E 5^.575] Class ^Ql4J— Rook .5 g F^ T 5 ?^ (-.AT-iAn^r-N/^A A/ir^KTTTK/iP"Kl' HISTORY idTdhgd cfflanument ^ssacuitiatL PREPARED BY WILLIAM L. STONE, Secretary of the Association. ALBANY: JOEL MUNSELL. 18 Y9. By tranafto JAN 15 \m OFFICERS SARATOGA MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. President, HORATIO SEYMOUR, Utica, N. Y. Vice-Presidents, JAMES M. MARVIN, Saratoga Springs, N. Y. JOHN WATTS DePEYSTER, New York city. Secretary, WILLIAM L. STONE, New York city. Corresponding Secretary, ED. W. B. CANNING, Stockbridge, Mass. Treasurer, DANIEL A. BULLARD, Schuylerville, N. Y. STANDING COMMITTEES. Committee on Design, William L. Stone, Charles H. Payx, John H. Starin, Edward F. Bullard, Algernon S. Sullivan, William J. Bacon, E. W, B. Canning. Comynittee on Location, Stephen D. Kirk, Joel Munsbll, Horatio Rogers. Building Coinmittee, Charles H. Payn, P. C. Ford, William L. Stone. Executive Com,mittee, James H. Kelly, J. M. Marvin, Daniel A. Bullard, David F. Ritchie. Advisory Committee, Edward F. Bullard, Saratoga Springs; P. C. P^'ord, Schuyler- ville, N. Y.; William J. Bacon, Utica, N. Y.; B. W. Throckmorton, New York city; Algernon S. Sullivan, New York city. Officers. TRUSTEES. HoKATio Seymour, William J. Bacon, Utica, N. Y, James M. Marvin, Charles H. Payn, Edward F. Bullard, David F. Ritchie, Saratoga Springs, N. Y. William L. Stone, John Watts De Peyster, Algernon S. Sullivan, B. W. Throckmorton, New York city. Daxiel a. Bullard, P. C. Ford, H. Clay Homes, Schuyler- ville, N. Y. Leroy Mowry, Greenwich, N. Y. Asa C. Tefft, Fort Miller, N. Y. Charles W. Mayhew, Victory Mills, N. Y. E. R. MuDGE, Boston, Mass. Ed. W. B. Canning, Stockbridge, Mass. Webster Wagner, Palatine Bridge, N. Y, James H. Kelly, Rochester, N. Y. Giles B. Slocum, Trenton, Mich. Benson J. Lossing, Dover Plains, N. Y. Joel Munsell, John M. Read, Lemon Thomson, Albany, N. Y. Stephen D. Kirk, Charleston, S. C. Horatio Rogers, Providence, R. I. HISTORY SARATOGA MONUMENT ASSOCIATION, The battles of Bemis Heights and of Saratoga (Stillwater'), and the surrender of Lieutenant-General John Burgoyne, on the 17th of October, 1777, formed a niche in the Temple of Liberty which Patriotism will one day fill with an appropriate monu- ment. Actuated by this sentiment, on the 17th of October, 1856, John A. Corey, George Strover, and other patriotic gentle- men, met at the old Schuyler mansion in Schuylerville, N. Y., and discussed the preliminary steps to be taken in the matter. On this occasion, Alfred B. Street delivered a poem ; a banquet was given, and a celebration on a small scale held.- The result of this meeting was the organization, in 1859, by Hamil- ton Fish, Horatio Seymour, John A. Corey, Peter Gansevoort, and others, of the Saratoga Mon^ument Association, under a perpetual charter from the state of New York, whose object was the erection of a fitting memorial on the site of Bur- goyne's surrender. The original board consisted of fourteen permanent trustees or directors, as follows : George Strover, William Wilcox and Henry Holmes, of old Saratoga ; James M. Marvin, John A. ' The actions of the 19th of September and the 7th of October, though fought substantially upon the same ground, and a mile from Bemis Heights, in the town of Stillwater, have always been known respectively as the battles of " Bemis Heights" and of " Saratoga," or " Stillwater." "On the same day, a meeting of the soldiers of the war of 1812, was held, to consult about their pensions and celebrate the surrender of Bur- goyne. 6 History of the Corey, and Jas. M. Cook, of Saratoga Springs; Leroy Mowry and Asa C. Tefft, of the county of Washington; Peter Gansevooit, of Albany; Hamilton Fish, of New York; Phillip Schuyler, of Westchester; George W. Blecker, of Brooklyn, and Horatio Seymour, of Utica. Upon the death of Mr. Blecker in 1860, Benson J. Lossing, of Poughkeepsie, was chosen to fill the vacant place. Soon after the Association was incorporated, the following organization was perfected : Trustees and Officers. Hamilton Fish, New York city, president; Phillip Schuyler, Pelham P. O., N. Y., vice-president; James M. Marvin, Sara- toga Springs, N. Y., treasurer; John Romeyn Brodhead, New York city, corresponding secretary; John A. Corey, Saratoga Springs, secretary; Horatio Seymour, Utica, N. Y. ; Benson J, Lossing, New York city; Peter Gansevoort, Albany, N. Y. ; James M. Cook, Ballston Spa, N. Y.; Edward C. Delavan, Ballston Centre, N. Y. ; William Wilcox, Schuylerville ; Henry Holmes, Corinth, N. Y.; Asa C. Tefft, Fort Miller, N. Y.; Leroy Mowry, Greenwich, N. Y. The trustees held several meetings, and selected the spot upon which to erect the monument. But the breaking out of the civil war in 1861 cast such a gloom over the whole country, and taxed the patriotic energies of the people to such an extent, that the movement to build the monument was suspended up to the year 1872, during which time several of the original trustees had died. In the early autumn of that year, however, Mr. Corey, one of the most efficient of the trustees, took the matter up and pushed it earnestly. The first section of the act of the Legislature of the State of New York, passed April 19, 1859, chap. 498, laws of 1859, read as follows: Sec. I. George Strover, William Wilcox, and their associ- ates shall be a body corporate and politic, by the name and style of the Saratoga Monument Association, for the purpose of taking and holding sufficient real and personal property to erect, on such spot in the town of Saratoga, and as near the Saratoga Monument Association. 7 place where Burgoyne surrendered the British army, as a majority of the trustees hereinafter named shall deem practica- ble, a monument commemorative of the battle which ended in Burgoyne's surrender, on the seventeenth day of October, seventeen hundred and seventy-seven. Section four of this act named the first board of trustees; but, owing to the exertions of Mr. Corey, it was amended by the Legislature April 30, 1873, as follows: Sec. IV. The first board of trustees shall consist of Hamilton Fish and William L. Stone, of the city of New York; Horatio Seymour, of Utica; Benson J. Lossing, of Poughkeepsie ; Asa C. Tefft, of the town of Fort Edward; Leroy Mowry, of the town of Greenwich ; James M. Marvin and John A. Corey, of Saratoga Springs, and Charles H. Payn, of " Saratoga." Dr. Charles H. Payne and others (Mr. Corey having died), now went vigorously to work; and in the spring of 1874, the Legislature, owing in a large measure to the exertions of Hoi-atio Seymour and George S. Batcheller, seconded by Smith Weed and Bradford L. Prince, voted an appropriation toward the erection of the monument in the following form (laws of 18Y4, chap. 323, page 387): " Whenever it shall be made satisfactorily to appear to the comptroller of the state, that the Saratoga Monument Associa- tion has fixed and determined upon a plan for a monument, to be erected at Schuylerville, Saratoga county, in commemora- tion of the battle of Saratoga, and tliat it will not cost to exceed five hundred thousand, nor less thau two hundred thous- and dollars, to erect and complete such monument upon such plan, and that the Association has received and paid over to the treasurer from private subscriptions and donations, made by the United States or state governments of states, at least a suflicient sum, with the amount hereby specified, to complete said monument upon such plans, tlien the state of New York will pay and contribute by ai)propriation of the public moneys, the sum of fifty thousand dollars to aid in the construction of such monument, and the faith of the state is hereby pledged to such purpose upon such conditions. The plans and estimates 8 History OF the of the cost of said monument aforesaid, shall be submitted to and be approved by the governor and comptroller of this state, and the comptroller of this state is hereby made the treasurer of said Monument Association. The plan so fixed and adopted as aforesaid, shall not thereafter be changed with- out the consent of the governor and comptroller, nor so as to increase the cost of said monument." At the same time, the secretary of the Association foi'warded petitions to the Legislatures of the original thirteen states ask- ing for |5,000 from each ; but, with the exception of Rhode Island, which promised that sum conditionally, no favorable response was obtained. The following memorial to Congress was also drawn up by the " Committee on Design: " MEMORIAL. To the Honorable, the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States : Ninety-six years ago to day — the 17tli of October, 1777 — Burgoyne sur- rendered on the plains of Saratoga, and with that event closed the most important chapter of the American Revolution. The elaborate preparation and sending forth of the finest army that ever left the shores of England ; the arrogant proclamations that heralded its approach ; the successful advance ; the terror inspired by its savage allies ; the early consternation and discomfiture of the colonists ; the subsequent rally of desperation ; the indecisive conflict of September 17th ; the dis- astrous defeat of the Briton October 7th, all culminated at Schuylerville in the capitulation of his entire army and the hosannas of the nation on its glorious deliverance. This event secured for us the French alliance, and lifted the cloud of moral and financial gloom that had settled upon the hearts of the people, dampening the hopes of the leaders of the Revo- lution, and wringing despairing words even from the hopeful Washing- ton. From that auspicious day, belief in the ultimate triumph of American liberty never abandoned the nation tiil it was realized and sealed, four years later, almost to a day, in the final surrender at Yorktown. Almost a century has elapsed since that illustrious event. All the actors in the great drama have passed away, and their descendants are now shar- ing xA the rewards of their devotion and suffering. And yet no monument Saratoga Mokument Association. 