Decades of Change 2001-2006

   

  This is the ninth chapter in my review of local events as reported by this newspaper during the last 50 years. As before, I looked for both recurring events and variations in the pattern of local affairs. The repetitiveness in those patterns gives the impression that we were stuck in place. This six-year period generally refutes that impression, for we experienced an evolving sense of place. We treasured some of the best of what we had and embraced, with varied levels of enthusiasm, the new.  

     It was not the focus of this weekly to report on events beyond the area, but it did report those events when they were felt locally. The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the subsequent wars in the Middle East and environmental disasters in the United States and abroad were the subject of debate and actions locally. Local responses were reported both in articles and in letters to the editor.

     These years brought new businesses, organizations and events to the area. Some of those included the Lower Cohase Chamber of Commerce, Middle Earth Music Hall, A Notch Above Automobile Company, Wholehog Festival, Vermontster 4x4 Rally, Shaw’s Market, The Tool Barn, Dunkin’ Donuts, Subway Shop, Ocean State Job Lots, Valley Vista, speculation buildings in Pierson Industrial Park and the forecast of a Super Wal-Mart.

     Gone or replaced were Thomas Pharmacy, Ames Department Store, Happy Hour Gift Shop, Brookside Nursing Home, the Meadows Drive-In Theatre, the Woodsville Armory, Behind the Times newspaper, the East Corinth General Store, Davidson Industries and Tembec Sawmill.

     Significant changes in local health care came with the creation of the Little Rivers Healthcare system that combined offices in East Corinth, Bradford and Wells River. Kimball House Basic Care Center was established in West Fairlee. Everywhere higher health care costs were a growing concern.  
 

      A major focus of the Journal Opinion was reporting on town and school governments affairs. Reporters followed budgets from initial proposals through final approval by voters. Budgets were debated energetically as local property taxes increased. The impact of Act 60 was especially controversial in Fairlee, a “gold town” with a new interstate school system. Cuts in state aid to local districts also caused problems for New Hampshire towns.

     The patterns of debate seemed to be a year of approval of spending increases followed by a year of retractions. Both schools and towns took on additional functions. With greater demands on local officials, several towns increased the number of Selectboard members from three to five. Local officials on all boards seem to have a shorter tenure than in years past, a function of the intensity of debate and workload. While, in some years there were too many candidates for local offices and other times too few, extended residency faded as a requirement for election.  
 

     These boards dealt with issues involving roads, police, zoning, facilities, solid waste, water and sewage, equipment purchases and animal control. In Bradford the merger of the Village and Town was, after decades of debate, finally consummated, but the extension of the sewer system to its Lower Plain was not.
 

     In Newbury Village a new water system was installed. Those towns that had zoning reviewed it for possible changes and those that didn’t have it continued to reject it. With the demise of Behind the Times, this newspaper continued that paper’s practice of reporting the minutes of Selectboard meetings.

     School boards also carried a heavy workload. Rivendell dealt with the birth pains of a new school system, Bradford and Woodsville Elementary with building expansions while all boards dealt with curriculum and teacher contract issues. Connecticut Valley Academy in Bradford and the King Street School in Woodsville were created to reach students who were unsuccessful in the traditional system.
 

     School news continued to fill considerable space in this newspaper. Good news of student projects and performances, accomplishments of staff and reports of new programs and techniques were offset by the problems that plagued modern school systems. New school staff members were hired to replace or enhance existing staff. A number of experienced teachers and administrators retired after extended careers in local schools. 
    

     While all athletic events received considerable attention, there were those teams and individual athletes who achieved special attention. Division state championships won during the period included Blue Mountain Bucks boys basketball and baseball teams in 2001with the girls basketball  team winning in 2002.The Oxbow girls basketball team placed first in 2002. The Thetford boys basketball team topped competitors in both 2002 and 2004. The Engineers of Woodsville won the boys soccer championships in both 2004 and 2005. Football’s introduction at Oxbow in 2004 offered a new sports focus for that school.

     Individual achievements included 1000^th basketball points for Blue Mountain Bucks Jon Murray, Danielle Restelli and Holly Scott, Oxbow’s Olympians Shane Claflin and Lisa Welch, Thetford’s Damon McGinn and Chris Snider as well as Rivendell’s Whitney MacDonald. Woodsville’s Dimitri Kapotis achieved his 100^th soccer point.

      Especially noteworthy was the night that twin brothers Joey and Joel Farley achieved their 1000^th basketball points within minutes of each other in the new Rivendell gym. Blue Mountain’s outstanding athlete Christine Perry achieved both her 100^th soccer point and 2000^th basketball point, but died in an accident in 2003. 
      

     In every period communities lose, from illness or accidents, citizens young and old. Losses during these years included the following individuals, each of whom had a significant community presence: Raymond Wright, Maurice Page, Hattie Davis, Mary Rowe, William Demetrules, George Richie, Bert Holland Jr., Meldrim Thomson, Michael Johnson, Signa Carbee, Paul Mayette,  Hazel Flander, Kathleen Knight, Margaret Pratt, Harold Taylor, Jr., Nancy Perry, Frank Barber Jr, Arthur Sylvester, William Deal, Hazel Donnelly, Albert Stevens, Fairie Atwood, George Stowell, William Sanborn and Gertrude Mallary. Lost also was the Old Man of the Mountain. 
 

     Weekly obituaries confirmed some of the changes in the makeup of local communities. While many of those who died had spent their entire lives in the local area, many others did not have local roots. A significant number of obituaries reflected the growing number of elders who retired elsewhere.   
 

