From The Connecticut River Valley in Southern Vermont and New Hampshire: Historical Sketches by Lyman S. Hayes, Tuttle Co., Marble City Press, Rutland, VT., 1929, page 287:
ROCKINGHAM IN THE WAR OF 1812
While the records of this town are very complete regarding the action of the voters on all questions of general policy during the Revolutionary War, the Civil War and the World War, there is only one reference to the War of 1812 with England.
A town meeting September 28, 1812, has this record:
"2dly, it was motioned & seconded to see if the town will raise money to make up the deficiency of the solldiers wages who are gone to Burlington from said Rockkingham, and said motion was passed in the negative.
"3dly voted to raise One cent on the dollar, or on the list of 1812, for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the Mlitia who are gone to Burlington."
Throughout this town, as well as throughout the state, there was evidently a wide divergence of opinion regarding the wisdom or necessity of the war. As a whole the state was very evenly divided between the two political parties of that day, the Republican, known as " The War Party," and the Federalist, known as "The Peace Party."
At the outbreak of the war the Republicans were in the ascendency in Vermont and Governor Gaiusha took the necessary action for raising Vermont's quota (3,000) of the 100,000 militia asked for by President Madison. The Legislature in October, 1812, following the declaration of war, authorized the raising of troops for service and levied additional taxes on lands for the BuppoIi and arming of the militia. It also passed an act prohibiting any person from crossing the Canadian line, [288] or transporting any goods or merchandise across the boundary without permission of the governor, under a penalty of $1,000 fine and seven years' imprisonment.
These measures were considered by many of the people as oppressive, and great bitterness of feeling sprang up between the two parties. Governor Galusha ordered the militia to do duty at Plattsburg, N. Y., thereby displeasing the peace party, the members of which claimed that the troops should not be taken outside the state.
The action of this town, as stated, probably refers to the militia sent to Plattsburg, and from taking such action it is evident that the majority disapproved of the policy of the State Government. Many Vermonters who had at first favored the war now left the Republican ranks and went over to the Federal party. By the time the elections were held, in the fall of 1813, party spirit was running high, so much so that harmony between families in some instances was destroyed. There was no election of governor that year by the people, and the legislature elected the Federal candidate, Martin Chittenden, by a small majority.
During these years Bill Blake was one of the most prominent citizens of Bellows Falls, owning the paper mills then located there, and taking a very aggressive part with the Peace party. He had occasion to visit the northern part of the state on business, and a long sworn statement from him appears in the "Washingtonian, " a paper published at Windsor at that time. He gave a vivid description of the conditions this side of the border, having been held up six or eight times during [289] his trip, and his sleigh examined for goods many miles this side of the border. He claimed the officials patrolling that section were less courteous and polite than they are reputed to be now, 115 years later. Times change, and each decade and century has its own problems to solve.