USA > Connecticut > New London County > Norwich > A historical discourse delivered in Norwich, Connecticut, September 7, 1859, at the bi-centennial celebration of the settlement of the town > Part 3
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* This house, once noted for the Separate meetings which were held in it, still stands on the road to Bean Hill, one of the oldest buildings in town
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. Mr. Whitaker to England, in connection with the establishment of the Indian school of Dr. Wheelock ; the part which Norwich took in the French war; the " non-importation agreement;" the reception of the stamp act; the famous meeting at Peck's tavern. of which to-morrow (remember " Wilkes and the eighth of September!") will be the anniversary ; and the other exciting events which were a prelude to the war of Independence, are all topics in the unraveling of which an antiquary of the present day would find especial pleasure .*
It is the period on which the lamp of personal recollection first casts for us a ray of light. Those who are now our "oldest inhabitants," born some ninety years ago, must remember many who were active in political and mercantile affairs in the middle of the last century. The, time is thus distant enough to charm us with fascinating enigmas, near enough to reward with a full revelation, the patient and dili- gent inquirer. As a whole, we may distinguish it as a period of growth, of new and varied phases of enter- prise, and of general prosperity, as well as of earnest discussion and decided action in regard to the very foundations of civil liberty. But lest the bell which still announces nine o'clock to the residents of the old town plot -long may the custom last ! - should inter- rupt our story, we must hasten forward to events more
* See note L.
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interesting to a large assembly - the interest which our fathers took in the American revolution.
In that important struggle, Connecticut performed a part which can not be too much extolled. Providence had ordered that in the most of her territory, she should be spared the horrors of actual bloodshed. But her labors for the common cause of independence were surpassed by none of the colonies. Her contribu- tions in men and money were beyond those of any of the other states except Massachusetts, and in propor- tion to the number of inhabitants were larger even than those of the old Bay state. She well deserved the designation of " the provision state," and the name of her noble patriot governor, "Brother Jonathan." has fitly become a sobriquet of the nation.
The history of Norwich, during the whole period of the American revolution, presents, in many respects. a miniature view of the history of the state and of the country There were several circumstances, moreover, which unitedly gave it an importance equaled by no other town in Connecticut, except. perhaps, the capitals. On the bank of a large river, several miles from the sound, it was not exposed, like New London, to the attack of a hostile fleet. nor too far inland, like Lebanon, to be a store place for the army. It was on the highway between Boston and " New York, convenient to the residence of Governor Trumbull, surrounded by a productive farming coun-
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try, and inhabited by men of wealth, sagacity and patriotism.
Credit enough has never been bestowed upon our Norwich fathers for the part they took in the war. Hundreds of letters, never printed, some of them hid in garrets for the last half century, have passed under my examination within the past few weeks, and I rise from their perusal amazed at the circumstantial record they present of the diligent exertions and the patriotic sacrifices which were made by the citizens of this town to secure the blessings which, as a nation, we enjoy.
One family is especially identified with the history of those days - I refer, you anticipate me in supposing that I refer, to the Huntingtons. Foremost among them in the early stages of the war stood General Jabez Huntington, the incidents of whose life are worthy of grateful remembrance at this time. A descendant in the fourth generation of deacon Simon Huntington, one of the original proprietors of the town, he added new lustre to a name even then dis- tinguished in the history of Norwich. He was the son of Joshua Huntington, and was born in August, 1719. After graduating at Yale College, in 1741, in company with Governor Livingston, of New Jersey, Rev. Dr. Samuel Hopkins, and other distinguished men, he returned to Norwich and entered upon commercial pursuits. The trade of this place, as we shall see in another connection, was then remarkably extended,
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and among the successful merchants, none stood higher; and none acquired a handsomer fortune than he. In 1750 he was chosen to represent the town in the general assembly, and for several years afterward he was either a member of the lower house, over which he often presided, or was one of the Assistants. While attending the semi-annual meetings of the legis- lature, he would write home to his son, Joshua Hunt- ington, particular directions in respect to the farm and store, always closing his letters with a devout petition for the blessing of divine providence on all his family. When Governor Fitch, in 1765, presented to his council the stamp act, and proposed that they should adminis- ter to him the oath which would require the execu- tion of that obnoxious measure, Jabez Huntington, and his cousin Hezekiah, the other member from Norwich, voted, with a majority of the council, to do no such thing, and (when four of the councilors pro- ceeded to administer the oath) indignantly left the chamber.# In 1774, he was chosen moderator of the meeting in which Norwich declared itself in favor of liberty. When hostilities commenced in 1775, he was appointed one of the committee of safety to aid the governor by counsel when the legislature was not in session, and in this arduous post he remained during most of the war. In December, 1776, he was appoint- ed one of the two major generals of the militia of
* Stuart's Life of Trumbull.