     Many communities honored the super seniors among them. Some have the tradition of awarding a cane to the eldest citizen(s). The following Bradford citizens received a cane during the period: Margaret Pratt,Violet Piper, Lloyd Kidder and George Barber. In Fairlee the cane was given to Henry Colby and then Merton Jenks, in Piermont Pauline Webster, in Ryegate Doris Berry and in Haverhill Col. James Good Brown.

     Each edition of the newspaper was filled with photographs. Area citizens were pictured individually and in groups and often in recognition for some accomplishment.  Among the hundreds of accomplishments mentioned three stand out. In 2005 Albert Stevens was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his many contributions to the area and state, Mike Lavoie was recognized as the national NAPA-ASE Technician of the Year and Dr. Harry Rowe was given a lifetime award by the American Association of Family Practitioners.

     The Journal Opinion kept its readers aware of the role of local service personnel as the United States conducted military operations in war in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan. Individual military personnel and local units of the Vermont and New Hampshire Guard were activated for duty in the Middle East. The newspaper covered their deployment with articles, photographs and columns. It also reported the battle death of Woodsville-based guardsman Spc. Alan Burgess. 

     Articles also described local responses in support of the deployed Guards and their families. When units returned, the coverage included numerous photographs as families were reunited. Also reported were the anti-war demonstrations. Letters to the editor fought the battle between supporting or opposing the war and support for the troops. 
  

     Conservation efforts bloomed during the period with active conservation commissions in many communities including Bradford, Haverhill, Orford and Fairlee.  In cooperation with the Upper Valley Land Trust and private landowners, thousands of acres of agricultural and forest lands were placed in conservation easements. Bradford’s special attention to the area of Devil’s Den and Wright’s Mountain and West Fairlee’s plans for a Town Forest are two examples of these efforts.
 

     Composting, recycling, sustainable energy projects, junk car removal and Green-up Days were all regular efforts in many area towns. Public awareness of the dangers of invasive plants such as purple loose strife, Japanese knotweed and milfoil encouraged local action. 
 

     Communities also made an effort to restore, renovate and conserve many of the older structures that give character to local villages. Outstanding among those efforts was Haverhill’s Alumni Hall as it became a cultural and arts center and Bradford’s Academy Building with its retrofitted office spaces and auditorium. Churches in Newbury, Lyme Center, Topsham and West Fairlee had major restoration projects. In Lyme, Haverhill and Orford agricultural preservation projects helped to save endangered barns.

     Bradford and Groton received large community grants to restore or replace existing buildings and municipal infrastructures. The vacant Upper Valley Press building in Bradford became the Bradford Regional Community Center, home to the Orange East Senior Center and the Bradford Teen Center.  Community center buildings were also opened in West Fairlee and Groton.  Questions of what to do with the Orford Academy building, the old Grafton Courthouse, the abandoned Ryegate Paper Mill and the Orfordville Grange Hall remained unanswered. 
 

     The First Congregational Church of Thetford, Bradford’s Grace United Methodist Church, the Grafton County Complex, the Glencliff Home, Cottage Hospital and Newbury’s Tenney Memorial Library received additions. Fairlee and Vershire opened new library buildings and Bradford’s Public Library underwent partial restoration.

      Antique painted theater curtains were rescued, restored and reinstated in Fairlee, West Fairlee, Haverhill and Topsham. New or enhanced walkways included the Orford Mall Walk, the Cross-Rivendell Trail, the Cross Vermont Trail and new trails on Wright’s Mountain.
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     Major bridges that were restored included Orford-Fairlee’s Samuel Morey Memorial Bridge, the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge, Bradford’s Creamery Bridge and the Connecticut River bridge between Woodsville and Wells River. A new bridge on Rte. 25 was built in Warren.  New parks included the Boch Park in Bradford and the Newbury Veteran’s Memorial Park.  

     Many of projects mentioned above were made possible by public or private grants. The reliance on grants was summed up in a 2004 editorial: “Hardly a week goes by without at least one story about grants. Asking for and getting federal, state and private benefactors has become a way of life. Perhaps the best we can do is accept the money graciously and use it wisely.”

     Whether communication towers should dot local landscapes became a major issue in Orford, Bradford and Ryegate.  iPod, enhanced smartphones, high speed broadband, Facebook and Twitter were introduced and citizens wanted them all.  Schools, town governments and businesses joined individuals with websites and blogs. Those who didn’t comprehend these innovations were assured that they could turn to a grandchild for “young people are the natives in the world of technology.”  

  

     Other items reported include: the goats of Cookeville, Jumpin’ Jim Jeffords, the view tax, 911, Paddle the Border, wood fired boilers, “abysmally low milk prices,” army worms and a whole range of criminal actions from murder and robberies to arson and child molestation.

     Covering as it does a number of communities on both sides of the river, many readers may have found reports of local issues in towns other than their own to be of little interest at the time.  Those with a wider view of affairs and a sense of a larger community of interest realized that an issue that faced a neighboring town might soon face their own.   
 

     In summary, this newspaper reminded us then of a truth still valid: “That we’re not made up of isolated individuals, towns and school districts. Details may differ, but interest and questions, solutions and problems, strengths and weaknesses are remarkably similar across the borders.”  It also illustrated the principle that has become the motto for this year’s Bradford250 celebration: “Honoring the Past. Embracing the Future.” 

Local Newspapers & Soldiers in America's Conflicts

This article appeared in the Journal Opinion’s 150^th anniversary edition, Dec. 31, 2014

 “We hope there will be no war, yet every generation of this country has had a chance to fight.”  This sentiment was published in The United Opinion in December 1895 in a column signed “Vermonter.”

