USA > Connecticut > A history of Connecticut > Part 11
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FIRST STATE HOUSE IN HARTFORD. (Begun in 1719; occupied in 1720.)
vessels engaged in fishing, and carried on quite a brisk trade with the West Indies. A copper mine was opened in Sims- bury ; but, like other ventures of the kind in after-years, it did not prove profitable. The excavated mine at Simsbury was used for a long time as a State prison.
After the adoption of the Saybrook Platform, the power of the clergy was increased ; and the Assembly at different times called attention to the state of religion in the colony, and the necessity of a more rigorous enforcement of the laws regarding sabbath-breaking, and the sins of lying, swearing, and intemperance. Some trouble was caused by a sect known as Rogerenes, that flourished mostly in the neighbor- hood of New London. While their doctrines were ob-
1724, '27.] PERIOD OF THE LAST FRENCH WARS. 141
noxious to their neighbors, the principal annoyance came through the indecencies of dress and behavior that marked the more than eccentric action of this peculiar people.2 Their irregularities probably prompted the passing of a law by which a fine of twenty shillings was imposed upon per- sons absenting themselves from their "lawful congrega- tion," and assembling for worship in private houses.
Governor Saltonstall died in 1724.3 For sixteen years he had performed the duties of his office with vigor and ability. The removal of the college from Saybrook to New Haven, and questions of ecclesiastical order, had required rare tact and wisdom on his part. But in these matters, as well as those that pertained to the civil welfare of the colony, Governor Saltonstall had proved master of the situation. Joseph Tal- cott was elected as his suc- cessor. During his term, which also continued for sixteen years, the history of Connecticut is a record of peaceful prosperity. GOVERNOR SALTONSTALL. " The general courts came and went year after year, made necessary and wholesome laws, kept the finances sound and pure, and free from the paper contagion, encouraged their college, looked after their rights in England, and carried on a steady, frugal government, which was probably one of the best the world has ever seen " (Lodge) .
During the administration of Talcott, new towns still con- tinued to be rapidly settled.4 When the order came to pro- claim King George II., the governor called a special session of the Legislature, and an address, earnest in its expressions of loyalty, was sent to the king.5 At the same time, the governor was instructed to forward to the agent of the colony in England a reply to a complaint, which it was understood
-
142
HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
- [1727, '41.
that John Winthrop, nephew of the late governor, had brought before the king's council. Winthrop said that he had been unjustly treated by the courts of the colony in the division of his father's estate. He claimed that the colonial law which allowed daughters to receive real estate in the distribution of the property of an intestate person, was in violation of the law of England. The question was one of grave importance to the colony, as it involved the legality of titles to landed property from the earliest settlement. The king's privy council was inclined to the opinion that the law of Connecticut would not hold ; and the Assembly, hav- ing received an order overruling the action of the courts in the case of Winthrop, proceeded to put him in possession of the land which he claimed. Connecticut would not accede to the decision of the privy council, although a doubt was thrown upon the title of property in the settlement of intes- tate estates. Twenty years after, the colonial law was finally sanctioned by a decision of the council.
There seemed to be so much uneasiness in England over the possible development of industries in the colonies, that it was thought best for the governor to assure the Board of Trade that they had not " by any premium encouraged any manufactory in this colony." This was true at this time ; but it was not long before liberal bounties were offered for the production of silk and hemp, and for manufacturing " canvas, duck, and fine linen cloth." During the last ses- sion of the Assembly in which Governor Talcott served, Acts for the regulation of the militia, and " for the encour- agement and better supporting of the schools," were passed.
Upon the death of Governor Talcott, in 1741, Jonathan Law, who had been lieutenant-governor during his entire term of office, succeeded him. The stable character of the people proved itself in the way they treated those whom they placed in positions of trust. A faithful and efficient public servant was seldom removed from office.
