes they were brothers, for they took
dusky Indian maidens to wife. They built a fort here
or established a trading post there ; but these served
the Indians as well as the French, and were primarily
headquarters for trade, at which only a white man or two
would be found in sole charge for weeks and months at
a time.
There was another cause of friendship between the
Indians and the French. Jesuit missionaries went in
hardship and suffering establishing missions among the
different tribes, converting them and winning them to
the faith and the friendship of their countrymen. Many
THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS 17
records and letters were left by these Jesuits, which are
now called the Jesuit Relations. These are to-day the
most important and valuable sources of knowledge which
we have of these Indian tribes at the time when the
white men first came among them.
When we thoroughly understand the French method
of occupying Canada, we have discovered something
which has a direct bearing on the conduct of the French
and Indian wars. For example, we see that in all the
long line of their widely scattered trading posts, in all
the broad expanse of territory which the French held
in name, there were really in Canada but two towns of
great importance, Quebec and Montreal. We see that
the English colonists, if they wished to harm the French,
must prepare expeditions large enough and strong enough
to take these two fortresses, the bulwarks of the French
occupation of Canada. To do this they must have ships
and cannon as well as men. On the other hand it was
quite an easy matter for a French commander at Mont-
real to send out day after day little bands of Indians
through that great forest which stretched toward the
English settlements, to fall upon the scattered and almost
defenseless cabins on the frontier. Those cabins were
not mere trading posts ; they were homes in which were
women and the precious children, treasures dearer than
furs, more precious than life itself.
The Indian Trails
These raids of marauding bands of Indians and French
will have more than a passing interest for us when we
recall that the main routes which were traversed lay
I8 HISTORY OF VERMONT
across our state, although it was long before that state
was settled or bore a name. There were some four
or five of these routes which we ought to remember,
and to do so will not be difficult if we trace them on
the map.
If we bear in mind the starting points, the destination,
and the principal water courses which lay between, we
shall be guided, as the Indians were, by the natural
features of the country into the easiest and for that
reason the most frequented routes. The French were
at Montreal ; the English settlers were east of the Con-
necticut River or along its lower waters. That river
furnished war parties with a great highway in summer
or winter into the heart of the enemy's country.
The first route to be named lay across the north-
eastern corner of the state. A party would follow
this route by coming up the St. Francis River to Lake
Memphremagog and leaving the lake through the Clyde
River. That would take them to Island Pond, from
which they could make a short carry to the Nulhegan
and be guided to the more northern stretches of the
Connecticut.
If our war party wished to reach a point on the
river a little farther south, it would leave Lake Mem-
phremagog by way of the Barton River, following it to
Crystal Lake, and thence going up over the height of
land where the springs lie close together that empty
north and south, and follow down the valley of the lit-
tle brook that leads, ever widening, to the Passumpsic,
which in turn would take them to the Connecticut near
the Cohasse intervals.
THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS 19
But there were easier and quicker routes than these,
especially for large parties coming from Montreal. Just
as a great river stretched along the eastern border, so
a great lake lay on the western border of the state and
offered them miles of easy travel by canoe instead of
tedious marches overland through the forest. So the
Lake Champlain routes were more often used than those
which led through Lake Memphremagog.
There were three of these Champlain routes : one
leading across the state by way of the Winooski River,
one by the Otter Creek, and one by the Pawlet River.
Coming to the lake by the ancient way which Champlain
had followed, a party could turn in at the Winooski,
follow the stream up through the mountains, cross from
its upper waters to those of the White River, and follow
that till it joined the Connecticut at the place where
White River Junction now stands. It was along this
route that Rouville led his band of French and Indians
in their murderous raid on Deerfield in 1704; hither
part of the company retraced their steps, leading along
the icebound streams through the snows of February
the half-clad and half-starved captives who had escaped
massacre. We cannot wonder that the settlers long-
called the Winooski "the French River."
Still another route there was, by way of the Otter
Creek. Where it becomes a swift mountain stream
the Indians would leave it, cross by trail the height of
land, and going down on the cast side of the hills, follow
either the Black River or West River, as they chose, to
the Connecticut. This was an easy route and came to be
much used, so that it was known as "the Indian road."
20 HISTORY OF VERMONT
It was nearest to Crown Point on the Champlain side ;
and when the French had been driven away, and the
wars had ceased, the settlers took it up and made it
the basis of one of their first roads through the woods,
from Number Four to Crown Point.
The last of these routes, that one which followed
the Pawlet River, was of less importance. It began at
the head of the lake, and after reaching that point on the
river where the crossing was easiest over the summit,
led to West River on the eastern side of the mountains.
In all these routes the eastern highway of the raiding
parties was the Connecticut River. As Lake Champlain
was the great water way on the west, so this long, quiet
stream lay at their service east of the mountains, whether
it were open for canoes in the pleasant warmth of sum-
mer months or locked in ice in winter, secure and solid
beneath the tread of moccasined feet.
Indian Raids
As a general statement one might say that from 1689
to 1763 the border settlements on the Connecticut and
Merrimac rivers were never safe from the ravages of
scouting parties harassing the frontier. If you should
chance to run across the memoranda of a certain French
officer at Montreal in 1746, you would read a record
made day after day of parties of Indians sent out to
"strike a blow" at the English, now in this direction,
now in that, but especially "towards Boston." You
would read also records of the scalps brought back, until
you sickened at the thought of it, and wondered no
longer that the very name of the French was hated in
THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS 21
New England, and that settlers lived in daily dread of
the sound of the war whoop and the sight of a brandished
tomahawk. You will recall, too, that when Rogers's
rangers destroyed the village of St. Francis they found
hundreds of English scalps hanging at the doors of the
lodges.
In all the long series of conflicts which go to make up
the French and Indian wars, probably no single attack
came with so sudden a shock or has been retold more
times than that famous raid on the village of Deerfield,
Massachusetts, made in the winter of 1704 by Hertel de
Rouville and his band of two hundred French and one
hundred and forty-two Indians. Coming by the Winooski
trail, under the snow-laden branches of the forest, they
passed down the Connecticut River on the ice and
reached Deerfield on the evening of the 28th of Febru-
ary. Recently fallen snows had drifted high against the
palisade of the village at the northeast corner. When
the watchman left his post in the early hours of morning,
little dreaming that an enemy lay shivering under the
pines two miles north of the village, the settlement was
helplessly at the mercy of the raiders. Climbing over
the palisade on the crusted snow, they scattered through
the town and were soon ready to begin their work of mur-
der. It was quickly over. Forty-seven of the inhabitants
were slain, the village was set on fire, and when the sun
was an hour high the march to Canada had begun.
On the night of the fourth day of the march the party
stopped near the site of Brattleboro and built light
sledges on which to carry the children, the sick, and the
wounded. The march was then renewed, and was rapid
22 HISTORY OF VERMONT
over the ice of the river. At the mouth of the White
River, Rouville divided his party. One division went by
the White River, crossed the highlands, and took the
Winooski trail. On coming to the lake they turned
aside to rest a few days at the Indian village near
Swanton ; then they went on to Montreal. The other
division kept on up the Connecticut till they came to
the great meadows at Newbury, — the Cohasse intervals,
— where, half-starved, they stopped till corn-planting
time. They lived meantime on game, but they dared
not stay for the harvest of corn, fearing the vengeance
of the English.
The First White Occupanxy
The success of the Deerfield raid encouraged many
more, and for some years the frontiers of the New
England provinces were one continuous scene of merci-
less pillage. So it is no wonder that the General Court
of Massachusetts passed the vote which stands at the
beginning of the chapter. The torment of Indians on
the frontier and the necessity of building such outposts
for defense explain why the first inhabitants of the state
were not settlers who had come to hew homes from
the forest, but garrisons at these blockhouses or forts,
guarding the frontier on the edge of the wilderness.
The blockhouse which was built above Northfield by
the order of the General Court of Massachusetts was by
no means the first of its kind within the state. Up in
the northwest corner, on an island in Lake Champlain,
the French had done the same thing years before. It
happened in this way. Monsieur de Tracy, who was
THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS 23
commissioned lieutenant-general of all the French pos-
sessions in America, began in 1665 a line of fortifica-
tions from the mouth of the Richelieu River to Lake
Champlain. During the first year he built three forts
along the river, and in the next spring he ordered Cap-
tain de La Motte to proceed up the lake and build a fort
on an island. He did so in 1666 and called the fort
St. Anne ; but that name was later changed to La Motte
after the builder's name. Long after the fort crumbled
to decay the island bore the name of the French captain
and bears it to this day. That is how the French first
built in Vermont and why one of the islands in Grand
Isle County is called Isle La Motte.
For a long time the French held this fort as a garrison ;
the island they dwelt upon for nearly a hundred years.
From this fort the French soldiers and their allies of
Indians hunted deer and elk and sent out expeditions
against the Mohawks. Many years after, at Colchester
Point, which would be about a day's journey by canoe
from St. Anne, our early settlers found the remains of
an old chimney bottom and a wall. Near by there grew
some very old red and white currant bushes ; and on the
beach by the lake they picked up a number of curious
old things, — Indian arrows, leaden balls, scraps of iron,
pieces of silver and copper coins, bones of animals, and
the remains of two human skeletons which had washed
out from the neighboring banks at high water. Such
evidences make it appear very probable that there was
once a French settlement at Colchester Point, made
perhaps in connection with the garrisoned fortress of
St. Anne.
24 HISTORY OF VERMONT
The advancing operations of the French in that quarter
did not come as welcome tidings to the EngUsh ; and
New York authorities sent some officers and men with a
few Mohawk Indians to look into affairs about the lake
and see what it all meant. So we find that in early
spring in 1690 a certain Captain de Warm was in the
country on the west side of the lake with about seven-
teen white men and twenty Indians, acting on orders
from the New York authorities at Albany. We find,
too, that another captain, Abraham Schuyler by name,
was ordered to go to the mouth of the Otter Creek and
there *'to watch day and night for one month, and daily
communicate with Captain de Warm."
De Warm meantime crossed to the eastern side of the
lake and built a little stone fort at Chimney Point in
Addison. When in August of the same year Captain
Schuyler led the first English war party that ever passed
through the lake, they stopped at the little stone fort
and near there killed two elk. But the English did not
keep up the occupancy of it, and in 1731 the French
came down and made a settlement there.
We now see that the first three places in Vermont to
be occupied for any length of time by white people were
military outposts built by the French and the English.
With the possible exception of the French settlements,
whose extent we do not know, there was no colonization
attempted at these posts. They were establishments
from which scouting parties might range the country,
keep a watchful eye on the operations of the enemy, and
in cases of emergency meet for defense. They were
also what the English and French governments would
THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS 25
have called "marks of possession," had they been trying
to agree on a boundary line instead of trying to drive
each other out ; but such marks of possession, as you
may have noticed, amount to but very little when two
countries are fighting for the same thing, because the
stronger can always take it and usually does.
There is, however, an observation about these posts
which is of some significance. That is, that the English
and the P>ench were creeping nearer to each other in
this country and getting ready to spring at each other's
throat ; that both were very evidently possessed of a
growing determination in their policy; that just as fast
as they grew strong they would use their strength
against each other. From what we have now learned it
would not require much wisdom to conjecture that these
two nations would never inhabit this country together
in peace, but that sooner or later one of them would be
whipped from its shores.
The old fortress of St. Anne crumbled to decay, and
the walls of the little stone fort at Chimney Point fell
into ruins, but the blockhouse at Fort Dummer lasted
on. The English occupancy about it never ceased, so
we will turn back once more to that.
The blockhouse was begun in February next after
the vote of the General Court. Colonel John Stoddard
of Northampton had the general supervision of the work,
and he sent up " four carpenters, twelve soldiers with
narrow axes, and two teams," under T. D wight, to build
it. It is said that ''the soldiers slept in the woods and
earned two shillings per diem besides their stated pay.
The horses worked hard, eat oats and nothing else."
26
HISTORY OF VERMONT
The carpenters from Northfield received five shillings a
day, except John Crowfoot, — who was not a Northfield
carpenter at all, but a Springfield Indian, — and he
received six shillings.
The Perade
The Pbisognowy of TFort JJumer
CollV Wit lards
hou%e Built by
the Province
^^ to the ^dff
E 35 A/
The Phisognomy of Fort Dumer
They all must have worked pretty hard, for by the
time the maples and birches were in full leaf and sum-
mer showed her fresh green in the clearing the fort was
ready to be occupied. It was named Fort Dummer, in
THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS
27
Fort Vengeance, 17S0
honor of the man who was lieutenant governor of Massa-
chusetts. It was a right good fort, built for the busi-
ness it would have
to face, and was
pitched on the west
bank of the Con-
necticut, in the
southeast corner of
the present town of
Brattleboro, on the
Dummer meadows.
It was stoutly built of the yellow pines that grew
close at hand and was made nearly one hundred and
eighty feet square. Houses were built inside the inclo-
sure with their backs to the wall of the fort and facing
the hollow square or parade ground in the center.
If the enemy broke through the gates or scaled the
walls, as they had done at Deerfield, the garrison could
barricade themselves in the houses and fire upon the
foe in the hollow square.
Scouting Parties
During the unsafe and troubled times which followed
for many years we could not expect to find settlers
building homes in the wilderness. That was a task all
too hard in the most favorable times ; it could not be
thought of when the woods were full of scouting parties
of New France ready to destroy the growing crops, to
plunder and ruin the homes, burn the little cabins, take
prisoners the inmates and carry them as captives to
Canada, or strike the murderous blow if they were too
28 HISTORY OF VERMONT
feeble to endure the terrible march of two hundred
miles through the wilderness.
From these forts, therefore, or outposts like the
blockhouse on the Dummer meadows, we may only
expect to find that scouting parties go out and return,
making the fort their headquarters at which to receive
their orders, report their trips, and equip themselves
for tiresome tramps through the forests and along the
streams. The extracts from Captain Kellogg's journal
show that such scouting parties began to range the
country promptly in the fall of the same year that
Fort Dummer was built.
I have sent out [the record runs] several scouts, an account
of which I here present.
The first on November 30, we went on ye ^ west side of
Connecticut River and crossing ye West River went up to ye
Great Falls and returned, making no discovery of any Enemy.
[The great falls mentioned here are the Bellows Falls of to-day.]
The next scout went up ye West River 6 miles, and then
crossed ye wood up to ye Great Falls, and returned making no
discovery of any new signs of an enemy.
The next scout I sent out west from Northfield about 12
miles and from thence northward, crossing West River thro ye
woods ; then steering east, they came to ye Canoo place about
16 or 17 miles above Northfield.
The next scout I sent out northwest about 6 miles, and then
they steered north until they crossed West River, and so thro ye
woods to ye Great Meadows below ye Great Falls, then they
crossed Connecticut River and came down on ye East side until!
they came to Northfield without any new discovery, this Meadow
being about 32 miles from Northfield.
1 The old iormye is the same as ^/le and so pronounced, the^' inj^
being the obsolete form of f/i.
THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS
29
The next scout I sent up ye West River Mountain, and there
to Lodge on ye top and view Evening and Morning for smoaks,
and from thence up to ye mountain at ye Great Falls and there
also to Lodge on ye top and view morning and evening for smoaks ;
but these making no discovery returned.
The next scout I sent up ye West River 5 miles and then
north till they came upon Sexton's River, 6 miles from ye mouth
of it, wc empties itself at ye foot of ye Great Falls, and then they
came down till they came to ye mouth of it, and so returned, but
made no discovery of any enemy.
So the purpose of the fort was served, and the settle-
ments rested a little more easily in the knowledge that
if Indians did come there were now up at Fort Dummer
stanch men keeping watch by night and day, scanning
with keen eyes the pathless forest ; and they knew that
it would be a small band indeed that could slip past
undiscovered and not have the great gun of the fort
send its warning echoes booming through the woods.
Of the tale of war and politics which kept both French
and English in a turmoil until that memorable day upon
the Plains of Abraham, we can tell but little here. But
we may note that over in the Champlain Valley the border
fights went on until boys grew to be men ; and all along
the shores of the lake, and among the streams, and
through the neighboring hills, scouting parties toiled at
the same tasks as those we have seen busying the men
at Fort Dummer.
The Tide Turns
The operations in the Champlain Valley finally resulted
in the abandonment of Ticonderoga, Fort Frederick, and
Chimney Point by the French and the withdrawal to
30 ■ HISTORY OF VERMONT
Canada of garrisons and settlers in 1759. This evacua-
tion of the country west of the Green Mountains brought
a sense of rehef to the frontiers of New England as well
as to those of New York, because if it did not remove
the source of depredations entirely, it put into friendly
hands possession of the channel through which some
of them had come. Furthermore, it left the English
rangers free to begin a more aggressive work in exter-
minating their foe; and in the fall of 1759 an expedition
was made for this purpose which certainly is entitled to
a place in Vermont history.
The leaves were beginning to change color and the
wild fowl to think of their southern homes, when Robert
Rogers led a party of rangers through the woods and
swamps of Canada to destroy the Indian village of
St. Francis. This village lay about halfway between
Montreal and Quebec, some three miles back from the
St. Lawrence River. Here dwelt that tribe of Indians
which for three quarters of a century had been the
scourge of the New England border.
Setting out from Crown Point in whaleboats, the party
managed to escape the French vessels which were still
in armed activity on the lake, and coming to Missis-
quoi Bay, at the north end of the lake, they hid their
boats and some provisions there. Then they started on
their long march across country, through tangled swamps
and untrodden ways. Within two days friendly Indians
overtook Rogers with the news that his boats had been
discovered by the French. The party was said to num-
ber four hundred men, and half of them were on his
track. Rogers did not turn from his purpose. He
THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS
31
determined to outfoot his pursuers, destroy the village
as he had planned, and escape by pushing on through
the woods to the Connecticut River, instead of return-
ing to Crown Point. He sent word to Crown Point
to have provisions brought up the Connecticut River to
the upper Ammonoosuc, to which it was hoped he might
bring his party safely through.
Rogers's own account of this expedition was published
over one hundred and thirty years ago, in London, and
from the musty pages of the old book we can catch a
glimpse or two of the story.
The 22d. day after my departure from Crown Point, I came
in sight of the Indian town St. Francis, in the evening, which I
discovered from a tree that I climbed, at about three miles dis-
tance. ... At half an hour before sunrise I surprised the town
when they were all fast asleep, on the right, left and center, whicli
was done with so much alacrity by both officers and men, that the
enemy had not time to recover themselves or take arms for their
own defence. ... A little after sunrise I set tire to all their
houses, except three, in which there was corn, that I reserved for
the use of the party. About seven o'clock in the morning the
affair was completely over, in which time we had killed at least 200
Indians and taken 20 of their women and children prisoners, 15 of
whom I let go their own way, and five I brought with me, viz. two
Indian boys and three Indian girls. I likewise retook five English
captives which I also took under my care. When I had paraded
my detachment I found I had Capt. Ogden badly wounded. . . .
I also had six men slightly wounded and one Stockbridge Indian
killed.
The hardest part of his task was yet before him. He
was in the enemy's country, and all hope of return by
the way he had come was cut off. His one chance lay
in getting through to the Connecticut, and pursuers were
32 HISTORY OF VERMONT
hot on his trail. After much hardship he reached Lake
Memphremagog, but he dared not try to hold the party
together any longer. The supply of corn had failed. In
order to enable them more easily to sustain themselves
on such rough fare as the forest offered, he divided the
company there east of the lake and told the detachments
to assemble at the Ammonoosuc, if they could reach it.
Then they parted, taking different routes. Some were
captured by the pursuing Indians ; some were killed ;
some sick and starving staggered through to the Con-
necticut River. His own party turned southward, on
the east side of the lake, followed the Barton River to
Crystal Lake, and went on over the summit into the
Passumpsic Valley.
Meantime men with two canoes laden with provisions
had made their way up the Connecticut River from
Charlestown, New Hampshire, then known as Number
Four, had come to Round Island near the mouth of the
Passumpsic and camped there. On the second morning,
fearing that an Indian party was in the neighborhood,
they left the island and went back down the river, tak-
ing the provisions with them. At that moment, but a
few miles up the Passumpsic, Rogers and his few fam-
ished stragglers were coming through the woods. They
came to the Connecticut about noon of the same day
and saw the smoke of the still smoldering fires of the
relief party on the island. Signal guns were fired. The
relief party heard them and hurried away down the river
faster than ever. Making his way across to the island
as best he could, Rogers found there only the smoking
embers.
THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS 33
"It is hardly possible," wrote he, "to describe the
grief and consternation of those of us who came to the
Cohasse Intervals. Upon our arrival there after so many
days' tedious march, over steep and rocky mountains, or
through wet, dirty swamps, with the terrible attendants
of fatigue and hunger, we found that here was no relief
for us, where we had encouraged ourselves that we
should find it." He continues: "At length I came to
a resolution to push as fast as possible towards Number
Four, leaving the remains of my party now unable to
march further to get such wretched subsistence as the
barren wilderness could afford." With Captain Ogden, a
ranger, and an Indian boy, Rogers set out on a raft made
of dry pines, and after being once wrecked and under-
going further disasters, at length reached the settle-
ments more dead than alive, and sent back help to those
of his comrades who were still living.
A few years before this a young man by the name
of John Stark, of whom we shall hear more later, was
captured by Indians while out hunting in the woods on
the New Hampshire side of the Connecticut and was
taken with his brother and two companions to Canada by
much the same route that these half-starved wanderers
of Rogers's party traversed. They went up the Connect-
icut, across to Lake Memphremagog, and thence into
Canada. Stark showed so much bravery and spirit that
he became a favorite with his captors and was treated
kindly.
Between the time of Stark's capture and the great
blow which Rogers struck at Indian power the settlers
of New England carried on a more or less persistent and
34 HISTORY OF VERMONT
systematic warfare against the Indians. The government
of Massachusetts offered a reward for every Indian killed
or captured ; and ranging parties scoured the woods
between the Connecticut and Hudson rivers, and as far
north as Black River.
Companies of thirty or more men would take their
course through the woods, marching either in divisions
or by one common route through thickly wooded up-
lands, over jagged hills and steep mountains, across
foaming rivers or beside gi-avel-bedded brooks. They
adopted the Indian mode of warfare and beat the Indi-
ans at it. Nerve, capacity for endurance, courage, and
unfailing marksmanship were trained in those days of
forest ranging. What better stuff for peopling this
state, for battling with the forests, and for building up
the homes, could there be than the men who had thus
wrenched it from the savagery of border wars and gained
their schooling at the hands of Nature ?
Spying out the Land
From such accounts as Rogers left and from the pages
of Colonel Kellogg's journal we can see one thing very
clearly. If men were not settling in the wilderness, they
were at least finding out a great deal about it, so that
when days of peace and quiet should come men would
know where it was good to go and settle. The work of
the rangers was something like that of the spies whom
Moses sent to search the land of Canaan before the
children of Israel went into it.
Perhaps this is the best service of the scouting parties.
They did not harm the French much; they did not harm
THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS 35
the Indians much; they alarmed them; and they helped
a little in the work of carrying out the great English
policy : but the great fact is, they made known the land.
It would be a mistake to suppose that our colonists
settled this affair between England and France. It was
not fought out altogether in the New World; and what
the rangers did toward it in the Green Mountains we
can dismiss with few words. But we do need to think a
great deal about this work of theirs in finding what the
land truly was ; for behind every homestead that was
ever taken up and carved out of this wilderness there lay
a good and sufficient reason, and we cannot understand
the history of our state unless we think of these things.
Many of the names given in these records are the
same that we use to-day for the same streams and
places. You could follow many of the courses which
the rangers took, as the historian Parkman when a
college student tramped over the route of Rogers, from
Lake Memphremagog to the Connecticut River.
Think how much could be learned on those swift,
silent forest trips, — where the timber lay, and all the
different kinds which grew, maple, birch, beech, oak,
ash, cedar, spruce, hemlock, pines, and all the rest.
Very many pines there were in those days, and noble
ones too, so noble that the king of England said that
they must be marked and saved for masts and spars to
go in his royal navy. Then, too, from the tops of the
mountains, where parties lay whiling away the hours
watching for ''smoaks" of Indian camp fires, many
things besides smokes would be seen. You could not
help seeing them, watching so sharply in all directions
36 HISTORY OF VERMONT
for smokes, — the contour of the land, for instance ; the
courses of streams through the valleys ; and here and
there a bit of interval or stretch of beaver meadow,
where a settler could cut the first hay for his cattle to
last through the winter before his own land was cleared.
On those long journeys what woodcraft secrets would
the forest farer learn ! What little joys of discovery
would come to him every hour of the day ! He would
learn where the deer yarded on the mountain, or browsed
in the timber, or came down to the water in favorite
runways. He would find which slopes the moose loved
best. He would note the track of the bear and the
curious work of the beaver. He would learn how far up
the streams the salmon ran to their spawning beds ; he
would learn where the trout were always plentiful ; and
he would never forget where the water, choking up in
a narrow channel and leaping over the rocks, would let
a settler build the first mill to saw logs or grind grain.
When the corn that was planted at the fort had
ripened in the summer's sun, and the grass had turned
sere and brown on the marshes, and crimson and gold
leaves were carpeting the forest, then it was time to
think of the fall hunt. Then deer were fat and sleek
and venison was sweetest. Then the tongue and steak
of Bruin replenished the larder. The crackling fires
of winter must be provided for and many a sturdy oak,
maple, and birch laid low for the blaze of the great
fireplace. When of an evening the men recounted
their tales around the hearth, what wonder that the
passion of the wilderness grew upon them ! What
wonder that when peace came and they were free at
THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS 37
last from their enemy, the voices of the forest called
them back to claim as their own the wilderness from
which they had driven their foe ! It was theirs now,
this wilderness teeming with game, these lands where
the Indian had hunted, these streams where he had
fished. It was the white man's now, to enter in and
possess.
CHAPTER III
THE WIDENING TRAIL
Ryegate, Feb. 7, 1774.
We have now built a house and live very comfortably though we
are not much troubled with our neighbors. . . . In the township above
us (Barnet) there are about fifteen families, and in the township below
(Newbury) about sixty. . . . There are some settlers sixty miles beyond
us on the river. There are no settlers to the west of us till you come
to Lake Champlain. There is a road now begun to be cut from Con-
necticut River to the lake, which goes through the middle of our pur-
chase, and is reasoned to be a considerable advantage to us, as it will
be the chief post road to Canada. . . . We have a grist mill within
six miles of us, and a saw-mill within two and a half. We know
nothing of the hardship of settling a new place, for the first settlers in
the town below, only ten years ago, had not a neighbor nearer than
sixty miles, and the nearest mill was one hundred and twenty miles
down the river. The people here are hospitable, social, and decent.
One thing I know, that here they are very strict in keeping the
Sabbath. — Extracts from a letter of General Whitelaw to his father
in Scotland
Roads in the Woods
The military operations during the latter part of the
French and Indian wars served another purpose than
that of a training school for settlers. They opened up
better roadways than the dim trails of the Indians or
the blazed paths of white men. Rude roads they would
seem to this age of graded highways, railroads, elec-
tric trolleys, and pneumatic tires ; even in old stage-
coach days, when wagon springs were rarer and leather
thorough-braces were a luxury, they would have seemed
poor ; but they were first steps, and we must not overlook
them or deem them of slight importance.
THE WIDEN I N(; TKAIl.
39
The course of the old Indian road was first made
public by the diary of a traveler who passed over it
from Fort Dummer to Lake Champlain in 1730. The
government of Massachusetts wanted to ascertain the
exact course of this Indian thoroughfare, and obtained
from James Cross the diary of his journal for this pur-
pose. It runs as follows :
Monday, ye 27th. April, 1730, at about twelve of ye clock
we left Fort Dummer, and travailed that day three miles, and
lay down that night by West River, which is three miles distant
from Fort Dummer. Notabene. I travailed with twelve Canady
Mohawks that drank to great excess at ye fort and killed a Scata-
cook Indian in their drunken condition, that came to smoke with
them.
Tuesday. We travailed upon the great River ^ about ten miles.
Wednesday. We kept up ye same course upon ye great River,
travailed about ten miles, and eat a drowned Buck that night.
Thursday. We travailed upon the great River within two
miles of ye Great Falls ^ in said River, then we went upon Land
to the Black River above ye Great Falls, went up in that River
and lodged about a mile and a half from the mouth of Black
River, which day's travail we judged was about ten miles.
Fryday. We cross Black River at ye Falls,^ afterwards trav-
ail through ye woods N.N.W., then cross Black River again about
1 7 miles above our first crossing, afterwards travailed ye same
course, and pitched our tent upon ye homeward side of Black River.
Saturday. We crossed Black River, left a great mountain on
ye right hand and another on ye left.^ Keep a N.W. course till
we pitch our tent after 1 1 miles travail by a Brook which we called
a branch of Black River.
Sabbath Day. . . . We travail to Black River. At three
islands, between which and a large pound we past ye River, enter
1 Connecticut River. ^ Center Village in town of Springfield.
2 IJellows Falls. * In the township of Ludlow.
40 HISTORY OF VERMONT
a mountain that afforded us a prospect of ye place of Fort Dum-
mer. Soon after we enter a descending country, and travail till we
arrive at Arthur Creek ^ in a descending land. In this day's trav-
ail which is 21 miles, we came upon seven Brooks which run a
S.W. course at ye north end of ye said Mountain. From Black
River to Arthur Creek we judge is 25 miles.
Monday. Made Canoes.
Tuesday. Hindered travailing by rain.
Wednesday. We go in our Canoes upon Arthur Creek, till
we meet two great falls in said River.^ Said River is very Black
and deep and surrounded with good land to ye extremity of our
prospect. This day's travail 35 miles,
Thursday. We sail 40 miles in Arthur Creek. We meet with
great Falls,^ and a little below them we meet with two other great
Falls,^ and about 10 miles below ye said Falls we meet two other
pretty large Falls.^ We carryd our Canoes by these Falls and
come to ye Lake." ^
Eighteen years later Captain Eleazer Melvin with
eighteen men in his command set out on a mihtary
expedition from Fort Dummer through the wilderness
toward Crown Point. He followed much the same
route that Cross had taken, and he too left a journal
of the road. We can locate the places which he de-
scribes, in the same way that we have located those of
the earlier narrative.
They started from Fort Dummer May 13, 1748, went
1 Otter Creek. 2 Probably in the town of Rutland.
3 Middlebury Falls. ^ Weybridge. ^ Vergennes.
6 This is the diary of James Cross (or Coss) of his journey from
Fort Dummer to Lake Champlain, made in April and May, 1730. I
am indebted to B. H. Hall, History of Eastern Vermont, I, 21-23, for it,
never having seen it elsewhere in print. It is probable that Hall took
it from the original manuscript in the office of the Secretary of State,
Massachusetts, A xxxviii, 126, 127. — E. D. C.
Vermont at the Close of the French and Indian Wars
THE WIDENING TRAIL 41
up the Connecticut to Number Four, then followed the
Black River. On the 19th they crossed several large
streams that were branches of the Otter Creek. They
saw many signs of the enemy, both new and old, such
as camps and girdled trees. On the 20th they marched
over Otter Creek and around Sutherland Falls. Far-
ther on they found several camps of the previous winter
and beaten paths made by the enemy. On the 24th
they came upon a camp fenced in with a very thick
fence, and found there a keg of about four gallons'
capacity which had been recently emptied of wine, as
the smell indicated, and about tw^elve pounds of good
French bread. They reached Champlain on the 28th,
had a skirmish with a party of Indians, and began a
retreat, pursued by about one hundred and fifty of the
enemy. They came to Otter Creek in the town of
Pittsford, about a mile below Sutherland Falls, marched
to Center Rutland and camped. Before reaching Fort
Dummer they had another skirmish and the party was
scattered, four men killed, one wounded, and one taken
prisoner.
The campaigns after 1755 confined active hostilities
to Lake Champlain and Lake George, and in 1759 an
especially good opportunity came to begin the work of
widening out the paths to accommodate more than trav-
elers by foot. General Amherst had with him at Crown
Point before that year closed a large number of men
from the New England provinces.
At the beginning of the year the New Hampshire
and Massachusetts troops had gone to Ticonderoga
by way of Albany and Lake George. You can see by
42
HISTORY OF VERMONT
looking on a map that this route might have been
shortened if they had been sure of an easy road across
the southern part of what is now Vermont. But they
were not sure of it. Some Massachusetts soldiers who
tried to take a short cut home, after their service was
over, got lost and had to camp in territory that they
had never seen before. We shall hear more about it
later, but it is worthy of mention here because it shows
what a fine thing a road would have been.
Early in 1756 the government of Massachusetts voted
to survey a road from Number Four through the woods
to Crown Point, on the New York side of Lake Cham-
plain. This road was designed to follow the course of
the Otter Creek, after it had crossed the mountains and
reached a point on that stream. The instructions which
were given for making the survey show that it would be
a good thing for persons who intended to settle in its
vicinity. Those who made the survey were to observe
" the true course of said creek, its depth of water, what
falls there are in it, and also the nature of the soil on
each side thereof, and what growth of woods is near it."
These are the very things which intending settlers would
wish to know.
This road was surveyed and actually cut through in
1759 ; ^i^d our friend John Stark, whom we left in cap-
tivity among the Indians in Canada, is again heard of,
working on this road with two hundred rangers from
New Hampshire. One could go on this road from the
Connecticut River to the foot of the mountains with
wagons and thence with pack horses to Rutland. Now
we have seen that this road followed the course of
THE WIDENING TRAIL
43
a famous old Indian trail, and have taken some pains
to trace the growing familiarity of white men with it
because it illustrates the method of the early settlers
in coming into the state. Such routes were the most
kM
te".
l^il,4
R^j^^S
■^Si^
«>'^ ^
^
^
''^'c'
^^Pi-iil^J^'' ^
b^--
The Old Military Road near Clarendon
available and easiest of access, and their nearness to
streams gave the settlers that direct assistance of nature
which was a prime requisite for their progress, water
power for the first mills.
As soon as enough settlements had been made to
form town and county organizations, we find that acts
w^ere passed to provide for the opening up of roads so
that the different towns could communicate wnth each
other more easily. In 1766 an act was passed *'for
laying out, regulating, and keeping in repair, common
and public highways." This was in Cumberland County,
which you will not find on the map, because it was long
44 HISTORY OF VERMONT
ago divided, most of it going to form Windham and
Windsor counties. But such an act meant a good deal
for the people of Cumberland County then. We find by
this act that each town was to have three commissioners
for laying out roads, and that the inhabitants of each town
were to work on their roads six days in the year. The
roads were to be not less than two and not over four rods
wide. So we catch a glimpse of the way in which the first
towns set about making their highways, and also learn how
the old custom of ''working out your highway tax" arose.
While on this subject of early road building we may
as well take notice of another road which, although built
some twenty years later, served exactly the same pur-
pose in the northern part of the state as this road
from Crown Point to Number Four did in the southern.
That was the so-called Hazen road, built in the time
of the American Revolution, It was not begun by Gen-
eral Hazen at all, although it was afterward named for
him, but by a General Bailey, who was at Newbury in the
spring of 1776 and who was ordered to open a road from
the mouth of the Wells River to St. John's, Canada. It
was designed for military purposes ; but as the American
troops found it necessary to leave Canada with all con-
venient speed in that same year, the road was destined
to serve the ends of peace, which after all are better
than those of war.
So the road was stopped for the time being at
Peacham. It was there that General Hazen took up
the work three years later. He carried it on through
Cabot, Walden, Hardwick, Greensboro, Craftsbury, and
Albany, to Lowell, where he left it at a jagged cleft
THE WIDENING TRAIL 45
in the soapstone rocks which goes to this day by the
name of Hazen's Notch. Blockhouses were built along
the way and doubtless served many a traveler as shelter
for the night. When settlers began to come in greater
numbers, after the Revolution, branches from the main
road were built to various towns, such as those to Dan-
ville and St. Johnsbury. In 1794 and 1795 a road was
built from the Hazen road in Greensboro through Glover,
Barton, Brownington, and Salem to Derby. Sometimes
it seems that people will do more for the sake of war than
they will for the sake of peace; but in the matter of road
building we cannot complain. There are few military
measures which are productive of such direct and perma-
nent benefits. This road, which did not amount to any-
thing for the war, was worth a great deal to the incoming
settlers and to the state in serving the ends of peace.
It was during the war, also, that the first road was
opened from Mount Independence on Lake Champlain
through Hubbardton to Center Rutland. A road was
also made from Clarendon through Rutland to Pittsford ;
and one of the most important highw^ays in the state for
years was the road built from Rutland through Castleton
and Fairhaven to Whitehall.
We must remember also the great service of those
water courses and larger streams which offered smooth
passage to canoe or laden boat. The Connecticut was
such a stream on the eastern side of the state ; it served
the settlers now as unresistingly as it had the genera-
tions of red men in the past. On the western side of
the mountains there were the great tributaries of Cham-
plain enticing people into the heart of the country.
46 HISTORY OF VERMONT
Having taken notice of some of the ways of entering
the wilderness, let us now turn to the people who came
and see what their work was.
First Settlements
The results of the French and Indian War from 1 744
to 1749 had been the driving of the English from every
fort and settlement in what is now our state, with the
single exception of Fort Dummer. The result of the war
from 1755 to 1760 was the driving of the French from
every fort and settlement of theirs within the Champlain
Valley. While we cannot expect to find permanent set-
tlements within the state previous to 1749, we may be
prepared to find a rapid inflow of settlers after 1 760. In
fact, at that date a few settlements had been made
between the Massachusetts line and Bellows Falls,
scattered along the west bank of the Connecticut.
When we compare this real beginning of the history
of our state with that of the states just south of us, we
realize with startling vividness how young we really are.
Massachusetts was as old when the battle of Bennington
was fought as our state is to-day. That is, in lapse of
time Massachusetts and Connecticut had longer histories
previous to that event than Vermont has had since. The
founding of the first permanent settlement within the
state stands almost exactly halfway between the landing
of the Pilgrims and the present day.
As we begin to watch the progress of the settlement
of the state we shall find that our attention will be
drawn west of the mountains and that our interest will
fasten with a peculiar fascination on one particular place.
THE WIDENING TRAIL 4/
Bennington is the pivotal point in Vermont's history.
Her record has the charm of romance. Her site was
discovered by accident ; her settlement was the first
one made west of the Green Mountains ; hers was the
first grant of Governor Benning Wentworth in the New
Hampshire Grants ; she was the first chartered town in
the state ; she was the center of excitement in the dis-
pute with New York ; her old Catamount Tavern was
the rendezvous of the Green Mountain Boys ; her name
marks a memorable battle.
A Massachusetts captain returning from service in the
French and Indian wars thought to shorten his route
home by taking a more direct course than that by way
of Albany. His route for this purpose should have
been from Lake George up the Hoosic River as far
as Williamstown, Massachusetts, and thence across the
mountains to his home. But he mistook one of the
branches of the river for the main stream, and did not
discover the mistake until he had gone well up toward
the mountain without having passed the Hoosic forts.
He then correctly reasoned that he was in the Wal-
loomsac Valley instead of the Hoosic. So he camped
for the night. The next morning he turned southward
toward Williamstown and made his way safely home.
But the sight he had seen pleased his eyes, and he was
not content till he had purchased rights in the township
and had interested friends and acquaintances to join him
in emigrating to this new land.
The grant of the town had been made as early as
1749, but the proprietors, like many other grantees, did
not settle on their land themselves, but sold out their
48 HISTORY OF VERMONT
rights and interests to others who wished to move in as
actual settlers. Bounties were offered for the building
of the first gristmill and the first sawmill, those ''mod-
ern conveniences" of early settlers. The settlement
began in 1 761, in early summer, when a party of twenty-
two emigrants, numbering among them women and chil-
dren, came on horseback over the mountains, passed the
Hoosic forts, and arrived in the promised land on the
1 8th of June.
The first year was like that of many another settle-
ment, a year of privation and hardship. But more
settlers followed, coming up from Massachusetts and
Connecticut, built houses, barns, and mills, worked the
roads, and estabhshed schools, until in 1765 Bennington,
thus named for the governor of New Hampshire who
made the grant, was a thriving little town. A beginning
had been successfully made, life in the wilderness was
safe, apparently, from any human foe, hopes were high,
and the tide of emigration set strongly in this direction.
This much for the settlement of the town ; we shall
hear more of it presently in other ways.
If we turn back once more to the days when Lord
Amherst occupied Crown Point, we shall find that one
of his Connecticut soldiers, Benjamin Kellogg by name,
was in the habit of coming frequently to the Vermont
side of the lake, to the salt licks at Panton, to shoot deer.
It is said that he supplied venison to the officers of the
garrison at the fortress. However this may have been,
after the army was disbanded in 1760, and the provincials
returned home, this man continued to come for his annual
fall hunt at the salt licks. Then returning home he would
THE WIDENING TRAIL
49
tell his neighbors of the place where he hunted deer
and what chances there were here and there for settlers
to pitch. Finally, in the fall of 1765, there came with
him one John Strong seeking a place for a home in the
wilderness.
Three settlers in the previous spring had also come to
begin a clearing about three miles north of Chimney
Point, where the little stone fort had been. These men
were working there when Kellogg and Strong came into
the country ; so the latter made them a neighborly call,
looked over the little clearing which represented their
summer's work, helped them sow their wheat, and then
took a look at the country to the eastward. They finally
returned to the lake, and Strong decided to build there.
He chose the location of an old French house as the
site of his dwelling, and thus saved himself the trouble
of digging a cellar and building a chimney. The three
settlers requited his assistance to them by helping him
put up the cabin.
In such ways the land became known and attracted
the more adventurous spirits in the older colonies, until
one by one or in little groups they had scattered over
the state as far north as the Cohasse intervals, where
the Indians had planted corn while their captives starved
in the days of the French and Indian War.
It was not strange that the Cohasse intervals, or
Coos meadows, as they were sometimes called, should
attract settlers. They lay accessible on the well-known
waters of the Connecticut ; they had long been known
to captives, and rangers had more than once passed
through them ; they had been used for years, perhaps
50 HISTORY OF VERMONT
for generations, by the Indians as maize fields ; and the
broad meadows, ah'eady cleared and covered with a rank
growth of wild grass, were a standing invitation to the
settlers who should first deem it safe to move in after
the Indians had moved out. The broad river offered a
highway thither, and as early as 1762 a few families
ventured up the river and settled on opposite banks.
The nearest neighbors were at Charlestown, skty miles
south. Thence the newcomers brought supplies by boat
in summer, on the ice in winter. The settlement grew,
and by the year 1 765 Newbury was a well-organized town.
The neighbors southward had so multiplied that there
was scarcely a town on the west bank of the river that did
not have a little group of pioneers. Benning Wentworth
had been busy.
We might go on narrating the stories of the settling
of other townis here and there. Bellows Falls, Windsor,
Manchester, Guildhall, Middlebury, Vergennes, Rutland,
Burlington, St. Albans, — all settled before the war of
the Revolution. By the year 1765 Governor Went-
worth had made grants of no less than one hundred and
thirty-eight townships. The course of settlement was
not as it is now, when cities spring from the plain in a
day, and railroads carry westward between sunrise and
sunset people enough to populate our state. Men were
few in the colonies ; capital was scarce ; and people did
not rush then as they rush now. But the traveler along
the widening trail would see with growing frequency the
rising smoke from the solitary cabin of some newcomer,
would hear the sound of the plumping-mill at the time
of morning, noon, or evening meal, and would catch the
THE WIDENING TRAIL 51
sound of the ax as it struck at the heart of the timber
along the gentler slopes of the hills or in the valleys
which nestled high up among the mountains.
Life in the Wilderness
If the traveler, although a stranger, had entered one of
those cabins, he would have been welcomed with a hospi-
tality which the present generation reserves for its partic-
ular friends. There was a purer democracy, a greater
community of interests, and a nearer approach to equality
among men than this state or this country will ever see
again. When the population of a town consisted of one
individual, as was sometimes the case, it enjoyed com-
parative freedom from the dangers of plutocracy, from
the antagonism of the classes and the masses, and from
the menace of organized labor. When every guest bore
in himself the possibility of becoming a distinct addition
to the social and laboring force of the community, and
when if he were only a passer-by he was like a touch
from the outside world, there were too potent reasons for
entertaining him to allow of his being lightly dismissed.
There were a great many personal questions to be
asked and answered, if there were no great public ques-
tions to be discussed ; and it is safe to say that few
travelers ran the gauntlet of such inquisition without giv-
ing some account of themselves more or less truthful.
It must have been in those days that the far-famed and
long-lived Yankee inquisitiveness was born. As for
public questions, there were plenty of them. From the
beginning of the dispute over the New Hampshire
Grants to the close of the War of 18 12 there were few
52
HISTORY OF VERMONT
days when the people of the state did not have before
them pubhc questions as vital to the integrity of Ver-
mont and as insistent upon imme-
diate solution as any they have
ever known. This period of time
would cover the events of the
Revolution, which brought Bur-
goyne into such unpleasant prox-
imity, the period in which our
state was maintaining herself as
an independent republic, the em-
bargo times, and the War of i8 12
— certainly enough for one gen-
eration of men.
Another habit than inquisitive-
ness was then born of necessity
among the farmers of our state,
— and practically every man was
then a farmer, — and that was the habit of incessant
labor from dawn to dark. Alonsr with the habit was
cultivated the capacity for it. When every man must
provide for himself and his family everything from
the building in which they dwelt to the food with
which they fed their bodies and the clothes which they
put upon their backs, there was little room for idleness
and small place for a man whose hand knew no cunning
or did not possess a diversified and manifold skill. The
home of the early settler in Vermont was as nearly self-
sufficing as the necessities of an isolated situation and
his own fertile inventiveness could make it. That is,
it produced what it consumed to a remarkable degree.
Old Wooden Churn
THE WIDENING
RAIL
S3
It is safe to say that in this respect it was nearer
the manor of mediaeval times than Hkc the farm hfe
of to-day.
Modern industrial organization has reached modern
farm life in all its phases and made it dependent in a
thousand different ways. Take away transportation, take
away markets, take away every machine-made thing, and
you would throw us a long way back toward feudal times.
In clothing, in food, in shelter, in household goods, in
farming tools, nothing was then bought that could be
made. Little money was seen, little was needed ; for
clothing was made at home ; the forest and the pigpen
furnished meat ; tolls were taken at the mills for grind-
ing grain; taxes were worked out or paid "in kind."
Vermont taxes were light anyway. If a farmer raised
more grain than he needed for his own use, he could
exchange it for labor, which was more serviceable to him
than cash.
Let us look a little
more closely at the
principal features of
this life. The con-
ditions here por-
trayed are truly typ-
ical, though they
would not all be
present in every
community, and pos-
sibly not all in any single settlement.
We have already noticed one instance of settlers
going into the wilderness, clearing land for their first
W I X N ( ) W" I .\ t i 1 > A S K ET
54
HISTORY OF VERMONT
crops, sowing wheat, building a cabin, and thus laying in
various ways the foundations of their new home before
they took their families there to live. The hardships of
frontier life were lightened greatly when this could be
done ; for a single favorable season might suffice to rear
a little one-room cabin of logs, and secure grain enough
from the mellow soil of the clearing to keep the house-
hold alive while the next
year's crops were growing.
Then, if the settler could
take with him on his second
trip, in the following spring,
a cow, a pig, and some poul-
try, he would make the con-
ditions of life quite tolerable
for his wife and children
from the start.
There were plenty, how-
ever, who began life under
no such favorable circum-
stances. Men and women
went bravely into the forest
with little but stout hearts,
strong bodies, an ax and a
gun. Their first necessity
was a rude shelter ; following that the clearing of a plot
for the planting of Indian corn and a few vegetables
like turnips, parsnips, potatoes, and possibly pumpkins.
Meantime game from the forest, fish from the stream,
or provisions brought on strong shoulders from the
nearest settlement supplied the forest bill of fare.
Warming Pans
THE WIDENING TRAIL
55
When the nearest settlement was twenty miles away,
"toting" provisions was no small task.
If there were no mill in the neighboring settlement,
a homemade plumping-mill or samp mortar did service
three times a day in pounding out corn for an unvaried
diet. These mills were
crude affairs, only a step
in advance of the stone
pestle and mortar of the
aborigines. They were
made by burning out a
hollow in the end of a
stump, then attaching
a weight or plunger to
a near-by sapling w^hich
would serve as a spring
pole and in the hands of
the operator act as a pestle
to pound out the grain.
The sound of the mill
could be heard a long dis-
tance through the woods
or clearings and served to
notify the traveler of his
approach to some back-
woods home, or to call the workers in the distant clearing
to their simple meals. If reports are true, these mills were
turned by inventive housewives into tongues of gossip
when homes were too widely separated for a daily visit.
If a gristmill were near, the sound of the plumping-mill
was no longer heard in the land, but for a consideration
Birch Splint Brooms
56 HISTORY OF VERMONT
of two and one half quarts to the bushel the " puddmg-
mill" furnished a more expeditious and less laborious
means of pulverization. If by good fortune the settler
was the possessor of a cow, pudding and milk then
furnished him a stable article of diet.
By the second harvest a greater variety would break
the monotony of his fare. Occasional wheat cakes
would appear, to be eaten with maple sugar made from
the trees of the near-by woods. Sugar making under
such primitive conditions resembled the crude Indian
methods more than our present-day process with its
improved buckets, spouts, holders, carriers, evaporators
and all, to say nothing of the trim little sugar-houses,
which then would have seemed like palaces to dwell in.
Sugar making was conducted in the open, or by the
side of the rough lean-to, wdth great open kettles or pots
for the boiling; while the sap dripped from great gashes
in the trees through homemade spouts of sumach or
basswood into rough-hewn troughs.
It is said that the Indians used to make large troughs
of pine trees, large enough to hold a thousand gallons of
sap, and that the Indian women boiled this sap down
by heating large stones in great fires and plunging them
into the liquid mass until it had reached the desired
consistency. A writer who traveled through portions
of the state previous to the last century said that the
sugar of the hard maple w^as of good grain and flavor,
''fully equal in quality to the best muscavado." What-
ever the quality, — and it probably varied as much then
as now, — it served in many homes as the sole sweeten-
ing for cooking from one year's end to the other, unless
THE WIDENING TRAIL
57
by some good luck a swarm of bees was discovered in
the woods, or lined from the wild flowers of the clear-
ing to their honeyed homes in some hollow tree.
The settlers planted fruit seeds on their first coming,
and a few years rewarded them with gooseberries and
currants, and presently with apples and plums. In
some parts of
the state grapes,
peaches, and
pears were also
raised in con-
siderable quanti-
ties. In conse-
quence of the
abundance of
apples, great
quantities of
cider were made
to save them —
and then drunk
to save the
cider ; while an
occasional dis-
tillery appeared
to accommodate
those who thought their mortal frames required the
stimulus of a more potent liquid. Homemade malt and
hop beer became popular drinks, and in time the demands
of politics and a growing civilization evolved rum and
molasses, punch, flip, and toddy. There was some water
drunk, of course, even then, and plenty more of it to be
An Old Well-Sweep
58 HISTORY OF VERMONT
had in the cold springs that came bubbUng up through
the sand and stones, clear and sparkling.
When a beaver meadow lay near the settler's pitch
his task of keeping cattle alive through the first winter
was much simplified. Here was hay that could be cut
and stacked without the labor of first clearing land. If
several settlers dwelt near the meadow, it was only fair
to hold it as common property. A good many interest-
ing little bits of communal organization may be found
in the histories of our first towns. The hay reeve and
the hog ward became as necessary as any town officers,
when cattle were plentier than fences. At such times
it became a convenient and economical expedient to have
one man assume authority over the several and indi-
vidual members of the herd. When cattle ran in one
common drove it sometimes became necessary as num-
bers multiplied to brand them or clip their ears with
some distinguishing mark to identify the animals of
different owners. Swine found pasturage in the woods,
where they could live on roots and nuts. At Swanton
a convenient disposal of them was made by taking them
over to an island in the lake, where they could roam at
will. Another reminder this of mediaeval times, when
the right of their hogs to run in the woods was made
one of the demands of the peasants.
As the building of a gristmill marked an epoch in
the life of the inner man, so the advent of the sawmill
marked a change in outward appearances. It provided
settlers with means of constructing more comfortable
and less picturesque habitations than those of rough
logs. The little one-room cabin with its great chimney
THE WIDENING TRAIL
59
and fireplace at the end, through which as much light
came as through the windows, could now be easily
divided by a board partition into two rooms ; perhaps it
could be supplied with a floor beneath, and a loft over-
head where the children could lie o' nights and watch the
stars through the cracks in the roof till the sleepy eyes
closed in slumber. Newcomers would build no longer
log cabins but frame houses, if they built within con-
venient distance of the mill. Public buildings of some
importance could now arise, and the more prosperous
farmers could indulge in the luxury of board fences.
Indoors, life
would go on much
the same as before.
When trees were
standing around
waitinc: to be cut
and the woodsman
needed his blows
for clearing land,
he did not stop to
chop the firewood
fine. F o u r - f o o t
lengths for the
fireplace were not extravagant, and the bigger the
backlog that could be placed upon the irons the bet-
ter. In days when matches were unknown and the
nearest neighbor from whom fire could be borrowed was
perhaps a mile away, it was a virtue if not a neces-
sity to keep fire always going. The evening's light
from the fireplace was eked out by the "taller dip" or
Candle Dips
6o
HISTORY OF VERMONT
pp^^ 1
-IP
\m
Old Candle Molds
candle, and candle-making time came to be a greasy
day as much reckoned on in the calendar of labor as
soap-making time or the fall slaughtering of the hogs.
Bear's grease, deer
suet, and moose fat
were all scrupulously
saved and tried into
tallow for candles ;
and some farmers
kept bees for the
wax as well as for
honey, for wax can-
dles were also used.
The fireplace was
the cooking stove of
many a backwoods housewife, and it served its purpose
well for many years, equipped with cranes and pots.
Later, when bricks were made, ovens became a necessity
instead of a luxury. Some women were enterprising
and skillful enough to anticipate the brick oven by
constructing of stones and clay ovens for themselves.
The women of those days deserve especial honor.
Wives and mothers they, who were helpmates and
workers always, in hardship and danger making the
home life sweet, diligent with hands and head, with
little time for thoughts of finery or any but the plain
and simple and necessary things of life. Not that they
lacked appreciation of fine things or that their period
of exile killed the feminine taste for fashion. Indeed
it did not ; it was transmitted to their daughters, to
blossom out in all its glory even to the third and fourth
THE WIDENING TRAIL
6i
— and nobody knows how many more — generations.
