Early Military Record of Barre, Vermont

From the account of Charles A. Smith in The Barre Enterprise, the following, whose graves were covered with flowers Decoration day—last month—were

Soldiers of the Revolution:

Major Wm. Bradford, Abel Camp, Gould Camp, Lemuel Clark, in Barre Cemetery; Warren Ellis, Nathan Harrington, Capt. Asaph Sherman, Nath’l Sherman, Adolphus Thurston, in Williston Cemetery

Soldiers in the War of 1812:

David W. Aldrich, Sylvanus Aldrich, John Bancroft, Wm. Bassett, William Bradford, Jr., James Britain, Carver Bates, Simon Briggs, Simon Barber, Joel Bullock, Samuel Cook, Otis French, Bartholomew French, Bart French, Jr., David French, John Gale, Israel Gale, John Hillery, Joel Holden, Reuben Lamb, Robert Parker, William Robinson, Danforth Reed, B. C. Smith, Silas Town, Thomas Town, John Wood, John Willson, Thomas Willson, Ellman Waterman, in Barre Cemetery

Joe Adams, Josiah Allen, Asa Boutwell, Eli Boutwell, Asa Blanchard, Joseph Dodge, Dan Howland, Eli Holden, Davis Harrington, Humphrey Holt, Amos Jones, Robert Morse, James Nichols, Peter Nichols, David Richardson, Baxter Sterling, Joe Sterling, Asaph Sherman, Jonathan Sherman, Benj. Thompson, Joseph Thompson, Marston Watters, in Williston Cemetery

Spanish-American War

Charles A. Bigelow, in Williston Cemetery.

Barre Company for Plattsburgh.

By Stillman Wood.

The Military Company of Volunteers that left Barre for Burlington for the battle of Plattsburgh consisted of 117 men. This number took almost the entire set of young men whose ages were suitable for military duty, with a few old revolutionary soldiers who felt they would like to have a hand in one more battle with the red coats. The farmer left his farm, the mechanic his shop, and the merchant his store to join in the common defense, and beat back an invading foe. When the news came that the British were about to cross the river and enter Plattsburgh, the excitement was intense; to arms, was the universal response. Men gathered immediately from all parts of the town, and formed a company:

Military Roll of Barre Company of Volunteers in the War of 1812

Officers: Warren Ellis, Capt.; Nathan Stone, 1st lieut.; Armin Rockwood, 2d Lieut.; Peter Nichols, Ensign; A. Sherman, M. Sherman, B. French, C. Bancroft, Sergeants. Corporals: Moses Rood, 1st, Samuel Nichols, 3d,. P. Thompson, 4th, Wm. Ripley, 2d. Privates: E. B. Gale, Sam’l Cook, Daniel Parker, John M. Willard, Chs. Robinson, Elijah Robinson, I. L. Robinson, Je’k. Richards, John Farwell, Silas Spear, Otis French, Jona. Markum, Andrew Davey, John Richards, Thomas Mower, Thomas Browning, John Howland, Jona. Sherman, Noah Holt, Oramel Beckley, Horace Beckley, Asa Dodge, Wm. Arbuckle, Saml. Mitchell, Josiah Allen, A. Bagley, James Hale, Enos Town, Jacob Scott, Comfort Smith, Sylvanus Goldsbury, William Goldsbury, Shubael Smith, Amos Jones, Isaiah Little, Asa Blanchard, Henry Smith, Ansel Patterson, B. Ingraham, Aaron Rood, William Bradford, Byron Potter, Danforth Reed, Emery Fuller, Willard Keith, J. Penniman, Nathaniel Batchelder, Isaac Gale, Jesse Morris, Silas Willard, R. R. Keith, Benjamin Burke, Thomas Town, Ira Day, Geo. S. Woodard, Stephen Freeman, Gideon Downing, Stephen Carpenter, Jonathan Smith, Nathan Stephens, A. West, John Bancroft, Amos Holt, M. Brown Dodge, R. W. Ketchum, John Thompson, James Britain, Orson Smith, Wm. Howard, Benjamin Richards, D. W. Averill, C. Bates, Doane Cook, Richard Smith, Josiah Bidwell, Andrew Conant, Nath’l Batchelder, Jr., Calvin Howes, Sherman Watson, Thomas Parker, Peter Johonnott, Calvin Smith, John S. Willard, Joseph Sterling, Ira Ellis, C. Watson, Samuel Lawson, Cyrus Barber, Joseph Glidden, Seth Beckett, John Twing, Parley Batchelder, Josiah Leonard, M. Bussell, Wm. Batchelder, Wm. Bassett, David Sherburn, Isaac Salter, Asa Patridge, S. Rice, Jr., J. Nichols, J. S. Thompson, Nehemiah Boutwell, Lewis Peck, Joel Holden, Wm. Chubb, David Richardson, Guy C. Nichols, Jona. G. Chaplin, John Gale, and Pliny Wheaton.

