“Voted that _this Town will (if y^{e} Honorable Congress shall for y^{e} safety of y^{e} United Colonies declare them INDEPENDENT of y^{e} Kingdom of Great Britain) Solemnly Engage with their LIVES and FORTUNES to Support them in y^{e} Measure_, and that y^{e} Clerk be directed to make an attested copy of this Vote and forward y^{e} same to Mr. Saxton, Representative for this town, to be laid before the General Court for their Information.” Here was treason proclaimed and recorded, and every voter was exposed to its penalty. Ten days later the Continental Congress issued the world-stirring Declaration of Independence. On Burgoyne’s invasion in 1777 a company under Captain Joseph Stebbins and Lieutenant John Bardwell marched for Bennington. They were too late for the battle at Walloomsack, and found the meeting-house filled with Stark’s Hessian prisoners. But they had their share in the work and glory of rounding up and capturing the proud soldiers of Burgoyne. Deerfield had statesmen as well as soldiers. May 1, 1780, the town met to consider the new Constitution of Massachusetts; the clerk read the instrument “paragraph by paragraph with pauses between.” After due discussion, a committee was chosen to “peruse the Constitution ... and make such objections to it as they think ought to be made.” Three town-meetings were held, the committee reported, and finally a vote was passed “not to accept the third Article in the Declaration of Rights,” and that a candidate for governor must “Declare himself of the Protestant Religion” instead of “Christian Religion.” The term of eight years instead of fifteen was voted as the time when the Constitution should be revised. With these changes, our civic wisdom approved of this important State paper. Deerfield did her full duty in furnishing her [Illustration: George Fuller 1822-1884.] quota of men and supplies through the war. Occasionally, in the later years of the struggle, the Tories temporarily obstructed the necessary town legislation. Some of these soon found themselves behind the bars, and others in enforced silence under penalty of like restraint. The minister, Mr. Ashley, who had been firm in his loyalty, died in 1780, and the Tories lost one of their strongest supports. Not until 1787 could the town unite upon his successor, when Rev. John Taylor was ordained. The uprising called Shays’ Rebellion did much to harmonize the warring factions, as all united to put it down. Three companies, under Captains Joseph Stebbins, Samuel Childs and Thomas W. Dickinson, were sent to the field of action.