But those women in seedtime and harvest worked
beside their husbands in the fiekl, or in the absence
of the men guarded the pigpen, sheepfold, and poultry
house from the predatory bear, wolf, or fox. If their
husbands were clearing in the field, they could pile
brush ; in potato digging, flax pulling, husking, and
sugaring they lent helping hands. In addition to these
tasks they did work within the cabin which would con-
found a housewife of the present day. In their hands
rested in no small measure the training of the children ;
and in the life
of the neighbor-
hood, when doc-
tors were few
and far between,
they were the
ones who minis-
tered to every
ill that befell
humanity from
the cradle to
the grave. What
wonder that we
still bow down to
An Old-time Fireplace, Brick Oven, and
Utensils
the virtue of **old
wives' remedies."
It was a golden augury for the welfare of the state
that schools and churches were among the first thoughts
of the settlers after they had made the barest provision
for their own homes. It speaks no less eloquently for
62
HISTORY OF VERMONT
their efforts that the first schools were taught in corn
barns by the Hght of the open doorway and the rays
that came silting through the cracks between the boards,
or in the hay barns vacant in summer, or on the stoops
of log houses. Schools
were begun when the
means of their support
were but a few bushels
of corn or wheat voted by
the town. Salaries of
teachers were not high
then; they never have
been since. The story of
one backwoods pedagogue
is that when asked his
terms he replied, gazing
at the great mouth of the
fireplace which occupied
one end of the room, that
he guessed he could cut
the wood and teach the
school for the ashes he
could make. The meaning of the remark will presently
appear. Of course in winter school keeping on porches
and in barns was out of question, and some of the more
commodious private houses were called into requisition
if no regular schoolhouse existed.
The first schoolhouses could hardly compare with
ours, but they served well the purpose of their day.
They were oftentimes plain log structures, with a fire-
place at one end, a door at the other, and a window on
Goose Basket, used to hold
Goose Feathers and some-
times USED to hold Waste
Flax
THE WIDENING TRAIL 63
each side. Along the clay-chinked walls pegs were
driven, and on these rough boards were laid to serve
as desks. Some were more elaborately planned with a
nearer approach to individual desks.
The early histories of the towns throughout the state
reveal the high place in the life of the community which
was taken by the churches and their pastors. The
great number of preachers and religious denominations
testify to a wholesome regard for spiritual things, to
freedom of worship, independence of opinion, religious
toleration, and, so far as such a thing can exist, religious
equality.
As time went on a few new industries arose, based
on the bounties of Nature. An iron forge was built
here, a limekiln there ; asheries, brickyards, and black-
smith shops began to appear. The beginnings were
humble, but they were significant of far greater changes
to come, when business should divide into multifold
branches, and trades and crafts multiply almost beyond
the comprehension of man.
For the most part, men were still farmers, and the
greater portion of the state lay unreclaimed. So the
work of settlement went on, along the high lands first,
then creeping down little by little toward the river
bottoms. On the higher slopes grew the hard wood,
the stumps of which decayed quickly, covering the earth
with rich, mellow soil which would yield sure crops the
first year with no fertilizing. Lumber had but little
value, but ashes of hard wood were everywhere salable
for potash and pearlash, and yielded the settlers what
little ready money they had. A double purpose was
64
HISTORY OF VERMONT
thus served by clearing the hills first. Roads, too,
were easily made on the drier uplands ; while along
the river bottoms, wetter then than now, they would
have been impassable. So the old villages were perched
upon the hills, and the old stage roads, some of which
now are but bush-lined lanes, were put through them,
running from hilltop to hilltop, up hill and down dale,
in lines as straight as the crow takes in his flight.
Do not think that the life of those days was barren,
dull, or meaningless. There w^ere people who could
develop a states-
manship second to
none, win and main-
tain independence,
without the help of
railroad, highway,
or steamboat, with-
out newspaper,
telegraph, or tele-
phone. Their
strength and power
were bred in them, not acquired from outside. Such life
was the training school of character. The men who gave
their lives to toil knew how to make the toil a pleasure
by the cooperation of the neighborly hand, in changing
work, in raisings, logging bees, stone-pulling bees, husk-
ing bees, and many a homely frolic touched with service.
If salted bear's meat was sometimes a necessary substi-
tute for beef and pork, there was also the toothsome
haunch of venison that was as sure to come as the
autumn snows that gave the first sign for the fall hunt.
A Typical Uiaj-hml L<
Tavern
THE WIDENING TRAIL 65
The streams yielded trout in abundance, and many a
log cabin furnished fare that the sporting epicure of
to-day would have to go far to equal.
The settlers had their politics, too, although it was no
longer the French in Canada who disturbed their peace.
Have you never thought how remarkably short the time
was after the English government helped the colonists
drive the French out of Canada before the French gov-
ernment turned about and helped the colonists drive
the English government out of the colonies ? That
is, the war of the Revolution followed close upon the
conquest of Canada. The American colonies still had
their national politics. The settlers in the New Hamp-
shire Grants, as our state was then called, shared in the
national politics ; not only that, but they first had a
very exciting issue of their own in local politics, which
demands a separate chapter.
CHAPTER IV
THE DEBATABLE LAND
At a Court at St. James
the 24th. day of July, 1767
His Majesty, taking the said report 1 into consideration, was pleased,
with the advice of his private council, to approve thereof, and doth
hereby strictly charge, require and command, that the Governor or
Commander in Chief of his Majesty's Province of New York, for the
time being, do not, upon pain of his Majesty's highest displeasure, pre-
sume to make any grant whatsoever, of any part of the lands described
in the said report, until his Majesty's further pleasure shall be known,
concerning the same. — Otder of the King in Council
A Subject of Dispute : the New Hampshire
Grants
When the king of England appointed royal governors
in his American colonies he gave them certain powers,
such as the right to grant land which remained unsettled
within their jurisdiction. It is apparent that in exercis-
ing this right the governors were in every case acting
as officers or agents of the king, since it was under the
king's authority that they acted at all. It would further-
more appear that this right to make grants of land
would hold good for any portion of the province or
colony over which the governor was appointed.
It happened that in the year 1741 Benning Went-
worth had been appointed governor of New Hamp-
shire under the king. He was given this right of
1 Report of the Board of Trade on the disputed claims in the New
Hampshire Grants.
66
THE DEBATABLE LAND
67
making grants of land within his province. The western
boundary of the province had never been very definitely
described. The province simply ran westward till it
met His Majesty's other lands. Now since New Hamp-
shire came from territory which had previously been a
part of Massachusetts,
and Massachusetts was
supposed to extend
westward until it
reached a line twenty
miles east of the Hud-
son River, Governor
Went worth reasoned
that New Hampshire
would also extend west-
ward the same distance.
He accordingly began
to make grants of town-
ships west of the Con-
necticut Riv^er, the first
one thus granted being
the township of Ben-
nington, the settlement
of which has already
been described.
The governor of
New York, when informed that grants were thus being
made in this unsettled territory, raised objections on
the grounds that land west of the Connecticut really
belonged to the province of New York and therefore
was under his jurisdiction, and that he was the one to
Ben XING W e.ntwurth
68 HISTORY OF VERMONT
make grants if any were to be made. He based his
claim on the boundary of the province of New York and
on his commission and instructions.
We find, therefore, that two royal governors, acting
for the same king, were in a dispute over the right to
grant his territory. We can understand why it made
some difference to them ; because out of every town-
ship which Governor Wentworth granted he reserved
a good portion for himself, and for every grant which
Governor Clinton made he charged right good fees.
It was for the interest of each to possess this right
to make the grants, but we cannot understand why it
should make any real difference with the validity of a
settler's title whether it came through Clinton or Went-
worth. They were both agents of the same authority ;
the grants made by either came really from the king,
and a grant from the king of his own lands ought to
have been good, no matter through whose hands it
came.
Of course this question whether Governor Clinton
or Governor Wentworth was correct in the matter was
a question for the king to decide. The matter was
referred to him for that purpose ; the case was inves-
tigated by the proper officers ; they reported it to be
their opinion that the Connecticut River was the bound-
ary between the two provinces. An Order in Council
was accordingly issued declaring the Connecticut River
to be the boundary between the provinces of New
York and New Hampshire. This of course brought
the grants which Governor Wentworth had made into
the territory of New York,
Early Map of New Hampshire, including the Territory from
WHICH Governor Wentworth made the
New Hampshire Grants
70 HISTORY OF VERMONT
But this was in 1 764, a number of years after Governor
Wentworth commenced to make grants. During the
dispute he continued to make a few grants ; after 1760
he made them with a dihgence that was truly remarkable.
You will remember that settlers in increasing num-
bers began to pour into the state in that year. The
land which these settlers took had been granted in this
way by the governor of New Hampshire. The coun-
try became known in consequence of this as the New
Hampshire Grants.
When the order of the king reached New York the
lieutenant governor published a proclamation announcing
the fact and telling the settlers on the grants to govern
themselves accordingly. Although the Order in Council
and the proclamation came as something of a surprise to
people w^ho received their titles from New Hampshire
and had become accustomed to regard that state as their
parent and superior, the documents did not cause alarm.
The settlers did not anticipate with pleasure the change
in authority which the order involved, but they felt
inclined to accept it without making trouble, for to them
it appeared to be simply a change in jurisdiction which
did not affect the validity of their titles.
It could hardly be expected that the settlers on the
New Hampshire Grants would like the jurisdiction of
New York as w^ell as that of New Hampshire. These
settlers were mostly New England men, and New Eng-
land people had their own ways of doing things, which
differed from the New York methods. For example, the
New York lands had been granted in old Dutch times,
before the English took possession, and were held under
THE DEBATABLE LAND 71
what was known as the patroon system. This gave large
tracts to a few men instead of small farms to a great many
men. One man might possess thousands of acres ; but
the men who worked on this land would be nothing but
tenants of his, instead of independent owners of farms of
their own. It was quite different from the New England
miethod. However, so far as tenure of their farms was
concerned, the settlers on the New Hampshire Grants did
not anticipate trouble, for they already owned them.
In the matter of government, too, the settlers could not
expect much voice, for in administering affairs the New
York way was not at all like their own. In New York
the government was more aristocratic, and we have seen
that the settlers were very democratic. In New York
even the local officers were appointed either directly or
indirectly by the central authority. The settlers had
become accustomed to appointing for themselves what-
ever local officers they needed. Their town meetings
had come to be a sort of foundation of government, a
political nursery and training school. The two systems
were essentially different, and the settlers would have to
accustom themselves to the change ; but after all they
were under the same king, and a mere transfer of juris-
diction was not worth revolting against, if that were all.
But a mere change of jurisdiction was not all, as
presently appeared. First, rumors began to float about
that the governor of New York was taking the king's
order not only to establish future jurisdiction over the
grants, but to annul present titles. He was going to
make the Order in Council retroactive in its effects.
This meant that the settlers must abandon their homes
7^
HISTORY OF VERMONT
— the homes which they had bought, cleared, and paid
for — or pay for them again in fees and exorbitant charges
to the New York officials. A very different matter this
from submitting to a mere change in jurisdiction.
Presently, in confirmation of the rumors, men began
to appear from New York, bringing surveyors with them ;
and in the summer and fall of 1765 they busied them-
selves by running lines, setting up stakes in the fields,
and marking trees in the woods. They were preparing
to claim lands under New York patents. The settlers
became alarmed for the security of their property and
sought redress. But redress was hard to get. They were
under the jurisdiction of the power which was robbing
them. It was hopeless to appeal to the party that was
taking away their rights, yet they did appeal. They did
all they could decently and in good form, — appointed
agents to represent their case, sent to New York asking
the governor's protection since they were under his
authority, sought legal redress. But it was of no avail.
City speculators had already bought up grants of their
best lands, and for the remainder, if they chose to retain
them, fees were demanded which were said to be as much
as the land itself was worth. In other words, they must
pay for the labor which they had themselves expended on
their own estates.
It is apparent that, although this controversy actually
began in one town, the issue was really not a local issue
at all. If the settlers were beaten in one town, the same
thing would happen in every town of the New Hampshire
Grants. The cause was a general one, and the settlers
had the sagacity to see that organized and concerted
THE DEBATABLE LAND 73
action was necessary. We shall presently study the form
which that action took.
That they were right in assuming that change of juris-
diction was all that the king's Order in Council contem-
plated was shown conclusively in 1767. The king had
been informed of the trouble which the action of the
governor of New York was making in the grants; and in
order to settle that controversy and forestall any further
conflicts he issued in 1767 a second Order in Council on
the subject of dispute. It positively forbade the gov-
ernor of New York to make any further grants of dis-
puted territory. This showed that the settlers' titles
were valid, and that the Order in Council of 1764 was
not intended to give the governor of New York any
authority to grant over again to some one else lands
which had been granted once by the governor of New
Hampshire to purchasers in good faith.
But the governors of New York had been emulating
the example of Benning Wentworth and had already
made enough grants of just this kind to give the settlers
a lively fight to retain their homes. Not only this, but
the king's second order was treated as a nullity and
grants were made continuously by the governor of New
York and his successors with one exception to the days
of the American Revolution .^
The Green Mountain Boys
The people of the New Hampshire Grants had been
living plain, simple lives, without getting into quarrels
and without making much noise in the world. They had
iSee Appendix, Part III, Table A, for the amount of the grants
and the fees.
74
HISTORY OF VERMONT
little money, slight legal counsel, no influence. They
were under the necessity of conducting their own defense.
They did it ; and if ever an inherent Anglo-Saxon sense of
BATH
O
As
k
Ik
HANOy£ft (^
SHtRE
f^ ALBANY
Vermont divided into four Counties under the
Jurisdiction of New York
constitutional procedure was shown, it was when they sub-
mitted their cause to be tried at Albany, in the regular
way, in the courts of the power that was overriding them,
THE DEBATABLE LAND
75
after that power had shown indubitable signs of what
its pohcy would be, by sending home their agents from
New York with answers that showed the hopelessness
of further appeal.
As the contest went on it looked as though the New
York authorities regarded it as one of the instances in
which might makes right. The attorney general plainly
intimated this. Ethan Allen responded in scriptural
phrase that "the gods of the valleys are not the gods
of the hills." On being questioned by the official as
to the interpretation thereof, Allen replied that if he
would come to Bennington the meaning would be made
plain to him. It was made plain, and at Bennington,
although the attorney general was not there.
When the test cases were called at Albany the court
refused to allow the charters of the town and the deeds
of the settlers to be presented as evidence. There could
be, therefore, no defense. The settlers were stripped
of legal recourse, and verdicts were rendered for the
New York grantees. The result of these ejectment suits
at Albany in June, 1770, conclusively demonstrated one
thing : there was no means of legal redress, and further
appeal to New York was useless. It was well for the
settlers that the decision was not equivocal. No pos-
sible doubt could be left in their minds now as to what
they must do.
Since the New York claimants, supported by the
decision of the courts, would surely attempt to eject
the settlers, it remained for the latter to provide means
to retain their homes and defend them. The conditions
under which the settlers were placed were such as they
76 HISTORY OF VERMONT
had never before been called on to face. There was
nothing, therefore, in their experience to provide for
such an emergency, nothing in their town govern-
ments to handle such cases as those now in hand, no
organization existing which could act for them.
It might be a very simple matter to repel the sheriff
who came to serve the writs of ejectment upon the
settlers whose titles had been condemned in the New
York courts ; it would be a far different matter to deal
with the full force of royal authority in the province
which stood behind this officer, if that should be called
into requisition. It was with a full understanding of the
remoter consequences which their action involved that
the settlers prepared for defense.
The issue came first to the town of Bennington when
the defendants in the ejectment suits came back from
Albany beaten in the courts. The town of Bennington
met the issue by calling a meeting to determine the
sentiments of the inhabitants and voting to take the
defendants under the protection of the town. It was
no non-committal step ; but really the town could do no
less, for the result of this issue would determine the
strength of New York laws and the fate of the settlers
in the grants. The action of the town, therefore, was
not merely heroic or self-sacrificing ; it was necessary
to self-preservation. Everything was at stake. If these
writs were executed, it would be the turn of some one
else next, and so on to the end. The time to face the
issue was at the start.
The sheriff was not able to execute the writs without
assistance. Gathering a large posse, he approached the
THE DEBATABLE LAND 'JJ
farm of one of the defendants, Breakenridge by name.
But warning of his project had spread, and when he
arrived the settlers were prepared to receive him. The
sheriff was no coward, but circumstances were unfavor-
able for the performance of his duty. The settlers
had posted a hundred well-armed men in the woods
which ran along the ridge of the slope where the farm-
house stood ; across the tilled field to the southeast, but
within gunshot, was a smaller force ; the house itself
was barricaded and garrisoned.
The settlers met sheriff Ten Eyck with the warning
that they should hold their own at all costs, and when
he seized an ax and threatened to smash in the door,
he found the points of too many muskets leveled at him
to make it a prudent undertaking. These men rarely
missed their aim. He retired with discretion, and not
a shot was fired on either side. The posse dispersed, as
one writer says, '' with commendable speed to their own
homes," and the gods of the hills were left in peaceful
possession of their own.
While this was a bloodless victory, its importance
should not be underestimated. It turned the tide of
events in favor of the settlers and against the New
York claimants at just the critical moment, and by so
doing it gave the defenders of the grants a premonition
of the success which was to be theirs in spite of the
adverse rulings of the Albany court, if they only stood
stanchly together. It also showed their opponents the
temper of these people, and that it would be no small
power that could dispossess them of their homes. Fur-
thermore, it made the town of Bennington the leader
78
HISTORY OF VERMONT
and the headquarters of the opposition to New York
claimants.
But the issue was not settled. Defense could not stop
where it had begun. It yet remained to establish a more
systematic and definite form of resistance through the
western townships. Town meetings and conferences were
held, and the organization of military companies began
under an association which took its name from a threat
The Old Catamount Tavern
which the governor of New York had made to drive the
opponents of his authority into the green mountains, —
the name of the Green Mountain Boys.
In this controversy there appears for the first time in
the public affairs of the state the figure of Ethan Allen.
He came from Connecticut to Bennington in the time of
the land-grant dispute as a proprietor under the New
Hampshire charters. He was sturdy, self-reliant, and
possessed of those commanding qualities which go to
THE DEBATABLE LAND
79
make natural leaders in such epochs. He threw him-
self whole-heartedly into the struggle, helped the defend-
ants prepare their cases for trial with as much skill as a
trained lawyer, became a leader of the Green Mountain
Boys when it was necessary to bid defiance to the pro-
cess of the courts, and was a dominant figure in their
councils held at the
old Catamount
Tavern of Landlord
Stephen Fay.
The sign of this
green mountain hos-
telry was the stuffed
skin of a catamount,
reared aloft on a
pole, facing with
grinning teeth the
New York border.
In this tavern the
leaders of the Green
Mountain Boys ma-
tured their plans, and
in later days, during
the troublous times
of the Revolution, the Council of Safety met and pon-
dered around the old fireplace across whose top were
cut in rude letters the words Cousil Room.
Monument marking the Site of the
Catamount Tavern
Beginnings of Statecraft
It is an interesting story and well worth looking into,
this story of how the settlers on the New Hampshire
8o
HISTORY OF VERMONT
Grants maintained their own. In spite of its unques-
tioned seriousness, not only to those whose lives, liberty,
and propert) were hazarded, but also for the future of
the state, there is a certain grim humor about the whole
situation which lends it a distinct and spicy flavor.
Here were two parties, like angry school children, call-
ing each other all sorts of opprobrious names. The one
faction was stigmatized as a crowd of "land jobbers,"
''land thieves," ''land
pirates," " specula-
tors," " Yorkites " ;
the other side was
known by such dire
and dreadful names
as " the Bennington
mob," " wanton dis-
turbers of the peace,"
"rioters," "conspira-
tors," and the like.
Here were the Green
Mountain Boys occa-
sionally chastising the
more persistent of
their enemies with "twigs of the wilderness, the growth
of the land which they coveted," setting with the terrible
solemnity of thirty-nine lashes an indelible impression
of the "beech seal " upon both the mind and bared back
of the recipient. It was tangible evidence that the Green
Mountain Boys were acting under some authority or
other. Here were the New York officials offering
rewards for the capture of Ethan Allen, Remember
The Fireplace in the Council Room
OF THE Catamount Tavern
THE DEBATABLE LAiND 8 1
Baker, and other leaders of this band of Robin Hoods,
and they in Hke fashion returning the compliment,
although at a significantly lower figure.
But we observed the really essential thing when we
took notice of the manner in which the settlers began
their determined resistance to encroachment. From
that alone we could foresee that out of all this trouble,
some of which looks more like rough horseplay than
statesmanship, there would come in due time a training
in the practical management of their own affairs, a rude
but effective organization of executive machinery, con-
servative legislation, and a sense of justice which would
preserve to every man his own, and guarantee his rights
to each one who fulfilled his duties : all of which things
were to fit the settlers on the New Hampshire Grants
for the task of building on these foundations a true and
loyal state.
It may appear ill advised to apply the term conserva-
tive to the actions of men who were doing what has
been described. But it was simply this. They were
not revolutionists seeking to overthrow and uproot an
existing order of things ; they stood for the preserva-
tion of the existing order ; they were conservers of the
public weal.
Let us review the really essential features of their
work, in order to see how unfailingly constructive it was.
Let us look now, not for the picturesque features, but
for underlying principles.
From the time of their first settlement and organization
the towns of the New Hampshire Grants had by the
terms of their charters certain powers of self-government
82 HISTORY OF VERMONT
in March meeting through the election of town officers
and the direction of town affairs. At a time when settle-
ments were few and isolated and there was no general
cause or public question this might well comprehend the
government of the grants. But the courts of New York
sought to annul these charters and by so doing destroy
every right that was based thereon. That was a blow
struck at the government of every town in the grants,
and it created, therefore, an issue broader than that of
the government of any single town.
The towns might keep on exercising, each for itself,
their prerogatives, but this would not be enough to
meet the needs of a cause which was sure to become
general. Some further organization was forced upon
them collectively for the preservation of what they
already possessed as individual towns. The adminis-
trative needs were like those which confronted the
American colonies on the eve of revolution, and it is
instructive to note that in both cases these needs were
met in exactly the same way, that is, by the work of
committees.
The first step in this work was the appointment and
organization in the several towns of committees of safety
to provide for the defense and security of property
claimed by the New York litigants. And since the
cause was a general one, in a far truer sense than the
cause of Massachusetts was a general one among
the American colonies at the beginning of the Revolu-
tion, it would be the truest and most effective economy
to provide general or cooperative protection. These
town committees, therefore, met to provide means for
THE DEBATABLE LAxND 83
it, and you have the next step beyond the town meeting
in state building, and that is the convention.
Since protection involves defense, and defense involves
the use of force if needed to repel attack, the next step
for the combining towns to take was to provide a mili-
tary force. To meet this requirement you find the
Green Mountain Boys, a crude military force, perhaps,
raw, undisciplined, irregular, but a military force never-
theless, and one that acted for the common weal.
Now let us see what we have found thus far. It
is nothing less than a government in embryo, — local
government in town meeting, general government in
convention, standing army in the Green Mountain Boys.
We must admit that it was not a highly perfected form
of government. It had no constitution; it had no judi-
ciary; it had not a great many things which we consider
indispensable adjuncts of government to-day. But it had
the things it needed, and the important point to notice
is that as fast as it needed more it was developing them.
When the war of the Revolution came, as it did
before this contest with New York was settled, it found
the New Hampshire Grants with this simple machinery
of government in good running order. Of course the
Revolution brought with it new needs. All the emer-
gencies of that war could not be foreseen, but it was
pretty certain that the British would operate from
Canada through the Champlain Valley. That alone
would involve the collecting and officering of troops, the
defending of frontiers, and the raising of funds for gen-
eral expenses. Then, too, this was a cause of colonies,
not of towns merely. The New Hampshire Grants
84 HISTORY OF VERMONT
must act as a unit. They must be represented as a
whole, their claims reviewed, summarized, formulated,
and presented to Congress. Broad provision must be
made for the broad needs imposed by a national war.
In short, some new body was needed of a higher grade
than these committees of safety, even when they assem-
bled in general conference. Out of this need arose
that series of remarkable conventions which built up
out of the scattered townships of the New Hampshire
Grants a strong, solidified, and stable commonwealth,
the independent state of Vermont.
The work of these conventions demands a separate
chapter, but this much can be noted in passing: these
committees, which temporarily took the case in hand
when the separate townships first felt the need of com-
bined effort, yielded to the more permanent organization
of the state, just as in the separate colonies similar
committees, which began and worked up the Revolution,
yielded their organization to that of the United States.
In both cases temporary bodies carried the work on
through a transition period. In both cases independ-
ence brought permanent burdens which such bodies
could not well carry. In both cases the functions of
these temporary bodies were then merged with the
functions of a permanent government. The similarity
is more than analogy ; it is identity of principle.
The ''Westminster Massacre"
If there is any one event which illuminates the state
of affairs in the New Hampshire Grants as they passed
over the border line between local and national politics,
THE DEBATABLE LAND 85
— that is, from their own conflict with New York into
the larger conflict which the colonies as a whole waged
against the mother country, — that event is the episode
commonly known as the ''Westminster Massacre." It
is an event w^iich stands on the dim boundary between
local and national interests and throws light in both
directions. It was an occurrence which unified the senti-
ments of the grants, intensified their opposition to New
York, and roused resentment against England, under the
cover of whose authority New York was acting.
It is noticeable that up to this point the controversy
with New York had involved only the western part of
the state. Nothing had happened on the eastern side
to indicate any great interest in the question which w^as
the all-absorbing one west of the mountains. The set-
tlers in the Connecticut Valley had shown no striking
zeal in espousing the cause against New York ; neither
had they been of assistance to that state in upholding
its authority. They were remaining quiet, and for a
good reason. Many of the grantees along the Connecti-
cut River had surrendered their original charters and
taken out new grants under the seal of New York.
The officers of that state, therefore, had little reason to
make themselves obnoxious in that vicinity ; while there
was, on the other hand, no object for the settlers to
provoke or participate in a quarrel with an authority
which they had already recognized.
Notwithstanding this apparent absence of sympathy
between the eastern and western grants on this issue in
local politics, there were strong underlying ties suffi-
cient to bind them closely in the greater emergency
86 HISTORY OF VERMONT
which was to confront the American colonies as a whole.
These settlers in the Connecticut Valley had come, like
the others, from Massachusetts and Connecticut. They
were in close touch with their Massachusetts neighbors.
They were of old Puritan stock, Protestant to the bone.
When England by the " Quebec bill " legalized the
Roman Cathohc religion in Canada, the instincts of early
Protestantism became manifest. Lieutenant Spaulding
of Dummerston referred to the king as the pope of Can-
ada, a remark uncomplimentary but harmless. The royal
faction picked it up, however, and imprisoned Spaulding
on a charge of treason, at Westminster, Oct. 28, 1774.
On the next day a majority of the excited inhabitants
of Dummerston met and chose a committee of corre-
spondence " to join with other towns and respectable
bodies of people, the better to secure and protect the
rights and privileges of themselves and fellow creatures
from the ravages and embarrassments of the British
tyrant and his New York and other emissaries." Notice
the union of the two issues : the British tyrant and his
New York emissaries are at last linked together in the
public mind. The movement thus started gained such
headway that a large body of men from Dummerston
and the adjoining towns met, went to Westminster,
opened the door of the jail, and released Spaulding from
prisonment.
This brought matters to a crisis. If royal authority
was to be maintained, perverters of His Majesty's justice
must be brought to punishment. But it so happened,
opportunely for the settlers, that almost simultaneously
with their action came news of that memorable meeting:
THE DEBATABLE LAND 8/
of the Continental Congress at Philadelphia on the 5th
of September, which was followed by the closing of
His Majesty's courts throughout the land. In all the
colonies except New York royal authority was almost
universally suspended.
But several months were yet to elapse before the
session of the Cumberland County Court at Westmin-
ster, and the adherents to the royal cause were as deter-
mined to hold that session as their opponents were that
it should not be held. The intervening time was there-
fore used by both parties in preparation. Efforts were
made to dissuade the judges from holding the court, but
they persisted that it should be done. Some of the
people then took possession of the courthouse in order
to forestall the royal party. This was on March 13, 1 775.
About sunset of that day the sheriff came with the
court party, armed with guns, swords, and pistols, and
demanded entrance, at the same time ordering the crowd
to disperse. This they refused to do unless the sheriff
ordered his men to lay aside their arms. About ten
o'clock that night the chief justice went into the crowd
and assured them that they should hold undisputed pos-
session of the building till morning, when the court would
enter without arms and hear what they had to say. A
considerable part of the crowd then withdrew, leaving
some men on guard in the courthouse, armed with clubs.
Contrary to the declaration of the judge, the sheriff
and his party approached about an hour later and again
demanded entrance. When it was refused, they fired
into the house. An assault was then made and the
courthouse taken, with some twenty men in it who
88 HISTORY OF VERMONT
were not able to make their escape. These prisoners
were thrown into the jail, and thither were dragged the
bodies of the wounded men, among whom was a young
man named William French, who was dying with five
bullet holes in his body.
The men who succeeded in escaping from the court-
house when the assault was made rapidly spread the
news of the murder, and the next day the streets of
Westminster swarmed with angry farmers. The court
met in the morning, but adjourned until afternoon.
That court never reassembled. The town was too hot
to hold the members of the court party, and the wise
ones left at once. A jury of inquest brought in a ver-
dict that the man was murdered by the court party, and
several officers implicated in the killing were lodged
in jail at Northampton, Massachusetts. An application
for their release was made by the chief justice of New
York, and they were allowed to go.
These proceedings were sufficient to rouse once for
all the spirit of opposition to New York on the eastern
side of the mountains. In the month of April an
assembly of people met at Westminster and renounced
the administration of the New York government until
such time as His Majesty might settle the controversy
and — so the petition ran — remove them from so
''oppressive a jurisdiction." Eight days later the battle
of Lexington was fought. His Majesty had issued his last
order that was ever observed by the American colonies.
Thus the settlers on the east side of the mountains
were driven to make common cause with their brethren
on the w^est against New York ; thus the killing of
THE DEBATABLE LAND 89
William French at Westminster was the event that
united the sentiments of the New Hampshire Grants
and merged their issue of local politics into that of
national politics ; thus the war of the Revolution was
begun. The key to the whole situation lies in the fact
that the royal officers who so violently took matters into
their own hands at Westminster were New York officers,
and that of all the northern colonies New York was the
most loyal to the crown and the most lukewarm in its
sympathy for the American cause.
An anonymous ballad published in 1779 shows that
the affair at Westminster was worked up along with
other events into popular airs to infuse a more martial
spirit into the vox populi. One stanza runs :
But Vengeance let us Wreak, my Boys,
For Matron, Maid and Spinster ;
Whose joys are fled, whose Homes are sad,
For the Youth of Red Westminster.
Above the grave of William French at Westminster
was placed a stone with an inscription which reflects
both the spirit and the literature of the times.
In Memory of WilHam French Son to Mr, Nathaniel French
Who Was Shot at Westminster March ye 13th 1775 by the hands
of Cruel Ministerial tools of Georg ye 3d in the Corthouse at a 1 1
a Clock at Night in the 22d year of his Age.
Here William French his Body lies
For Murder his blood for Vengeance cries
King Georg the third his Tory crew
tha with a bawl his head Shot threw
For Liberty and his Countrys Good
He Lost his Life his Dearest blood.
CHAPTER V
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
Saratoga, August 20, 1777
The Hampshire Grants in particular, a country unpeopled and
almost unknown in the last war, now abounds in the most active and
most rebellious race of the continent, and hangs like a gathering storm
on my left. — Burgoyne in a private letter to Lord Germaine
The Taking of Ticonderoga
While Vermont was fighting her way along toward
independent statehood, the thirteen American colonies,
joined together, fought out a quarrel with England
which left them an independent nation so far as nations
can be independent. This misunderstanding in the
Anglo-Saxon family, which goes by the name of the
American Revolution, was so much larger than the little
wrangle which the New Hampshire Grants were having
with New York that it completely obscured the latter
for the time being. We have come to a point, there-
fore, where we shall have to turn from local politics
to notice that larger question of national politics. Into
the causes of the Revolution we cannot go ; of its
progress we can only note such parts as touch the
history of our state.
After the expulsion of the French from the Cham-
plain Valley, the military posts on the lake were left in
the hands of the English. The situation, then, at the
opening of the Revolution was this : the forts were
90
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 91
garrisoned by British soldiers ; the British government
possessed Canada and its resources. This miHtary advan-
tage would be used to operate upon the northern border
in quelling the rebelUous colonies. Along the old war
route the British possessed the same facilities for bring-
ing their forces into action as the French had possessed
years before in operating against the English.
In New England it appeared to the leading spirits
of the Revolution that the danger of a British invasion
from Canada would be greatly lessened if these military
posts were taken away from the British at the start,
before they had been strengthened by additions to the
garrison and preparations for defense. The idea was
conceived in several quarters. An agent w^ho passed
through the grants on a secret mission to Canada wrote
to the Boston Committee of Correspondence that such
a move would be desirable, and that the Green Moun-
tain Boys would undertake it. Parties in Connecticut
also matured the same project and entered at once
upon its execution.
After raising funds to defray the expenses of the
expedition, the Connecticut patriots hastened to Ben-
nington to confer with Ethan Allen. They found him
enthusiastic, and preparations for the enterprise were
immediately begun. In a few days Allen had at Castle-
ton nearly two hundred volunteers. The Connecticut
contingent had picked up some fifty men on their way to
Castleton. The total number was sufficient to warrant
the attempt. Presently Benedict Arnold arrived from
Massachusetts, authorized by the Massachusetts Com-
mittee of Safety to take charge of the expedition
92 HISTORY OF VERMONT
The Green Mountain Boys preferred their own leaders,
Ethan Allen and Seth Warner ; and although Arnold
accompanied the expedition he was not put in command.
To gain intelligence of the conditions at the fort a
spy was sent into the works. In the guise of an awk-
ward farmer who wanted to be shaved, Noah Phelps
passed unsuspected in and out and gained the needed
information. The march was made in two detachments
from Castleton to the lake. One party was sent under
Major Beach through Rutland, Pittsford, Brandon,
Middlebury, and Whiting, a circuit of about sixty miles,
in which they gathered recruits, to Shoreham. Allen
meantime marched thither the remainder of the men,
going north till they struck the old military road which
John Stark had worked on sixteen years before and
following that toward the lake. On the evening of the
9th of May the detachments gathered by the lake oppo-
site Ticonderoga, and the garrison at the old fort had
not heard a whisper of the design. Two hundred and
seventy men were at the water waiting to cross.
During the night, by stratagem and stealth, boats
were obtained to serve as transports. Under cover of
the fleeting darkness Allen embarked with about eighty
men, all that the boats would carry. They landed near
the fort and sent back the boats for the others. But
while they waited the day began to dawn, and Allen
dared to delay no longer. He called on those who would
follow him to raise their muskets, and every gun went
up. He turned toward the fort, guided by a young lad
who had played with the boys at the garrison until he
had grown familiar with every nook and corner of the
THE AMERICAxM REVOLUTIOx\ 93
place. Thus in the gray of the morning the little
company silently advanced.
The sentry at the gate snapped his fusee at Allen,
but it missed fire ; and the first warning which came to
the garrison was the sound of the huzzas as the Green
Mountain Boys formed in line on the parade ground
within the fort, while their leader was demanding of
Delaplace, the British commander, who stood half-clad
at the door of his chamber, the immediate surrender
of the works, "in the name of the Great Jehovah and
the Continental Congress."^
So in early morning on the loth of May, 1775,
without the firing of a gun or the loss of a life, Ticon-
deroga was taken with its garrison and stores by the
Green Mountain Boys. One writer has thus pictured
the situation : " Before the members of the second
Continental Congress had breakfasted the first day of
their session, the key to Lake Champlain and the guns
at whose bidding General Howe was to evacuate Boston
the next spring had been captured by a band of back-
woodsmen under the command of New York outlaws."
Crown Point was taken on the same day by Seth Warner,
and with it over a hundred pieces of cannon. A fleet
fitted up by Arnold and Allen presently sailed down the
lake and captured an armed sloop lying at St. John's.
The mastery of Lake Champlain was complete.
Congress voted to pay the Green Mountain Boys for
their services at Ticonderoga and recommended that
a regiment be formed on the New Hampshire Grants.
1 This is the language which Allen says he used. Tradition reports
another version of his words, less elegant but equally forceful.
94 HISTORY OF VERMONT
A convention met at Dorset in July and chose officers ;
Seth Warner was made commander. Ethan Allen was
taken in a premature attempt to capture Montreal and
was sent in irons to England. He was later returned
to New York and exchanged in 1778. Warner's regi-
ment assisted in the military operations which led to
the taking of Montreal after its defender, Carleton,
abandoning the city to its fate, had escaped down the
river by night in a canoe.
At Quebec, whither Carleton had fled, the American
troops met with disaster. Then began a long retreat of
the broken army back to Ticonderoga. The commander,
Wooster, wrote to Warner as the army, defeated, sick
with smallpox, and in the midst of a hostile country,
began to withdraw :
You and the valiant Green Mountain Corps are in our neigh-
borhood. . . . You all have arms and ever stand ready to lend a
helping hand to your brother in distress. . . . Let the men set
out at once, by tens, twenties, thirties or fifties. I am confident
that I shall see you here with your men in a very short time.
He did. Warner's regiment did good service in pro-
tecting the rear of the defeated and retreating army
and bringing it safe to Ticonderoga.
It would be easy to overestimate the importance of
the capture of Ticonderoga. About a hundred pieces
of cannon, one thirteen-inch mortar, and a number of
swivels were captured there, and a quantity of military
stores ; but the strategic advantage which would have
been gained by retaining the fort was entirely lost two
years later when the American forces abandoned it on
the approach of Burgoyne's army. The important fact
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 95
is that the efforts of the Green Mountain Boys placed
it at the disposal of the American cause to use for better
or worse. The part they took in the affair proved their
ability, their intrepidity, and that they were as true
patriots as could be found on the continent.
The details of the campaign in the Champlain Valley
for the next year we need not follow. For several
months of the year 1776 there was a navy yard at each
end of the lake ; the British at St. John's, the Americans
at Skenesboro, each trying to outstrip the other in pre-
paring a fleet which would command its waters. It was
hard business building a navy on inland waters from
green timber freshly cut in the forest and dragged by
hand to the lake side, with no ship stores except such as
could be brought from long distances over almost impass-
able roads. The ship carpenters of New England were
busy at the ports ; naval construction without skilled
help was no easy task. In this respect the British had
an advantage. Six armed vessels were sent from Eng-
land, brought by water to the Falls of Chambly, and
those which were too large to be hauled over the rapids
were taken apart and put together again above. The
smaller ones were dragged up entire.
Arnold took command of the homemade American
flotilla, sailed boldly down the lake toward Isle la Motte
to meet the foe in October, and having met him sailed
back again as fast as possible in the darkness of night,
thoroughly convinced of the hopelessness of fighting a
force of twice his strength. He sailed directly through
the enemy's lines, in the darkness and fog, without being
discovered, and the next morning was entirely out of
96 HISTORY OF VERMONT
sight of the British. They set out in full chase and,
the wind being favorable, overtook the American fleet
about noon on October 13, a few leagues from Crown
Point. Finding escape as impossible as victory, with
the British at his heels, Arnold ran his fleet aground
at the mouth of the Otter Creek and burned the ships to
the water's edge.
Delayed by the south winds, the British tardily took
Crown Point, to find it only a dismantled fortress from
which the Americans had moved, bag and baggage. The
British commander, Carleton, then threatened Ticon-
deroga. But the south wind which had so long held
him back had proved a daily blessing to the fortress.
The works were strengthened, and day by day reen-
forcements came trooping through the forest to its
defense. Two regiments were temporarily furnished by
the New Hampshire Grants. After a month of recon-
noitering and contemplation Carleton reembarked his
army at Crown Point and sailed back to Canada.
We can sum up the whole campaign thus far by
saying that in 1775 the Americans drove the British
from the lake, took Montreal, and invaded Canada as
far as Quebec; while in 1776 the British drove the
Americans out of Canada and as far back on the lake
as Ticonderoga.
The Battles of Hubbardton and Bennington
In 1777 the British began a plan of campaign one part
of which was to consist of gaining and occupying the
two valleys of Lake Cham plain and the Hudson River.
By doing this they would hold an unbroken military line
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 97
from Canada to New York harbor and cut off the New
England colonies from the rest of the country.
This particular feature of the plan was not one which
the settlers of Vermont could anticipate with any pleas-
ure. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness might
be seriously interfered with along the western border.
The settlers of Vermont began to feel a greater common
The Sancoick Mill, where the Hessians crossed
THE River on their Way to the
Battle of Bennington
interest with the American colonies. Their homes were
again at stake. They had come from Connecticut, from
Massachusetts, from Rhode Island to the Grants, and
had left behind them ties of blood and friendship. They
possessed the same hardy traits as their kinsmen, for
they were bred in the same conditions. They knew
what it meant to have their independence threatened.
They were essentially part and parcel of the American
colonies in this cause.
98 HISTORY OF VERMONT
The command of that section of the British, army which
was to move south from Canada was given to General
Burgoyne. He met with only slight opposition on Lake
Champlain and took Ticonderoga without a blow. He
secured there one hundred and twenty-eight pieces of
cannon, besides shipping and bateaux, provisions and
military stores. It is said that over seventeen hundred
barrels, of flour and seventy tons of salt provisions fell
into the hands of the British, besides a large drove of
cattle. It looked as though Burgoyne was equipped for
a triumphant march through the woods to the Hudson
River and so on to New York.
But on the portage from Wood Creek to the Hudson
River luck began to turn. General Schuyler, unable to
meet him on equal terms in open fighting, used every
resource possible to retard his progress. He cut trees
of the forest across his path ; he filled up the creeks ;
he broke down the bridges ; he put every conceivable
obstacle in his way. It took Burgoyne fifty days to
march his army seventy-five miles. The delay gave
New England militiamen time to gather along the line
of advance.
Meantime the Americans had met with a disastrous
defeat at Hubbardton. As soon as the British had dis-
covered the retreat of the Americans from Ticonderoga
they started after them in eager pursuit. St. Clair's
plan had been to send the provisions and stores by
galleys to Skenesboro, and to march the army thither
by land through Hubbardton and Castleton. All might
have gone well had not a French officer, on abandoning
his house, imprudently set fire to it. The result was
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
99
doubly disastrous. The light of the flames revealed to
the British the operations of the American forces, and
the knowledge that they were discovered threw the
latter into confusion.
However, the rear guard were brought off in good
order about four o'clock of the morning of July 6. The
troops on arriving
at Hubbardton
halted for a time.
Seth Warner was
put in command
of the rear guard
and the stragglers
who kept coming
in. St. Clair went
on to Castleton.
At about seven
o'clock the next
morning the pur-
suing British de-
tachments, who
had slept on their
arms a few miles
away that night,
attacked the American rear and defeated it after a sharp
fight, completely routing the entire force with severe loss.
The galleys on the lake were also overtaken by British
frigates and gunboats near Skenesboro, now Whitehall.
On the approach of the frigates the Americans aban-
doned the galleys and succeeded in blowing up three of
them. The remaining two fell into the enemy's hands.
1
1
1
Monument marking Stark's Camping
Ground
739090
lOO
HISTORY OF VERMONT
Notwithstanding these successes, the troubles which
fell upon Burgoyne were stripping his army of its
efficiency. The provisions taken at Ticonderoga went
rapidly during his slow progress. Transportation was
poor; fresh supplies
were not abundant.
From the latter part
of July to the middle
of August his army
was busy bringing for-
ward supplies and
bateaux from Lake
George. But his
utmost diligence was
insufficient to meet
his needs. It became
evident that if he was
to carry his campaign
through with success
he must draw on the
supplies of the enemy
to replenish his own
stores. The resources
in his immediate vicinity were soon exhausted. Reports
came to him that at Bennington, guarded only by the
militia, lay a quantity of military stores gathered for
the use of the American army. He determined to secure
those stores for the British army.
iThis portrait of Major General John Stark was made, on the order
of the legislature of New Hampshire, by U. D. Tenney, from an origi-
nal sketch by Miss Hannah Crowninshield in 1810, Stark then being
eighty-two years of age.
John Stark 1
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
lOl
To execute this move he placed a select body of Ger-
man troops, some Canadians, and about a hundred Indians
under the command of Colonel Baum. To facilitate opera-
tions further he ordered another detachment to post itself
Plan of the Battle of Bennington
The top of the map is west ; troops marked "American Volunteers " were Tory Companies
on the east bank of the Hudson, opposite Saratoga ; while
still another he sent under Breyman to station itself at
Battenkill, within supporting distance of the main body
under Baum. Meantime farmers with flintlock and
I02 HISTORY OF VERMONT
powderhorn were flocking to Bennington from all sides.
Seth Warner sent a courier to Massachusetts, while New
Hampshire responded to the call with a splendid brigade
under a splendid leader, none other than John Stark.
Since we left this man cutting the road from Number
Four to Crown Point he had seen much service. Second
to none as a leader of rangers in the last French and
Indian war, and having served at Bunker Hill, he was a
man whom the farmer militia of New Hampshire might
well delight to follow. He joined personal bravery to
generalship of the highest order, as his preparations for
the encounter at Bennington testify ; for a better piece
of military work it would be hard to find in the Revolu-
tion. Beginning with a scattered militia, with almost no
supplies, — think of an army with one pair of bullet
molds, with powder half spoiled, and destitute even of
camp kettles ! — with a range of mountains and a stretch
of wilderness to cross by wretched roads, he appeared
at Manchester in an almost incredibly short time, with
the New Hampshire volunteers thoroughly organized and
well in hand. Companies of Vermont rangers joined
him, and accompanied by Warner he moved on toward
Bennington.
As to tactics Stark had no choice. With no cavalry,
no artillery, no commissariat, no transportation, no provi-
sions to keep an army in idleness, he was simply forced to
attack. It made no difference that half the troops were
without bayonets ; he had men and his men had implicit
confidence in him. Already he had shown a celerity and
precision of movement with an irregular force in the face
of tremendous difficulties. This was a premonition of
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
103
success ; and it was about the only one that could be
found in the situation as the two armies lay fronting
each other on the eve of battle.
The story of the fight itself may be briefly told. When
Baum found that he was to be opposed he halted in a
David Rol)inson Samuel Fay
Benjamin Harwoodi Abisha Kinsley Aaron Robinson Samuel Safford 2
A Group of Early Bennington Citizens
(From a daguerreotype taken in 1848)
favorable position at Walloomsac, in the town of Hoosic,
New York, sent back to Breyman for reenforcements,
and began to intrench. A rain on the 15th of August
1 IJenjamin Harwood was the first male child born in Bennington.
- Captain Samuel Safford led Warner's regiment from Manchester
to Bennington on the 15th of August.
I04
HISTORY OF VERMONT
prevented immediate attack and gave the British a chance
still further to strengthen their trenches. On the morn-
ing of the 1 6th Stark sent two hundred men to attack
the rear of the enemy,
three hundred to
attack the rear of the
enemy's right, two
hundred to attack the
extreme right, while
he and Warner led the
direct assault. The
fighting began about
three o'clock in the
afternoon ; it lasted
two hours. Stark
said: "It was the
hottest I ever saw."
Many British were
killed or taken pris-
oners.
Hardly had the
prisoners been col-
lected and sent back
to Bennington under
guard, when Brey-
man's reenforcements
came up and a second
battle began. Most
opportunely, Warner's regiment arrived from Manchester
and engaged them. At sundown the British gave way
and were pursued till dark. A thousand stand of arms
Bennington Monument
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 105
and six hundred prisoners were left in the possession of
the Americans.
In point of mihtary importance this battle ranks far
higher than the dramatic capture of Ticonderoga. It
was an actual engagement which tested both generalship
and fighting capacity to the utmost. It was a force of
farmers fighting a force of regulars. It preserved for
the Americans the supplies which were the great object
of the expedition. It protected the territory eastward
from military operations and from any further danger
of invasion. It depleted Burgoyne's forces. It was the
first of a series of disasters which led to his surren-
der, the turning point of the war, and the recognition
of American independence. Burgoyne's own opinion,
expressed shortly after the battle in a letter to Lord
George Germaine, was as follows : " The chief subject
of regret on our side, after that which any loss of gallant
men naturally occasions, is the disappointment of not
obtaining live cattle, and the loss of time in bringing
forward the magazines."
On the American side it was strictly a people's fight,
not directed by the government, not provided for by
the government, not fought by a regular force, not com-
manded by a regular officer. While the news of the
splendid victory was on the way to Congress, that body,
although not censuring the man who won it, was con-
demning the course of the New Hampshire Assembly
in allowing Stark the separate command which made
the victory possible. It is to the credit of Congress
that when the result of the battle was known it passed
a vote of thanks for Stark's services and promoted him
io6
HISTORY OF VERMONT
to the rank of brigadier general in the regular army.
Something over one hundred years later the corner
stone was laid of that monument at Bennington which
pays a fitting tribute to the scene and deed. In the
portico of the State House at Montpelier one may see
two of the four brass cannon which were taken on that
day from the Hessians.
Some Results of the War
With the surrender of Burgoyne on the 17th of
October war in the immediate vicinity of this state
ceased, the danger
of invasion came to
an end, and the
yeomen were able
to return to their
homes. Forts were
temporarily occu-
pied at Peacham,
Corinth, Bethel,
and Barnard. A
fort was maintained
at Newbury dur-
ing the war, and the cutting of the military road from
Newbury to Hazen's Notch was accomplished.
The war brought great hardship, uncertainty, and
danger to the people of the state. In some sections it
pretty effectually broke up the western settlements. At
the time of Burgoyne's invasion settlements had been
made in nearly every town in what are now Bennington
and Rutland counties and in some towns north of the
One of the Cannon taken at the
Battle of Bennington
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
107
latter. The beginning of his invasion produced great
excitement, and this increased with every advancing
step of the army. As he passed through the lake the
settlers along the shore withdrew toward the south,
and by the time he
was on the Hudson
River there were few
farms north of the
present county of
Bennington which
were occupied by
their owners.
The British had a
notion that as soon as
their army had occu-
pied the country the
inhabitants of this
state would flock to
the royal standard.
Burgoyne attempted
to hasten this much
desired end by issuing
a proclamation which
breathed out threat-
enings and slaughter
against those who clung to the American cause but prom-
ised protection to those who should join him or remain
quietly at home. But the Green Mountain Boys flocked
to other standards than his, and by the time he wrote
from his camp near Saratoga to Lord Germaine, Burgoyne
himself was fully aware of the temper of the people.
Memorial Monument
I08 HISTORY OF VERMONT
During the period cf Burgoyne's visitation companies
of armed men scoured the country searching for recruits
and provisions. Indian scouting parties not infrequently
put in an unwelcome appearance in the neighborhood of
frontier towns. Although they rarely molested the
inhabitants, their presence was a menace totally destruc-
tive to peace of mind. The British control of Lake
Champlain placed the western borders at the mercy of
their Indian allies if they chose to reap the harvest.
A few instances will illustrate the prevailing con-
ditions. Weybridge was settled in 1775, in almost
unbroken forest, by settlers who came up the creek in
boats and located on the banks. The little settlement
was visited in 1778 by Indians and Tories, the property
destroyed, and the people taken as prisoners to Quebec.
Occasionally on similar raids the women and children
were left behind in a condition worse than captivity;
for they had no protection from the wild beasts, no shel-
ter save the cellar of some ruined home, and perhaps
no food.
The severest blow which fell on any settlement dur-
ing the war was the raid on Royalton in 1 780. It was
originally designed for the purpose of capturing Lieu-
tenant Whitcomb at Newbury, who was said to have
wantonly shot and robbed a British officer in 1776. The
party consisted of about three hundred men, mostly
Indians. On their vvay up the Winooski River — the
old "French road" — they fell in with a party of
hunters from Newbury, who told them that the town was
anticipating the attack and was in a state of defense.
The story saved Newbury but brought disaster to
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 109
Royalton, for thither the party now turned. The place
was laid in ashes, a few men were killed and most of
the remainder taken prisoners. They were well treated
on their way to Canada and were liberated in the
following summer.
After this raid alarm was so universal throughout the
state that the shouts of a surveying party or the burn-
ing of a pile of brush in a back pasture was enough to
spread terror through the countryside. At Berkshire,
even after Burgoyne's defeat, it was deemed best to
remove the women and children to Connecticut to avoid
the danger from strolling bands of Indians. Such a trip
was actually made, under the escort of a few soldiers,
the party going through the wilderness by blazed trees,
camping in the woods at night, running constant dangers
from wild beasts and Indians, and enduring perils as
great as those from which they fled.
When the enemy were in any neighborhood every
device was resorted to for the concealment and preser-
vation of property. Cattle were driven back to the
mountains ; the family barrels of pork and beef were
hidden in the earth. The settlers plundered the houses
of suspected Tories as mercilessly as they anticipated
that their own might be plundered by the British.
To be known as a sympathizer with the crown or an
allegiant to the British cause was to be stripped of
everything, even to the very clotheslines.
When hostilities ceased in the immediate vicinity the
state waxed in wealth and population, even during the
remainder of the war. The reasons for this we shall
presently learn. Summing up the situation, it may be
no
HISTORY OF VERMONT
said that Vermont gained more from the Revolution than
she lost. She entered the war *' reduced to the disagree-
able state of anarchy and con-
fusion." She sought in that
struggle a double freedom,
trusting '*to annihilate the
old quarrel with New York
by swallowing it up in the
general conflict for liberty."
She came out of the war with
far more than she carried
into it. She had increased
in wealth and population, and
she had learned to govern
herself. So rapidly had the
change been wrought that
Ira Allen, writing in 1779,
thought it strange that any
inhabitant should be willing
to move to any other state.
Betw^een the time of Bur-
goyne's coming and the battle
of Bennington the people had
formed a state of their own.
The New Hampshire Grants
ceased to be, and Vermont
began. The telling of that
story needs a chapter by it-
self. After reading it you will probably say that Vermont
politics at least did not suffer by reason of the larger
issues raised by the American Revolution.