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Connecticut, the rank of which office may best be understood by mentioning that the brigadiers, appoint- ed at the same time, were such distinguished men as Dyer, Wadsworth, Salstonstall, Oliver Wolcott, and Gold S. Silliman; and on the death of his senior, General Wooster, he was appointed, in May, 1777, sole major general, and was authorized, without orders from the governor and council, to call out the militia for the defense of this and neighboring states. Toward the close of the war, his health broke down under the pressure of his losses and labors, and after remaining some years a severe sufferer, he died October 5th, 1786, aged 67. In 1741, he had made a public pro- fession of religion, and his whole course in life evinced the sincerity of his faith.
A large part of the papers of General Jabez Hunt- ington have unfortunately perished. From those which are preserved we are able to see that his corre- spondence was very wide and important. His sons wrote to him by every opportunity, from the various camps in which they were stationed, giving him, with the confidence of children, minute details respecting men and measures. His replies were equally frequent. In them all are evinced his patriotic and religious spirit. Washington, Lafayette, Hancock, and other such men, occasionally addressed him, and the influen- tial patriots of his own state - Trumbull, Sherman. Williams, and Samuel Huntington - were in continual correspondence with him.
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The merit of General Huntington does not consist alone in his self-consecration to the cause of American freedom. He was the father of five sons and two daughters, all of whom were early imbued with his own patriotic spirit. It was clear that if he engaged in the opening conflict, his property and theirs would be seriously diminished, and perhaps entirely confis- cated. Chiefly solicitous in regard to their interests. he assembled them, one day, to advise what course should be pursued. He laid before them the great interests at stake, both public and personal. Should the colonial arms be victorious, private prosperity might be sacrificed in the struggle, but American liberty would be secure. Should the British forces triumph, no one could foretell the ignominy and suffering to which, as rebellious subjects, they would certainly be exposed.
Accustomed, in all his ways, to ask for guidance from above, he called upon his family to bow with him in prayer. We can not doubt that the petitions which arose from that family altar were humble and' devout, and that the God of battles listened to his cry.
At length, having first consulted his wife, he called upon his children in turn, beginning with his eldest, and asked for their opinions. They answered with one voice, daughter and son alike. That voice was for Liberty! Nobly did their after course redeem the pledge thus sacredly given, to devote both purse and
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· sword to the interests of their country. Four of the sons, Jedediah, Andrew, Joshua, and Ebenezer, and their brother-in-law, Col. John Chester, soon entered the army -one of the brothers being too young for such service. The other brother-in-law (Rev. Dr. Strong) for a time fulfilled the duties of his sacred office by acting as a chaplain in the army. This band of brothers were found in service from the time of the earliest entrenchments on Bunker's Hill to the decisive victory on the plains of Yorktown. If the annals of the revolution record the name of any family which contributed more to that great struggle, I have yet to learn it.
Associated with General Jabez Huntington, in coun- sel and action, were two younger men, bearing the same surname, although belonging to different branches of this wide-spread family.