Every generation of local residents since European settlement have experienced war and since the 19^th century local newspapers have included articles about those wars and those soldiers.

The earliest Europeans to visit the area were usually soldiers as part of the ongoing wars between English settlers to the south and French and natives to the north. When those wars ended in 1763 the Coos region opened to settlement. Many of the leaders in the new communities were soldiers and every able-bodied man was expected to be part of the continuing protection of the area.

Local newspapers before the mid-19^th century were scattered and usually short-lived. Soldiers from the area were involved in the American Revolution, the War of 1812 and the Mexican War and residents had opinions about those wars. In the first two there was real concern that the local area was in danger of invasion. Some newspapers from outside the area arrived locally weeks after publication and were handed from reader to reader giving them information about national and state events. 

With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, the Aurora of the Valley, published for a time in Bradford, kept readers aware of the course of the war. The most prominent column was entitled “The War for the Union.”  With hundreds of local men involved in Vermont and New Hampshire regiments, those at home were hungry for news and this newspaper met that need with correspondents’ reports and letters to the editor. Its coverage included descriptions of battles and camp conditions among Union forces as well as denigrating reports on the rebellious South.   

Almost weekly this newspaper published lists of Vermont men who were casualties of the war. In the July 11, 1863 edition its headline was “The Three Days’ Battles” and its description of the battle at Gettysburg began with the word “Victory!”     

During the period between 1865 and 1898, the Bradford’s successive newspapers, National Opinion, the Bradford Opinion and The United Opinion kept readers familiar with national reconstruction efforts as well as Union veterans’ activities. These included numerous memoirs of military experiences and reunions.  One of the most extensive memoirs was the lengthy series written by 10^th Vermont’s Lt. Thomas H. White of Topsham.   

The newspaper coverage of local militia activities included extensive coverage of statewide musters held in Bradford in 1879 and 1890. In 1895 a special muster edition celebrated the event when it was held in Fairlee.  

From the earliest arrival of European settlers until the early 20^th century there were continuing battles to wrestle control of the land from the native population.  In the period after the Civil War, the local newspaper had frequent articles on those battles as America expanded westward. In July 1876, the Bradford Opinion’s front page described the massacre of Lt. Col. Custer’s 7^th Cavalry at the Little Big Horn in Montana.

In 1898 the United States became involved in a “splendid little war” with Spain, a largely one-sided confrontation. Local men, members of Co. G, 1^st Regiment Vermont Volunteers, prepared for war.  The closest they came to battle, however, was being stationed at Camp Thomas in Chickamauga Park, GA for the summer. Their greatest enemies were disease, bad food, high humidity and boredom.  The United Opinion published regular reports of their experiences.

It also covered the naval victory at Cuba’s Santiago Bay, the hero of which was Bradford’s Capt. Charles E. Clark of the battleship Oregon and the victory at Manila Bay in the Philippines at which Vermonter Comm. George E. Dewey led the American naval forces.

Some local men went on to serve in the 1899-1902 war against the natives of the newly-acquired territory of the Philippines. These included Edward Bayley and George Wright of Newbury.

In April 1917 the United States became embroiled in the Great War that was devastating Europe.  When local company of the Vermont Guard was called into active service in August 1917, The United Opinion reported “The spirit shown by the men is such that it shows they mean business.”  Many local men were in the American Expeditionary Force in France and saw frontline action. Because of military censorship, news was only officially released news was reported.

The newspaper played a significant role in mobilizing the war effort on the local home front.  Men away in the service, shortages of food and fuel, an epidemic of influenza and a period of exceptionally cold winters gave Editor Harry E. Parker cause to write “We are facing conditions which are unique for this generation in these days of war.”   

The newspaper played a similar, but enhanced, role during World War II.  It described the struggles in both Europe and Asia and America’s mobilization in the period before Pearl Harbor. One editorial called for the nation to do more than just talk “if we are prepared to defend liberties we have left.”

Once the war began the newspaper joined newsreels and radio and magazine coverage in keeping spirits focused on the war effort. It asked for a measure of civilian commitment mirroring that of the members of the armed services. Weekly the readers were informed of scrap, stamp and blood drives, wartime recipes such as “Victory Casserole,” and delayed and censored news of the war.  It recognized the difficulty, if not impossibility, for a weekly to “keep abreast with the war news.” 

It did carry news of the hundreds of area service personnel, one example being the rescue of Sgt Kenneth Stockman of Bradford, a veteran of 20 bombing missions who was shot down over Germany in 1944.  While it sought news from readers, it admonished them not to reveal “the location and strength of military units.”

After the war came to an end, issues around the world required that the United States maintain a large standing military force numbering in the millions in active and reserved service. This was a sharp departure from the long-standing aversion Americans had to a large permanent military.  Many local men and women joined the military during those Cold War years and the newspaper reported news of their military induction, training, promotion, furloughs and stationing.

Between 1950 and 1953 American forces fought on the peninsula of Korea on behalf of the United Nations. Unlike the two previous wars, this conflict did not have a profound impact on the home front. Weekly, The United Opinion included major articles and guest editorials on the course of the war.  Local residents were encouraged to contribute to a column entitled “News of Local Boys in Service.”

In February 1951 it reported that 88 Vermonters had been casualties in Korea.  One commentator wrote: “It is a cruel and bitter thing that so many men from peaceful Vermont should have to give their lives fighting an outlandish foe in a far off corner of the world.”

