Bayley Hazen Military Road
Encyclopedia
The Bayley–Hazen Military Road was a military road that was originally planned to run from Newbury, Vermont
to St. John's, Quebec
, not far from Montreal
. 54 miles (86.9 km), running from Newbury to Hazens Notch
near the Canadian
border, were constructed between 1776 and 1779 during the American Revolutionary War
. Portions of the road's route are used by modern roads today.
The road is named for the principal proponents of its construction. Jacob Bayley and Moses Hazen
were among the founders of Newbury and nearby Haverhill, New Hampshire
, and Hazen also had property interests at St. John's. The idea for the road featured prominently in several proposals (promoted primarily by Hazen to George Washington
and the Second Continental Congress
) for invasions of Quebec by Continental Army
forces following the failed 1775 invasion
.
ended in 1760, several veterans of that war founded the communities of Haverhill
and Newbury
on either side of the Connecticut River
in the far north of the British province of New Hampshire
. The land on the west side of the river was the subject of disputes between New Hampshire and the province of New York
, and was known then as the New Hampshire Grants
; this territory eventually became the state of Vermont
.
, to support the Continental Army
's 1775 invasion of Quebec
, asked Thomas Johnson, a local landowner to blaze a trail to St. John's on the Richelieu River
near Montreal
that army regiments could use to reach the area. On March 26, 1776, Johnson and four men set out through the snow, covering the 100 miles (160.9 km) to St. John's in 11 days. Several Continental Army regiments made their way along this trail that year, prompting Washington to order construction of a road. Jacob Bayley and 60 men constructed, apparently at Bayley's expense, about six miles (10 km) (into present-day Peacham, Vermont
) until rumors arrived that a British army was coming down the trail to stop them. The construction was abandandoned amid concerns of invasion in the small communities. (Only a small company of Canadiens came down the trail as far as Peacham.) It is unclear whether Bayley was ever repaid for this work.
and that of Colonel Timothy Bedel
worked on the road throughout the summer of 1779, extending it through the present-day communities of Cabot, Walden
, Hardwick
, Greensboro
, Craftsbury
, Albany, and Lowell
. Blockhouse
s were also constructed along the route, at Peacham, Cabot, Walden, and Greensboro. Work was abandoned when the road reached the place now known as Hazens Notch
in Westfield
, again on rumors that the British were sending a force to stop the construction work.
and other small Vermont communities may have included Peacham and nearby communities as targets. Strong local militia may have deterred the raiders from making an attack there. Jacob Bayley was also targeted by the British for kidnapping; at least one attempt was made using the road, which failed as Bayley was alerted to the plan.
of Vermont. Little evidence of the original road exists, as much of its route has been taken over by state and local roads, but there have been reports of archaeologists locating isolated sections of corduroy
.
Newbury (town), Vermont
Newbury is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,955 at the 2000 census. Newbury includes the villages of Newbury, Center Newbury, West Newbury, South Newbury, Boltonville, Peach Four Corners, and Wells River.-History:...
to St. John's, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, not far from Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. 54 miles (86.9 km), running from Newbury to Hazens Notch
Hazens Notch
Hazen's Notch is a mountain pass in Westfield, in the northern Green Mountains of Vermont. Hazen's Notch was named after Moses Hazen who in 1779 led the construction of the Bayley Hazen Military Road as far as this point on a route which started at Newbury, Vermont and was originally planned to...
near the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
border, were constructed between 1776 and 1779 during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. Portions of the road's route are used by modern roads today.
The road is named for the principal proponents of its construction. Jacob Bayley and Moses Hazen
Moses Hazen
Moses Hazen was a Brigadier General in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Born in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, he saw action in the French and Indian War with Rogers' Rangers. His service included particularly brutal raids during the Expulsion of the Acadians and...
were among the founders of Newbury and nearby Haverhill, New Hampshire
Haverhill, New Hampshire
Haverhill is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,697 at the 2010 census. Haverhill includes the villages of Woodsville, Pike, and North Haverhill, the historic town center at Haverhill Corner, and the district of Mountain Lakes...
