Lieutenant-general Burgoyne, with a strong and well-appointed army of more than seven thousand men, (1) including Indians, came up Lake Champlain and appeared before Crown Point on the 27th of June. The few Americans in garrison there abandoned the fort 1777. and retreated to Ticonderoga. The British quietly took possession, and, after establishing a magazine, hospital, and stores there, proceeded to invest Ticonderoga on the 30th. Some light infantry, grenadiers, Canadians, and Indians, with ten pieces of light artillery, under Brigadier-general Fraser, were encamped on the west side of the lake, at the mouth of Putnam's Creek. These moved up the shore to Four Mile Point, so called from being that distance from Ticonderoga. The German reserve, consisting of the chasseurs, light infantry, and grenadiers, under Lieutenant-colonel Breyman, were moved at the same time along the eastern shore, while the remainder of the army, under the immediate command of Burgoyne himself, were on board the Royal George and Inflexible frigates and several gun-boats, which moved up the lake between the two strong wings on land. The land force halted, and the naval force was anchored just beyond cannon-shot from the American works.
Major-general
Arthur St. Clair(2) was in command of the American garrison at Ticonderoga.,
a post of honor which Schuyler had offered to Gates. He found the garrison
only about two thousand strong; and so much were the stores reduced, that
he was afraid to make any considerable addition to his force from the militia
who were coming in from the east, until a replenishment of provisions could
be effected. Had the garrison been well supplied with stores, six or eIght
thousand men might have been collected there before the arrival of the enemy.
1 The day when the British army encamped before Ticonderoga
(July 1st), the troops consisted of British, rank and file, three .thousand
seven hundred and twenty-four; Germans, rank and file, three thousand and
sixteen; Canadians and provincials about two hundred and fifty, and Indians
about four hundred, making a total of seven thousand four hundred and ninety.
2 Arthur St. Clair was a native of Edinburgh, in Scotland. He was born in
1734, and came to America with Admiral Boscawen in 1759. He served in Canada
in 1759 and 1760, as a lieutenant under General Wolfe, and, after the peace
of 1763, was appointed to the command of Fort Ligonier, in Pennsylvania.
In January, 1776, he was appointed a colonel in the Continental army, and
was ordered to raise a regiment destined for service in Canada. Within six
weeks from his appointment his regiment was on its march. He was appointed
a brigadier in August of that year, and was an active participant in the
engagements at Trenton and Princeton. In February, 1777, be received the
appointment of major general, and on the 5th of June was ordered by General
Schuyler to the command of Ticonderoga. He reached that post on the 12th,
and found a garrison of two thousand men, badly equipped and very short
of ammunition and stores. He was obliged to evacuate the post on the 5th
of July following. In 1780 he was ordered to Rhode Island, but circumstances
prevented him from going thither. When the allied armies marched toward
Virginia, in 1781, to attack Cornwallis, St. Clair was directed to remain
at Philadelphia with the recruits of the Pennsylvania line, for the protection
of Congress. He was, however, soon afterward allowed to join the army, and
reached Yorktown during the siege. From Yorktown he was sent with a considerable
force to join Greene, which he did at Jacksonville, near Savannah. He resided
in Pennsylvania after the peace; was elected to Congress in 1786, and was
president of that body in 1787. Upon the erection of the Northwestern Territory
into a government in 1788, he was appointed governor, which office he held
until 1802, when Ohio was admitted as a state into the Union, and he declined
an election to the post he had held. His military operations within his
territory against the Indians were disastrous, and when he retired from
office he was almost ruined in fortune. He made unsuccessful applications
to Congress for the payment of certain claims, and finally died almost penniless,
at Laurel Hilt in Western Pennsylvania, Aug. 31, 1818, aged 84 years.
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St. Clair was an officer of acknowledged bravery and prudence, yet he was far from being an expert and skillful military leader. His self-reliance and his confidence in the valor and strength of those under him often caused him to be less vigilant than necessity demanded; and it was this fault, in connection with the weakness of the garrison, which gave Burgoyne his only advantage at Ticonderoga. He soon perceived, through the vigilance of his scouts, that St. Clair had neglected to secure those two important eminences, Mount Hope and Sugar Loaf Hill (Mount Defiance), and, instead of making a direct assault upon the fortress, the British general essayed to possess himself of these valuable points.
When Burgoyne approached, a small detachment of Americans occupied the old French lines north of the fort, which were well repaired and guarded by a block-house. They also had an outpost at the saw-mills (now the village of Ticonderoga), another just above the mills, and a block-house and hospital at the entrance of the lake. Between the lines and the old fort were two block-houses, and the Grenadiers' Battery on the point was manned.
The garrison in the star fort, on Mount Independence, was rather stronger than that at Ticonderoga, and better provisioned. The fort was supplied with artillery, strongly picketed, and its approaches were well guarded by batteries. The foot of the hill on the northwestern side was intrenched, and had a strong abatis next to the water. Artillery was placed in the intrenchments, pointing down the lake, and at the point, near the mouth of East Creek, was a strong circular battery. The general defenses of the Americans were formidable to an enemy, but the tardiness of Congress in supplying the garrison with food, clothing, ammunition, and re-enforcements, made them quite weak. (1) Their lines and works were extensive, and instead of a full complement of men to man and defend them, and to occupy Sugar Loaf Hill and Mount Hope, the whole force consisted of only two thousand five hundred and forty-six Continentals and nine hundred militia. Of the latter not one tenth had bayonets.
While at Crown Point, Burgoyne sent forth a pompous and threatening proclamation, intended to awe the republicans into passiveness, and confirm the loyalists(June 29.) in their position by a sense of the presence of overshadowing power.(2) In his proclamation the British commander set forth the terrible character of the Indians that accompanied him, greatly exaggerated their numbers, and magnified their eagerness to be let loose upon the republicans, whether found in battle array or in the bosom of their families. "I have," he said, "but to give stretch to the Indian forces under my direction, and they amount to thousands, to overtake the hardened enemies of Great Britain and America. I consider thom the same wherever they may lurk." Protection and security, clogged with condition", were held out to the peaceable who remained in their habitations. All the outrages of war, arrayed in their most terrific forms, were denounced against those who persisted in their
1 It was generally believed, until Burgoyne appeared at
St. John's, that the military preparations ill progress at Quebec were intended
for an expedition by sea against the coast towns still in possession of
the Americans; and influenced by this belief, as well as by the pressing
demands for men to keep General Howe and his army from Philadelphia, Congress
made but little exertion to strengthen the posts on Lake Champlain. This
was a fatal mistake, and it was perceived too late for remedy.
2 This swaggering proclamation commenced as follows: "By John Burgoyne,
Esquire, lieutenant general of his majesty's forces in America, colonel
of the Queen's regiment of Light Dragoons, governor of Fort William, in
North Britain, one of the Commons of Great Britain in Parliament, and commanding
an army and fleet employed on an expedition from Canada," &c. "From
the pompous manner in which he has arrayed his titles," says Dr. Thatcher,
"we are led to suppose that he considers them as more than a match
for all the military force which we can bring against them."-Military
Journal, p. 82.