Ethan Ali.kn
Statue in the Rotunda of the Capitol
at Washington
CHAPTER VI
THE GODS OF THE HILLS
Westminster Court House
January 15, 1777
This convention, Avhose members are duly chosen by the free voice
of their constituents in the several towns, on the New Hampshire
Grants, in meeting assembled, in our own names, and in behalf of our
constituents, do hereby proclaim and publicly declare, that the dis-
trict of territory comprehending and usually known by the name and
description of the New Hampshire Grants, of right ought to be and is
hereby declared forever hereafter to be considered as a free and inde-
pendent jurisdiction or state. — Extract from Vermont's declaration of
independence
How Vermont was made ; the Conventions of
THE New Hampshire Grants
The above extract may be called Vermont's declaration
of independence. This and a revised form prepared for
the press are a comprehensive and authoritative expres-
sion of what had come to be a matter of fact and was
demonstrated so to be in fourteen years of independent
statehood which followed. It is in view of this that we
may say that Vermont got more out of the Revolution
than she put into it. So far as her share in it was
concerned it was a valuable investment. It bore lighter
upon her than upon any colony ; it swelled her popula-
tion ; it gave her military honor , it developed her states-
men; it gave her people a common interest and unified
their sentiments; it strengthened her for her contest with
112 HISTORY OF VERMOiNT
New York ; and it made it possible for her to become in
name and deed what she claimed to be, an independent
republic.
The incidence of the Revolution, following as it did
the already sharply defined contest with New York, gave
a magnificent opportunity to the people of the New
Hampshire Grants to develop their incipient machinery
of self-government into the form of a commonwealth.
Local self-government they had possessed from their
earliest days of settlement. We have also seen cooper-
ative efforts made on the part of several towns to resist
the execution of repugnant measures of New York
authorities. Conventions of committees were finally
held to assume the management of affairs in this espe-
cial emergency. But such needs were unusual and irreg-
ular for a state, not permanent and not in line with the
normal development of civic problems.
There would come a time, if the grants were ever to
reach the dignity of statehood, when the demand would
be for a civic machinery of permanent and high order.
These emergency needs, this emergency government,
would pass away when the particular necessity for its
creation had passed. The needs of a state are endur-
ing, ever growing, and arise from an expanding life
within as well as from pressure of forces exerted from
without. It was the development of her inner life that
wrought in Vermont both the need and the capacity for
statehood. The need was constitutional.
To approach the subject in its simplest form let us
follow the historical steps in the growth of this consti-
tutional need. If you turn back to the section entitled
THE GODS OF THE HILLS 113
"Beginnings of Statecraft," you will recall the simple
government that existed before the Revolution, and the
remark that the war brought a necessity for some body
of a higher grade than existed before to represent the
grants as a whole. That need developed the conven-
tions which we are about to consider.
These conventions were composed of representatives
or delegates sent by the different towns. The first one
was called by circular letter and was held at Dorset
in July, 1775. Its principal work was to choose field
officers and others to take charge of the military activi-
ties brought on by the war. This was a necessity almost
wholly due to the colonial revolutionary movement.
But the second convention revealed something dif-
ferent. It also was held at Dorset, in January, 1776.
It provided certain measures designed to regulate the
internal affairs of the state, such as the suppression of
mobs and turbulence and the maintenance of order and
peace. Here is something that is not purely a necessity
produced by the Revolution ; it is such an internal need
as any state must provide for to-day. We have, there-
fore, in the work of this convention the beginning of a
civil establishment for the grants, a new order of things.
It illustrates the relation between the administrative
needs of a state and its expanding inner life. It is an
example of what gives rise to statecraft.
The work of the third convention, which was held at
Dorset in July of the same year, reflects the increasing
requirements which are being placed on the grants.
There is more business to be done, and business of
a constitutional nature. The question of joining in
114 HISTORY OF VERMONT
association with New Hampshire comes up, also the ques-
tion of the observance of New York laws within the
grants ; while the relation of the grants as a whole to the
national government appears in the appointment of agents
who are to be sent to Congress. Observe that these dif-
ferent items of business are due partly to the war and
partly to the civic needs of the state.
In the fourth convention, held at Dorset in Septem-
ber, 1776, the same combination of local and national
business is repeated. The exigencies of war are made
a reason for crowding the demands of the grants for a
separate government. The convention passed a com-
pact or covenant to stand by the cause of American
liberty, and appointed a board of war with regulations
regarding the militia. But it also voted not to accept
New York laws and stated the project for forming the
New Hampshire Grants into a separate district. State-
hood is clearly projected, and the capacity of the grants
to administer their internal police is stated in a manner
which involves state legislation, for if New York laws
are not to be observed the necessity of making laws for
themselves becomes apparent.
This was the last convention held at Dorset ; but the
fifth convention, held at Westminster in October of the
same year, carried on the work by providing for the publi-
cation of pamphlets on the subject of forming a separate
state and of not uniting with New York. If it had not been
for the Revolution, such proceedings would have involved
the grants in an immediate crisis with New York. The
truth of our proposition that the Revolution made possible
the statehood of Vermont is beginning to appear.
THE GODS OF THE HILLS II5
If we now take a survey of the events covered in the
five preceding paragraphs, we find that a great deal has
happened. Beginning with a group of towns which had
no bond of union except sentiment and a similar neces-
sity, and with no central or constitutional authority to
represent them, we find developed in little more than
the space of one year a central body competent to pro-
vide for all the needs of a state as fully as any American
commonwealth then in existence, with agencies through
which it could communicate with the Congress, regulate
its internal poUce, organize and develop the machinery
of further government, and secure a satisfactory referen-
dum to justify its procedure. The four conventions of
the year 1776 show that Vermont was making as rapid
strides toward independence as any civic body in America.
At Westminster on the 15th of January, 1777, was
held the sixth in this series of conventions and the one
that promulgated the declaration of independence for
the state. The action of this convention, if read alone,
would seem to be of the highest importance ; read in
the light of the work which the four preceding conven-
tions had accomplished, it appears to be only the natural
and fitting culmination of what had transpired in the
previous year. It was reported that three fourths of
the inhabitants of the grants favored the formation of
a separate state. The declaration of independence was
reported to the convention at an adjourned session two
days later, was then adopted, and sent with a petition
to Congress.
This step was the culmination of the work of the
New Hampshire Grants. It is equally important to
ii6
HISTORY OF VERMONT
note that it was also the beginning of the work of the
state of Vermont. The burden assumed by this decla-
ration meant exactly the same for the state of Vermont
as that involved in the federal Declaration of Independ-
ence meant for the United States. We are accustomed
to think of them as achievements; they are only declara-
tions. They are not fulfillments, but only beginnings.
We call them declarations of independence ; they are full
of self-imposed restrictions, limitations, and obligations.
The Old Constitution House at Windsor
It is unfortunate that we have no full report of the
seventh convention, which was held at Windsor June 4,
1777. The name of the state, which in the first decla-
ration had been New Connecticut, was changed to Ver-
mont. A committee was appointed to draft a constitution
for the new state ; a fast was proclaimed ; and exclusive
jurisdiction was assumed by the state of Vermont.
The eighth convention, like the seventh, left no ofifi-
cial record, and there is probably no full account of its
THE GODS OP^ THE HILLS
117
proceedings. It was held in troublous times. Its work,
however, was of prime importance, for it was this eighth
convention, held in the old ** constitution house" at
Windsor, that established the constitution and frame of
government for our state. The convention met July 2,
1777, and while in session received news of the advance
of Burgoyne. Half the members had come directly
from their regiments. The families of the president
and other members were in impending danger. Imme-
MoRE Recent View of the Constitution House
diate adjournment was made impossible by the sudden
coming of a July thunder storm of unusual severity.
While the convention waited in the darkened hall for
the storm to cease, it passed, article by article, the con-
stitution of our state.
Not only was the independence of Vermont made
possible by the American Revolution, but it was also
made imperative by the American Declaration of
Independence. A broad view of the whole situation
Il8 HISTORY OF VERMONT
will show the truth of this proposition. When the Ameri-
can colonies declared themselves independent of Great
Britain, the dispute between New York and the New
Hampshire Grants was pending decision by the only
authority which both disputants would recognize as their
arbiter. The colonies were subjects of Great Britain.
The king of England was their fountain of justice.
The Declaration of American Independence absolved
the colonies from all allegiance to Great Britain, and
her fountain of justice was for them no more.
What then remained to be done ? There was no
longer any earthly power whose claims as a superior
both disputants would admit. The settlers on the
grants had been removed from the jurisdiction of New
Hampshire by the king's Order in Council of 1764.
They had never from that day submitted to the actual
exercise of New York's sovereignty. New York was
not their sovereign. The king of England was their
sovereign. Now that his arbitrament was thrown aside
— for even if Vermont would admit it New York would
not — there was nothing for the New Hampshire Grants
to do but maintain their own independence.
That meant no longer independence of New York
alone, but of the world. Organization became unavoid-
able for the emergencies of war and domestic govern-
ment ; and organization once begun the declaration of
purpose was pertinent. It was also timely, for the
same sentiments were evoked and the same model fol-
lowed as those which had inspired the united colonies.
These colonies could hardly fail to recognize the example
which they had set. Nothing could have placed Vermont
THE GODS OF THE HILLS 119
in a more commanding position than this simple, strong
announcement of her purpose. The logic of events was
on her side. The appeal was powerful and in touch with
the times, for not a state except New York could utter
a protest.
Ira Allen
Note. In the history of our state the work of these conventions
should never be forgotten. They were extremely simple bodies — one
house, a supreme legislative and executive power, elected by the people,
responsible to the people. These bodies assumed the jurisdiction of
the grants, furnished them with a government, declared them to be a
free and independent state, and gave that state its constitution. It is
worthy of note that the constitution was modeled after that of Penn-
sylvania, which in turn goes back to William Penn's frame of govern-
ment of 1682. The eighth convention established the Council of Safety
and governed the state during the period of Burgoyne's campaign. It
supplied the only government Vermont had from July, 1777, till the
organization of the legislature in 1778.
CHAPTER VII
AN INDEPENDENT REPUBLIC
Bennington, July 25, 1780
Sir : Vermont, being a free and independent state, have denied the
authority of Congress to judge of their jurisdiction, . . . for it is utterly
incompatible with the rights and prerogatives of an independent state
to be under the control or arbitrament of any other power. . . . The
cloud that has hovered over Vermont, since the ungenerous claims of
New Hampshire and Massachusetts Bay, has been seen, and its motions
carefully observed by this government ; who expected that Congress
would have averted the storm: but disappointed in this, and unjustly
treated as the people, over whom I preside, conceive themselves to be
in this affair, yet blessed by Heaven, with a constancy of mind, and
connexions abroad, as an honest, valient and brave people, are necessi-
tated to declare to your Excellency, to Congress, and to the world, that,
as life, liberty and the rights of the people, intrusted to them by God,
are inseparable, so they do not expect to be justified in the eye of
Heaven, or that posterity w^ould call them blessed, if they should,
tamely, surrender any part. — Governor Chittenden to the President of
Congress
Internal Conditions
The full story of fourteen years' independent govern-
ment is needed in order really to understand what
Vermont was at the time of her admission into the
Union. On the one hand, on the industrial side there
was the multiplication of new homes which in their
beginnings were very much like the homes of earlier
days and of which we shall learn more presently. On
the other hand there was a continued development of
statecraft, which in this period revealed a capacity for
AN INDEPENDENT REPUBLIC
21
diplomacy as striking in its way as the more constructive
work which we have just been considering.
The process of home-making went on, taking a north-
ward direction, until at length it penetrated nearly all
sections of the state. Meantime the older settlements
became more thrifty in appearance, established new
industries, and prospered. Men grown well-to-do in
the older communities repeated their successes in the
newer, entering
them now as small
capitalists, building
the mills and assist-
ing in the work of
more rapid settle-
ment than that of
earlier days. The
arms of commerce
began to reach up
into the little repub-
lic of the hills.
While this went on,
there is that other
story, the story of a long and .persistent attempt to gain
for the state admission to the Union. This attempt was
long frustrated by New York, who still insisted on her
claim to the grants.
It is a point worth remembering that, in spite of the
dangers and uncertainties of setthng in the state during
the Revolution, Vermont was by comparison not the
worst place in which to live. There were greater dan-
gers and uncertainties elsewhere. She was free from
Vermont Flag
122 HISTORY OF VERMONT
many of the burdens which the colonies had taken upon
themselves in this great war. Her support to the war
was purely voluntary ; her taxes were light ; she never
had hung about her neck the financial millstone of
irredeemable paper money ; her lands were cheap and
inducements were strong to incoming settlers.
It was a point of self-interest for Vermont to promote
as rapid a settlement as possible in this period. The
more settlers she obtained, the stronger she would be
to maintain a position that while unique among the
commonwealths of America was at the same time some-
what precarious. As the armies of Washington melted
away by desertion, not a few of the self-retired veterans
found their search for quiet homes leading them into
the woods of Vermont. The families established here
throve prodigiously, and there were few drones. Men,
muscle, and courage were all that were needed to trans-
form the wooded state into a thrifty commonwealth of
husbandmen and freeholders. The transformation went
on during the years of the Revolution and those which
followed. In this way, too, Vermont was getting more
out of the war than she put into it.
In 1 77 1 a rough census showed that about seven
thousand people inhabited the state. Forty-six hundred
were east of the mountains and twenty-five hundred
west. Ten years later the population was thirty thou-
sand. In 1 79 1 it was, in round numbers, eighty-five
thousand. It is probable that at least ten thousand
people came into the state during the war.
After her declaration of independence the state
assumed the proprietorship of lands. In 1779 the
Hal/myHill
'^romC't-OTJuni
/•
'y
^ Lr
Ys
^\
Vermont at the Close of the Revolution
AN INDEPENDENT REPUBLIC 123
legislature formulated plans for the making of grants.
They were not unlike the plan of Benning Wentvvorth.
Townships were to be six miles square, with seventy rights
or lots in each. Fiv^e of these were for public uses, — one
for the support of a college, one for a county grammar
school, one for an English school, one for the support of
preaching, and one for the first settled minister. To set-
tlers the prices of lots were made low, — what would be
equivalent to from seven to ten cents an acre for the
three hundred and thirty acres or thereabouts in a lot.
These inducements, the vigor of state administration,
the assurance of protection for private rights, the light
burdens of taxation, the economy in state management,
— the revenues from the sale of lands were nearly
enough to pay expenses, — all tended to attract settlers
and build up the state.
And yet conditions were far from peaceful and orderly.
There were many conflicting interests, and the inhabit-
ants were by no means all of one mind. We must
remember that in all the states during and after the
Revolution conditions were very disorderly. Social and
political and economic disturbances, due in large part
to the war itself, wrought havoc with the normal order
of development and made turbulence and lawlessness
rampant. In Vermont there were a few causes of dis-
turbance which did not exist elsewhere. Those settlers
who still held land under New York grants remained
in favor of New York jurisdiction, and they conse-
quently opposed the independence of Vermont.
Such men, especially in the southeastern part of
the state, in the vicinity of Guilford and Brattleboro,
124 HISTORY OF VERMONT
took occasion to resist the authority of Vermont. The
governor of New York encouraged them, and they
organized in opposition to the state and proposed to
resist by force the collection of taxes and drafting
of men for military service. In Guilford and some
other towns the differences were so intense that each
party had a town organization of its own, with its
own set of officers. There were thus two civil organ-
izations in such towns, one rendering allegiance to
New York, the other to Vermont. Excitement rose
to such a pitch that there were skirmishes between
the two factions, and social order came to an end.
Relatives and neighbors were arrayed against each
other, and even physicians could not visit the sick
without passes and permits from various committees.
Finally Ethan Allen was directed to call out the
militia to enforce laws and suppress disturbances in
Windham County, which he set about to do with his
characteristic vigor.
Notwithstanding his energetic measures, disturb-
ances became so serious that in the winter of 1783-
1784 radical measures had to be taken against the
New York element. Before the close of that year the
'' Yorkers " found most of their property confiscated
and themselves so harshly handled by civil and military
authorities that they went in large numbers to New
York. The minority that remained took oath of alle-
giance to this state. The years following saw even more
serious disturbances across the line in the neighboring
state of Massachusetts, disturbances which culminated
in Shays's rebeUion. Neither the disturbances nor the
AN INDEPENDENT REPUBLIC 125
conditions in Vermont were exceptionally bad. The
times were such as to foster discontent and breed
riotous and disorderly conduct, especially among the
debtor and more thriftless classes.
In respect to public finances the conditions in Ver-
mont were better than in almost any other state. As
has been said before, the state paid her own militia
during the war and had no private debt, while she
was free from the great burden of public debt which
so handicapped the other states, because she had never
been a member of the confederation. But many of her
inhabitants were extremely poor, not a few involved in
personal debt, and hard cash was a rare thing to see.
Consequently collection of debts bore with severity on
the people, and lawyers and sheriffs were in Vermont
as elsewhere an unpopular class.
The prevalent hostility toward them is revealed in a
burst of polemic song which appeared in the Vermont
Gazette Feb. 28, 1784.
Whereas the Assembly of the State
Have dar'd audaciously of late,
With purpose vile, the constitution
To break, or make a wicked use on,
By making laws and raising taxes.
And viler still (so truth of fact is)
By keeping up that smooth tongu'd clan,
For ages curs'd by God and man,
Attornies, whose eternal gabble
Confounds the unexperienced ral^ble.
Then lawyers from the courts expell,
Cancel our debts and all is well —
126 HISTORY OF VERMONT
But should they finally neglect
To take the measures we direct,
Still fond of their own power and wisdom,
We '11 find effectual means to twist 'em.
Some disturbances occurred in what are now Windsor
and Rutland counties. But the Assembly did all that
could be honorably asked, even by poor debtors. It
provided for payment '* in kind" when creditors were
insistent upon immediate payment of debts. The follow-
ing act is self-explanatory.
Whereas, through a scarcity of a circulating medium, it is very
difficult to satisfy all debts in specie. Therefore, Be it enacted, &c
that neat cattle, beef, pork, sheep, wheat, rye, and Indian corn, shall
be a lawful tender, if turned out by the debtor, on any execution.
In such cases the creditor must receive at its value the
tender of goods appraised by men under oath. Similar
remedial legislation was applied for some years when the
stress of collections was really oppressive. This relieved
the situation temporarily; in time industry and business
brought general prosperity and permanent relief.
Green Mountain Diplomacy
In the condition of affairs w^hich has been very briefly
and imperfectly described in the foregoing section it
became a task requiring no small skill on the part of
political leaders to steer such a course in maintaining the
independence of Vermont as not to wreck their ship of
state on the shoals of national politics or the reefs of
domestic woes. While Vermont was pleading for admis-
sion to the Union, the action of Congress and the
AN INDEPENDENT REPUBLIC 127
neighboring states was such as to promote her internal
troubles and bring her independence into jeopardy.
After the king's order of 1764 limiting New Hamp-
shire's jurisdiction to the western bank of the Connecti-
cut River that state had made no attempt to interfere
with Vermont's affairs until such interference was in-
duced by Vermont herself through a very unfortunate
complication. The interest of certain towns lying in New
Hampshire just east of the Connecticut River caused
them to desire union with Vermont rather than continue
longer under the government of New Hampshire. The
request came at a time when Vermont politics were in
such a state that the Assembly felt compelled to grant
it. Consequently these New Hampshire towns were
adopted like foster children by the state of Vermont.
No sooner was this done than New Hampshire natu-
rally enough began strenuous protests and brought about
still further complications by reviving her old claim to
the jurisdiction of the grants. So the matter, when pre-
sented to the Continental Congress, took a form which
was decidedly unfavorable to Vermont. New Hampshire
and New York were again contending for the same terri-
tory, and it began to look as though Congress would
like to dispose of the case in the easiest way, by dividing
the state between the two claimants along the line of
the Green Mountain range.
Vermont statesmen then saw the mistake which had
been made in attempting to incorporate part of New
Hampshire, and sought to retrace their steps. Very
evidently policy dictated a separation from the New
Hampshire towns. But states and nations as well as
128 HISTORY OF VERMONT
individuals often find that it is not so easy to get out of
a bad situation as it is to get into one. So it proved
in this case ; for when these towns were separated
from Vermont along with them went neighboring towns
on the Vermont side of the river. Vermont was dis-
membered. As if this were not trouble enough, Mas-
sachusetts presently entered the contest by asserting
claims to territory north of the boundary line, which, it
must be confessed, was somewhat uncertain. This, then,
was the situation in 1779. Four states were claimants
of the same territory. Vermont, troubled within and
without, but determined to maintain her integrity, was
pleading for admission to the Union, while on all sides
her neighbors were making the situation worse, and
Congress was doing nothing to make it better.
The claim of New Hampshire stimulated New York
to stir up further dissension in Vermont and advise her
partisans to resist the authority of the state. They
accordingly refused to recognize Vermont's authority to
draft troops or raise taxes, held a convention at Brattle-
boro, and formed a military association in Cumberland
County. Congress, meantime, only tried to pacify the
three litigious members of her own body, without paying
much attention to the needs of Vermont.
Such proceedings taught the people that they must
work out their own salvation if they were going to
be saved. They accordingly stood ready to seize any
opportunity to strengthen their position. A chance
soon came. The New Hampshire towns which had
once been represented in the Assembly of Vermont
again desired to renew that relation. A convention of
AN INDEPENDENT REPUBLIC
129
thirty-five towns which was held at Charlestown, New
Hampshire, in 1781, revealed that a majority of them
were in favor of a union with Vermont.
About the same time a similar application came from a
smaller number of towns across the New York border in
Vermont Coat of Arms
the eastern part of that state. Here was an opportunity
for Vermont to increase her strength and resources
in two directions. Both applications were favorably
considered, and Vermont assumed jurisdictional rights
130 HISTORY OF VERMONT
over the petitioning towns. Their representatives were
admitted to seats in her Assembly, and the annexa-
tions became known as the East and West unions.
This step was bold and unequivocal, but Vermont had
become accustomed to burning her bridges behind her.
The measure doubled the extent of her jurisdiction,
added to her numbers and resources, quieted disaffection
at home, and invited further immigration from abroad.
The next step was to secure herself from the dangers
of British invasion ; for the war was not over, and another
British campaign was contemplated in the Champlain
Valley. The British came up the lake, and Vermont
was defenseless. Congress was devoting its attention
and all the supplies it could get out of an unwilling con-
stituency to campaigns in other parts of the country.
But the British were still possessed of the notion that
had once deceived Burgoyne, — that the people of this
state would turn to the crown. In consequence of
this they w^ere misled by their hopes in a manner that
proved as effective a defense for Vermont as a mihtary
equipment would have been.
The peculiar situation of Vermont gave the British
some grounds for supposing that her allegiance might
be transferred to them. They w^ere familiar with the
rebuffs which the state had met in trying to associate
herself with the other states, and they conjectured that
they might turn her failure to their advantage. The
first intimation that came of this desire was in the
summer of 1780, when a stranger, apparently a Ver-
mont farmer, met Ethan Allen in the streets of Arling-
ton and handed him a letter. The stranger w^as not a
AN INDEPENDENT REPUBLIC 131
Vermont farmer but a British soldier, and the letter
was from an officer of the British army in Canada.
The letter invited Allen to give information about
the sentiments of the people on the subject of forming
a British alliance. Allen took the letter to Governor
Chittenden and it was discussed among a few confiden-
tial friends. No answer was returned to the British
officer, and he, thinking that his first letter might have
miscarried, sent another of similar purport in the follow-
ing February. To this also Allen made no reply, but
he sent both letters to Congress, with a characteristic
one of his own. He wrote :
I am fully grounded in opinion that Vermont has an indubita-
ble right to agree on Terms of Cessation of Hostilities with Great
Britain, providing the United States persist in rejecting her Appli-
cation for a Union with them : for Vermont, of all people, would
be the most miserable, were she obliged to defend the Independ-
ence of the United claiming States, and they at the same time at
full liberty to overturn and ruin the Independence of \xTmont. I
am persuaded whsn Congress considers the circumstances of this
State, they will be more surprised that I have transmitted them the
enclosed letters than that I have kept them in custody so long, for I
am as resolutely determined to defend the Independence of Vermont
as Congress are that of the United States, and rather than fail will
retire with the hardy Green Mountain Boys into the desolate Cav-
erns of the Mountains and wage war with Human nature at large.
Congress remained inactive.
When the British came up the lake in the fall of
1780 Governor Chittenden opened communications with
them, and with the help of the Aliens and a few others,
without committing the state to any pledges, so kept
the British fed with hopes of an alliance that they
132 HISTORY OF VERMONT
refrained from beginning hostilities. Presently news came
of the surrender of Cornwallis. It was then too late to
fight. The British embarked, returned to Canada, and
the border was again free from the dangers of invasion.
Thus far Congress had manifested little inclination to
consider the case of Vermont at all ; but presently, in
addition to the letters which Ethan Allen had trans-
mitted, came the following one, sent by Franklin across
the water.
Whitehall (London) Feb. 7, 1781
The return of the people of Vermont to their allegiance is an
event of the utmost importance to the king's affairs ; and at this
time if the French and Washington really meditate an irruption
into Canada, may be considered as opposing an insurmountable
bar to the attempt. General Haldimand who has the same instruc-
tions with you to draw over these people and give them support,
will, I doubt not, push up a body of troops, to act in conjunction
with them, to secure all the avenues through their country into
Canada : and when the season admits take possession of the upper
parts of the Hudson and Connecticut rivers, and cut off communi-
cation between Albany and the Mohawk country.
The letter, it seems, was written by Lord George
Germaine to Sir Henry Clinton, but had been inter-
cepted by the French and taken to Paris. There Ben-
jamin Franklin was informed of it, secured it, and sent
it to Congress. The evidence of this letter unmistak-
ably corroborated the two which Allen had sent to
Congress. They showed how important a place Ver-
mont occupied in the British mind, and they elevated
the state rather suddenly to a place of corresponding
importance in the considerations of Congress. Ira
Allen,, who gives the fullest account of these Haldimand
AN INDEPENDENT REPUBLIC
133
negotiations of any one who was in the secret, says
that this Germaine letter " had greater influence on
the wisdom and virtue of Congress than all the exer-
tions of Vermont in taking Ticonderoga, Crown Point,
and the two divisions from General Burgoyne's army,
or their petition to be admitted as a state in the general
confederation, and offers to pay their proportion of the
expenses of the war."
Certain it is that the tone of Congress changed after
the receipt of the Germaine letter. The problem of
what could be done in case Vermont responded favor-
ably to the offers of the British began to be seriously
considered. Washington wrote from Newburg Feb. 11,
1783, as follows :
It is not a trifling force that will subdue them, even supposing
they derived no aid from the enemy in Canada. . . . The country
is very mountainous, full of defiles and exceedingly strong. The
inhabitants for the most part are a hardy race, composed of that
kind of people who are best calculated for soldiers ; in truth who
are soldiers, for many, many hundreds of them are deserters from
this army ; who having acquired property there would be desperate
in defense of it, well knowing that they were fighting with halters
about their necks. ^
Congress at length conceded for the first time the
possibility of admitting Vermont, although it did so
indirectly by stating that if such a step were taken it
would be necessary for the state to relinquish the East
and West unions. General Washington sent a verbal
message to Governor Chittenden asking what the real
1 It should be noted in passing that although Vermont was a very
desirable refuge for deserters who did not wish to go to Canada, Ver-
mont authorities assisted in making arrests when their aid was invoked.
134
HISTORY OF VERMONT
Congi^'fs of the United States-:
Ikiun and licid a t!.c City ot Ph
fand fcvcn hundn i1 and n':\
An ACT
X H E S':
Si AT.
feeling of the people was, and later advised the gover-
nor that the state would better be reduced to its former
limits for the sake
of ending the
trouble. Encour-
aged to think that
if this were done
Vermont would
be promptly
admitted, the
Assembly com-
plied with the
suggestion ; on
Feb. 2 2, 1782,
Vermont was for
the last time
reduced to its
present territorial
form.
The action of
Vermont was not
followed by the
anticipated admis-
sion to the Union.
Matters still
dragged on. The
war ended, but
the effects of the
war began to appear. For Vermont the situation became
less critical ; for the United States it did not. The condi-
tion of Congress and the confederation was disreputable.
a:,J-\{--l:.
'-' K
,■ ■.-T,. :■■.-, ■,! U:Mcd-:
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fAnurua in
GVr<^.7>'i
c^d'iiJ
:.,:.. t,;/,,..yr..ulf.a.J J..;
r:J,
That on the
fourth day
th« faia 5!
of M
tt, t
jtch, one t';jufdjiJ fcvc-n hunJrc
i and niaety-one,
V an.l cn!ir-j
member oi
il.; I
,.:.i -.:..,.-.:,:.-:,.,
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JOHN AT3AM.;, r,.,-./>v-
crui frr/'.J
'■' ^'
AfPROVED, FtD
rii<iry the eigbiet-nth,' 1791. •
GtORG
E WASHINGTON, P^.^,«.-,/.
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Jmt:: S:^:...
/y^''/i^t/>^^'-^ '^'"''-^'j/
Facsimii.e
Act of Admission
AN INDEPENDENT RETUBLIC 135
The United States had no money, no revenue, no credit.
The armies were unpaid, and the government was
sinking into disgrace. Vermont grew less anxious for
admission. Then came that wonderful reorganization
and recovery under the constitution of 1789, with the
splendid work of Hamilton and the administrations of
Washington. Within two years of its reincarnation
Congress unanimously voted that on the fourth day of
the following March "the said State, by the name and
style of the State of Vermont, shall be received into this
Union as a new and entire member of the United States."
Conflicting interests were settled with comparative
ease. This state paid to New York thirty thousand dol-
lars in full settlement of all claims, and the money was
used to reimburse those persons who had been dispos-
sessed of lands held under New York grants.^ Many of
the prominent men of the earlier struggle had died, and
the new generation felt less bitterness over the ancient
quarrel. Many of the Bennington disputants had also
passed away. Three of the Allen family were dead,
Ethan among the number, he having died at Burlington
in 1789, of apoplexy.
The best men in New York were also becoming con-
vinced that nothing was to be gained by prolonging the
struggle. In fact the contest was hindering the wel-
fare of the state. Alexander Hamilton urged the settle-
ment of it, and showed that New York with its burden
of Revolutionary debt could not afford to carry on an
1 The division of this money by New York among the claimants
may be found in B. H. Hall's I/istojy 0/ Eastern Vermotit, Appendix L;
also in Documentary History of New York, IV, 1024. The amounts
range from ^5.49 to ^7218.94.
136 HISTORY OF VERMONT
offensive war with Vermont ; a war would require an
army and a treasury. This was the alternative : to settle
or to fight. Vermont showed her appreciation of an
amicable settlement by making grants of land to some
of the prominent men of the sister state. John Jay was
endowed with land in the town which still bears his
name. With the admission of the state all the animosity
of years was laid aside, and the neighboring common-
wealths assumed their new relations with harmony and
good will.
The Ruling Motive
It requires a somewhat broader view than that given in
the history of this contest as it has been outlined above
really to explain the attitudes which the various parties
to the controversy took at different times. It will be
worth while to get this broader view, because it is what
makes events comprehensible. Frequently movements
in history — political movements, for example — require
an explanation which does not appear on the surface or
in the mere narration of facts.
If we look into the events of the Revolution during
these years, we shall see that the Continental Congress
had more trouble of its own than it knew what to do
with, without taking up the battle for Vermont. With-
out going into these events we can readily see that Con-
gress could not afford to risk a quarrel between three of
her important states, and perhaps others, for the mere
sake of preserving the integrity of an outsider. The
integrity of the outsider was not absolutely essential to
the success of the American cause, but the integrity of
AN INDEPENDENT REPUBLIC 137
the Union was. The successful culmination of the war
was far more important to Congress than the acquisition
of another member to a body of wrangling states. This
interprets the dilatory and vacillating course of Congress
on the question of admitting Vermont to the Union.
Upon Vermont, therefore, was thrown the necessity of
maintaining her own independence against a manifest
disposition of Congress to sacrifice her, as well as against
the more aggressive acts of her immediate neighbors.
This explains her granting of lands, her annexations of
the East and West unions, and the somewhat shady
diplomacy of the Haldimand negotiations. Vermont
could not fail to see that, after all her efforts to aid the
common cause, she was likely to get less from its success
than she would from its failure; for Great Britain, the
very power she was helping to fight, offered her what
Congress did not. At any rate, appearances indicated
that she would be forbidden as a state to participate in
the results of that freedom which she was helping the
others to secure. If such was the case, then every
further step taken in support of the Revolution was
suicidal for her. Could it be expected that Vermont
would aid in defeating a foreign foe if by so doing she
would put her neck under the yoke of a more hateful
tyranny at home ? As a matter of policy, dictated by
the instincts of self-preservation, the state could lend a
listening ear to the proposals of British agents to detach
Vermont from the American cause and make her a free
British province.
The disclosure of the British design, especially the
Germaine letter, opened the mind of Congress to the
138 HISTORY OF VERiMONT
possible magnitude and significance of Vermont's foreign
relations, and brought once more into the sphere of
national politics the question of admitting her to the
Union. Congress was at length ready to admit that Ver-
mont had gained a place of sufficient importance as a
political entity to give her in all justice the right to be
recognized. At the same time circumstances already
noted made it impossible for Congi^ess to grant imme-
diate admission. This explains the attitude of Congress
after 1781, — why she was ready to concede Vermont's
independent statehood but did not admit her for ten
years more.
While the close of the war and the removal of British
troops ended alike the danger of invasion and the nego-
tiations with the British, these events did not leave the
United States in a condition which rendered admission
altogether desirable for the state. Vermont had then
r.ecured freedom from invasion, protection of life and
property, the establishment of order, financial integrity,
a vigorous and economical administration, an increasing
population. Under the circumstances it was no gain to
be admitted to membership in a government whose
burdens were greater and whose guaranties of such
essential advantages were less than her own. This
explains why Vermont became less anxious to push
her claims for admission.
When, however, the federal situation reached a pitch
of disintegration which necessitated reorganization, and
the constitution of 1789 was "crammed down the gullet
of America," or, in the more refined language of John
Quincy Adams, '' extorted from the grinding necessity of
AN INDEPENDENT REPUBLIC 139
a reluctant nation," the general situation began straight-
way to improve. The financial integrity of the United
States was no longer a matter for speculation. National
politics now began to turn on internal interests instead
of foreign domination, and it became evident that in the
new national politics the interests of Vermont were iden-
tical with those of New England and the northern states,
New York included. These common interests would
be strengthened by the admission of the state. This
explains why the motives for admission grew stronger
while the obstacles grew less.
So we find in this period of her independent statehood
a curious and entertaining interplay of local and federal
politics, which on the whole was not detrimental to
Vermont's interests, and which also reveals the relation
between separate states and the central government in
what is essentially its true and permanent form.
One cannot close the study of this period of Ver-
mont's history without an increased admiration of the
remarkable powers of her first governor. One of our
historians, himself a governor, has not overstated his
capacity in the following estimate: <*The formation of
the territory of Vermont into a separate state, the suc-
cessful progress of its government, and its final estab-
lishment against the powerful opposition of other gov-
ernments were owing in a great degree to the almost
unerring foresight, unhesitating firmness and sound
judgment of Thomas Chittenden."
CHAPTER VIII
FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE WAR OF 1812
Development of the Settled Portions of
THE State
A. Industrial Conditions
We must take a glance at the life of the people
between the close of the Revolution and the War of
1812, so as to fix in our minds some of the ways in
which that life differed from our own. While in a sense
it may be true that Vermont remained industrially in
about the same condition as during the war down to
the political disturbances which heralded the next war,
such a statement contains only half the truth. There
was no wide change in the forms of industry, but there
were a few changes of exceedingly great importance, and
furthermore there was a great industrial development.
Different kinds of business did not arise so rapidly
then as now, but the few kinds which were carried on
multiplied in different parts of the state.
The lack of good means of transportation perpetuated
colonial conditions to the period which we are now con-
sidering. The growth of the transporting business is the
key to the wonderful differences which we everywhere
see between those days and our own. For example, we
obtain supplies of grain, such as wheat and corn, and
140
REVOLUTION TO THE WAR OF 1812 141
supplies of meat, such as beef and pork, in immense
trainloads daily coming from the West. Modern trans-
portation has made this possible. In those earlier days
it was more of a problem to get a cow from an interior
Vermont town to Boston or New York or Montreal than
it is to-day to get a carload of beef from the western
prairie to Europe. Now every step in such a process
is carefully provided for, and the business of providing
for it has given rise to whole systems of great industries
which influence the welfare of millions of people, provide
millions of others with daily food, and enter the halls of
our national government as questions of public policy.
In colonial days these industries of transportation and
the problems connected with them did not exist. That
fact accounts for some of the most interesting phases of
colonial life and work. Wheat and corn and potatoes
could not be easily taken to market, but cattle could be
driven, pork could be hauled on the sledges in winter,
and potatoes could be turned into starch or whisky.
Whisky was a very highly condensed form of grain,
starch a condensed form of potato. You will find that
the marketable products of the farms went into those
forms of merchandise which combined the most value
with the least bulk. There were one hundred and
twenty-five distilleries in the state in 18 10, turning out
one hundred and seventy-three thousand gallons of
spirituous liquors.
An agricultural community, even in its earliest days,
needs certain artisans. It needs, for example, black-
smiths, carpenters, masons, tailors, and shoemakers.
Individual workmen were more necessary in these crafts
142 HISTORY OF VERMONT
then than they are to-day, because now great factories
do the work, and in the factories each man does only a
small part of the work which is done on the completed
article. Then each workman mastered the entire trade
and was a sort of factory in himself.
The products of such labor were locally consumed.
To-day they enter into trade and come even into the
range of international commerce. The individual black-
smith then made many tools ; the individual carpenter
made many wares. Over one hundred and eighteen
thousand dollars' worth of cabinet work was done in the
state in 1810. Fulling mills dressed many yards of
cloth. In the year above mentioned the amount was
nearly a million yards ; one hundred and sixty-six mills
were then operating. The local tannery tanned and
dressed many skins. The itinerant cobbler worked no
small part of these up into boots and shoes. Sixty-
five thousand pairs of boots and more than twice that
number of shoes were made in 18 10.
Some of these trades necessitated others. The black-
smith must have iron. There was plenty of it in the
state, and so you will find that the production of iron
was localized where ore and fuel were near together.
Many little iron mines, foundries, and forges were scat-
tered over the older-settled portions of Vermont. There
came a time when coke instead of charcoal was used
in the furnaces. That did away with the necessity of
near-by forests for fuel. There came a time when new
processes were invented for converting pig iron into bar
in large quantities. That centralized the iron business
in certain localities where the largest natural deposits of
REVOLUTION TO THE WAR OF 1812 I43
ore were found. So the iron business dropped out of
sight in Vermont after a time, except when unusual
emergencies created a special demand. At Woodford
there was a forge built for making anchors for the gun-
boats which Jefferson's administration bequeathed the
country. The War of 18 12 also acted as a stimulus to
Vermont's iron business, as we shall see later.
A Vermont lawyer who was on Governor Chittenden's
staff in 1794, and was in the same year sent to England
as a special agent for the Episcopal Church, wrote some
letters describing the condition of things in Vermont
as he knew them before he left the state. The letters
were published in a little book in London, ^ and they
make rather interesting reading now. Among other
things this writer very frequently mentions the iron
industries of different towns.
We read in his book that Tinmouth then had foundries
and a furnace at which all kinds of hollow ware were
cast. At Skenesboro were Mr. Arwin's large forges
and foundries. Mr. Burnham of Middletown also had
large foundries and forges. At Fairhaven a furnace
had been erected for casting all kinds of hollow iron-
ware. At the same place were also two forges, and a
slitting mill for making nail rods. Benson and Orwell,
towns on Lake Champlain, abounded with ore and had a
number of foundries and forges. At Brandon good bar
iron was made. At Chittenden was a large furnace which
yielded $10,000 as the proceeds of its second blast in
1795. Between Burlington and Colchester, on the great
falls in the Onion River, were Ira Allen's works. At
1 J. A. Graham, Descriptive Sketch of Vermont, London, 1797.
144 HISTORY OF VERMONT
Vergennes were others. So the account runs on, show-
ing us that the iron business was quite a factor in early
industry in the state and that the works were scattered
over the older western portions. The census of 1810
showed that there were sixty-seven cut-nail ■factories and
sixty-five trip hammers in operation.
The letters also indicate a general thrift among the
farming people. The inhabitants of Shaftsbury were
said to be wealthy. They had especially favorable mar-
kets at Troy and New City. They evidently possessed
handsome houses, for it is especially mentioned that
they used fine white marble for underpinnings and fire-
places. It was also used for tombstones. The uplands
of Sunderland produced large crops of hay, wheat, Indian
corn, hemp, and flax. There were farmers in Claren-
don who cut from two hundred to five hundred tons
of hay in a season. They made butter and cheese
in abundance, so of course must have had good herds
of cattle.
Farmers of the mountain towns, like Readsboro,
Stamford, Glastonbury, and Somerset, raised cattle for
the markets. In such regions, well up among the hills,
game was still abundant. The moose had gone north,
and beaver, too, had left the more thickly settled southern
portions of the state ; but foxes, wolves, deer, bears, and
rabbits still remained. The town of Dorset was so
infested with wolves that sheep raising was hazardous
business.
We hear of the farmers of Cavendish getting lime to
use as fertilizer at the kilns of Saltash, now Plymouth.
The towns of Ludlow and Reading were also supplied
REVOLUTION TO THE WAR OF 1812 145
from the same source. The soil about Bennington was
especially good, and vast quantities of wheat and Indian
corn were raised, besides great crops of hay of red and
white clover and herd's grass. Winter wheat was then
a sure crop in Vermont. Wheat was raised for the New
York markets, in fact, until about 1825, in the south-
western part of the state.
This part of the state had the advantage of being
near water communication to Troy. The markets on the
Hudson were always good, and roads were excellent for
the times. In winter, especially, when they were smooth
with snow and the Hudson was bridged with ice, it was
comparatively easy to market any kind of produce. Ox
and horse teams were kept busy going to Albany with
loads of wheat, pork, beef, butter, cheese, and potash,
and returning with store goods or a snug little sum of
ready money for the thrifty owner.
We begin to hear more about fruits and fruit raising.
Bennington boasted of apples, peaches, pears, red and
white plums, grapes, currants, gooseberries, etc. It is
said that wax grafting was invented by one of the
inhabitants of Shaftsbury, although this was at a later
date, and that having perfected the system he taught
it to others. So proficient did his disciples in the art
become that in the months of April and May the exodus
of grafters almost depopulated the town of the male por-
tion of its inhabitants.
More evidences of thrift appear in the descriptions
of houses of the time. Those at Bennington are said
to be positively ''elegant." They were made of wooden
frames and filled in with brick and mortar. Some were
146 HISTORY OF VERMONT
even made entirely of brick. The house of a certain
Mr. Tichenor, so the writer of those letters said, had
''chimney pieces and hearths of beautiful clouded marble
as highly polished as any I have seen in London." If
the writer were alive to-day he would be pleased to learn
that Vermont marble has not lost any of the reputation
which he was one of the first to make known to the Old
World.
If one wishes to learn about the life of the people
and get a bird's-eye view of what was going on over
the state, this eighteenth-century gossip is of no small
interest. We learn that the schools of Manchester
were especially good; that the town of Newbury was
supplied with water by an .aqueduct ; that the same town
had the " most elegant church in the state " and the only
bell ; that at Bellows Falls Colonel Hale had built a toll-
gate across the Connecticut River; that rights of lock
navigation had been secured over the falls, so that the
settlements above could enjoy the blessings of river
transportation; that Windsor had one of the best corn
mills in New England; that at Rutland there were an
oil mill, a brewery, and a hat factory; that Fairhaven
possessed a paper mill, and a printing press which used
paper made at the mill from the bark of basswood trees ;
that ore from a certain lead mine had been taken to
London for Dr. Johnson to analyze; that Mr. Clark of
Orwell could make Epsom salts from his salt spring
by boiling down the water.
The author also makes mention of the great pines in
the state, some of them being six feet through at the
base. Other fine timber abounded in his day. He
REVOLUTION TO THE WAR OF 1812 147
speaks of the winter travel to Canada by sledges. In
various towns schools are mentioned, both day schools
and academies. There were seven academies and gram-
mar schools incorporated before 1800, and fifteen more
before the war. Churches, oftentimes several denomi-
nations, existed in almost every town. He says the
religion at one place was a ** medley of almost every
denomination under heaven," — a condition which would
no longer be regarded as peculiar.
Conditions which awaited new settlers seem to have
been more favorable than in earlier days. These letters
describe settlers as coming from Connecticut to Sand-
gate, cutting the timber, chopping it into lengths, piling
these in heaps, burning them, collecting the ashes, boil-
ing them down into salts, harrowing over the land, and
sowing it to wheat or planting Indian corn, without any
further cultivation. Wheat was said to yield from thirty
to forty bushels per acre. The writer remarked : " Thus
the labourer gets his grounds cleared without any expense
and with little trouble, and his first harvest seldom fails
of yielding him double the original cost of the whole
land so cultivated." By saying that the farmer got
his ground cleared without expense the writer probably
meant that the product of the ashes would sell for
enough to repay the labor of clearing.
B. Industrial Transition
New enterprises were being started. In 18 11 the
legislature granted a charter authorizing the manufac-
ture of glass. A factory was built on the western shore
of Lake Dunmore, and ran for many years, employing
148 HISTORY OF VERMOx\T
about forty people. At Middlebury, a little before the
War of 18 1 2, a stone cotton-factory was built which
made cotton cloth that sold for fifty cents a yard. At
the same place, a little earher than this, marble had
been found, and a factory was built. It was the first
extensive one in the state for working marble. Quar-
ries had been opened, however, a good deal earlier. In
Dorset, in 1785, Isaac Underbill was making fire jambs,
chimney backs, hearths, and lintels for the capacious
fireplaces of that day. Limestone or slate had been
used previously, but the new fashion of using marble
once begun, people came from distances of fifty or a
hundred miles to get these beautiful fireplace stones.
This was years before marble was sawn, so the sheets
had to be riven off where Nature had formed strata
from four to eight inches thick and then hewn into
the desired shape and dimensions with mallet and chisel.
When one layer ran out, there was nothing to do but
find another which had already yielded sufficiently to
atmospheric forces to allow the hand of man to com-
plete the work.
Railroads had not as yet pierced the state. Steam
navigation did not begin until 1808. Over in the eastern
part of the state Captain Samuel Morey of Fairlee was
years before that working on his model of a steamer,
and as early as 1791 constructed a steamer and exhib-
ited it on the Connecticut River. He afterward trans-
ferred it to Morey Lake, and in 1795 secured a patent.
He also showed his invention to friends of Fulton, and
tradition says that when a few years later the latter
produced his triumphant work the disgusted captain
REVOLUTION TO THE WAR OF 1812 149
sank his own apparatus to the bottom of the lake. It
has been searched for, but Hke Captain Kidd's treasure,
7ion constat. Lake Cham plain is not far from the Hud-
son River, and it was not long after the Clermont had
puffed its victorious way from New York to Albany
before one of the finest steamers in the world could be
seen tearing about the lake at the terrific speed of five
miles an hour. Steam navigation had come to stay.
Of course sailing vessels had traversed the lake for
years. In 1749 the Swedish naturalist, Kalm, visited
Fort Frederick and found there a sailing vessel plying
regularly between that point and St. John's in Canada.
That was probably the first such vessel built on the
lake ; but between the French and the English the
practice did not cease, and after the wars were over
the lake became a highway of commerce.
One of the few products of the Vermont forest for
which there was then a demand was ship timber. This
could be marketed only when there was water near to
float it to the ports. In Vermont that confined the
early lumber business to the vicinity of the Connecti-
cut River or Lake Champlain. Since none of the ship
timber in western Vermont was on a water route to the
New England ports, it was taken to Europe instead.
The well-timbered sections of white and Norway pine
bordering the lake had through that body and its outlet
water communication to Quebec and thence to Europe.
In 1786 Ira Allen built at Winooski Falls the first saw-
mills in this section and sent the lumber to Quebec.
The demand was for oak for ship timber, and white and
Norway pine for masts and spars. A good trade grew
I50 HISTORY OF VERMONT
up. The Quebec outlet for Vermont timber lasted a
third of a century, and then the trade turned and began
to come the other way.
It must have been quite an undertaking to get a raft
together and take it through to Quebec as they used to
do. The men lived on the raft, equipped with tents, pro-
visions, and cooking utensils. On this crude eighteenth-
mmM
Hatchels and Wool Card
century house boat they made their way leisurely down
to the outlet of the lake, blown by the favoring winds.
We can imagine a little excitement now and then at the
falls as the huge, unwieldy craft went blundering along.
Lumber trade was not the only trade with Canada,
and Quebec was not the only mart. The settlers found
in Montreal a nearer market, and sailing craft of all
kinds plied the lake picking up cargoes of wheat and
REVOLUTION TO THE WAR OF 1S12
151
potash, products of the Champlain Valley, and bringing
in return merchandise that had come from over the seas.
In the winter long trains of sledges made their annual
trips to Montreal, just as from the other parts of the state
they went to Boston or Portland, taking their loads of beef,
pork, and other produce to exchange for goods and cash.
Before the War of 18 12 some important changes had
begun in the older portions of the state in the manner
of cloth making. Before 1800 no very successful experi-
ments had been
made in making
cotton or woolen
in large quantities
by machinery. So
far as this state
was concerned
cotton was hardly
an article of com-
merce at all. It
was rarely used
for domestic pur-
poses, nearly all
the cloth being linen or woolen made by hand from
flax and wool raised on the farm. The flax was rotted
in the field and then made ready for further use by the
hand brake and swingling knife. The tow was then
separated from the finer flax by hatchels. The flax was
then wound upon the distaff and spun on the little
wheel turned by a footboard, and thus made into linen
yarn. This yarn was then woven into cloth for sheets,
pillowcases, towels, tablecloths, and undergarments.
Flax or Wool Reels
152
HISTORY OF VERMONT
Spinning Wheel
In i8io there were nearly two million yards of it thus
made. The tow was spun on a large wheel, like wool,
and made into filling for
linen warp or a coarse
cloth for common uses.
Wool was carded by
hand by the farmers'
wives and daughters, and
then was spun into yarn
on the great wheel. Then
it could be woven into
flannel cloth. Such
flannel as was not wanted for beds and undergarments
was sent to the fulling mill to be prepared for outside
clothing. That which was designed for men's wear was
fulled, colored, and sheared by hand. Shearing was the
shortening of the nap on the
cloth. That designed for wo-
men's wear was dyed and made
glossy by pressing. It was
then ready for winter dresses.
The improvements which
were spoken of were, first, the
introduction of the carding
machine, which lessened the
labor of preparing the wool for
spinning. Carding mills were
built, and then the wool could
be taken to them to be carded
instead of being carded by hand at home. In 1801 such
a mill was set up at New Ipswich, New Hampshire.
Flax Wheel
REVOLUTION TO THE WAR OF 1812 153
Within nine years there were 1 39 carding machines run-
ning in this state, whose capacity was 798,500 pounds
of wool. Imagine the reHef which the hand carders
felt! Fulling mills had already been in operation for
a long time.
In 1 793 Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, a device
for removino: the seeds from cotton. Cotton wool then
Swifts
came into more common use. It was made into cloth
in the farmers' homes, at first, until machines were
invented for making it into yarn in factories. The
yarn was then put out to be woven on the common
loom. In 1 8 10 there were over 130,000 yards of cot-
ton used in the state, but this was a very small amount
compared with the 1,200,000 yards of woolen and
154 HISTORY OF VERMONT
nearly 2,000,000 yards of linen. In that year there were
in Vermont 23 spinning jennies, equal to about 800 spin-
dles ; but there were nearly 68,000 spinning wheels and
1 500 looms. However, the change had begun and it was
not long before the spinning machine and power loom
revolutionized processes completely in both cotton and
woolen manufacturing.
We see, therefore, that before the War of 1812a few
very important changes had begun which were to have
far-reaching effects on the cloth-making business of this
country. Some of these changes were to fix the indus-
tries of the South and make slavery a harder thing than
ever to uproot ; but so far as they concerned Vermont
these changes were but slightly felt before the War of
18 1 2, and only in the older portions of the state. Long
after the war, as we shall see, these hand processes, which
have now long been abandoned and have left us only
picturesque relics of spinning wheels as their legacy,
continued to prevail throughout the greater portion of
the state.
C. Educational Conditions
In framing the constitution of the state the fathers
made provision for the education of the children, and
really laid the basis of the common-school system.
They provided for different classes of schools, foresee-
ing weir the need of higher education as well as that
given by the common schools. " One grammar school
in each county and one university in the state ought
to be established by the direction of the General
Assembly." Thus did the men whose own training
REVOLUTION TO THE WAR OF 1812 155
had been in the hard school of adversity provide a way
for their children to reap advantages which they had
never known and never could know.
In 1 79 1 the University of Vermont was incorporated
and located at Burlington. In 1800 Middlebury Col-
lege was incorporated. Before the War of 18 12 the
two institutions had graduated one hundred and sixty-
six students. The operations of that war somewhat
embarrassed the pursuit of education at the former
college. In the summer of 181 3 large quantities of
United States arms were deposited in the university
building and a guard of soldiers stationed there, which
"very much interrupted the collegiate exercises," it
is said. The next year collegiate exercises were en-
tirely suspended and the building was rented to the
government.
Grammar schools and academies increased in number,
medical societies were formed, newspapers had begun
to flourish, all before the War of 18 12. Town libraries
were not unknown, and the work of training teachers
had begun. As early as 1785, J. Eddy, the Quaker
town clerk of Danby, opened a select school expressly
to train young men to teach. At Pawlet, in 1804, was
organized one of the first educational societies in the
United States.
It would be a mistake to suppose that the average
of intelligence was low in the state. It w^as not. The
facts just cited would be sufficient to indicate an excep-
tionally keen interest in educational matters. The min-
isters of the early churches were often men of keen
minds and clear thought, as well as possessors of vivid
156
HISTORY OF VERMONT
imaginations. Dr. Williams of Rutland was a Doctor
of Laws, a member of the Meteorological Society of
Germany, of the Philosophical Society of Philadelphia,
and of the Academy of Arts and Sciences in Massa-
chusetts. His reputation, at least, was international.
Such men of course were an exception, but general
intelligence was the rule.