The newspaper reported local casualties including the following wounded: Pfc Irving Paronto of Corinth, Pfc George Clogston of Bradford and Sgt Harold Fay of Orford.  In March 1953 it reported that Cp1 Clayton Huckins of Orford was killed in action. His funeral was held in May in the church in Orfordville near his boyhood home.   

By the 1960s the newspaper had reduced its national news coverage considerably, but did editorially express opinions on events beyond the local area. It kept up with the assignments of local military personnel stationed domestically and abroad. It also ran articles dealing with the danger of nuclear war and the need for civil defense awareness.

 When America first became involved in the conflict in Vietnam, The United Opinion expressed reserve and questioned the justification. In August 1964 the first news of area servicemen in Vietnam appeared, a practice that continued until the end of the war.  In 1966 the death in Vietnam of Sp4 Barry R. Wood of Bradford received front page coverage.  The newspaper also covered gift drives for the troops.  Letters for and against the war were common, a practice unheard of before.    

From the end of the war in Vietnam until Operation Desert Storm the most common military news in the Journal Opinion was in news of individual personnel, veterans’ obituaries, activities of veterans’ organizations and area town meeting’s debates over a nuclear weapon freeze.

In 1990 the Gulf War was initiated in response to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. The war put local National Guard units on standby. The newspaper featured a series of articles about the war include a compelling article entitled “G. I. Joe” about an unnamed Bradford man involved in Desert Storm. Demonstrators gathered in downtown Bradford to oppose the war. They were met by others who expressed support for the troops. Similar diversity of opinion filled the letters to the editor.

Between 2001 and the present, the Journal Opinion kept its readers aware of the role of local service personnel as the United States conducted war in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan.  These were operations against the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

In 2004 and again in 2009 local units of the Vermont and New Hampshire Guard were activated for duty in the Middle East. The newspaper covered their deployment with articles, photographs and columns. The weekly column “My Soldier” by Ryegate’s Carole Welch kept readers in touch with her son SSgt Roy Welch and his unit of Green Mountain Boys at a supply base in Kuwait.

The October 20, 2004 edition’s front page is an example of this coverage. It described the ceremony held in Woodsville for returning SSgt Scott Robbins who had been wounded in Iraq. Another article told the battle death of Woodsville-based guardsman Spc Alan Burgess, the second North Country soldier in less than a week in die in Iraq.   

Articles also described school, business and community’s responses in support of the deployed Guards and their families.  When units returned, the coverage included numerous photographs as families were reunited. 

This article was begun on Veterans’ Day 2014 as many paused to express their gratitude to the men and women who have served. Colin Powell led the day’s ceremony at Norwich University in Northfield.  His gratitude is reflected in this quote: “Our nation has been blessed with patriots in every generation, who have been willing to place their sacred honor in the service of their fellow citizens, and give their all for freedom. You often hear about the greatest generation.  The truth is there is greatness in every generation.” 

Cedar Creek: A Valley Victory

October, 2014

“Don’t Run, Men, Till the Vermonters Do.”

Capt. Windsor B. French, 77th New York Regiment,

October 19, 1864 

 LOCAL MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT: Gen. Stephen Thomas of West Fairlee was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic leadership during the Battle of Cedar Creek. His command included the 8th Vermont Regiment which included a number of other local men. (West Fairlee Historical Society) 

SHERIDAN'S FAMOUS RIDE: Gen. Philip Sheridan was depicted on the cover of Harper's Illustrated Weekly riding to rally his routed army at Cedar Creek near Middletown, Virginia.  Returning from Washington, the general ad rested overnight at Winchester and awoke to the news of battle.

VERMONT AT CEDAR CREEK DISPLAYED:  The actions of the Vermont Brigade are commemorated in the wall-size painting of the battle by Vermont artist Julian Scott. It was purchased by the State in 1874 and now is displayed in the Cedar Creek Room in the Vermont State House.
This battle was chosen by Vermont Civil War veterans because more Vermonters were involved in this battle than in any other Civil War battle. The faces of many actual participants are depicted in Scott's masterpiece.  (Courtesy Vermont State House Curator's Office)

In this detail from The Battle of Cedar Creek, Capt. Thomas Kennedy is carried from the battlefield after being wounded.  (Courtesy Vermont State Curator's Office)

 VERMONT'S ROLE AT BATTLE RECOGNIZED ANEW:  Sen. Joe Benning (Caledonia-Orange) and Vermont Civil War Historian Howard Coffin are spearheading an effort to erect a highway sign at Cedar Creek Battlefield during the 150th anniversary observances this October. The sign, describing the role of Vermont soldiers, is show being unveiled in the Cedar Creek Room in the Vermont State House by House Speaker Shap Smith (left) and Howard Coffin. (Courtesy photo by Joe Benning)

Joe Benning, Howard Coffin and Vermont group with the new Vermont highway sign and display at the 150th Anniversary observances at Cedar Creek Battlefield, October 19, 2014. (courtesy Joe Benning)

     Men from the area participated in both major battles and minor skirmishes of the American Civil War. Since the 150^th anniversary observances began, this column has covered the significant engagements at Bull Run, Antietam, Gettysburg and the Wilderness. This article describes the role of Union forces, including local Vermont and New Hampshire men, at the Battle of Cedar Creek.

     Fought on October 19, 1864, it was the culminating battle for Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. More Vermonters fought in this battle than in any other battle of the war and more than 500 were killed, wounded, or missing. 

     In addition to regimental histories and internet sources, Howard Coffin’s Full Duty, Vermonters in the Civil War and Jonathan A. Noyalias’ The Battle of Cedar Creek: Victory From the Jaws of Defeat provided complete details on the battle. State Senator Joe Benning and the West Fairlee Historical Society also provided valuable information. 

