USA > Connecticut > The history of Connecticut, from the first settlement of the colony to the adoption of the present constitution, vol. II > Part 1
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Gc 974.6 H72h v.2 1208921
M, L.
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01150 5101
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015
https://archive.org/details/historyofconnect00holl 1
1
У, Усуточек 1
april 30, 1833-
Tamted by Jom Trumbull
Eng by J . Kellogg
6 on; frambule
Engraved for Hollisters History of Connecticut.
THE
HISTORY
OF
CONNECTICUT,
FROM THE
FIRST SETTLEMENT OF THE COLONY TO THE ADOPTION OF THE PRESENT CONSTITUTION.
BY G. H. HOLLISTER.
In Two Volumes: VOL. II.
" Their force would be most disproportionately exerted against a brave, generous, and united peo- ple, with arms in their hands and courage in their hearts; three millions of people, the genuine descendants of a valiant and pious ancestry, driven to those deserts by the narrow maxims of a superstitious tyranny."-Earl of Chatham.
Ac 974.6 H12h V. 2
NEW HAVEN: DURRIE AND PECK. 1855.
ENTERED, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, . BY G. H. HOLLISTER, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Connecticut.
R. H. HOBBS, Stereotyper, Hartford, Ct.
CASE, TIFFANY & CO., Printers, Hartford, Conn.
Canner-$15.00(2002)
PREFACE.
1208921
WHEN employed in writing the first volume of this work, it was a pleasure to dwell upon the traits of individual men who fell under my observation. But on reaching the period of the last French war, the population of the colony was found to have multiplied so rapidly that the task became more difficult, and when the attempt was made to give an account of men who lived, and events which transpired three quarters of a century later, it appeared almost impossible to embrace within a small volume even an outline of our history. Aware of the many imperfections of this work, it would be ungrateful in me not to acknowl- edge that it would have been much more open to criticism than it is, had not the contributions of friends, too numerous to be named here, been used without stint as they were given without reserve.
The names of some of these contributors have been already mentioned in notes. To them should be added those of the Rev. Tryon Edwards, D.D., the Rev. Chauncey A. Goodrich, D.D., the Hon. Roger S. Baldwin, LL. D., the Hon. O. S. Seymour, the Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, LL. D., the Hon. Joseph Trumbull, LL. D., the Hon. S. P. Beers, the Hon. Henry Barnard, LL. D., the Rev. Gurdon Robbins, and of Charles F. Sedgwick, Ralph D. Smith, George C. Woodruff, Gustavus F. Davis, Dwight Morris, John C. Comstock, and Charles J. Hoadley, Esquires.
Most especially do I acknowledge an indebtedness which I never can repay to my excellent friend, P. K. Kilbourn, A.M., of Litchfield, for more than two years of unintermitted toil by day and by night, in reading over, copying, collating, and indexing the records of the colony of New Haven, as well as those of Connecticut ; in gathering all the fragmentary evidence, so valueless in its crude state, of fifteen of our old towns, and placing it at my disposal ; in compiling and arranging the appendix to both volumes ; in preparing the major part of the notes to be found in this work ; in searching printed authorities and miscellaneous manuscripts, and writ- ing letters, scrutinizing the evidences which have been woven into the text, and in short, doing what I had neither the time nor ability to do in adding to the histori- cal value and to the completeness of the work. I should have been unable to do even the little that I have done, without him, and am not willing to let this occasion pass without attempting to do him justice. As a genealogist, I have never seen his superior.
I am also indebted to John Kilbourn, A.M., for some valuable statistics, and for other assistance which I had little occasion to expect from one not born in Con- necticut, and who had spent most of his life in other states.
iv
PREFACE.
As this work was not commenced under the promptings of any desire to obtain money or win popularity, but from the mere love of the subject of which it treats, I have no occasion to solicit the indulgence of the public. Still the kindness of the legislature of the state, whose history I have attempted to illustrate, in making an appropriation to aid me in embellishing my work with portraits of some of her noblest sons, I can no more forget, than I can be unmind- ful of the generosity and eloquence with which that appropriation was advocated by John Cotton Smith, Esquire, then a comparative stranger to me, and the assiduity with which he has aided the work in too many ways to be mentioned in a single paragraph.