General Washington, from his camp at Middlebrook, in New Jersey, issued
a manifesto or counter proclamation, which, in sincerity and dignity, was
infinitely superior to that issued by Burgoyne. He alluded to the purity
of motives and devotion of the patriots, the righteousness of their cause,
and the evident guardianship of an overruling Providence in the direction
of affairs, and closed by saying, "Harassed as we are by unrelenting
persecution, obliged by every tie to repel violence by force, urged by self-preservation
to exert the strength which Providence has given us to defend our natural
rights against the aggressor, we appeal to the hearts of all mankind for
the justice of our cause; its event we leave to Him who speaks the fate
of nations, in humble confidence that as his omniscient eye taketh note
even of the sparrow that falleth to the ground, so he will not withdraw
his countenance from a people who humbly array themselves under his banner
in defense of the noblest principles with which he has adorned humanity."
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hostility. But the people at large, and particularly the finn republicans, were so far. from being frightened, that they treated the proclamation with contempt, as a complete model of pomposity.(1)
On the 2d of July the right wing of the British army moved forward, and (1777) General St. Clair believed and hoped that they intended to make a direct assault upon the fort. The small American detachments that occupied the outposts toward Lake George made but a feeble resistance, and then set fire to and abandoned their works. Generals Phillips and Fraser, with an advanced corps of infantry and some light artillery, immediately took possession of Mount Hope, which completely commanded the road to Lake George, and thus cut. off all supplies to the patriot garrison from that quarter. This accomplished, extraordinary energy and activity were manifested by the enemy in bringing up their artillery, ammunition, and stores to fortify the post gained, and on the 4th Fraser's whole (July.) corps occupied Mount Hope.(2) In the mean while Sugar Loaf Hill had been reconnoitered by Lieutenant Twiss, the chief engineer, who reported that its summit had complete command of the whole American works at Ticonderoga and Mount Independence, and that a road to the top, suitable for the conveyance of cannons, though difficult, might be made in twenty-four hours. It was resolved to erect a battery on the height, and, by arduous and prolonged labor, a road was cleared on the night of the 4th. The Thunderer, carrying the battery train and stores, arrived in the afternoon, and light twelve pounders, medium twelves, and eight-inch howitzers were landed.
So completely did the enemy occupy the ground between the lake, Mount Hope, and Sugar Loaf Hill, that this important movement was concealed from the garrison; and when, at dawn on the morning of the 5th, the summit of Mount Defiance(3) glowed with the scarlet uniforms of the British troops, and heavy artillery stood threateningly in their midst, the Americans were paralyzed with astonishment, for that array seemed more like the lingering apparitions of a night vision than the terrible reality they were forced to acknowledge. From that height the enemy could look down into the fortress, count every man, inspect all their movements, and with eye and cannon command all the extensive works of Ticonderoga and Mount Independence. St. Clair immediately called a council of war, and presented to them the alarming facts, that the whole effectively strength of the garrison was not sufficient to man one half of the works; that, as the whole must be constantly on duty, they could not long endure the fatigue; that General Schuyler, then at Fort Edward, had not sufficient troops to re-enforce or relieve them; that the enemy's batteries were nearly ready to open upon them, and that a complete investment of the place would be accomplished within twenty-four hours. It seemed plain that nothing could save the troops but evacuation, and the step was proposed by the commander and agreed to by his officers. It was a critical and trying moment for St. Clair. To remain would be to lose his army, to evacuate would (July 6,1777.) be to lose his character. He chose to make a self-sacrifice, and at about two o'clock on the following morning the troops were put in motion.
As every movement of the Americans could be seen through the day from Mount Defiance, no visible preparations for leaving the fort were made until after dark, and the purpose of the council was concealed from the troops until the evening order was given. It was arranged to place the baggage, and such ammunition and stores as might be expedient, on board two hundred bateaux, to be dispatched, under a convoy of five armed galleys, up the lake to Skenesborough (Whitehall), and the main body of the army to proceed by land to
l Gordon, ii., 205.
2 This title was given to it by General Fraser, in allusion to the hope
they entertained of dislodging the Americans.
3 I was informed by an old man, ninety years of age, residing at Pittsford,
not far from the battle-ground at Hubbardton, that the British gave the
name of Mount Defiance to Sugar Loaf Hill on the day when they erected their
battery upon it, for from that height they defied the Americans either to
resist or dislodge them. The old man was one of the British regulars under
Burgoyne, but soon afterward deserted to the Continentals.
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the same destination, by way of Castleton. The cannons that could not be moved were to be spiked; previous to striking the tents, every light was to be extinguished; each soldier was to provide himself with several days' provisions; and, to allay any suspicions on the part of the enemy of such a movement, a continued cannonade was to be kept up from one of the batteries in the direction of Mount Hope until the moment of departure.
These arrangements were all completed, yet so short was the notice that a good deal of confusion ensued. The garrison of Ticonderoga crossed the bridge to Mount Independence at about three o'clock in the morning, the enemy all the while unconscious of the escape of their prey. The moon was shining brightly, yet her pale light was insufficient to betray the toiling Americans in their preparations and flight, and they felt certain that, before day light should discover their withdrawal, they would be too far advanced to invite pursuit. But General De Fermoy, who commanded on Mount Independence, regardless of express orders, set fire to the house he had occupied as the troops left. The light of the conflagration revealed the whole scene and every movement to the enemy, and the consciousness of discovery added to the confusion and disorder of the retreating republicans. The rear-guard, under Colonel Francis, left the mount at about four o'clock in the morning, and the whole body pressed onward in irregular order toward Hubbardton, where, through the energy and skill of the officers, they were pretty well organized after a halt of two hours. The main army then proceeded to Castleton, six miles further, and the rear-guard, with stragglers picked up by the way, were placed under the command of Colonel Seth Warner, and remained at Hubbardton until some, who were left behind, should come up. Here a desperate, and, to the Americans, a disastrous battle was fought the next morning, the details of which will be given hereafter.
As soon as the movement of the Americans was perceived by the British, General Fraser commenced an eager pursuit with his pickets, leaving orders for his brigade to follow. At daylight he unfurled the British flag over Ticonderoga, and before sunrise he had passed the bridge and Mount Independence, and was in close pursuit of the flying patriots.(1) Major-general Riedesel and Colonel Breyman, with their Germans and Hessians, soon followed to sustain Fraser, while Burgoyne, who was on board the Royal George, prepared for an immediate pursuit of the bateaux and convoy by water. The Americans placed great reliance upon their strong boom at Ticonderoga, and regarded pursuit by water as almost impossible; but the boom and bridge were speedily cleft by the enemy. Long before noon a free passage was made for the gun-boats and frigates, and the whole flotilla were crowding all sail to overtake the American bateaux. These, with the baggage and stores, were all destroyed at Skenesborough before sunset.
The evacuation of Ticonderoga, without efforts at defense, was loudly condemned throughout the country, and brought down a storm of indignant abuse upon the heads of Generals St. Clair and Schuyler, for much of the responsibility was laid upon the latter because he was the commander-in-chief of the northern department. The weakness of the garrison, the commanding position of the enemy upon Mount Defiance, where they could not be reached by the guns of the fort, and the scarcity of stores and ammunition, were not taken into the account, and, consequently, the verdict of an excited public was very unjust toward those unfortunate officers. Washington had placed great reliance upon them both; nor did the event destroy his confidence in their ability and bravery, yet he was perplexed,(2) and
1 This was the third time in consecutive order that the
fortress was captured by an enemy to the garrison without bloodshed, namely,
in 1759, by the English under General Amherst; in 1775, by the New England
provincials under Colonel Ethan Allen, and now (1777) by the British under
Lieutenant-general Burgoyne.
