Preface. NAPOLEON has somewhere said that a history of an army could not be written till the history of its regiments had been written. This holds equally good with the history of a Union like ours. If you would tell its story truthfully you must go back to its first elements. It is by seeing what each town and village had done, that we arrive at a satisfactory narrative of what each state has done. Thus the office of town historian is a very important office. It gathers up with minute accuracy the incidents of town and village life, and prepares them for the hand of the historian, and what is even more important, it tells you the story of their great men; their "guiltless Cromwells" and their mute inglorious Miltons." It is only by the means of preliminary labors like these, that a general history of the United States becomes possible. The volume which we here offer to the public, is one of these elementary volumes which requires industry, zeal, and candid criticism; to all of which I venture to lay claim. I have grown enthusiastic over anecdotes and details which have no place in general history, but without which local coloring is lost and truth disguised. Such as it is I offer this volume, (the result of many laborious days), to the kind acceptance of my fellow townsmen. |