Chap. G. 



LEGISLATIVE PROCEEDINGS. 



95 



SMUGGLERS AND CUSTOM-HOUSE OFFICERS. 



LOSS OF THE GROWLER AND EAGLE. 



divided into two parties exactly equal. 

 After much manoeuvreing and several tri- 

 als, Martin Chittenden, the federal candi- 

 date, was elected by a small majority. 

 The sentiments of the governor's speech, 

 and of the answer to it, were in the high- 

 est tone of federalism, and consequently 

 in direct opposition to the war and the 

 measures of the general government. The 

 minority, 75 in number, however, protest- 

 ed against these sentiments, and entered 

 their reasons upon the journals of the 

 house. 



The federalists having now the ascen- 

 dancy, nearly all the appointments to 

 office were made from that party : after 

 which the legislature proceeded to repeal 

 the several laws before mentioned, which 

 had been enacted the preceding year. The 

 spirit of party was now wrought up to the 

 Jiighest pitch, and the parties did not hes- 

 itate to brand each otlier with the oppro- 

 brious names of tories, traitors, and ene- 

 mies to their country'. The enmity was 

 Buch as to destroy the harmony and inter- 

 course of families and neighbors, and at 

 times they seemed to be on the eve of pro- 

 ceeding to open hostilities. 



The smuggling business led to frequent 

 encounters between the smugglers and 

 custom-house officers, during the war and 

 the non-intercourse which preceded it, in 

 some of which blood was shed and lives 

 lost. The first serious atTray of this kind 

 took place on Winooski river, at Burling- 

 ton, in 1808, between a party in the em- 

 ploy of tlie custom department and a 

 Bmuggling vessel called the Black Snake. 

 In this encounter, two men were killed 

 by the smugglers. The smugglers were, 

 however, taken and tried by a special 

 court at Burlington. Dean, one of them, 

 was executed, and the others, excepting 

 Day who was discharged, were sentenced 

 to the state prison. Franklin county 

 was the scene of frequent skirmislies. 

 The smugglers usually travelled in the 

 night, and went in so large companies and 

 so well armed, as to make it very danger- 

 ous business for the custom-house officers 

 to interrupt them. Similar disturbances 

 were common all along our northern 

 frontier. 



About the first of September, 1 813, Mr. 

 Sanmel Beach, of Canaan, in the north- 

 east corner of the state, had a permit from 

 the governor to go into Canada to repair 

 a mill-dam. He sent forward his work- 

 men witlua team, which was taken from 

 them by Jolm Dennett and others, and 

 driven back. Beach, in attempting to re- 

 cover his team, was tired upon l)y Dennett 

 and killed. Dennett and his associates 

 were taken and confined in jail, from 



which he escaped in January following to 

 the neighboring forests, wtiere he contin- 

 ued till the next August, when he was 

 retaken, but not till after he was mortally 

 wounded by his pursuers. It appeared 

 that Dennett resisted, and was shot while 

 attempting to kill Mr. Morgan, by a Mr. 

 Sperry, another of the pursuers. 



In the summer of 1812, some prepara- 

 tions were made on lake Champlain, to 

 oppose the naval force of the British. 

 Nothing, however, occurred on the lake 

 worthy of notice till the 2d of June 1813. 

 On that day the Growler and Eagle sail- 

 ed from Plattsburg under the command of 

 Lieut. Smith in pursuit of some British 

 gun-boats which had made their appear- 

 ance on the lake. On the following morn- 

 ing, when near the Canada line, they were 

 led, in pursuit of the boats, into shoal wa- 

 ter near the shore, where the Eagle groun- 

 ded and became unmanageable, and, after 

 four hours hard fighting, the Growler 

 was obliged to surrender to the British. 

 On the 30th of July, a detachment of the 

 British, about 1400 strong, landed at Platts- 

 burgh, where tliey destroyed the Amer- 

 ican barracks, estimated to be worth 

 $2.">,000, and much other property, both 

 public and private. The public stores 

 liaving been previously removed to Bur- 

 lington, the enemy proceeded thither and 

 fired a few shot upon the town, but, as 

 soon as the cannon began to play upon 

 them from the shore, they retired. 



Outhe 20th of August, the Americans 

 had equipped a naval force upon lake 

 Champlain, consisting of the President, 

 carrying 12 guns. Com. Preble 11, Mont- 

 gomery, 11, Frances, 6, and two gun-boats 

 and six scows, carrying one gun each, 

 making in the whole 48 guns. With this 

 force Com. Macdonough sailed from Bur- 

 lington to the line in September, and of- 

 fered battle to the enemy, but they de- 

 clined and retired into Canada. The 

 northern army was assembled at Burling- 

 ton under tlie command of Gen. Hamp- 

 ton and consisted of about 4000 men. 

 Early in September this army was em- 

 barked at Burlington, and landed at Cum- 

 berland Head, near Plattsburgh. On the 

 '.Mil, they proceeded to Chazy, and attack- 

 ed the enemy's advanced post at Odle- 

 town. 



Finding it impracticable to make his 

 way into Canada, by that route, Hamp- 

 ton returned to Champlain, and took the 

 route to Chateauguay, where he arrived 

 on the y.jtli. Col. Clark was in the mean 

 time detached, and ordered to attack a 

 small British force at St. Armand, on Mis- 

 sisco Bay. He found the enemy drawn 

 up under Major Powel, but wholly unex- 