2 The chief thus wrote to General Schuyler on hearing of the disaster: "The
evacuation of Ticonderoga and Mount Independence is an event of chagrin
and surprise not apprehended nor within the compass of my reasoning. I know
not upon what principle it was founded, and I should suppose it would be
still more difficult to be accounted for if the garrison amounted to five
thousand men in high spirits, healthy, well supplied with provisions and
ammunition, and the Eastern militia were marching to their succor, as you
mentioned in your letter of the 11th [June] to the Council of Safety of
New York."
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clearly foresaw that some other leader would be necessary to inspire sufficient confidence in the minds of the Eastern militia to cause them to turn out in force to oppose the progress of Burgoyne. Accordingly, he recommended Congress to send an "active, spirited officer to conduct and lead them (the militia) on."(1) But Congress went further. Unwisely listening to and heeding the popular clamor, they suspended St. Clair from command, and appointed Adjutant-general Gates to supersede General Schuyler. St. Clair did not leave the army, but was with Washington at the battle of Brandywine. By a general court-martial, held in the autumn of 1778, he was acquitted of all blame, with the highest honor, and this decision was fully confirmed by Congress in December following. The noble conduct of General Schuyler toward Gates, and his continued patriotic efforts in behalf of his country after suffering the injustice inflicted by Congress, have been mentioned in another chapter. After the lapse of several months the public mind was brought to bear with calmness upon the subject, and, before the close of the war, both generals were fully reinstated in the confidence of the people.
Our historic picnic upon the mountain-top is ended, and, being well rested, let us "gather up the fragments, that nothing be lost," and descend to the village of "Ty ," by the way of the military road which was made impromptu by General Phillips for his cannon, up the northern slope of Defiance. Very slight traces of it are now visible, and these consist chiefly of a second growth of timber, standing where the road was cut.
We parted with our guide at the foot of the mountain. Our boy-driver and the vehicle had disappeared, and we were obliged ,to walk in the hot sun to the village. Our good tempers were not at all improved when we learned the fact that the stage from Lake George had passed nearly an hour before, and that no conveyance could be procured until toward evening to take us to the fort, unless the boy, who had not returned, should make his appearance; and where he had gone was a mystery. Dinner at the Pavilion was an event only a half hour in the future, and two miles in distance stretched between us and the viands. So we stopped grumbling, trudged on, and, whiling away the moments by pleasant conversation, we reached the Pavilion in time to take our places at table, too much heated and fatigued, however, to enjoy the luxuries set before us. Our Boston friends left that afternoon, but we tarried until two o'clock the next morning, when we departed on the Burlington for Whitehall.
The air was cool and the sky unclouded when we left Ticonderoga. The moon had gone down, and it was too dark to see more than the outlines of the romantic shores by which we were gliding, so we took seats upon the upper deck and surveyed the clear heavens, jeweled with stars. The Pleiades were glowing in the southern sky, and beautiful Orion was upon the verge of the eastern horizon. Who can look upward on a clear night and not feel the spirit of worship stirring within! Who can contemplate those silent watchers in the firmament and not feel the impulses of adoration!
"I know they must be holy things
That from a roof so sacred shine,
Where sounds the beat of angels' wings,
And footsteps echo all divine.
Their mysteries I never sought,
Nor hearken to what science tells;
For oh, in childhood I was taught
That God amid them dwells."
MILLER.
1 In his letter to Congress (from which this sentence is quoted), dated at Morristown, July 10th, 1777, Washington continues, "If General Arnold has settled his affairs, and can be spared from Philadelphia, I would recommend him for this business, and that he should immediately set out for the northern department. He is active, judicious, and brave, and an officer in whom the militia will repose great confidence. Besides this, he is well acquainted with that country, and with the routes and most important passes and defiles -in it. I do not think he can render more signal services, or be more usefully employed at this time, than in this way. I am persuaded his presence and activity will animate the militia greatly, and spur them on to a becoming conduct." Arnold was sent accordingly, and his signal services at Bemis's Heights we have already considered.
137
Just as the day dawned tiny spiral columns of vapor began to rise from the lake, and before sunrise we were completely wrapped in a dense fog. After passing the bay south of Mount Independence, the lake becomes very narrow, and the channel is so sinuous that our vessel proceeded very cautiously in the dense mist. At the Elbow, half a mile from White. hall Landing, a rocky point containing "Putnam's Ledge" projects from the west, and occasions such a short and narrow turn in the lake, that it is with much difficulty large class steam-boats make their way through. It can only be done by the use of hawsers attached to the bow and stern, and this process requires an annoying delay. We reached Whitehall, at the mouth of Wood Creek,(1) at the head of the lake, about seven in the evening, and found comfortable quarters at a well-conducted temperance hotel near the landing.(2)
This is ancient Skenesborough, and was a point of considerable importance during the wars on our northern frontier, from 1745 till the close of the Revolution. Here armies halted, and provisions, ammunition, and stores were collected and distributed. A picketed fort was erected here during the French and Indian war, upon the brow of the hill east of Church-street. Soon after the peace of Paris, in 1763, Philip K. Skene, an English major under half pay, purchased several soldiers' grants located here, and, to make his title secure, procured a royal patent. He effected a small settlement at this point, and named it Skenesborough, which title it bore until after the Revolution. He had procured a second patent, and became possessor of the whole of the land comprised within the present township of Whitehall, except four thousand acres on its eastern border. He was a magistrate of the crown, the owner of black slaves, and was sometimes honored with the title of governor, on account of having held the office of Lieutenant-governor of Crown Point and Ticonderoga. In addition to a stone residence, he erected another stone edifice, one hundred and thirty feet long, for a military garrison and depot, upon the spot used as a garden by the family of the late Judge Wheeler. Near the east end was an arched gateway, the key-stone of which is now in the north basement wall of the Baptist Church, and bears the initials "P. K. S.," and date " 1770."
Skenesborough was a point included in the programme of operations against Ticonderoga, in the expedition under Colonel Allen in 1775. The council held at Castleton, where Allen was appointed commander-in-chief, resolved to send thirty men, under Captain Herrick, to surprise Skenesborough, capture the son of the proprietor (the latter was then in Europe), his negroes and tenantry, seize all the boats and other vessels that might be found there, and hasten down the lake with them to Shoreham. The surprise was so complete, that the plan was all accomplished without bloodshed. Major Skene the younger was captured while out shooting; the twelve negroes and fifty tenants were secured, and the governor's strong stone buildings were taken possession of by the captors. In the cellar of his house was found the body of the wife of the elder Skene, where it had been preserved many years to secure to the husband an annuity devised to her "while she remained above ground !" The Americans
1 In the older histories and in the geographies of the state
of New York the whole narrow part of Lake Champlain south of Ticonderoga
was called respectively Wood Creek and South River. For fifty years these
names for that portion of the lake have become obsolete, and as historians
write for the future, they should be careful to note these changes, so as
not to mislead the student. Mr. Headly carelessly observes, when speaking
of the retreat from Ticonderoga, that" their long procession of boats
began by moonlight to wind up Wood Creek," &c. Again, speaking
of Putnam's position when he attacked the French and Indians in their canoes,
he represents the place as upon" Wood Creek where it falls into the
lake." The fact is, the spot is upon the lake, about a mile below where
Wood Creek proper" falls into the lake." He says again, "A
whole fleet of canoes, filled with soldiers, was entering the mouth of the
creek." The mouth of the creek being a cascade, it would have been
difficult for the canoes to enter it. Wood Creek proper rises in French
Pond, in Warren county, and, flowing by Fort Anne in a deep and sluggish
stream, receives the waters of the Pawlet, and falls into Lake Champlain
at Whitehall.