At Westminster, in 1778, was
established the first printing
office in the
state. At the
session of the
legislature fol-
lowing this, state
printers were
appointed. The
two preceding
sessions had pro-
mulgated their
laws in manu-
script. In Feb-
ruary, 1 78 1, the
first newspaper
printed in the
state was started
at Westminster by the proprietors of the printing office
mentioned above. It was called The Vermo7it Gazette y
or Greeft Moimtaiji Post Boy. It had an interesting
couplet as its motto :
Pliant as reeds where streams of freedom glide,
Firm as the hills to stem oppression's tide.
The First Printing Press in America
On this press the first newspaper in Vermont was printed in
1781, in the Westminster Courthouse
REVOLUTION TO THE WAR OF 1812 157
It was not destined to be as enduring as the hills, for
in about two years it was discontinued. Other papers
were started, however, and before the year 1800 the
state was the possessor of three enterprising journals,
one at Bennington, one at Windsor, and one at Rutland.
D. Financial and Economic Legislation
In the period which we are now studying, Vermont
issued paper money and established coinage. Before
and during the Revolution the monetary conditions of
the American colonies were in a fearful and wonder-
ful state. The issues of paper money by the separate
colonies and of Continental currency by the combined
colonies went the way of all fictitious values. Depre-
ciation went on until to say that a thing was not worth
a Continental indicated a very low estimate of its worth.
To add to the disturbances caused by its own falling
value, the colonial issues which were legally made had
to cope with a tremendous output of counterfeit bills.
Our present manufacture of paper money is so safe-
guarded that it is a very difficult thing to counterfeit
it successfully, and a comparatively easy thing to detect
the fraud. But the situation was very different then.
The people of this state suffered so much from
counterfeit money and the failure of banks that agita-
tion began for the issue of currency by the state.^ So,
1 The returns from six counties in 1808 show sixty-one indictments for
counterfeiting or passing counterfeit money. In November of that year
the General Assembly requested the governor to secure the aid of the
Canadian authorities to disperse the counterfeiters who infested the
southern borders of Canada " preying upon the property of the good
citizens of this and the United States." — Governor and Council, V, J02.
158
HISTORY OF VERMONT
THEP.'JOrcf this RILLJhallh.
paid ii, tkf^iiafiircr of tiii! i:i:i
" nont. Twenty S ii i l-
Spar.lflt milUd DoUar.y, </i
.SVa Shilling.: :-<•■'■'•
or Gold nr Silrn
Coins: ciiuiiitl'.ii- .'"I-
in 1 78 1, Vermont determined to follow at a safe dis-
tance the example of Congress and the neighboring
states. An issue of ;£2 5, 1 5 5 in paper money was author-
ized. The bills were to be in denominations running
from one shilling to £,1. Notice that this was before
the adoption of dollars and cents, or as it is commonly
called, the decimal system of currency.
In order to make this
money worth what it
claimed to be on its face,
provision was made to
lay taxes to redeem it.
It was to be redeemed
by the treasurer of the
state by June i, 1782,
with specie at the rate
of six shillings to the
Spanish milled dollar.
It is to the credit of the
state that it was re-
deemed and for that
reason its value was
maintained. Notice
that Spanish money was
the prevailing coin current at that time. It came to the
colonies by way of the West India trade.
Not content with this experiment, some of the people
began agitation for the establishment of banks a few
years later. The bank measure was voted down in
1787, but came up again in 1803, when application
was made for the establishment of banks at Windsor
Facsimile of Vermont Bill of
Credit
REVOLUTION TO THE WAR OF 1812 159
and Burlington. Again the proposition was turned
aside, thanks to the governor and council. Since the
bill had passed the house, the governor and council
deemed it expedient to give their reasons for vetoing it.
These reasons stand to-day as a witness of the sound
common sense of these men. The first one really cov-
ered the case and is as follows :
Because bank bills being regarded as money, and money like
water always seeking its level, the bills put into circulation in this
state must displace nearly the same sum of money now in circula-
tion among us, and by driving it into the seaports, facilitate its
exportation to foreign countries ; which, as bank bills cannot be
made a legal tender, must prove a calamity to the citizens generally,
and especially to those who dwell at a distance from the proposed
bank.
However, the subject was revived again, and in 1806
a state bank was chartered. It became insolvent like
all the rest, and was within a few years wound up and
its bills burned as fast as they were received for taxes.
You may have heard of that experiment in coining
money in Massachusetts which gave rise to the " pine-
tree shilling." About a century later than that Ver-
mont undertook to supply her needs for a current coin
in something the same fashion. It was in 1785 that
the Vermont legislature granted to Reuben Harmon of
Rupert the right of coining copper money for two years.
The same privilege was then extended for eight years.
Harmon gave bonds of ^5000 that he would do the
work faithfully. No coin was to be made of less than
one third of an ounce Troy weight.
Harmon had to build a place to conduct the business
in, make a furnace for smelting, and get machinery for
i6o
HISTORY OF VERMONT
rolling the bars and cutting and stamping the coins.
The latter process was done by hand with a powerful
iron screw attached to a heavy beam overhead. It was
said that a speed of sixty coins a minute could be made
with this contrivance, but in actual practice they never
averaged over
thirty.
These first
coins are de-
scribed as
follows : Ob-
verse, a sun
rising from
behind the
hills and a
plow in the
foreground ;
legend Ver-
MONTis Res
P u B L I c A
1785.^ Reverse, a radiated eye, surrounded by thirteen
stars; legend Quarta Decima Stella.*^ The prophecy
came true. Another coin was made later, after Harmon's
time had been extended. He apparently did not make any
profit on his first venture, so applied for the extension,
which was granted. The weight of the coin was also
diminished from one third ounce Troy weight to *' pieces
weighing not less than 4 pennyweights, 15 grains each."
Harmon then secured partners from New York for the
Early Vermont Coins
1 " The Republic of Vermont."
2 " The Fourteenth Star," i.e., the fourteenth state in the Union.
REVOLUTION TO THE WAR OF 1812 i6l
remainder of the term. They brought dies which made
coins Hke the following : on one side a head with
AucTORi Vermon.i On the reverse was a figure of a
woman, with the legend Ixde et Lib, 1788.^
We do not know how long this firm continued to
coin money or how much it coined in all. There is
some reason to suppose that the mint ceased to operate
in 1788. After three years the firm was to pay for
its privilege by giving to the treasury of the state two
and a half per cent of all the money coined. It is said
that about the year 1800 considerable counterfeiting was
done in this vicinity, and a little detective work by the
people disclosed the fact that three brothers by the
name of Crane were making counterfeit silver coins in
the woods east of Rupert, in a secluded glen at the base
of Mount Equinox. Upon discovery they fled to parts
unknown, and their machinery was destroyed.
There is one curious feature of colonial lawgiving
which perhaps deserves a word here, since in this period
we see its vanishing traces. That is the custom of
granting lotteries for the aid of enterprises of various
sorts both public and private. It seems to us an
almost shocking ethical laxity in an age which we have
become accustomed to regard as especially strict and puri-
tanical. Perhaps if we were to look at the age a little
more sharply we would modify our views of it some-
what. This practice of granting lotteries, at any rate,
was quite a universal custom throughout the colonies,
and was employed to secure money to build a church or
1 " By the Authority of Vermont."
2 «' Independence and Liberty."
l62
HISTORY OF VERMONT
help a college or do any similar work of religious and
educational uplifting.
In this state the object of the lotteries seems to have
run more to internal improvements. Of the total num-
ber of twenty-four lotteries granted between 1783 and
1804, when the last grant was made, nine were either
for repairing or building bridges, and five were for
repairing or building roads. Two were made to help
men erect breweries, and one to assist in building the
courthouse at
Rutland. Bridges
were to be built
over the White
River, the Black
River, the Otta
Ouechee River,
the Otter Creek,
the Lamoille and
the D eer fi eld
rivers from the
proceeds of such
speculation. Oc-
casionally a lottery was granted to help a man recover
from losses sustained by fire. Fire-insurance compa-
nies had not yet been established in the state, and
the method of lottery was doubtless thought to be as
equitable a way as any to distribute losses.
Under the stimulus of lotteries turnpike companies
were incorporated, and for some years following 1796 a
turnpike craze swept the state. Fifty companies were
incorporated within a few years. They were rarely
The Governor Palmer House, Dan-
ville, WHERE THE LEGISLATURE MET
IN 1805
REVOLUTION TO THE WAR OF 1S12
'63
a success, and as public highways multiplied it became
evident that the tollgate was doomed. Most of the
companies surrendered their charters, and their roads
became public highways.
One or two other matters deserve to be mentioned,
although perhaps they do not, strictly speaking, come
under the caption of financial or economic legislation.
The Present State House at Montpelier
The first of these is the permanent location of legisla-
tive sessions and the erection of a state house. In 1805
Montpelier was made the capital of the state. There can
be no doubt that the dignity of the state was enhanced
greatly by having a fixed capital instead of an itinerant
legislature. The other thing to be noted is the rapid
formation of counties. Seven were established before
1 79 1, and four more in the following year. After this
l64 HISTORY OF VERMONT
the work went on more slowly, the last county, Lamoille,
not bemg formed until 1835.
Life in the Newer Portions of the State
After the close of the Revolution population rapidly
increased, and a fair share of it sought the newer por-
tions of northern Vermont and the " Y " of the Green
Mountains. The Hazen road became famous as a means
of transit for settlers across country into the new land.
Peacham, which for a time had been the terminus of
the road, had a period of prosperity, and was of some
importance for a few years as a point of Indian trade.
In 1805 the Passumpsic Turnpike Company was incor-
porated and did something in road construction.
The writer of the gossipy letters which we have
quoted says that for six years previous to his account
Caledonia County had a rapid growth. Orleans County
remained an almost unbroken wilderness until after
the Revolution, inhabited by Indians and visited by
an occasional white hunter. After the Revolution the
southwestern portion of this county was made accessible
by the Hazen road.
Returning for a little to the settlement of Caledonia
County, we find there a new element among the incom-
ing settlers. Hitherto we have noticed only settlers
who had come from southern New England. Now
we have immigrants from abroad. Certain companies
formed in Scotland sent agents to America to find where
good farming land lay and to make purchases of tracts
in favorable sections. It happened that the president
REVOLUTION TO THE WAR OF 1S12 165
of Princeton College, Rev. John Witherspoon, owned a
large tract of land in Ryegate, and as the agent of one
of these companies went to him for information, he sold
to him the southern half of that town in 1773.
This company was called the Scots American Com-
pany, and was composed of about one hundred and forty
farmers of Renfrewshire. So we have the nucleus of
one Scotch settlement in the town of Ryegate. In
the following year an agent of another company, the
Farmers' Company of Perth and Stirlingshire, bought
seven thousand acres in the southern part of Barnet.
As the result of these two purchases, large and flourish-
ing settlements of Scotch immigrants were formed, and
in their honor the county was given the old Roman
name of Scotland, — Caledonia. These settlers were
intelligent, industrious, patriotic, honest, and religious,
and formed a valuable addition to the population of this
part of the state.
The northern part of this county remained for some
years the habitat of moose and deer. The early settlers
of Burke would go on snowshoes to the north of that
town, where the animals yarded in winter, and bring
back on their shoulders or on rudely made hand sleds —
"moose sleds" they called them — the proceeds of the
hunt, great packs of hides and meat. The skins were
sometimes made to serve the purpose of beds in the
earliest homes.
Great quantities of ''salts " were made here and mar-
keted at St. Johnsbury for three or four dollars a hundred
pounds. At length an ashery was built in Burke, and
the proprietor took his potash to Portland through the
l66 HISTORY OF VERMONT
Crawford Notch in the White Mountains. Mails came
into the county through Danville from St. Albans.
They were carried on horseback across the country,
the carrier heralding his approach by means of a tin
horn, and distributing the mail from his saddlebags as
he went along. This peripatetic post office was a truly
rural delivery. Our latest improvement in the mail
service is not such a new thing after all.
Of course the southern part of the state had estab-
lished routes before this. The governor and council
established a weekly post between Bennington and
Albany, New York, as early as 1783, and the next year
the legislature created five post offices, with mails going
once a week each way between them. These were at
Bennington, Rutland, Windsor, Brattleboro, and New-
bury. The rates of postage were the same as those
of the United States; they depended upon how far
the letters were carried. They ran as high as twenty-
five cents for letters that had been brought several
hundred miles. Postage was paid by the one who
received the letter, not by the sender. The post riders
were allowed two pence or three pence a mile for travel,
and had in addition the exclusive right to carry letters
and packages on their routes. When Vermont became
a state of course her mail service became a part of the
government system.
Settlers pushed up the Passumpsic Valley from Cale-
donia County, without roads save those of their own
making, following the trail which Rogers's party of
rangers had taken nearly half a century before on
their return from Canada. Here and there were found
REVOLUTION TO THE WAR OF 1812 167
marks on the trees, thought to have been made by the
rangers ; at one place was found a coat of mail, and at
another remnants of an old iron spider. By this old
route settlers now came into the county of Orleans.
Four or five settlers planted potatoes at Barton
in 1793. They found them growing the next season
and used them as food, with lunge from Crystal Lake.
It had been but few years since the Indians had pitched
their wigwams here on their favorite camping ground
at the outlet of the lake. Early inhabitants saw their
numerous half-decayed cabins. An old Indian, Foosah
by name, told of killing twenty-seven moose and many
beaver in this vicinity in the winter of 178 3- 17 84. In
1796 General Barton, for whom the town was named,
built a sawmill at the foot of the meadows, but for
gristmilling and for groceries the settlers had to go to
Lyndon or St. Johnsbury. They had no road save the
spotted trees to guide them, and no carriage but their
own strong legs and sinewy arms and backs. In the
spring of 1809 wolves became especially troublesome
among the sheep. In one year four bears were killed
in John May's cornfield and the woods near by. There
were still moose in the woods eastward, a day's tramp
toward the Connecticut River.
From Barton settlers moved into Charleston in 1802.
Having settled, they found that their best way of com-
municating with the outside world lay through Burke,
which they could reach by crossing the mountain and
the ** ten-mile woods." It was fortunate that these
settlers found the Clyde River stocked with trout, Echo
Pond "our meat barrel," and partridges plenty in the
l68 HISTORY OF VERMONT
woods, else they might have fared worse than they did
in the cold season of 1813. Wheat, rye, and barley
all failed, and the people went to the w^oods for leeks
and groundnuts as well as for game.
By way of the Barton River early settlers in Cov-
entry vended their salts, made by boiling down the lye
of hard-wood ashes, to manufacturers of pearlash, and
got in return salt, flour, and leather. In the year of the
famine they had to live for days on suckers, the stream
having been depleted of its trout.
Parties from Danville and Peacham cut a road through
Irasburg to Troy in the fall of 1807 and transported
hundreds of tons of salts and pearlashes to Canada. In
the days of the embargo much of this trade went to
Montreal through the wilderness in winter. In the
spring of 1808 a great deal of pearlash was still left
in the country, and the Barton River was cleared out
so that rafts and barges loaded w^ith pearlash could be
taken to Quebec. ''The Landing" became the name
of the place where it was put on the boats. The
channel of the river being thus cleared and intercourse
once begun, it was easy to keep up trade relations
after the war began, and we have in consequence the
smuggHng of the following years.
Lake Memphremagog had been of old a famous fish-
ing ground among the Indians, and they were loath to
leave. In its waters they had taken salmon and mas-
kinonge, and through the adjacent woods they had
hunted moose, deer, bears, and smaller fur-bearers. It
is not strange that in the fall and winter of 1 799 Troy
received a visitation from Indians. A party of men,
REVOLUTION TO THE WAR OF 1812 169
squaws, and papooses, under the chief Susap, came and
built camps beside the river and wintered there near the
settlers. The deer and moose were growing scarcer,
and the company were half starved through the winter.
They made baskets, cups, and pails of birch bark, and
eked out a scanty living until spring ; then they left,
never to return.
One of their number, an old woman known as Molly,
gained a great reputation as a doctress among the
whites, who suffered that winter from an epidemic.
This woman was familiar with the events of Lovewell's
War, which occurred in 1725 and at which she said
her husband was killed. Some years after her kindly
services to the settlers at Troy she went to Guildhall.
In 18 17 she was found dead on White Cap Mountain,
in East Andover, Maine, where she had gone to gather
blueberries. She had survived her husband nearly a
century.
At Richford we hear that Indians hunted along the
Missisquoi River and in the mountains in winter, freez-
ing the meat which they secured from their slaughtered
game. In the spring when the ice broke up in the
river and lake they took their meat by way of Cham-
plain and the Sorel River to Caughnawaga to market.
But the coming of the white settlers hastened the day
when the Indian must depart. These occasional trips
were but his last farewell to the land of his fathers
and the places which soon would know him no more.
Some Indian chiefs in Canada applied to the legisla-
ture in 1798 for compensation for the lands which their
tribes had owned in Vermont. The claim embraced
lyo HISTORY OF VERMONT
nearly the whole of the present counties of Addison,
Chittenden, Franklin, and Grand Isle. The legislature
supported the agents of the Indians during their mis-
sion, and sent them away with one hundred dollars
as a friendship token, but did not solve the vexing
problem of how to extinguish with equity the claims of
the prior inhabitants to the lands of which they had
been dispossessed. A later session decided that the
Indian claims were extinguished, if they had ever
existed, by the treaties between France and Great
Britain in 1763 and England and the United States
in 1783. A resolution to this effect was sent to the
Indians, and although it would be interesting to know
how they interpreted the logic of this decision, it
appears to have stopped any further claims.
One more incident will be enough to finish the pic-
ture of life in these northern settlements between the
Revolution and the War of 18 12. In the spring of
1796 Ephraim Adams and three other young men from
Ipswich, New Hampshire, purchased a thousand acres
of land in Knight's Gore, now in the eastern part of
Bakersfield. On this land they worked three summers,
and in the winter went back to New Hampshire to
teach school. Working in this way, in three seasons
they cleared their land and made farms for themselves,
having wheat to sell. We can guess that they never
forgot the events of those three summers, when they
slept under the bark of an elm for cover and cooked
their food over an oven built of stones and plastered
with mud. They finally bought a cow, and when their
wheat ripened sufficiently to cut, they boiled it and
REVOLUTION TO THE WAR OF 1812 171
ate it with milk. They made a threshing floor out of
basswood logs split in halves and laid flat side up, and
improvised a fanning mill for winnowing their grain.
People came from the lake to buy their wheat. From
the ashes which he saved while clearing his land young
Adams secured cash for the building materials of his
first dwelling.
From such instances we can see that the process of
settlement was much the same as it had been two or
three decades earlier in the older portions of the state.
But if the process was no less hard at first a more
rapid development appears. Neighbors were plentier,
and the older towns served as markets for the newer.
Then, too, for this northern part Montreal and Quebec
furnished markets and a trade which led to interest-
ing results when national policy once more became
uppermost in Vermont history. But that brings us to
the War of 18 12.
CHAPTER IX
THE WAR OF 1812
Plattsburg Bay, Sept. ii, 1814
I could only look at the enemy's galleys going off in a shattered
condition ; for there was not a mast in either squadron that could stand
to make sail on, the lower rigging being nearly all shot away, hung down
as though it had just been placed over the mast heads. The Saratoga
had 55 round shot in her hull; the Confiance one hundred and five.
The enemy's shot passed principally just over our heads, as there was
not 20 whole hammocks in the nettings at the close of the action ;
which lasted, without intermission, two hours and twenty minutes. —
Extract from Macdonough's Report to the Secretary of the Navy
Military Events of the War
The above extract makes it apparent that a naval
engagement of no mean importance had taken place on
Lake Champlain in early September of the year 18 14.
What was it all about }
While our Vermont settlers had been clearing land,
selling ashes, raising wheat, building mills, opening quar-
ries, establishing iron works, founding schools, erecting
churches, trading with Canada, and doing a lot of peace-
able things which were good for them and the state as
a whole, the national government had begun a war with
England which involved the settlements along the Cana-
dian border and the Champlain Valley, interfered with
the trade to Canada, and gave rise to a great naval bat-
tle. That battle was what the American commander was
reporting to the Secretary of the Navy. We shall learn
more about it presently.
172
THE WAR OF 1812 1 73
So far as Vermont was concerned the theater of this
war was much the same as that of the Revolution, or
to go back still farther, that of the French and Indian
wars. Already the Americans had attempted an inva-
sion of Canada. Now the British were going to operate
from Canada and invade the states.
In this emergency the distress of the northern border
can be well imagined. It was settled enough to invite
attack, but not enough to repel it. It is no wonder that
the thinly populated towns were in a quiver of excitement.
The almost unbroken wilderness stretching back from the
boundary was peopled with imaginary terrors. The entire
length of the Champlain Valley was exposed to border
warfare; and although the north of the state was farther
from the beaten line of invasion, it was penetrated by the
Memphremagog and its tributaries and a few highways
of traffic to the neighborhood of many settlements.
Rumors of projected Indian raids came floating
through the woods. Many people sought safety in flight
and abandoned their homes until more peaceful times.
Cattle were driven off, portable property removed, and
cultivated farms left untilled. The more courageous
remained at home, but stockades were built, and parties
of volunteers were stationed at various points along the
border. The main roads into Canada were at Troy,
Derby Line, and Canaan. Guards were maintained at
these places. At Derby Center barracks were built
between the graveyard and the pond, with a guard-
house on the hill near by. A company of men was
raised from Derby, Holland, and Morgan, and spies were
sent into Canada. Rumors that an invasion was to be
174 HISTORY OF VERMONT
made through Stanstead gave way to the more reason-
able news that it was to be through the Champlain Valley.
The Derby company and other similar ones throughout
the state were then hurried off to Plattsburg.
The United States entered this war with more enthusi-
asm than prudence. The fortunes of battle were against
her at the start. Her magnificent foreign commerce
instead of being benefited by war was destroyed by it.
By the close of the year 1814 there was scarcely an
unarmed vessel on the ocean which dared carry the stars
and stripes. Our national capital was taken by Brit-
ish troops. In Europe, where the English were at the
same time fighting Napoleon, that conqueror of nations
was forced back step by step until he was forced off his
throne. Then England sent her veterans to Canada. A
force of eighteen thousand men began to move up Lake
Champlain toward Plattsburg.
Meantime there was a buzz of preparation in the
Champlain Valley. During non-intercourse and the war
business boomed at Vergennes, where the great falls in
the river lent water power to mills and forges. It was
here that Macdonough's fleet was fitted out. Here also
were cast supplies for the war — no less than one hun-
dred and seventy-seven tons of shot. Such business
employed furnaces and forges and kept rolling mill
and wire factory hamming. With magical rapidity the
American fleet was built. The flagship Saratoga was
launched the fortieth day after the great oak which went
into her keel had fallen from its stump in the forest.
No action worthy of note occurred on the lake until
June, 1 8 13. On the second day of that month two
THE WAR OF 1812 175
sloops, the Growler and the Eagle, started from Platts-
burg in pursuit of a couple of British gunboats which
had put in a tantalizing appearance. The next morn-
ing, while chasing the boats near the Canadian line, the
sloops got cooped up in the narrow channel of the Sorel
River, into which the boats had fled, within sight of the
fort on Isle-aux-Noix. Land forces came up both sides
of the river to help the galleys. Wind and current were
dead against the sloops, and after a plucky fight of three
hours they surrendered. Two more vessels were thus
added to the enemy's fleet.
On the 30th of July a British detachment landed at
Plattsburg and destroyed the American barracks. The
public stores had been removed to Burlington, and the
enemy after leaving Plattsburg proceeded thither and
fired a few shots into the town. The cannon on the
shore began presently to play on them and they forthwith
retired, leaving the town unharmed.
For a time the northern army was located at Burling-
ton, under General Hampton. On the 25th of Septem-
ber Colonel Clark was detached with one hundred and
two men and ordered to attack a small British force at
St. Armand on Missisquoi Bay. He found the enemy un-
prepared. After a ten-minute fight the entire English
force surrendered, and the one hundred and two Ameri-
cans marched one hundred and one prisoners back to Bur-
lington. On the 19th of December Lieutenant Macdon-
ough went into winter quarters at Otter Creek with his
flotilla, and the northern campaign ended for that season.
In the following spring thirteen English galleys, three
sloops, and a brig passed up the lake and stopped at the
i;6 HISTORY OF VERMONT
mouth of the Otter Creek. They opened a spirited fire
on the battery at the mouth of the river, intending to
carry it, to force their way up the river, and to destroy
the American shipping at Vergennes which was being
made ready for service. But the garrison at the battery,
aided by the Vermont mihtia, repelled the attack and
the enemy turned again northward. The American ship-
ping saved that day from destruction proved its worth
four months later at the battle of Plattsburg Bay.
As the summer months passed it became evident
that a land battle would be fought on the New York
side of the lake. The northern army had been ordered
to the Niagara frontier, and the situation grew embar-
rassing to the one brigade at Plattsburg. Prevost had
concentrated at the head of the lake a large army of
veterans for this invasion of New York. A strenuous
cry for help was made to the neighboring states.
Acting officially for the state of Vermont, Governor
Martin Chittenden, son of the old governor, Thomas
Chittenden, did not consider himself authorized to order
the militia into service outside the state. The gover-
nor was a Federalist. His Federalism, however, did not
prevent him from issuing a call for volunteers. The
response was a ready one. By the iith of September,
the day when the great fight occurred in Plattsburg Bay,
twenty-five hundred men from the Green Mountain State
had reported at Plattsburg ready for service.
Early in the morning on that same day the British
fleet weighed anchor at Isle La Motte and sailed south
around Cumberland Head, where Macdonough's vessels
lay anchored in a line stretching thence to Crab Island
THE WAR OF 1S12 177
Shoal. On shore an American army of less than five
thousand men stood on the south bank of the Saranac
River waiting for the first move of the British force of
three times their number which was drawn up on the
opposite side.
Between eight and nine o'clock in the morning the
naval fight began. A shot from the Linnet struck a
An Old Print of the Battle of Plati^sburg
hencoop on the Saratoga and released a gamecock. He
hopped up on a gun slide and crowed ; and while the
men laughed and cheered at the omen, Macdonough,
having first kneeled in prayer on the deck of his ship,
fired the first shot from one of the long guns. All the
vessels were presently engaged.
A double-shotted broadside from the British flagship
struck the Saratoga squarely and sent half of her men
1^8 HISTORY OF VERMONT
sprawling on the deck. Forty were killed or wounded;
the rest picked themselves up and sprang again to the
guns. Macdonough was working like a common sailor.
As he stooped to sight his favorite gun a shot from the
enemy cut in two the spanker boom and it came crash-
ing down on his head, knocking him senseless. Within
three minutes he was again at the gun. Then another
shot came, tore off a gunner's head, and sent it into
Macdonough's face wdth enough force to knock him to
the other side of the deck. Such was the fashion of
the fight. For more than two hours it went on, while
all along the lake shore and through the valley and on
the uprising hills there watched or listened to the rever-
berating thunder of the guns the people to w^hom the
result meant safety or flight.
On the brow of one hill on an island opposite Platts-
burg stood a boy of some thirteen years looking down
at the fight in the bay below him. His father was in
the American army. Long before sunrise that morn-
ing he had the horses harnessed, and when the tops of
the British masts appeared, coming south from Isle
La Motte, he drove to the hill, hitched the horses to
a tree, and found a spot where he could overlook the
whole scene. After the British hauled down their colors
he saw a boat with two or three men in it putting out
from the shore close by. He wanted to see the British
ships, so he ran down to the shore, called to the men
in the boat, and together they rowed out to the scene
of battle.
He always remembered that scene. In November,
1 90 1, although over one hundred years old, he retold
THE WAR OF 1812 1 79
the story as vividly as though it had happened but
the day before.^ He described the ship which he visited
as being built of oak and planked with white-oak planks
six inches thick. That planking was stuck solid full of
balls. He says:
The riggin' was cut all to pieces. There wasn't any of it left.
Our folks used chain shot. That is, they bored holes in the can-
non balls and took two balls and fastened them together with a big
chain. They cut the shrouds and everything right off. The decks
was the most awful sight I ever saw. It was — it was awful.
Blood, blood was everywhere ! The decks was covered with
arms and legs and heads, and pieces of hands and bodies all torn
to pieces! I never see anything in this world like it! Seemed
as if everybody had been killed.
It seemed that way to others also. A British mid-
shipman of the Confiajice wrote to his brother as follows:
Our masts, yards and sails were so shattered that one looked
like so many bunches of matches, and the other like a bundle of
rags. The havoc on both sides is dreadful. I don't think there
are more than five of our men, out of three hundred, but what are
killed or wounded. Never was shower of hail so thick as the shot
whistling about our ears. Were you to see my jacket, waistcoat
and trousers, you would be astonished how I escaped as I did, for
they were literally torn all to rags with shot and splinters ; the
upper part of my hat was also shot away. There is one of our
marines who was in the Trafalgar action with Lord Nelson, who
says it was a mere flea-bite compared with this.
During the naval action something had been doing
on shore. The opening volley of the Confiance had
1 This account of the battle may be found in The Outlook, Nov.
2, 1901, where an interview with the survivor, Mr. Benajah Phelps, was
reported.
l80 HISTORY OF VERMONT
been the signal for the land forces to begin. At the
bridges and the fords of the river the brunt of the fight-
ing fell. The father of the boy who watched the fight
from South Island was an orderly sergeant and was sent
up the river with his company to guard a bridge and
a ford. So of course the lad found out afterward how
it was done.
They took every single plank off the bridge. Of course the
British column had to go higher up stream then to the ford. That
Avas about three miles up the Au Sable. ^ Father's company
guarded the ford all day. The woods was thick and the big trees
and bushes came right down to the water's edge, and father's men
hid in them. When the British stepped into the water to cross,
they shot them right down. Some of them dropped in the stream
and was carried away by the current. Not one of our men was
killed. . . . The British tried hard to get across the river in
Plattsburg but they could n't. Why, you see, all the Vermont
mihshy was there! It was impossible to git across that river.
Still another bridge was guarded by our Derby com-
pany. When the British started up the Saranac to cross,
the captain of this company was ordered to follow on
the south side and destroy the bridge. He managed to
keep a little ahead of the British and reached the bridge
first. Then he and his men made a dash for the bridge,
picked up the planks, and walked to the shore on the
stringers, carrying the planks. Before they had finished,
the British came up and opened fire. Bullets struck the
planks as the men carried them off, and some of the
men were killed. But the men finished the work, and
then shot the British off into the water when they tried
to cross on the stringers.
1 It must have been the Saranac instead of the Au Sable.
THE WAR OF 1812 l8l
As soon as news came of the surrender of the Brit-
ish fleet the army began preparations to retreat. They
retreated so precipitately that provisions, ammunition,
military stores, and wounded men were left behind.
The total British loss has never been correctly ascer-
tained ; the Americans lost not more than 150 men.
Young Macdonough's fleet comprised 14 vessels of 2244
tons, 882 men, S6 guns. The British fleet was some-
what superior in equipment, — 16 vessels of 2404 tons,
987 men, and a total of 92 guns. On the approach
of winter the victorious fleet was taken to Fiddler's
Elbow, near Whitehall ; there it lies to-day beneath
the waves.
Macdonough was presented with a tract of land on
Cumberland Head, overlooking the scene of his victory,
as an expression of the appreciation of his services on
this occasion. You will find this opinion expressed
in Theodore Roosevelt's history of the Naval War of
18 12: "Macdonough in this battle won a higher fame
than any other commander of the war, American or
British. . . . Down to the time of the Civil War he
is the greatest figure in our naval history." He served
his country later on foreign seas until his health gave
way, and died at sea in 1825 on board a trading brig
which had been sent by the government to bring
him home.
The Green Mountain men, who had rallied to the help
of the frontier before the government at Washington
had even asked their aid, received thanks from the
commander at Plattsburg and thanks from the general
government for their services. And here, so far as
l82 HISTORY OF VERMONT
its military features go, the War of 1812 ends for Ver-
mont. The national policy which led to this war pro-
duced some results, however, that were not strictly of
a military nature, and it will be of interest to notice
what they were.
The Smugglers of Embargo Days
It is one of the ideas which statesmen have that if
you are going to war with a nation you ought not to
trade with its people at the same time. It violates the
principle of consistency, and this is very important in
politics. But it sometimes happens that those who do
the trading think differently from the politicians, and
then one finds that secret or clandestine trading goes
on, which is commonly called smuggling. This was what
happened in the seaport towns of the Atlantic colonies
before the Revolution, and this was what happened along
the northern borders of Vermont before and during the
War of 1812.
The policy of withholding trade from Great Britain
was not intended merely to prevent any such trade
from growing up in the future, but it was designed to
cut off the already existing trade. We have already
seen what a blessing it was to the settlers of northern
Vermont to have the markets of Canada open to them.
The restrictive policy, therefore, bore upon them with
corresponding heaviness.
The first embargo act, which Congress passed in
December, 1807, interfered with seaboard commerce.
Since Vermont had no seaports it did not injure her;
THE WAR OF 1812 1 83
in fact it had the reverse tendency, for it turned more
people toward Canada as a market for their timber,
potash, and pearlash. But when this first embargo was
supplemented by the land embargo of March, 1808,
the shoe began to pinch- What made it worse, steam
navigation was just opening on Lake Champlain, and
people were beginning to see that good profits could
be made from this lake trade.
To the genuine distress of the people at this land
embargo you must now add another element, the zeal
of the federal politicians. They seized this opportunity
to excite great dissatisfaction with the national govern-
ment, and they alarmed its supporters in this state. The
very day that the embargo law was received by the col-
lector of the Vermont district he wrote to the Secretary
of the Treasury that it would be impossible to execute
that law without a military force.
President Jefferson's embargo policy did not meet
with uniform approval or success. In fact it was every-
where systematically evaded. Jefferson had made a brief
visit to Vermont in 1791, and if we may judge by the
letter he wrote home he did not enjoy himself. Lake
Champlain was muddy; there were not enough fish; the
wind blew in his face; the weather was sultry; he under-
stood that there was as much fever and ague and bilious
complaint on Lake Champlain as in the swamps of Caro-
lina; the land was locked up in ice and snow for six
months. So it is probable that the President's personal
recollections, added to the accounts which he heard of
the great trade which was springing up w^ith Canada,
gave him a somewhat jaundiced view of the situation.
l84 HISTORY OF VERMONT
He forthwith issued a proclamation the preamble of
which was as follows:
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
A PROCLAMATION
Whereas information has been received that sundry persons
are combined or combining and confederating together on Lake
Champlain and the country thereto adjacent for the purposes of
forming insurrections against the authority of the laws of the
United States, for opposing the same and obstructing their execu-
tion ; and that such combinations are too powerful to be suppressed
by the ordinary course of judicial proceedings, or by the powers
vested in the Marshals, by the laws of the United States :
Therefore all such persons were ordered to disperse
and military officers were directed to aid in subduing
this trouble. The collector's fears may have been well
grounded, but such a proclamation only served to make
the situation worse.
When the proclamation, which was published in full
in Spooners Vermont Journal May 9, 1808, met the
startled eyes of the inhabitants of this state it roused
a variety of emotions. But one thing was sure, they
did not relish being advertised as insurrectionists.
Accordingly in the following month the same paper
had the pleasure of printing the following memorial,
with a petition that the land embargo be discontinued.
It is worth quoting because it throws light on the situ-
ation and reflects the general indignation at Jefferson's
proclamation, besides stating pretty fairly the position
of the petitioners. From this statement it would appear
that Vermont in 1808 would not have been wholly
averse to a free-trade policy.
THE WAR OF 1812 1 85
NO REBELS IN VERMONT
TO THOMAS JEFFERSON, ESQ.
President of the United States
A MEMORIAL
of the Inhabitants of the town of St. Albans
. . . After an impartial investigation of the subject, so far
as they are capable, your Memorialists cannot conceive how the
object of the general Embargo, which was the protection of our
"■ vessels, our seamen and merchandise on the high seas," can be
any way connected with the provisions of the law of March 12;
or how our " vessels, our seamen and our merchandise on the high
seas " can be exposed to any dangers from the belligerent powers
of Europe, in consequence of a commercial intercourse, either by
land or water, between the citizens of Vermont and Lower Canada,
and other places in like situations ; nor can they be taught^ that a
law which forbids the exchange of such commodities as they do
not want, for the conveniences and necessaries of life, and espe-
cially for the sinews of war, the gold and silver of that nation,
whose injury it seems, is contemplated by such law, can in any
possible degree, tend to the welfare of the Union
The militia in the meantime was ordered out and
stationed at Windmill Point to stop some rafts bound
to Canada. The rafts, favored by darkness and wind,
escaped the vigilance of the militia and made their way
through to the forbidden land. This incident served to
throw suspicion on the efficiency of the Franklin County
militia, and they were superseded by United States
troops. The whole course of affairs served to irritate
the people, alienate a portion of them in this section of
the state from the support of the national policy, and
to cheer the smugglers in their traffic, while the resort
to force stimulated them to more desperate resistance.
1 86 HISTORY OF VERMONT
Lake Champlain offered an unparalleled field for
smuggling operations. An active contraband trade cen-
tered at St. Albans. The northern part of the lake,
with its many little shady nooks, secluded bays, wooded
shores, and uninhabited spots, gave the illicit traders
the assistance of nature and a most convenient high-
way. In these hidden corners they could lie secreted
by day and run their devious ways by night.
Of all the boats engaged in the smuggling business on
Lake Champlain the Black Snake was the most famous.
She had been built originally to run as a ferryboat
between Charlotte, Vermont, and Essex, New York.
But her construction made her an excellent boat for the
smugglers. She was forty feet long, fourteen feet wide,
four and one half feet deep, built with straight high
sides, and could carry one hundred barrels of potash at
a load. With freight running from five to six dollars
a barrel, you can easily see why smuggling paid. The
vessel had a sharp bow, a square stern, a forecastle but
no cabin, carried seven oars on a side, and was manned
by a powerful and desperate crew. She was unpainted,
but had been smeared over with tar, and probably took
her name from the color.
For months this boat plied her illegal traffic and either
overawed or eluded the government officers. She was at
length taken by the revenue cutter The Fly, and after a
sharp fight all but two of the crew captured. These were
taken later. The boat was caught up the Winooski River,
whither she had gone for a cargo. Dean, one of the
captured crew, was executed, and the rest were sent to
the state prison, which had been built a few years before
THE WAR OF 1812 187
When the war opened and the British army entered
Canada the incentives to trade greatly increased. The
presence of this large body of transients afforded a tem-
porary market for provisions such as beef, flour, and
other products of the farm, which created an itching
palm in many a thrifty farmer's hand and led to contra-
band trade by land. There was an opportunity to lay
the foundation of handsome fortunes, and not a few
supplies from settlers in Orleans, Caledonia, Franklin,
and other near-by counties found their way across the
line. Pligh prices were paid at Stanstead.
Of course attempts were made to intercept the trade.
Officers were picketed at every road leading into Canada,
and encounters with the smugglers were not infrequent.
The latter then adopted the practice of going frequently
in sufficiently large numbers to overawe or override the
officers of the law. The northern trade, however, was
seriously interfered with when military companies were
raised for the war. The captain of the Derby company
which has already been mentioned had orders to patrol
a line extending from Essex County to Lake Memphre-
magog. He picketed every road and stopped this illicit
trade for a time. This not unnaturally roused the antip-
athy of our neighbors across the border, for they were
as anxious to buy as the settlers were to sell.
As soon as the invasion of the Champlain Valley
demanded the presence of the volunteers at Plattsburg
the Canadians had a chance to vent their spite. The
absence of the local troops left the Derby frontier
unprotected ; and one dark night a few Canadians stole
across the line from Stanstead, set fire to the barracks.
l88 HISTORY OF VERMONT
guardhouse, and officers' quarters, and made good then-
escape before the town was roused. But from that
time until the close of the war it was not prudent for
a Canadian to be seen on the streets of Derby after
nightfall unless he was ready for a coat of tar and
feathers.
As the army's demand for beef increased encounters
by land became more frequent. Through the northern
woods, the back pastures, and in unfrequented places
along the main roads smugglers took droves of cattle
for the use of the British army. Eastward through
the woods to the Connecticut River this scattered but
exciting trade went on.
In the year 1813a young lad from Albany was out
one day in the timber, when he espied a large drove of
cattle on what was known as Corey's smuggling road.
This was a passage which the smugglers had cut in
the woods, and it ran from Craftsbury through Albany,
under the side of the mountain toward Lowell, coming
out into the old Hazen road at a point about west of
where Albany Center now stands. What the boy saw was
a drove of beef on its way to feed the British army.
Tingling with excitement, the lad rushed to Irasburg,
where the United States officer of customs was sta-
tioned. Major Enos, the officer, heard his story, and
taking the boy up behind him on his horse, started in
hot haste for Craftsbury, where he raised a posse of
determined men. They took the old Hazen road and
followed the smugglers toward Lowell. Cattle not being
rapid travelers, the drovers were overtaken at Curtis's
Tavern near Lowell Corners, baiting their live stock.
THE WAR OF 1S12 1 89
The smugglers determined to rely on the sympathy
of the Lowell people and fight. Posting two men at the
bars of the inclosure where the cattle were quietly
feeding, they threatened to shoot the first man who
attempted to let them out. The major, on reviewing his
forces, found that neither he nor the entire posse had
brought so much as a horse pistol with them. But they
had what was better, good courage. Two of his men,
armed with stout canes, marched up to the guardians
of the bars and informed them that the first man who
fired a shot would be laid dead. Then a third man coolly
took the bars out one by one and laid them aside. The
entire drove of cattle passed out and were headed back
over the mountain without a shot being fired.
The smugglers tried to rally enough men to retake
the cattle, but were not able to do so. The cattle, one
hundred and ten in number, were taken to Craftsbury
common that night and guarded by citizens till morn-
ing. Then they were started i(m. Burlington for the
use of the American army. The smugglers followed
after, still determined to retake their property. Several
skirmishes occurred on the road, the last one of which,
at Underbill, drew some blood. But the cattle reached
their destination safely.
In March, 18 14, the customs officers at Barton received
word that a party of smugglers had crossed the line and
were coming through that town. Securing assistance,
the officers undertook to stop the party at a hill near
the present village of Orleans. After a smart fight the
smugglers forced their way through. They carried cloth,
steel wire, and other things that were merchantable
190 HISTORY OF VERMONT
among settlers. Part of the goods they hid ; part was
taken by the officers. Two of the men were made pris-
oners, but the next day they escaped. In August of the
same year a drove of cattle was seized in this town by
the officers, but a rescue party came from Canada to
retake them.
Plenty of similar incidents took place elsewhere all
along the border. Franklin County was the scene of
many skirmishes. The smugglers frequently traveled
by night, and went in such large companies that it was
dangerous business for the officers to try to intercept
them. The frequency of these occurrences shows how
strong was the motive to trade. To the settlers it meant
the possibility of getting a little hard cash, which was
too rarely seen even in the best of times. The pres-
ence of large numbers of British troops in the vicinity
of the state created a temporary market for cattle at
the farmers' doors ; and a man could reason that he
had a right to sell his stock in his own dooryard to
any purchaser without asking embarrassing questions
about destination.
The men who bought the cattle and drove them
across the border clearly defied the laws of the land ;
but they reaped an additional profit, and there are men
in nearly every community who will take such risks. In
Irasburg an association of smugglers was formed, and
was not broken up until an association of anti-smugglers
was formed in 1814 to defeat it. This company bor-
rowed money to conduct its business of a man in a
near-by town, and gave him a joint and several note as
security. The taking and retaking of contraband goods
THE WAR OF 1812 191
furnished the two associations considerable activity dur-
ing the war. Such times were conducive to the erection
of jails and courthouses ; and the former were said at
times to furnish insufficient accommodations for all who
were qualified to lodge in them.
We must remember that the settlements were more
or less broken up, the times productive of lawlessness,
and not a few of the best men away fighting for the
American cause. We must remember, too, that party
excitement ran high in this country at the time, and
that New England especially had been opposed to the
embargo, opposed to the war, opposed to the adminis-
tration. Vermont's interests were essentially those of
Federalist New England. She had elected a Federalist,
Martin Chittenden, for governor. Communities were
split up into factions and party spirit fairly boiled. So,
while Vermont troops were not backward to repel inva-
sion, many speculative men were not backward to make
a dollar out of the presence of the enemy.
In this Vermont was not alone. It was said by the
British themselves that two thirds of their army in
Canada was living on beef supplied by American con-
tractors. The road to St. Regis was covered with droves
of cattle, and the river with rafts of goods, destined for
the enemy's use. Such facts may not fill us with pride,
but they show that Vermont was not peculiarly or will-
fully errant, but rather was suffering with others the
inevitable results of the war policy. The part which her
sons voluntarily took in the military events of the war
atones for the laxity with which a few of the stay-at-homes
kept the laws.
CHAPTER X
FROM THE WAR OF 1812 TO THE CIVIL WAR
Permanent Forces and Changing Forms
The forest and the soil, these were the elements the
settlers had to deal with, and social forms and forms of
industry were governed by that fact. The settler was
of necessity a farmer, or
was engaged in those sim-
ple, primitive, extractive
industries which them-
selves rest on the gifts
of nature. The work of
man, the complicated mod-
ern system of organiza-
tion which multiplies steps
between producer and
consumer, had not yet
prominently appeared.
The tilling of the soil
has always been our first
necessity.
If our settler-farmer,
chopping in the forest,
broke his ax heh^e, which
would rarely happen with such helves and skill as his, he
made for himself another from the stick of tough ash
192
If he broke ax ax helve, he
made for himself another
FROM THE WAR OF 1812 TO THE CIVIL WAR 193
seasoning in the shed. If one of the oxen broke a bow
in pulhng stumps over in the ''new piece," another
bow, properly shaped in his own workshop, was ready
for its place. Very likely the yoke itself was of his
framing. With ax, saw, auger, shave, and ever-ready
jackknife, there were few structural needs in house,
shed, or barn which he could not supply.
The demands which the conditions of life in a new
land put upon him made him an adept at wood handi-
craft, gave him
skill and apti-
tude, and created
a reputation for
the Yankee and
his jackknife
which has spread
far and wide.
The drafts upon
his inventive
genius were daily
drawn, and a
century of American invention has been the result.
In his sickle and brain lay the modern reaper ; in his
scythe and brain was a mowing machine ; the short-tined
fork with which bronzed arms tossed the fragrant hay
in wind and shine suggested the hay tedder.
Beside the crude versatile power of his grandfather
the helplessness of the modern man to do things for
himself is appalUng. From top to toe, inside and out,
he is dependent upon others than himself. The prod-
ucts of all continents and zones appear on every table.
Old-time Ax Heads
94
HISTORY OF VERMONT
The contents of the humblest homes bespeak the work
of spindles, looms, factories, and toiling hands innumer-
able. Democracy, aristocracy, and despotism are hall-
marked on our dishes, clothes, and viands. It is quite
conceivable that a century ago a Vermont farmer, clad
in rough homespun, sat down to eat his humble meal in
a home which he had built with his own hands, on a
chair which he had fashioned, at a table which was of
his making, and ate from homemade wooden dishes food
which had ripened in no other sun than that which daily
passed across the blue over his little clearing.
If you follow
this settler
through the
round of the
changing sea-
sons, you will
find him at every
step a marvel
The forest gave him
the soil had in
Wooden Dishes
of resource and self-reliance
material for shelter and furniture ;
it sustenance for the inner man. With a few sheep,
a few cattle, and some poultry acquired, you will find
him on the road to prosperous living. With a grist-
mill, a sawmill, and a blacksmith shop in the neighbor-
hood, you will find a community that is almost self-
sufficing. Add a carding mill, a fulling mill, and a
tannery, and the possibilities of luxury appear.
There is no standing still in the universe. From the
teeming earth beneath our feet to the nebulous depths
and innumerable stars that delight our uplifted gaze.
FROM THE WAR OF 1812 TO THE CIVIL WAR 195
all is in process of incessant change. The creatures
who dwell upon the earth and are called men in the
brief period of their visible existence here know no
such thing as rest. When they disappear within their
homes, and darkness comes which they call night, and
they seek slumber and refreshment for their mortal
frame3, the life within their bodies pulses on, while on
the other side of the orb there crawl forth into the
sunlight other men who take up the ceaseless task of
human toil. And the men of the East and the men of
the West work for each other, although they know it
not, for all human life
runs into one seething
stream. These men
grow old and bent and
gray, and their bodies
are put away under the
earth ; but life and toil
do not end thereby,
for, lo, others have
come to take their places. They begin where the others
ended, so that no age among these men is like any other
that was ever seen or known upon the face of the earth.
They dig in the earth ; they sail on the waters to and
fro ; they build ; they fetch; they carry. They die also.
All is in process of incessant change.
In the quiet of this age which we now study were
laid the foundations for the intricacy, the complications,
the delicate adjustments of modern life. The demands
which were put upon these people were broad as life
itself; they began almost with the cradle and they
Riven Lattice
196 HISTORY OF VERMONT
lasted to the grave. New needs, greater economy,
wider knowledge forced upon men methods, resources,
and adaptations before unknown. Some of the changes
we may trace, but many more we must pass unnoticed,
merely noting how a few things were then and how they
are now.
A Half Century of Pastoral Life
It may appear futile to characterize with one adjective
any period of modern life which covers so long a time
as fifty years, but it is unmistakable that the almost
unbroken stretch from the war which we have just
noticed to the next one that will be our study marked
a period of our people's history with characteristics
which were unique and never to be repeated. Vermont
is still a rural state, a state of villages and small towns
and scattered farms instead of cities. Our entire popu-
lation if massed together would not make a city remark-
able for size. Yet the rural life of the first half of the
last century was of a character distinct from that of
to-day. The hardship of settling was over ; the condi-
tions of life were easier ; neighborhoods settled down
into conventional lines of rural industry and social
intercourse.
It was a transition period, as all periods are in a cer-
tain sense. The significant features of modern organi-
zation had begun ; but on the whole it was a breathing
space preparatory to the tremendous shaking up which
began before the Civil War, went on through that war,
and is now whirling us on more rapidly than ever to
some culmination which we can only remotely forecast.
FROM THP: war of 1812 TO THE CIVIL WAR
197
But in that age the stamp which comes from honest,
toilsome hfe next the soil had not lost its character in
the rush of our bespectacled age of specialization which
substitutes machinery for muscle and divides labor so
minutely that man becomes an automaton working on a
piece instead of a creator of a whole thing. The modern
drift of the wealthy classes back toward the country
pays an unconscious tribute to-day to the superior ele-
ments of country
life in the bygone
days. Men know
no better means
to conserve and
perfect their
physical lives than
to do artificially
and from choice
what their fathers
did naturally and
from necessity.
It was the simple,
primal strength,
the whole-hearted and sweet neighborliness, the well-
rounded development of their lives, which made the
sons of this state, "Vermont men," everywhere the
synonym of efficiency coupled with integrity, and still
gives the oldest inhabitant license to talk on unchidden
of the "good old times."
The season of 18 16 tested the capacity of our
early farmers for self-sufficiency, and so demonstrates
one of the strong points in the life which we would
Revolving Churn
198
HISTORY OF VERMONT
describe. Spring came that year unusually early. Farm-
ers planted their crops in the hope of a great harv^est,
but in the
month of
June a belated
frost smote
the growing
fields. On
the morning
of the 9th of
that month
farmers had
to break ice
before their
cattle could
drink in the
troughs.
Snow came in
the northern
part of the
state and lay
on the level
one foot in
depth, or was
whirled by
the wind into
drifts two or
three feet
deep. The
growing crops were cut down, the foliage of the trees
was destroyed, and the hope of harvest was taken away.
The sap yoke borne on strong shoulders
FROM THE WAR OF 1812 TO THE CIVIL WAR 199
The beeches did not put forth their leaves again that
summer.
Ready money was never plenty, for barter of home-
grown commodities had always taken its place. But
now, with the shortage of crops, through the greater
part of the year not a dollar could be raised in many an
interior town save from the sale of ashes. Ashes and
salts of ashes were about all that could be exchanged.
All forms of provisions were scarce and high ; there was
no corn or rye except the little which could be brought
from a great distance. Some wheat was made use of
Ax Old Dugout Trough
by harvesting it in the milk, drying it in ovens, and
mashing it into a dough which could be baked or boiled
like rice. Fresh fish and all forms of vegetable life
which were wholesome w^ere eaten. At Swanton there
were ten fishing grounds between the falls and the lake
where great seines were drawn, and hither came people
to barter their maple sugar and other scanty resources
for fish. We hear of no outside relief ; we hear of no
starvation ; the settlers were self-sufficing.
When the sun began to warm up the blood of
the maples in spring our farmers began their sugar-
ing, not in a comfortable sugarhouse with the modern
200
HISTORY OF VERMONT
Old Sugar Kettles
refinements of evaporator, arch, and sugar pans and the
luxury of tin sap buckets and a gathering team, but
in the open air, with a great kettle hung in front of
the rude covering
which sheltered
the sap boilers
through the night
and from the occa-
sional heavy fall of
a " sugar snow\"
Instead of the neat,
small hole in the
maple, you would have found then the broad gash of
the ax or gouge, or wound of the large bit. Instead
of the gathering team you would then have seen the
sap yoke borne on strong shoulders, with much trudging
here and there among the maples, sometimes on snow-
shoes, sometimes without.
Then, for many frosty mornings, while the fish hawks
began to circle
near and the
wild geese to fly
north and the
buds to swell in
the hard-wood
forest, there
was the season's
stock of firewood Sugaring Utensils of Fifty Years Ago
to cut and work up. What a smell of new life in the air
as the chips flew among the dank leaves and the pungent
odor of the reeking earth crept up to the nostrils !
FROM THE WAR OF 1812 TO THE CIVIL WAR 20I
When the buds burst into leaf on birch and maple
there was rustling among the seeds stored away in
mouse-proof cans and boxes, and a supply was brought
out for garden and field; while the old-fashioned plow
with its wooden mold-board turned over the rich loam,
and the first bobolink gave sign that it was time to
plant the corn, for the maples were ''gosling green."
There was plenty
of work in spring,
with soap to be made,
sheep to be sheared,
and fencing to be done
before the young stock
was turned into the
timber and half-
cleared lot that was
called the back pas-
ture. " Slash fence "
was built most quickly
and easily there; but
along the slope of the
well-tilled piece in the Instead of the neat auger hole
clearinp" if boards you would have found the broad
gash of the ax
were not over plenty,
the Virginia or snake fence zigzagged its way along in
pasture and division lines.