     The fertile Shenandoah Valley, running north and south in western Virginia, was one of the important theatres of the Civil War in 1864.  The Union strategy was to gain control of the valley and prevent its abundant harvest from being used by the Confederacy. It was also to prevent the valley from being used as an “avenue of invasion” against the North.

     For the previous three years, Northern forces had suffered a series of defeats in the Valley, leading one Vermont soldier to refer to it as the “valley of humiliation.” In the summer of 1864 the Union forces there were reorganized under the command of Gen. Philip Sheridan who was charged with the task of wrestling the valley from the Confederates’ grasp. The Union army of 31,000 was opposed by a Confederate force of 20,000 under the command of Gen. Jubal Early.  

     After a series of victories in September and early October, Union forces embarked on a campaign to destroy the valley’s resources. Known as “The Burning,” it involved the destruction of hundreds of barns and mills with their contents of grain and the seizing of 11,000 head of cattle.

     Northern morale, both in the army and at home, soared with these victories. Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee knew, even with these setbacks, that this campaign tied up Union forces that would otherwise be used in the Union attempt to capture the southern capital at Richmond.

     By the second week of October, during a respite from hostilities, the Union force was encamped along Cedar Creek near Middletown, VA.  There was no feeling of impending action and the soldiers rested. One Vermonter wrote “absolute security prevailed.”  Sheridan travelled to Washington, leaving Gen. Horace Wright in command.    

     The Confederate’s Jubal Early was faced with the choice of retreating to replenish his forces or attacking, using surprise as a tactical advantage.  He chose the latter. His reconnaissance suggested that the Union left flank was vulnerable. 

Gen. Stephen Thomas of West Fairlee was officer-of-day and he was concerned. On the afternoon of Oct. 18, he had noticed a group of men in civilian clothes observing the Union lines. He reported his concerns to his superiors, but to no avail.  During the night he rode beyond his picket lines and found himself confronted by enemy soldiers.  He narrowly escaped capture. 

The soldiers he met were the beginning of the major advance against the Union left.  Thomas’s brigade was ordered to hold the line. That 800-man brigade included men from the Vermont 8^th as well as regiments from several other states.

  Many men from the local area were in companies C and D of the 8 ^thInfantry. Capt. Alfred Getchell of Bradford was the commander of Co. D. He was joined by 2^nd Lt. Horace Emerson of Corinth and a number of noncommissioned officers and privates.

      While many in the Union camp were caught asleep or only partially dressed, this brigade fought hand to hand until ordered to fall back. The 8th Vermont lost many of its members in fierce fighting against an overwhelming force. Their gallant stand delayed the enemy advance enough to allow others to withdraw to safety.

      Among the casualties of the 8^th‘s battle that day were John Waldron and George Bean of Newbury, William Bliss of Bradford, Henry Richardson of Topsham, Joseph Rollins of Thetford and Samuel Scott of Ryegate, all wounded during that day.  Sgt. Benjamin Waldron of Newbury was taken prisoner and confined in Libby Prison.  He died three days after being exchanged in April 1865. Franklin Russell of West Fairlee was killed.

     In addition to those of the 8^th Vermont, others casualties included James Greig of Newbury, 3^rd VT who was killed. Alfred Clark of Topsham and Charles Porter of Thetford, both members of the 10^th Vermont, were wounded during the action. In the 6^th Vermont, Charles Stratton of Thetford and John Doyle of Bradford were both taken prisoner.

     Many Union soldiers retreated in unorganized alarm, leaving supplies behind. As the Confederates followed through the deserted Union encampment, the abandoned rations, boots and blankets were too much of a temptation and some stopped to plunder. Considering their deplorable state this was not unexpected.

     Driven back several miles, the Union forces made a stand on a ridge near Middletown.  The Vermont Brigade lay there awaiting the Confederate charge and then answered it with a “staggering volley.”

     Some units began to waiver in the face of the deadly rebel onslaught. It was then that Capt. French, in command of a brigade of New York troops, shouted his famous order to his men: “Don’t run, men, till the Vermonters do.”  Neither Vermonters nor New Yorkers ran away and did not withdraw until ordered to do so.

     All of this time, the Union army was without its commander.  Sheridan, returning from his Washington trip, had rested overnight twelve miles away in Winchester. Riding in haste toward Middletown, he came upon retreating soldiers.  .

     Sheridan rode among the Union forces, his presence instilling confidence among the soldiers. The Burlington Free Press reporter described his appearance: “It was at this crisis that General Sheridan arrived upon the field. He rode rapidly down the pike…and reined up in front of the Brigade and inquired ‘What troops are these?’  ‘The Sixth Corps, the Vermont Brigade’ was shouted almost simultaneously from the ranks. ‘Then we are all right!’ exclaimed the general, and swinging his hat over his head, he rapidly rode to the right amid the exultant shouts of the men.” 

     The Confederates heard these cheers and assumed Union reinforcements had arrived. As the Confederates ranks thinned, the charge lost it momentous. In consideration of the danger of the Union cavalry, Gen. Early ordered the advance halted. It had been successful to this point with his forces capturing numerous prisoners and armaments. 

     This “fatal halt” was considered one of the war’s greatest blunders.  Sheridan forged a plan to reorganize his army north of Middletown and counterattack. Sheridan strengthened the Union line with the Vermont Brigade and the 14^th New Hampshire in the middle and what remained of the Vermont 8^th on the right along with Gen. George Custer’s cavalry. This cavalry included both the 1^st Vermont and 1^st New Hampshire Cavalry regiments.