9 has risen to commemorate that turning point of our national destiny. Lexington and Bunker Hill have their imposing memorials to tell of the earliest bloodshed in the cause of Cisatlantic freedom, and, in our own day, the self consecration of Antietam and Gettysburg are made enduring in granite records for the admiration of generations yet to be. The purpose is noble, the tribute deserved ; for every such memorial stands as an edu- cator to gratitude and patriotism. And here your petitioners base a claim for a like memento upon the field of Burgoyne's surrender. Actuated by these sentiments, in 1859 Hamilton Fish, Horatio Seymour, John A. Corey, and other patriotic gentlemen organized the Saratoga Monument Association under a perpetual charter from the state of New York, whose object was the erection of a fitting memorial on the site of Burgoyne's surrender. Toward this considerable progress had been made, when the outbreak of the war of the rebellion and the decease of several of the original trustees checked all further j^roceedings. Recently, how- ever, the project has been revived, and the Legislature of New York at its last session granted an amended charter. At the present time the several committees of the organization are work- ing diligently and harmoniously ; a plan for the monument by a com- petent architect has been submitted and approved, and funds alone are wanting to execute the design. It is proposed to make the structure worthy of the pride of the nation. It will be generally of the obelisk form, eighty feet square at the base, and ten feet at the summit, and two hundred and thirty feet in height ; accessible to its top ; containing con- veniences for the erection of commemorative and historical tablets, the exhibition of relics from the battle-fields, including (it is hoped) some of the captured cannon, and niches for bronzes representing some of the prominent actors in the great event. The plan contemplates an outlay, for the monument proper and bronzes of $300,000. The committee earnestly request of your honored body the appropriation of the sum of two hundred thousand dollars so as to enable them to accomplish this patriotic enterprise to the credit of the American people. In view of the near approach of the centennial of our national independ- ence, it is exceedingly desirable that what is done in referrence to this structure should be done speedily that its dedication may be added to the anticipated renown of that commemorative year. All of which is respectfully submitted. William L. Stone, Chakles H. Payn, E. W. B. Canning, James M Marvin, LeROY MoViTRY, New York City, October 17, 1873. Committee on Design. 2 10 History of the This memorial was forwarded to the member of Congress from the Saratoga district; but thinking the time was not auspicious, the latter did not present it. In the early sirring of the centennial year (1877), the above mentioned appropriation of $50,000 by the Legislature, having lapsed by law — more than two years having passed since it was given — a petition to the Legislature of New York to grant such aid as would ensure the laying of the corner stone of the proposed monument on the approaching centennial anni- versary of the surrender, was prepared and signed by members of the Monument Association, and by a large number of the most prominent men in Saratoga and Washington counties. This petition read as follows: " To the Honorable Senate and Assembly of the State of New York : " Your memorialists, members of the Saratoga Monument Association, respectfully represent that in their humble opinion, considerations of high patriotic duty should prompt the people of this state to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the great victory of the American arms at Sara- toga, by ceremonies appropriate to thfe august occasion, and paramount to all other services, they think should be the laying of the corner stone of the contemplated monument as a testimonial of their appreciation of those great events to succeeding generations. " Your predecessors, three years since, appropriated $50,000 for this pur- pose, conditional, however, on the additions by private subscription of $100,000 more. This, from the financial derangement of the country, more, as is hoped, than from apathy toward the object, your petitioners have been unable to obtain, but unwilling that this centennial year should elapse without a proper recognition, by the people of the state, of the supreme importance of the Saratoga campaign, on the establishment of American independence, they would earnestly entreat that your honorable body would favor the purpose of the Monument Association, by the appro- priation of such funds as shall be requisite to enable your petitioners to carry out the contemplated memorial." As it was impossible to circulate a petition throughout the state, D. S. Pottei-, Esq., on behalf of the local committee of Schuylerville, to aid the purpose of the Monument Association, addressed letters to a large number of influential men in various Saratoga Monument Association. 11 parts of the state, to obtain their views on the subject, and if meeting their approval, to secure their cooperation in this patriotic movement. The answers to these letters showed that there was an earnest desire throughout the state tliat the patriotic duty of erecting a -Qtting memorial to mark the sur- render of Burgoyne should no longer be delayed. By way of seconding this petition, one of the vice-presidents of the Saratoga Monument Association, Hon. J. V. L. Pruyn, and its secretary, appeared before the committee of ways and means, and asked for an appropriation sufficient at least to con- struct the foundation of an appropriate monument and to fit- tingly celebrate the laying of its corner stone. This committee generously responded; acting upon their recommendation, the Legislature voted 110,000 for this object. Governor Robinson, however, whose veto power has been exercised solely according to his own will — whether eccentrically or not, his motives are not impugned — vetoed the bill. All that was left the Associa- tion, therefore, was to issue an appeal to the patriotic people throughout the state, asking for aid. This appeal, considering the times, met with a comparatively generous response in money and material, by which the Association were enabled to lay the foundation of the moimment and the corner-stone, together with one fourth of the plinth, or base. Since the passage of the act of 18V4, Mr. Corey and Chan- cellor Pruyn have died, and several other gentlemen of well known standing have been elected trustees. The trustees of the Association, therefore, at the present time (1878) are as follows : Horatio Seymour, William J. Bacon, Utica, N. Y. ; James M. Marvin, Charles H. Payn, Edward F. Bullard, David F. Ritchie, Saratoga Springs, N. Y.; William L. Stone, Gen, J. Watts De Peyster, Algernon S. Sullivan, B. W. Throckmorton, New York city ; Daniel A. Bullard, P. C. Ford, H. Clay Homes, Charles W.-Mayhew, Schuylerville, N. Y, ; Leroy Mowry, Greenwich, N. Y. ; Asa C. Tefl:t, Fort Miller, N. Y. ; E. R. Mudge, Boston, Mass. ; E. W. B. Canning, Stockbridge, Mass.; Fi-ank Pruyn, Mechanicsville, N. Y. ; Webster Wagner, Palatine Bridge, N. Y. ; James H. Kelly, Rochester, N. Y. ; 12 History of the Giles B. Slocum, Trenton, Mich. ; Benson J. Lossing, Dover Plains, N. Y. ; Gen. John M. Read, Joel Munsell, Lemon Thomson, Albany, N. Y.; Gen. Stephen D. Kirk, Charleston, S. C. ; Horatio Rogers, Providence, R. I. At the annual meeting of the Association, held in the par- lors of the United States Hotel, at Saratoga Springs, N. Y., on the 1st of August, 1877, it was resolved to invite the Grand Lodge of the state of New York to lay the corner stone of the monument, at the ai)proaching centennial of Burgoyne's sur- render, on the 17th of the following October. The following correspondence then followed : New York City, September 7, 1877. J. J. Couch, G. M. State of JVeio York : My Dear Sir : 'I'he citizens of Schuylerville, N. Y., have requested the Saratoga Monument Association to invite the Grand Master and Grand Lodge of the state of New York, to lay the corner stone of the Saratoga Monument, to commemorate the surrender of General Burgoyne, on the 17th of October next. I need not say, sir, in being the instrument of conveying this invitation, hovF much pleasure it would give the Saratoga Monument Association to have this invitation accepted ; and if you could make it convenient, your- * self, to attend and perform this august ceremony, it would, doubtless, gratify not only the masons in the immediate vicinity, but the fraternity throughout the United States. Washington, who, through Schuyler, planned the campaign which won the battle of Saratoga, was a Mason ; and, therefore, aside from the respect which we pay to living Masons, we pay — and you, sir, pay in this also — homage to the memory of one of its greatest and most revered members. No expense, permit me to add, will be suffered to be incurred by the Grand Lodge while our guests. Hoping for a favorable reply, I remain respectfully yours, William L. Stone, Sec'y Saratoga Monument Association. New York, September 14, 1877. Wm. L. Stone, Esq., Secretary of the Saratoga Monument Association: My Dear Sir : I have received your letter of invitation, conveying the wish of the good people of Schuylerville and your associates, that the cor- Sakatoga Monument Association. 