A History of Vermont

Ill Class ^:_49_ Book XlX_ Copyright]^!' COPyRlGHT DEPOSIT Thomas Chittenden The first governor of Vermont HISTORY OF VERMONT BY EDWARD DAY COLLINS, Ph.D. Formerly Instructor in History in Yale University WITH GEOLOGICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES, BIBLIOGRAPHY, CHRONOLOGY, MAPS, AND ILLUSTRATIONS BOSTON, U.S.A. GINN &L COMPANY, PUBLISHERS d)e ^tl)ensettm pregg * 1903 THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, Two CoPtcS Received OCT :9 1903 ICLAS8 A-XXc No, UC{ t ^ ^ COPY B. Copyright, 1903, by EDWARD DAY COLLINS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 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, economic, 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 opportunity 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, bibliographical 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 Hfe. 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 historical 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 organization 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 history 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 analytical 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 illustrations by which the volume is so materially enriched. Barton Landing, E. D. COLLINS. Sept. 16, 1903. , TABLE OF CONTENTS Chai'Ter 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 1812 . 140 IX. The War of 1812 172 X. From the War of 181 2 to the Civil War . 192 XL The Civil War '34 XII. From the Civil War to the Spanish War . 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 — continued 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 ... 273 VII. Township Map of Vermont, in colors . " 301 Topics 282 Bibliographical Note 286 Chronological Table 289 PART III STATISTICAL TABLES Table A. New York Land Grants in Vermont . 296 B. Governors of Vermont ...... 297 C. Congressional Districts and Senators in Congress . 298 D. Population of the State by Decades from the First Census ........ 299 E. Population of the State by Counties from the First Census . 300 F. Population of the State by Towns in 1900 . 301 G. Growth of Manufactures in Vermont since 1850 . 305 H. Farms, Acreage, and Values of Farm Property since 1850 305 I. Agricultural Products in 1850 306 J. Leading Manufactures 307 I. In 1840. II. In i860. IIL In 1870, IV. In 1 88a V. In 1890, VI. In 1900 Index — 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. Extractfrom Champlairi's narrative, ibog. 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 little 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.

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