We find the farmer planting a greater diversity of
crops than we plant to-day on these Vermont hills,
because he had to produce so many different things for
himself. For example, to supply the need of household
linen, flax must be raised. A variety of grains was sown
202
HISTORY OF VERMONT
on every farm, — rye, barley, oats, winter wheat, Indian
wheat, and Indian corn. All kinds of vegetables now
in common use were then raised. After the crops were
in, there were sure to be a few days of stone piling,
stump pulling, and odds and ends of work to be done.
Perhaps there was a short-handed neighbor to help, and
tools to fit up and put in shape for haying.
Getting ix tiik Seasun's Stuck of P"ire\vu(ji>
When the freshness and crispness of the spring morn-
ings had burned off in summer's haze, the swing of the
scythe through the grass in unvarying rhythmic motion
told of strong backs and sinewy arms. Between hoeing
and haying perhaps a day's fishing might intervene and
take the farmer's boy into the cool depths of the forest
beside some murmuring stream ; but for the most part
the youngster was rapidly maturing in the company of
his elders. There was no place on the farm where a
boy could not be useful; sometimes he could do as well
as a man, for he could turn the grindstone, spread the
FROM THE WAR OF 1812 TO THE CIVIL WAR
■03
hay, and get the cows, and in the same tasks a man
could not do more. Large families were obviously a
blessing.
As good sport as fishing it must have been to line
bees or go to June training, or to a raising at one of
the neighbors', or where some public enterprise like the
building of a church or schoolhouse needed helping
hands. Then there were the roads to be worked, and
the sheep to be washed in the pool, and perchance a
neighbor to be helped
with a clearing bee.
On Sunday what
a relaxation of tired
muscles and what a
straining of the mind
when the entire neigh-
borhood listened to
the long forenoon and
afternoon sermons,
happily broken by a
midday lunch with
gossip around the church steps, the horse sheds, and in
the neighboring graveyard. This must have been as
welcome and as serviceable as a weekly newspaper.
Little wonder that a tithingman was needed to prod
the drowsy into the form if not the spirit of greater
godliness, when wearied bodies and sated minds gave
way before the combined attack of pew and pulpit and
sank into natural and audible repose.
Bass viol, psalm book, and pitch pipe were the usual
requisites of the choir, and occasionally a flute or clarinet
Foot pans, broight with live coals,
furnished the warmth
204
HISTORY OF VERMONT
added strength and guidance to the voices. Hymns
were 'Mined," and singing was general, the entire con-
gregation joining in hearty and somewhat tuneful phrase
in each line after it had been read aloud by pastor or pre-
centor. More '^minors" were rendered than our genera-
tion is inclined to be doleful over; but some of the old
tunes bid fair to outlast the jingle of their modern rivals.
HusKixG Corn and Paring Apples
Churchgoing might be all very well in summer, when
voices of birds and the drowsy hum of insects floated in
through the open doors and windows; but it makes us
shiver a little, even now, to think what it must have
been in winter, in an unwarmed church where foot pans,
brought with, live coals, furnished the only means of
warmth.
In the autumn the harvest ! Then, amid the chang-
ing red and gold and brown and russet of the forest, the
FROM THE WAR OF 1812 TO THE CIVIL WAR 205
work of full fruitage went on. It was done by hand, —
reaping, threshing, husking, shelling, — but it was labor
lightened by good cheer as neighbors changed work, or
met beneath the rafters of the barns to strip the ears of
corn, or in the low-posted kitchen at a paring bee. On
the next day after the paring bee the younger genera-
tion would meet and string the apples before they were
hung aloft in long festoons for drying. Dried apple,
apple sauce, and
apple butter were
an unfailing re-
source of the
thrifty housewife.
There was
rhythm in all this
life, whether you
seek it in the al-
ternating strokes
of the flails on the
threshing floor as
the threshers beat
out the golden
grain, or in the low, continuous rustle of the husks as
nimble fingers stripped the ears of corn.
Corn shelling was a task for boys, and the occupa-
tion gave a splendid opportunity to the inventiveness of
youth, wondrous mechanisms being improvised as corn
shellers. Corn was the source of much pleasure and
pain. The golden kernels served as counters in many
games of checkers and fox and geese, which served to
while away long evening hours before the fireplace in
Wondrous mechanisms were improvised
AS CORN shellers
206
HISTORY OF VERMONT
winter. This Indian grain was for years a staple article
of diet in various forms whose names — hominy, samp,
succotash — bespeak Indian ways of preparing it, taught
to the early settlers.
In the fall, too, butchering was done, and then came
the time for souse and sau-
sage, smoking hams and dry-
ing beef, making mince pies
and candle dipping.
The w^ork of the w^omen
was as important as that of
the men. Into their custody
went the wool and flax for
spinning and weaving. It
was no small task to keep
clothed from head to feet
the throng of sturdy boys
and girls who made up old-
fashioned families. In days
when cloth production was
part of the industry of every
household, flax and wool
demanded much attention.
Now there is left in our
homes scarcely a trace of
the former textile art. About the only reminders we
possess are the pretty foot wheels for spinning, which
are sought after in old attics and brought down into
modern parlors as relics of olden time. Few farmers
raise flax now, and few wives would know^ w^hat to do
with it if they did. Home spinning and home weaving
The Pretty Foot Wheel -
A Relic of Olden Times
FROM THE WAR OF 1812 TO THE CIVIL WAR 20/
are gone, and knitting will soon be among the lost arts
of New England housewives.
Until the advent of the carding mill, the wool was
carded by hand, after being cleaned and greased. This
made the fibers parallel and ready to roll into fleecy rolls
for the spinning wheel. Spinning was a fine art, but
was practiced in every household. The quick back-
ward and forward steps of the spinner would have
counted miles in a day, while her flexile, alert, and
supple movements
of arms and body
gave natural grace,
poise, and dignity
of carriage which
all the artifices of
physical culture
can but poorly
rival.
After spinning
came weaving.
The presence of looms was not so universal as that of
spinning wheels ; there were consequently in every town
professional weavers who would take in yarn and thread
to weave at stated prices per yard, or would if desired
go out weaving by the day. In such ways itinerant
craftsmen began to have their day. The cobbler was
another familiar example.
Fine patterns were sometimes made of woven goods;
while from the flax skillful weavers made beautiful linens
for sheets and coverlets, tablecloths and napkins, many
of which have long outlasted their makers.
Wool Cards
208
HISTORY OF VERMONT
The dyeing of the cloth was also a home process at
first, and flowers of the field and the bark of various
trees were used in ways w^e never think of. The bark of
the red oak or hickory furnished pretty shades of brown
and yellow; sassafras bark was used for dyeing yellow
and orange; field sorrel boiled with woolen was the first
process in making black, which was finished by the use
of logwood or copperas. The golden-rod, pressed of its
1^^
4
-npi ^mmmmmi^mMm
X 4—
(T^Wl^
i-t|
^^^.^_^x_^
W^ Dp '
A Rag Carpet on the Loom
juices, yielded material for a beautiful green when mixed
with indigo and alum ; and the flower-de-luce furnished
from June meadows a purple tinge for white wool.
In all our social and economic life to-day the most
striking factor is cooperation. Its forms vary, but its
force is ever present. All products of our markets are
made and distributed by it. All societies, labor organi-
zations, religious and political institutions are standing
illustrations of the principle. Now, if we look at the
FROM THE WAR OF 1S12 TO THE CIVIL WAR
209
life we have just portrayed, we may see this same
element permeating it all.
Industrially, you find it in this fact : combined effort
in the form of mutual assistance takes the place of divi-
sion of labor. It also saves *' hired help," and makes
easily possible tasks which would otherwise have been
performed with hardship. This is an economic explana-
tion of the ''bees " which were so common, — the logging
bees, stone-piling bees, clearing bees, raisings, stump
pulling and wall building, road breaking, haying, harvest-
ing, and husking. There is in them a cooperative element
of distinct economic value.
And now notice their second value : they have an
important bearing on the life of the times. Social rela-
tions and social ethics were based on these same inci-
dents to a large degree. Hard and exhausting labor is
made easy by the hearty cheeriness of the neighbor.
This neighborliness forced out of our early society all
social stratification and made Vermont as purely a
democratic state as one could easily find. Caste was
unknown, because all people did the same things. The
neighborhood was the social unit.
The women had their cooperative work as well as the
men. It took the form of quilting bees, house cleaning,
preserving, and other forms of domestic economy, of
which we have still a vanishing trace in sewing circles,
ladies' aid societies, church suppers, and other activities
which now take the form of public charities rather than
of private industry. The young people also had common
interests in mixed parties at the huskings and paring bees
as well as in more purely social forms.
2IO
HISTORY OF VERMONT
Transition
A. General Features
Having traced in outline the conditions prevailing at
the middle of the last century we must at once remem-
ber that those conditions did not remain fixed. You will
find in history that the height of advance of one genera-
One-horse Chaise
tion is usually — not always — the foundation on which
the next one builds. For example, in one generation a
city has omnibuses ; the next sees horse cars running on
fixed tracks ; the next decade, perhaps, finds the horse
cars supplanted by the electric trolley. The former
methods which in their day were a distinct advance are no
longer wanted, but are old-fashioned, wasteful, obsolete.
FROM THE WAR OF 1812 TO THE Cl\ IL WAR 211
In a similar way in the history of Vermont we must
pass from stagecoach to raih'oad, from the hand card
to the modern woolen mill. The change comes in the
period we are now studying.
From 1830 to the time of the Civil War the rough
edges of pioneer life were being rounded off. Little by
little new industries began to creep in and transforma-
tions to occur in our simple communities. The little
cabins of logs gave way to the low, wide houses with the
An Old Turnpike Tavern
great brick chimneys and fireplaces. The old hill roads,
''stage roads" as they are still called in the vernacular,
were the lines of busiest thoroughfare only until the rail-
road came. The industries of the valleys grew more
and more felt ; the more level if less scenic river roads
made their appearance ; and some of the old hill towns
passed the climax of their glory and began to decline.
Not a few towns in the state had a larger population
in 18 10 or 1820 than they had in 1850 or i860, or have
even to-day, and three entire counties — Orange, Wind-
ham, and Windsor — declined between the census of 1810
212 HISTORY OF VERMONT
and that of 1900. Addison County had a larger popula-
tion in 1830 than in 1900. The population of the entire
state remained practically stationary from 1850 to i860.
In fact, if you look at the census tables you will find
that the decade between 1820 and 1830 was the last one
that shows any marked increase of percentage in the
population of the state.
The explanation of this is not that the state as a whole
had become stagnant, or any particular sections of it
gone to seed. Its explanation is found in the general
conditions of the country at large. It is one of the signs
of the enterprise and adventurous spirit of Verm outers
that they have sought new fields of activity wherever
they opened, and have carried the leaven of the Green
Mountain State into many new commonwealths and to
all quarters of the globe. The opening up of the North-
west and Indiana territories — Ohio, Indiana, Illinois —
and, after the Louisiana purchase, the opening up of
the territory west of the Mississippi, drew heavily on the
East. When cotton and woolen factories began to rise
in Massachusetts and Rhode Island many of the girls
and boys began to feel that farm life was drudgery, and
that the city had something better for them ; and so
they went, for better or for worse. Then, just at the
middle of the century, the discoveries of gold in Cali-
fornia sent a fever for sudden wealth into every town
and hamlet of the East, and men went to the Pacific
slope to make slaves of themselves for gold and dross.
If we should undertake to write the history of the people
of Vermont from this point, it would take us into almost
every state and territory of the Union, into the mining
THE NEV/ YORK
PUBLIC LIBRARY
AS"rO«». L^NOX
FROM THE WAR OP^ 1812 TO THE CIVIL WAR 21 3
camps of the West, to the seas, and to the lands that he
beyond the seas. So for the remainder of this chapter
we must Hmit our story strictly to the geographical
boundaries of the state, and note only what went on
therein in a few lines of development.
B. Agriculture
Vermont remained primarily an agricultural state, and
of her agricultural interests the production of wool was
by far the most important single item up to the Civil
War. We have already spoken of the textile arts prac-
ticed in every home, and have indicated the changes
which had begun, even before the War of 181 2, in the
manufacture of cotton and woolen. W^hen every home
was a woolen mill in embryo, every farmer was naturally
a shepherd ; and sheep breeding did not cease to be
an important industry when the process of manufacture
changed, — the market for wool remained.
The first sheep commonly bred here were a hardy
breed of English sheep, raised both for mutton and
wool, although not especially good for either. Their
wool was long and coarse, but as there were then no
great aspirations for fine-wool clothing it did very well.
With the perfection of the process of making really fine
cloth, however, there came a demand for a finer staple.
Fortunately the demand was met in a way which made
Vermont a leader in the production of fine wool.
William Jarvis of Weathersfield was United States con-
sul to Portugal early in the last century. Just before
the War of 18 12 he succeeded in sending to this country
a large importation of Spanish merinos. Apparently
214
HISTORY OF VERMONT
the first importation did not attract much attention,
being scattered about, but the stock was being intro-
duced and herds of merinos built up. In 1828 Congress
passed the "tariff of abominations," which, among other
things, had the effect of sending up the price of wool.
This fact and the mcreasing interest in merinos boomed
sheep raising in Vermont. The price of merino wool
was one dollar a pound in 1807; it rose to two dollars,
then to two dollars and fifty cents during the war.
No wonder that
farmers went ex-
clusively into the
business of wool
growing, or that
manuf act o ries
al-
om
l-l
mMm
/ 1
went
on
Cheese Basket with Ladders
up
most every stream
that had water
enough to run the
machinery.
Of course that state of things was too artificial to last ;
yet there was enough real economic foundation under
the wool business to make it a leading agricultural fea-
ture for years. The fabulous prices which had once
obtained for merinos fell off, but that only served to
allow their good qualities to be spread more widely,
since it enabled men of moderate means to own supe-
rior flocks of sheep. At home and abroad the fineness
of Vermont fleeces gained an enviable reputation, and
her merinos were sought after as foundations for herds
the world over.
FROM THE WAR OF 1812 TO THE CIVIL WAR 215
The relative importance of wool growing at the middle
of the century is shown by the fact that there were
then more than twice as many sheep kept as all other
farm stock put together, — horses, swine, mules and
asses, dairy cows and other neat cattle. There were
then over a million sheep within the state. In 1840
there had been 1,681,819. In that year there were
3,699,235 pounds of wool produced. Wool was the great
market product.
There were, to
be sure, other
things sold from
the farms in large
amounts. Exports
of horses, cattle,
and swine, as well
as sheep, were im-
portant. Morgan
horses were a well-
known type, fa-
mous for nerve,
endurance, and toughness. More than two million
dollars' worth of dairy products were produced in
1840. This amount seems all the more important
when we remember that dairying was hardly made a
specialty in Vermont farming until after 1830; that
butter and cheese were made mostly for home con-
sumption, and that up to 1840 butter seldom brought
over ten cents a pound.
The cheese-factory system originated about the mid-
dle of the century, but it hardly seems to have held its
Cheese Press
2i6 HISTORY OF VERMONT
own beside the development of butter making. In
some farm homes to-day the old, laborious process of
cheese making may be seen. Associated dairying began
about the time of the Civil War, so it hardly falls within
this period of our study ; but the improvement of dairy
stock had already begun by the introduction of strains
of Ayrshire, Holstein, and Jersey blood. The type of
cow began to change from that of the beef animal to
that of the dairy animal.
The history of the improvement of farm implements
would be an interesting study in itself. We find it
almost impossible to understand how our forefathers
got along with the kind of tools they had. Yet the
change to better forms was not always easy to make.
For example, in 1825 a plow with a cast-iron mold-
board was offered for sale in Poultney for the first time.
It had already been introduced in New York and the
Middle States, and was gradually working its way into use.
But the farmers of Poultney would not buy it. They
were afraid it would break; and they were sure it would
not work among the rocks and stones of Vermont.
Besides, the old plow was good enough. Any one could
do the woodwork on it, and a third-rate blacksmith
could put on straps of iron. But finally one farmer after
another was induced to try the new plow ; they found
it did not break but did better work than the old plows;
and by 1840 the wooden plow was a thing of the past.
So, little by little, old things were laid aside and new
things took their places. In i860 there were thirty-
two establishments in the state making agricultural
implements. Although their annual product was not
FROM THE WAR OF 1812 TO THE CIVIL WAR 21/
large when compared with other manufacturing indus-
tries, nevertheless it was significant of the transition
which was taking place in the conduct of agriculture
as in all else.
C. Transportation
At the close of the War of 1812 the means of trans-
portation w^ere still primitive enough so that bulky
crops could not be taken to distant markets. This
determined the nature of farming to the extent that
grain was still fed to pork which was carried to Boston
in the annual winter trip from every town; that cattle
were driven on hoof to market ; and that potatoes were
turned nito starch and whisky. The new land furnished
a sure crop of potatoes, and usually a heavy one; the
starch factories and the potato distilleries furnished a
sure market ; both contributed to sap the life of many
a splendid old hill farm and leave only a sickly crop of
wiry, worthless grass as its inheritance.
About 1820 the Champlain canal opened communi-
cation between the lake and New York by way of the
Hudson River, and brought a better market for the
lumber of the valley than Quebec had been. From
that time until about 1843 the lumber trade turned
thither. The old Quebec raftsmen clung to their for-
mer methods of rafting their lumber to market ; but
the new companies took modern craft, canal boat and
schooner. After our native timber was exhausted, Bur-
lington remained a center for the trade in lumber, which
now, reversing the former course of its history, began
to come from Canada to us.
2l8
HISTORY OF VERMONT
The western part of the state had in its water route
through the lake and canal and river a more econom-
ical access to New York markets than the eastern part
ever had to the Boston market till the railroad came.
After the opening of the Connecticut and Passumpsic
Railroad the northeastern portion of the state was
greatly stimulated. The affiliation of the western part
of the state with New York and the eastern part with
Boston, as centers of trade and news, remains to this day.
Bird's-eye View of Burlington Half a Century Ago
In the early part of the century the separate states
had done something for themselves in the way of better-
ing their roads, canals, rivers, and harbors ; and as the
surplus in the national treasury grew, politicians began
to talk about a federal scheme of internal improve-
ments as a way to spend the money. Jefferson was
quite carried away with the idea. But the War of 1812
interrupted the conversation, the surplus vanished, and
the whole scheme disappeared, though it left the subject
of internal improvements in the air. The Erie Canal
FROM THE WAR OF 1812 TO THE CIVIL WAR 219
was opened in 1825, and its success turned attention
to this particular form of improvement. Considerable
interest was roused in this state, and plans were dis-
cussed for the construction of canals. The Hudson
River and Champlain Canal was an undoubted benefit.
A canal board was appointed, and projects were con-
sidered for the construction of a canal between lakes
Birthplace of Levi P. Morton, 1824, at Shoreham
Memphremagog and Champlain, also for navigating the
Connecticut. Some surveys were made, but nothing in
the way of construction was attempted ; and presently
railroads superseded canals in public estimation and
from 1830 became the topic of the time.
Before the railroads were built some attempts were
made to navigate the Connecticut by steamboats. In
1827 a boat called the Barnet was built, which succeeded
220 HISTORY OF VERMONT
in going as far up the river as Bellows Falls ; but it was
taken back to Hartford and broken up, as its exploit did
not warrant repetition. Two years later two boats were
built to run between Bellows Falls and Barnet ; but
there were too many obstacles to be overcome, and their
history was limited to a few experimental trips.
The talk about railroads went on from 1830 to 1840.
Surveys were made along the valleys of the Connecti-
cut and Passumpsic rivers to the Canada line, near Lake
Memphremagog ; from Burlington along the Winooski
Valley to the Connecticut ; from Bennington to Brattle-
boro ; from Rutland to Whitehall, and elsewhere. Com-
panies were incorporated as early as 1835. ^^^ hard
times came on, a financial cataclysm swept the coun-
try, and the beginning of the enterprises was deferred
for some years.
In 1843 another railroad was incorporated, stock was
subscribed for, and the Vermont Central began work in
1847. I^ the following year the first passenger train
was run, from White River Junction to Bethel. One
hundred and seventeen miles of road were opened, from
Windsor to Burlington. Between 1848 and 1851 the
Vermont and Canada road laid fifty-three miles of rails,
from Rouse's Point to Burlington. Still the work went
on. Within a few years a road was built from Essex
Junction to Rouse's Point, and from Rutland to Ben-
nington, to Whitehall, New York, and to Troy, New
York. The Connecticut and Passumpsic Railroad was
extended to St. Johnsbury, and pushed through to New-
port in 1862. Laws had provided for the construction
of telegraph lines before the railroads were in operation.
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Westminlier
Railroad Map of Vermont
i«^K^i
IpHBLlC
T<UD«
FROM THE WAR OF 1812 TO THE CIVIL WAR 221
The coming of the railroads marked an era in the
history of Vermont as it has in every other state. Rail-
roads could fetch and carry ; they created new markets
and transformed country life. The lumbering industry
took a new lease of life, and sawmills whose business
had been limited to local needs now found a wider demand
for their products. All crops could now be marketed,
and the slow, tedious trips by horse teams to Portland
and Boston were no longer necessary. The business of
the country store expanded, and a host of middlemen
arose to take the butter, cheese, eggs, wool, and other
products of the farm. Ready money became more
plentiful, and store goods began to take the place of
homespun.
D. Manufacturing and Business
We cannot hope to cover the history of manufactur-
ing during half a century in the brief space here allotted ;
but perhaps we can cite enough important enterprises to
illustrate the kind of change which was going on in Ver-
mont's manufacturing and commercial work. To begin
with, we ought to notice that although there was an
important growth of manufacturing previous to i860,
•and especially in the decade just preceding that date,
there was not proportionately a large amount of Ver-
mont wealth invested in manufacturing industries, or of
Vermont people engaged in conducting them.
A few figures will make this plain. The total value
of farm property in i860 was ;^i 14,196,989. There
were at that date probably over thirty thousand farms
in cultivation. There were, however, all told, only
222 HISTORY OF VERMONT
1883 separate establishments devoted to manufactur-
ing, and the total capitalization of these was less than
^9,500,000. The population of the state was 315,098 ;
but the manufacturing wage earners numbered only
10,497, that is, about one in every thirty of the
population.
But if we compare now the figures for i860 with
those for 1850, we shall notice another fact which is
quite as striking. In 1850 there were 1849 establish-
ments, employing 8445 wage earners, and capitalized at
almost exactly $5,000,000. The wages paid in 1850
were something over two million dollars ; in i860 they
were over three million. The value of the products
made was over eight million five hundred thousand
dollars in 1850; over fourteen million five hundred
thousand dollars in i860. That is to say, summing
it all up, in ten years practically the same number
of establishments employed twenty-five per cent more
people, paid them over thirty-six per cent more wages,
and made over seventy per cent more in value of
products.
From this little study of figures we learn two things :
There was a rapid increase in the value of manufactured
goods just before the Civil War, but there was a com-
paratively slight increase in the number of manufac-
turing establishments. From this we may go on still
further and draw an inference : There had been develop-
ing a limited number of large and expanding industries
instead of a large number of small and limited industries.
This brings us to the heart of the whole matter ; for
such a course of development is only possible when
FROM THE WAR OF 1S12 TO THE CIVIL WAR 223
local markets are disregarded. This, then, is the transi-
tion which has come to Vermont's manufacturing, — she
has ceased to produce for herself alone and begun to
produce for others.
This is a far different state of things from that of the
earlier days when the blacksmith shop, the sawmill, the
gristmill, the tannery, the carding mill, and the fulling
mill composed the list of enterprises that could boast of
being manufactories. It is true that many small estab-
lishments lingered on, supplying local needs ; but the
other side of the case becomes startlingly apparent when
we notice that out of the total $14,637,837 produced in
i860 over one half was sent out by concerns dealing
with the five products, wool, marble, lumber, leather,
and grain.
A few illustrations will serve to show better this
evolution of industry. In 181 5 Joseph Fairbanks came
into the Moose River Valley and set up a grist and saw
mill at St. Johnsbury. His sons had a mechanical turn
of mind and went into the wheelwright and foundry
business. They manufactured hoes, pitchforks, cast-
iron plows, and stoves. They gained a reputation for
skill and reliability, and in 1830 were awarded a contract
for making hemp-dressing machines, which were required
for cleaning the hemp and preparing the fiber for market,
— a new industry then springing up. Some method of
weighing rough hemp by the wagonload was sorely
needed. This led to an investigation of the principle of
levers as combined in weighing machines, and resulted
in the invention and perfection of the platform scale
by Thaddeus Fairbanks. What was started as a mere
224
HISTORY OF VERMONT
incident of a comparatively small business grew into an
extensive commerce in an article that set the standard
for the world.
An equally humble beginning was that made by Jacob
Estey in 1846, when he commenced to make musical
instruments, and drove about the country selling them
from his own wagon. His business also grew into the
largest one of its kind in the world, — the Estey Organ
Works.
In this period
our three great
quarrying indus-
tries were put
on a firm foun-
dation. The be-
ginning of mar-
ble quarrying
has been men-
tioned in an
earlier period ; it
had an extensive
growth before the Civil War. Granite quarrying was
be2:un about the time of the War of 18 12, but did not
greatly develop until after the Civil War. The first slate
quarry opened in the state was at Fairhaven, where work
began in 1839. Some eight years later roofing slate
began to be made, and the industry has maintained
considerable magnitude ever since.
In this period Vermont enterprise extended into other
fields of business. Some of the most honored fiduciary
institutions of the state began their existence before
Birthplace of Chester A. Arthur, 1830,
AT Fairfield
FROM THE WAR OF 1812 TO THE CIVIL WAR 225
the middle of the last century. Banks were incor-
porated, and fire and life insurance companies were
established. The Vermont Mutual dates from 1827,
the National Life from 1848.
Vermont inventiveness deserves a tribute all the more
since it has not always exacted tribute or recognition.
Morey's invention of the steamboat has already been
mentioned. But the use of electricity as a moving
principle in machinery
was demonstrated by
Thomas Davenport to
be practicable half a
century before the world
was ready for the dis-
covery. The electric
motor, the electric tele-
graph, the electric loco-
motive, and the electric
piano were products of
his brain. Professor
Alonzo Jackman of Nor-
wich University conceived the feasibility of the subma-
rine cable in 1842. Phineas Bailey of Chelsea devised
a phonetic method of shorthand in 18 19 — eighteen
years before Pitman's. The six-shooting revolver was
invented at Brattleboro fourteen years before Colt's
weapon was made. Last but not least in its beneficent
influence comes the modern cook stove, the creation of
P. P. Stewart of Pawlet.
These inventions, like the new order of manufacturing
establishments, were not for local needs. They appealed
Chester A. Arthur
226 HISTORY OF VERMONT
for wider application. Thanks to developed transporta-
tion and the rapid transmission of news, Vermont had
got in touch with wider needs ; she had gone out to seek
the markets of the world.
£. Education
The work of education in the state went on quietly,
unobtrusively, attracting no great attention, heralding no
startling results; yet there were men here who were in
a sense educational prophets, for they laid the founda-
tion in a humble, inconspicuous way for some of the most
important developments of our American educational
ideals. Transition in educational aims and methods con-
sisted of development rather than change up to the time
of the Civil War.
The results of this work may be briefly summed up
as follows : The beginning of some educational system
for the state, including supervision ; the training of teach-
ers; the opening of special schools for women; and the
growth of educational institutions, especially academies,
colleges, and military schools. Not all these are due
to public or state enterprise. Indeed, in such matters,
the work of making a beginning, as well as the con-
ception of the ideals, falls often to the lot of those who
are full of service for others, whose vision pierces the
future, and whose hopes are reenforced by invincible
confidence. That is, they are teachers in the real
sense of the word.
At first, although the fathers of the state laid the
foundations for a broad, comprehensive educational sys-
tem, there was little done to perfect such a system in
FROM THE WAR OF 1812 TO THE CIVIL WAR 22/
its details. The separate districts had their own way,
secured their own teachers, and paid them at the end of
the term without supervision or oversight by town or
state or any outside authority. The inevitable result
of such a method, or lack of method, was that there were
no guaranties of competent instruction, because there
w^as no standard of requirements put upon the teachers ;
and no guaranties of equal advantages to the different
schools, because there was no efficient supervision. Some
schools might be good, others poor, others very poor.
A Type of the "Old Red Schoolhouse"
The effort to inaugurate a system began to bear fruit
about 1827, when it was proposed that a board of com-
missioners be appointed to collect and disseminate edu-
cational information, and that licenses be required of
teachers. Both recommendations were adopted for a
few years. Then, in 1845, another effort was made to
put the teaching force of the state on a higher level.
The plan of licenses was permanently adopted ; schools
228
HISTORY OF VERMONT
were put under the supervision of town and county
superintendents; and a state superintendent of educa-
tion was annually appointed. In a few years the county
superintendents were discontinued, and in 1851 the
state superintendent ceased to be appointed. Five
years later the state board of education was created.
Interior of the "Old Red Schoolhouse"
These efforts were tentative, and not altogether success-
ful; yet a beginning had been made which was some
approach to a system of state control.
In 1823 Samuel R. Hall, a home missionary and
pastor of the Congregational Church at Concord, in
Essex County, established a seminary for the training
of teachers. It was incorporated by the legislature the
same fall. In 1 825 it was reincorporated under the name
of thef Essex County Grammar School. Teachers' classes
FROM THE WAR OF 1812 TO THE CIVIL WAR 229
were formed, and a special course of study was arranged.
In 1829 '' Father" Hall published a volume of lectures
on school keeping, " the first attempt of the kind on the
Western Continent." The work ran through several
editions. Ten thousand copies were sold to the state of
New York and distributed through the school districts
of that state. Mr. Hall also introduced the use of the
blackboard into schools, organized the American Insti-
tute of Instruction, and was for
a time principal of Andover
Academy.
The Middlebury Female ^^g^t
Seminary, which had been ^.- |^
established in 1800, the same « .^
year as the college, was taken
charge of in 1807 by Miss
Emma Hart, who later became
Mrs. Willard, the founder of
Troy Female Seminary, which
set a hisfh standard for the ,^ ^, ^, ^
* Hon. George I. Edmunds
education of women. A few
years later, in 18 14, she opened a school at her own
home.
The State Teachers' Association was organized in
1850; endowed libraries began to appear; some of the
schools of academic grade were founded which have
lasted on, doing good work to the present time ; the
work of the colleges went on nobly. Among the gradu-
ates of Middlebury College were young men who were
destined to make educators, authors, scholars, statesmen,
and college presidents. The University of Vermont
230
HISTORY OF VERMONT
began to send forth youth who were to fill offices
of state, — judges of higher courts, members of Con-
gress, governors of Vermont, and even one Vice-Presi-
dent, — besides college presidents and many college and
seminary instructors. Norwich University, the oldest
military college in this country with the exception of
West Point, was established in 1820. Its graduates
served in the second Seminole War, and have served
in every subsequent war of the country. No less than
two hundred and seventy-three commissioned officers
from this institution served in the Mexican and Civil wars.
Two men who long honored
their state and the nation in the
Senate chamber at Washington
put themselves on record as
champions of the cause of edu-
cation in no narrow or mean
sense. George F. Edmunds was
the great exponent of a national
university at Washington ; Justin
S. Morrill successfully labored
for the establishment of agricul-
tural colleges in all the states.
Hon. Justin S. Morrill ^^^ congressional grant of 1 860
to provide education in the agricultural and mechanical
arts in every state in the Union was the most important
single educational enactment ever passed in America.
This act alone would be sufficient to perpetuate Senator
Morrill's name as the author of what is destined to be
the most practical, democratic, and beneficent educa-
tional work of this country.
THE NEW YORK
PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASrOH. LENOX
FROM THE WAR OF 1S12 TO THE CIVIL WAR 231
The Impending Crisis
While our state was thus passing through manifold
and important changes, the United States had come to
the worst experience that can ever face a government,
— the storm and stress of a great civil war. When a
country is attacked from without, its people flock together
to support the common cause, and thus form a more com-
pact and cohesive union within. But when a country
begins to break up within, and envy, hatred, and strife
fill the hearts of its people, woe be it ! The saying
is very old and very true that a house divided against
itself shall not stand. This is the third time in the
history of the state that we have had to stop in our study
of its development to follow the consequences of war in
which it has been involved by the course of national
politics. The other two wars were wars to defend so-
called rights from foreign aggression. This one is a
war to preserv^e the Union from the disruptive forces
which have long been acting within.
Since the early settlement of these American colonies
the keeping of slaves had been a part of their history.
There had been white slaves and black slaves, slaves in
the North and slaves in the South. But white servi-
tude had never been so prevalent as that of negroes,
and the terms by which whites were bound to forced
labor allowed them to work out their freedom in a given
term of years. So white servitude outgrew itself in
time. Not so with negro slavery. A black slave was
a slave for life, and all his children. All children of
the mother, too, were slaves, although the father might
232 HISTORY OF VERMONT
be white. A drop of negro blood was like the mark of
Cain, — it tainted the man for life.
Negro slavery, therefore, was self-perpetuating. It
would last as long as the negro race endured. In the
North, for climatic and economic reasons, black slavery
had but a slight hold ; but in the South all the condi-
tions were favorable for it, and it became so strongly
rooted in the social and economic order of things that
it was not easily dislodged. The men who formed the
Constitution of the United States should have pre-
vented this. They saw slavery as a cloud on the hori-
zon of national politics. It was a little cloud then, no
larger than a man's hand, but it certainly should have
needed no prophet Elijah to tell them this cloud would
brew a storm of blood. They had written in their own
Declaration that all men were created free and equal ;
they should have made that principle true to the very
letter in their new State, if they believed it to be true
for themselves.
Slave trading from Africa ceased to be legal ; but
smuggling of slaves began, and but one conviction
ever occurred in the history of the country. When the
importation from Africa fell off, the matter was in no
wise helped ; for in the northern tier of slaveholding
states negroes were bred, taken to the South like droves
of cattle, and like cattle sold at the auction block. So
the thing went on, till men had vast estates in slaves
-ind little else. A plantation was worth nothing without
slaves to work it. Skilled slaves were worth hundreds
of dollars each ; and a Southern man could not see why
his slaves — his sole support — should be taken from
FROM THE WAR OF 1812 TO THE CIVIL WAR
233
him any more than a Northern man could have seen
the justice of taking away his less valuable horses or
cattle or sheep.
The larger the country grew
the larger grew this question
with it. It got into politics
and saturated every public
measure. The North increased
sufficiently in population to im-
peril the political supremacy of
the South. Prominent South-
erners like Jefferson Davis
thought the North would per-
mit the peaceful secession of
the South, and thus the poli-
ticians could quietly settle the
issue. Instead of settling it the politicians temporized,
procrastinated, and compromised. The issue grew and
grew until it passed the point of any more compromises,
and then war came.
Stephen A. Douglas
CHAPTER XI
THE CIVIL WAR
I am desirous to learn your views as to the expediency of legisla-
tion in the Free States at the present time touching the affairs of the
General Government and the action of certain Southern States. . . .
Should the plans of the Secessionists in South Carolina and the cotton
States be persevered in and culminate in the design to seize upon the
National Capital, will it be prudent to delay a demonstration on the
part of the Free States assuring the General Government of their
united cooperation in putting down rebellion and sustaining the Con-
stitution and the dignity of the United States Government? — Extract
from a letter of Governor Erastus Fairbanks to the governor of Con-
necticut in 1861
Vermont's Status on the Slavery Question
The position of Vermont on the question of human
slavery has never been equivocal. Her official expres-
sion on the matter was made in the very first article of
her constitution in the following words:
No male person born in this country, or brought from over
sea, ought to be holden by law to serve any person as a servant,
slave, or apprentice, after he arrives to the age of twenty-one
years, nor female in like manner, after she arrives to the age of
eighteen years, unless they are bound by their own consent, after
they arrive to such age, or bound by law for the payment of debts,
damages, fines, costs, or the like.
Before the constitution had been distributed the
officers of the new state began to interpret the spirit of
this article ; and from the time when Ebenezer Allen
in 1778 freed the slave Dinah Mattis, who had been
234
THE CIVIL WAR 235
taken among the prisoners of a raid near Ticonderoga,
and gave her a certificate of her emancipation duly
recorded in the office of the town clerk at Benning-
ton, down to the President's call for troops, Vermont
had stood stanchly for the freedom of man. In 1803
Judge Harrington of the Supreme Court said that a
bill of sale from Almighty God was the necessary proof
that one man could hold another as his slave.
In 1828 the abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison was
at Bennington, editing X\\q Journal of the Times, which,
although run primarily for campaign purposes in the
political race of John Quincy Adams against Andrew
Jackson for the presidency, showed unmistakably the
trend of its editor's views on the slavery question.
Garrison announced as one of the great objects of his
life the emancipation of slaves. Clear and vehement
were his utterances. "We are resolved to agitate this
subject to the utmost," said Garrison; and he sent to
Congress a petition signed by twenty-three hundred
and fifty-two citizens of this state requesting Con-
gress to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia.
The government of that district rested with Congress,
and it was literally true that negroes were driven to
market past the doors of the national capitol wherein
sat the chosen apostles of American hberty ; but the
appeal was ahead of the times.
Public men in the state kept an anxious eye on the
great lurid cloud of national politics. Time passed with-
out bringing war, until in 1861 the governor of the
state wrote to the governor of one of the neighboring
states on the duty of the North in this issue. This
236 HISTORY OF VERMONT
action of the chief executive of the state shows that he
was fully abreast of the times and aware of the signifi-
cance of the action of the South in this great crisis.
Vermont's Preparation for the War
When President Lincoln issued his call for troops,
Vermont presented no exception to the other Northern
states in lack of adequate preparation for even the
slightest military service. It seemed as if the entire
North lay in a state of lethargy. Federal forts and
arsenals had been appropriated by Southern militiamen;
state after state had passed ordinances of secession;
they even invaded the North and transferred one hun-
dred and thirty thousand stand of arms from the heart
of New England ^ to Southern depots, and no one lifted
a finger to stop it.
After the War of 18 12 military drills had been kept
up for a time, after a fashion ; but the martial spirit
flagged before the tasks of peaceful industry, and after
1845 there was hardly a semblance of military organi-
zation left within the state. The state had given up
making appropriations for the support of the militia.
One by one the uniformed companies had disbanded,
and June trainings became a jest and sport for the
countryside.
From 1858 to i860 pubHc interest in the militia began
to be aroused. By the close of the latter year there
were several organized companies again in existence,
nominally forming a brigade of four regiments. They
1 From the United States Arsenal at Springfield, Massachusetts.
THE CIVIL WAR 237
had as arms smooth-bore percussion and flintlock mus-
kets ! On New Year's day, 1861, the state possessed
less than a thousand stand of arms, seven six-pound
fieldpieces, five hundred and three Colt's pistols of no
use whatever, and about a hundred tents. One regi-
ment could be equipped with superannuated stuff.
On the 1 2th of April, that same year, the booming
of cannon sounded through Charleston Harbor. Fort
Sumter, one of the three or four military posts in the
South which remained in federal possession, was fired
upon. In two days the garrison surrendered. President
Lincoln's call for troops was sent broadcast through the
North, and war was on.
Now witness a change. No longer the North was sleep-
ing. Mass meetings and flag raisings were so numerous
that the newspapers could not find space to tell of them.
From every public building flew the stars and stripes,
and from private buildings, too, so long as flags could
be obtained, or red, white, and blue bunting could be
had for love or money. A public meeting was held at
Burlington on the i8th of April, in the town hall; but
hundreds were turned away from the doors, unable to
find. room within. Hon. George P. Marsh, then on the
eve of his departure as United States minister to Italy,
was the principal speaker. As he addressed the crowded
hall, from one of the galleries were flung the broad folds
of the stars and stripes ; in an instant the audience were
on their feet, in a contagion of enthusiasm and emotion,
cheering, shouting, and crying like children.
Meantime men and money were offered all over the
state. Private persons offered to the state sums ranging
238 HISTORY OF VERMONT
all the way from one thousand to twenty thousand dol-
lars each. Towns voted to raise money on their grand
list, and subscribed to equip the militia and support
the families of volunteers. Banks at Montpelier placed
twenty-five thousand dollars each at the disposal of
the governor to equip the troops ; at Burlington and
St. Albans they offered ten per cent of their capital, and
more if needed. The students of the University of
Ve rmont and M i d d 1 e b u r y
College organized into com-
panies and began to drill.
-^^^ ,<^ Railroad and transportation
companies offered their lines
and boats for the gratuitous
transportation of troops and
munitions of war. Wherever
companies were forming, the
women labored to make uni-
forms for the recruits.
So much for public opinion.
Erastus Fairbanks ^^^ ^g,^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ,^^j
The First " War Governor "of
Vermont HOt bcCU idlc. WhcU the
President called for troops
Governor Fairbanks at once issued a proclamation
announcing the outbreak of armed rebellion, called for
a special session of the legislature, and for a regiment
for immediate service.
We have seen that there was not a regiment in the
state ready to march. But when the field officers of
the militia met at Burlington on the 19th of the month
to select the companies which should make up the first
THE CIVIL WAR 239
regiment of Vermont volunteers it was reported that
eight companies — from Bradford, Brandon, Budington,
Northfield, Rutland, St. Albans, Swanton, and Wood-
stock — were substantially filled and in efficient condi-
tion. Other companies were in partial readiness, and
preparations were everywhere being made.
The special session of the legislature had been called
for the 25th of April. The members were greeted
at the capitol with the roar of the two brass field-
pieces which Stark had taken from the Hessians at
the battle of Bennington pouring out the national
salute of thirty-four guns. Within twenty-four hours
both houses had passed by unanimous vote an appro-
priation of one million dollars for war expenses. In
forty-two hours from the time it met the legislature
adjourned, with its work completed. It had passed
acts providing for the organizing, arming, and equip-
ping of six more regiments for two years' service —
the government had called for only three months'
troops — and had voted seven dollars per month pay
ifi addition to the thirteen dollars offered by the
government ; had provided for the relief of the fam-
ilies of volunteers in cases of destitution, and had
laid the first war tax, — ten cents on the dollar of
the grand list.
This work was without precedent, and was equalled
by the records of but few states. Vermont had voted
for the war an appropriation of a larger sum than had
been voted by any other state in proportion to the popu-
lation, and had made provision for her sons and their
families, which took from first to last four millions from
240 HISTORY OF VERMONT
the treasury of the state, to say nothing of the other
expenses of the war.
Commissions for the recruiting troops were issued by
the governor on the 7th of May, and three days later
the services of fifty full companies were offered to the
government, — more than twice as many as it was then
ready to accept.
Vermont Troops in Service
The Civil War practically involved the conquest of
the South. In point of military tactics, therefore, it had
to be an offensive war on the part of the Union forces,
and was, conversely, defensive on the part of the South-
ern army, with the exception of Lee's projected invasion
of the North.
The Alleghany Mountains and the Mississippi River
cut the field of action into three great sections. The
Mississippi and its tributaries made important naval
operations possible in the West, and there the Federal
forces were almost uniformly successful. Not so in the
East. The scene of conflict was here mainly in Vir-
ginia, which was for four years the battle ground of
two armies: one — the Army of the Potomac — trying
to defend Washington, conquer Virginia, and capture
Richmond ; the other — the Army of Northern Virginia
— trying to defend Richmond and Virginia, attack
Washington, and invade Maryland and Pennsylvania.
It was on this ground, in the region around and
between the two capitals, Washington and Richmond,
where the fighting came thick and fast, that the
THE CIVIL WAR 241
Vermont troops rendered the heaviest part of their
service in the Army of the Potomac.
The First Regiment was ordered at once into service ;
for, said General Scott, '' I want your Vermont regi-
ments, all of them. I have not forgotten the Vermont
men on the Niagara frontier." So they went forward.
Their term of enlistment expired in August of the
same year, for it was not anticipated that the war would
be of long duration, and the President's call was for only
three months' service. But their service did not end ;
for when the period of this regiment's enlistment expired
five out of every six of its rank and file reenlisted ;
the field, staff, and line officers returned to the serv-
ice almost to a man ; and no less than one hundred
and sixty-one of its members became officers in Ver-
mont regiments and batteries which were afterward
organized.
In the fall of 1861 the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth,
and Sixth regiments were formed into the Vermont
Brigade, as it was then called ; and later, when a second
brigade was formed of regiments subsequently enlisted,
it was known as the First Vermont Brigade, or the " Old
Brigade." It will be absolutely impossible to follow
the history of these troops in all their service. Indeed
it would tax our limits to tell the history of any one
regiment. For instance, Benedict, in his history, Ver-
mont in the Civil War, which is our authority for this
period, says of the Second Regiment :
"It had a share in almost every battle fought by the Army ot
the Potomac, from the first Bull Run to the surrender of Lee;
and its quality as a fighting regiment is indicated by the fact that
242 HISTORY OF VERMONT
its list of killed and wounded in action numbered no less than seven
hundred and fifty-one, or forty per cent of its aggregate of eighteen
hundred and fifty-eight officers and men; while its ratio of killed
and mortally wounded was more than eight times the general ratio
of killed and mortally wounded in the Union army.
In March, 1862, McClellan, then in command of the
Army of the Potomac, began what is known as the
Peninsular campaign, a plan to advance on Richmond,
the Confederate capital, from the east. He unfortu-
nately failed to take advantage of his opportunity to
make a rapid advance. By the end of May he had suc-
ceeded in getting within ten miles of Richmond ; but
Lee and *' Stonewall " Jackson attacked him so per-
sistently that he decided to withdraw, and then they
continued hammering away at him during the seven
days' retreat. This campaign gave the Vermont troops
plenty of service. They took part in engagements at
Lee's Mill, Williamsburg, Golding's Farm, Savage's
Station, and White Oak Swamp.
The battle of Lee's Mill was one of the bloodiest in
proportion to numbers in which our troops took part
during the war. The first assault on the enemy's works
was made by the Third Vermont Regiment, four com-
panies of which, led by Captain Samuel E. Pingree (later
a governor of the state), made a daring dash across War-
wick Creek, assaulting and carrying the rifle pits of the
enemy.
After McClellan had decided to abandon the siege of
Richmond and to retreat, the Vermont troops once more
rendered brilliant service in the battle of Savage's Sta-
tion. The importance of this action becomes apparent
THE CIVIL WAR 243
when we learn that the success of McClellan's retreat
depended first of all on getting an army of one hundred
and fifteen thousand men, with an immense army train
of five thousand wagons, through the White Oak Swamp.
This great natural barrier stretched half way across the
peninsula south of Richmond, squarely across his line
of retreat, and was passable only through one narrow
way. The stand of the rear guard, therefore, at Savage's
Station was, as Benedict says, '*a notable passage in
the history of the Peninsular campaign, and the battle
wdll ever be memorable to Vermonters as that in which
one of our regiments, the Fifth, suffered the greatest
loss in killed and wounded ever sustained by a Vermont
regiment in action."
The Fifth Regiment had orders to advance through
the woods in front of them. A regiment of Union troops
recently recruited had thrown themselves on the ground
in the woods and refused to advance. They were under
fire for the first time. The men of the Fifth Vermont
walked over them and marched on. ''I remember as
if it were yesterday," said one of the sergeants, "the
way we tramped over that line of cringing men, cursing
them roundly for their cowardice." The enemy's battery
was raking the woods with a terrible fire, but the regi-
ment went on into the open field. They kept on till
they met the enemy, made a bayonet charge, then halted
and opened fire on the infantry line across the hollow in
front of them.
Meanwhile they were themselves exposed to the fire
of two regiments, a battery of grape and canister, and a
raking cross fire of musketry from the edge of the woods
244 HISTORY OF VERMONT
to their left. In twenty minutes every other man in
line had been killed or wounded. And yet the regiment
held its position, silenced the enemy in front, and did
not go back until hours afterward, when it was ordered
to the rear with the brigade. The men had sixty rounds
of cartridges and used them all, taking the guns of their
fallen comrades when their own became heated. The
surgeon who visited the field the next day said in a
letter : " Thirty men of the Fifth Vermont were found
lying side by side, dressed in as perfect a line as for a
dress parade, who were all stricken down by one dis-
charge of grape and canister from the enemy's battery."
One company had three commissioned officers and fifty-
six men in line ; seven came out unharmed. Of the rest,
twenty-five were killed or died of their wounds.
The second eastern campaign of 1862 — the second
Bull Run campaign — resulted in the Union army being
driven back toward Washington and the Confederates
being emboldened to carry the war into the North.
Then came the storming of Crampton's Gap and the
battle of Antietam, and more good work by the Vermont
troops.
The Fourth Regiment especially distinguished itself
at the storming of Crampton's Gap, where on Sep-
tember 14 it captured, on the crest of the mountain, a
Confederate major, five line officers, one hundred and
fifteen men, and the colors of the Sixteenth Virginia.
These colors are preserved among the trophies of the
War Department at Washington.
A war correspondent of the New York Tribune
reported the following from Antietam :
THE CIVIL WAR
245
Smith was ordered to retake the cornfields and woods which
had been so hotly contested. It was done in the handsomest style.
His Maine and Vermont regiments and the rest went forward on
the run, and, cheering as they went, swept like an avalanche
through the cornfield, fell upon the woods, cleared them in ten
minutes, and held them. They were not again retaken. The
field and its ghastly harvest remained with us. Four times it had
been lost and won. The dead are strewn so thickly that as you
ride over it you cannot guide your horse's steps too carefully.
After the bloody battle of Antietam McClellan was
superseded in command by General Burnside. The Con-
federates fortified Marye's Heights, behind Fredericks-
burg, on the south side of the Rappahannock. The
position was almost impregnable, but Burnside attacked
it, only to be repulsed with a terrible loss. " Fighting
Joe " Hooker was then placed in command of the Army
of the Potomac.
From the middle of December, 1862, to the end of
the following April the Army of the Potomac remained
quietly in camp opposite Fredericksburg, and the Con-
federates retained their strong position on Marye's
Heights. At length Hooker began to operate. In the
storming of Marye's Heights, May 3, 1863, at the second
battle of Fredericksburg, the Vermont brigade accom-
plished more than ever before to establish its reputation
as a fighting brigade. A New Jersey officer describes
the taking of Marye's Heights as follows :
As we approached the foot of the hills, we could see the rebel
gunners limbering up their pieces. The Second Vermont, which
had got a little ahead of us, were now moving up the steep slope
on our right, in beautiful line ; and presently we also commenced
the ascent. A terrible volley thinned the ranks of the Vermonters ;
246 HISTORY OF VERMONT
but they pressed on, and the enemy began to give way. As we
reached the top of the hill we could see the flying foe, crossing
through a gully and ascending the rise of ground opposite. The
terrible Fredericksburg Heights had been captured.
The heights were carried so rapidly that the Con-
federate general, Jubal Early, who had the greater part
of his division within supporting distance, could not
reenforce his lines in time to save them. Benedict says :
" No similar assault on the Southern side during the war
equaled this in brilliancy and success ; and in these
respects it was surpassed on the Northern side, if at
all, only by Lookout Mountain and the final storming of
Lee's lines at Petersburg." The regiments moved with
the precision of ordinary drill, none rushing, none lagging.
Nevertheless Lee outgeneraled Hooker at Chancellors-
ville and in four days dealt the Army of the Potomac
a terrible blow.
He again decided to invade the North. Then came
the campaign which led to Gettysburg. Lee crossed
the Potomac and entered Pennsylvania. The Army
of the Potomac kept between him and Washington.
Hooker was succeeded by General Meade. On July i,
1863, the armies came together at the little village of
Gettysburg, and the Union troops being driven back in
a bloody battle to a strong position known as Cem-
etery Ridge, Meade determined to fight the decisive
battle there.
On the next day the Confederates attacked vigorously,
drove back the Union left, and secured a position which
threatened the whole line. Meantime the Sixth Corps,
which had been lying quietly at Manchester, some thirty
THE CIVIL WAR 247
miles from the scene of battle, was rushed over the
Baltimore and Gettysburg turnpike in the most rapid
and exciting march in its history. The fate of the
army and indeed the outcome of the whole war might
depend on the presence of these troops. It was then
that General Sedgwick gave his famous order: *'Put
the Vermonters ahead and keep the column well closed
up." They had a reputation for marching. as well as
for fighting.
At General Meade's headquarters, about six o'clock
that evening, there stood an anxious group of officers.
The Confederates had been forcing back the Union
left, and the sound of battle grew louder and nearer.
Presently a cloud of dust appeared down the Baltimore
pike. What did that cloud hide ? Had the enemy gained
the rear .? As the officers stood looking through their
field glasses, one said : '* It is not cavalry, but infantry.
There is the flag. It is the Sixth Corps."
During the next day and the final day of the battle
the Second Vermont Brigade won laurels on the left
center. The Confederates were driven out of one posi-
tion on the extreme right of the Union lines, and every
attack was repelled. Lee determined to make one more
assault, and sent Pickett with fifteen thousand men
against the Union center. They were repulsed with
awful loss. The fate of the charge was sealed by
the flank attack of Stannard's brigade. Veazey and the
Sixteenth Vermont Regiment charged upon and dis-
persed two Confederate brigades under Wilcox. This
action closed the battle of Gettysburg. Lee's invasion
of the North was ended.
248 HISTORY OF VERMONT
General Grant, who had been winning brilUant suc-
cesses in the Western campaign, was now placed in entire
charge of the Union armies ; Sherman began his famous
march to the sea; Thomas destroyed Hood's army; and
Grant, with the Army of the Potomac, took up again in
May, 1864, the task of destroying Lee's army and taking
Richmond.
Then followed the battles of the Wilderness, Spottsyl-
vania, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg. A thousand Ver-
monters were killed or wounded in the first day's fight-
ing of the Wilderness campaign. Two hundred fell the
second day. The Third Regiment went into the first
day's fight with about five hundred muskets, and in the
next month's fighting lost two out of every three men.
The Fourth Regiment fought at Spottsylvania in the
front line. At Cold Harbor it was again engaged. In
the movement to Petersburg it suffered the greatest loss
by capture that it ever experienced. Out of two hun-
dred men taken to the skirmish line, but sixty-seven
answered to the roll call the next morning, with three
commissioned officers. Nearly one half of the captured
men died in Confederate prisons. The colors were saved.
Although it was only one of thirty-two infantry brigades,
the Vermont brigade suffered one tenth of the entire loss
of Grant's army in killed and wounded in the Wilderness
campaign.