In another part of this volume, I have made a brief allusion to the kind assist- ance afforded me by my personal friend Mr. George F. Wright. It is a source of much pleasure to me, when I reflect that the old town within whose limits we both were born, can count among her Masons, her Porters, her Days, her Whittle- seys, her Kirbys, her Mitchels, her Wheatons, her Bushnells, her Brinsmades, her Leavitts, and her other historical names, an artist whose fine genius and taste will be devoted to adorn the little republic whose name is but a synonym for Liberty. The two designs for the state coat of arms that appear in this work, as well as the elegant paintings from which Governors Saltonstall, and John Cotton Smith, were engraved, were all done by his hand.
Doubtless the critical reader will discover in this volume errors which ought to be corrected, and will find that many events and many names have been either omitted entirely or briefly touched upon, which will seem to him deserving of a more minute notice.
Will the careful antiquary, more especially if he be a descendant of those men who have fought the battles of the colony, or aided in making its laws, be kind enough to forward to the author such facts as he has in his possession, and impart in a private and friendly way his views upon all points of our history which appear to him to have been neglected. All such suggestions will be thank- fully received, and will afford a basis of future estimate, as well of men as of causes and effects. Perhaps the reader who has formed his taste after such models as Dr. Robertson, will complain that this work does not follow in the old fashioned historical track. The author pleads guilty to the accusation. The day has gone by, when the mere dry details of wars, and civic intrigues, will ever be read with interest. The writer of the present day addresses himself not to the few who are versed in the dead languages, but to the many who read the English tongue.
Besides, this is a mere local history. It pretends to do nothing more than to give an account of a small commonwealth. In order to do this effectually, it is necessary to present in a lively way, the incidents connected with our progress as a people, from the earliest existence of our government. Sketches of individual character, of domestic life, pictures of " the age of home-spun," of the privations and the struggles which could tame the wild lands, wild men, and wild beasts of a new country, and sow its fallow ground with the seeds of civil and religious liberty, can alone " hold the mirror up to nature" and show us the very body and soul of our past.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
PAGE
The last French War .- A turn in our path; Windham county in- corporated; incorporation of Willington, East Haddam, Somers, Union, Harwinton, Canaan, Kent, Sharon, New Hartford, New Fairfield, Cornwall, Torrington, Salisbury, and Goshen ; jealousy of the French ; plan of fortifications; the French reduce Nova Scotia ; hostilities continue; the French and English commission- ers fail in the attempts to negotiate a peace; the "Ohio Com- pany ;" encroachments of the French; Fort Du Quesne; Colonel George Washington's victory ; Fort Necessity; Washington sur- rendered to De Villier ; meeting of commissioners at Albany ; consolidation opposed by Connecticut, and finally defeated ; opposi- tion to the scheme of the ministry ; Braddock embarks at Cork; vigilance of the French; the French and English fleets; letter from Sir Thomas Robinson; troops to be raised ; bills of credit ; officers appointed ; expedition against Crown Point; Baron Dies- kan ; Colonel Williams, Hendrick, and others, slain ; the provin- cials repulsed, but finally victorious ; more troops raised and offi- cers appointed ; the objects accomplished ; General William John- son knighted ; Shirley's expedition; close of the campaign of 1755.
CHAPTER II.
Campaigns of 1756 and 1759 .- Declaration of war between France and England; Shirley superceded by Abercrombie ; plan of the campaign; Winslow appointed to command the expedition against Crown Point; Abercrombie proceeds to Albany with his British troops; jealousy between the British and Colonial officers; Earl of Loudoun ; his arrogance ; gallant defense of Colonel Bradstreet ; inefficiency of General Webb; Montcalm; Fort Oswego besieged; death of Colonel Mercer; the garrison capitulates ; conduct
17
vi
CONTENTS.