     About 4 pm the Union line moved forward and immediately came under a “furious fire of musketry.”    At this point Stephen Thomas’ horse Pete was shot. The West Fairlee officer,  temporarily on foot, advanced with his men.  For his heroic actions throughout the battle, Thomas was awarded the Medal of Honor.

     The 8^th Vermont became the first Union regiment to break the enemy line.  The 14^th New Hampshire lost more men killed during this charge than any other unit in the 19^th Corps.

     Significant in the Union advance was the charge of 3,000 cavalrymen. Even as the Union infantry lost thrust, the cavalry continued to advance,  driving  the enemy before it “with great slaughter,” and taking many prisoners.

     Lt. Col. John W. Bennett of Newbury, in command of the 1^st Vermont Cavalry, wrote: “My men rushed upon them as though they were the appointed avengers of their comrades slain.”

     By 5:30 pm the Confederate line had been penetrated.  At this point the Confederate commander realized he had more to lose than gain by continuing the fighting. What had been a Union “skedaddle” in the morning became a Confederate rout in the afternoon.

      Their retreat was complicated by the collapse of a narrow bridge on the Valley Pike.  It had to abandon the captured guns and wagons as well as most of their own. 

     Despite more than twice the number of casualties as the enemy, the Union army seized “victory from the jaws of defeat.”  The South was never again able to mount an invasion of the North through the valley.  The destruction to the valley denied valuable resources to the Confederate cause. 

     The victory had a positive impact on the reelection of President Lincoln and his plan to only end the war with the reunification of the Union.  For Philip Sheridan, the victory at Cedar Creek helped to insure his place among America’s greatest war heroes.

     The Vermont Brigade’s actions in the Battle of Cedar Creek are commemorated in a wall-size painting in what became known as the Cedar Creek Room in the Vermont State House.  It is by Vermont painter and Civil War veteran Julian Scott, himself a Medal of Honor recipient. 

     Scott included in this, his most famous Civil War painting, many of the faces of those who actually participated in the battle.  For example, the painting includes among its many features, Capt. Thomas Kennedy  of the 6^th Vermont being carried from the field  after suffering wounds. 

     It may only be coincidental that Kennedy is portrayed.  Or itt may be that at the time Scott was being commissioned to paint the picture, Kennedy was a member of the Legislature and in a position to influence both this and future commissions by the artist.

     Next week will be the 150^th anniversary of this battle in which many local men participated.  The Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation plans to commemorate and re-enact the battle. It is one of the few re-enactments that take place on an actual battlefield.  The Foundation expects more than 5,000 re-enactors to attend.  

     During a recent visit to the Cedar Creek Battlefield, Caledonia-Orange Senator Joe Benning) noticed the lack of recognition of Vermont’s role.  In collaboration  with Howard Coffin, Benning obtained the approval of the Senate Institutions Committee, of which he is a member, to create a Vermont roadside historical marker to be placed on the battlefield during the 150^th anniversary ceremony. 

     The monument will be unveiled in the middle of the battle re-enactment.  Bennings indicated in a recent news release that “the commander of the Union forces is assembling a formal march-by and battalion salute when the monument is unveiled.”  Benning and Coffin will present the monument and the accompanying display.  That display will include a reproduction of the Julian Scott painting.    

     Among those who cared for the wounded at Cedar Creek were Heman Gillett of Corinth, Samuel Currier of West Fairlee, Cyrus Allen of Thetford and William H. Haskins of Bradford.  Haskins wote a letter to his wife the day on the day before the battle. He wrote of earlier skirmishes, the two encamped armies and the need to be paid.  His family home was in a house that still stands across the street from mine. 

     He also wrote: “You say that you can hardly realize in the quiet of Bradford that there is a war raging in the land. I am aware that people in Vermont know nothing of war comparatively, but if they were in the army an hour or two some days they would have a realizing sense of war that they would never forget.”

     Those who did experience that sense of war, gained through battles such as those mentioned in this and previous articles, never forgot.  My plan is to write one additional article in this Civil War commemoration series.  That will deal with the lives these veterans led after the war’s end in April, 1865. 

     For many their battle experiences shaped the remainder of their lives. We know all too well that this is true of combatants of every war before and after this one.  

Decades of Change-1995-2000

 WORLD WAR II REMEMBRANCE.  On April27, 1995, Oxbow High students met with more

that 50 local residents whose lives had been touch by World War II.  Pictured is former Marine Bob Ames (left) describing fighting at Iwo Jima.  joining him on the panel is Walter Hicks.

 OUTSTANDING SOCCER COACH.  Members of the 1995 Woodsville Engineer soccer team swarm around their coach, Mike Ackerman, congratulating him on his 200th victory in Sept., 1995.  Ackerman has continued these accomplishments, having now coached for 437 victories going into the 2014 season.

 THAT YEAR'S BEST.  Students from the Piermont Village School assemble around the banner declaring their school as the top elementary school in the State of New Hampshire for 1995-1996.

 THE END OF THE LINE.  During 1996-1997, workers removed the rails from the 100-year old Boston and Maine tracks that once serviced Woodsville and Wells River.  When their work was completed, the railroad from Woodsville to Littleton was only a memory.

A MAN WITH A MISSION. Former U. S. Surgeon General C. Edward Koop spoke to the student body at Oxbow in January 1999 about the dangers and difficulties of using and withdrawing from tobacco. Pictured with Koop are students (from left) Dan Gale, Heather St. Martin, David Keck, Melissa Gove and Ashley Emerson. 