Lee forestalled Grant and occupied Petersburg. Grant
sat down to a nine months' siege before it. Lee stood
the pressure until it became intolerable; then he sent
one of his ablest generals, Jubal Early, with a detach-
ment to penetrate the Shenandoah Valley and seize
THE CIVIL WAR
249
Washington, thinking that this might divert Grant.
Grant gave Sheridan forty thousand men and sent him
after Early. Early reached Washington, but was just
a little too late to seize it; while Sheridan on this Shen-
andoah campaign drove the Confederates back, destroyed
everything eatable that could be found to support an army,
and rejoined Grant at Petersburg in November, 1864.
In this campaign of the Shenandoah Valley, Vermont
troops did good service; they shared in the engagements
at Charlestown, the Opequan, Winchester, Fishers Hill,
and Cedar Creek. The battle of the Opequan restored
the lower valley to Union control, put an end to invasions
in Maryland and to raids against the national capital.
At Cedar Creek what looked like a Confederate victory
was turned into a complete rout, upon Sheridan's appear-
ance after his famous ride of twenty miles from Winches-
ter. Out of a total of forty-eight guns captured, the
First Vermont Cavalry brought in twenty-three.
Then back to Petersburg. As soon as it was possi-
ble to move in the following spring the Northern soldiers
began the final campaign of the war. The South was
a mere shell. Sherman had moved at will; and not an
important seaport remained in Southern hands. Grant,
rejoined by Sheridan, made it impossible for Lee to hold
Richmond any longer. The South had put every fight-
ing man and every dollar she had into the war. Lee's
army dwindled as his men began to despair of their
cause. When Sheridan on his way to Jetersville asked,
" Where are the rebels.? " an old colored patriarch, lean-
ing on the fence, replied, '' Siftin' souf, sah; siftin' souf,"
with a smile and wave of his hand. The Union army
250 HISTORY OF VERMONT
outnumbered the Confederate two to one. Lee tried to
escape by the valley of the Appomattox to the mountains,
hoping possibly to unite with Johnston's forces. But at
last the Northern soldiers were too quick for him. He
was caught and cornered with the van of his starving
army at the Appomattox Courthouse. He surrendered,
and the war came to an end.
In the operations which led to the end Vermont
troops again had their share. The Second Regiment
once more distinguished itself in the final assault on the
defenses of Petersburg, with many instances of individ-
ual gallantry. A portion of the Ninth Regiment was
the first to carry a Union flag into the rebel capital.
After the fall of Richmond the Second Regiment joined
in the pursuit of Lee, and in a skirmish with the rear
guard on the evening of April 6 fired the last shot
discharged in action by the Sixth Corps. The Third
Regiment did its last fighting in the final assault on
Petersburg. This regiment lost two hundred officers
and men who were killed or died of wounds received in
action, and many more died of disease or starvation
while prisoners in the enemy's hands. The Fifth Regi-
ment led the storming column when the Sixth Corps
broke through the enemy's lines in front of Petersburg
on the 2d of April, and first planted the colors of the
Sixth Corps on the enemy's works. The final state-
ment of the regiment shows that of all the Vermont
regiments it lost the largest percentage of men killed
and mortally wounded in action.
The old brigade was engaged in thirty battles. Not one
of its colors fell into hostile hands. General McMahon
THE CIVIL WAR
251
said: '' No body of troops in or out of the Army of the
Potomac made their record more gallantly, sustained it
more heroically, or wore their honors more modestly.
The Vermont brigade were the model and type of the
volunteer soldier."
Besides the seventeen infantry regiments which Ver-
mont sent from first to last into the war, she sent also
three batteries of light artillery, one regiment of cavalry.
The Vermont Soldiers' Home at Bennington
and a larger proportion of sharpshooters than any other
state, not to speak of the Vermont men who served as
staff officers, soldiers in the regular army, and as privates
and commissioned officers in other states.
Her cavalry regiment was raised in the fall of 1861,
and was the first full regiment of mounted men raised
in New England. It was the largest regiment but one
sent from Vermont, comprising from first to last twenty-
two hundred and ninety-seven officers and men. It had
252
HISTORY OF VERMONT
a notable history. Previous Vermont regiments had
been raised by state authority; the cavalry was raised
under the direct authority of the United States.
The regiment served in the Shenandoah Valley, at
Gettysburg, in the Wilderness campaign, and under
Sheridan.
The organization of United States sharpshooters was
an attempt to meet the marksmen of the Confederates
with equally skilled shots armed with long-range rifles.
They were a distinct branch of the service. There
were two such
regiments raised
in the first year
of the war, of
whose total num-
ber this state fur-
nished over one
sixth. They
shared in almost
e\^ery battle
fought by the
Army of the Potomac, and made a brilliant record, sec-
ond to that of no other equal number of enlisted men.
Some of Vermont's sons occupied important positions
as staff officers. To them fell the duties of keeping the
troops supplied, of giving the soldiers medical and sur-
gical care, of keeping regimental and brigade and corps
accounts and records, of preparing and transmitting
orders in camp and field.
Vermont had a higher percentage of men killed in
action than any other state, while the percentage of the
The St. Albans Raid
Demanding Funds at the Bank
THE CIVIL WAR
253
old brigade was higher even than that of the state. The
five original regiments of this brigade gave 4747 officers
and men to the service of the government ; 4070 more
were added to these during the war, making an aggre-
gate of 8817 officers and men. The total wounded was
2328; 774 died in Union hospitals; 578 were killed in
action; 395 died of wounds; 135 died in Confederate
prisons.
Vermont sent to the war ten men out of every hun-
dred of her popu-
lation. She was
credited w^ith
nearly thirty-
four thousand
volunteers, out
of a total enroll-
ment of thirty-
seven thousand
men liable to do
militia duty.
None of her
colors were ever yielded in action, while in proportion
to total numbers her troops took more rebel colors
than those of any other state. In 1867 General Sheri-
dan, in the State House at Montpelier, said: ''When I
saw these old flags I thought I ought to say as much
as this: I have never commanded troops in whom I had
more confidence than I had in Vermont troops, and I
do not know but I can say that I never commanded
troops in whom I had as much confidence as those of
this gallant state."
The St. Albans Raid
Seizing Horses on Main Street
254
HISTORY OP^ VERMONT
With one more incident we will dose the story of
the war. On the 19th of October, 1864, a party of
strangers came into the village of St. Albans in small
squads, scattered about the place, and made a secret
and simultaneous entrance at the three banks. They
closed the doors of the banks, made the inmates prison-
ers, relieved the institutions of their available assets,
and made their escape, firing pistols promiscuously.
They also attempted to set fire to some of the buildings.
Excitement was
intense;it was
feared that the
party was but an
advance guard of
a larger invading
host. At Mont-
pelier, where the
legislature was in
session, members
gallantly volun-
teered to serve in
military capacity to repel the invaders. But no invasion
came. A party was hastily formed, and started after the
raiders, following them into Canada. Two hundred thou-
sand dollars had been taken from the banks. Fourteen
of the men were taken, and eighty-six thousand dollars
were recovered. After this affair two companies of
cavalry were raised to protect the northern frontier
from further similar invasion. The companies were
stationed at St. Albans, and did guard duty for about
six months.
The St. Albans Raid
The Burning of Sheldon Bridge
CHAPTER XII
FROM THE CIVIL WAR TO THE PRESENT TIME
Effects of the War
Vermont shared in the general disturbances caused
by the war, and it was many years before the direct
traces of the great national calamity disappeared. Busi-
ness cannot cease when war is in progress, because the
same number of people have to be provided for, whether
they are fighting or working. They must eat, be clothed
and sheltered. Since the armies took so many able-
bodied men from the field of industry', it naturally fol-
lowed that the products of labor grew scarcer and the
prices of it rose. And as prices of merchandise rose
the correspondingly greater value of the labor of the
workers became apparent and wages rose.
Farm values went up along with the general rise in
prices, for the products of the farms are among the
first necessities of life. Stock, cereals, wool, and other
farm produce went rapidly up to nearly or quite double
the former prices. Some farmers took advantage of
the unusual conditions and held their products till they
reaped large profits ; others tried the same experiment
and held them too long, until prices went tumbling down
again. The wages paid to farm laborers advanced, and
eventually the prices of farms themselves.
255
256 HISTORY OF VERMONT
Along with the derangement of vakies went financial
derangement. The paper money which was issued to
tide the government along depreciated, and there was
as high a premium on gold as on anything else. The
high scale of prices could not be maintained from the
very nature of the case, because it was due to causes
which were not going to operate continuously. The war
ended, and in the years which followed, until prices
had reached their normal level, there was a decline of
values which operated with hardship on many. Men
who thought that war brought them wealth found that
peace brought them poverty. Young men returning
from the war, and buying farms at the inflated prices
which prevailed, soon found that they must pay for
them with the proceeds of labor, farm animals, and
crops which were steadily falling, and that when paid
for the farm itself would be worth only a fraction of
the purchase price. Such men often lost everything
they had.
Many of the returning veterans sought fortunes in
the West rather than attempt to take up life again in
the old communities. Little had been saved from, their
pay during the war ; many had families at home to be
supported. Middle-aged men found themselves forced
to begin life anew. Some were too shattered in health
to be equal to the task. Some took up soldiers' rights in
western lands and adapted their agricultural knowledge
to new conditions. Others went back to the old farms.
Still others engaged in manufacturing and business.
The westward movement, thus stimulated by the war,
remained active for another reason. So long as our
FROM THE CIVIL WAR TO THE PRESENT TIME 257
interests remained agricultural, any increase in popu-
lation beyond a certain limit was bound to overflow,
because the agricultural density of population is not yet
great in America. That is, when people live on farms
they are not so thickly placed as when they live in cities
or villages. We have seen that Vermont is a state of
farms and small villages rather than of great centers
of population. Until manufactures increase sufficiently
to support large villages and cities, we must expect to
find the population remaining about stationary and the
natural increase of our families going away to other
parts.
If you look at the census returns you will see the
extent to which this has been the case. From i860 to
1 870 the state showed a very slight increase in popula-
tion ; from 1870 to 1880 it dropped still lower, being
only one half of one per cent ; while from 1880 to 1890
it reached low ebb, there being practically no gain in
population for the decade. From 1890 to 1900 it
began to increase very slowly. From now on but little
gain can be expected. For a good many years the
agricultural population is not likely to reach a much
greater density; while the additional number of people
who can be supported by new industries is so slight in
comparison with the total population of the state that
it will not be likely to have a large percentage of
increase. This does not mean that Vermonters are
dying out ; it means that they are carrying their
influence into other communities, where they take up
the battle for right and the struggle for good citizenship
and good order.
258 HISTORY OF VERMONT
Growth of Industry
Any one can ascertain the extent and the diversity of
the industries of Vermont by looking into the last census
report. It will be the function of this section, there-
fore, instead of attempting to describe the variety which
modern life has imposed upon our industrial arts, to
point out some less apparent features in the develop-
ment of our most important industries, separately and
in allied groups.
According to the census of 1900 the ten leading
industries of the state were : factory production of butter,
cheese, and condensed milk ; flouring and gristmilling ;
foundry and machine-shop work ; the manufacture of
hosiery and knit goods ; the production of lumber and
timber ; planing-mill manufactures, including sashes,
doors, and blinds ; marble and stone work ; the manu-
facture of monuments and tombstones ; the making of
wood pulp and paper ; and wool manufactures.
Now, if you will observe this list, you will notice that
certain of these industries — and they are the most
important ones — deal with the natural products of the
farms and the forests.
The milling of cereals had not changed much, but
the dairying industry has been profoundly modified by
the development of the creamery system. It is a fine
specimen of intelligent cooperation. The factory turns
out a uniform product, secures a market for it, does the
accounting, and settles with the farmer, relieving both
him and his wife of a great deal of bother, and securing
for the consumer a better article. It is because it
FROM THE CIVIL WAR TO THE PRESENT TIME 259
makes both the dairyman and the user of dairy products
better off that this industry has had its rapid growth.
The development of fast freight and express faciHties
has allowed the business to diversify, and the sending
of milk, of pasteurized milk, and of cream daily to the
cities has grown up. Condensed-milk factories take a
portion of the product of the dairies ; while other farm
products like corn and fruit find in some sections of the
state a near-by market in the canning factories.
In a similar way a great change has come over the
industries which deal w-ith the forest resources of the
state. The manufacturing of sashes, doors, blinds, rough
and dressed lumber has long been a standard occupation
of our mills ; but the manufacture of paper from wood
pulp has caused a tremendous growth of the pulp and
paper business in the state since the Civil War. A
large proportion of the spruce of New England now
goes into wood pulp. Great plants with costly machin-
ery are established, and an interest in practical forestry
is aroused wdth a view to the permanence of the busi-
ness ; for the great cost of such plants does not allow
their abandonment in a few^ years, like an old-fashioned,
inexpensive sawmill. Farsighted lumbermen, therefore,
are attempting plans of systematic lumbering which will
preserve their ranges as productive estates of increasing
value, instead of leaving them, at the end of a few years,
abandoned wildernesses.
There is an increasing tendency in the lumber busi-
ness, as in other enterprises, to do more finished work
near the place where the raw material is furnished.
This is partly because it is expensive to pay freights on
260 HISTORY OF VERMONT
waste which is to be taken off in dressing lumber, and
partly because it is less expensive to run business in the
country than in the city. Large concerns, therefore,
engaged in the making of boxes, tubs, piano backs,
piano sounding-boards, etc., have located in country
towns as near as possible to their source of supply,
either local or Canadian or both. Bobbin factories in
many places have arisen to make use of the hard wood
which in earlier days of lumbering was often left uncut
in the forest on account of the greater expense of manu-
facturing and marketing it.
If you will look again at the list of leading industries,
you will see that a series of them starts with the work
which men have taken out of the hands of women. We
are apt to think that woman is getting very modern and
mannish in occupation, but is it not true that man has
entered her field and left her much less of the old kind
of work to do "^ He invaded the kitchen and took the
spinning wheel, the loom, and the dye pot. Presently
he could be seen building a factory, and when it was
done hosiery was made there by machinery. Then
another factory went up, and there shirts, underclothes,
and women's garments were triumphantly evolved. But
the man had not finished : not only would he make his
own shirts, but he would wash them also. So the
modern steam laundry was installed, and presently the
woman found her own dry goods going the way of
the man's. The domestic laundry was invaded.
But employment for women did not cease, for, although
they may no longer do work in the old-fashioned way,
they may do it with the most improved machinery.
FROM THE CIVIL WAR TO THE PRESENT TIME 261
You will find establishments for making hosiery, knit
goods, and women's apparel in the state for much the
same reason that mills were located in the country ;
girls can be hired for lower wages because they can
live more cheaply, and in the country their work can be
done under cleaner and more wholesome conditions
than in the crowded shops of the city. Some of these
shops are models of their kind.
Turning once more to our list of industries, we find
that the most important ones which remain for analysis
rest upon the geological wealth of the state. Little iron
is now locally produced. The three great geological
industries are connected with the production of slate,
marble, and granite. The combined production of these
in 1910 was $8,489,170 in value, of which $3,562,850
represented the production of marble, $2,694,474 the
value of granite, and $1,894,657 that of slate. Vermont
produces more marble and granite than any other state,
and is second only to Pennsylvania in the production of
slate. Sandstone, limestone, talc, asbestos, soapstone,
and clay are produced, but not in large amounts. There
are great masses of marble and granite still undeveloped
in Vermont.
The marble business has grown for over a centur}^,
until Vermont has become the marble center of the
world ; for not only does she produce a large share of
all that is produced in the United States, but she exports,
chiefly to Australia. In 191 1 the total value of marble
produced in the United States was $7,546,718, of which
Vermont produced $3,394,930, or little less than one half
the whole, while no other single state produced one third
262 HISTORY OF VERMONT
as much in value as Vermont. Vermont stone ranks
high in quality. Vermont, in fact, has supplied the need
of the country for ornamental and building marble more
largely than have all other states combined. In recent
years the sales of Vermont marble for building pur-
poses have shown a notable increase. It is important
that the coarser grades of stone should be thus used,
since much of the product of a quarry would be wasted
if only the monumental grades could be utilized, and
some quarries could not be profitably worked at all on
that basis.
The marble belt appears more or less through the
entire length of the western side of the state. The
principal towns in which commercial marble is produced
are Dorset, Danby, Clarendon, West Rutland, Proctor,
Pittsford, Brandon, Isle La Motte, and Swanton.
The expense of opening and working a marble quarry
is so great that only a firm with a large capital can
undertake it. Most of the marble used in the country
is produced by a few great concerns. This might well
be remembered by those who decry the concentration of
capital, for one of the greatest industries of our state
is made possible only by such concentration. The Ver-
mont Marble Company, which was built up by Redfield
Proctor, is the largest marble-producing company in
the world.
When we turn to the granite business we notice quite
a different set of conditions. This business has had an
even more rapid growth since the Civil War than the
marble business, and is more widely distributed through-
out the state. There are quarries at Barre, W^oodbury,
FROM THE CIVIL WAR TO THE PRESEiNT TIME 263
West Dummerston, Concord, Calais, Northfield, Beebe
Plain, and Ryegate, to say nothing of the large beds
practically untouched which will furnish an unlimited
supply for years to come. Vermont has enough avail-
able granite to supply the world.
This granite is of the best quality, fine-grained, com-
pact, strong, of very even texture and color, and is
found in all shades of gray. No red granite is produced.
Great wealth has come into the state from these hitherto
barren ledges. The capital invested in conducting the
business is widely distributed, and there are many com-
panies engaged. Within a comparatively few years Barre
has grown from a little village into a granite city. Nearly
forty of the states produce granite, some in large quan-
tities, but Vermont leads. In the production of finer
kinds of monumental stone Vermont produces more than
twice the quantity yielded by any other state. Sales of
cut granite for building purposes are larger in some other
states, although of this kind of stone Vermont sells more
in the rough. Very little of her granite is used as paving
stones. There are many surface quarries, and since the
stone can be used from the start in the ledges, a small
amount of capital is often sufficient to start a quarry.
Education
The educational work of the state has progressed with
commendable spirit and in the main with practical wisdom.
Handsome new structures replace antiquated buildings. In-
struction is made more practical, and professional training
produces better methods among teachers. Vermont has
264 HISTORY OF VERMONT
arrived at the underlying principle of an efficient public-
school system, — state control. The cardinal points of
the system are revealed in state requirements put upon
the schools, in state aid furnished to the schools, and
in the centralization of administrative machinery in the
State Department of Education.
These three features reach all the parties primarily
The Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Muntpelier
connected with the schools ; that is, the towns which
maintain the schools, the pupils who attend the schools,
and the teachers who teach the schools. For example,
in the matter of requirements : towns must maintain a
school year of certain length in order to meet the require-
ments of legal schools ; compulsory attendance is re-
quired of the pupils ; and examination and certification
is required of teachers.
FROM THE CIVIL WAR TO THE PRESENT TIME 265
In the same way the state aims to aid all connected
with the public-school system. State funds are appor-
tioned among the towns ; it is directed that free text-
books be supplied by the towns to the pupils ; and normal
schools, and departments of pedagogy in the colleges, are
maintained for the better training of teachers.
The centralization of the system is illustrated by the
The Norman Williams Library, Woodstock
requirement that reports of all schools be returned to
the Department of Education ; by the system of exami-
nation and certification of teachers ; by the continued main-
tenance of the normal schools at Johnson and Castleton,
and by educational conferences and summer schools ;
by circulars of information issued by the Department of
Education ; by the general supervision exercised by the
State Commissioner of Education ; and by the formation
266
HISTORY OF VERMONT
of union districts for local supervision throughout the
state.
These features of our educational system have not all
come at once. They are the result of an evolution.
The normal schools began their work in 1866. The
office of state superintendent was revived in 1874.
Museum of Natural History, St. Johnsbury
County examiners were provided for in 1890. The town
system was established in 1892. So little by little the
advance has been made. The result is that to-day hardly
a state in the Union can show a more generous support
of its schools than this state, in proportion to wealth
or population ; that no state can show better schools or
school buildings or appliances than can be shown in
FROM THE CIVIL WAR TO THE PRESENT TIME 2^-]
places of corresponding size in this state ; and that
Vermont teachers are in demand in other states.
The town system has done more to secure equaliza-
tion of school privileges than any other one measure.
The normal schools are doing progressive work. The
spirit and zeal of the teachers of the state are shown
by the support they give to institutes and educational
The Mark Skinner Library, Maxchester
Popular feeling is indicated by the erection
of better school buildings and the beautifying of school
grounds. A few public kindergartens have been estab-
lished and have met with favor.
The high schools are a feature in school develop-
ment since the era of the Civil War. The position they
hold was formerly held by a smaller number of institu-
tions of academic or grammar grade, dependent partly
268
HISTORY OF VERMONT
on endowment but mostly on tuition, — such institutions,
for example, as Burr and Burton Seminary, Vermont
Academy at Saxtons River, Brattleboro Academy, St,
Johnsbury Academy, Lyndon Institute, Brigham Acad-
emy at Bakersfield, Montpelier Seminary, Newbury
Seminary, and the academies at Derby, Craftsbury,
Brownino^ton, Thetford, Barre, Peacham, and elsewhere.
The Billings Library, Burlington
They did good work and some of them are yet strong
institutions which fit well into the pubUc-school system
in their respective towns by filling the function of the
high school which would otherwise be necessary. The
schools at Castleton, Randolph, and Johnson became
state normal schools in 1867. But the new institutions
are high schools, not academies. High-school attendance
has doubled in twenty years ; and recent legislation has
FROM THE CIVIL WAR TO THE PRESENT TIME 269
placed free secondary education within reach of the
aspiring youth of the state.
The growth of libraries and library facilities through-
out the state is a most encouraging sign of the times.
Many of the high schools have libraries, some possess-
ing as many as four thousand volumes. The same is
The Athkn.ki m, St. Juhxsiu-ry
true of the normal schools. Other libraries have been
established by bequests of individuals, and have perma-
nent endowments and artistic buildings.
Of the colleges little need be said save that they have
grown in their work, proving their worth, and that they
have added to their buildings, equipment, courses of
study, teaching staff, and number of students.
270
HISTORY OF VERMONT
The Spanish War
..f^^^
National politics once
more involved us in war ;
but this time it was waged
on foreign shores, not on
our own, and was not so
great a contest as to affect
business and social condi-
tions seriously. It would
be a hazardous matter to
pass judgment here on the
merits of this war. It will
be sufficient to call atten-
tion to the fact that in the
war two of Vermont's sons brought added distinction to
themselves and to their state. To Commodore Dewey
was due the credit of the victory of Manila Bay; to
Admiral George Dewey
Birthplace of Admiral Dewey at Montpelier
FROM THE CIVIL WAR TO THE PRESENT TLME 2/1
f-A. * '
%
p^Bji
fQW^^BT
l^n
Rear Admiral C. E. Clark's IjIrthplace,
Bradford
Captain Clark of
the Oregon was due
the credit of taking
that wonderful
mechanism, a mod-
ern war-ship, on a
\o}'age of more
than half the cir-
cumference of the
globe, from the
coast of California
around Cape Horn, to join the Atlantic squadron, a feat
which was accomplished in a little more than two months,
without a rivet or a bolt
or a gearing broken or
out of place.
Vermont statesmen
have taken a leading and
intelligent interest in try-
ing to arrive at a broad
and liberal solution of
the vexed problems of
administering our new
possessions, and not a
few of her sons have
been called to take up
active duty in the field
of civil and educational
service in the Philip-
pines in as truly a missionary enterprise as any that
exists to-day.
Rear Admiral C. E. Clark
272
HISTORY OF VERMONT
The same spirit has operated within the state in
recent years in a variety of ways, reveaUng itself in con-
structive efforts to secure the welfare of Vermont as a
whole. This spirit accounts for such developments as
the " Greater Vermont Movement," the renewed activities
of the Grange and Boards of Trade, and the continually
increasing expenditures for better roads and better schools.
Cooperative effort has vastly improved the public high-
ways, brought under supervi-
sion most of the public schools,
increased the wages paid to
teachers, doubled the support
given to the normal schools,
created agricultural schools,
and stimulated more practical
work in the colleges. It has
sought to conserve the fish and
game, the forest lands, and to
utilize the water powers. It
has pointed the way to spe-
cialized industries in favoring
sections, such as fruit culture, and to more intensive
methods of agriculture in general farming. It has em-
phasized the wonderful beauty of Vermont scenery for
the tourist, and has sought to make Vermont a better
place to live and work in for all who dwell at home
among her green hills.
So here we leave the story of our state. More has
been left unsaid than has been told ; but we have gained
great glimpses here and there of audacious courage, sub-
lime faith, magnificent statesmanship, true patriotism, and
Rowland E. Robinson
Vermont's Blind Author
THE NEW YORK
PUBLIC LIBRARY
RicheVieu
Geographical Map of Vermo>
FROM THE CIVIL WAR TO THE PRESENT TIME 273
loyal devotion to duty. In the comparatively brief period
of our state's history we have seen reflected the wide
range of human life and development from an existence
the most simple and primitive to the civilization of the
twentieth century. The best story and the greatest in-
spiration are the lives of the men and women themselves,
— the plain, simple people of the hills, whose characters
stand out like great elemental forces as they moved
through life, ever ready to take their chances with the
hard things, ever responsive to the call of duty, strong,
true, ardent, just, versatile, and independent.
APPENDIX
Part I
GEOGRAPHICAL AND GEOLOGICAL NOTES
GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES ^
VERMONT
Latitude, north, 42° 44' to 45°.
Longitude, east from Washington, 3° 35' to 5° 29'.
Length, 157^ miles.
Width at northern border, 90 miles.
Width at southern border, 41 miles.
Average width, 57^ miles.
Total area, 9565 square miles.i
Water surface, 430 square miles.
Land area, 9135 square miles, or 5,846,400 acres.
Mountains
The surface of the state is thoroughly broken by hills, individual
mountains, and mountain ranges. The configuration thus formed
gives the state a diversified and picturesque scenery, which is
enhanced by the beauty of the valleys and the numerous little
streams, lakes, and ponds. The mountains of the state form
four main divisions, which are known as the Green Mountains,
the Taconic Mountains, the Granitic Mountains, and the Red
Sandrock Mountains.
1 Census igoo. The area of the state has been variously given by different
authorities.
275
276
HISTORY OF VERMONT
The Green Mountains form the principal mountain chain, and
consist of a range which takes a northerly direction through the
state for its entire length, a little to the west of the center. The
highest peaks in the state belong to this range. Beginning at
the north, the principal summits are as follows :
Jay Peak, 401 8 feet.
Lowell Mountain.
Sterling Peak, 3700 feet.
Mt. Mansfield, 4364 feet.
Bone Mountain.
Camel's Hump, 40SS feet.
Potato Hill, or Lincoln Moun-
tain, 4078 feet.
Bread Loaf.
Moosalamoo.
Hogback, 2347 feet.^
Pico Peak, 3967 feet.i
Killington Peak, 4241 feet.^
Shrewsbury Peak, 3737 feet.^
Saltash Mountain, 3278 feet.i
White's Hill, 2922 feet.i
Mt. Tabor, 3584 feet.i
Stratton Mountain.
Somerset Mountain, 3605 feet.^
Haystack (Searsburg), 3462 feet.^
Bald Mountain (Woodford).
Prospect Mountain.
The Taconic Mountains are independent of the Green Mountain
range and nearly parallel, in the southwestern part of the state,
extending from the Massachusetts line as far north as Brandon.
The principal summits are as follows :
Bird Mountain.
Herrick Mountain, 2692 feet.
Moose Horn Mountain.
Danby Mountain.
Eolus.
Master's Mountain.
Haystack (Pawlet).
Bear Mountain.
Seymour Peak.
Equinox, 3872 feet.
Minister's Hill.
Red Mountain.
West Mountain.
Bald Mountain (Arlington).
Spruce Peak.
Mt. Anthony, 2505 feet.
Petersburg Mountain.
The Granitic Mountains lie in eastern Vermont. They do
not form a range, although they extend for nearly the length of
the state, but are disconnected, separate uplifts. The ascent to the
1 United States Geological Survey. This survey has not been completed for
the entire state. Heights of mountains not thus marked may be taken to be only
approximately correct.
APPENDIX
77
summit is not infrequently steeper on the southern than on the
northern side. The most important elevations are the following :
Granite Hill.
Mt. John.
Bear Hill.
Bluff Mountain.
Mt. Pisgah.
Mt. Hor.
Mt. Seneca.
Joe's Hill.
Mack's Mountain.
Pidgeon Hill.
Pine Mountain.
Knox Mountain.
Cobble Hill.
Millstone Hill.
Ascutney, 3320 feet.
Black Mountain.
The Red Sandrock group is a series of uplifts in northwestern
Vermont, lying in Addison, Chittenden, and Franklin counties.
They are characterized by a gradual slope on the eastern side,
and a more rugged and bold escarpment on the western. The
formation is usually limestone or calcareous slate, capped with
siliceous rock, " red sand rock," from which the mountains take
their name. These elevations are :
Snake Mountain.
Buck Mountain.
Bridgeman's Hill.
Rice Hill, 2947 feet.^
Mutton Hill.
Pease Hill.
Sugar Loaf, or Mt. Philo.
Florona, 1035 feet.
Prospect Hill.
Snake Hill.
Cobble Hill (Milton).
Shell House Mountain.
Mars Hill.
Rivers
The situation of the mountains determines, of course, the water-
sheds and the course of the streams. Since the principal watershed
coincides with the range of the Green Mountains, the rivers on the
eastern side of the state empty into the Connecticut River, after
taking for the most part an easterly or southeasterly course from
their sources among the hills. The Passumpsic and the Deerfield
flow south. These rivers are, beginning at the north :
Nulhegan. Ompompanoosuc. Williams.
Passumpsic. White. West.
Waits. Quechee. Deerfield.
Wells. Black.
1 United States Geological Survey. This survey has not been completed for
the entire state. Heights of mountains not thus marked may be taken to be only
approximately correct.
2/8 HISTORY OF VERMONT
In the northern part of the state, in what is often known as
" the Y of the Green Mountains," but really in the basin between
the Granitic and the Green mountains, a smaller group of rivers
rises and flows northward into Lake Memphremagog. These are
the Clyde, the Barton, and the Black.
On the western side of the state, tributary to Lake Champlain,
there is a smaller number of rivers larger than those on the east-
ern side, these being the Missisquoi, the Lamoille, the Winooski,
the Otter Creek, the Poultney, and the Pawlet. The Battenkill
and the Hoosac empty into the Hudson.
Lakes and Ponds
Although the Fish Commissioners' reports contain a list of the
many lakes and ponds in the state, and the kinds of fish which
they contain, there are no accurate data on the acreage of these
waters. The following figures are approximately correct for the
most important bodies :
A cres A cres
Berlin Pond, Berlin, 650 Joe's Pond, Cabot and Dan-
Big Leach, or Wallace Pond, ville, 1000
Canaan, 1200 Lake Bomoseen, Castleton, 15000
Caspian Lake, Greensboro, 1200 Lake Dunmore, Salisbury
Colchester Pond, Colchester, 800 and Leicester, 3000
Crystal Lake, Barton, 1400 Lake St. Catherine, Wells
Echo Pond, Charleston, 800 and Poultney, 2000
Fairfield Lake, Fairfield, 1500 Little Averill Pond, Averill, 800
Fairlee Lake, Fairlee and Maidstone Lake, Maidstone, 1000
Thetford, 1500 May Pond, Barton, 1000
Franklin Pond, Franklin, 1800 Memphremagog, Derby and
Great Averill Pond, Averill, 1200 Newport, (in Vermont) 8000
Great Hosmer Pond, Albany, 1000 Morey Lake, Fairlee, 1300
Groton Pond, Groton, 1800 Salem Pond, Derby, 1000
Hosmer Pond, Craftsbury, 600 Seymour Lake, Morgan, 5000
Island Pond, Brighton, 1500 Shelburne Pond, Shelbume, 700
WilloughbyLake,Westmore, 5500
APPENDIX 279
Counties
Previous to the declaration of independence by the state in 1777,
the territory of the New Hampshire Grants lay within the limits
of four counties : Cumberland, Gloucester, Charlotte, and Albany.
The boundaries of these counties are shown on page 74.
Cumberland County lay east of the Green Mountains and
extended from the southern boundary of the state as far north as
the southern part of the present county of Orange. This county
was estabhshed by the Colonial Legislature of New York in 1766.
The act was annulled by royal decree in 1767, but was renewed
in the following year, and the county was incorporated in March,
1768. The first shire town was Chester, but the county seat was
removed to Westminster in 1772.
Gloucester County, which was formed in 1770, with Newbury
as shire town, comprised all of the grants north of Cumberland
County and east of the mountains.
Charlotte County included a portion of New York and the part
of the grants which lay west of the Green Mountains and north of
the towns of Arlington and Sunderland. The county was formed
in 1772, with its shire at Skenesboro, now Whitehall.
Albany County comprised the remainder of the state west of
the Green Mountains and south of Charlotte County, as well as
part of New York.
The present counties of the state were organized as follows :
Bennington,
1779
Chittenden,
1782
Orleans,
1792
Windham,
1779
Addison,
1787
Grand Isle,
1802
Rutland,
1781
Franklin,
1792
Washington,
1810
Windsor,
1781
Caledonia,
1792
Lamoille,
1835
Orange,
1781
Essex,
1792
28o HISTORY OF VERMONT
GEOLOGICAL NOTES ^
Vermont has, in proportion to her population, greater wealth in
quarries than any other state. As a mining state, however, she
never has been important and never can be ; for although she
possesses a diversity of metals, they do not exist under such con-
ditions that they can be profitably obtained in any appreciable
quantities. For instance, gold has been found in many places in
the state, but nowhere in paying quantities. It occurs in both
the sands of streams and in gold-bearing rocks. But not every
quartz vein is gold bearing, and if gold-bearing quartz is found it
still remains to get the rock out of the ground and the gold out of
the rock. The process of separating gold from quartz is complex
and involves the use of expensive machinery, so that it costs
more to get the metal than it is worth.
The only mining which has been extensively carried on to any
profit is copper mining. In a few localities this has probably
paid. Copper has been mined to some extent for over eighty
years, although there have been intervals of inactivity. There is
no native copper in the state, that is, copper in a pure form, such
as exists in the great beds of the Lake Superior copper region ;
but it occurs as chalcopyrite or copper pyrites, a sulphide of cop-
per, which is usually largely mixed with iron sulphide. Within
the last few years there has been an increased demand for copper
owing to its use in electrical equipments ; and owing to this
and a corresponding increase in price some renewed interest has
been shown in copper properties. It is possible that the large
masses of low-grade ore which still remain may some time be mined
by new processes, more advantageously reduced, and so become
commercially profitable.
Lead is found in many parts of the state, and although a few
attempts have been made to work lead mines, the quantity has
been insufficient to develop them. In 1880, according to the
Census Report, this state produced two hundred and fifty tons of
1 Taken from the Report of the State Geologist, G. H. Perkins, for 1900, and
from the Fourteenth Agricultural Report. Teachers and students should consult
the Report of the State Geologist for 1911-1912, and note the map facing p 246.
APPENDIX 281
metallic iron. Little has been produced since, and no beds are
now worked, although many towns possess deposits of iron asso-
ciated with ocher, kaolin, clays, etc. Bog manganese is found
here and there over the state. Soapstone, freestone, asbestos,
talc, and paint have been found in sufficient quantities to tempt
experiments at working them. One bed of kaolin, worked at
Monkton, has been used in the manufacture of china ware and
lire clay. The Rutland Fire Clay Company digs clay to use in
stove linings. The principal beds of ocher are at Brandon,
Shaftsbury, and Bennington. There are quarries of quartzite
which have been worked by the Pike Manufacturing Company
of Brownington for scythestones.
The first quarries to be opened were naturally those in which
building material was sought. But the construction of stone
buildings involves the use of mortar, and as this is obtained from
limestone it follows that the latter must have been quarried early.
Nearly all the limestone in this state is found in the western part,
not far from Lake Champlain, For more than a century stone
has been taken out at the southern end of Isle La Motte, an almost
black limestone with few fossils. At Grand Isle two quarries
have been worked, mostly for railroad construction. Quarries
at Highgate and Swanton have been worked since the early part
of the nineteenth century, furnisliing the stone for extensive kilns
from which lime is made. It has also been obtained at Col-
chester, Brandon, Leicester Junction, and New Haven. East of this
narrow strip of limestone the rocks are mostly schist, granite,
gneiss, quartzite, and other metamorphic rocks. :£ ,v.:;Ci
The especially important quarries are those of slate, marble,
and granite. The location of the first two industries is very
interesting. They are both situated in a long, narrow area, one
east and the other west of the Taconic range. By far the larger
part of both kinds of quarries is in Rutland County. The
Taconic hills are a complete barrier between them. No marble is
found west of the hills, no slate east. The marble belt reaches
farther north than tlic slate belt, but the southern limit is about
the same. The marble area is about twice as long from north to
south as the slate area, and is somewhat wider from east to west.
282 HISTORY OF VERMONT
The great slate belt begins on the north, near Glen Lake at
West Castleton, and extends southward on each side of Lake
Bomoseen, through Scotch Hill, New Haven, Blissville, Poultney,
South Poultney, Wells, Fawlet, and West Pawlet, south of which
no quarries are now. worked, although they formerly extended as
far as West Rupert. From north to south this slate region is
about thirty miles in length ; it is from five to six miles wide for
the most part, and nowhere more than eight or ten miles in width.
A number of different varieties of slate are produced, — unfading
green, sea green, purple, variegated, and dark gray. There have
been about one hundred and fifty quarries either temporarily or
permanently worked in this area.
Especial mention has been made of both the marble and the
granite industries in the closing chapter of the history, so that
little further need be said here, save to note that the distribution
of the granite is not so confined as that of the slate and marble, it
occurring widely on the eastern side of the Green Mountains.
Part II
FOR REFERENCE AND FURTHER STUDY
MAP EXERCISES
Draw an outline of the state. Indicate the name of the adja-
cent territory. Show on the map the latitude and longitude of
Vermont. State in miles the length of Vermont and the approxi-
mate width at the northern and southern boundaries. Indicate
the area in square miles and the acreage, both land and water.
On an outline map such as the above show the course of the
Green Mountain range and the situation of the Taconic, Granitic,
and Red Sandrock mountains. Indicate the heights of the prin-
cipal peaks.
On an outline map of the state insert the courses of the princi-
pal water ways tributary to the Connecticut River, the Hudson
APPENDIX 283
River, Lake Memphremagog, and Lake Champlain. In drawing
these rivers be careful to locate their sources properly, to show
the territory which they drain, and their exits into the larger
bodies of water. Tell where these larger bodies empty into the
sea. Draw on this map the lakes of Vermont.
Sketch the county divisions on an outline map of the state.
Indicate the names of the counties, the dates of organization,
and the population. Show where the earliest settlements were
made, with dates. Locate the cities and large towns. Draw the
railroad lines which lie within the state.
Compare Vermont with the other New England states in
respect to size and population. Compare it also with any three
of the Middle, Southern, and Western states. Compare it with
England, France, Switzerland, Italy.
Note. — These are foundation exercises, and, if necessary, should be repeated
until good work can be shown. The maps should be drawn in class, from mem-
ory, should be carefully scrutinized by the teacher, and returned with whatever
comment or criticism is needed. Oral questions should supplement the exercises.
The following list of maps will be found useful for reference.
List of Maps
I. Vermont at the close of the French and Indian wars,l facing p. 40.
II. Early Map of New Hampshire, soon after the erection of Fort Dum-
mer, p. 69.
III. The First Political Division of Vermont, p. 74.
IV. Vermont at the close of the Revolution,^ facing p. 122.
V. Railroad Map of Vermont, facing p. 220.
VI. Geographical Map of Vermont, facing p. 273.
VII. Township Map of Vermont, in colors, facing p. 301.
* This map shows French occupancy in the Champlain Valley ; two of the old Indian
routes ; Governor Wentworth's early grants ; the beginning of English settlement ; the
military outposts at Crown Point, Ticonderoga, Fort William Henry, Number Four,
Fort Dummer, and Fort Hoosac ; the first road across the state ; and the extent to
which the wilderness had been explored. The original of this map bears no date, but
internal evidence would indicate that it was made between 1759 and 1764.
* This map shows the extent to which townships had been granted before the close
of the Revolution. A comparison with map I will indicate the very rapid develop-
ment of the state following the close of the French and Indian wars. The town-
ships marked Y were granted by governors of New York. The dotted lines indicate
conflicting grants.
284 HISTORY OF VERMONT
TOPICS!
Chapter I. Did Cartier see a part of Vermont? Distinguish
between the possibiHty, the probability, and the certainty of it.
The first contact of Indians and white men. Champlain's route
to the lake. Champlain's impressions of the country : what would
be his standard of comparison,? The fauna of Vermont in 1609.
Could the Indians be depended on for accurate accounts of the
country.? Modern weapons and Indian warfare. What reason
is there to think that Champlain mistook limestone rocks for snow
on the mountains? Distinguish what we positively know about
the aborigines of Vermont from what we can reasonably infer.
Describe the old burial ground at Swanton, and give the evidence
of its antiquity. Indian relics and their uses. Describe Indian
life from data given in this chapter.
Chapter II. Compare the French and English methods of
colonizing, and mention some of the results. The French and
Indian wars as an incident of colonial policy. Condition of our
state at the time of these wars. How much of its geography was
known ? Describe the red men's roads. Illustrate the methods
of warfare by the Deerfield raid and Rogers's exploit. Describe
the building of Fort Dummer and the life of the scouts. How the
French entered the Champlain Valley. When did it become evi-
dent that the French were losing ground ? Find the reason for
the failure of the French. The work and value of scouting parties.
Chapter III. Enumerate the indirect or secondary results of
the French and Indian wars. Give the history of the old Indian
road. The Hazen road. Local road building. Why is 1760
an important date in Vermont history? Bennington. Illustrate
the choice of locations for settlement and how the first settlers
came into the wilderness. What parts of the state were settled
first and why? The extent of settlement at the time of the Revo-
lution. Colonial society in its social, industrial, and intellectual
aspects. Domestic economy. Political issues.
1 The topics are not designed to supply the teachers with a complete list
of ready-made questions, but to indicate the lines along which they may most
profitably direct their own questions.
APPENDIX 285
Chapter IV. Why were tlie early townships called the New
Hampshire Grants? The cause of the dispute between New
Hampshire and New York. To whom did all parties turn for
appeal? How the question affected the settlers of this state.
How the New Hampshire Grants passed under the jurisdiction of
New York. What change of jurisdiction meant. Why the Order
in Council of i 764 did not settle the trouble. Trace the steps in
the contest. The settlers' methods of defense : their first appeal ;
their next resort ; their final alternative. Were their methods of
operation legal? Did the governors of i\ew York act legally?
What did the settlers' methods do for them in the way of building
up a government? If the king had not issued the first Order in
Council is it likely that Vermont would have been a separate state?
Were there men in Vermont who had settled in good faith under
New York patents ? Could this dispute have been settled by
compromise ? Describe the situation leading to the " Westmin-
ster Massacre." Is it an incident of the Revolution or of the
grant controversy, or both ? Was it really a massacre ? Were
the settlers acting legally ?
Chapter V. The relation of the grant controversy to the
Revolution. The strategic importance of the Champlain Valley.
How the British came to be in possession of the military posts.
Colonial projects for securing possession of the Champlain Valley.
The relation of the capture of Ticonderoga to the Revolution.
The importance of the event as a military operation. The Green
Mountain Boys in the war. Naval operations of 1776. The
British plan of campaign for 1777. Events leading to the battle
of Bennington. What caused Burgoyne's defeat? In what did
the value of John Stark's services lie? The respects in which
Bennington was an important battle. In what ways was it simi-
lar to the engagements at Lexington and Bunker Hill and unlike
the otliers of the Revolution ? The general effect of the war on
frontier settlements. Illustrate. What should make the British
think that the New Hampshire Grants would be loyal to the
crown ?
Chapter VI. What did the Revolution do for Vermont ? How
did it create an opportunity for more independent action than the
286 HISTORY OF VERMONT
state could otherwise have taken ? Why did Vermont become a
state? What was the difference between Vermont and any one
of the thirteen colonies ? How did the conventions described in
this chapter arise, and of whom were they composed? In what
respects did the second differ from the first, the third from the
second, and so on ? Why were the conventions held at different
places? Distinguish the different kinds of questions which came
before the conventions. Name some of the burdens which Ver-
mont assumed on becoming a state. The relation between the
American Declaration of Independence and Vermont's.
Chapter VII. The conditions in Vermont compared with those
in other states during the Revolutionary period and immediately
following. Name the ways in which war affects the finances
and industries of states. Compare Vermont's participation in the
Revolution with that of other states. What made her continued
growth through the Revolutionary period possible ? Explain the
origin of "ministers' lots," "school lots," etc. The location, the
causes, and the extent of popular disturbances after the war.
Legislative measures to relieve poor debtors. Vermont's case
before Congress. History of the East and West unions. The
negotiations with the British. What saved Vermont from inva-
sion ? Cite the opinions of leading men showing different points
of view of the Vermont problem. Explain why Vermont was
not admitted to the Union for fourteen years. Explain why she
was admitted in 1791. In what ways can you indicate Governor
Chittenden's skill and statesmanship ?
Chapter VIII. Transportation as a factor in industrial devel-
opment. What things were raised on the farms and where were
they marketed ? The first artisans in newly settled places. What
things were made at home which we now buy ? Give a descrip-
tion of the occupation and life of the people at the end of the
eighteenth century. The beginning of quarrying, the lumber
trade, steam navigation. Educational work of the early Ver-
monters. Banks, paper money, and coinage. Lotteries and how
they were used. Differences between the northern and southern
parts of the state. The claim of the Caughnawaga Indians and
how it was disposed of.
APPENDIX 2Zj
Chapter IX. How did Vermont happen to take an active
interest in the War of 1S12 ? The effect of this war on the settle-
ments. The principal naval events on Lake Champlain. Describe
the war policy as revealed in the embargoes. How did it work?
Arguments for and against such a policy. Why did New Eng-
land not sympathize with such a policy.'' Trace the results in
the general respect paid to law and in the course of trade. Did
Vermont display loyalty to the government and good citizenship
among her people "i
Chapter X. What were the differences between rural life
in Vermont half a century ago and to-day? The neighborhood
as a center of industry and social Hfe. Discuss the application of
labor, transportation, and markets as factors of change in the
forms of industry. The growth of manufacturing before the Civil
W^ar, with illustrations of important developments. The work
of the state on its educational system before the Civil War. In
what respects was Vermont a pioneer in educational progress?
How the growth of negro slavery became the dominant issue in
national politics.
Chapter XI. Vermont's record on the slavery question. The
situation of the North on the verge of war. The apprehensions
of public men in Vermont on the impending crisis. The outbreak
of the war. Activities throughout the state. Illustrate the pri-
vate, public, and official feeling on the issue. The raising of
troops in the state. A summary of the services of Vermont.
Some of the important campaigns in which the First Vermont
Brigade served. Opinions of officers on the quality of our sol-
diers. The St. Albans Raid.
Chapter XII. Trace the effects of war on industry and agri-
cultural conditions during the continuance of the contest. The
reaction after the war was over. The westward movement of
population. The main features of our industrial development
since the Civil War. Illustrate the manner in which new indus-
tries arise and diversify. The gains made in our educational
system. An outline of the present system. Vermont's repre-
sentatives in the Spanish War and the importance of the part
they played.
288" HISTORY OF VERMONT
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Bibliography and General Works
The most complete bibliography is that published in the Argus
and Patriot, by M. D. Gilman, and later in one volume (Burling-
ton, 1897). The most detailed and valuable histories of the state
were published comparatively early. Among the best are :
Samuel Williams. Natural and Civil History of Vermont. Wal-
pole, N.H., 1794. 2d ed., enlarged and corrected. Burlington, Vt.,
1809. 2 vols.
Zadock Thompson. History of Vermont, Natural, Civil, and Sta-
tistical. In three parts. Burlington, 1848. Contains the Gazetteer.
Benjamin Homer Hall. The History of Eastern Vermont to the
Close of the Eighteenth Century. New York, 1858. Albany, 1865.
An original work, involving much research and incorporating new
material. Written from manuscripts in the offices of the secretaries
of state of Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and
Connecticut. Quite full on the history of the controversy over the
grants, and containing much detailed local history.
HiLAND Hall. History of Vermont from its Discovery to its Admis-
sion into the Union in 1791. Albany, 1868. Written from original
documents and personal investigation.
In addition to the above there are a few works which deserve
mention for special reasons. Such are :
Ira Allen. Natural and Political History of the State of Vermont.
London, 1798. Reprinted in Vermont Historical Society Collections,
I, Montpelier, Vt., 1870. This book has the disadvantage of being
written by a partisan, from memory, without the possibility of verifying
any doubtful statements. It is, therefore, somewhat prejudiced, uncrit-
ical, and inaccurate. But it has the advantage of being the only account
we possess of the Haldimand negotiations from an insider, and is there-
fore a contribution which cannot be disregarded. It covers the period
from 1764 to 1 791.
A. M. Hemenway (editor). The Vermont Historical Gazetteer.
Five vols. Burlington, 1867-189 1. This is sometimes cited as the
APPENDIX 289
Vermont Historical Magazine. It is made up of the contributions of
local writers, and is therefore not of uniform value. It contains masses
of information not elsewhere available, and tells much about the life of
the people as well as of the separate towns.
Rowland E. Robinson. Vermont. Boston, 1892. The best of the
more recent single-volume histories of moderate compass. It combines
faithful and painstaking effort for accuracy with good literary workman-
ship. A good book for the general reader to own.
Records op' the Council of Safety and Governor and Coun-
cil OF Vermont. 8 vols. Montpelier, 1873-1880. This is the most
important series, as well as the most comprehensive, on the history
of the state. Invaluable for any original study.
William Slade. Vermont State Papers. Middlebury, 1823. A
compilation of records and documents, with the Journal of the Council
of Safety, the first constitution, and the early journals of the General
Assembly. Very valuable for reference.
Vermont Historical Society. Collections, 2 vols., 1870, 1871.
Proceedings, i vol., 1898. Separate printed reports of proceedings,
papers read, etc., of various dates. Chiefly occupied with the history
of the state during the Revolution and immediately afterward, and
with the history of the controversy with New York.
Archaeology
George H. Perkins. Some Relics of the Indians of Vermont
{American Naturalist, March, 1871). On Some Fragments of Pottery
from Vermont (Proceedings of the American Association for the Advance-
ment of Science, August, 1876). On an Ancient Burial Ground in
Swanton, Vermont (Proceedings of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science, 1873). The Calumet in the Champlain
Valley {Popular Science Monthly, Vol. XLV, 1894). The Stone Axe
in Vermont : I, Celts ; II, Notched and Grooved Axes {American
Naturalist, December, 1885; June, 1886). Archaeological Researches
in the Champlain Valley (Memoirs of the International Congress of
Anthropology). Archaeology of Vermont {American Naturalist, June,
1 881). Archaeology of New England {Prehistoric Implements, Moore-
head, Section IV, 1900).
David S. Kellogg. Early Mention of Events and Places in the
Valley of Lake Champlain (published in Vermont Historical Society
Proceedings, 1902).
290 HISTORY OF VERMONT
Discoveries and Early History
Samuel DE Champlain. Works. Translated in Slafter's Champlain.
(Prince Society Publications. Portions are translated in O'Callaghan,
Documentary History of New York, III.)
Pierre E. Radisson. Voyages. (Prince Society Publications, 1885.)
New Hampshire Historical Society Collections, V, 207-211.
Journal of Eleazer Melvin with eighteen men under his command, in
the wilderness toward Crown Point, 1 748.
O'Callaghan. Documentary History of New York, IV, 257 ff.
Journals of Sir William Johnson's scouts from Lake George to Crown
Point, Ticonderoga, and other points, in 1755 and 1756. Also Docu-
ments relative to the Colonial History of the State of New York.
15 vols. Albany, 1856-1887.
Robert Rogers. Journals of Major Robert Rogers. London, 1765.
These cover his scouting in the Champlain Valley as well as the history
of his famous raid against the St. Francis Indians.
Major General John Stark, Memoir and Official Correspondence.
(Ed. Caleb Stark.) Concord, i860.
Francis Parkman. Champlain and His Associates (Pioneers of
France in the New World), Chapters I, IX, X. A Half-Century of
Conflict, Chapters I, III, V, XI, XVII, XXIII, XXIV. Montcalm
and Wolfe, Introduction and Chapters I, XX, XXVI.
E. HoYT. Antiquarian Researches : Comprising a History of the
Indian Wars in the Country bordering on the Connecticut River, to
1760.' Greenfield, Mass., 1824.
J. A. Graham. Descriptive Sketch of Vermont. London, 1797.
Geology and Geography
Albert Hagar. Report on the Economical Geology, Physical
Geography, and Scenery of Vermont. 1861.
George H. Perkins. Reports of the State Geologist. See especially
the reports for 1899-1900 and 1911-1912.
United States Geological Survey, Bulletin No. 521, The Commercial
Marbles of Western Vermont, 19 12.
United States Geological Survey, 191 1. The Stone Industry in 1911.
(Comparative Statistics.)
In addition to works mentioned above, attention is called to town
histories, some of which, like Wells's " History of Newbury," have
APPENDIX 291
brought new material to light ; to county histories, some of which,
as Smith and Rann's " History of Rutland County," are excellent
and contain much information about early roads, settlements, and the
state of society ; to pamphlets published by various local historical
societies ; to the Vermont Agricultural Reports, the fourteenth number
of which is especially interesting ; to the Census Reports, for the data
which they furnish on the manufactures and industries of the state ;
to biographical sketches, especially those in J. G. UUery's " Men of
Vermont"; to the many articles and illustrations bearing on the
history of the state, which have appeared from time to time in The
J ^ernionter ; to the various reports of the Department of Education ;
and to the literary efforts of Vermont writers, — notably D. P.
Thompson's " The Green Mountain Boys " and '' The Rangers,"
the poems of John G. Saxe and Julia C. R. Dorr, and Rowland E.
Robinson's "A Hero of Ticonderoga," "A Danvis Pioneer," "Uncle
Lisha's Shop," and " Sam Lovell's Camps."