One of those to whom I refer, was the Hon. Ben- jamin Huntington, (sometimes familiarly known as "Judge Ben,") a native of this town and a graduate of Yale college in the class of 1761. He early entered upon the practice of law in this place, bringing to his chosen profession so much of talent and energy that he soon rose to the foremost rank. For many years he avoided public life, but in 1775 he was appointed one of the council of safety in Connecticut, and his interest in the common cause did not permit him to decline that responsible and arduous post. In 1781
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he was chosen to represent the state in the continental congress, which he did until 1784. He was re-appoint- ed in 1787; and in 1789, when the present form of government was established, he was one of the repre- sentatives of Connecticut in the first United States congress. As a member of both houses of the state legislature, as judge of the supreme court, and as the first mayor of the city of Norwich, he evinced the same wisdom and public spirit which had been dis- played in the councils of the nation.
A third member of this family, Hon. Samuel Hunt- ington, remotely connected with the two just named. had the rare privilege, as we now esteem it, of sign- ing his name to the declaration of independence. Although born in Windham, he was a descendant of one of the original proprietors of this town, and removed here in 1760, to pursue the practice of law. After representing the town for four years in the general assembly, he was appointed king's attorney. and continued so for several years. In 1774 he was an associate judge of the supreme court. At the opening of the war, he also was appointed one of the council of safety for the state. In 1775, he was chosen a member of the continental congress, which. on the fourth of July, in the following year. declared the colonies free. I have before me the original letter in which he briefly announces this important transac- tion to his townsman, General Jabez Huntington :
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hut there is a still more interesting letter, addressed to the same person, by the honorable William Williams, likewise one of the Signers of the Declaration, from which, as it has never been printed, I quote a few lines, to show the estimate which he placed on the services of his colleague. It is dated Philadelphia, September 30th, 1776, and reads as follows : -
" If our assembly rechose their Delegates, I hope they will be guided by Wisdom and Prudence. I must say that M' Sherman, from his early acquaint- ance, his good sense, Judgment, steadiness and inflexible Integrity, has acquired much Respect, and is an exceeding valuable member; and so is Mr Hunt- ington, truly judicious, upright and worthy the Trust In spight of that awful contempt of Religion and Goodness too visible, &c., Integrity and Virtue do and will command Respect. For my part I neither expect nor wish to remain here - the Burden is exceeding great. But in this critical time the acquaintance the others have with the run and connection of affairs, is very usefull. It is of very great Importance that whoever attend here should be men of Uprightness and Integrity, inflexibly resolved to pursue and serve the great cause, insensible to motives of ambition, interest and any other applause than that of a good Conscience."
With such a character, it is not surprising that Mr. Huntington was chosen, in 1779, to be the president of
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congress, and that he was re-chosen in 1780. After this time he resumed his seat upon the bench in Con- necticut, till he was again sent to congress in 1783. In the next year he was chosen lieutenant governor and appointed chief justice of the state, and two years afterward, on the death of Matthew Griswold, he was elected governor, and was annually returned to that honorable post, with singular unanimity, for ten suc- cessive years. He died in office, in 1796. The funeral sermon, which was preached by the Rev. Dr. Strong. bears witness to the sincerity of his character and the uprightness of his life. The history of the country declares the wisdom of his counsel, the excellence of his judgment, and the purity of his unfailing patriot- ism.
These three men, whose frequent appointment by their fellow citizens to posts of responsibility in peace and war, we have noticed, all members of the Con- necticut council of safety, may fitly be characterized as the counselors whom Norwich furnished to the nation and the state in the trying emergencies of the war of independence. It is certainly remarkable that three of the nine men who constituted that original council of safety were residents of Norwich -and each of the three was a Huntington. They are men of whom we may justly be proud; men to whom the country will for ever be indebted. Precious are the tombs which hold the dust of such patriots - may
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they never be suffered to decay ! More precious are the perishable letters and papers in which their hands recorded the history of a nation's birth ; may no future fire diminish the number, enhancing their price though not lessening their value, like the famous books of the sibyl! Dearest of all is the reputation they have left for sagacity, prudence, and inflexible integrity, guided in action by a love of liberty, unfailing and unselfish. As the years roll on, may grateful posterity emulate their virtues, while honoring their names !
