The Siege of Shelburne Blockhouse

On a little patch of grass, wedged between a half-sized basketball court and the entry to a short boat ramp, in a small park on an out of the way road in a little town sits a large stone embedded with a bronze plaque. Dedicated in October of 1913, the plaque tells the story of the Battle of Shelburne Blockhouse, a little known skirmish that occurred on the Vermont shore of Lake Champlain during the American Revolution.

There's a monument over there.

In 1770, a gentleman by the name of Moses Pierson (or Peirson, or Person, depending on the source document) built a house and barn on 1,000 acres of property that he had bought in Shelburne in the New Hampshire Grants. Some sources say the house was a cabin, most state it as a “blockhouse”. Mr. Pierson's house must have been a well-known stopover point, as it is mentioned in the journal of Lieutenant John Fassett, Jr. of Colonel Seth Warner's Regiment in 1775, and during the day related here, two men, described as travelers, were spending the night at the house.

Area of Moses Pierson's property - Today Shelburne Town Beach & private lands.

As the monument states, on March 12, 1778, Moses Pierson, his family, guests, and some militia from the Rutland/Clarendon area were attacked by a band of Indians and “British dressed as Indians”. The attackers came from the lake, possibly on skates or snowshoes (accounts vary) likely with a target of capturing wheat that the Piersons had harvested the season before.

Shelburne Town Beach - Location of the Moses Pierson Monument

The attack began roughly an hour before dawn. The two travelers, named Woodward and Daniels, along with Barnabas Barnum of the militia, were killed in the initial assault on the blockhouse. One account states that Barnum was shot as he looked out of a blockhouse window. Another states that he was killed outside while trying to extinguish flames as the attackers tried to set fire to the building.

Meech Island, south of the cove - Burial place of Moses Pierson's son James.

The men inside the blockhouse were able to fight off the assault, which continued for about two hours. During that time, the attackers did succeed in setting fire to the building. One story goes that Thomas Sawyer, of the militia, offered his pocket-watch to anyone who would go to extinguish the flames. Corporal Joseph Williams took him up on his offer, but finding no water, used a freshly brewed batch of Mrs. Pierson's beer to put out the fire. Another version of the story says that a Captain Sanger ordered the contents of the beer barrel to be used, and several men went outside to kill the flames. Both accounts agree, however, that the building was saved by beer.

Area northwest of the monument - General area of the Pierson Blockhouse and barn.

When the fight was over, it was found that in addition to the three dead men in the Pierson's house, several of the enemy had been killed, including the British commander and an Indian Chief. Legend has it that the enemy had dragged some of their dead to the Lake, where they tossed them in a hole in the ice.

Further west along the north side of the cove.

Being a bad researcher, I've drawn this story from several secondary sources, which, of course, I haven't noted. Being a good researcher, I'm beginning to look into primary, or at least period, accounts of the action. My youngest daughter and I also visited the monument site today, so that I can have a better picture of the landscape. Fortunately, most of the area is still farmland, so it looks much like it may have then. Unfortunately, that farmland is all private property, so we were restricted to viewing the area from the Shelburne Town Beach.

The Monument.

Reading the secondary accounts, it seems the attack was carried out by roughly 60 men (one account says 57, one says 64), and the blockhouse was defended by roughly 24, including Moses Pierson's family. In some aspects, the accounts are vague. In others, they are incredibly detailed. For instance, one source that I read mentioned that Moses himself wasn't wounded, but had taken a shot through his shirt that passed just below his arm. Accounts also state that Pierson's young daughters, who were lying on beds within the house, where not hurt, though balls from the enemy muskets were found lodged in the headboards. I look forward to researching this action more, through both contemporary and period sources.