The author acknowledges a special indebtedness to G. G. Bene-
dict's "Vermont in the Civil War." The material for Chapter XI
was taken almost exclusively from this work.
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE
1607 The English land at Jamestown.
1608 Samuel de Champlain founds the city of Quebec.
1609 On July 4 Champlain enters the lake which bears his name.
Henry Hudson explores the Hudson River.
1 61 3 The Dutch establish a trading post at Manhattan.
1 61 4 John Smith explores the New England coast.
1 61 9 A cargo of slaves is landed in Virginia.
1620 The Pilgrims land at Plymouth.
1 623 New Amsterdam is setded by the Dutch.
Albany is setded.
1629 New Hampshire is granted to Mason.
1630 Boston is founded.
1636 Springfield is settled.
1639 First printing press in America is set up at Cambridge.
1650 New York's eastern boundary provisionally settled.
292 HISTORY OF VERMONT
1654 Northampton settled.
1664 The English conquer New Netherlands.
1666 The French build a fort on Isle La Motte.
1670 Deerfield settled.
1690 Settlement in Vermont.
Raid on Schenectady.
The English build a Fort at Chimney Point.
First English Expedition through Lake Champlain.
1702 Queen Anne's War begins.
1 704 The Raid on Deerfield.
1 7 14 North field settled.
1715 The <' equivalent lands" granted by Massachusetts to
Connecticut.
1 71 9 Weekly newspapers established in Boston and Philadelphia.
1724 Fort Dummer is built in Vermont by Massachusetts.
1730 The French settle at Chimney Point.
1 73 1 Fort Frederick (Crown Point) built by the French.
1732 George Washington born.
1736 Township No. i (Westminster) granted by Massachusetts.
1 739 Grant of Walloomsac.
1740 Southern boundary of New Hampshire fixed, involving that
of Vermont.
1 74 1 Benning Wentworth appointed governor of New Hampshire.
1 744 King George's War with France.
Fort Massachusetts built at Williamstown.
1745 French and Indian raid on Saratoga.
1749 Bennington granted by Governor Wentworth.
1750 Protest of Governor Clinton of New York.
The boundary question submitted to the king.
1753 Settlement of Bellows Falls.
1754 French and Indian War begun.
1755 The English build Fort William Henry at the foot of
Lake George.
1758 The English try to drive the French from Lake Champlain.
1759 The English take Ticonderoga and Crown Point.
Wolfe captures the cit}- of Quebec.
Rogers destroys the Indian village of St. Francis.
APPENDIX 293
1760 Montreal taken by the English.
1760-63 Governor Wentvvorth makes many grants.
1 76 1 Bennington settled. Settlers begin to come in rapidly.
1762 Newbury settled.
1763 Peace between England and France. Southern boundary
of Canada fixed at 45° north latitude.
1764 Order in Council decides the Connecticut River to be the
eastern boundary of New York.
Windsor, Manchester, and Guildhall settled.
1 765 New York patents begin to be issued for Vermont lands.
The Stamp Act goes into effect.
Convention of settlers west of the mountains.
1 766 Another convention west of the mountains ; the settlers send
Samuel Robinson to England as agent.
The Stamp Act repealed.
Middlebury settled. Vergennes settled.
Cumberland County formed.
1767 Order in Council forbids New York authorities to make
further grants of disputed lands.
1 769 The king's order not observed.
1770 Ejectment suits decided at Albany against the setders.
Ethan Allen appears for the defense.
Rudand setded.
Gloucester County formed, north of Cumberland.
177 1 The raid on Breakenridge's farm.
Organization of the Green Mountain Boys.
Rewards offered for the arrest of Ethan Allen and other
leaders.
1772 Remember Baker captured by Justice Munro, but rescued
by neighbors.
Setders hold five meetings of " Committees of Safety."
Charlotte County formed, lying on both sides of Lake
Champlain.
1773 Burlington settled.
1774 Congress of delegates at Philadelphia.
Committees of Safety meet in March and April.
St. Albans setded.
294 HISTORV' OF VERMONT
1775 March 13. The Westminster Massacre.
April II. Committee of Safety meets at Westminster.
April 19. Battle of Lexington.
f Capture of Ticonderoga.
May 10. ^ ^ ^ . , ^ *
(^ Contmental Congress assembles.
Committees of Safety form throughout the colonies.
Green Mountain Boys form a regiment.
Invasion of Canada.
Ethan Allen captured and sent to England.
1776 Retreat from Canada. Carleton's expedition down the lake.
June 21, Convention at Westminster.
July 4. United States declare their independence.
July 24. Convention at Dorset.
Sept. 25. Convention at Dorset.
Oct. 30. Convention at Westminster.
1777 Jan. 15. Convention at Westminster. Vermont declares
her independence.
June 4. Convention at Windsor.
July 2. Convention at Windsor. Constitution adopted.
July 7. Battle of Hubbardton. Burgoyne's invasion.
Aug. 16. Battle of Bennington.
Oct. 17. Burgoyne surrenders.
Dec. 24. Constitutional Convention.
1778 Vermonters build frontier forts. British raid the farms by
the lake.
Thomas Chittenden elected governor.
Legislature meets at Windsor.
Tory lands confiscated.
Union of western New Hampshire towns witli Vermont.
First newspaper in Vermont published at Westminster.
1779 Code of laws adopted.
New Hampshire and Massachusetts assert claims to Ver-
mont territory.
Congress appoints a committee to consider the boundary
dispute.
1780 Raid of British and Indians on Royalton.
The British appear again on the lake.
APPENDIX
29:
17S1 East and West unions formed.
Intrigue with the British (Haldimand negotiations).
British letters sent to Congress by Ethan Allen and
Benjamin FrankHn.
1782 George Washington advises Vermont to give up the
annexed towns.
The legislature relinquishes the unions.
" Windham County Rebellion." Offenders banished.
1783 Peace with Great Britain.
1784 Vermont ceases to press her suit for admission to the
Union.
State Post Office established.
Ludlow settled.
1785 State coinage. Mint at Rupert.
1786 Revision of the state constitution. Montpelier settled.
St. Johnsbury settled.
1787 Constitutional Convention at Philadelphia.
178S Northern states want Vermont admitted to offset Southern
influence.
Kentucky applies for admission.
1790 Agreement ratified between Vermont and New York.
Vermont appropriates $30,000 to pay New York's claims.
1 79 1 Vermont becomes a state of the Union, March 4.
1793 Newport settled.
1800 University of Vermont opened.
Middlebury College founded.
1 80 1 Thomas Jefferson, President.
1804 Jefferson reelected.
1806 State banks established at Woodstock and Middlebury.
1807 State prison at Windsor authorized.
1808 Montpelier becomes the state capital.
Smuggling on Lake Champlain due to land embargo.
Steam transportation begun.
Madison elected President.
18 10 State banks fail.
181 1 Private banks chartered.
181 2 Madison reelected.
296 HISTORY OF VERMONT
181 2 War with Great Britain.
The state levies a war tax.
18 13 Federalist party elects Martin Chittenden as governor.
Naval operations on Lake Champlain.
1814 Sept. II. Battles at Plattsburg and Plattsburg Bay.
181 5 Peace declared.
1 81 6 The "cold season." Monroe elected President.
181 7 President Monroe visits Vermont.
1820 Monroe reelected.
1822 Lake Champlain Canal opened.
State Medical School founded.
1825 Lafayette visits Vermont and lays the corner stone of the
new university building at Burlington.
Erie Canal opened.
Board of Canal Commissioners appointed for Vermont.
1827 General school act passed.
1828 William Lloyd Garrison comes to Bennington.
New tariff stimulates wool growing.
1830 First railroad opened in America.
Anti-Masonic agitation in Vermont becomes political.
1833 United States deposits withdrawn from branch bank at
Burlington, causing distress.
Temperance movement results in incipient legislation,
1834 Slavery question prominent.
1837 Great panic. Specie payments suspended. Wheat crop
fails.
1839 Legislative protests against slavery in the District of
Columbia.
1841-42 Cold winter and terrible epidemic.
1843 Appropriations made for agricultural societies.
Warrants for apprehending fugitive slaves forbidden to be
issued.
1846-47 Mexican War.
1847 Burhngton Savings Bank chartered. Railroads begin to
operate.
1848 More protests against slavery.
1849-51 Extension of railroads.
APPENDIX 297
1852 Prohibitory law passed.
1858 Vermont passes an emancipation proclamation. All
negroes free when on Vermont soil.
i860 Lincoln elected President. Secession of Southern states.
1 86 1 April 2. Sumter fired on.
April 15. Governor Fairbanks's call for troops.
April 19. First Vermont regiment formed.
Special session of the legislature.
1862 New regiments formed. Vermont troops distinguish them-
selves at Lee's Mill and Savage's Station.
1863 Vermont troops render distinguished service at Marye's
Heights and Gettysburg,
1864 Vermont troops in the battles of the Wilderness, Spottsyl-
vania, and the Shenandoah campaign. vSt. Albans Raid,
Oct. 19.
1865 Vermont troops lead the charge at Petersburg and carry
the flag into Richmond. End of the war. Assassina-
tion of Lincoln, April 14.
1867 Morrill tariff encourages wool growing and other Vermont
industries.
1869 Council of Censors proposes constitutional amendments.
1870 Constitutional Convention. Council of Censors abolished.
Legislative sessions made biennial. Biennial state elections.
1873-74 Financial stringency.
1877 Great centennial anniversary celebration at Bennington.
1880 Edmunds candidate for presidential nomination. Garfield
nominated and elected.
1885 Edward J. Phelps appointed minister to Great Britain.
1886 State Library completed.
1888 State Farm purchased for agricultural experiments.
1889 Redfield Proctor appointed Secretary of War.
1893 Henry C. Ide appointed Chief Justice of Samoa by Eng-
land, Germany, and the United States.
1898 May I. Dewey's victory at Manila.
1902 High-license campaign. President Roosevelt visits Ver
mont.
1903 Local-option law takes effect.
298
HISTORY OF VERMONT
Part III
STATISTICAL TABLES
Table A
New York Land Grants made in Vermont,
WITH THE Fees
Acres
Fees
Grants made by Lieut. Gov. Golden,
1765,
36,000
^1,125.00
" " " " " "
1769-70,
559,500
17,484-37
" " " " " "
1774-75'
370,000
11,562.50
965,500
^30,171.87
Grants made by Gov. Moore,
1765-69,
144,620
4,519-37
" " " " Dunmore,
1770-71,
455,950
14,248.44
" " " " Tryon,
1771-74,
486,500
15,203.12
" " " " "
1775-76,
63,040
2,115,610
1,970.00
Total granted by all the governors
^66,112.80
Additional fees charged for these
grants :
Secretary of the Province, ^21
,156.10
Clerk of the Council, 21
,156.10
Auditor General,
9
,784.71
Receiver General,
30,411.87
Attorney General,
15
,867.08
Surveyor General,
26
,445-13
$12A
,820.99
Total fees charged, $190,933.79.
Of the above grants, all but 180,620 acres were granted in direct
disobedience to the Order in Council of 1767. Lieutenant Governor
Cadwallader Colden, acting as chief magistrate, treated the grants made
by Benning Wentworth as nullities and the settlers as trespassers, and
went on making grants after the Order in Council of 1767. Governor
Moore respected the order. By the rest it was disregarded. In addi-
tion to the above grants there were so-called military patents covering
303,100 acres, making in all 2,418,710 acres granted in this state by
New York authorities. It is charged that the military patents were
really made largely for the benefit of speculators, to whom the officers
and soldiers, having come from Europe and desiring to return thither,
disposed of their claims for trifling sums. (Vermont Historical Society
Collections, I, 158-159.)
APPENDIX
299
Table B
Governors of Vermont {Legislative Directory)
Thomas Chittenden,
Moses Robinson,
Thomas Chittenden,^
Paul Brigham,2 Aug. 25-
Isaac Tichenor,
Israel Smith,
Isaac Tichenor,
Jonas Galusha,
Martin Chittenden,
Jonas Galusha,
Richard Skinner,
Cornelius P. Van Ness,
Ezra Butler,
Samuel C. Crafts,
William A. Palmer,
Silas H. Jennison,^
Silas H. Jennison,
Charles Paine,
John Mattocks,
William Slade,
Horace Eaton,
Carlos Coolidge,
Charles K. Williams,
Erastus Fairbanks,
John S. Robinson,
Stephen Royce,
Ryland Fletcher,
Hiland Hall,
Erastus Fairbanks,
1778-89
Frederick Holbrook,
1861-63
1789-90
J. Gregory Smith,
1863-65
1790-97
Paul Dillingham,
1865-67
-Oct. 1 6, '97
John B. Page,
1S67-69
1797-1807
Peter T. Washburn,i
1869-70
1807-08
George W. Hendee,^
1870-
1808-09
John W. Stewart,
1870-72
1809-13
Julius Converse,
1872-74
1813-15
Asahel Peck,
1874-76
1815-20
Horace Fairbanks,
1876-78
1820-23
Redfield Proctor,
1878-80
, 1823-26
Roswell Farnham,
1880-82
1826-28
John L. Barstow,
1882-84
1828-31
Samuel E. Pingree,
1884-86
1831-35
Ebenezer J. Ormsbee,
1886-88
1835-36
William P. Dillingham,
1888-90
1836-41
Carroll S. Page,
1890-92
1841-43
Levi K. Fuller,
1892-94
1843-44
Urban A. Woodbury,
1894-96
1844-46
Josiah Grout,
1896-98
1846-48
Edward C. Smith,
1 898- 1 900
1848-50
William W. Stickney,
1900-02
1850-52
John G. McCullough,
1902-04
1852-53
Charles J. Bell,
1904-06
1853-54
Fletcher D. Proctor,
1906-08
1854-56
George H. Prouty,
1908-10
1856-58
John A. Mead,
1910-12
1858-60
Allen M. Fletcher,
1912-14
1860-61
Charles W. Gates,
1914-
1 Died in office.
2 Lieutenant Governor.
3 Lieutenant Governor.
Governor by the death of previous incumbent.
Governor by failure of the legislature to elect.
300
HISTORY OF VERMONT
Table C
Congressional Districts and Splnators in Congress
{^Legislative Directory^
The state is divided into two Congressional Districts as follows :
District I. Composed of Addison, Bennington, Chittenden,
Franklin, Grand Isle, Lamoille, and Rutland counties.
District II. Composed of Caledonia, Essex, Orange, Orleans,
Washington, Windham, and Windsor counties.
Senators of the First
Moses Robinson,-
Isaac Tichenor,'^
Nathaniel Chipman,
Israel Smith,^
Jonathan Robinson,
Isaac Tichenor,
Horatio Seymour,
Benjamin Swift,
Samuel S. Phelps,
Solomon Foot,^
George F. Edmunds,^
Redfield Proctor,
John W. Stewart,
Carroll S. Page,
:
Senators
Class^
Se tin tors 0/ the Second Class '
I79I
-96
Stephen R. Bradley,
1791-
-95
1796-97
Elijah Paine,
1795-I'
So I
1797-1;
S03
Stephen R. Bradley,
1801-
-13
1803
-07
Dudley Chase,^
1813-
-17
1S07-
-15
James Fisk,^
1817-
-18
1S15
-21
William A. Palmer,
1818-
-25
182I-
-zz
Dudley Chase,
1825-
-31
1S33-
-39
Samuel Prentiss,-
1831-
-42
1S39-
-51
Samuel C. Crafts,
1842-
-43
185,-
-66
William Upham,'^
1843-
-53
1866-
-f)i
Samuel S. Phelps,
1853-
-54
1891-I908
Lawrence Brainerd,
• 1854-
-55
I90S-
-09
Jacob Collamer,3
1855-65
1909-
-
Luke P. Poland,
1865-67
Justin S. Morrill,^
1867-
-99
Jonathan Ross,
1899-1900
William P. Dillingham,
1900-
1 See Constitution United States, Article I, Section 3, clause 2.
2 Resigned. 3 Died in office.
APPENDIX
301
Table D
Population of the State hv Decades from the
First Census
Year
POI'LLATION
Increase
Per Cent
Density per
Square Mile
1790
85,425
9.4
icSoo
i54,4f>5
69,040
80.8
16.9
1810
217,895
63,430
41.1
23-9
1820
235,981
18,086
8.3
25-8
1830
280,652
44,671
18.9
30.7
1840
291,948
11,296
4.0
32.0
.850
314,120
22,172
7.6
34-4
i860
315,098
978
0.3
34-5
1870
330,551
15,453
4.9
36.2
1880
332,286
1,735
0.5
36.4
.890
332,422
136
— 1
36-4
1900
343,641
ii,2ig
3-4
37-6
1910
355,956
•2,315
3-6
390
1 Less than one tenth of one per cent gain.
302
HISTORY OF VERMONT
Table E
Population of Vermont by Counties from the
First Census
When the first census was taken, there were only seven counties.
The formation of other counties went on after this until 1835, when
the last one was organized. The census reports since 1840, there-
fore, contain the distribution of population among all the present
counties ; but the earlier reports do not.
Year
Addison
Benning-
Cale-
Chitten-
Essex
Fkank-
Grand
Isle
ton
6,449
12,254
7,295
1790
1800
13.417
14,617
9,377
12,778
1,479
8,782
1810
19,993
15,893
18,730
18,120
3,087
16,427
3,445
1820
20,469
16,125
16,669
16,272
3,284
17,192
3,527
1830
24,940
17,468
20,967
21,765
3,981
24,525
3,696
1840
23-583
16,872
21,891
22,977
4,226
24,531
3,883
1850
26,549
18,589
23,595
29,036
4,650
28,586
4,145
i860
24,010
19,436
21,698
28,171
5,786
27,231
4,276
1870
23,484
21,325
22,235
36,480
6,811
30,291
4,082
1880
24,173
21,950
23,607
32,792
7,931
30,225
4,124
i8go
22,277
20,448
23.436
35,389
9,5"
29,755
3,843
I goo
21,912
21,705
24,381
39,600
8,056
30,198
4,462
1910
20,010
21,378
26,03 1
42,447
7,384
29,866
3,761
Year
La-
moille
Orange
Orleans
Rutland
Wash-
ington
Wlnu-
HAM
Wind-
sor
10,526
15,591
17,570
15,740
1790
1800
18,238
1,439
23,813
23,581
26,944
1810
25,247
5,830
29,486
26,760
34,877
1820
24,68 r
6,976
29,983
14,113
28,457
38,233
1830
27,285
13,980
31,294
21,378
28,748
40,625
1840
10,475
27,873
13,634
30,699
23,506
27,442
40,356
1850
10,872
27,296
15,707
33,059
24,654
29,062
38,32c
i860
12,311
25,455
18,981
35,946
27,622
26,982
37,193
1870
12,448
23,090
21,035
40,651
26,520
26,036
36,063
1880
12,684
23,525
22,083
41,829
25,404
26,763
35,196
1890
12,831
19,57s
22,101
45,397
29,606
26,547
31,706
1900
12,289
19,313
22,024
44,209
36,607
26,660
32,225
1910
12,585
18,703
23,337
48,139
41,702
26,932
33,681
APPENDIX
Table F
PopuLATiox OF Ver.mont v,y Towns (Ce/isus of igio)
Cities are given in capitals, incorporated villages in italics.
Addison
Albany .
Alburg .
Andover
Arlington
Athens .
Averill .
Bakersfield i
Baltimore
Barnard .
Barnet i
Barre (town) 4
Barre 10
Barton (town) 3
Baiioi I
Bellows Falls 4
Belvidere
Bennington (town) ... 8
6
Bennington Center . . .
Benson
Berkshire i
Berlin i
Bethel i
Bloomfield
Bolton
Bradford (town) . . . . i
Bradfo7-d
Braintree
Brandon (town) .... 2
Brandon /
Brattleboro (town) ... 7
796
920
284
'307
201
15
,079
54
737
-707
.194
734
.346
■330
.883
429
,698
,21 1
42
813
,286
>079
'943
496
469
(>3r
760
,712
M8
>54i
Brattleboro ^^S^7
Bridgewater 874
Bridport 848
Brighton 2,013
Bristol (town) 2,005
Bristol 1,180
Brookfield 1,008
Brookline
Brownington ....
Brunswick
Buels Gore
Burke
760
82
16
1,183
Burlington 20,468
Cabot (town) 1,116
Cabot 22^
Calais ........ 1,042
Cambridge (town) . . . 1,696
Cambridge j-^j-
Canaan 869
Castleton 1,885
Cavendish 1,208
Charleston 993
Charlotte 1^163
Chelsea i»074
Chester (town) i)784
Chester 666
Chittenden 563
Clarendon 857
Colchester 6,450
Concord (town) .... 1,080
Concord jjg
Corinth 1,005
304
HISTORY OF VERMONT
Cornwall 7S9
Coventry 616
Craftsbury 1,119
Danby 1,001
Danville 1,564
Derby (town) 3,639
Derby ji6
Derby Line 3 go
Dorset 1,472
Dover 377
Dummerston 643
Duxbury 648
East Haven 194
East Montpelier .... 985
Eden 751
Elmore 553
Enosburg (town) .... 2,212
Enosbiirg Falls ^i^SS
Essex (town) 2,714
Essex Junction ^1^45
Fairfax 1,318
Fairfield 1,778
Fair Haven (town) . . . 3,095
Fair Haven ^oS4
Fairlee 438
Fayston 452
Ferdinand 213
Ferrisburg 1,433
Fletcher yT^y
Franklin 1,108
Georgia 1,090
Glastenbury 29
Glover 932
Goshen 212
Grafton 729
Granby 95
Grand Isle 839
Granville 464
Greensboro 931
Groton 915
Guildhall 445
Guilford 769
Halifax 635
Hancock 287
Hardwick (town) .... 3,201
Hardzvick 2,og4
Hartford 4, 179
Hartland 1,316
Highgate 1,758
Hinesburg (town) .... 1,042
Hinesbnrg 242
Holland 722
Hubbardton 455
Huntington 760
Hyde Park (town) . . . 1,453
Hyde Park 42^
Ira 286
Irasburg 983
Island Pond ^■>573
Isle La Motte 510
Jacksofn'ille 212
Jamaica 716
Jay 513
Jericho 1,307
Johnson (town) 1,526
Johnson 6^1
Kirby 297
Landgrove 160
Leicester 479
Lemington 138
Lincoln 980
APPENDIX
305
Londonderry 962
Lowell 1,086
Ludlow (town) 2,215
Ludloxo 1,621
Lunenburg S80
Lyndon (town) 3^204
Lyndon Center 2^g
Lyndonvillc ^^573
Maidstone 175
Manchester (town) . . . 2,044
Manchester 4^8
Marlboro 442
Marshfield 1,011
Mendon 321
Middlebury (town) . . . 2,848
MUdlebmy 1,866
Middlesex 858
Middletown Springs . . . 716
Milton (town) 1,648
Milton 634
Monkton 724
Montgomery 1,721
MoNTPELiER 7,856
Moretown 886
Morgan 463
Morristown 2.652
Alorrisville i -445
Mount Holly 871
Mount Tabor 289
Newark 415
Newbury (town) .... 2,035
N'ewbjiry 412
Newfane (town) .... 820
A^'eii'/ane ij6
New Haven 1,161
Newport (town) .... 3,684
Ne%i'po7i. 2.^48
North Benningtofi . . . 66j
Northfield (town) .... 3,226
Xorthjield i,gi8
North Hero 496
Xorth Jroy 77/
Norton 479
Norwich 15252
Orange 644
Orleans /,/j/
Orwell 1,065
Panton 345
Pawlet Ij959
Peacham 777
Peru 242
Pittsfield 402
Pittsford 2,479
Plainfield (town) .... 785
riainfield 388
Plymouth 482
Pomfret 703
Poultney (town) .... 3,644
Ponltney ii474
Pownal I '599
Proctor (town) 2,871
Proctor 2,j^6
Putney 788
Randolph (town) .... 3,191
Randolph ^^787
Reading 530
Readsboro (town) .... 1,252
Keadsboro 835
Richford (town) .... 2,907
Richford 1,948
Richmond (town) .... 1,419
Richmond 828
Ripton 421
Rochester 1,317
Rockingham 6,207
3o6
HISTORY OF VERMONT
Roxbury 615
Royalton i)45-
Rupert 825
Rutland (town) 1,311
Rutland i3)546
Ryegate (town) I5I94
Salisbury 693
Sandgate 401
Searsburg 142
Shaftsbury 1,650
Sharon 585
Sheffield 691
Shelburne 1,097
Sheldon 1,246
Sherburne 409
Shoreham 1,098
Shrewsbury 751
Somerset 27
South BurHngton .... 927
South Hero 605
South Ryegate 373
Springfield (town) . . . 4784
Springfield 3,230
St. Albans (town) .... 1,617
St. Albans 6,381
St. George 109
St. Johnsbury (town) . . 8,098
St. JohnsbiD-y 6,6g3
Stamford 510
Stannard 206
Starksboro 835
Stockbridge 737
Stowe (town) 1,991
St07i<e 566
Strafford 77^
Stratton 86
Sudbury 415
Sunderland 494
Sutton 711
Swanton (town) .... 3,628
Swantoji ^1236
Thetford 1,182
Tinmouth 410
Topsham 918
Townshend 817
Troy 1,686
Tunbridge ....... 918
Underbill 1,004
Vergennes 1,483
Vernon 606
Vershire 448
Victory 206
AYaitsfield 709
Walden 739
Wallingford i)7i9
Waltham 202
Wardsboro 559
Warners Grant .... 4
Warren 825
Washington 762
Waterbury (town) .... 3,273
Waterbiiry 1377
Waterford 629
Waterville 485
Weathersfield 1,092
Wells 569
Wells Kive7' 608
West Defby J,rog
West Fairlee 446
Westfield 613
Westford 854
West Haven 363
Westminster ^^3-7
Westmore 331
Weston 632
APPENDIX
307
West Rutland 3,427
West Windsor 569
Weybridge 494
Wheelock 500
Whiting 348
Whitingham 969
Williamstown 1,726
Williston 1,000
Wilmington (town) . . 1,229
Wilmington 4J0
Windham 345
Windsor (town) .... 2,407
IFi/iiisor i,go6
Winhall 366
IVinooski 4i520
Wolcott 1,049
Woodbury 824
Woodford 187
Woodstock (town) , . . 2,545
Woodstock J'iS^S
Worcester 584
308
HISTORY OF VERMONT
Table G
Growth of Manufacturing in Vermont since 1850
{Census of igooy
Increase
Number of
Per Cent
Capital
Number
Amount of
Value of
Year
Establish-
ments
Invested
OF Wage
Earners
Wages Paid
Product
IN Value
OF
Product
1850
1,849
$5,001,377
8,445
$2,202,348
$8,570,920
_
i860
1,883
9,498,617
10,497
3,004,986
14,637,807
70.8
1870
3.270
20,329,637
1 8,686
6,264,581
32,184,606
119-9-
1880
2,874
23,265,224
17,540
5,164,479
31,354,366
-2.63
1890
3,031
32,763,291
22,119
8.427,553
38,340,066
22.3
1900
4,071
48,547,964
29,455
12,237,684
57,623,815
50-4
Table H
Agricultural Industry in Vermont since 1850
{Census of igooy
Year
Number of
Farms
Acreage
Valuation of
Farm Property
Value of Product
1850
i860
1870
1880
1890
1900
29,763
3«,556
33.827
35.522
32,573
33. '04
4,125,822
4.274,414
4,528,804
4,882,588
4,395.646
4,724,440
$78,749,737
114,196,989
168,506,189*
130,811,490
101,805,370
108,451,427
$34,647,027*
22,082,656
20,364,980
33.570,892
1 For statistics of 1909 see next page.
2 The cash valuations of this year, and consequently the ratio, should be
scaled down about one fifth, owing to the depreciated currency in which the
returns were made.
3 Decrease.
4 Diminish one fifth to reduce to a specie basis.
APPENDIX 309
Supplement to Tables G and H
Maxufacturlxg and Agriculture ix 1909 {Ce?tsns of igio)
MAXUFACTURIXG
Year
Number of
Establish-
ments
Capital
Invested
Average
Number
OF Wage
Earners
Amount of
Wages Paid
Value of
Product
Increase
Per Cent
IN Value
of
Product
1909
1,958
#73,470,000
33,788
$17,272,000
$68,310,000
18.5
AGRICULTURE
Year
Number of
Farms
Acreage
Valuation of
Farm Property
Value of Product
1909
32,709
4,663,577
$•45,339,728
$48,092,5271
Table I
Agricultural Products ix 1850 {Census of iS^o)
Wool produced 3,400,717 lbs.
Butter 12,137,980 "
Cheese 8,720,834 "
Maple sugar 6,349,357 "
Hops 288,023 "
Beeswax and honey 249,422 "
Flax 20,852 "
Hay 866,153 tons
Buckwheat 209,819 bu.
Barley 42,150 "
Peas and beans 104,649 "
Irish potatoes 4,951,014 "
Orchard products ^315.255
Home-made manufactures $267,710
Market gardens $18,853
1 Computed.
lO HISTORY OF VERMONT
Table J
I
The Leading Manufactures in 1840, arranged in the
Order of Relative Import a^i ck (Censtis 0/ 1840)
Producing the value of
Wool : fulling mills, 239 ^
manufactories, 95/ ^i'33'f'953
Mills: flouring mills, 7 (4,495 bbls.); sawmills, 1,081 O
oil mills, 20; gristmills, 312 / 1,083,124
Bricks and lime 402,218
Leather, saddlery, etc 361,468
Lumber 346,939
Paper, 17 manufactories 179,720
Carriages and wagons 162,097
Cotton, 7 factories (7,254 spindles) 113,000
Machinery 101,354
Furniture 83,275
Ships and vessels built 72,000
Hats, caps, and straw bonnets 65,251
Granite, marble, etc 62,515
Glasshouses, 2 establishments 55»ooo
Drugs, medicines, paints, and dyes 38,475
Various metals (not precious metals) 24,900
Potteries, 8 establishments ' 23,000
Hardware, cutlery, etc 16,650
Value of all manufactures for which figures are
given in the census $5,593,842
Total capital invested in manufactures .... $4,326,440
Employees enumerated 7,000
In addition to the above list of manufactures there were produced
718)^ tons of pot and pearl ash; furs and skins to the value of $1,750;
precious metals to the value of $3,000 ; 39 pounds of silk ; a small amount
of flax; 1,158 small arms; 50,300 pounds of soap; 28,687 pounds of
tallow ; ginseng and forest products, $2,500 ; musical instruments, $2,200.
There were in the state 29 printing ofiices, 14 binderies, 2 daily news-
papers, 26 weeklies, 2 semi-weekUes, 3 periodicals. There were paper
manufactures of playing cards, etc., not included in the list above,
amounting to $35,000. There were 261 tanneries which tanned 102,763
sides of sole leather and 102,937 sides of upper leather. There were
two distilleries making 3,500 gallons of liquor, and one brewery producing
1 2,800 gallons. There were two ropewalks making $4,000 worth of cordage.
APPENDIX 31
II
The Leading Manufactures in i860, arranged in the
Order of Relative Importance {Census of i860)
Establishments Producing the value of
Woolen goods 45 ^2,936,826
Flour and meal 123 1,659,898
Leather 108 1,002,853
Marble works 50 946,235
Sawed lumber 404 901,519
Marble quarries 16 7i5'55o
Machinery 24 501,276
Carriages 133 475,060
Boots and shoes 148 440,366
Tin, copper, and sheet-iron ware . 60 280,201
Furniture 64 268,735
Clothing 39 250,669
Iron castings 18 231,230
Blacksmithing 167 207,786
Slate quarrying 14 207,150
Industries producing over $200,000 are given.
Ill
The Leading Manufactures in 1870, arranged in the
Order of Relative Importance (C^;/j-?^j- ^/<?/c))
Establishments Producing the value o/
Woolen goods 43 $3,550,962
Sawed lumber 347 3,142,307
Planed lumber 13 2,526,228
Flouring mills 81 2,071,594
Scales and balances 2 1,629,000
Tanned leather 86 1,249,942
Marble and stone work .... 29 960,984
Carriages and sleds 169 839,029
Leather, curried 64 762,571
Machinery 37 756,080
Hosiery 7 55i>i29
Boots and shoes 20 547,789
Cotton goods 8 546,510
Furniture 47 540,521
Agricultural implements ... 45 523,669
Sashes, doors, and blinds ... 43 518,125
Tin, copper, and sheet-iron ware . 97 505,005
Industries producing over $500,000 are given.
312 HISTORY OF VERMONT
IV
The Leading Manufactures in 1880, arranged in the
Order of Relative Importance {Census of 1880)
Establishments Prodticing the value of
Sawed lumber 688 ^3,258,816
Woolen goods 44 3,217,807
Flouring and grist mills .... 227 3,038,688
Planed lumber 18 2,709,522
Scales and balances 3 2,080,474
Marble and stone work .... 69 1,303,790
Mixed textiles 7 1,277,903
Paper, not specified 13 1,237,484
Tanned leather 53 1,084,503
Cotton goods 8 915,864
Foundry and machine shops . . 45 783,828
Agricultural implements ... 35 718,455
Musical instruments, organs, and
materials 2 680,800
Hosiery and knit goods .... 6 595,270
Curried leather 24 SlP-'Z'Sl
Industries producing over $500,000 are given.
The Leading Manufactures in 1890, arranged in the
Order of Relative Importance {Census of i8go)
Establishments Prodticing the value oj
Lumber, and other mill products
from logs or bolts 736 $6,843,817
Flouring and grist mills .... 217 2,890,174
Woolen goods 29 2,723,683
Paper 14 2,289,901
Planing-mill products 31 1,868,760
Marble and stone work .... 46 1,656,637
Cheese, butter, and condensed milk 123 1,602,641
Monuments and tombstones . . 96 1,492,384
Foundry and machine shops . . 61 1,199,067
Hosiery and knit goods .... 10 1,105,958
Cotton goods 6 914^685
Carpentering 76 843,795
Musical instruments 3 794,346
Patent medicines and compounds 13 777,111
Industries producing over $750,000 are given.
APPENDIX
313
VI
The Leading Manufactures in 1900, arranged in the
Order of Relative Importance {Ce/isus of igoo)
Establishmejtts Prodnciug the vahie of
Lumber and timber 658 $6,131,808
Cheese, butter, and condensed milk 255 5,656,265
Monuments and tombstones . . . 268 4,045,611
Paper and wood pulp 27 3o84,773
Flouring and grist mills 211 3,222,347
Planing-mill products, including
sashes, doors, and blinds ... 46
Woolen goods 23
Marble and stone work 54
Foundryand machine-shop products 61
Patent medicines and compounds . 24
Hosiery and knit goods ....
Furniture factories
Carpentering
. . . 2,598,581
. . . 2,572,646
• • . 2,484,551
. . . 2,185,510
24 2,125,016
14 1,834,685
24 1,252,742
l"^ 1,245,507
Industries producing over $1,000,000 are given.
VII
The Leading Manufactures in 1909, arranged in the
Order of Relative Importance {Census of igio)
Establishnie7its
■ 342
593
Marble and stone work
Lumber and timber products . . .
Butter, cheese, and condensed milk 186
Woolen, worsted, and felt goods,
and wool hats 17
Flour-mill and grist-mill products . 133
Paper and wood pulp 25
Foundryand machine-shop products 56
Hosiery and knit goods 8
Furniture and refrigerators ... 19
Patent medicines, compounds, and
druggist's preparations .... 15
Clothing, men's, including shirts . 1 1
Cars, general shop construction,
and repairs by steam railroads . 7
Printing and publishing 115
Industries producing over $1,000,000 are
Producing the value q/
"12,395,000
8,598,000
8,112,000
4,497,000
4,133,000
3,902,000
3'7 55-000
1,746,000
1,618,000
1,290,000
1,274,000
1,135,000
1 ,039,000
314 HISTORY OF VERMONT
Part IV
CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF VERMONT
Established July 9, 1793; and amended in 1828,
1836, 1850, 1870, 1883 AND 1913
CHAPTER I
A Declaration of the Rights of the Inhabitants of
THE State of Vermont
Article ist. That all men are born equally free and independent,
and have certain natural, inherent, and unalienable rights, amongst
which are the enjoying and defending life and liberty, acquiring,
possessing, and protecting property, and pursuing and obtaining hap-
piness and safety : therefore no male person born in this country, or
brought from over sea, ought to be holden by law, to serve any person
as a servant, slave, or apprentice, after he arrives to the age of twenty-
one years, nor female in like manner, after she arrives to the age of
eighteen years, unless they are bound by their own consent, after
they arrive to such age, or bound by law for the payment of debts,
damages, fines, costs, or the like.
Article 2nd. That private property ought to be subservient to
public uses when necessity requires it, nevertheless, whenever any
person's property is taken for the use of the public, the owner ought
to receive an equivalent in money.
Article 3rd. That all men have a natural and unalienable right, to
worship Almighty God, according to the dictates of their own con-
sciences and understandings, as in their opinion shall be regulated by
the word of God : and that no man ought to, or of right can be com-
pelled to attend any religious worship, or erect or support any place
of worship, or maintain any minister, contrary to the dictates of his
conscience, nor can any man be justly deprived or abridged of any
civil right as a citizen, on account of his religious sentiments, or
APPENDIX 315
peculia[r] mode of religious worship ; and that no authority can, or
ought to be vested in, or assumed by, any power whatever, that shall
in any case interfere with, or in any manner controul the rights of
conscience, in the free exercise of religious worship. Nevertheless,
every sect or denomination of christians ought to observe the sabbath
or Lord's day, and keep up some sort of religious worship, which to
them shall seem most agreeable to the revealed will of God.
Article 4th. Every person within this state ought to find a certain
remedy, by having recourse to the laws, for all injuries or wrongs
which he may receive in his person, property or character ; he ought
to obtain right and justice, freely, and without being obliged to pur-
chase it ; compleatly and without any denial ; promptly and without
delay ; conformably to the laws.
Article 5th. That the people of this state by their legal repre-
sentatives, have the sole, inherent, and exclusive right of governing
and regulating the internal police of the same.
Article 6th. That all power being originally inherent in and
co[n]sequendy derived from the people, therefore, all officers of
government, whether legislative or executive, are their trustees and
servants ; and at all times, in a legal way, accountable to them.
Article 7th. That government is, or ought to be, instituted for the
common benefit, protection, and security of the people, nation, or
community, and not for the particular emolument or advantage of
any single man, family, or set of men, who are a part only of that
community ; and that the community hath an indubitable, unalien-
able, and indefeasible right, to reform or alter government, in such
manner as shall be, by that community, judged most conducive to
the public weal.
Article 8th. That all elections ought to be free and without cor-
ruption, and that all freemen, having a sufficient, evident, common
interest with, and attachment to the community, have a right to elect
officers, and be elected into office, agreeably to the regulations made
in this constitution.
Article 9th. That every member of society hath a right to be pro-
tected in the enjoyment of life, liberty, and property, and therefore is
bound to contribute his proportion towards the expence of that pro-
tection, and yield his personal service, when necessary, or an equivalent
3l6 HISTORY OF VERMONT
thereto, but no part of any person's property can be justly taken
from him, or applied to public uses, without his own consent, or that
of the Representative Body of the freemen, nor can any man who
is conscientiously scrupulous of bearing arms, be justly compelled
thereto, if he will pay such equivalent ; nor are the people bound by
any law but such as they have in like manner assented to, for their
common good : and previous to any law being made to raise a tax,
the purpose for which it is to be raised ought to appear evident to
the Legislature to be of more service to community than the money
would be if not collected.
Article loth. That in all prosecutions for criminal offences, a
person hath a right to be heard by himself and his counsel ; to
demand the cause and nature of his accusation ; to be confronted
with the witnesses ; to call for evidence in his favour, and a speedy
public trial by an impartial jury of the country; without the unani-
mous consent of which jury, he cannot be found guilty ; nor can he
be compelled to give evidence against himself ; nor can any person
be justly deprived of his liberty, except by the laws of the land, or
the judgment of his peers.
Article 1 1 th. That the people have a right to hold themselves,
their houses, papers, and possessions, free from search or seizure ;
and therefore warrants, without oath or affirmation first made, afford-
ing sufficient foundation for them, and whereby any officer or mes-
senger may be commanded or required to search suspected places,
or to seize any person or persons, his, her or their property, not
particularly described, are contrary to that right, and ought not to
be granted.
Article 1 2th. That when any issue in fact, proper for the cogni-
zance of a jury is joined in a -court of law, the parties have a right to
trial by jury, which ought to be held sacred.
Article 1 3th. That the people have a right to freedom of speech,
and of writing and publishing their sentiments, concerning the
transactions of government, and therefore the freedom of the press
ought not to be restrained.
Article 14th. The freedom of deliberation, speech, and debate, in
the Legislature, is so essential to the rights of the people, that it
APPENDIX 317
cannot be the foundation of any accusation or prosecution, action or
complaint, in any other court or place whatsoever.
Article i 5th. The power of suspending laws, or the execution of
laws, ought never to be exercised but by the Legislature, or by
authority derived from it, to be exercised in such particular cases, as
this constitution, or the Legislature shall provide for.
Article 16th. That the people have a right to bear arms for the
defence of themselves and the State — and as standing armies in
time of peace are dangerous to liberty, they ought not to be kept up ;
and that the military should be kept under strict subordination to
and governed by the civil power.
Article 1 7th. That no person in this state can in any case be sub-
jected to law martial, or to any penalties or pains by virtue of that
law, except those employed in the army, and the militia in actual
service.
Article 1 8th. That frequent recurrence to fundamental principles,
and a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, industry,
and frugality, are absolutely necessary to preserve the blessings of
liberty, and keep government free ; the people ought, therefore, to
pay particular attention to these points, in the choice of officers and
representatives, and have a right, in a legal way, to exact a due and
constant regard to them, from their legislators and magistrates, in
making and executing such laws as are necessary for the good
government of the State.
Article 19th. That all people have a natural and inherent right
to emigrate from one state to another that will receive them.
Article 20th. That the people have a right to assemble together
to consult for their common good — to instruct their Representatives
— and to apply to the Legislature for redress of grievances, by
address, petition or remonstrance.
Article 21st. That no person shall be liable to be transported out
of this state for trial for any offence committed within the same.
3l8 HISTORY OF VERMONT
CHAPTER H
Plan or Frame of Government
Delegation and Distribution of Powers
Section i. The Commonwealth or State of Vermont shall be
governed by a Governor (or Lieutenant-Governor), a Senate and
a House of Representatives of the freemen of the same, in manner
and form following :
Section 2. The Supreme Legislative power shall be exercised by
a Senate and a House of Representatives.
Section 3. The Supreme Executive power shall be exercised by
a Governor, or, in his absence, a Lieutenant-Governor.
Section 4. Courts of Justice shall be maintained in every county
in this State, and also in new counties when formed.
Section 5. The Legislative, Executive, and Judiciary departments,
shall be separate and distinct, so that neither exercise the powers
properly belonging to the others.
Legislative Department
Section 6. The Senate and the House of Representatives shall
be styled. The Getteral Assembly of the State of Vermont. Each
shall have and exercise the like powers in all acts of legislation ; and
no bill, resolution, or other thing, which shall have been passed by
the one, shall have the effect of, or be declared to be, a law, without
the concurrence of the other. Provided, That all Revenue bills shall
originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may pro-
pose or concur in amendments, as on other bills. Neither House
during the session of the General Assembly, shall, without the con-
sent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other
place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting ; and in case
of disagreement between the two Houses with respect to adjourn-
ment, the Governor may adjourn them to such time as he shall think
proper. They may prepare bills and enact them into laws, redress
grievances, grant charters of incorporation, subject to the provisions
of section 65, constitute towns, boroughs, cities and counties ; and
APPENDIX 319
they shall have all other powers necessary for the Legislature of a
free and sovereign State ; but they shall have no power to add to,
alter, abolish, or- infringe any part of this Constitution.
Section 7. The General Assembly shall meet biennially on the
first Wednesday next after the first Monday of January, beginning
in A.D. 1915.
Section 8. The doors of the House in which the General Assembly
of this Commonwealth shall sit, shall be open for the admission of
all persons who behave decently, except only when the welfare of the
State may require them to be shut.
Section 9. The votes and proceedings of the General Assembly
shall be printed (when one-third of the members of either House
think it necessary) as soon as convenient after the end of the session,
with the yeas and nays of the House of Representatives on any
question when required by five members, and of the Senate when
required by one Senator, (except where the votes shall be taken by
ballot), in which case every member of either House shall have a
right to insert the reasons of his vote upon the minutes.
Section 10. The style of the laws of this State shall be, // is
hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont.
Section 1 1 . Every bill which shall have passed the Senate and
House of Representatives shall, before it becomes a law, be presented
to the Governor ; if he approve, he shall sign it ; if not, he shall re-
turn it, with his objections in writing to the House in which it shall
have originated ; which shall proceed to reconsider it. If, upon such
reconsideration, two-thirds of the members present of that House
shall pass the bill, it shall, together with the objections, be sent to
the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and, if
approved by two-thirds of the members present of that House, it
shall become a law.
But, in all such cases, the votes of both Houses shall be taken by
yeas and nays, and the names of the persons voting for or against
the bill shall be entered on the journal of each House, respectively.
If any bill shall not be returned by the Governor, as aforesaid, within
five days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to
him, the same shall become a law in like manner as if he had signed
it; unless the two Houses by their adjournment within three days
320 ■ HISTORY OF VERMONT
after the presentation of such bill shall prevent its return ; in which
case it shall not become a law.
Section 12. No member of the General Assembly shall, directly
or indirectVy, receive any fee or reward, to bring forward or advocate
any bill, petition, or other business to be transacted in the Legislature ;
or advocate any cause, as counsel in either House of legislation,
except when employed in behalf of the State.
Section 13. In order that the freemen of this State may enjoy the
benefit of election as equally as may be, each inhabited town in this
State may, forever hereafter, hold elections therein and choose each
one Representative to represent them in the House of Representatives.
Section 14. The Representatives so chosen (a majority of whom
shall constitute a quorum for transacting any other business than
raising a State tax, for which two-thirds of the members elected shall
be present) shall meet as required by section 7, and shall be styled
the House of Representatives : they shall have power to choose their
Speaker, their Clerk, and other necessary officers, sit on their own
adjournments subject to the limitations of section 6, judge of the
elections and qualifications of their own members ; they may expel
members, but not for causes known to their constituents anteced-
ent to their election, administer oaths and affirmations in matters
depending before them, and impeach state criminals.
Section 1 5. No person shall be elected a Representative until he
has resided in this State two years, the last of which shall be in the
town for which he is elected.
Section 16, The Representatives having met, and chosen their
Speaker and Clerk, shall each of them, before they proceed to busi-
ness, take and subscribe, as well the oath or affirmation of allegiance
hereinafter directed (except where they shall produce certificates
of their having theretofore taken and subscribed the same) as the
following oath or affirmation :
Vou do solemnly swear (or affirm) t/iaf as a
viember of this Assembly^ you will not propose, or assent to, any
bill, vote or 7-esohition, which shall appear to yoti injurious to the
people, nor do nor consent to any act or thing whatever, that shall
have a tendency to lessen or abridge their rights and privileges, as
APPENDIX 321
declared by tJic Constiiittion of this State ; but luill^ in all t/u'jii^s^
conduct yourself as a faithful, honest Representative and guardian
of the people, according to the best of your judgment and ability.
(In case of an oath) So help you God. (Or in case of an affirmation)
Under the pains and penalties of perjujy.
Section 1 7. The Representatives having met on the day appointed
by law for the commencement of a biennial session of the General
Assembly, and chosen their Speaker, and the Senators having met,
shall before they proceed to business, take and subscribe the following
oath, in addition to the oath prescribed in the foregoing section :
You do solemnly swear (or affirm) that you
did not at the time of your election to this body, and that you do
not now, hold any office of profit or trust under the authority of
Congress. So help you God. (Or in case of an affirmation) Under
the pains and penalties of pe? jury.
The words "office of profit or trust under the authority of Con-
gress " shall be construed to mean any office created directly or in-
directly by Congress, and for which emolument is provided from the
Treasury of the United States.
Section 18. The Senate shall be composed of thirty Senators, to
be of the freemen of the county for which they are elected, respec-
tively, who shall have attained the age of thirty years, and they shall
be elected biennially by the freemen of each county respectively.
The Senators shall be apportioned to the several counties, accord-
ing to the population, as ascertained by the census taken under the
authority of Congress in the year 1910, regard being always had, in
such apportionment, to the counties having the largest fraction, and
each county being given at least one Senator.
The Legislature shall make a new apportionment of the Senators
to the several counties, after the taking of each census of the United
States, or after a census taken for the purpose of such apportion-
ment, under the authority of this State, always regarding the above
provisions of this section.
Section 19. The Senate shall have the like powers to decide on
the election and qualifications of, and to expel any of, its members,
322 HISTORY OF VERMONT
make its own rules, and appoint its own officers, as are incident to,
or are possessed by, the House of Representatives. A majority shall
constitute a quorum. The Lieutenant-Governor shall be President
of the Senate, except when he shall exercise the office of Governor,
or when his office shall be vacant, or in his absence, in which cases
the Senate shall appoint one of its own members to be President of
the Senate, pro tempore. And the President of the Senate shall
have a casting vote, but no other.
Executive Department
Section 20. The Governor, and in his absence, the Lieutenant-
Governor, shall have power to commission all officers, and also to
appoint officers, except where provision is, or shall be, otherwise
made by law or this Frame of Government ; and shall supply every
vacancy in any office, occasioned by death or otherwise, until the
office can be filled in the manner directed by law or this Constitution.
He is to correspond with other States, transact business with officers
of government, civil and military, and prepare such business as may
appear to him necessary, to lay before the General Assembly. He
shall have power to grant pardons and remit fines in all cases whatso-
ever, except in treason, in which he shall have power to grant re-
prieves, but not to pardon, until after the end of the next session of
the General Assembly ; and except in cases of impeachment, in
which he shall not grant reprieve or pardon, and there shall be no
remission, or mitigation of punishment, but by act of legislation. He
is also to take care that the laws be faithfully executed. He is to ex-
pedite the execution of such measures as may be resolved upon by
the General Assembly. And he may draw upon the Treasury for
such sums as may be appropriated by the General Assembly. He
may also lay embargoes, or prohibit the exportation of any com-
modity, for any time not exceeding thirty days, in the recess of the
General Assembly only. He may grant such licenses as shall be
directed by law ; and shall have power to call together the General
Assembly, when necessary, before the day to which they shall stand
adjourned. The Governor shall be Captain-General and Commander-
in-Chief of the forces of the State, but shall not command in person,
APPENDIX 323
in time of war, or insurrection, unless by the advice and consent of
the Senate, and no longer than they shall approve thereof. And the
Lieutenant-Governor shall, by virtue of his office, be Lieutenant-
General of all the forces of the State.
Section 21. The Governor may have a Secretary of Civil and
Military Affairs, to be by him appointed during pleasure, whose
services he may at all times command ; and for whose compensation
provision shall be made by law.
Section 22. All commissions shall be in the name of TJie Free-
men of the State of Ve?'mo?if, sealed with the State Seal, signed
by the Governor, and in his absence by the Lieutenant-Governor,
and attested by the Secretary; which Seal shall be kept by the
Governor.
Section 23. No person shall be eligible to the office of Governor
or Lieutenant-Governor until he shall have resided in this State four
years next preceding the day of his election.
Section 24. The Legislature shall provide by general law what
officer shall act as Governor whenever there shall be a vacancy in
both the offices of Governor and Lieutenant-Governor, occasioned
by a failure to elect, or by the removal from office, or by the death
or resignation of both Governor and Lieutenant-Governor, or by the
inability of both Governor and Lieutenant-Governor to exercise the
powers and discharge the duties of the office of Governor ; and such
officer so designated, shall exercise the powers and discharge the
duties appertaining to the office of Governor accordingly until the
disability shall be removed, or a Governor shall be elected. And in
case there shall be a vacancy in the office of Treasurer, by reason of
any of the causes enumerated, the Governor shall appoint a Treasurer
for the time being, who shall act as Treasurer until the disability shall
be removed, or a new election shall be made.
Section 25. The Treasurer of the State shall, before entering
upon the duties of his office, give sufficient security to the Secretary
of State, in behalf of the State of Vermont, before the Governor of
the State or one of the Justices of the Supreme Court. And Sheriffs
and High Bailiffs, before entering upon the duties of the respective
offices, shall give sufficient security to the Treasurer of their respec-
tive counties, before one of the Justices of the Supreme Court, or the
324 HISTORY OF VERMONT
two Assistant Judges of the County Court of their respective coun-
ties, in such manner and in such sums as shall be directed by the
Legislature.
Section 26. The Treasurer's accounts shall be annually audited,
and a fair state thereof laid before the General Assembly at its
biennial session in January.
Section 27. No money shall be drawn out of the Treasury, unless
first appropriated by act of legislation.
Judiciary Department
Section 28. The Courts of Justice shall be open for the trial of
all causes proper for their cognizance ; and justice shall be therein
impartially administered, without corruption, or unnecessary delay.
The Justices of the Supreme Court shall be Justices of the Peace
throughout the State ; and the several Judges of the County Courts,
in their respective counties, by virtue of their office, except in the
trial of such causes as may be appealed to the County Court.
Section 29. The Legislature may, when they shall conceive the
same to be expedient and necessary, erect a Court of Chancery, with
such powers as are usually exercised by that Court, or as shall appear
for the interest of the Commonwealth. — Provided they do not
constitute themselves the Judges of the said Court.
Section 30. Trials of issues proper for the cognizance of a Jury,
in the Supreme and County Courts, shall be by Jury, except where
parties otherwise agree ; and great care ought to be taken to prevent
corruption or partiality in the choice and return, or appointment
of Juries.
Section 3 1 . All prosecutions shall commence. By the authority
of the State of Vei'inont. All Indictments shall conclude with these
words, against the peace and dignity of the State. And all fines
shall be proportioned to the offences.
Section 32. The person of a debtor, where there is not strong
presumption of fraud, shall not be continued in prison after his
delivering up and assigning over, bona fide, all his estate, real and
personal, in possession, reversion or remainder, for the use of his
creditors, in such manner as shall be regulated by law. And all
APPENDIX 325
prisoners, unless in execution, or committed for capital offences,
when the proof is evident or presumption great, shall be bailable
by sufficient sureties ; nor shall excessive bail be exacted for bailable
offences.
