Tuesday, January 15, 2013
A Green Mountain Boy's Practical Joke
The Governor of New York had threatened to drive the military (his opposers) into the Green Mountains, from which circumstance they took the name of Green Mountain Boys. In consequence hereof the Convention passed a resolution that no officer from New York be allowed to carry out of the district of New Hampshire Grants, any person, without permission of the Committees of Safety ; or of the military Commanders. Surveyors of land under New York were forbid to run any lines within the Grants ; transgressors in this point were to be punished according to the judgment of a Court formed from among the elders of the people, or military commanders.
Their punishment sometimes consisted in whipping severely with beech twigs, and banishment, not to return on pain of suffering the resentment of the Green Mountain Boys. Mr. Hugh Monroe, an old offender, was taken, tried and ordered to be whipped on his naked back ; he was tied to a tree and flogged till he fainted ; on recovering he was whipped again until he fainted ; he recovered and underwent a third lashing until he fainted; his wounds were then dressed, and he was banished the district of the New Hampshire Grants.
These severities were used to deter people from endangering their lives, and to prevent aid being given to the land claimants of New York ; they proved to answer the purpose, and the Green Mountain Boys soon became the terror of their adversaries. When the Sheriffs officers came to collect debts they were used with civility, and the cause of the people was explained ; in this way the strength of the enemy was weakened, and the cause of the settlers gained strength and credit.
So we declared independence on this date in 1777. Not from Great Britain, but from New York and New Hampshire. Thus the Republic of New Connecticut (later that year changing our name to the Republic of Vermont) was born:
Come York or come Hampshire, come traitors or knaves,
If ye rule o'er our land ye shall rule o'er our graves;
Our vow is recorded–our banner unfurled,
In the name of Vermont we defy all the world!
Such flinty independent land grabbers, we...
January 15, 2013 | Permalink
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Green Mountains... Vermont... ah! NOW I get it!
Posted by: Steve Bates | Jan 16, 2013 1:27:19 PM