PAGE
of Montcalm and his Indian allies; retreat of General Webb; in- glorious close of the campaign of 1756; the contrast; chagrin of the people of New England ; preparations for a new campaign ; arrival of the fleet from England ; expedition against Crown Point abandoned; Lord Loudoun's expedition against Louisbourg ; his return to New York; General Webb visits Fort William Henry ; Israel Putnam; Fort William Henry reinforced by Colonel Mon- roe ; Montcalm opens the siege ; Monroe implores assistance from General Webb ; the general advises him to surrender ; he capitu- lates ; Montcalm neglects to provide a suitable escort; Indian bar- barities; Putnam visits the scene of slaughter ; more troops called for; response of Connecticut.
45
CHAPTER III.
Campaign of 1758 .- Convention of governors at Hartford ; the con- ference proves unsatisfactory ; chagrin of Lord Loudoun ; he is superceded by General Abercrombie; the curse of bad rulers ; re- capitulation ; the new ministry ; popularity of Pitt ; special assem- bly convened; plan of a new campaign ; apportionment of troops ; Connecticut votes to raise five thousand soldiers ; officers appoint- ed; bills of credit issued; taxes laid ; commissioners appointed ; fleet and armament arrive from England ; movement against Louis- bourg; capture of Louisbourg ; expedition against Ticonderoga and Crown Point; interview between Lord Howe and Major Put- nam; death of Lord Howe ; his character; humanity of Putnam ; Colonel Bradstreet ; Colonel Whiting; Ticonderoga; an ill-con- trived attack ; the assault abandoned; indignation of the provin- cial and English troops; unpopularity of Abercrombie; Majors Rogers and Putnam; Molang; the ambush ; gallant conduct of Putnam; his capture and torture ; the Indians attempt to burn him ; he is rescued by Molang; review of the campaign.
CHAPTER IV.
Campaigns of 1759 and 1760 .- Proposed plan of operations ; twenty thousand men wanted from the colonies ; the Assembly convened ; letter from Mr. Pitt; it is resolved to raise three thousand six hundred soldiers in Connecticut ; officers appointed; bills of credit ; our quota is increased to five thousand men ; General Am- herst; his march toward Lake Champlain; he takes possession of
67
vii
CONTENTS.
PAGE
Ticonderoga and Crown Point; capture of Fort Niagara; expedi- tion of General Wolfe; he encamps on the Isle of Orleans; Que- bec ; Admirals Saunders and Holmes ; Wolfe makes an attack, but is repulsed ; a council of officers; it is determined to renew the attack; Gray's Elegy; the Heights of Quebec are scaled; the army arranged on the Plains of Abraham ; surprise of Montcalm ; his plan of battle; the battle; the fall of Wolfe; death of Mont- calm; the victory of the English and provincials; Monsieur Levi attempts to recover Quebec; Murray attacks him, but is repulsed ; the enemy open the siege ; timely arrival of the English fleet ; the destruction of the French fleet ; flight of the French troops ; Con- necticut resolves to raise five thousand fresh troops ; plan of a new campaign ; Amherst marches against Oswego ; exploits of Put- nam on the Lake; Montreal and the whole country claimed by the French, surrenders to Amherst ; a day of thanksgiving cele- brated throughout New England ; the war continues ; Connecti- cut raises three thousand two hundred troops for the service ; the campaign ; reduction of Martinique, and other French islands ; reduction of Havanna ; ravages of disease ; peace ; Connecticut officers.
CHAPTER V.
The Stamp Act .- National Debt of England; the colonies to be taxed ; a new administration ; stamp duties ; the sugar act ; the people of New England excited ; a committee appointed to op- pose the stamp act ; their report ; Richard Jackson, Esq .; Jared Ingersoll, Esq. ; their opposition to the stamp act ; inquiries of Lord Halifax ; Ingersoll's remonstrance ; Colonel Barre ; his de- fense of the colonies ; passage of the stamp act ; opposition of the clergy ; measures of the populace ; Mr. Ingersoll accepts the office of stamp-master ; the Sons of Liberty ; the people insist upon the resignation of the stamp-master ; the cavalcade; his resignation ; John Durkee ; Colonel Putnam and Governor Fitch ; repeal of the stamp act. . 120
CHAPTER VI.