Section 33. The Writ of Habeas Corpus shall in no case be
suspended. It shall be a writ issuable of right; and the Cieneral
Assembly shall make provision to render it a speedy and effectual
remedy in all cases proper therefor.
Qualifications of Freemen
Section 34. Every man of the full age of twenty-one years, who
is a natural born citizen of this or some one of the United States, or
has been naturalized agreeably to the Acts of Congress, having re-
sided in this State for the space of one whole year next before the
election of Representatives, and who is of a quiet and peaceable be-
havior, and will take the following oath or affirmation, shall be entitled
to all the privileges of a freeman of this State :
Van solenuily swear {or affirm) ///<// %i<henever you give your vote
or suffrage, touching any matter that concerns the State of Vermont,
you will do it so as in your conscience you shall judge will most
conduce to the best good of the same, as established by the Const it u-
tio7i, witJwut fear or favor of a)iy man.
Elections. Officers. Terms of Office
vSection 35. The Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, Treasurer, Sec-
retary of State, Auditor of Accounts, Senators, Town Representatives,
Assistant Judges of the County Court, Sheriffs, High Bailiffs, State's
Attorneys, Judges of Probate and Justices of the Peace, shall be
elected biennially on the first Tuesday next after the first Monday of
November, beginning in A. D. 1914.
Section 36. The House of Representatives of the freemen of this
State, shall consist of persons most noted for wisdom and virtue, to
be chosen by ballot, by the freemen of every town in this State,
respectively, on the first Tuesday next after the first Monday of
November, beginning in A. D. 1914.
326 HISTORY OF VERMONT
Section 37. The freemen of the several towns in each county
shall, biennially, give their votes for the Senators apportioned to
such county, at the same time, and under the same regulations, as
are provided for the election of Governor in section 39. And the
person or persons, equal to the number of Senators, apportioned to
such county, having the greatest number of legal votes in such county
respectively, shall be the Senator or Senators of such county. At
every election of Senators, after the votes shall have been taken, the
Constable or presiding officer, assisted by the Selectmen and civil
authority present, shall sort and count the said votes, and make two
lists of the names of all persons voted for, with the number of votes
given for each annexed to his name, a record of which shall be made
in the Town Clerk's office, and shall seal up said lists, separately,
and write on each the name of the town, and these words. Votes for
Senator^ or ]/otes for Senators, as the case may be, one of which
lists shall be delivered, by the presiding officer, to the Representative
of said town (if any) and if none be chosen, to the Representative of
an adjoining town, to be transmitted to the President of the Senate.
The other list, the said presiding officer shall, within ten days, deliver
to the Clerk of the County Court for the same county ; and the Clerk
of each County Court, respectively, or in case of his absence, or
disability, the Sheriff of such county, or in case of the absence
or disability of both, the High Bailiff of such county, on the tenth
day after such election, shall publicly open, sort, and count said
votes ; and make a record of the same in the office of the Clerk of
such County Court, a copy of which he shall transmit to the Senate ;
and shall also within ten days thereafter, transmit to the person or
persons elected, a certificate of his or their election. Pt'ovided, how-
ever, that the General Assembly shall have power to regulate by law
the mode of balloting for Senators, within the several counties, and
to prescribe the means and the manner, by which the result of the
balloting shall be ascertained, and through which the Senators chosen
shall be certified of their election, and for filling all vacancies in the
Senate, which shall happen by death, resignation or otherwise. But
they shall not have power to apportion the Senators to the several
counties, otherwise than according to the population thereof agreeably
to the provisions hereinbefore ordained.
APPENDIX 327
Section 38. The term of office of Senators and Town Representa-
tives shall be two years, commencing on the first Wednesday next
after the first Monday of January following their election.
Section 39. The freemen of each town shall, on the day of elec-
tion for choosing Representatives to attend the General Assembly,
bring in their votes for Governor, with his name fairly written, to
the Constable, who shall seal them up, and write on them. Votes for
Governor, and deliver them to the Representatives chosen to attend
the General Assembly ; and at the opening of the General Assembly,
there shall be a committee appointed out of the Senate and House
of Representatives, who, after being duly sworn to the faithful dis-
charge of their trust, shall proceed to receive, sort, and count the
votes for Governor, and declare the person who has the major
part of the votes, to be Governor for the two years ensuing. The
Lieutenant-Governor and the Treasurer shall be chosen in the
manner above directed.
The votes for Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, and Treasurer, of
the State, shall be sorted and counted, and the result declared, by a
committee appointed by the Senate and House of Representatives.
If, at any time, there shall be no election, by the freemen, of Gov-
ernor, Lieutenant-Governor, or Treasurer, of the State, the Senate
and House of Representatives shall by a joint ballot, elect to fill the
office, not filled by the freemen as foresaid, one of the three candi-
dates for such office (if there be so many) for whom the greatest
number of votes shall have been returned.
Section 40. The Secretary of State and the Auditor of Accounts
shall be elected by the freemen of the State upon the same ticket
with the Governor, Lieutenant-Governor and Treasurer ; and the
Legislature shall carry this provision into effect by appropriate
legislation.
Section 41. The term of office of the Governor, Lieutenant-
Governor, and Treasurer of the State, respectively, shall commence
when they shall be chosen and qualified, and shall continue for the
term of two years, or until their successors shall be chosen and quali-
fied, or to the adjournment of the session of the Legislature at which,
by the Constitution and laws, their successors are required to be
chosen, and not after such adjournment.
328 HISTORY OF VERMONT
Section 42, The justices of the Supreme Court and the Judges
of the several County Courts (except Assistant Judges of the County
Court), Major-Generals and Brigadier-Generals, shall be elected by
the Senate and House of Representatives, in Joint Assembly, at
which the presiding officer of the Senate shall preside ; and such
presiding officer in such Joint Assembly shall have a casting vote,
and no other.
Section 43. The Joint Assembly may biennially on their first ses-
sion after their election (or oftener if need be) elect Justices of the
Supreme Court and Judges of the several County Courts (except
Assistant Judges of the County Courts) and also may elect Major-
Generals and Brigadier-Generals, from time to time, as often as
there shall be occasion.
Section 44. The Justices of the Supreme Court shall be elected
biennially, and their term of office shall be two years.
Section 45. The Assistant Judges of the County Court, Sheriffs,
High Bailiffs, and State's Attorneys shall be elected by the freemen
of their respective counties.
Section 46. Judges of Probate shall be elected by the freemen of
their respective probate districts.
Section 47. Justices of the Peace shall be elected by the freemen
of their respective towns ; and towns having less than one thousand
inhabitants may elect any number of Justices of the Peace not ex-
ceeding 7^7 '^ ; towns having one thousand and less than two thousand
inhabitants, may elect seven ; towns having two thousand and less
than three thousand inhabitants, may elect ten ; towns having three
thousand and less than five thousand inhabitants, may elect twelve ;
and towns having five thousand, or more, inhabitants, may elect
fifteen Justices of the Peace.
Section 48. The term of office of Assistant Judges of the County
Court, Sheriffs, High Bailiffs, State's Attorneys, Judges of Probate
and Justices of the Peace, shall be two years, and shall commence
on the first day of February next after their election.
Section 49. The election of the several officers mentioned in the
preceding section, shall be made at the times and in the manner now
directed in the Constitution for the choice of Senators. And the
presiding officer of each freemen's meeting, after the votes shall have
APPENDIX 329
been taken, sorted and counted, shall, in open meeting, make a cer-
tificate of the names of all persons voted for, with the number of
votes given for each annexed to his name, and designating the office
for which the votes were given, a record of which shall be made in
the Town Clerk's office, and he shall seal up said certificate, and shall
write thereon the name of the town and the words, Ceiiijicate of
Votes for and add thereto, in writing, the title
of the office voted for, as the case may be, and shall deliver such cer-
tificate to some Representative chosen as a member of the General
Assembly, whose duty it shall be to cause such certificate of votes to
be delivered to the committee of the General Assembly appointed to
canvass the same. And at the sitting of the General Assembly, next
after such balloting for the officers aforesaid, there shall be a com-
mittee appointed of and by the General Assembly, who shall be sworn
to the faithful discharge of their duty, and whose duty it shall be to
examine such certificates and ascertain the number of votes given for
each candidate, and the persons receiving the largest number of votes
for the respective offices, shall be declared duly elected, and by such
committee be reported to the General Assembly and the officers so
elected shall be commissioned by the Governor. And if two or more
persons designated for any one of said offices, shall have received an
equal number of votes, the General Assembly shall elect one of such
persons to such office.
Section 50. No person in this State shall be capable of holding
or exercising more than one of the following offices at the same time :
Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, Justice of the Supreme Court, Treas-
urer of the State, member of the Senate, member of the House of
Representatives, Surveyor-General, or Sheriff. Nor shall any person
holding any office of profit or trust under the authority of Congress,
be eligible to any appointment in the Legislature, or to any executive
or judiciary office under this State,
Section 51. All elections, whether by the people or the Legis-
lature, shall be free and voluntary : and any elector who shall receive
any gift or reward for his vote, in meat, drink, moneys or otherwise,
shall forfeit his right to elect at that time, and suffer such other
penalty as the law shall direct ; and any person who shall direcdy or
indirecdy give, promise, or bestow, any such rewards to be elected,
330 HISTORY OF VERMONT
shall thereby be rendered incapable to serve for the ensuing year,
and be subject to such further punishment as the Legislature shall
direct.
Oath of Allegiance. Oath of Office
Section 52. Every officer, whether judicial, executive, or military,
in authority under this State, before he enters upon the execution of
his office, shall take and subscribe the following oath or affirmation
of allegiance to this State, (unless he shall produce evidence that he
has before taken the same) and also the following oath or affirmation
of office, except military officers, and such as shall be exempted by
the Legislature.
The Oath or Affirmation of Allegiance
Vo7i do soleninly swear (or affirm) that you will be true a?id
faithful to the State of Vermont, and that you will not, directly
or iiidii'ectly, do any act or tiling injurious to the Constitution or
Gove?'?iment thereof (If an oath) So help you God. (If an affirma-
tion) Under the paijis and penalties of p e? jury.
The Oath or Affirmation of Office
You do solemnly swear (or affirm) that you will
faithfully execute the office of jor the
of and will thej'ein do equal right and justice to all
men, to the best of your judgment and ability, according to law.
(If an oath) So help you God. (If an affirmation) Under the pains
and penalties oj' perjuiy.
Impeachments
Section 53. The House of Representatives shall have the power
to order impeachments, which shall in all cases be by a vote of two-
thirds of its members.
Section 54. Every officer of State, whether judicial or executive
shall be liable to be impeached by the House of Representatives,
either when in office or after his resignation or removal for mal-
administration.
APPENDIX 331
The Senate shall have the sole power of trying and deciding upon
all impeachments. When sitting for that purpose, they shall be on
oath, or affirmation, and no person shall be convicted, without the
concurrence of two-thirds of the members present. Judgment in
cases of impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from
office and disqualification to hold or enjoy any office of honor, or
profit, or trust, under this State. But the person convicted shall,
nevertheless, be liable and subject to indictment, trial, judgment, and
punishment, according to law.
Militia
Section SS- The inhabitants of this State shall be trained and
armed for its defence, under such regulations, restrictions, and excep-
tions, as Congress, agreeable to the Constitution of the United States,
and in the Legislature of this State, shall direct. The several com-
panies of Militia shall, as often as vacancies happen, elect their
Captain and other officers, and the Captains and Subalterns shall
nominate and recommend the field officers of their respective regi-
ments, who shall appoint their staff officers.
General Provisions
Section 56. No person ought in any case, or in any time, to be
declared guilty of treason or felony, by the Legislature, nor to have
his sentence upon conviction for felony commuted, remitted, or
mitigated by the Legislature.
Section 57. As every freeman, to preserve his independence (if
without a sufficient estate) ought to have some profession, calling,
trade, or farm, whereby he may honestly subsist, there can be no
necessity for, nor use in, establishing offices of profit, the usual
effect of which are dependence and servility, unbecoming freemen,
in the possessors or expectants, and faction, contention and discord
among the people. But if any man is called into public service
to the prejudice of his private affairs, he has a right to a reason-
able compensation : and whenever an office through increase of
fees or otherwise, becomes so profitable as to occasion many to
apply for it, the profit ought to be lessened by the Legislature.
332 HISTORY OF VERMONT
And if any officer shall wittingly and wilfully, take greater fees
than the law allows him, it shall ever after disqualify him from
holding any office in this State, until he shall be restored by act
of legislation.
Section 58. All deeds and conveyances of lands shall be recorded
in the Town Clerk's office in their respective towns ; and, for want
thereof, in the County Clerk's office in the same county.
Section 59. The Legislature shall regulate entails in such manner
as to prevent perpetuities.
Section 60. To deter more effectually from the commission of
crimes, by continued visible punishments of long duration, and to
make sanguinary punishments less necessary, means ought to be
provided for punishing by hard labor, those who shall be convicted
of crimes not capital, whereby the criminal shall be employed for the
benefit of the public, or for the reparation of injuries done to private
persons : and all persons at proper times ought to be permitted to
see them at their labor.
Section 61. The estates of such persons as may destroy their own
lives, shall not, for that offence, be forfeited, but shall descend or
ascend in the same manner as if such persons had died in a natural
way. Nor shall any article which shall accidentally occasion the
death of any person, be deemed a deodand, or in any wise forfeited
on account of such misfortune.
Section 62. Every person of good character, who comes to setde
in this State, having first taken an oath or affirmation of allegiance
to the same, may purchase, or by other just means acquire, hold and
transfer land, or other real estate ; and after one year's residence
shall be deemed a free denizen thereof, and entitied to all rights of
a natural born subject of this State, except the privileges of a free-
man, the right to which is herein elsewhere determined, and except
also that he shall not be capable of being elected Treasurer, or Repre-
sentative in Assembly, until after two years' residence, nor be eligible
to the office of Governor or Lieutenant-Governor until he shall have
resided in this State as required by section 23 of this Constitution.
Section 63. The inhabitants of this State shall have liberty in
seasonable dmes, to hunt and fowl on the lands they hold, and on
other lands not inclosed, and in like manner to fish in all boatable
APPENDIX 333
and other waters (not private property) under proper regulations, to
be made and provided by the General Assembly.
Section 64. Laws for the encouragement of virtue and prevention
of vice and immorality, ought to be constantly kept in force, and duly
executed; and a competent number of schools ought to be maintained
in each town, for the convenient instruction of youth ; and one or
more grammar schools to be incorporated and properly supported,
in each county in this State. And all religious societies, or bodies
of men that may be united or incorporated for the advancement of
religion and learning, or for other pious and charitable purposes,
shall be encouraged and protected in the enjoyment of the privileges,
immunities, and estates, which they in justice ought to enjoy, under
such regulations as the General Assembly of this State shall direct.
Section 65. No charter of incorporation shall be granted, extended,
changed or amended by special law, except for such municipal, chari-
table, educational, penal or reformatory corporations as are to be and
remain under the patronage or control of the State ; but the General
Assembly shall provide by general laws for the organization of all
corporations hereafter to be created. All general laws passed pursuant
to this section may be altered from time to time or repealed.
Section 66. The General Assembly may pass laws compelling
compensation for injuries received by employees in the course of
their employment resulting in death or bodily hurt, for the benefit
of such employees, their widows or next of kin. It may designate
the class or classes of employers and employees to which such laws
shall apply.
Section (yj . The Declaration of the political Rights and privileges
of the inhabitants of this State, is hereby declared to be a part of the
Constitution of this Commonwealth ; and ought not to be violated on
any pretence whatsoever.
Amendment of the Constitution
Section 68. At the fifth biennial session of the General Assembly
of this State following that of A. D. 1910, and at the session thereof
every tenth year thereafter, the Senate may, by a vote of two-thirds
of its members, make proposals of amendment to the Constitution of
334 HISTORY OF VERMONT
the State, which proposals of amendment, if concurred in by a
majority of the members of the House of Representatives, shall be
entered on the journals of the two Houses, and referred to the General
Assembly then next to be chosen, and be pubhshed in the principal
newspapers of the State ; and if a majority of the members of the
Senate and of the House of Representatives of the next following
General Assembly shall respectively concur in the same proposals of
amendment, or any of them, it shall be the duty of the General
Assembly to submit the proposals of amendment so concurred in to
a direct vote of the freemen of the State ; and such of said proposals
of amendment as shall receive a majority of the votes of the freemen
voting thereon shall become a part of the Constitution of this State.
The General Assembly shall direct the manner of voting by the
people upon the proposed amendments, and enact all such laws as
shall be necessary to procure a free and fair vote upon each amend-
ment proposed, and to carry into effect all the provisions of this
section.
Temporary Provisions
Section 69. The persons severally elected in 1 9 1 2 to the offices
mentioned in section 35 shall hold such offices until the term of their
successors elected the first Tuesday next after the first Monday of
November, A. D. 1914, shall begin as herein provided.
Section 70. The Justices of the Supreme Court are hereby author-
ized and directed to revise Chapter II of the Constitution by incor-
porating into said Chapter all amendments of the Constitution that
are now or may be then in force and excluding therefrom all sections,
clauses and words not in force and rearranging and renumbering the
sections thereof under appropriate titles as in their judgment may be
most logical and convenient; and said revised Chapter II as certified
to the Secretary of State by said Justices or a majority thereof shall
be a part of the Constitution of this State in substitution for existing
Chapter II and all amendments thereof.
APPENDIX 335
STATE OF VERMONT
Chambers of the Justices of the Supreme Court
To the Sec?'etary of State :
We hereby certify that the foregoing instrument, divided into
seventy sections numbered consecutively, is a revision of Chapter II
of the Constitution of this State made by us by virtue of the authority
and direction of a constitutional provision in that regard ratified and
adopted by the people of this State on the fourth day of March,
A. D. 191 3, as appears by the Proclamation of the Governor dated
the eighth day of April, A. D. 191 3.
Done at Montpelier this twenty-ninth day of September, A. D. 19 13.
JOHN W. ROWELL,
Chief Justice
LOVELAND MUNSON,
JOHN H. WATSON,
SENECA HASELTON,
GEORGE M. POWERS,
Associate Justices
INDEX
Abenakis Indians, 5.
Adams, J. Q., 138, 235.
Agriculture, transition in, between
1812 and Civil War, 213-217;
since 1850, 308.
Albany, N.Y,, trial of cases at, 75,
76; market at, for settlers, 145.
Algonquins, battle with Iroquois, 4.
Allen, Ebenezer, frees Dinah Mat-
tis, 234.
Allen, Ethan, 75; characteristics
of, 78-79 ; rew^ard offered for,
80 ; leads attack on Ticonderoga,
91 ; line of march, 92 ; demands
surrender, 93 ; taken prisoner at
Montreal, 94 ; sent to England,
94 ; returned to New York, 94 ;
ordered to suppress riots in
Windham County, 124; ap-
proached by British, 130 ; writes
to Congress, 131 ; death of, 135.
Allen, Ira, on Haldimand negotia-
tions, 132-133.
American Institute of Instruction,
229.
American Revolution, bearing of,
on situation in the New Hamp-
shire Grants, 90, 111-114, 117-
119; share of Vermont in, 90-
106; benefits to Vermont from,
110-112; rapid settlement dur-
ing, 122; inducements to set-
tlers, 123 ; Ticonderoga, 91-94;
Crown Point, 93, 96; retreat
from Ticonderoga, 98 ; Hub-
bardton, 98-99 ; Bennington,
103-106. See also Bennington
and Burgoyne.
Amherst, General, at Crown Point,
41, 48.
Ammonoosuc, 31, 32.
Antietam, battle of, 245.
Appendix, 275-335.
Apple sauce, apple butter, 205.
Arnold, Benedict, joins expedition
against Ticonderoga, 91-92;
captures British sloop, 93 ; com-
mands American flotilla on Lake
Champlain, 95 ; bums his fleet,
96.
Arrow points, 8 ; illustrations of,
7, 8, 9.
Arthur, Chester A., illustration of,
225; birthplace of, 224.
Artisans in early communities,
141.
Asheries, 63; at Burke, 165.
Ashes, value of, 62, 63, 147, 168.
Association of smugglers, 190; of
anti-smugglers, 190.
Axes, Indian manufacture of, 10;
illustrations of, 9 ; of settlers,
illustration, 193.
Bailey, General, at Newbury, 44.
Bailey, Phineas, 225.
337
33B
HISTORY OF VERMONT
Baker, Remember, reward offered
for, 8i.
Banks, agitation for, 1 58 ; bank
measure vetoed, 159; establish-
ment of, in 1806, 159; incor-
poration of, 225.
Barnard, fort at, during Revolu-
tion, 106.
Barton, General, builds sawmill,
167.
Barton Landing, 168; fight with
smugglers at, 189.
Barton River, Indian route along,
1 8 ; followed by Rogers's rangers,
32.
Barton, settlement of, 167 ; river
used by settlers, 168.
Baum, at Bennington, loi ; tactics
of, 103-104.
Beach, Major, 92.
Beaver, hunted by Indians, 12;
move northward, 144.
Bees, logging, clearing, etc., 203,
205, 209 ; cooperative element
in, 209 ; social element in, 209.
Bellows Falls, Indian inscription
near, 11.
Bennington, grant and settlement
of, 47-48 ; action of, regarding
disputed titles, 76; leadership
of, 77 ; military stores at, 100 ;
battle of, 103-106; portrait of
veterans of, 103; estimate of
battle at, 105; memorial monu-
ment at, 107; newspaper estab-
lished at, 157.
Berkshire, removal of women and
children from, 109.
Bethel, fort at, during Revolution,
106.
Beverages, 57.
Bibliography, 288-291.
Bill of credit, facsimile of, 158.
Blacksmithing, 142.
Black Snake, smuggling boat, 186.
Boston, market for settlers, 151.
Brattleboro, Indian rock at, 10.
Breakenridge, attack on farmof,77.
Breweries, built by lottery, 162.
Breyman, commander of British
reserve, 10 r ; sent to reenforce
Baum, 103, 104.
Bridges, built by lottery, 162;
bridge over which Hessians
marched to Bennington, illustra-
tion of, 97.
Burgoyne, extract from letter of,
90 ; invasion by, 98 ; captures
Ticonderoga, 98 ; march of, ob-
structed, 100 ; proclamation of,
107 ; details division to capture
supplies, lor ; terror caused by
invasion of, 108, 109.
Burke, early settlers of, 165.
Burlington, threatened attack on,
175 ; field officers meet at, 238 ;
old view of, 218; college estab-
lished at, 155; lumber trade at,
217.
Butchering, 206.
Cabinet work in 18 10, 142.
Caledonia County, early growth
of, 164; settled by Scotch, 164;
how named, 165.
Calumet, 10.
Canada, invasion of, 94; retreat
from, 94 ; project to invade, 132 ;
winter trade to, 147 ; attempted
invasion of, 173.
INDEX
339
Canadians set fire to barracks at
Derby, 187.
Canals, 217, 219.
Candle making, 60.
Carding mills, 152, 153.
Carleton, British commander,
abandons Montreal, 94 ; cap-
tures Crown Point, 96; threat-
ens Ticonderoga, 96 ; returns to
Canada, 96.
Cartier, enters the St. Lawrence, i ;
at Hochelaga, 2.
Castleton, rendezvous for volun-
teers, 91 ; retreat through, 98,99.
Catamount Tavern, 47, 79 ; illus-
trations of, 78, 79, 80.
Cattle, smuggling of, 188-190;
breeds of, 216.
Caughnawaga Indians, market of,
169; claim to land in Vermont,
169-170.
Chaise, one-horse, illustration of,
210.
Chambly, Falls of, 3, 95.
Champlain, Samuel de, extract
from journal of, i, 3; discovery
of Vermont by, 3 ; battle with
Iroquois, 4.
Champlain Valley, archaeology of,
6, 8 ; scouting in, 24, 29 ; mili-
tary posts in, 90 ; campaign of
1777 in, 96, 98-99; in War of
181 2, 173, 174; canal in, 217,
219.
Charleston, Indian visits to, 5 ;
settlement of, 167.
Charlestown, N. H. See Fort
Number Four.
Cheese basket, 214; press, 215;
factory system, 215.
Chimney Point, stone fort at, 24;
evacuation of, 29 ; settlement
near, 49.
Chisels, Indian manufacture of, 8 ;
illustrations of, 7.
Chittenden, Martin, Federalist
governor, 176, 191.
Chittenden, Thomas, letter to Con-
gress, 1 20 ; negotiations with
British, 131 ; character and serv-
ices of, 139.
Chronological table, 291-297.
Churches, 6r, 147.
Circulars of educational informa-
tion, 265.
Civil War, 234-254; Vermont's
preparation for, 236 ; military
equipment in 1861, 237; attack
on Fort Sumter, 237 ; popular
feeUng, 237 ; private donations,
237 ; tactics, field of action, ar-
mies of the North and South, 240;
first Vermont regiment, 241 ;
succeeding regiments, 241 ; serv-
ice of the "Old Brigade," 241-
242 ; Peninsular campaign, 242 ;
second Bull Run campaign, 244 ;
McClellan superseded by Burn-
side, 245 ; storming of Marye's
Heights, 245 ; Hooker succeeds
Burnside, 245 ; Lee invades the
North, 246; Gettysburg, 246-
247 ; General Grant assumes
command of Union armies, 248;
campaigns under Grant, 248 ;
Shenandoah Valley, 249; Sheri-
dan's ride, 249 ; Sherman's march
through the South, 249; Lee
surrenders, 250; Vermont's con-
tribution to the war, 251-253;
340
HISTORY OF VERMONT
McMahon on Vermont troops,
251 ; losses of Vermont troops,
252, 253 ; Sheridan's eulogy of
Vermont soldiers, 253 ; effects
of war on industrial conditions,
255-257-
Clark, Admiral, 271.
Clinton, Governor George, 68.
Clinton, Sir Henry, 132.
Clyde River, trout in, 167.
Cobblers, 142, 207.
Cohasse intervals, 5 ; Indians stop
at, with captives, 22 ; Rogers's
party at, 33 ; attract settlers,
49-50.
Coinage in Vermont, 159.
Coins, early Vermont, description
of, 1 59-1 61; illustrations of,
160.
Colchester, ornamental jar found
at, 9, 10.
Cold Harbor, battle of, 248.
Cold seasons of 1813 and 1816,
168, 197-199-
Colleges previous to 18 12, 155.
Colonial politics, 13-15.
Colonization, English and French
methods of, 15-17.
Commissioner of Education. See
Superintendent.
Committees, service of, in Ver-
mont, 82, 84; in Revolution, 82,
84.
Committee system as a revolution-
ary organization, 82.
Committee of Correspondence, of
Dummerston, 86 ; of Boston,
91.
Committee of Safety, Massachu-
setts, 91.
Communal organization, examples
of, 58.
Confiance, the, 179.
Congress, Continental, vote to pay
Green Mountain Boys for serv-
ices, 93 ; attitude of, on ques-
tion of admitting Vermont to
Union, 127, 136, 138; influence
of Germaine letter on, 133.
Congressional Districts, 298.
Connecticut, 46; settlers from, 47,
48, 86; patriots in, plan to take
Ticonderoga, 91.
Constitution of Vermont, 314-335.
Conventions, 84 ; constitutional,
113-117, 119, n.
Cooperation throughout all social
organization, 194-195.
Coos meadows, or Cohasse inter-
vals, 5 ; Indians with captives
stop at, 22 ; Rogers's party at,
33 ; attract settlers, 49, 50.
Coosuck Indians, branch of Algon-
quins, 5.
Copper articles used by Indians,
10; illustrations of, 8.
Corinth, fort at, during Revolution,
106.
Corn, shellers, 205; husking, 205;
games with, 205.
Cotton, 151; amount used in 1810,
153; invention of cotton gin,
153; cottonwool, 153.
Council of Safety, 79, 82.
Counterfeiting, 157, 161.
Counties, 163; under New York,
279; formation of present, 279.
Courthouses, building of, 162, 191.
Coventry, famine in, 168.
Crab Island Shoal, 176.
INDEX
341
Craftsbury, smugglers' cattle
guarded at, 189.
Crampton's Gap, battle of, 244.
Crawford Notch, route through,
166.
Crops, failure of, in 1816, 198-199;
diversity of early, 201-202.
Cross, James, diary of, 39.
Crown Point, captured by Warner,
93; American fleet overtaken
at, 96; captured by Carleton,
96.
Crystal Lake, point on Indian
route, 18; Rogers stops at, 32;
old Indian camping ground, 167.
Cumberland County, roads in, 43 ;
court of, 87.
Cumberland Head, 176.
Dairy products in 1840, 215; mod-
ern dairy system, 258-259.
Danby, training school for teach-
ers at, 155.
Davenport, Thomas, electrical in-
ventions of, 225.
Debtors, 125; legislation for, 126.
Deerfield, raid on, 21.
Delaplace, commander at Ticon-
deroga, 93.
Derby in War of 1812, 173, 174,
180, 187, 188.
Dewey, Admiral, ser\'ices of, as
commodore, 270 ; illustration of,
birthplace of, 270.
Dishes, wooden, 194.
Disorder in Rutland and Windsor
counties, 126.
Distaff, 151.
Dorset, regiment formed at, 94 ;
constitutional conventions at.
1 1 3-1 14; manufacture of mar-
ble fireplace stones at, 148.
Dummer, Fort, building of, 25-27 ;
Captain Kellogg at, 28; scouting
parties of, 27-29, 41 ; life at, 36.
Dummerston, leads movement
against royal authority, 86 ;
chooses committee of corre-
spondence, 86.
Dutch settle at Manhattan, 13.
Dyes, homemade vegetable, 208.
Eagle, The, 175.
Echo Pond, 167.
Edmunds, George F., Senator, 229 ;
work fornational university, 230.
Education, first schools, 61-63 ;
previous to 181 2, 154-155; de-
velopment of, before Civil War,
226-230; "oldredschoolhouse,"
227 ; services of "Father" Hall,
228-229; teachers' association,
229; educational work since
Civil War, 263-269 ; normal
schools, 265, 267, 268 ; teachers'
institutes, 265 ; county examina-
tions, 266 ; to'WTi system, 267 ;
school buildings, 267 ; develop-
ment of high schools, 267-268 ;
recent legislation, 268. See also
Superintendent of education.
Electrical inventions, 225.
Embargo, of 1807, effect of, on
trade, 182; of 1808, 183.
English settlers, colonial politics
of, 14.
"Equivalent lands," 13, n.
Erie Canal, 218-219.
Estey, Jacob, 224; Estey organs,
224.
342
HISTORY OF VERMONT
Factory system, development of,
260-261.
Fairbanks, Governor Erastus, on
slavery issue, 234, 238; calls
special session of legislature,
238.
Fairbanks, Joseph, 223.
Fairbanks, Thaddeus, inventor of
scales, 223.
Fairhaven, paper mill at, 146.
Farming, farm property in i860,
221; early hay farms, 144;
dairy farms, 144 ; farm products
before 1812, 145; changes in
farm implements, 216.
Fay, Stephen, landlord of Cata-
mount Tavern, 79.
Fences, board, 59 ; slash, 201 ;
Virginia, 201.
Fireplaces, 59; used for cooking,
60; illustration of, 61 ; in school-
houses, 62; in Catamount Tav-
ern, 80,
Flannel, home manufacture of,
152 ; uses of, 152.
Flax, 151; illustration of wheel,
152.
Fly, The, revenue cutter, captures
Black Snake, 186.
Foot pans, 203, 204.
Fort Number Four, 20 ; reHef
party sent from, 32; Rogers
arrives at, 33 ; Melvin's party
calls at, 41 ; road cut from, to
Crown Point, 42, 44 ; settlers
obtain supplies from, 50.
Fortifications, remains of Indian, 8.
Forts, temporarily occupied dur-
ing Revolution, 106 ; French, on
Richelieu River, 23; on Isle La
Motte, 23 ; English at Chimney
Point, 24 ; Dummer, 25-29, 36,
40, 41. See also Crown Point,
Ticonderoga, and Fort Number
Four.
Franklin, Benjamin, obtains Ger-
maine letter, 132.
Franklin County, smuggling
through, 190.
French, colonial poUtics of, 14;
methods of colonizing, 15.
French and Indian wars, 13-37;
cause of , 1 5 ; result of, 46 ; Indian
raids, 20-22; Indian trails, 17-
20 ; scouting parties, 27-29, 34;
Rogers's raid, 30-33. See also
St. Francis Indians, Fort Dum-
mer, Deerfield, Crown Point,
and Stark.
French River, 19.
French, William, shot at West-
minster, 88, 89.
Frontier life, 51-65; posts, 22-24.
Fruit raising by first settlers, 57,
145-
Fur trade, its bearing on colonial
politics, 16.
Game, prevalence of, 12; gradual
extinction of, 144, 169.
Games, with com for counters, 205.
Garrison, William Lloyd, at Ben-
nington, 235.
Geographical notes, 275-279.
Geological notes, 280-282.
Geological wealth, industries de-
pending on, 261.
George III, 68, 73.
Germaine, Lord George, letter to,
90, 107; letter of, 132, 137.
INDEX
343
Gettysburg, battle of, 246-247.
Glass factory at Lake Dunmore,
147.
Gouges, Indian manufacture of, 8.
Goveniment, in the New Hamp-
shire Grants and in New York,
contrasted, 71 ; early form of,
in the grants, 81-84. See also
Vermont.
Governors of Vermont, list of,
299.
Graham, J. A., Descriptive Sketch
of Vermont, 143, n.
Grammar schools and academies,
155-
Grand Isle, Indian relics on, 8.
Granite industry, 224, 262-263.
Granitic Mountains, 276-277.
Grants, number and extent of, in
1765, 50; controversy with New
York, 66-89; foriTi of self-gov-
ernment, 81-84.
Green Mountains, 5, 276.
Green Mountain Boys, 78 ; choose
their own leaders, 92, 94 ; cap-
ture Ticonderoga, 92-93 ; fur-
ther service of, in Revolutionary
War, 94, 95.
Gristmills, 55, 58; tolls taken at,
53-
Growler, The, 175.
Haldimand negotiations, 130-133,
Hall, Samuel R., educational pio-
neer, 228, 229.
Hamilton, Alexander, public serv-
ices of, 1 35 ; position of, concern-
ing the New York controversy,
135-
Hampton, General, stationed at
Burlington, 175.
Hams, smoking, 206.
Harmon, Reuben, coins copper
money, 159.
Harrington, Judge, pronuncia-
mento on slavery, 235.
Hart, Miss Emma, teacher, 229.
Harvesting, 205.
Hatchels, 150, 151.
Hay reeve, 58.
Haying, 202.
Hazen road, the, 44, 45, 164, 188.
Hochelaga, Indian village of, 2.
Hog ward, 58.
Homes, early, primitive character
of, 54, 58-60.
Honey, use of, in place of sugar,
56, 57-
Hoosac Valley, 47.
Horses, Morgan, 215.
Hosiery and knit goods, manufac-
ture of, 260.
Houses, brick and mortar, 145-
146.
Howe, General, 93.
Hubbardton, battle of, 98-99.
Indian road, the, 19-20; Melvin's
expedition on, 41 ; cut out by
white men as a military road, 42.
Indians, degree of civilization of,
1 1 ; mode of life of, 11, 12; atti-
tudes of, toward the French and
English, 16; trails of, 17-20;
raids of, 20-22, 108-109; claims
of, to land in Vermont, 169-170;
peaceful visits of, 5, 168, 169.
Industries, rise of, 63 ; develop>-
ment of, due to transportation,
344
HISTORY OF VERMONT
140; changes in, after the War
of 181 2, 140; extractive, 192; or-
ganization of, 195; leading, in
1900, 258; analysis of, 258-263.
Inscriptions, Indian, 10, 11.
Insurance companies, 225.
Intelligence, evidence of, in early
communities, 61-63, 155-156.
Internal improvements, 218.
Inventiveness, American, 193-194.
Irasburg, smugglers at, 190.
Iron industry, early foundries and
forges, 142-144; effect of the
War of 181 2 on, 143, 174.
Iroquois, battle with Algonquins, 4.
Isle La Motte, Arnold at, 95 ; Brit-
ish fleet at, 176.
Itinerant craftsmen, cobblers and
weavers, 207.
Jackman, Alonzo, 225.
Jails, building of, 191.
Jarvis, William, consul to Portu-
gal, sends merino sheep to Ver-
mont, 213.
Jay, John, land grant to, 136.
Jefferson, Thomas, visits Vermont,
183; embargo policy of, 183;
proclamation of, 184; reply of
St. Albans citizens to, 185 ; rela-
tion of, to internal improve-
ments, 218.
Jesuit Relations, 17.
Jesuits, work among Indians, 16.
Journal oj the Times, 235.
Jurisdiction, change of, in New
Hampshire Grants, 70-71.
Kellogg, Captain, at Fort Dummer,
28; journal of, 28-29.
Lake Champlain, discovered by
Samuel de Champlain, 3 ; Indian
battle on shore of, 4; Indian
route on, 19, 20; forts on, 23, 24;
naval engagements on, 95—96;
in War of 1812, 174-181; lum-
ber trade on, 149-150; steam
navigation on, 149, 183; smug-
gUng on, 184-186. See also
Crown Point and Ticonderoga.
Lake George, Burgoyne's portage
from, 98.
Lake Memphremagog, an Indian
fishing ground, 168.
Lakes and ponds, 278.
Land tenure in New York and in
the New Hampshire Grants, 70-
71-
Lead mine, 146.
Lee's Mill, battle of, 241.
Libraries, early town, 155; growth
of endowed, 229 ; spread of, since
Civil War, 269.
Lime, early use of, as fertilizer,
144.
Lincoln, President, calls for troops,
237, 238.
Linen, process of making, 151;
quantity made in 1810, 152,
154-
Linnet, The, 177.
Looms, in i8to, 154; illustration
of, with rag carpet, 208.
Lotteries, uses of, 161 -162.
Lumber, small value of, to early
settlers, 63; early trade in, 149-
1 50 ; industry in 1900, 259 ; busi-
ness transition m, 260.
Lyndon, early market for northern
towns, 167.
INDEX
345
Macdonough, 172, 175, 176, 177,
178, 181.
Manchester, Stark at, 102 ; schools
of, 146.
Manhattan, settlement of, 13.
Manufactures, leading, from 1840
to 1909, 308-313.
Manufacturing, in 1S60, 221-224;
growth of, since 1850, 308.
Map exercises, 282-283.
Maple sugar, early method of
making, 56 ; Indian mode of
making, 56 ; old and modern
methods compared, 199 200.
Maps, list of, 283.
Marble, quarry at Middlebury, 1 48 ;
industry before Civil War, 224;
industry since Civil War, 261-
262.
Markets, colonial local, 142; at
Boston, 151; at Portland, 151;
at Montreal, 150, 168, 171 ; at
Quebec, 149, 150, 168, 171; at
Albany, 145; at Troy, 144; at
New York, 145, 217, 218.
Marsh, George P., minister to
Italy, 237.
Marye's Heights, storming of, 245.
Massachusetts, gives the " equiv-
alent lands " to Connecticut,
13, n.; votes to build blockhouse,
13, 22; votes to survey military
road, 42 ; western boundary of,
67 ; settlers from, 86 ; Committee
of Safety, 91 ; claims Vermont
territory, 128.
Massachusetts Court Records, ex-
tract from, 13.
Mattis, Dinah, freed from slavery,
234-
McClellan, General, 242, 243, 245.
Melvin, Captain E., military ex-
pedition of, 40-41.
Memorial of people of St. Albans,
.85.
Memphremagog, Rogers at Lake,
32, 35. 135-
Merino sheep, importation of, 213.
Middlebuiy, cotton factory at, 148;
marble quarry at, 148.
Middlebury College, incorporated,
155; graduates of, 155, 229;
students drill for Civil War, 238.
Middlebury Female Seminary, 229.
Military campaigns of 1775, 1776,
1777, 96.
Military road, surveyed by order
of Massachusetts, 42 ; com-
pleted in 1759, 42; course of,
42 ; illustration of, 43.
Mills, grist, 53, 55, 58 ; saw, 58, 59 ;
fulling, 142; corn, at Windsor,
146; carding, 152-153.
Ministers, character of early, 63,
165.
Molly Stark cannon, illustration
of, 106.
Money, scarcity of, 125; issue of
paper, 157-158; copper, coined,
159; counterfeit, 157.
Montreal, visited by Cartier, 2 ;
French stronghold in Canada,
17; expeditions from, against
English, 17; becomes a market
for settlers, 150, 168, 171.
Monument marking Stark's camp-
ing ground, 99.
Moose, 144, 165.
Morey, Samuel, inventor of steam-
boat, 148.
346
HISTORY OF VERMONT
Morrill, Justin S., Senator, work
for education, 230.
Mortars and pestles, Indian manu-
facture of, 8.
Morton, Levi P., birthplace of,
illustration of, 219.
Mountain ranges, 275-277.
Navigation, sailing vessels, 149;
steamers, 148-149; steamers on
the Connecticut River, 219-220.
Navy yards on Lake Champlain,
95-
Newbury, meadows, 22 ; settlement
of, 50 ; fort at, during Revolu-
tion, 106 ; project to attack, 108 ;
aqueduct at, 146; church at,
146; seminary at, 268; illustra-
tion of seminary, facing page
230.
New Connecticut, name first given
to state of Vermont, 116.
New England, plan of British cam-
paign against, 97.
New Hampshire, western bound-
ary of, ill-defined, 67 ; early map
of, 69.
New Hampshire Grants, contro-
versy over jurisdiction and land
titles of, 67-84; two regiments
furnished by, 96; position of,
not revolutionary, 81 ; organiza-
tion forced upon, by controversy
with New York, 81-83.
Newspapers, first in state, 156; at
Bennington, Windsor, Rutland,
157-
New York, taken by English, 14;
protest of Governor Clinton,
67 ; boundary of, declared by
king, 68 ; proclamation concern-
ing grants, 70 ; surveys disputed
territory, 72 ; forbidden to make
further grants, 73 ; governors of,
disobey the order, 73 ; court de-
bars settlers' evidence, 75; at-
tempts to execute writs, 76 ; met
by armed resistance, 77 ; com-
promise effected, 135; $30,000
indemnity paid to, 135; extent
of land grants in Vermont, with
fees, 298.
N^ew York Tribune, 244.
Northampton, Mass., New York
ofiicers imprisoned at, 88.
Norwich University, 230.
Nulhegan River, Indian route, 18.
Ogden, Captain, companion of
Rogers, 31, -^1^.
Order in Council, of 1764, 68; of
1 767, extract from, 66 ; effect of,
73 ; ignored by New York, 73.
Orleans, see Barton Landing.
Orwell, salt spring at, 146.
Otter Creek, Indian road follow-
ing, 19; English scout posted
at the mouth of, 24 ; mentioned
in James Cross's journal, 40;
followed by Melvin, 41 ; military
road follows, 42 ; American fleet
burned at mouth of, 96; English
attempt to enter, 176.
Palmer, Governor, house, 162.
Paper money, in colonies, 157; in
Vermont, 1 58 ; during Civil War,
256.
Parkman, historian, 35.
Passumpsic Turnpike Co., 164.
INDEX
347
Passumpsic Valley, settlers enter,
1 66.
Pastoral life from 1812 to Civil
War, 196-210.
Patterns of woven cloths, 207.
Pawlet, educational society at, 1 55.
Peacham, fort at, during Revolu-
tion, 106; academy at, 268.
Pearlash, 63 ; marketed in Que-
bec, 168, 171.
Penn, William, frame of govern-
ment of, 119, n.
Pestles, stone, Indian manufacture
of, 8.
Petersburg, battle of, 248 ; siege of,
248-249.
Phelps, Benajah, witness of battle
of Plattsburg Bay, 179.
Phelps, Noah, spy at Ticonder-
oga, 92.
Pines to be saved for royal navy,
35. 146.
Pingree, Samuel E., leads charge
at Lee's Mill, 242.
Pipes, Indian, 10.
Plattsburg, barracks destroyed at,
175; American forces assemble
at, 176; battle of, 177, 178, 180-
181 ; old print of, 177.
Plows, iron, introduced, 216.
Plumping-mill, 55.
Points, arrow and spear, 8; illus-
trations of, 7, 8, 9.
Politics, of early settlers, 65; in-
terplay of local and federal,
139-
Poor debtors, 125; legislation for,
126.
Population, movement of, 212;
slight growth of, 257; by
decades, 301 ; by counties, 302;
by towns, 303-307.
Portland, market at, 151.
Post offices, early establishment
of, 166; routes, 166.
Postage, rates of, how paid, 166.
Potash. See Ashes, Asheries,
Pearlash, Salts.
Pots and jars, fragments of, 10.
Pottery, aboriginal, 8, 10 ; illustra-
tion of, 9.
Prehistoric implements, illustra-
tions of, 7, 8, 9.
Presidential campaign, Adams
versus Jackson, 235.
Prices during Civil War, 255.
Printing, first office established at
Westminster, 156; first press in
America, illustration of, 156.
Quebec, stronghold of French, 17;
Quebec bill, 86; attack on, 94;
lumber trade to, 149-150; mar-
ket for pearlash at, 168, 171.
Rafts of lumber, 1 50.
Railroads, agitation for, 220-221;
incorporation of, 220; begin-
ning of, 220; effect of, on rural
communities, 221.
Red Sandrock Mountains, 277.
Reels, illustrations of, 151.
Religious condition of early com-
munities, 63.
Resourcefulness of early farmers,
192-194.
Reward offered for Indians, 34;
for Ethan Allen, 80; for Re-
member Baker, 81.
Richford, Indians visit, 169.
348
HISTORY OF VERMONT
Rivers of Vermont, 277-278.
Roads, early building of, 45, 64;
through Irasburg, 168; stage
roads, 211. See also Military
road and Hazen road.
Robinson, Rowland, illustration
of, 272.
Rogers, Robert, destroys Indian
village, 21, 30-34; extracts from
journal of, 31.
Roundlsland, Rogers'spartyat,32.
Routes, Indian, across Vermont,
18-19.
Rouville, Hertel de, leader of raid
on Deerfield, 19, 21.
Royalton, raid on, 108, 109.
Rutland, early oil mill, breweiy,
and hat factory at, 146; news-
paper established at, 157.
Ryegate, 38 ; settledby Scotch, 1 65.
Salts, 147, 165, 168.
Saranac River, 177.
Saratoga, The, 177.
Savage's Station, battle of, 242.
Sawmills, 258, 259.
Schools, first established, 61, 62;
academies and grammar, previ-
ous to 1800, 146, 147.
Schuyler, General, opposition of,
to Burgoyne's advance, 98.
Scotch, farming companies of, 164,
165; settlers in Caledonia
County, 164-165; character of,
165.
Scouting parties, records of, 28-29,
34; service of, 35-37-
Season of 181 6, failure of crops,
197-199.
Senators in Congress, 300.
Settlement of new land, 147; of
northern Vermont after the
Revolution, 164.
Settlements, extent of, in 1 760, 46 ;
conditions of life in, 51-65; ex-
tent of, in 1777, 106.
Settlers, attitude of, toward New
York, 71, 72, 75; titles of, ques-
tioned, 71 ; menaced by Bur-
goyne's invasion, 108-109; treat-
ment of Tories, 109.
Sheep raising, 213-215.
Skenesboro, 95, 98; capture of
American galleys near, 99.
Slate quarrying, 224.
Slavery, effect of, on cotton in-
dustry, 1 54 ; growth of, becomes
national issue, 231-232.
Smuggling, 181 -191 ; cause of, 182,
183; effect of embargo on, 182-
183.
Social, conditions in early settle-
ments, 51-65; disturbances fol-
lowing Revolution, 123-126.
Society, democracy of, in early
period, 51 ; communal organiza-
tion of, 58.
Soldiers' Home, 251,
Sorel River, 169.
Spades, flint and homstone, ro.
Spanish money in Vermont, 158.
Spanish War, 270-271.
Spaulding, Lieutenant, alleged
treason of, imprisonment and
release of, 86.
Spinning, wheel, illustration of,
152; jennies, 154; women's
work, 206.
Spoojter's Vermont Journal, 184.
Spottsylvania, battle of, 248.
INDEX
349
St. Albans, reply of, to Jefferson,
185 ; raid on, 254.
St. Anne, French fort at, 23.
St. Armand, English force cap-
tured at, 175.
St. Clair, plans of, 98 ; march to
Castleton, 99.
St. Francis Indians, 5 ; destruction
of, by Rogers, 30-33.
St. Francis River, Indian route on,
18.
St. John's, sloop captured at, 93 ;
navy yard at, 95.
St. Johnsbury, market for northern
towns, 167.
St. Regis, smuggling to, 191.
Stanstead, smuggled goods bought
at, 187; party from, sets fire to
Derby, 187.
Stark, John, captured by Indians,
23 ; cuts out military road, 42 ;
portrait of, 100; career of, 102 ;
tactics of, at Bennington, 102;
military services of, 105; promo-
tion of, 105.
State house at Montpelier, 163.
State prison, 186.
Steam navigation, 148; Samuel
Morey's invention, 148 ; Fulton,
148; on Lake Champlain, 183.
Stewart, P. P., inventor, 225.
Stuyvesant, Peter, surrenders New
Amsterdam, 14.
Sugar making, Indian mode of, 56 ;
early settlers' mode of, 200, 201 ;
old utensils of, illustrated, 200.
Sunday old-time services, 203-204 ;
music at, 203-204.
Superior, Lake, copper from, used
by Indians, 10.
Superintendent of education, of-
fice created, 228; general super-
vision exercised by, 265 ; circu-
lars of educational information,
265.
Surveyors sent to the New Hamp-
shire Grants from New York,
72.
Swanton, Indian relics of, 6 ; an-
cient burial ground near, 6 ; In-
dian village near, 8.
Swifts, illustration of, 153.
Swine pastured in woods, 58.
Taconic Mountains, 276.
Tanneries in 1810, 142.
Tariff of 1828, effect of, on wool
growing, 214.
Tavern, typical old, illustration of,
64 ; old tunipike, illustration of,
211.
Taxes, worked out, paid in kind,
53-
Teachers, in first schools, 62 ; first
school for training of, 1 55 ; asso-
ciation of, organized, 229 ; insti-
tutes held for, 265.
Ten Eyck, sheriff, repelled at
Breakenridge's farm, 77.
Ticonderoga, evacuation of, by
French, 29 ; captured by Green
Mountain Boys, 91-93; results
of capture of, 94 ; threatened by
Carleton, 96 ; recaptured by
Burgoyne, 98.
Titles annulled in the New Hamp-
shire Grants, 71.
Tolls, 53, 56 ; tollgate, 146.
Topics for research and review
284-287.
350
HISTORY OF VERMONT
Tories, raids of, 108-109; treat-
ment of, 109.
Towns, decline of hill, 211; list
of, with population, 303-307.
Tracy, M. de, builds forts, 22-23.
Transition, periods of, 196; at
middle of last century, 210-21 1.
Transportation, in colonial epoch,
141; by canal, 217; effects of
railroads on, 221.
Trees, 35.
Trial at Albany, 75.
Troy, N.Y., markets at, 144, 145.
Troy, Vt., visited by Indians in
1799, 168.
Turnpikes, 162-163; Passumpsic
Turnpike Company, 164.
Underbill, skirmish with smugglers
at, 189.
Unions, East and West, 127-130,
I34> 137-
University of Vermont, incor-
porated in 1791, 155; during
War of 181 2, 155; graduates
of, 155, 229-230, 238.
Valleys, settled later than hills,
211.
Vermont, discovery of, events con-
temporaneous with, 2; traversed
by Indian war parties, 1 5 ; coun-
ties of, under New York, 74 ;
participation of, in Revolution,
90-1 10 ; advantage to, from Rev-
olution, 109-111, 114; declares
her independence, iii, 115, 117-
119; self-government of, 112;
constitutional conventions of,
1 1 3-1 1 7, Ii9n. ; an independent
republic, 120-139 ; internal con-
ditions from 1777 to 1 79 1, 120-
126; flag of, illustration of, 121 ;
life in, during Revolution, 121-
122 ; union with New Hampshire
towns, 127 ; controversy of, with
New Hampshire, 127-130; ne-
gotiations with the British, 130-
133, 137 ; East and West unions
dissolved, 134; admission of,
^34' 135! settles New York
claim, 135; latitude, longitude,
length, width, area, 275.
Vermont Gazette, 125, 156.
Versatility of early settlers, 52,
192-194.
W^alloomsac Valley, 47.
Warm, Captain de, builds fort at
Chimney Point, 24.
Warner, Seth, 92 ; captures Crown
Point, 93 ; commander of regi-
ment, 94 ; service of, in Canada,
94 ; commands rear guard at
Hubbardton, 99 ; service of, at
Bennington, 102, 104.
War of 1812, 172-191 ; situation
of northern Vermont in, 173-
174; preparation for, in Cham-
plain Valley, 174; national re
verses, 1 74 ; first naval action on
Lake Champlain, 175 ; compari-
son of English and American
fleets, 181 ; retreat of British
from Plattsburg, 181.
Washington, D.C., fighting in vicin-
ity of, by Vermont troops, 240.
Washington, George, letter from,
on conditions in Vermont, 133.
Water courses, utility of, 43.
INDEX
351
Weaving, at home, 151 ; women's
work, 206 ; professional weav-
ers, 207.
Wentworth, Governor Benning,
66 ; illustration of, 67 ; grants
made by, 47, 67, 68, 70.
Westminster, assembly at, 88;
constitutional conventions at,
114, 115; printing office at,
156.
"Westminster Massacre," 84-89.
Westward movement, 256.
Weybridge, raid on, 108.
W^heat, raising, 145; market at
New York for, 145; market at
Montreal for, 151.
Whisky distilleries in 1810, 141.
W^hitcomb, Lieutenant, io8.
VVhitelaw, General, letter of, 38.
Whitney, Eli, 153.
Wilderness, battle of, 248.
Williams, Dr., of Rutland, 156.
Windsor, constitutional conven-
tions at, 116-117; corn mill at,
146; early newspaper at, 157.
Winooski River, Indian route, 19;
smugglers in the, 186.
Witherspoon, Rev. John, sells land
in Ryegate, 165.
W^omen, status of, in early com-
munities, 60-61.
Wool, 151; carding of, 152; in"
1810, 153; cards, illustrations
of, 150, 207; prices of, 214.
Wooster, commander of American
army in Canada, 94.
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