, and Hazen also had property interests at St. John's. The idea for the road featured prominently in several proposals (promoted primarily by Hazen to George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
and the Second Continental Congress
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that started meeting on May 10, 1775, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, soon after warfare in the American Revolutionary War had begun. It succeeded the First Continental Congress, which met briefly during 1774,...
) for invasions of Quebec by Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
forces following the failed 1775 invasion
Invasion of Canada (1775)
The Invasion of Canada in 1775 was the first major military initiative by the newly formed Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The objective of the campaign was to gain military control of the British Province of Quebec, and convince the French-speaking Canadiens to join the...
.
Background
After hostilities in the French and Indian WarFrench and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
ended in 1760, several veterans of that war founded the communities of Haverhill
Haverhill, New Hampshire
Haverhill is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,697 at the 2010 census. Haverhill includes the villages of Woodsville, Pike, and North Haverhill, the historic town center at Haverhill Corner, and the district of Mountain Lakes...
and Newbury
Newbury, Vermont
Newbury could be either of the following places in the U.S. state of Vermont:*Newbury , Vermont*Newbury , Vermont...
on either side of the Connecticut River
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
in the far north of the British province of New Hampshire
Province of New Hampshire
The Province of New Hampshire is a name first given in 1629 to the territory between the Merrimack and Piscataqua rivers on the eastern coast of North America. It was formally organized as an English royal colony on October 7, 1691, during the period of English colonization...
. The land on the west side of the river was the subject of disputes between New Hampshire and the province of New York
Province of New York
The Province of New York was an English and later British crown territory that originally included all of the present U.S. states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Vermont, along with inland portions of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine, as well as eastern Pennsylvania...
, and was known then as the New Hampshire Grants
New Hampshire Grants
The New Hampshire Grants or Benning Wentworth Grants were land grants made between 1749 and 1764 by the provincial governor of New Hampshire, Benning Wentworth. The land grants, totaling about 135 , were made on land claimed by New Hampshire west of the Connecticut River, territory that was also...
; this territory eventually became the state of Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
.
First construction
Work to develop the road occurred first in 1776. General George WashingtonGeorge Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
, to support the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
's 1775 invasion of Quebec
Invasion of Canada (1775)
The Invasion of Canada in 1775 was the first major military initiative by the newly formed Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The objective of the campaign was to gain military control of the British Province of Quebec, and convince the French-speaking Canadiens to join the...
, asked Thomas Johnson, a local landowner to blaze a trail to St. John's on the Richelieu River
Richelieu River
The Richelieu River is a river in Quebec, Canada. It flows from the north end of Lake Champlain about north, ending at the confluence with the St. Lawrence River at Sorel-Tracy, Quebec downstream and northeast of Montreal...
near Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
that army regiments could use to reach the area. On March 26, 1776, Johnson and four men set out through the snow, covering the 100 miles (160.9 km) to St. John's in 11 days. Several Continental Army regiments made their way along this trail that year, prompting Washington to order construction of a road. Jacob Bayley and 60 men constructed, apparently at Bayley's expense, about six miles (10 km) (into present-day Peacham, Vermont
Peacham, Vermont
Peacham is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 665 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 47.7 square miles , of which 46.7 square miles is land and 0.9 square mile is...
) until rumors arrived that a British army was coming down the trail to stop them. The construction was abandandoned amid concerns of invasion in the small communities. (Only a small company of Canadiens came down the trail as far as Peacham.) It is unclear whether Bayley was ever repaid for this work.