13 ner stone of the " Saratogra Monument " should be laid by the Grand Mas- ter of Masons in the state of New York ; and, that this service should be performed on the 17lh of October, prox., in connection with the celebration of the centennial of Burpjoyne's surrender. Your cordial invitation is cheerfully accepted ; and, in company with the officers of the Grand Lodge of New York, I will attend at the appointed time and place, prepared to perform the ceremony of laying the corner- stone, in "ample form," according to the time-honored usages of our fra- ternity. Right Worshipful John C. Boak, Grand Marshal, will take charge of the preliminary arrangements on the part ol' the Grand Lodge. Address No. 8, Fourth Avenue, New York city. Very respectfully yours, J. J. Couch, Orand Master. Accordingly, a procession, two miles in length, and forming the most splendid civic, masonic and military pageant ever witnessed in northern New York, marched to the site of the monument, where, in the presence of. forty thousand people, the corner stone was laid by the Grand Master in "due and ancient form," the latter delivering on the occasion an unusually impressive address. Upon the conclusion of the Grand Mas- ter's address, the Grand Secretary read a list of the articles deposited within tlie corner stone. These are the following: List of Articles Deposited Within the Corner Stone op the Saratoga Monument, Oct. 17, 1877. A history of the Saratoga Monument Association by its secretary, Wm. L. Stone. A copy of the Bible, translated out of the original, presented by the Sar- atoga County Bible Society. Burgoyne's Campaign and St. Leger's Expedition by Wm. L. Stone. Mrs. Ellen Hardin Walworth's Visitors' Guide : Saratoga, the Battle and Battle-Grounds. A copy of Mrs. Willard's History, and an American flag, presented by R. N. Atwell. Gen. Schuyler anct Burgoyne's Campaign of 1777, being the annual address delivered by Gen. J. Watts DePeyster, before the New York His- torical Society of New York city. Saratoga County, an historical address by George G. Scott, and a Cen- tennial address by J. L. L'Amoreaux. Saratoga and Kay-ad-ros-se-ra, a centennial address by N. B. Sylvester. ^ 14 History of the The Burgoyne Campaign ; an address delivered on the battle-field on the one hundredth anniversary of the battle of Bemis Heights, Sept. 19tli, 1877, by John Austin Stevens. History of Saratoga and the Burgoyne Campaign of 1777 ; an address by Gen. Edward F. Bullard. An address to the American people in behalf of a monument, to be erected in commemoration of the American army at Saratoga, under Gens. Schuyler, Gates, Arnold and Morgan, Oct. 17tii, 1777, by J. V. Markham. Leading industrial pursuits of Glen's Falls, Sandy Hill and Fort Edward, by J. S. Buckley. A silver half dollar coin of George III, dated 1777, and one of the United States, dated 1877, deposited by Alanson Welch, president of the village of Schuylerville. Memorial of the opening of the New York and Canada railway, pre- sented by Edward F. Bullard. Song, commemorative of the surrender of Burgoyne, arranged by Col. B. C. Butler, of Luzerne, N. Y. Annual Report of the canal commissioners of the state of New York. Records of Schuyler Lodge, .No. 176, F. and A. M., and Home Chapter, No. 176. R. A. M. A photograph of the monument from the architect's drawing. The cards of John and Samuel Mathews, and E. F. Simmons, the opera- tive masons who built the foundation, base and corner stone of the monu- ment. The architects' statement of the progress of the work of building the foundation, base and corner stone. Daniel A. Bullard in charge. Prospectus of the Bennington Battle Monument Association ; a forth- coming volume on the Bennington centennial of the week of the 16th of August, 1877. A pamphlet containing a statement of the Bennington Historical Society, and an account of the battle of Bennington, by ex-Gov. Hiland Hall, published in March, 1877. The Standard (daily), Schuylerville ; The Saratoga County Stand- ard (weekly), Schuylerville ; daily Saratogian, Saratoga Sun ; Troy Daily Press, Daily Press, Daily Whig, Northern Budget, Observer, Sunday Trojan, Troy, N. Y.; Argus, Press, Express, Journal, Times, Post, Albany, N. Y.; Herald, Times, Tribune, Sun, World, Express, New York city. « Saratoga Monument Association. 15 The exercises which followed the laying of the comer stone, were of a high order of literary excellence, and fully in keep- ing with the august celebration which they were intended to commemorate. They were conducted in the following order: First Gea>-d Sta>'d. Music, DoEnfo's Ba>t). Prayer, Rev. Rufus W. Clabk, D.D., of Albany, Chaplain. Music, Introductory address by the President of the Day, Hex, Chart.f.s S. Lesteb. Music. Oration by Ex-Govebxob Hobatio Setmoub, Oration by Geoege William Cuetis. Music. Poem, by Alfeed B. Steeet, Read by Col. E. P. Howe, Music, Address by Hex. Lafayette S, Fostee. Seco>'u Geaxd Staxd. Music, Colt's AfiaiT Baxd, Hartford, Conn. Prayer, Rev. F. E. Kixg, of Fort Edward, X, Y., Chaplain, Music. Introductory address, Hon. Geo. W. Schuyler (in the absence of Gex, Edward F. BullabdJ, President of the Day. Music. Historical address by William L. Stoxe. Address by Hox. B. W. Thkockmobtox, of Xew .Jersey, Subject, Arnold, 16 History of the Music. Fitz Green Halleck's Field of the Grounded Arms, read by Halleck's Biographer, Gen. James Grant Wilson. Addresses by Hon. A. A. Yates and H. L. Gladding. Ode by Gen. J. Watts DePeystee, Read by Rev. J. K. Van Doben. The Star Spangled Banner, arranged for the anniversary of Burgoyne's SiuTender by Col. B. C. Butler, Read by William L. Stone. Letters from Benson J.- Lossing, Mrs. Ellen H. Walworth, Giles B. Slocum, and Gen. Stephen D. Kirk, of Charles- ton, S. C, Read by Col. D. F. Ritchie. Short addresses by Hon. Algernon S. Sullivan and E. L. FUKSMAN. GRAND BANQUET. Brilliant Military spectacle representing the surrender of Bur- goyne's army. It is now proposed, whenever sufficient funds are raised, to make the structure (designed by J. C. Markham of New York city) of granite and of the obelisk form. The concrete founda- tion, forty feet square and eight feet deep, as well as a quarter of the granite plinth or base (covering the entire foundation), four and a half feet high, and the corner stone ten feet square and two feet high, are already completed. Upon this base the main shaft of the monument is to be twenty feet square, exclusive of buttresses, which project three feet on each side. The height is to be 150 feet. The interior, at the base, will be a room twelve feet square, floored with encaustic tile of original and historic design. The side walls are to be covered with historic tablets and bas-reliefs. The stairs ascending to the several floors are to be of bronze ; the doors, also, are to be of bronze, Saratoga Monument Association. 17 the panels to be filled with original historical subjects, de- signed by such eminent artists as Launt Thompson, E. D. Palmer, J. Q. Ward, and J. C. Taylor. On the four corners of the platform are to be mounted four of the large and ornamental bronze cannons taken from the English at the time of the sur- render. Of the large niches in the four gables, three are to be filled with appropriate groups of sculpture in bronze represent- ing the three generals, Schuyler, Gates and Morgan, with their accessories, the fourth being vacant, with the word Arnold in- scribed underneath. The Association have obtained by purchase two acres of land near the entrance to Prospect Hill Cemetery, on which the foundation for the proposed monument has been built. The spot is directly west of the mouth of Fish creek on the high ground overlooking the alluvial meadow where the British laid down their arms. It is as near as can conveniently be placed to where the head quarters of Gates were situated, which witnessed the formal unfurling, for the first time, of the stars and sti'ipes.