2 Whitehall is a growing and flourishing village. It is within a rocky ravine
at the foot of a high eminence called Skene's Mountain, at the mouth of
Wood Creek and the northern terminus of the Champlain Canal and Rail-road.
It has a beautiful agricultural country behind it, and the natural scenery
in the vicinity is very picturesque. The Indian name of the locality, when
the whites first explored the neighborhood, was Kah-cho-qua-na,
which, literally interpreted, is, "place where dip fish."
138
buried the body in the rear of the house, and, embarking on board a schooner in the harbor, belonging to Skene, they sailed down the lake to join Allen at Shoreham.(1)
A garrison was stationed at Skenesborough in 1776, and there the vessels of the little fleet which Arnold commanded in an action on the lake, below Crown Point, were constructed and partially armed. The Americans strengthened the military works there, and made it quite a strong post. This was the stipulated point for rendezvous of the army under St. Clair, on its retreat from Ticonderoga in 1777. I have already observed that those who escaped by water were unsuspicious of pursuit, and that the flotilla was scarcely moored at Skenesborough before the frigates appeared and attacked the galleys. Two of them were captured, and the other three were blown up. Unsupported by the feeble garrison at Skenesborough or by detachments from the army retreating by land,(2) and conscious of the futility of contention with such a force as Burgoyne presented, the Americans abandoned their bateaux, set fire to them, together with the fort, mills, block-houses, &c., and fled toward the camp of General Schuyler at Fort Edward.(3) At Fort Anne they were joined by a few other troops sent forward with provisions and ammunition by General Schuyler, but it was a feeble reinforcement, for he had with him at Fort Edward only about seven hundred Continentals and fifteen hundred militia. The supplies which he sent so reduced the ammunition and stores of his garrison, that they were several days without lead, except a small quantity which they received from Albany, and which was obtained by stripping the windows.
The troops borne by the flotilla under Burgoyne, and those that marched from Ticonderoga in pursuit of the Americans, conjoined at Skenesborough, where the British commander resolved to make thorough preparations for pushing forward to the Hudson River. He was informed by the people at Skenesborough that the Americans were retreating toward Fort Edward. Lieutenant-colonel Hill, of the ninth regiment, was sent forward on the (July, 1777.) 7th to take post at Fort Anne and watch the movements of the republicans. The rest of the British army were encamped at Skenesborough and vicinity, where they remained nearly three weeks, while detachments were repairing the roads and bridges, and constructing new ones on the way to Fort Anne. Burgoyne and his staff were entertained at the mansion of Major Skene, whose familiarity with the country and the people caused him to be introduced into the military family of the commander. He was considered a valuable acquisition, but the result proved otherwise. He advised the disastrous expedition to Bennington, and accompanied the enemy there. He was personally known to many of the Americans engaged in that affair, who made great efforts to capture him alive. Four horses were shot under him, but, mounting a fifth, he made his escape, although the poor animal fell and expired from the effects of a shot, after carrying his rider beyond the reach of his foes. Skene was with Burgoyne when his army surrendered at Saratoga. He dared not return home under his parole, but went to England. He ordered his house to be burned, to prevent its falling into the hands of the Americans. His lands were confiscated and sold by the state,(4) and soon after the Revolution the name of Skenesborough was repudiated 1788. by the people, and that of Whitehall substituted. Hardly a vestige of the Revolution
1 See Reverend Lewis Kellogg's Historical Discourse, Whitehall,
1847.
2 At Castleton St. Clair was informed of the approach of Burgoyne by water,
and, instead of marching to Skenesborough, he struck off into the woods
on the left, fearing that he might be intercepted by the enemy at Fort Anne.
3 General Mattoon, late of Amherst, Massachusetts, was a subaltern in the
American convoy. According to his account, there were then only four houses
at Skenesborough, besides those belonging to Skene. While he was in one
of them, occupied by a French family, and just in the act of partaking of
some refreshments, a cannon.ball from the enemy's fleet entered, crushed
the table, and scattered the victuals in all directions over the room.-Kellogg's
Discourse, p. 6.
4 The place was very unhealthy at that time. The mortality from sickness
among the troops stationed there during the Revolution was fearful; and
so bad was the reputation of Whitehall in this particular at the close of
the war, that, when the lands of Skene were offered for sale, no competitor
appeared, and 29,000 acres were struck off at the first offer of £14
10s. to an agent of the purchasers, John Williams, Joseph Stringham, and
John Murray.-Kellogg's Discourse, p. 14.
A remarkable case of longevity occurred near Whitehall. Henry Francisco,
a native of England, died
139
is now left there. When another war was waged against us by the same enemy, in 1812, this was again the theater of hostile preparations. The block-house within the old fort was repaired, furnished with artillery, and garrisoned for the defense of the place. Intrenchments and a magazine were constructed on an island a few hundred yards north of the village, and barracks were erected on the brow of the hill west of Church Street, the remains of which have but recently been demolished. The American fleet engaged in (September 11, 1814) the battle of Plattsburgh, with the vessels captured from the enemy in that engagement, were anchored in the harbor at Whitehall soon after that event; and the remains of some of the vessels of both nations may now be seen decaying together in the lake, a short distance from the harbor.
After breakfast, on the morning of our arrival at Whitehall, I rode to Fort Anne (August 3, 1848.) Village, eleven miles south, accompanied by the editor of the "Democrat,"(1) whose kind attentions and free communications of valuable knowledge concerning historical localities in the vicinity contributed much to the pleasure and instruction of the journey thither. It is a pleasant little village, situated upon a gently undulating plain near the junction of Wood Creek and East Creek, and exhibited a charming picture of quiet and prosperity. There I found a venerable kinsman, nearly eighty years of age, who, in the vigor of manhood, fifty years ago, purchased an extensive tract of land in this then almost unbroken wilderness.(2) His dwelling, store-house, and barns ,occupy the site of Fort Anne, the only traces of which
are the stumps of the strong pine pickets with which it was stockaded. It was built by the English, under General Nicholson, in 1757, two years after the construction of Fort Edward. It was a small fortress, and was never the scene of any fierce hostility. Although ninety years had elapsed since its pickets were set in the ground, what remained of them
near there in November, 1820, aged one hundred and thirty-four
years. He was present at the coronation of Queen Anne, March 8th, 1702.
He served in the French wars and in the Revolution, and lived in this country
nearly ninety years; since deceased.
1 D. S. Murray, Esq.
2 William A. Moore, Esq., president of the Whitehall Bank.
3 This view is from the bridge which crosses Wood Creek, looking south.
The distant building on the right is the dwelling of Mr. Moore. Nearer is
his store-house, and on the left are his out-houses. The slumps of the pickets
may be traced in a circular line from his dwelling along- the road to the
crook in the fence, and so on to the barns and in their yards.
140
exhibited but slight tokens, of decay, and the odor of turpentine was almost as strong and fresh when one was split as if it had been planted but a year ago.
