Chap. 6. 



ADMISSION INTO THE UNION. 



97 



RESULT OF THE ENGAGEMENT. 



VOTE OF THANKS TO THE OFFICERS. 



assault by land. The enemy opened 

 their batteries upon the American works, 

 and at the same time attempted to cross 

 the Saranac, and gain the rear of the 

 Americans. The Americans kept up a 

 destructive fire from their forts, and met 

 the enemy at every point with the most 

 determined bravery. As soon as it was 

 known that tlieir fleet had surrendered, 

 the enemy relinquished all their hopes, 

 and began making arrangements for a re- 

 treat. During the afternoon and night, 

 all the enemy's forces were withdrawn, 

 and they retired with such precipitation, 

 and were so closely pursued by the Amer- 

 icans, that they were obliged to leave be- 

 hind their wounded, and large quantities 

 of provisions, ammunition and military 

 stores. The whole loss of the enemy up- 

 on land, in killed, wounded, prisoners 

 and deserters, exceeded 2,500 men. The 

 aggregate loss of the Americans, did not 

 exceed 150. 



After the l)attle of Plattsburgh, nothing 

 further occurred upon lake Champlain 

 worthy of notice during the war. The 

 legislature of \'ermont assembled as usual 

 in October, and it again appeared that no 

 governor had been elected by the sutfra- 

 ges of the people. The legislature then 

 proceeded to the choice of a governor, 

 and ]\Iartin Chittenden, was elected by a 

 majority of 2'J votes. Much complaint 

 ■having been made because the governor 

 did not order out the militia for the de- 

 fence of Plattsburgh, instead of calling 

 upon them as volunteers, he adverted to 

 that subject in his speech, by saying, 

 that, as no portion of our militia had 

 been detached by the President for the 

 service of the United States, a call upon 

 our patriotic citizens for their voluntary 

 services was, in this case, considered to 

 be the only mode by which efficient and 

 timely aid could be aff(>rded. 



He spoke in the highest terms of the of- 

 ficers and men employed in repelling the 

 enemy and in teaching them the "morti- 

 fying lesson, that tiie soil of freedom will 

 not bear the tread of hostile feet with im- 

 punity ;" and declared their "achieve- 

 ments were not surpassed in the records 

 of naval and military warfare." But 

 while he acknowledged with gratitude, 

 the interposition of Providence for pre- 

 venting the designs of the enemy and 

 saving our borders from the desolations 

 of war, he declared that his opinion of the 

 propriety of the war remained unaltered — 

 that he "conscientiously disapproved of 

 it as unnecessary, unwise and hopeless 

 in all its off^ensive operations." To this 

 speech the house returned a dignified and 

 respectful answer, reciprocating the sen- 



timents of his excellency with regard to 

 the transactions at Plattsburgh, and pledg- 

 ing to him their cordial co-operation in 

 measures calculated to promote the pub- 

 lic good.* 



When this answer was reported to the 

 assembly, attempts were made by some 

 of the leading members of the republican 

 party to substitute another, containing re- 

 flections discreditable to the governor 

 and the party in power,! and when these 

 failed they entered a solemn protest 

 against the sentiments contained in it, up- 

 on the journals of the assembly. t 



The correspondence between governor 

 Chittenden, James Monroe, secretary of 

 state of the United States, and Generals 

 Macomb, Strong and Newell, in relation 

 to the Vermont militia and the transac- 

 tions at Plattsburgh were laid before the 

 assembly and published in the journals. § 



At this session a resolution was adopt- 

 ed expressing the thanks of the legislature 

 to General Macomb and his companions 

 in arms — to General Strong and the pat- 

 riotic volunteers from Vermont under his 

 command, and to Commodore Macdon- 

 ough and the officers and crew of his 

 squadron, in testimony of their high 

 sense of their bravery and good conduct 

 on the memorable 11th of September, 

 1814, by which the enemy were repulsed 

 by land, and their squadron captured upon 

 the lake. In further consideration of 

 his services, the legislature passed an act 

 granting to Commodore Macdonough a 

 farm belonging to Vermont, and lying up- 

 on Cumberland head, and in full view of 

 the late naval engagement in which he 

 had acquired so much honor. A commu- 

 nication was received during this session 

 from the legislature of Massachusetts in- 

 viting Vermont to appoint delegates to 

 meet delegates from the other New Eng- 

 land States at Hartford, Connecticut, to 

 take into consideration the state of the 

 Union. But by a vote of the assembly 

 this invitation was unauimouslj* declined. 



From this period the violence of part)' 

 spirit in Vermont began rapidly to abate. 

 The invasion of our territory by the fleets 

 of the enemy had united the feelings of 

 parties in the common defence, and many, 

 who were at first opposed to the war, were 

 now convinced that the good of their 

 country demanded the united eff'orts of 

 all our citizens in prosecuting it to an 

 honorable and successful termination. 

 On the 24th of December, 1814, a treaty 

 of peace was signed at Ghent betv/een 

 Great Britain and America b}' their res- 



* Journals for 1814, p. 44. 



fJournalsforlSMjp. 108. ;ib. p. 172. $tb. p. 85. 



Pt. ii. 



13 