^ We close this sketch by the following letter from the archi- tect of the Association, which will show the progress that has been made up to the present time of writing, Dec. 1st, 1878. Architect's Statement. To the Building Committee of the Saratoga Monum.ent Association : Gentlemen : The foundation of the monument is built. It is of concrete, forty feet square and eight feet deep. One-quarter ' It is true, that a flag, intended for tbe stars and stripes and made out of a wliite shirt and some bits of red cloth from the petticoat of a soldier's wife, first floated on captured standards on the ramparts of Port Stanwix, (Aug.) 5th, 1777, but the stars and stripes as we now see them — except as to the number of the stars — was first unfurled to grace the surrender at Saratoga. See Gen. J. Watts DePeyster's Justice to Schuyler. The Fort Stanwix flag is now in the possession of Mrs. Abraham Lansing of Albany, N. Y. It is worthy of note that while the ground was being broken, the archi- tect picked up two bullets within a foot of each other, and the workmen while making the excavations, dug up two cannon balls. 3 18 History of Saratoga Monument Association. of the granite plinth, or base, is also built. Daniel A. BuUard, of the executive committee, has been an efficient auxiliary in soliciting aid, purchasing material and employing labor to carry to successful completion the work required preparatory to laying the corner stone. Much of the labor and material has been donated by the inhabitants of the vicinity. The granite corner stone itself was presented to the Association by Booth Brothers, of New York, at a cost of $300. It is of Cape Ann granite. They also furnished, under contract, the granite used in building the quarter of the plinth. The blue stone was given by Mouta, of Sandy Hill. Tlie master mason employed was John Matthews. The detail drawings for the granite were made by William T. Markhara, in New York, the stone being cut partly in that city and partly at the quarry; shipped to New York, and there transferred to a^canal boat, taken to Schuylerville, and set without fitting or cutting. The work has progressed rapidly and without accident, and, to-day the corner stone is to be laid by the Ancient and Honorable Order of Free and Accepted Masons; the Grand Lodge of the state of New Yoi'k performing the ceremony. I herewith i'lclose a photograi)h, taken by Sipporly, of Schuylerville, which will give u definite idea of the present appearance of the work, with the cannon (a 24-pounder, taken from the British in 1813), presented by General J. Watts De Peyster, mounted on one of the four corners. The other three corners of the monument, when completed, as you are aware, are to be occupied by bronze cannon, taken at the surrender. Respectfully, J. C. Markham, Architect. Schuylerville, N. Y., Oct. 17, 1877. >Sii^S^ ENGRAVING TAKEN PROM THE PHOTOGRAPH REFERRED TO IN THE architect's LETTER, SHOWING THE PRESENT APPEARANCE OF THE MONUMENT, WITH THE CANNON PRESENTED BY GEN. DE PEY8TKR, DRESS HON. HORATIO SEYMOUR. One hundred years ago, on this spot, American Independence was made a great fact in the history of nations. Until the sur- render of the British army under Burgoyne, the DecLaration of Independence was but a declaration. It was a patriotic purpose asserted in bold words by brave men, who pledged for its main- tenance their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. But here it was made a fact, by virtue of armed foi'ce. It had been regarded by the world merely as an act of defiance, but it was now seen that it contained the germs of a government, which the event we celebrate made one of the powers of the earth. Here rebellion was made revolution. Upon this ground, that which had in the eye of the law been treason, became triumphant patriotism. At the break of day one hundred years ago, in the judgment of the world, our fathers were rebels against established autho- rity. When the echoes of the evening gun died away along this valley, they were patriots who had rescued their country from wrong and outrage. Until the surrender of the British army in this valley, no nation would recognize the agents of the continental congress. All intercourse with them was in stealthy ways. But they were met with open congratulations when the monarchs of Europe learned that the royal standards of Britain had been lowered to our flag. We had passed through the bap- tism of blood, and had gained a name among the nations of the earth. The value of this surrender was increased by the boastful and 2 4 Address of Hon. Horatio Seymour. dramatic display which had been made of British power. It had arrayed its disciplined armies ; it had sent its fleets ; it had called forth its savage allies, all of which were to move npon grand converging lines, not only to crnsh out the patriotic forces, but to impress Europe with its strength, and to check any alliances with the American government. It made them witnesses of its defeat when it thought to make them the judges of its triumph. The monarchs of Europe who watched the progress of tlie doubtful struggle, who were uncertain if it was more than a popular disturbance, now saw the action in its full proportions, and felt that a new power had sprung into exist- ence — a new element had entered into the diplomacy of the world. The interests excited in our minds by this occasion, are not limited to a battle fought, or an army captur-ed ; they reach even beyond the fact that it was a turning point of the revolu- tionary struggle. We are led to a consideration of a chain of events and of enduring aspects of nature, which have shaped our civilization in the past, and which now and throughout the future, will influence the fortunes of our country. Burgoyne did not merely surrender here an army, he surrendered the con- trol of a continent. Never in the world's history, was there a transfer of a territory so vast, and of influences so far reaching, as that made a century ago whm-e we now stand. We meet to-day to celebrate the surrender of Burgoyne, by appropriate ceremonies, and to lay the corner stone of a monu- ment which will commemorate not only that event, but every fact which led to that result. The reproach rests upon the United States, that while they stand in the front ranks of the powers of the earth, by virtue of their numbers, their vast do- mains and their progress in wealth and in arts, they give no proof to the eyes of the world that they honor their fathers or those whose sacrifices laid the foundations of their prosperity and greatness. We hope that a suitable structure here will tell all who look upon it that this was the scene of an occurrence un- surpassed in importance in military annals. And it will also show that a hundred years have not dimmed its lustre in our Address of Hon. Horatio Seymour. 5 eyes, but that the light shed upon its significance by the lapse of time, has made deeper and stronger our gratitude to those who here served theii- country so well, and by their sacrifices and sufferings, achieved its independence and secured the liberties, the prosperity and greatness of the American people. All that throws light upon the scope and i^olicy of the de- signs of the British government are, on this day, proper topics for consideration. When we trace out the relationships which these designs bore to preceding occurrences ; and when we fol- low down their bearing upon the present and future of our country, we shall see that a suitable monument here will recall to all thoughtful minds the varied history of our country during tlie past two centuries. It will do more. For the enduring causes which have shaped the past, also throw light upon the future of our government, our civilization and our power. The occurrences which led to the surrender of the British army, have been appropriately celebrated. The great gather- ings of our people at Oriskany, at Bennington and at Bemis's Heights, show how this centennial of what has been well termed the year of battles, revives in the minds of the American peo- ple an interest in the history of the Revolution. These celebra- tions have tended to make our people wiser and better. It is to be hoped that they will be held on every battle field in our country. They will not only restore the patriotism of our people but they will teach us the virtues of courage and patient endur- ance. This is a time of financial distress and of business dis- order, and we have lost somewhat of our faith with regard to the future, and we speak in complaining tones of the evils of our day. But when we read again the history of the war for our independence ; when we hear the story of the sufferings of all classes of our citizens ; when we are reminded that our sol- diers endured from want, and nakedness, and hunger, as no pauper, no criminal suffers now ; when we think that the fears which agitated their minds were not those which merely con- cerned the pride of success, the mortification of failure, or the loss of some accustomed comfort, but they were the dread that the march of hostile ai-mies might drive their families from their homes, might apply the torch to their dwellings, or worse 6 Address of Hon. Horatio Seymour. than this, expose their wives and children to the tomahawks and scalping knives of merciless savages, we blush at oiir com- plaints. In view of their dangers and sufferings, how light appear the evils of our day. But there is something more than all this to be gained by these celebrations. Before the Revolution the people of the several colonies held but little intercourse. They were estranged from each other by distance, by sectional prejudices, and by differences of lineage and religious creeds. The