About a mile northwest of Fort Anne is the place where a severe battle was (August 1758.) fought between a corps of five hundred Rangers, English and provincials, under Putnam and Rogers, and about the same number of French and Indians, under the famous partisan Molang. Putnam and Rogers were sent by Abercrombie to watch the enemy in the neighborhood of Ticonderoga. When they arrived at South Bay, an expansion of Lake Champlain near Whitehall, the two leaders separated, taking with them their respective divisions, but, being discovered by the watchful Molang, they deemed it expedient to reunite and return immediately to Fort Edward. Their troops were marched in three divisions, the right commanded by Rogers, the left by Putnam, and the center by Captain Dalyell (sometimes written D'Ell). They halted at evening on the border of Clear River, a fork of Wood Creek before its junction with East Creek, and within a mile of Fort Anne. Early in the morning, while the lines were forming, Major Rogers, regardless of the teachings of the Ranger's great virtue, precaution, amused himself by firing at a target with a British officer. The sound reached the vigilant ears of Molang and his Indian allies, who, unknown to the Americans, were then encamped within a mile of them. He had been searching for the Rangers to intercept them, and the firing was a sure guide. His men were posted in ambush along the paths which he knew they must take, and as the Americans, just at sunrise, emerged from a dense thicket into the open woods, Molang and his followers fell upon them with great fury. Rogers seemed to be appalled by the fierce onslaught and fell back, but Putnam and Dalyell sustained their position and returned the fire. The conflict became desperate. At length Putnam's fusee missed fire when the muzzle was within a few inches of the breast of a giant savage, who thrust it aside and fell upon the major with the fierceness of a panther, made him prisoner, bound him firmly to a tree, and then returned to the battle. Captain Dalyell now assumed the command. The provincials fell back a little, but, rallying, the fight continued with great vigor. The tree to which Putnam was bound was about midway between the combatants, and he stood in the center of the hottest fire of both, utterly unable to move body or limb, so firmly had the savage secured him. His garments were riddled by bullets, but not one touched his person. For an hour he remained in this horrible position, until the enemy were obliged to retreat,.when he was unbound and carried off by his savage captors. (1)
Wounded, exhausted, and dispirited, Putnam was forced to make a weary march over a rough country, led on by
From and old picture in the possession of a gentleman in New London, Connecticut.
1 At one time, when the provincials fell back, and the Indians were near him, a young warrior amused himself by trying his skill in throwing his tomahawk as near Putnam's head as possible without hitting him. When he was tired of his amusement, a French subaltern, more savage than the Indian, leveled his musket at Putnam's breast, but it missed fire. The major claimed the consideration due to a prisoner of war, but the barbarous Frenchman was unmoved, and, after striking him a violent blow upon his cheek with the butt end of his musket, left him to die, as he thought.
141
the savages, who had tied cords so tightly around his wrists that his hands were swollen and dreadfully tortured. He begged for release either from the pain or from life. A French officer interposed and unbound the cords; and just then his captor came up, and, with a sort of savage humanity, supplied him with moccasins, and expressed great indignation because of the harsh treatment his prisoner had endured. I say savage humanity, for it was present kindness, exercised while a dark and atrocious intention for the future made the Indian complaisant-the prisoner was reserved for the stake, and all those exquisite tortures with which savage cruelty imbitters the death of its victims. Deep in the forest he was stripped naked, and with green withes was bound fast to a sapling. The wood was piled high around him, and the wild death-songs of the savages, mingled with fierce yells, were chanted. The torch was applied, and the crackling flame began to curl around the fagots, when a black cloud, that for an hour had been rising in the west, poured down such a volume of water that the flames were nearly extinguished. But they burst forth again in fiercer intensity, and Putnam lost all hope of escape, when a French officer dashed through the crowd of savages, scattered the burning wood, and cut the cords of the victim. It was Molang himself. Some relenting savage had told him of the horrid orgies in the forest, and he flew to the rescue of Putnam, just in time to save him. After enduring much suffering, he was delivered to Montcalm at Ticonderoga, and by him sent to Montreal, where he experienced great kindness from Colonel Peter Schuyler, a fellow-prisoner, through whose influence he was exchanged for a prisoner taken by Colonel Bradstreet at Fort Frontenac.(1)
About three fourths of a mile north of Fort Anne is a narrow, rocky defile, through which Wood Creek and the Champlain Canal flow and the rail-road is laid. Art has widened the defile by excavation, and cultivation has swept away much of the primitive forest. Here in this rocky gorge, then just wide enough for the stream and a narrow pathway, a severe
engagement occurred between the ninth British regiment, under Lieutenant-colonel Hill, and a detachment of Americans, under Colonel Long. This officer, with about five (July 8 1777.) hundred republicans, principally of the invalids and convalescents of the army, was posted at Fort Anne by General Schuyler, with directions to defend it. Warned of the approach of the enemy, Colonel Long prepared not only for defense, but to go. out and meet him. The Americans fit for duty were mustered, and early in the morning they marched up to the southern edge of the defile. "At half past ten in the morning," said Major
1 See Humphrey's and Peabody's Biographies of Putnam.
2 This sketch was taken from the rail-road, looking north. The forest upon
the left is the" thick wood" of the Revolution, but on the right
cultivated fields have taken the place of the forest to a considerable extent.
On the right is seen the Champlain Canal, here occupying the bed of Wood
Creek. The fence on the left indicates the place of the public road between
Fort Anne and Whitehall When this sketch was made (1848) the rail-road was
unfinished.
142
Forbes in his testimony on the trial of Burgoyne, "they attacked us in front with a heavy and well-directed fire; a large body of them passed the creek on the left, and fired from a thick wood across the creek on the left flank of the regiment; they then began to recross the creek and attack us in the rear; we then found it necessary to change our ground, to prevent the regiment being surrounded; we took post on a high hill to our right. As soon as we had taken post, the enemy made a very vigorous attack, which continued upward of two hours; and they certainly would have forced us, had it not been for some Indians that arrived and gave the Indian hoop, which we answered with three cheers; the rebels soon after that gave way."(1) The major's facts are correct, but his inferences are wide of the mark. The Americans were not frightened by the Indian war-hoop, for it was a sound very familiar to their ears, but they" gave way" because their ammunition gave out Had Colonel Long been well supplied with powder and ball, the British troops would have been destroyed or made prisoners. Captain Montgomery, of Hill's regiment, was severely wounded and captured by the Americans, who, when they gave way, set fire to Fort Anne and retreated to the headquarters of General Schuyler at Fort Edward.
We returned
to Whitehall toward evening. The ride was delightful through a country ever-changing
and picturesque, particularly when approaching the lake. On the left rise
the lofty summits of the hills on Lake George; on the east those of Vermont
and Massachusetts; and down the lake, northward, Mount Defiance may be plainly
seen. After an early evening meal, I procured a water-man and his boat,
and, accompanied by my traveling companion and Mr. M., proceeded to ...
Put's Rock," near" the Elbow," a mile from the landing, and
near the entrance of South Bay.(2) The lake is here very narrow, and the
shores on either side are abrupt, rocky, and wooded. It was about sunset
when we arrived at the scene of Putnam's exploit, and the deep shadows that
gathered upon the western shore, where the famous ledge is situated, heightened
the picturesque character of the scenery and the force of the historical
associations which lionize the spot. Upon the rough ledge of rocks seen
on the right of the picture Major Putnam and fifty men boldly opened a musket
battery upon about five hundred French and Indian warriors under the famous
Molang, who were in canoes upon the water.(3) This event occurred a few
days previous to the unfortunate battle
1 Burgoyne's State of the Expedition, &c.,
p. 81.
2 Here I will correct a serious geographical error which I find in Peabody's
Life of Putnam. He says.
" Abercrombie ordered Major Putnam to proceed with fifty men to South
Bay, in Lake George." Again. "The detachment marched to Wood Creek,
near the point where it flows into South Bay." South Bay is in Lake
Champlain, and Wood Creek does not flow into it at all. See note respecting
Wood Creek, ante, page 137.
