This is getting way off the subject line of loyalists versus rebels, but I've had a very hard day and want to correct something before I fall into bed. Otherwise, it's a guarantee I'll forget. I wrote: > During the Revolution, Vermont saw its war as >being on two fronts, with the British as one, and New >York as the other (New Hampshire seeming to be a half- >hearted player). John Robertson replied that New Hampshiremen were heroes at the Battle of Bunker Hill, etc. What I meant to say was that New Hampshire was a half-hearted player in the struggle to gobble up Vermont. I did not mean to say anything at all about New Hampshire's role in the Revolution. I meant to say only that New Hampshire retreated from its bid to absorb Vermont without too much fuss, compared to New York's obstinacy. However, John's reply touches on a mysterious point. Dr. Stephen Powers, according to several books, also served at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Dr. Stephen Powers resided at Woodstock, Windsor Co., Vermont at the time. It has always seemed suspect to me that Dr. Stephen really, actually served at Bunker Hill. How in goodness did he get there? Why? How did he know to go down thataway? Now, John tells me that the New Hampshiremen were there too! Guess whose wounds Dr. Stephen was binding up!!! Privately (I think - I'm on digest mode so things are delayed), Jerry Quick, also a listmember, wrote to me (Putney is in Vermont): > I'm especially interested in Putney. It seems several > young men from Putney enrolled in various Massachusetts > regiments in the weeks following Lexington and Concord. and > Was the Massachusetts Committee of Safety in > communication with Vermont towns along the Connecticut > River? How were these guys recruited into > Massachusetts Regiments rather than New Hampshire > units? Now I've got my Dr. Stephen Powers rushing off to the Battle of Bunker Hill, and Jerry's guys are rushing out to mop up, or something, after Lexington and Concord. And I guess neither of us know how or why. For Vermont, it just doesn't help that it is all but left out of the revolutionary history books!!! How did these things come to pass? There were neither freeways nor telephones then, much less E-mail or web sites. My Vermonters were not closer than the other side of umpteen mountains from the boondocks. Oh yes, about word choice, which has been one recent topic. I almost always refer to our guys as "rebels" rather than Patriots or revolutionaries, because that takes less typing to type and fewer syllables to say. Also this was a Revolution, and the people of revolutions are by definition rebels. Rebels it is. Time for bed. I have to defer replying to the other kind souls who wrote to me today because I am really, really tired. Been a long awful day. Could be another of the same tomorrow. Lester Powers ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.