When the actual conflict in arms began at Lexing- ton, it was clear that an army must be raised, and an army maintained. The first was an easy task. Thou- sands of willing men, your own ancestors among them, marched immediately for Bunker's Hill. But where were their arms, their ammunition, their blankets, their food, their means of conveyance, to come from ? On whom should devolve the drudgery of raising supplies for those who were in the field; of caring for the almost widowed wives and almost orphan children who were left at home; of raising the funds which then as much as now were the sinews of war ? This was a labor none the less arduous because it was less conspicuous.
Of the men in Norwich most actively engaged in this difficult service, none deserves more honorable mention than Captain, or as he was afterward called, Colonel Christopher Leffingwell. As I mention his
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name, there are many present who will recall his stately and venerable form, his head white with years. the dignified bearing which marked a gentleman of the old school, and the energetic manner which was equally characteristic of a successful man of business. At the time of the war, he was in the prime of life, residing in a house still standing near the Leffingwell corner. He had been long engaged in trade and manufactures, several branches of which he was first to introduce. A lineal descendant of Lieutenant Thomas Leffingwell, and connected by birth and marriage with others of the old established families, he also ranked in property and character, among the foremost citizens of that day. Like almost all his townsmen, he was an early and constant friend of the colonial cause, never stopping to inquire whether this implied hostility to old mother England would affect injuriously his intended trade. Named by his fellow- citizens, at the famous meeting of June 6th, 1774, as one of the committee of correspondence for the town, the chief labor of that arduous post appears to have fallen upon him. From the papers still preserved with pious care by one of his descendants,* it is clear that his correspondence was not merely oficial, but that his familiar acquaintance with influential men through- out the country, added greatly to his usefulness, in
* Mrs. Augustus Russell Street, of New Haven, to whose valuable collec- tion of autographs I am indebted for many important papers.
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. those days of embarrassment and doubt. Let me mention some examples, interesting, not only as per- sonal memorials, but as indications of what was in progress here in " the days of seventy-six."
Five days before the battle of Lexington, we find John Hancock, president of the provincial congress just adjourned, thanking Mr. Leffingwell for the im- portant intelligence he had communicated; which appears to have been a full private letter from England, giving an account of the action of the ministry. The first announcement of the battles of Lexington and Concord was addressed to him, and I hold before you that original document from which, not only the citizens of Norwich, but Governor Trumbull himself, first heard those alarming tidings. Colonel Jedediah Huntington writes to him, a little later, from the camp at Roxbury, and Joseph Trumbull from the camp at Cambridge, asking for supplies. Whenever New London was threatened by the enemy's fleet, a message was sent to Norwich, and more than once Captain Leffingwell and his light infantry went down to the defense of their friends at the river's mouth. " No company appeared so well as the Norwich light infantry, under Captain Leffingwell," says our historian. General Parsons, on his way to Bunker's Hill, June 10th, 1775, writes that one of his companies will lodge at Norwich -Captain Leffingwell must provide for
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them. In May, 1776, Nicholas Brown, of Providence. sends him muskets to be forwarded to General Wash- ington -relying on "his well known lead in the common cause, to send them as soon as possible." At a later day, load after load of tents is brought him to be forwarded with all expedition to the Com- mander-in-chief.
These are but illustrations of the innumerable calls which were made upon him. Amid them all, he exer- cised a generous hospitality, while his daughters. celebrated as belles, gracefully contributed to the entertainment of the guests. In August, 1776, Colonel Wadsworth introduces to him an English loyalist, who had been advised to leave New York, but who is worthy of respectful and considerate treatment in the rural districts. Titus Hosmer introduces to him, Mr. Timothy Dwight-who had been a tutor several years "in our college," (the same who was afterward to be the distinguished president of that institution,) and "who thinks of settling in Norwich for the practice of the law." General Washington, in one of his visits, partakes of the hospitalities of the Leffingwell home. and Governor Trumbull sends his respectful apology that he is unable to meet, at Mr. Leffingwell's, the Commander-in-chief.