TRIAL RUN ON THE NEW WHEELCHAIR RAMP. (Sept. 1998)

     “We Cover the Home Front.” That was the Journal Opinion’s motto during the period from 1995 to 2000.  Reviewing six years of homefront coverage during this busy and beautiful summer was a challenge.  Despite the extra month granted me by the editors, I was tempted to just use the six “Year in Review” columns.  But I didn’t.

     By not taking that short cut, I was treated to the promised coverage of the homefront. There was a chance to read selections from Talk of the Town with its neighborhood columns. Other locally produced columns included reports on the Sunshine Bowling League, Bruce Bishop’ s “Racing Circuit,” Vid Roe’s “Between the Stripes” sports reports, Nessa Flax’s “Rambling Reflection” and Charles Glazer’s “News You Can’t Use.” 

     I would have missed advertisements, wedding and blood drive announcements and in-depth articles describing local individuals and businesses. I would not have noticed changes in the newspaper’s format, staff and office location or splashes of color.

     Also missed would have been the letters to the editor.

      “Oh Those Letters” was the subject of one 1995 editorial as letters were often hostile and divisive. One writer decried, “the same verbose song and dance week after week” with frequent writers battling one another’s arguments and counter arguments. Finally the editors began to limit the length to 400 words. The letters spoke to many of the issues mentioned below.

     In 1996, Willem Lange gave a local presentation entitled “What Makes A Yankee Grumpy.” Government issues raised the irritability level for many. In Bradford, it was the proposal to merge the village and town, a proposal voted down in 1993 and 1998.  Sewage sludge issues plagued Bradford Village and Haverhill.  Property taxes put an “increasing squeeze on the property-rich and the cash-poor.”

     Neighborhood issues like the noise of Bear Ridge Speedway and a junkyard on Orford’s Main Street raised concerns. Zoning was a recurring issue in many towns.

      Dog control and teen control were issues in Haverhill and Bradford. Curfews were considered to discourage young people from hanging around the business district.   One prominent Woodsville businessman described the vagrant youth as “ignorant twerps.” Bradford’s situation resulted in an uncomplimentary article about the village in the Boston Globe. That article was somewhat balanced when Travel & Leisure Magazine named Bradford’s Main Street as one of the best in the nation, saying that it was “so ordinary, its extraordinary.”  

     Vermont’s acceptance of civil unions in 2000 raised the hackles of many conservative Vermonters. Town clerks in Topsham and Corinth refused to issue licenses to same sex couples. Signs proclaiming “Take Back Vermont” or “Keep Vermont Civil” battled each other along roadsides and numerous letters to the editor reflected the deep division within the area. One local legislator lost the next election because of his support for the legislation. 

     As always, school news featured significantly in the newspaper’s coverage of local events.  Many major articles dealt with the creation of the new Rivendell Interstate School District. Beginning with discussions in 1965, voters in Orford, Fairlee, West Fairlee and Vershire gave their “overwhelming mandate to the creation of the new k-12 district in 1998.  Despite birthing pains over costs, curriculum and staffing, voters continued to support Rivendell’s building projects and operating budgets. 

     Piermont Village School was designated as New Hampshire’s Elementary School of the Year in 1998, the same year that Oxbow’s Bob Jones was selected as Vermont’s Secondary Principal of the Year. Other articles dealt with innovations in area schools, including block scheduling, higher order thinking, proficiency levels and BEST Teams. Some staff members complained publically about “too many initiatives.”

     Honor rolls, graduation ceremonies, performances and special programs informed the public of the accomplishments of students and staff. Oxbow’s 1995 celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the end of World War II garnered five separate articles in the same edition. 

     In addition to these complimentary features,  there were articles about student discipline, staff negotiations and performance and school bond issues. School budgets in the millions of dollars rose steadily year after year. A decision by the Vermont Supreme Court and the resulting Act 60 pitted “gold” towns against those with a small per student tax base.

     It was not uncommon for school boards to have to present new budgets repeatedly in order to get taxpayer approval.  One year it took one local district seven votes before final passage. Debate over the use of the Australian ballot was an annual one.

     As in every decade, high school sports were an important part of the social life of any community. During the period from 1995 through 2000 there were a significant number of outstanding athletes and teams.  The full impact of Title IX and the influence of coaches such as Mona Garone were evident in girls’ accomplishments.

     Thetford’s Amanda Waterbury and Jolene Thurston reached the 1,000^th point level in 1995. Oxbow’s girls’ basketball teams won state championships twice during the period and Jasmyn Huntington exceeded her 2,000^th point record and became Vermont’s Player of the Year in 1996. The Oxbow softball team also won the state championship in 1996. BMU’s Katie Nelson achieved the 1,000^th point level in 2000 and Woodsville’s Sarah Lyon reached the 100^th score in soccer in 1997. 

     While play downs were not always kind to area teams, boys’ teams, coaches and players brought home many victories. The Thetford Panthers were soccer champions in 1996 and player David Scott reached 1,000^th basketball points in 1997.

     Woodsville’s Mike Ackerman coached his soccer team to his 200^th win in 1995 and his son Ryan achieved his 100^th soccer point and 1,000^th basketball point in 1998. Oxbow’s Olympians won back-to- back baseball championships in1996 and 1997. Not to be outdone, the Blue Mountain Bucks achieved the baseball championship in 1998 and baseball championships in 1998 and 1999. BMU’s Jim Nelson sunk his 1,000^th point in 1996. 

     Advances in telecommunication and the World Wide Web brought both advantages and challenges to the residents of the area. The newspaper ran a series entitled “The New Frontier” to introduce its readers to cyberspace and in 1999 went on line itself. By the end of the decade most area schools were online, with the accompanying problem of students searching undesirable sites.