British go- vernment relied upon these prejudices and estrangements to prevent a cordial co(3peration among the colonists. But when the war began, when the men of Virginia hastened to Massa- chusetts to rescue Boston from the hands of the enemy and to drive th&m from New England ; when the men of the east and south battled side by side with those from the middle states, apd stood upon this spot as brothers to receive with a common pride and joy the standards of a conquered foe ; when Green and Lincoln went to the relief of the southern colonies all pre- judice not only died away, but more than fraternal love ani- mated every patriot heart from the bleak northernmost forests of New England to the milder airs of Georgia. And now that a hundred years have passed, and our country has become great beyond the wildest dreams of our fathers, will not the story of their sufferings revive in the breast of all the love of our coun- try, of our whole country, and all who live within its boundaries? Men of the east and men of the south, or you who can trace your lineage back'to those who served their country a century ago upon the soil of New York, we do not welcome you here as guests ; you stand here of right, by virtue of a heritage from our fathers, who on this ground were common actors in the crowning event of the war waged for the liberties, the glory, and the prosperity of all sections of our great country. At this celebration of the grand conclusion of the camjjaign of Burgoyne, we have a broader field of discussion than that of a battle, however stirring it may have been. The occasion calls not only for praise of heroic courage, not only for a deep in- terest in every statement showing the influence of its victories over the judgment of the world as to the strength of our cause, Address of Hon. Horatio Seymour. 7 but also for its importance as one of the links in the chain of events reaching back more than two centuries, and which will continue to stretch down into the future far beyond the period when human thought or conclusions can be of value. Influence of the Topography of our Country. The speaker and others who have addressed the public with regard to American history, have made frequent references to the extent that it has been shaped by the topography of this part of our country. On this occasion it forces itself upon our attention, and we must again outline its relationship to events. We cannot, if we would, separate the design of the campaign of Burgoyne, nor the military aspects of its progress, from the character of the valleys through which its forces were moved, nor from the commanding jDositions at which it was aimed. Our mountains and rivers have been the causes of so many of the great facts in the history of this continent ; they are so closely identified with its political and social affairs, that they seem to become sentient actors in its events. We are compelled to speak of their bearings upon the course of war, of commerce and of civilization, to make a clear statement of the scope and significance of the events we celebrate. This cannot be given if we speak only of the things which relate to the British inva- sion of 1777, and of its signal defeat. Those who would learn the causes which have shaped the course of military and political affairs on this continent, which have given victory in war and prosperity in peace, must spread out before them the map of our country. Having traced its grand system of mountains, rivers and lakes, they will be struck with the fact that for a thousand miles the Alleghanies make long ranges of barriers between the Atlantic and the great plains of the interior. About mid-way of their lengths these lofty mountains are cut down to their bases by the gorge of the Hudson, through which the tides of the ocean pour their floods in triumph. Towering cliffs overshadow the deep waters of the river. Had but a single spur of those rocky buttresses which crowd upon either shore been thrown across the narrow 8 Address of Hon. Horatio Seymour. chasm, had but one of the beetling cliffs which stand upon its brink been pushed but a few feet across its course, the currents of events would have been changed as completely as the cur- rents of the floods. The nations who controlled the outlets of the Mississippi and the St. Lawrence would have been the mas- ters of this continent. No one who has marked the physical character of our country, and who has studied its history, can pass through the highlands of the Hudson and note how at every turn of its stream the cliffs threaten to close its course, without feeling that the power which made the mountain chains to stop abruptl}^ at its brink, was higher than blind chance — something more than the wild, unreasoning action of convulsed nature. The valley of the Hudson does not end when it has led the ocean tides through the mountain passes. It stretches its channel northward to the St. Lawrence, and holds within its deep basin not only the Hudson flowing south, but Lake Cham- plain, which empties its waters into the ocean far north through the gulf of St. Lawrence. It thus not only connects the har- bor of New York with the basins of the great lakes, but by the Mohawk branch of the Hudson it has also channeled out another level passage, stretching westward to the plains watered by the confluents of the Mississippi. These valleys of the Hudson and Mohawk have been the pathways of armies in war and the routes of commerce in peace. They have been the highways through which the nations of Europe and the people of the At- lantic coast have poured their host of emigrants into the vast regions which stretch out from the Alleghanies to the base of the Rocky mountains. But nature did not stop in her work when she gave to the regions in which we meet advantages of deep valleys, making the easy communication from the sea coast to the interior of our country. From the outward slopes of highlands which guard these channels of intercourse, the waters flow by diverging valleys into almost every part of our Union. These highlands make, in many ways, the most remarkable watersheds to be found on the face of the earth. There is not elsewhere an instance where interlocking sources of rivers pur- sue courses diverging in so many directions, forming so many Address of Hon. Horatio Seymour. 9 extending valleys, and at length find their outlets into the ocean at points so distant from each other, and from the headwaters on the ground where they had their common origin. For these reasons the valleys of the Hudson and the Mohawk, and the mountain strongholds which command them, have ever been the great central points of control in the wars of both civilized and savage races. Once when in company with General Scott, we overlooked from an elevated point the ground on which we stand and the confluence of these rivers, and the range of high- lands which marked their courses, the old wai'rior with a kind- ing eye, stretched out his arm and said : " Remember this has been the great strategic point in all the wars waged for the con- trol of this continent." The mountains and valleys of New York not only make channels for commerce in peace, but a grand system for defence and attack in war. They are nature's commanding works, which dwarf by comparison all human monuments of engineer- ing skill into insignificance. Their influence is most clearly shown by the power they gave to the Indian tribes who held them when Europeans first visited our continent. The rivers which flowed in all directions from their vantage ground on the highlands, first taught the Iroquois the advantages of united action, and led to the formation of their confederacy. Pouring their combined forces at different times into the valley of the Delaware, or of the Susqnehannah, or the Alleghany, they were able to subdue in detail the divided tribes living upon these streams. Thus gaining courage and skill by constant victories, they boldly pushed their conquest into remote sections of our country. The British ordnance maps published during the col- onial period, make the boundaries of their control extend from the coast line of the Atlantic to the Mississippi river and from the great lakes to the centre of the present state of North Carolina, There is no instance in history where a region so vast has been conquered by numbers so small. Their alliance with the British government was one of the grounds on which the latter con- tested the claims of the French to the interior of our continent, by virtue of its discovei-ies on the St. Lawrence and Mississippi. Thus the victories gained by the Iroquois, through their geo- 10 Address of Hon. Horatio Seymour. graphical position, had a great influence in deciding the ques- tion, whether the civilization of North America should be French or English in its aspects, laws and customs. It is a remarkable fact, that with a view of overcoming the British power on this continent, nearly a century before the campaign of Burgoyne, its plan was forecast by Frontenac, the ablest of the French colonial commanders. He proposed to move against the colony of New York by the same routes followed by the British forces in 1777. He was to lead his army through the valley of Lake Champlain and Upper Hudson to Albany. At that