The Boston Port Bill .- The new ministry ; Lord Greenville and Townshend ; new revenue bill ; alarm among the colonies ; mob in Boston ; ships of war and an armed force arrive in Boston ;
92
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CONTENTS.
PAGE
non-importation agreement ; mock-festival in Norwich ; a revenue- sloop stationed at New London ; convention of the mercantile and landed interests at New Haven ; New York merchants censured for violating the articles of agreement ; domestic manufactures ; committees of inspection ; the Duke of Richmond ; the Boston Port Bill ; a day of humiliation and prayer ; war-like preparations in Connecticut ; contributions to the people of Boston ; meeting in Glastenbury ; Stonington ; letter from Joseph Warren; Putnam and Durkee ; the march toward Boston ; delegates to Congress ; recommendations of Congress.
. 141
CHAPTER VII.
Battle of Lexington and Fall of Ticonderoga .- March of General Gage ; stores at Worcester and Concord ; Pitcairn ; the fight at Concord and Lexington ; the march against Ticonderoga; Allen and Arnold ; Allen's address to his soldiers; the garrison surren- ders ; Captain De La Place ; Warren captures Crown Point; Lake Champlain in possession of the Americans; the Green Mountain Boys. 160
CHAPTER VIII.
Battle of Bunker Hill .-- Colonel Putnam starts for Concord; the Connecticut militia follow him; Major Durkee; action of the Gen- eral Assembly ; troops raised and officers appointed ; the standards of our regiments; the military code; Connecticut pays the bills contracted in the capture of Ticonderoga; new recruits; the British army; the American camp at Cambridge ; Connecticut officers; Chester's company ; Noddle's and Hog Islands ; Gage's Proclamation ; General Warren; disposition of the army ; char- acter and condition of the provincials; inefficiency of Con- gress ; opposition to a general engagement ; the matter debated ; the counsels of Putnam prevail; fortifications erected ; Colonel Prescott; the intrenching party ; day-light; astonishment of the enemy ; the fight commences ; the chaplain and Colonel Prescott ; progress of the battle ; incidents ; General Ward's conduct; activity of Putnam ; British officers; Captain Chester's letter ; interview between Putnam and Warren; Major Small; Colonel Abercrombie ; death of General Warren ; close of the battle. . 173
ix
CONTENTS.
PAGE
CHAPTER IX.
Expedition against Canada .- Election of general officers by Con- gress; speech of the chiefs and warriors of the Oneida Indians; General Washington joins the army at Cambridge; meeting of Washington and Putnam ; action of the Continental Congress; the three vines ; invasion of our coast; Governor Tryon; Captain Isaac Sears; destruction of Rivington's press ; the Indians; Ar- nold's Expedition through the wilderness; Generals Montgomery, Wooster, and Schuyler ; Colonel Allen and Major Brown ; Allen taken prisoner; the provincials take possession of Montreal ; un- successful attempt upon Quebec; Wooster in command of the northern army; conduct of Schuyler; Wooster appeals to Con- gress ; his character vindicated.
227
CHAPTER X.
The British Evacuate Boston .- Congress and Washington ; difficul- ties encountered ; troubles in New York; Captain Sears and Gen- eral Lee ; troops raised in Connecticut for New York city ; threat of Gen. Lee ; gallant exploit of Colonel Knowlton; a farce and tragedy ; condition of the British troops in Boston; General Howe's mis- mangement; debate in council; Dorchester Heights; Colonel Gridley ; Howe's astonishment; preparations for battle; Howe summons a council of war; he determines to evacuate Boston ; measures of Washington ; embarkation of the British troops. . . . 242
CHAPTER XI.