     In Orford, Haverhill and Fairlee the issue of proposed telecommunication towers was a concern with both opponents and supporters voicing their opinions. Cable television service continued to be expanded in the region.

     It was announced in 1998 that the Topsham-Corinth area would finally get 4 new public pay phones. Upon the death of its local owner Frank Sahlman in 1999, the Topsham Telephone Company was sold to the New York-based Citizens Telephone Co.

     Bridges old and new were featured in the news of the period. The 170-year old Haverhill-Bath covered bridge was featured in an NBC news program as “the oldest covered bridge in America.” It was restored for pedestrian traffic and replaced by the new Raymond S. Burton Bridge. The nearby Woodsville-Wells River steel stringer bridge was considered for replacement, but instead was rehabilitated in 2001-2003.

     The Samuel Morey Memorial Bridge between Orford and Fairlee was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998 and a major rehabilitation of this 1937 bridge was begun in 2000. The 1928 Bradford-Piermont Bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. East Haverhill residents had a prolonged struggle with the NH Department of Transportation over proposed bridge construction on Rte 25 in their village. 

     Every community had a group of citizens who were willing to spend time improving the life of those who live in their town.  During this period some of those good people passed away. They included Laura Dickey, Camilla Low, Pearl Dimick, Charles Brainerd, Frank Stiegler, Freda Williams, Ed Wendell,Sr, Dick Fischer, Mervil Bruleigh, Katrina Munn, Gilbert Cole, Jim Perry, Richard Kinder, Isabel Whitney, Alice Hodgson and Mona Garone.  

     In addition to significant wedding anniversaries and birthdays, there was a number of community anniversaries observed.  West Fairlee celebrated its 200^th year in 1997. One hundred and fiftieth year milestones were attained by the Lyme Town Band and the Corinth Academy in 1996 and Bradford’s Grace United Methodist Church in 1999.  The century mark was reached in 1996 by Woodsville’s St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, followed by Fairlee Public Library in 1998 and Orford Social Library in 2000.

     Each of the previous seven chapters in this series has listed changes in the area’s business community. This period had a full share of closings and openings, with many businesses lasting only a short time.  Piermont’s only large grocery store was destroyed by fire. Closed or replaced were Woodsville’s Hovey’s Department Store, Haverhill’s Grossman’s, Bradford’s Purple Plum and Figaro’s Restaurants and Fairlee’s Bonnie Oaks and Rutledge Inn.

     Wing’s Grocery Store in Fairlee and Aldrich’s in North Haverhill both moved to new larger facilities and Bradford’s Grand Union became the P & C. Wells River Savings Bank built a new branch office in Fairlee.  Copeland Furniture opened a factory outlet in Bradford Village. Bradford’s loss of Pratt’s Propane and Upper Valley Press was Haverhill’s gain. Kinney Drugs opened a new facility on Bradford’s Lower Plain.

     The Bradford Historical Society acquired a new museum room in the newly retrofitted Bradford Academy Building and Haverhill’s Ladd Street School and Alumni Hall underwent renovations. The Corinth Historical Society opened its new Agricultural and Trade Museum. Both North Haverhill’s and Newbury’s libraries added additions.

     Other building projects that were completed included the Haverhill’s Horse Meadow Senior Center, the Wells River Welcome Center, a new Bradford Fire Station, the Woodsville Emergency Service Building and the Bradford Village Apartments. Cottage Hospital built an outpatient center in honor of Dr. Muffin Lyons and Corinth’s Valley Health Center was renovated. Bradford Elementary School got a new “front yard” and Blue Mountain got a makeover.  A new park was proposed adjacent to the Bradford falls at the same time that a new state park was created in the Lake Tarleton area and both Woodsville and E. Ryegate got new playgrounds.    

     Additionally, the new north-bound I-91 Welcome Center was opened, Dean Memorial Airport was enhanced, Newbury got its long-anticipated Veterans War Memorial Park at Halls Lake and improvements were made to several municipal water and sewer systems. In Woodsville and Wells River, downtown revitalization projects were undertaken.  Two banks opened offices in Lyme.

     Agricultural issues were not as frequently mentioned.  Under the title “Not just cows anymore,” were articles about the raising of llamas and fallow deer.  There were still occasional farm auctions.  The “Dairy of Distinction” award was given to a number of family farms in the area. The Gladstone Family Farm of Fairlee, with its large milking herd, presented a look at the future of dairy farming. 

     My notes on the newspaper’s coverage always contain a number of items that might be described as miscellaneous, the unusual or bizarre.  Each one might be worthy of a paragraph or two, but a listing will have to suffice here. They include Gene Puffer’s nomination to the Vermont Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1998 and South Ryegate’s Hannah Nelson’s selection as Miss Vermont in 2000.

    The includes the lost Learjet that was finally found in Dorchester.  In East Orange, the auction of $800,000 in gold bullion and a stable of vintage automobiles gained national attention.  The Y2K Millennium Bug that threatened to upset our way of life never materialized.  Fred Tuttle, “the man with a plan,” created a sensation in his race against incumbent Senator Patrick Leahy.

     Standing back from the local events covered by this series helps one to see the patterns in local affairs. It may seem as though the repetitiveness in those patterns give the impression that we are stuck in place.

     Each new decade, however, brings new characters, characteristics and outcomes along with a generous sprinkling of the unusual just to keep things interesting.  Problems that seem heated, chaotic and insurmountable are just as often dealt with through meaningful application of democratic principles.  And that’s the way it should be.