3 The view is taken from the Vermont shore, where rafts of timber and piles
of lumber (as seen on the left) betoken the chief article of commerce here.
The ledge of rocks, which rises about fourteen feet In height, is on the
New York side. From the perpendicular point, rugged and broken, there is
a gentle slope thickly covered with timber and shrubbery, and affording
an excellent place for an ambuscade. The small trees in the distance mark
the point at the Elbow, and the hill beyond is a portion of Skene's Mountain
which overlooks the harbor at Whitehall.
143
near Fort Anne, where Putnam was taken prisoner. Major Rogers, who was also sent by Abercrombie to watch the movements of the enemy, had taken a station twelve miles distant, and Putnam and his fifty rangers composed the whole force at this point. Near the front of the ledge he constructed a parapet of stone, and placed young pine trees before it in such a natural manner that they seemed to have grown there, and completely hid the defense from observers on the water below. Fifteen of his men, disabled by sickness, were sent back to the camp at Fort Edward, and with his thirty-five he resolved to attack what ever force might appear upon the lake. Four days he anxiously awaited the appearance of the enemy, when early one evening he was gratified by the intelligence that a large fleet of canoes, filled with warriors, was leisurely approaching from South Bay. It was the time of full moon, the sky was unclouded, and from his hiding-place every movement of the Indians could be distinctly seen. Putnam called in all his sentinels, and in silence every man was stationed where his fire might be most effective. Not a musket was to be moved until orders were given by the commander. The advanced canoes had passed the parapet, when one of the soldiers hit his firelock against a stone. The sound was caught by the watchful ears of Molang and his followers. The canoes in the van halted, and the whole fleet was crowded in confusion and alarm directly beneath the ledge. A brief consultation ensued, and then they turned their prows back toward South Bay. As they wheeled the voice of Putnam shouted" Fire," and with sure aim each bullet reached a victim. The enemy returned the fire, but without effect, and for a time the carnage produced by the Rangers was dreadful in that dense mass upon the waters. Molang soon perceived by the firing that his assailants were few, and detached a portion of his men to land below and attack the provincials in the rear. Putnam had perceived this movement, and sent a party of twelve men, under Lieutenant Durkee, who easily repulsed them when they attempted to land. About daybreak he learned that the enemy had actually debarked at a point below, and was marching to surround him. This fact, and the failure of his ammunition, warned him to retreat. Nearly half the number of the enemy perished on that fatal night, while Putnam lost but two men, who were wounded.(1) While retreating through the thick forest, an unexpected enemy fired upon them, but wounded only one man. Putnam instantly ordered his men to charge, when his voice was recognized by the other leader, who cried out, "Hold, we are friends !" " Friends or foes," shouted Putnam, "you deserve to perish for doing so little execution with so fair a shot." The party proved to be a detachment sent to cover their retreat.
It was late in the evening twilight before I finished my sketch, but our obliging waterman would not consent to row us back until we should go to his house near by and see his "pullet and chickens" -his wife and children. His dwelling was at the foot of the steep Vermont shore, completely hemmed in by rocks and water, but embowered in shrubbery. His children brought us fruit, and we were refreshed by draughts of water from a mountain spring close by, of icy coldness. The moon was shining brightly when we passed the Elbow on our return, and by its pale light we could see the ribs and other decaying timber of the British ship of war Confiance and the American ship Saratoga. The former was sunk there in 1814, and the latter, which was afterward used as a store-ship, was scuttled by some miscreants while her officers and crew were at the village participating in a Fourth of July celebration. It was about nine in the evening when we reached the hotel. There I met that distinguished and venerable divine, Rev. Mr. Pierce, of Brookline, Massachusetts, and was charmed and edified by his conversation for more than an hour.(2) His memory was
1 These men, one a provincial, the other an Indian, were
placed under an escort of two others, and sent toward the camp. They were
pursued and overtaken by the Indians. 'The wounded men told the escort to
leave them to their fate, which they did. When the savages came up, the
provincial, knowing that he would be put to death, fired and killed three.
He was instantly tomahawked. The Indian was kept a prisoner, and from him
Putnam learned the above facts when they met some time afterward in Canada.
2 Mr. Pierce was seventy-five years old. He distinctly remembered Washington's
visit to Boston in 1789. The cavalcade 4alted near the entrance to the city,
and Washington was obliged to sit on horseback two hours, while the state
authorities and the selectmen decided a point of etiquette-whose province
it was to
144
richly stored with historic learning, and our intercourse was to me a. pleasant and profitable appendix to the events and studies of the day.
Early the next morning we left Whitehall on the steamer Saranac, and landed at Chipman's Point, or Sholes's Landing, the port of Orwell, and the most eligible point whence to reach the battle-ground of Hubbardton. The morning was delightful, and the ride in a light wagon, accompanied by the intelligent son of Mr. Sholes, proved to be one of peculiar pleasure. Our route was through the pleasant little village of Orwell, five miles southeast of the landing. There we turned southward, and followed the margin of the broad ravine or valley through which the retreating Americans and pursuing British passed when St. Clair evacuated Ticonderoga. The road was made very tortuous to avoid the high ridges and deep valleys which intersect in all directions, while at the same time it gradually ascends for several miles. I never passed through a more picturesque country. The slopes and valleys were smiling with cultivation, and in every direction small lakes were sparkling in the noonday sun. Within about six miles of the battle-ground we descended into a romantic valley imbosomed in a spur of the Green Mountains. We passed several small lakes, lying one below another, over which arose rough and lofty precipices, their summits crowned with cedar, hemlock, pine, and, spruce. The tall trunks of the pines, black and branchless, scathed by lightning and the tempest, arose above the surrounding forests like mighty sentinels, and added much to the wild grandeur of the scene. From the rough and narrow valley we ascended to a high, rolling table-land, well cultivated; and upon the highest part of (July 7, 1777.) this tract, surrounded on the south and east by loftier hills, the battle of Hubbardton occurred.
General Fraser, whom I have already mentioned as having started after the Americans from Ticonderoga, continued his pursuit of St. Clair and his army through the day, (July 6.) and, learning from some Tory scouts that they were not far in advance, he ordered his men to lie that night upon their arms, to be ready to push forward at daybreak. About three in the morning his troops were put in motion, and about five o'clock his advanced scouts discovered the American sentries, who discharged their pieces and retreated to the main body of the detachment, which was left behind by St. Clair, under the command of Colonels Warner and Francis. Their place of encampment was in the southeast part of Hubbardton, Rutland county, near the Pittsford line, upon the farm of John Selleck(1) not far from the place where the Baptist meeting-house now stands. The land is now owned by a son of Captain Barber, who was in the engagement. He kindly accompanied me to the spot, and pointed out the localities, according to the instructions of his patriotic father. The engraving on the opposite page represents the general view of the place of encampment and the battle-ground. When the British advanced guard discovered the Americans, they were breakfasting near a dwelling which stood close by the Baptist meeting-house, the two story building seen in the center of the picture. The dark spot near the fence, seen between the larger trees in the foreground (I in the map of the battle), marks the remains of the cellar of the old house. The road on the right is that leading toward Ticonderoga; and the roofs of the houses, seen over the orchard on the right, mark the direction of the road leading
receive him. The selectmen carried the day. He explained
to me the nature of the apparent error in the registration of the birth
and christening of Dr. Franklin. The entries of both events are upon the
same day, Sunday, 17th of January, 1706. An old man, who remembered the
circumstance well, for it caused some gossip at the time, told him that
Dr. Franklin's mother went to church and received the communion in the morning,
gave birth to her son at noon, and in the afternoon the child was christened.