Battle on Long Island .- The enemy bound for New York; General Sullivan marches toward that city; Putnam commands in New York ; his measures; the Assembly of Connecticut; their acts and resolves; melting of the statue of George III. ; distribution of the bullets ; the Wolcotts; appointment of officers; new recruits and officers; the American camp; Putnam; the " American Tur- tle ;" Connecticut troops march for New York; Long Island; a battle; Connecticut soldiers; triumph of the enemy ; General Howe knighted; the Americans evacuate Long Island; situation of Washington ; Captain Nathan Hale ; his fate ; Governor Tryon entertained by Mrs. Murray; the " orchard fight ;" death of Major Chapman ; Colonel William Douglas; death of Knowlton; White Plains; Fort Washington ; Captain Beebe's company ; the New
x
CONTENTS.
PAGE
York convention ; Washington retreats through the Jerseys; Mor- ristown ; the northern army ; General Waterbury; Sir Guy Carle- ton ; his humanity. 259
CHAPTER XII.
Burning of Danbury. Death of Wooster .- Governor Tryon; Gen- eral Howe; Tryon's expedition ; incident at Hoyt's Hill; Danbury burnt; the retreat; Silliman, Wooster, and Arnold; Wooster mortally wounded; action at Ridgefield; Colonel Deming; Tryon . re-embarks ; death and character of Wooster ; Colonel Meigs' ex- pedition to Long Island. 296
CHAPTER XIII.
Princeton and the Highlands .- Putnam and McPherson; the old army and the new ; Peekskill and Westchester ; Colonel Meigs ; Nathan Palmer hung as a spy ; Sir Henry Clinton ; the enemy capture Fort Montgomery ; Major Humphreys; burning of Gen- eral Delaney's mansion; West Point .. . 309
CHAPTER XIV.
The Northern Department. Capture of Burgoyne .-- General Schuy- ler ; designs of Burgoyne; he approaches Ticonderoga ; retreat of St. Clair ; he withdraws to Fort Edward; Americans defeated at Hubbardston ; Gates supercedes Schuyler as commander of the northern army; battle at Bennington ; general engagement at Saratoga, September 19th; movements of the two armies; Bur- goyne surrenders ; terms of capitulation ; Captain Seymour; in- dignity offered to Burgoyne. 319
CHAPTER XV.
Wyoming .- The Susquehannah Company ; description of Wyoming ; the land purchased ; Congress at Albany; emigrants from Con- necticut settle in the valley ; they are driven off by the Indians; renewed attempts to settle there; settlers under the Pennsylvania claim ; Captain Ogden ; Sheriff Jennings ; Connecticut settlers im-
CONTENTS.
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PAGE
prisoned; they are released on bail, and again imprisoned ; at- tempts to negotiate a settlement of the controversy ; Fort Durkee often captured and re-captured ; Zebulon Butler ; negotiations re- newed, but without success ; Wyoming is annexed to Litchfield county, and called the town of Westmoreland; the contest between the settlers and the government of Pennsylvania continues ; Colo- nel Plunket; the Revolution ; patriotism of the settlers; scouting parties and spies ; the soldiers of Wyoming called off on duty ; invasion of the valley by Colonel John Butler; defense of Colonel Zebulon Butler ; death of Captain Durkee ; the "massacre of Wy- oming ; shocking incidents; list of the slain ; Captain John Frank- lin ; Indian murders and captivities ; the old contest revived ; com- missioners meet at Trenton ; their decision adverse to Connecticut ; compromise proposed by the Pennsylvania land-holders; the set- tlers driven off; their wrongs and sufferings ; charged with trea- son ; imprisonment of Colonel Franklin; abduction of Colonel Pickering; confirming laws ..
330
CHAPTER XVI.
Brandywine, Germantown, and Horseneck .- Battle of the Brandy- wine; Germantown; Colonel Swift; Lieutenant Morris; Mud Island; Lieutenant-Colonel Russell; session of the General Assem- bly; Generals Putnam and Wolcott; Colonels Trumbull and Wadsworth ; Valley Forge; the enemy evacuate Philadelphia ; battle of Monmouth ; Sullivan attempts to recover Rhode Island ; defense of the sea-coast; troops raised; the public debt ; General Putnam's quarters at Reading ; a revolt suppressed; the enemy at Horseneck; Putnam's wonderful escape ; Tryon's excursion to New Haven; he burns Fairfield, Green's Farms, and Norwalk ; Governor Tryon and General Parsons ; storming of Stony Point ; Major Tallmadge's expedition to Long Island ; General Putnam disabled ; more troops to be raised ; convention called at Hartford ; dragoons and French troops quartered in Connecticut; the south- ern campaign; Washington and Rochambeau in Hartford; the treason of Arnold; fate of Major Andre; Jonathan Trumbull; Major Tallmadge; Mr. Champion's prayer ; a revolt; the French squadron ; mails intercepted ; French and American troops march toward New York; they formed a junction near White Plains ; a reconnoisance ; plan of operations charged ; the coast- guard.