Second construction
Moses Hazen, then colonel in the Continental Army, was directed by Washington in the spring of 1779 to renew construction of the road. His regiment2nd Canadian Regiment
The 2nd Canadian Regiment, also known as Congress' Own or Hazen's Regiment, was authorized on January 20, 1776, and raised in the province of Quebec for service with the Continental Army under the command of Colonel Moses Hazen. All or part of the regiment saw action at the Staten Island,...
and that of Colonel Timothy Bedel
Timothy Bedel
Timothy Bedel was a soldier and local leader prominent in the early history of New Hampshire and Vermont.Bedel was born in Amesbury, Massachusetts...
worked on the road throughout the summer of 1779, extending it through the present-day communities of Cabot, Walden
Walden, Vermont
Walden is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 782 at the 2000 census. The community has no ZIP code of its own; mail is routed through the West Danville and East Hardwick post offices.-Geography:...
, Hardwick
Hardwick, Vermont
Hardwick is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,174 at the 2000 census.It contains the incorporated village of Hardwick and the unincorporated villages of East Hardwick and Mackville...
, Greensboro
Greensboro, Vermont
Greensboro is the southernmost town in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 770 at the 2000 census. The town includes the places of Campbells Corners, East Greensboro, Gebbie Corner, Greensboro Four Corners, Greensboro Bend, The Four Corners, Tolmans Corner, and Burlington...
, Craftsbury
Craftsbury, Vermont
Craftsbury is a town in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,136 at the 2000 census. The town includes the four unincorporated villages of Craftsbury Common, Mill Village, North Craftsbury and East Craftsbury.-Town:...
, Albany, and Lowell
Lowell, Vermont
Lowell is the westernmost town in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 738 at the 2000 census.-School District:* Budget - $1,199,600* Principal - Scott Boskind...
. Blockhouse
Blockhouse
In military science, a blockhouse is a small, isolated fort in the form of a single building. It serves as a defensive strong point against any enemy that does not possess siege equipment or, in modern times, artillery...
s were also constructed along the route, at Peacham, Cabot, Walden, and Greensboro. Work was abandoned when the road reached the place now known as Hazens Notch
Hazens Notch
Hazen's Notch is a mountain pass in Westfield, in the northern Green Mountains of Vermont. Hazen's Notch was named after Moses Hazen who in 1779 led the construction of the Bayley Hazen Military Road as far as this point on a route which started at Newbury, Vermont and was originally planned to...
in Westfield
Westfield, Vermont
Westfield is a town in Orleans County, Vermont in the United States. The population was 503 at the 2000 census. It is the least densely populated town in the county...
, again on rumors that the British were sending a force to stop the construction work.
Revolutionary war uses
Even after construction was abandoned on the road, the blockhouses on the route were manned, and occasionally subjected to minor skirmishes and scouting actions. The road was apparently identified by the British for use in raiding expeditions in 1780; the raid against RoyaltonRoyalton
Royalton may refer to a place in the United States:* Royalton, Illinois* Royalton, Indiana* Royalton, Kentucky* Royalton Township, Michigan* Royalton, Minnesota* Royalton Township, Pine County, Minnesota* Royalton, New York* Royalton, Ohio...
and other small Vermont communities may have included Peacham and nearby communities as targets. Strong local militia may have deterred the raiders from making an attack there. Jacob Bayley was also targeted by the British for kidnapping; at least one attempt was made using the road, which failed as Bayley was alerted to the plan.
After the war
The road was the only road in the area, and became a route for migration and development of the Northeast KingdomNortheast Kingdom
The Northeast Kingdom is a term used to describe the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Vermont, comprising Essex, Orleans and Caledonia Counties and having a population of 62,438. In Vermont, the written term "NEK" is often used. The term is attributed to the late George D. Aiken, former...
of Vermont. Little evidence of the original road exists, as much of its route has been taken over by state and local roads, but there have been reports of archaeologists locating isolated sections of corduroy
Corduroy road
A corduroy road or log road is a type of road made by placing sand-covered logs perpendicular to the direction of the road over a low or swampy area....
.