Captain Leffingwell was not a man for emergencies merely. In quiet times he was equally energetic and equally serviceable to his native town. To him
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belongs the credit of establishing a paper mill at the falls, the first ever built in the state, and one of the first in the country. More than that, his memory shall be ever green among us while the noble arch of elms, whose grateful shade has this morning sheltered our procession, reminds us that when the war was over and the spear became a pruning hook, he planted those sentinels of peace which still protect your homes. Let the city of elms bestow the laurels on Captain James Hillhouse - Norwich shall weave them for Captain Christopher Leffingwell.
But this honored man is connected in an interesting way with another important event - the capture of Ticonderoga at the beginning of the war. He was one of those sagacious citizens of Connecticut who saw the importance of promptly securing the forts upon lake Champlain, and who quietly united in sending a committee to Vermont, supplied with the necessary funds, to engage the services of Colonel Ethan Allen and "the green mountain boys" for that hazardous undertaking. A short time ago this little book which I hold before you, and which has long been carefully treasured among the papers of Captain Leffingwell, was placed in my hands. It proves to be an original journal of that expedition, kept by our neighbor Major Elward Mott, of Preston, "chairman of the com- mittee," addressed to Christopher Leffingwell, at whose request the bold officer from across the Shetucket appears to have become the head - perhaps I should
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say the plenipotentiary - of this Connecticut embassy to Vermont. The record begins at Preston, April 28th, 1775, and closes at Ticonderoga, May 10th. It is too long to read in full on this occasion, but one page is of too much local interest to be withheld.s A native of this town, (whose dishonored name I will not mention in this place,) acting under a commission from Massachusetts, endeavored to supersede Allen in his command, even after the latter had entered the fort "in the name of Jehovah and the continental congress." He insisted that as Allen had no legal orders, he had no right to continue in command. "On which," says Major Mott, "I wrote Colonel Allen his orders as followeth," viz :
To COLONEL ETHAN ALLEN : SIR : - Whereas, agree- able to the power and authority to us given by the colony of Connecticut, we have appointed you to take the command of a party of men and reduce and take possession of the garrison of Ticonderoga and its dependences, and as you are now in possession of the same, you are hereby directed to keep the command of said garrison for the use of the American colonies. till you have further orders from the colony of Con- necticut, or from the continental congress.
Signed per order of the committee.
EDWARD MOTT, chairman of committee.
Ticonderoga, May 10th, 1775.
* The entire paper, edited by J. II. Trumbull, Esq., may be looked for in the collections of the Coun. Hist. Society, vol. I., soon to be published in Hartford.
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So we see that the hero of Ticonderoga was com- missioned by a Preston major, sent out by a Norwichi captain, in spite of the protest of a Norwich colonel who acted under the authority of a Massachusetts commission.
Norwich may furthermore claim the honor of fur- nishing for the army the most distinguished surgeon of the day, Dr. Philip Turner, surgeon general of the eastern department of the army. He was born in 1740, the son of Philip Turner, of Scituate, Mass., who removed to Norwich early in life, and married here. The ancestor of the family in this country is Hum- phrey Turner, who came from Essex, England, in 1630, and settled in Scituate, Mass. Dr. Philip Turner studied medicine with the famous Dr. Elisha Tracy, of Norwich, whose eldest daughter he married. He entered the army as early as 1759, and remained in it during the French war, till after the peace of 1763. In March, 1760, he was appointed surgeon's mate in the fourth regiment of Connecticut troops, and in 1761, in the first regiment. At Fort Edward, and elsewhere, he saw much service, and early became noted as the most skillful operative surgeon of. New England. At the opening of the revolutionary struggle, he was commissioned by Governor Trumbull as physician and surgeon of the troops sent to New York, and at a little later period, on the organization of a medical department in the continental army, he
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was named by Congress, surgeon general of the eastern department. On the change in the organization of the department, but one surgeon general was appoint- ed, and Dr. Turner withdrew from active service.
In 1777 he was appointed director general of the general military hospital, but he did not enter upon the office, which was subsequently given to Dr. Shippen, of Philadelphia. Several years after the war was over, he removed in 1800 to New York, to take charge of the government hospitals, and in 1815 he died in that important post, at the age of 75 years.
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