Events Along The Way - "We Were Received Particularly Well In This Small Town"

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What do trolley rides, an asparagus festival, and the Brimfield Flea Market have to do with the march of the Convention Army?  Nothing directly, but all are events occurring the next few weeks in towns along the route of the 1777 march of the Convention Army.  Exploring history doesn't mean we can't look beyond primary sources and historical sites to learn a little more about the people and places along the way.    

Vendor's tent at the Brimfield Antique Fleamarket
First to consider date-wise is the Brimfield Flea Market.  The "spring show", one of three held each year, runs from May 9th to the 14th.  If you have never been to Brimfield, it's an experience worth considering.  It is not a single flea market or antique show, but a collection of overlapping sales in the fields along Route 20 west from the center of town.  Vendors offer a dazzling array of items, ranging from traditional antiques to industrial salvage, fine pieces and some junk, as well as food and beverage.  Some fields are open every day, some only certain days.  Admission is free to some fields, but charged for others.  The further away you park the less you pay, but the more you walk.  Plan for a lot of walking.  Wear comfortable shoes, bring water and snacks, and dress for the weather.  Rain or shine, sales start early and continue until it's dark.  You may find a bargain, or like the troops of the Convention Army, you may find that for some vendors: "Curiosity drove them here but in order to not make the whole trip in vain, they brought all sorts of victuals, which they did not sell any too cheaply..." [1]

As to a connection with the Convention Army, it's possible that the German column passed through a corner of Brimfield on their march from Palmer to Western, now the town of Warren.  Exactly which roads they took in that area is a bit of a mystery, but we know for sure that at least one of Burgoyne's men spent time in the town.  

Julius Friedrich Wasmus, a company surgeon, was captured at the Battle of Bennington on August 16, 1777.  Following his capture, Wasmus was marched to Bennington, Vermont, then south through Pownal, Williamstown and Pittsfield before traveling down to Tyringham and heading east through Blandford, Westfield and Springfield, arriving in Brimfield September 21, 1777.  Wasmus was a prisoner of war, and held separately from those of Burgoyne's army who were surrendered at Saratoga.  Though a prisoner, he was allowed to travel from Brimfield to Brookfield at the beginning of November, spending the night of the 2nd there, visiting with comrades passing through with the Convention Army.  [2] 

On May 20th, a week after Brimfield ends, the Hoosick Township Historical Society and Friends of the Bennington Battlefield are hosting the Hoosick History and Heritage Fair, with free trolley rides from the Armory to the Bennington Battlefield.  The British column arrived in the Hoosick area and stopped at Saint Croix (present day North Hoosick) on October 20, 1777, and departed Hoosick on October 21st and 22nd. According to the Historical Society's newsletter, the day will include displays by local historical societies, food for sale, demonstrations and kid focused tables, as well as the trolley rides.

Also on the 20th, the town of West Brookfield will be holding its annual Asparagus, Flower and Heritage Festival.  Massachusetts Militiaman David How noted that on November 1st, he and some of his fellow guards were in Brookfield, "... waiting for the prisoners to all Get together & Draw provisions". [3]  That would not have included asparagus, as according to town lore it was first grown in America in West Brookfield some time between 1794 and 1798 (and of course, asparagus is not in season in November in New England).  According to our local weekly newspaper, among the offerings will be the First Congregational Church of West Brookfield's asparagus chowder, hot by the cup and cold by the quart.  The current church, built in 1942, dates from well after the march of the Convention Army, but is on the site of its predecessors, the first built there in 1757.

I've been to the Hoosick Township Historical Society's museum, and to a Christmas celebration on the West Brookfield Common.  Both were welcoming and a good time.  I would have to agree with Brunswicker Lieutenant August William Du Roi who passed through Brookfield in 1778, on the march of the Convention Army from Massachusetts to Virginia, and noted: "We were received particularly well in this small town." [4]  

[1] Specht, p.104.
[2] Wasmus, pp. 71, 74-78, 84 and 90.
[3] How, p. 50.
[4] Journal of Du Roi The Elder, p. 132.

Next Week: Mothers Day - "A Soldier's Wife Was Delivered Of A Child"

For more on the Convention Army's 1777 march from Saratoga to Boston, see:


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