The company went mostly on foot, and arrived at Burlington on Saturday. The battle of Plattsburg was fought on Sunday, but for lack of transportation, few, if any, of the company had a hand in it, and on the same day there being a naval battle on the lake, in which the British foe were beaten, and retreated to Canada, there being no further necessity for defence, no foe to fight, most of our men came back without crossing the lake. Some, however, went over, and some enlisted in the regular army.

This company of stalwart young men, after returning to their respective homes and occupations, in after life filled many places of honor and trust in town, and many of them acquired military titles by being elected to office in the respective companies to which they severally belonged in the State militia. In those days to gain the title of captain was considered worthy of a laudable ambition, and gave a man notoriety not otherwise easily attained. But that company of strong young men, so far as we can learn, have now all, except one, passed over the silent river to the land of peace beyond. Our neighbor Jonathan Bancroft, who was then 16 years old, went as teamster and carried baggage for the company. He is now 84, and is probably the only man now living who went to Burlington at that time. About one-half of these men have descendants or relatives now living in town, and of the rest, their families have become extinct, or removed to parts far distant from Barre.

War Report,
From Augustus Claflin,
Chairman of the Board of Selectmen in 1875, for that year.

Whole number of three years men enlisted and credited to the town, 125; one year men, 21; nine months men, 38; drafted men held to service, 17; Total, 201. Of the 17 drafted men, 8 furnished substitutes, 8 paid commutation money, and one only entered the service. The number of men who were killed or died, was 33; the number wounded and living, 15; Albert Gobar, a bounty jumper who afterwards returned under the President’s proclamation of pardon, is the only deserter reported. Bounties were paid to: 23 men Co. B. 10th Reg., raised by subscription, $575; to 29 nine months men, $25 each, by subscription, $700; to 10 nine months men, $50 each, $500; to 28 three years men, $300 each, $8,400; to 14 three months men, $200 each, $2,800; to Albert and Alson French, twin brothers, one of whom was drafted, and the other enlisted to be with him, $600; to C. H. Richardson. who re-enlisted, $300; to 19 1 year men, $11,060.00; to 2 men mustered at Windsor, $1,225; to 1 colored recruit, $400; to 9 navy men, $7,200; to Byron Carlton, James Powers, C. Woodward, $1,524.50; to those who went in 2d Reg. Vt. Vols., June, 1861, by subscrip. $55.00; total $35,340.85.

The total expense to the town for select men’s and surgeons’ services for subsistence of recruits and other expenses incidental to raising the quota of troops under different calls, is given at $35,995.24; total public expense $71,336.09. Money was paid by individuals as follows: amount paid by enrolled men who furnished substitutes, $600; amount paid by drafted men who furnished substitutes, $2,600; amount paid by drafted men as commutation, $2,400; total $5,600.

On the page of fame
Does the soldier’s valor bloom
Brighter than the roses
Cast upon his tomb

Civil War and Vermont

  • African-American Vermonters Serving During The Civil War
    Adapted from Fuller, James. Men of Color, To Arms! Vermont African-Americans in the Civil War. Lincoln, NE: iUniversity Press, 2001. Appendix 1. When available, the soldier’s name is linked to further information at www.vermontcivilwar.org.
  • Vermont in the Civil War
    A grassroots project documenting the story of the State’s contributions to the war, and what happened to the participants during and after the war. For the purposes of this project, anyone who was born or died in Vermont, regardless of where they served, and anyone who served in a Vermont unit, regardless of where they were born, we consider a Vermonter. To that end, to date we have documented nearly 38,000 of Vermont’s men and women who participated, on both sides of the war.

Source

Article is based largely on the The Vermont historical gazetteer : a magazine embracing a history of each town, civil, ecclesiastical, biographical and military.
Additions, corrections, changes, and design have been made to the original source to produce this article. Those additions and changes are © 2020 by Vermont Genealogy.

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