1 The first settlement in this town was in the spring of 1774, and consisted
of only two families. In 1775 seven other families joined them, among whom
was Mr. Selleck, and these nine constituted the whole population of the
town when the battle occurred. On the day previous a party of Indians and
Tories, under Captain Sherwood, came upon the inhabitants and made prisoners
of two farmers named Hickock, and their families, and two young men named
Keeler and Kellogg. They captured two or three others, and carried them
all off to Ticonderoga, leaving their families to shift for themselves.
The sorrowing wives and children made a toilsome journey over the mountains
to Connecticut, whence they had emigrated. The men remained prisoners at
Ticonderoga (except two who escaped) until after the surrender of Burgoyne
in October, when that fortress was retaken by the Americans.-See Thompson's
Gazetteer of Vermont.
146
down to the valley toward Castleton. The large boulder in front is framed
by local tradition as the 
observatory
of the first man of the British van who discovered the Americans; and it
is related that he was shot by a sentinel before he could leap down. The
range of hills in the distance are the Pittsford Mountains, over which a
portion of the Americans fled toward Rutland. A small branch of a tributary
of Castleton Creek runs through the intervale between the meeting-house
and the hills beyond. The hottest of the fight occurred upon the slope between
the large tree and the meeting-house. It was covered with ripe grain when
I visited it, and, the achievements of the tiller gathering his sheaves
seemed more truly great than all (August 1848.) the honors and renown which
wholesale slaughter ever procured for a warrior chieftain.
It was an excessively hot morning in July when the battle of Hubbardton commenced. The American force consisted of the three regiments of Warner, Francis, (July 7, 1777.) and Hale, and such stragglers from the main army then at Castleton (six miles in advance) as had been picked up on the way. The Americans were about thirteen hundred strong, and the British, under Fraser, about eight hundred. Reidesel and his Germans were still in the rear, but, expecting his arrival every moment, Fraser began the attack at seven in the morning, fearing that the Americans might escape if he delayed. The charge of the enemy was well received, and the battle raged furiously. Had Warner been well sustained by the militia regiment under Colonel Hale, he might have secured a victory; but that officer, with his troops, fled toward Castleton, hoping to join the main army there under St. Clair, leaving the commander with only seven hundred men to oppose the enemy. On the way, Hale and his men fell in with an inconsiderable party of British soldiers, to whom they surrendered, without offering any resistance, although the numbers were about equal. (1) They
1 Colonel Hale has been severely censured for this set of apparent cowardice, but when every circumstance is taken into account, there is much to induce a mitigation of blame. Himself and a large portion of his men were in feeble health, and quite unfit for active service, and his movement as one of precaution rather than of cowardly alarm. Rivals, soon after he surrendered, circulated reports unfavorable to his reputation. On hearing of them, he wrote to General Washington, asking him to obtain his exchange, that he might vindicate his character by a court-martial; but before this could be accomplished he died, while a prisoner on Long Island, in September, 1780.
146
were
well stationed upon the brow of the hill, but so sudden and unexpected was
the attack, that no other breast-works could be thrown up than such as a
few trees afforded. For a long time the conflict was severe, for Reidesel
still did not make his appearance. The British grenadiers occupied the Castleton
road, and prevented the Americans from retreating in that direction; but
the republicans poured in such a galling fire upon them, that they gave
way, and the victory was almost within the grasp of the patriots. At that
moment Reidesel with his companions appeared, his drums beating and banners
flying. The firing reaching his ears, he had pressed on as rapidly as the
rough forest road would allow. His Chasseurs, under Major Barner, were immediately
brought into action in support of Fraser's left flank. At that moment the
whole British line made a bayonet charge upon the Americans with terrible
effect. The latter, supposing that the Germans in full force were coming
upon them, broke and fled with great precipitation, some over the Pittsford
Mountains toward Rutland, and others down the valley toward Castleton.(1)
The Americans lost three hundred and twenty-four in killed, wounded, and
prisoners. The brave Colonel Francis Francis was slain while gallantly fighting
at the head of his regiment, and twelve officers were made prisoners. The
British loss was one hundred and eighty-three, among whom were Major Pratt
and about twenty inferior officers.(2) The British also captured about two
hundred stand of arms.
When General St. Clair heard the firing at Hubbardton, he attempted to send a force to the relief of Warner, but the militia absolutely refused to go, and the regulars and others were too far on their way to Fort Edward to be recalled. St. Clair had just learned, too, that Burgoyne was at Skenesborough, and he hastened forward to join General Schuyler, (July, 1777.) which he did on the 12th, with his troops worn down by fatigue and lack of provisions. The loss to the Americans by the evacuation of these posts on the lake was one hundred and twenty-eight pieces of cannon and a considerable quantity of ammunition
EXPLANATION OF THE MAP.-A, advanced corps of General Fraser,
attacked at B; C, position of the corps while it was forming; D, Earl of
Balcarras detached to cover the right wing; E, the. van-guard and Brunswick
company of Chasseurs coming up with General Reidesel; F, position of the
Americans after Reidesel arrived. The lines extending downward show the
course of the retreat of the Americans over the Pittsford Mountains. H,
position of the British after the action; I, house where the wounded were
carried, mentioned in the description of the picture on page 144; O, position
of the Americans previous to the action. This map is a reduced copy of one
drawn by P. Gerlach, Burgoyne's deputy quartermaster general.
1 Many of the Americans, in their precipitate retreat, threw away their
muskets to rid themselves of the encumbrance. Some have been found, within
a few years, in the woods on the line of the retreat. One of them, of American
manufacture, is in my possession, and dated 1774. The bayonet is fixed,
the flint is in the lock, and the powder and ball are still in the barrel.
2 The statements concerning the loss in this battle are various and contradictory.
Some accounts say that nearly six hundred, who were wounded, crawled off
into the woods and died; and. others, again, put the American loss down
at less than three hundred. There is a preponderance of testimony in favor
of the number I have given, and it is, doubtless, near the truth.
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and stores. In every respect the event was disastrous, and, as we have seen, produced much discontent in the army and disappointment throughout the country.
General Schuyler summoned the fragments of the broken armies to his camp at Fort Edward. All united, numbered only four thousand four hundred men, and this was the whole effective force opposed to the southward progress of Burgoyne. Nearly one half of these deserted, not to the enemy, but to their homes, before the end of the month. Yet the general neither despaired nor remained idle. He kept his men busily engaged in destroying bridges, felling trees, digging deep trenches, and making other obstructions in the forest paths from Fort Anne to Fort Edward, to delay the progress of the enemy; and this labor resulted in greatly impeding Burgoyne's march, and in delaying his arrival upon the Hudson. The subsequent events connected with these two armies, excepting the battle of Bennington and the expedition of St. Leger, have already been noticed in detail. The latter will be considered in their proper order.