point he designed to seize vessels to pass down the river, and there to act with the French ships of war, which were to meet him in the harbor of New York. Nothing can show more clearly the strategic importance of the valley in which we meet, than the fact that he -urged this movement for the same reasons which led the British king to adopt it after the lapse of so many years. Frontenac saw that, by gain- ing control of the course and outlet of the Hudson, the French would command the gateway into the interior, that they would divide the British colonies, and New England thus cut off, would, in the end, fall into the .hands of the French. He also urged that in this way the Iroquois would be detached from the English alliance. The influence of the valleys of our country has not been lost in the wars of our day. " We should have won our cause," said Governor Wise, a distinguished leader of the Southern con- federacy, " had not God made the rivers which spring from the highlands of New York, to flow from the north to the south, thus making by their valleys, pathways for armies into all parts of our territories. Had their courses been in other directions, their streams would have made barriers against Northern armies instead of giving avenues by which they could assail us." Nor have they been less controlling in peace than in war. They make the great channels of commerce between the east and the west, and enable us to draw to the seaboard the abundant har- vest of the valley of the Mississippi, and to send them to the far off markets of Europe. Numerous and varied as have been the movement of armies along these watercourses, even they sink Address of Hon. Horatio Seymour. 11 into insignificance compared with the vast multitudes which have poured through them from Europe and the Atlantic coast to fill the west with civilized states. Through them we draw armies of immigrants, prisoners of peace captured from Europe by the strength of the inducements held out to them by the material and political advantages of our country. We are in our day the witnesses of a greater movement of the human race, both as to numbers and influence upon civilization, than is recorded in past history. It can tell of no such con- tinued and great transfer of population from one continent to another. Unlike other invasions, it does not bring war and ra- pine, but it bears peaceful arts and civilization into vast regions heretofore occupied by scanty tribes of warring savages. Fa- miliar with this great movement, we are prone to look upon it with some degree of indifference. But through the centuries to come it will be regarded as one of the greatest events in the history of mankind. 1 have not dwelt upon these hills and valleys merely because they have been the scenes of the most dramatic and important events in American annals, but because they have given birth to these events. I have spoken of them, not because they have been associated with history, but because they have made his- tory. They gave to tlie Iroquois their power ; they directed the course and determined the result of the war between France and Britain for domination on this continent. Neither the sur- render of the British army on these grounds, the causes which preceded nor the consequences which flowed from it, can be appreciated until the enduring influences of the great features of our country are clearly brought into view. Elsewhere rivers and mountains mark the lines which make enemies of mankind. Here they form the avenues which bind us together by inter- course. They give not merely to a country, but almost to our whole continent, a common language, customs and civilization. The world has never before seen a social structure with founda- tions so broad. Time may make many changes, but there will ever be a unity in the population of North America, a commu- nity of interests upon a grander scale than has yet been seen among mankind. He who studies the map of our continent and 3 12 Addkess of Hon. Horatio Seymour. doubts this, does not merely lack political faith, but is guilty of impiety when he closes his eyes to the truths which God has written by streams and valleys, upon the face of this continent. It was the design of the British government in the campaign of 17*77 to capture the center and stronghold of this command- ing system of mountains and valleys. It aimed at its very heart — the confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson. The fleets, the armies, and the savage allies of Britain were to fol- low their converging lines to Albany. Its position had made that city the place where the governoi-s and agents of the colonies had been used to meet with reference to their com- mon interest. Here the agents of the New England and southern provinces came to consult with the chiefs of the Iroquois, and to gain their alliance in their wars with the savages of the west, who threatened the European settle- ments. In the expressive language of the Indians, Albany was called the " Ancient Place of Treaty." It was also the point at which the military expeditions against the French at the north and west were organized. Even before Benjamin Franklin brought forward his plan at Albany for colonial union, the idea of such alliance was constantly suggested by the necessity of common action in attack or defence against savage or civilized enemies. There was much to justify the boastful confidence of the British that they could thus crush out American resistance. To feel the full force of this threatened blow, we must forget for a time our present power ; we must see with the eyes of our fathers, and look at things as they stood a century ago. The care with which the army of Burgoyue was organized, its oflicers and men selected, and its material for an advance and attack provided, has been made familiar to our people by this year's addresses. The progress of the British navy up the Hud- son to a point west of the Alleghany range, its seizure in its course of Stony Point and Fort Clinton, its success in forcing a passage through the highlands at West Point, the capture and burning of Kingston, where the Britith admiral awaited commu- nication from Burgoyne, have all been clearly narrated on the pages of history. Had the commander of the expedition gone Address of Hon. Horatio Seymour. 13 to Albany he might have saved the army of Burgoyne. Gene- ral Gates saw if this had been done he would have been forced to retreat into New England. But it was not known at the time how great a peril was averted by an act of negligence in the British war department. It appears that orders were pre- pared, but not sent to General Howe, directing him to cooperate with Burgoyne with all his forces. If this had been done, there is reason to fear the result would have been fatal to our cause. This is one of those strange occurrences I'ecognized in the lives of individuals as well as in the affairs of nations, showing that- there is an over-ruling Providence that watches over both. The importance of the movement from the west by St. Leger and his Indian allies is not generally understood by our people. It was made with confidence of success : and when its commander wrote to Burgoyne that he would be able to sweep dowiT the valley of the Mohawk and place himself in the rear of the American army, there was much to justify that confi- dence. The address of Mr. Roberts and others, at the Oriskany celebration, are valuable contributions to the history of St. Leger's invasion. The Palatines who inhabited the valley of the Mohawk were, by their position, language and usages, severed from the body of the American colonies. The wise policy of Sir William Johnson had done much to attach them to the British crown. To enable them to worship God in ac- cordance with their own creed and in the faith of that part of Germany from which they came, aid was given to them for the erection of churches for their use. Many of these were strong stone churches, which were afterwards fortified and used as places of refuge and defence during the Revolution by the families of the settlers against the ruthless warfare of savages. Most of these churches still stand, monuments of the past, and - are now used for the sacred purposes for which they were built. The heirs and representatives of Sir William were with the army of St. Leger, and assured him that the dwellers upon the Mohawk would respond to their appeals, and rise in arms to uphold the cause of the crown. No stronger proof can be given that the love of liberty and of democratic principles were en- gendered and born uj^on our soil and not imported in some 14 History of the The Burgoyne Campaign ; an address delivered on the battle-field on the one hundredth anniversary of the battle of Bemis Heights, Sept. 19th, 1877, by John Austin Stevens. History of Saratoga and the Burgoyne Campaign of 1777 ; an address by Gen. Edvrard F. Bullard. An address to the American people in behalf of a monument, to be erected in commemoration of the American army at Saratoga, under Gens. Schuyler, Gates, Arnold and Morgan, Oct. 17th, 1777, by J. C. Markham. Leading industrial pursuits of Glen's Falls, Sandy Hill and Fort Edward, by J. S. Buckley. A silver half dollar coin of George III, dated 1777, and one of the United States, dated 1877, deposited by Alanson Welch, president of the village of Schuylerville. Memorial of the opening of the New York and Canada railway, pre- sented by Edward F. Bullard. Song, commemorative of the surrender of Burgoyne, arranged by Co). B. C. Butler, of Luzerne, N. Y. Annual Report of the canal commissioner.