363
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CONTENTS.
PAGE
CHAPTER XVII.
Arnold burns New London. Fall of Forts Trumbull and Griswold. Frequent disturbances on the Sound; prizes taken; Arnold sails for New London; Colonel Ledyard ; Captains Shapley and Latham ; condition of the forts ; conduct of Arnold ; Lord Dalrymple; New London burnt ; the forts summoned to surrender ; Ledyard's re- ply; his gallant defense ; murder of Ledyard, Shapley, and Chap- man; the massacre; Captain Beckwith ; torture of the wounded;
anecdotes of Arnold. . 396
CHAPTER XVIII.
Yorktown. Trumbull and Putnam-Major Tallmadge; the French fleet ; Yorktown; the allied armies; the combined armies of America and France form a junction with Lafayette at Williams- burg, and from this point march against Lord Cornwallis ; rela- tive numbers of the two armies; the British strongly fortified at Yorktown; the storming of the outposts ; the forlorn hope; Colo- nel Alexander Hamilton ; Captain James Morris, of Litchfield, commands the company at the head of the column that supports the forlorn hope; the post carried; the allied forces get possession of the grounds that overlook the town; the British hemmed in on all sides; the artillery begin to play upon the town; Cornwallis attempts to cross over to Gloucester, and force his way through the troops on that side of the river; a violent storm ; flag of truce sent out, requesting cessation of hostilities for the space of twenty- four hours; General Washington sends back word that he will grant them two hours only ; surrender of Cornwallis ; the contest determined; treaty of peace ; important statement of Dr. Strong ; Colonel Seth Warner; sketch of Governor Trumbull ; . 415 the last days of Putnam ; his character. .
CHAPTER XIX.
The Constitution of the United States .- Meeting of the convention ; the Connecticut delegation ; their participation in the debates; the services rendered by them; the Shermans; the Ellsworths; the Johnsons; the debate continued; each article of the constitution considered separately ; the influence of the Connecticut delegates; meeting of the state convention; speech of Oliver Ellsworth ; rati- fication of the federal constitution.
. 435
CONTENTS.
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PAGE
CHAPTER XX.
New and Derivative Towns .- Organization of Litchfield, Middlesex, and Tolland counties; Lebanon, Woodstock, Suffield, Enfield, Somers, Reading, Chatham, East Windsor, Southington, Washing- ton, Cheshire, Watertown, East Hartford, Hartland, Norfolk, Barkhamsted, Winchester, Colebrook, Bridgeport, and other modern towns. . 463
CHAPTER XXI.
Miscellaneous Events. War of 1812. Hartford Convention .- Our first senators and representatives in Congress ; religious tolera- tion ; turnpike roads ; Massachusetts' boundary; General Eaton's expedition ; Captain Isaac Hull ; the embargo; declaration of war against Great Britain ; legislative action ; opposition to the war ; Governor Griswold ; the Constitution and Guerriere ; death of Gov- ernor Griswold; Governor Smith ; Commodore Decatur's squadron blockaded in New London harbor; a torpedo-ship ; General Bur- beck; "blue lights ;" spirited adventures; Captain John How- ard ; bombardment of Stonington; Commodore Hardy ; Commo- dore McDonough; the General Assembly; controversy between the state and general governments; Hartford convention; roll of delegates; doings of the convention ; sketches of the delegates from Connecticut; the General Government supplicated ; news of peace arrives ; exchange of salutes. . 472
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