I lingered upon the battle-ground in Hubbardton as long as time would allow, for the view from that lofty table-land is both beautiful and grand, particularly in the direction of Cast/eton, on the southwest. A broad valley, bounded on either side by ranges of high hills, cultivated to their summits, and diversified by rich intervales covered with ripe harvests and dark green corn, spread out below us, a lovely picture of peace and prosperity. The view at its further extremity is bounded by the high hills near the Hudson, and on the left some of the higher summits were dark with spruce and cedar trees. We returned to Sholes's by the way of Hyde's, in Sudbury, where we dined. As usual, every delicacy of the season was upon his table. Indeed," a table equal to Hyde's" has become a proverbial expression of praise among tourists, for it is his justifiable boast that he spreads the choicest repasts that are given between Montreal and New Orleans. His beautifully embowered mansion is near the base of the Green Mountains, by the margin of a charming lake, on the borders of a rich valley, about twelve miles east of Lake Champlain, and a more delightful summer retreat can not well be imagined. Our route thither was over a rough mountain road. Among the rugged hills we met a venerable, white-haired man leaning upon two canes, and greatly bowed by the weight of years. I accosted him with reverence, and, in answer to my inquiry whether he was a soldier of the Revolution, he informed me that he was with General Sullivan on Rhode Island, and was on duty in the fort on Butt's Hill at the time of the engagement there on the 29th of August, 1778, known as the battle of Quaker Hill.
We arrived at Sholes's between five and six o'clock in the evening. Our excellent host and his neighbor and friend, living at the foot of Mount Independence, anticipating my wishes, had a skiff in readiness to convey us across the bay to visit that memorable spot. Although I had ridden forty miles during the day, and storm-clouds had been gathering thick and fast for two hours, and now threatened a speedy down-pouring, I was too anxious for the visit to allow fatigue or rain to thwart my purpose. Accompanied by my companion and another young lady, the daughter of Mr. S., we pushed across the bay-five of us in a light skiff, and the wind rising-to the foot of Mount Independence, on its steep southern side.
We ascended by the old road constructed in 1776. The top of the summit is flat tableland, and afforded a very eligible site for strong military works. It was first occupied by the Americans early in 1776, when they commenced the erection of batteries, barracks, and houses, with the view of making it a place of general rendezvous, and a recruiting station for the army of the north.(1) It was heavily timbered when they took possession of it, but almost all the trees were felled for building purposes and for fuel. A second growth of timber
1 Mount Independence is situated in the southwest corner of Orwell, in Vermont, one mile north of Sholes's Landing, and contains about two hundred and fifty acres of land, some of which is arable. The troops stationed there in 1776 received the news of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, by the Continental Congress, with the most extravagant demonstrations of joy. It was just after the reveille, on the morning of the 18th of July, that a courier arrived with the glad tidings; and, by a general order, a gala day for the soldiers ensued. At sunset they fired a salute of thirteen guns, in honor of the confederation, and named the place on which they were encamped Mount Independence, in commemoration of the event.
148
now covers it, except where the parades were. The trees are chiefly maple, some of them twenty inches in diameter. There are about two hundred of them on the mount, large enough for the extraction of sap for sugar. The young shoots never sprang up where the old parades were, and they present bald spots, bearing only stinted vegetation.
During the summer and autumn of 1776 the Americans were diligent in fortifying
this spot. They erected a picketed fort and several batteries, dug many
wells, and constructed nearly three hundred houses for the use of the soldiers.
The remains of these are scattered in all directions upon the mount; and
the foundation walls of the hospital, just commenced when the evacuation
in 1777 took place, are now nearly as perfect as when first laid. Narrow
ditches, indicating the line of pickets on the north part of the mount,
and running in various directions and at every angle, are distinctly seen;
and the remains of the "horseshoe battery," on the extreme north
end, are very prominent. Near this battery is a flint quarry, which seems
to have been well known and used by the Indians, for arrow-heads in every
stage of manufacture, from the almost unshapen flint to the perfect weapon,
are found there, I was told, in abundance. Toward the close of 1776 a fatal
epidemic prevailed in the garrison there, called the "camp distemper,"
and the graves of the victims are thickly strewn among the trees. At one
time the deaths were so numerous that it was found impossible to dig a grave
for each, and the spot was shown to me where fourteen bodies were deposited
in a single broad grave, about daylight one morning. Among the hundreds
of t.hese mounds of the dead, scattered over the mount, there was only one
individualized by an inscribed stone. The rude monument is a rough limestone,
and the
inscription, "M. Richardson Stoddard," appeared as if carved with
the point of a bayonet. The tenant was probably an officer of militia from
a town formerly named Stoddard, in Vermont. Already some Vandal visitor
had broken off a "relic" from its diminutive bulk, and ere this
some patriotic antiquary has doubtless slipped the whole stone into his
pocket, and secured a legacy of rare value for his wondering children! A
propensity to appropriate to private use a fragment of public monuments,
and a pitiful ambition, allied in kind to that of the Ephesian incendiary,
to associate one's name by pencil or penknife inscription with places of
public resort, have already greatly marred and disfigured a large proportion
of our few monuments, and can not be too severely condemned. Charity, that
"covereth the multitude of sins," has not a mantle broad enough
to hide this iniquity, for none but heartless knaves or brainless fools
would thus deface even the meanest grave-stone in a church-yard. Wolfe's
monument on the Plains of Abraham, and the monuments at Red Bank and Paoli,
bear mournful testimony of this barbarism which is abroad.
At various times Mount Independence, as well as Crown Point and other localities in the neighborhood of Lake Champlain, has been scarred by money-diggers. In 1815 a company came hither from Northern Vermont, to search for military treasures which wise seers and the divining rod declared were buried there. The chief of the party, entertaining misgivings on his arrival as to the success of money-digging, purchased land in the neighborhood, and while his more credulous companions were digging deep into the mount, he was plowing deep into his land. He raised grain and esculent roots-they raised gravel and worthless clay. When their patience and money were exhausted, they shouldered their picks and departed for Western New York. He remained, became a thrifty farmer, and, by the unerring divining rod of industry, found the treasure. Credulous people still dig at these localities, and several pits were pointed out to me which had been recently excavated. 1
1 Three or four years ago the white wife of a negro dreamed three times-the cabalistic number-that at a certain place on Mount Independence immense treasures were buried when the Americans evacuated that post. They were, doubtless, the identical silver balls which calumny asserted Burgoyne fired into St. Clair's camp as the price of treason. The negro procured aid, and a pure white dog to watch them while digging. A moonlight night was the chosen time. The secret leaked into the ears of some boys, and set their mischievous wits at work. A large pumpkin was emptied of its seeds, and staring eyes, wide nostrils
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Darkness came on, and the rain pattered upon the leaves before we descended to the shore; and by the time we were fairly out upon the lake our destined haven was invisible. The wind was fresh and the waters rough. One of the ladies guided the helm, but her bright eyes could not discern the distant shore, and her nautical skill was unavailing. The son of Mr. S., anticipating such a dilemma, discharged a small swivel at the landing, and by its beacon flash we were safely guided until we came within the rays of the candles at the house. Wet and weary, we supped and retired early, to resume our journey in the morning.
and grinning teeth were cut out of the rind, and a lighted
candle was placed within the sphere. This hideous head, with its fiery eyes
and nostrils, was placed on the caput of a bold boy, who marched up to the
pit where the money-diggers were at work. The dog first discovered the grinning
specter, and, with a loud yell, leaped from the cavity and ran for life.
The men followed, leaving pick, spade, hat, and coat behind, quite sure
that the "gentleman in black" was close upon their heels; and
they have ever since believed that he guards the treasures, and sometimes
takes an evening stroll on Mount Independence.
1 This is a view from Chipman's Point, or Sholes's Landing, looking north.
The high ridge on the right, in the distance, is Mount Independence. The
higher and more distant hill on the left, over the cedar, is Mount Defiance,
and the elevation beyond is Mount Hope. Fort Ticonderoga is on thc other
side of Mount Independence, in a line with the highest part.