^ of the state of New York. Records of Schuyler Lodge, No. 176, F. and A. M., and Home Chapter, No. 176, R. A. M. A photograph of the monument from the architect's drawing. The cards of John and Samuel Mathews, and E. F. Sinmions, the opera- tive masons who built the foundation, base and corner stone of the monu- ment. The architects' statement of the progress of the work of building the foundation, base and corner stone. Daniel A. Bullard in charge. Prospectus of the Bennington Battle Monument Association ; a forth- coming volume on the Bennington centennial of the week of the 16th of August, 1877. A pamphlet containing a statement of the Bennington Historical Society, and an account of the battle of Bennington, by ex-Gov. Hiland Hall, published in March, 1877. The Standard (daily), Schuylerville ; The Saratoga County Stand- ard (weekly), Schuylerville ; daily Saratogian, Saratoga Sun ; Troy Daily Press, Daily Press, Daily Whig, Northern Budget, Observer. Sunday Trojan, Troy, N. Y.; Argus, Press, Express, Journal, Times, Post, Albany, N. Y.; Herald, Times, Tribune, Sun, World, Express, New York city. Sakatoga Monument Association. 15 The exercises which followed the laying of the corner stone, were of a high order of literary excellence, and fully in keep- ing with the august celebration which they were intended to commemorate. They were conducted in the following order: First Grand Stand. Music, Doring's Band. Prayer, Rev. Rufus W. Clark, D.D., of Albany, Chaplain. Music. Introductory address by the President of the Day, Hon. Charles S. Lester. Music. Oration by Ex-Governor Horatio Seymour. Oration by George William Curtis. Music. Poem, by Alfred B. Street, Read by Col. E. P. Howe. Music. Address by Hon. Lafayette S. Foster. Second Grand Stand, Music, Colt's Army Band, Hartford, Conn. Prayer, Rev. F. E. King, of P'ort Edward, N, Y., Chaplain. Music. Litroductory address, Hon. Geo. W. Schuyler (in the absence of Gen. Edward F. Bullard), President of the Day. Music. Historical address by William L. Stone. Address by Hon. B, W. Throckmorton, of New Jersey, Subject, Arnold. 16 Address of Hon. Horatio Seymour. them for assistance in bis movements against the French on the Ohio river, and claimed that he went forth to fight for their riglits, because the French were occupying territories which belonged to the Iroquois. Only twenty years before the re- volutionary Avar, the British ministry insisted in its correspond- ence with the French government, that the Iroquois were the owners, by conquest, of the Ohio territory, and that they were the subjects of the British crown. This was the claim set up against the French rights of discovery. It is a remarkable fact, that the French did not deny the right of conquest by the Iroquois, but denied that they were the subjects of Britain in these strong words : " Certain it is that no Englishman durst, without running the risk of being massacred, tell the Iroquois that they are the subjects of England." One of the first acts of the continental congress was "designed to secure the alliance of the Six Nations. In this they were unsuccessful, except as to the Oneidas. The cooperation of their savage allies was deemed of the u|;most importance by the British. I do not speak of the action at Bennington nor of the battle of Bemis's Heights. The late celebration upon the grounds upon which they took j)lace, have made the public familiar with all their aspects and results. INFLUENCE OF BURGOYNe's SURRENDER. France saw that upon the very theatre of war where Britain had wrested from it the control of this continent, its ancient enemy had been beaten by the new power which was springing into existence. To the French government this victory had a significance that no like victory could have had upon other fields. It knew better than others the commanding featiires of this region. Its missionaries were highly educated men, who marked with care the character of our mountains, lakes and streams. Impelled by religious zeal and devotion to the interests of their native land, they boldly pushed into the remote portions of the continent in advance of commercial enterprise or military expe- ditions. Their narratives are to this day of great value and interest. The surrender of Burgoyne had also a marked eflFect upon the tone and policy of the British cabinet ; it no longer Address of Hon. Horatio Seymour. 17 fought for conquest, but for compromise. Its armies were moved with a view of saving a part if it could not hold all of its jurisdiction. It was able to take possession of the principal cities, but it could not lind elsewhere positions, like that aimed at by Burgoyne, which would enable it to sunder and paralyze the patriot forces. It exhausted its armies in campaigns which produced no results, even when successful in repulsing our forces or in occupying the points at which they were directed. Its commanders were animated by only one gleam of hope. The proud power which at the outset called upon the world to witness its strength in crushing rebellion, stooped to dealings with a traitor, and sought to gain by corruption what it covild not gain by force. The treason of Arnold excited the deepest feelings, because the loss of West Point, the key of the Hudson, would have given the British a position from which they could not have been dislodged at the center of the strongholds of defence and the commanding basis for attack of the Hudson and its guardian mountains. The fact that the loss of West Point would have been deemed a fatal blow to the American cause places the strategic importance of this region in the strongest light. The surrender of Burgoyne not only gave new hojie to the patriots, but it exerted a moral influence upon our soldiers. The colonists up to that time had been trained in the belief that British soldiers were irresistible. To hold them superior to all others in arms had been American patriotism. Through the century of the P^'rench wars, precedence had always been yielded to the officers of the crown ; and the colonists looked mainly to the British army to protect their homes from invasion. Colonial papers showed an exti-avagance of loyalty which is frequently exhibited in the outlying and exposed settlements of all nations. The Revolution, while it made a revulsion of feeling, did not at the outset destroy this sense of the superior skill and power of ^ British arms. The early engagements in the open fields had not been fortunate for the patriot cause. The armies of the crown were still buoyed up by that sense of superiority, which, in itself, is an element in martial success. Burgoyne did not doubt his ability to destroy any army he could reach. The battle of 18 Address of Hon. Horatio Seymour. Berais's Heights was a fair and open contest on equal terms. In strategy, in steadiness, in valor, the continental troops proved themselves in all ways equal to the picked and trained men against whom they fought. From the day that victory was M'"on, the American soldier felt himself to be the equal of all who could be brought against him, and he knew that he was animated by higher and nobler purposes than those which moved the ranks of his enemies. The whole spirit of the contest was changed. Our armies reajjed a double triumph on this field. There was much in the contempt which had been shown by their enemies of their qualities as soldiers, much in the taunts and sneers of the British cabinet, much in the pillage and destruction which ever attend the march of invading armies, to excite the victors to exhibitions of triumph over fallen foes. But they bore themselves, not as men intoxi- cated by successful fortunes in war, but as men who felt it was in^.them to win victories there or elsewhere. There was a calm- ness in the hour of triumph, which more than even courage upon the battlefield, impressed the defeated army with the character of those of whom they had spoken so contemptuously. The enemy were twice conquered, and in many ways the last victory over them was most keenly felt. The moral and the military advantages of the surrender of the British army was marred by no act which lessened the dignity of the conquerors. And he who reads the story of the contest, finds himself most triumphant in his feelings over the moral rather than the martial victory. GENERAL SCHUYLER. When we read the story of the event which we now celebrate, whether it is told by friend or foe, there is one figure which rises above all others upon whose conduct and bearing we love to dwell. There is one who won a triumph which never grows dim. One who gave an example of patient patriotism unsur- passed on the pages of history. One who did not, even under cutting wrongs and cruel suspicions, wear an air of martyrdom, but with cheerful alacrity served where he should have com- manded. It was in a glorious spirit of chivalrous courtesy with which Schuyler met and ministered to those who had not only Address of Hon. Horatio Seymour. 19 been enemies in arms, but who had inflicted upon him unusual injuries unwarranted by the laws of war. But there was some- thing more grand in his service to his country than even this honor which he did to the American cause, by his bearing upon this occasion. The spirit of sectional prejudice which the British cabinet relied upon to prevent cordial cooperation among the colonies, had been exhibited against him in a way most galling to a pure patriot and a brave soldier. But, filled with devotion to his country's cause, he uttered no murmur of complaint, nor did he for a moment cease in his labors to gain its liberties. This grand rebuke to selfish intriguers and to honest prejudices did much to discomfit the one and to teach the other the injustice of their suspicions and the unworthiness of sectional prejudices. The strength of this rebuke sometimes irritates writers who cannot rise above local prejudices, and they try to lessen the public sense of his virtue by reviving the attacks, proved to be unjust upon investigation, and which, by the verdict of men honored by their county, were proved to be unfounded. The judgment of George Washington and of the patriots who sur- rounded him, with regard to men of their own day and affairs with which they were familiar, cannot be shaken by those who seek to revive exploded scandals and imfounded suspicions. The character of Gen. Schuyler grows brighter in public regard. The injustice done him by his removal from his command, at a time when his zeal and ability had placed victory almost within his reach, is not perhaps to be regretted. We could not well lose from our history his example of patriotism and of personal honor and chivalry. We could not spare the proof which his case furnishes, that virtue triumphs in the end. We would not change, if we could, the history of his trials. For we feel that they gave luster to his character, and we are forced to say of Gen. Schuyler that, while he had been greatly wronged, he had never been injured. SARATOGA MONUMENT. The association formed under the laws of this state to erect a suitable monument to commemorate the defeat of the Bi-itish army under Burgoyne, has selected this spot upon which to 4 20 Address of Hon. Horatio Seymour. place it, because here it will recall to the mind not only the final act, but every event which led to the surrender. It will carry the thoughts of him who looks upon it back to the first and fierce fight at Oriskany. It will remind him of the disaster to the British forces at the battle of Bennington. It will excite the deepest interest in the contest on the hills at Bemis's Heights. It will do more. It will bring before the public mind that grand procession of events, which for two centuries have passed through the valleys of the Hudson and the Mohawk. When it shall excite the interests which attach to the occasion which we cele- brate linked history will lead the public mind back, step by step, to the earliest period of the French and English settlements on this continent. We shall be taught what made the savage tribes of this region superior in war and polity to their kindred races. We shall be reminded of the forays of savages, the march of disciplined armies, the procession of Christian missionaries, which exceed in dramatic interest and in far reaching consequences, all other incidents of war, of diplomacy, and of religious zeal exhibited on this continent. The events which have occurred in these valleys have also been closely connected with the most important facts of European history. The ambition of Louis the fourteenth of France aimed at supremacy on two continents. The prolonged war over the balance of power in Europe, con- cerned the civilization of America. The genius of Marlborough, and the victory of Blenheim, were of more enduring consequence to us than to the parties engaged in tlie contest. They did not foresee that they were shaping the civilization of a continent, or the destinies of a people at this day exceeding in numbers the united populations of the countries engaged in the war. Where else in our country can a monument be placed, from which will radiate so much that is instructive ? Where else can a struct- ure be erected which will teach such varied history ? Elsewhere, great achievements in peace or war, make certain spots instinct with interest. Elsewhere, the great features of nature have influenced the fate of nations. But it is not time that elsewhere mountains and rivers have been such marked and conspicuous agents in shaping events. Here they have directed the affairs of this continent. In selecting a place where a monument should Address of Hon. Horatio Seymour. 21 stand, this association has not been embarrassed by any questions as to the comparative importance of the act of surrender of the British army, or of the battles which made that surrender in- evitable. Each has its peculiar interest^ and each should be marked by suitable monuments. But the last scene in the drama mifolds to the mind the plot and incidents which reach their conclusions at the close. A monument on this ground not only commemorates what occurred here, but it recalls to the mind all the incidents and battles which preceded it, and gives to each a deeper interest, than when they are considered separately. Each is viewed not only in the light of the wisdom, valor or patriotism displayed, but of its bearing upon the grand result. He who visits the scene of the bloody fight at Oriskany, or looks over the hills where the men of Vermont drove back the troops of Burgoyne, or studies the movements of the armies at the battle of Bemis's Heights, finds that his thoughts do not rest until they dwell upon the grand conclusion reached upon this spot. When his mind is kindled with patriotic pride upon either of the battle- fields to which I have alluded, he will turn to the ground upon which we now meet, and thank God for the event we now cele- brate. The surrender of Burgoyne marks the dividing line between two conditions of our country : the one the colonial period of dependence, and the other the day from which it stood full armed and victorious here, endowed with a boldness to assert its independence, and endowed with a wisdom to frame its own system of government. From this review of the past we instinctively turn our minds and try to scan the years that are to come. It is not given to us to forecast the future. But when we study the great natural features of our country, and see how they have directed the past, we learn from the silver links of rivers and the rocky chains of mountains that God has written and stamped on the face of this continent, that it shall ever be held by those speaking a common language, with a common civilization, and living together with that freedom of intercourse which shall forever, under some forms, make them one people. A monument upon this spot will not merely minister to local 22 Address of Hon. Horatio Seymour. pride ; it will not foster sectional prejudices ; every citizen of every state of this union will feel as he looks upon it that he has a right to stand upon this ground. It will tell of the com- mon sacrifices and common trials of the fathers of the republic. Men from all parts of our union will here be reminded that our independence as a people was wrought out by the sufferings and sacrifices of those who came from every quarter of our country to share in this valley in the perils of battle and in the triumphs of victory. Here sectiona-l passions will fade away ; and the glorious memories and the fraternal feelings of the past will be revived. We are told that during more than twenty centuries of war and bloodshed, only fifteen battles have been decisive of lasting results. The contest of Saratoga is one of these. From the battle of Marathon to the field of Waterloo, a period of more than two thousand years, there was no martial event which had a greater influence upon human affairs than that which took place on these grounds. Shall not some suitable structure recall this fact to the public mind ? Monuments make as well as mark the civilization of a people. Neither France, nor Britain, nor Germany, could spare the statues or works of art which keep alive the memories of patriotic sacrifices or of personal virtues. Such silent teachers of all that ennobles men, have taught their lessons through the darkest ages, and have done much to save society from sinking into utter decay and degradation. If Greece or Rome had left no memorials of private virtues or public greatness, the progress of civilization would have been slow and feeble. If their crumbling remains should be swept away, the world would mourn the loss, not only to learning and arts, but to virtue and patriotism. It concerns the honor and welfare of the American people, that this spot should be marked by some structure which shall recall its history, and animate all who look upon it by its grand teachings. No people ever held lasting power or greatness, who did not reverence the virtues of their fathers, or who did not show forth this reverence by material and striking testimonials Let us, then, build here a lasting monument, which shall tell of our gratitude to those who, through suffering and sacrifice, wrought out the independ- ence of our country.