1
1739, '44.] PERIOD OF THE LAST FRENCH WARS. 143
The peace policy of Robert Walpole, the great English prime minister, gave the colony rest for many years from the French wars that had proved so serious a drain upon its resources. This condition of affairs was changed by the breaking out of hostilities between England and Spain in 1739. The colonies were required to furnish four regiments to join the British force at Jamaica. Connecticut at once called for volunteers, for whom she provided transports and food until they arrived at the island. Of the fifteen thou- sand seamen and twelve thousand soldiers gathered there under the command of Admiral Vernon, four thousand were from the colonies. Thwarted in the endeavor to intercept a French fleet, and defeated in an attack upon Carthagena, they sailed for Cuba. Havana was easily taken, but the scourge of yellow-fever proved more terrible than any enemy. Of the thousand stalwart men who had enlisted from New England, not one hundred returned.
From the opening of hostilities, France had been in full sympathy with Spain ; and on the 4th of March, 1744, she made a formal declaration of war against England. The New-England colonies were thoroughly aroused at the im- pending sense of danger. The French still held Canada and Cape Breton, and claimed all of the vast interior region from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the mouth of the Mississippi. If they could make this claim good, it is easy to understand that the colonists felt that the security of the strip of coun- try which they held along the Atlantic coast would be con- stantly endangered.
Louisburg, on Cape Breton Island, at the entrance of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, was the strongest fortress on the American continent, and well termed "the Gibraltar of North America." It was the central station from which the French privateers and men-of-war sailed, that hovered all along the New-England coast, and seized upon sailing and trading vessels. This was ruinous to the maritime interests
144
HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
[1744.
of the colony. Nova Scotia had come into the possession of the English in 1713, but this province was again threatened by the French. Canso was surprised and taken ; and the same fate probably would have overtaken Annapolis ( Port Royal), had it not just before been re-enforced by troops from Massachusetts.
There was a common feeling throughout New England, that Louisburg must be captured at all hazards. Having waited in vain for aid from England, some of the leaders in military and civil affairs began to discuss the possibility of accomplishing this work without assistance from the mother country. Governor Shirley of Massachusetts was especially active in these negotiations. He did all that he could to . learn the exact condition of the fortress, and its preparation in case of a siege. Having urged the home government to send sloops-of-war to guard Annapolis, with the view of protecting the provincial troops while besieging Louisburg, he then made known his plans to the General Court. The matter was carnestly debated for several days. All were agreed as to the danger that menaced the colonies as long as this stronghold remained in the hands of the French ; but the difficulties which confronted them in carrying out the plan suggested seemed so great, that, upon the final vote, the measure was lost.
The matter before long was agitated in other quarters. Some of the leading merchants and most influential citizens petitioned the Court to revive and pass the bill. A com- mittee of investigation was appointed, and, after the consid- eration of the report, the measure was carried by a single vote. From this point the tide of general enthusiasm began to rise. Despatches were at once sent to the different colonies. soliciting their assistance. All but New England declined to engage in the hazardous enterprise. Connecticut immedi- ately proceeded to raise her quota of five hundred men. Roger Wolcott, the lieutenant-governor, was appointed
145
PERIOD OF THE LAST FRENCH WARS.
1745.]
commander-in-chief of the Connecticut forces. Within a few days ample supplies were gathered, and the troops em- barked. Before the close of April, a gallant little army of four thousand New-England men, under command of Colonel Pepperell of Massachusetts, had arrived at Canso, Nova Scotia. To the great joy of the provincial soldiers, Commo- dore Warren, who, at the last moment, had been ordered by the home government to assist Governor Shirley in this expe- dition, sailed into the harbor with three ships-of-war, and the same day was joined by another from Portsmouth. Without delay the army embarked, and, under convoy of the fleet, sailed for Louisburg Harbor. The garrison were taken completely by surprise, as they saw the transports beating into the bay. The governor at once sent a company of his best troops to oppose the landing of the English. In the skirmish that followed, their commanding officer was taken prisoner ; and those who were not killed or wounded, fled, and left the enemy to effect an easy landing. The following morning a detachment of four hundred men, under cover of a range of hills, marched to the north-east side of the harbor, to within a mile of the general battery. During the progress of their march, they had set fire to the houses and stores along the way ; and the dense volume of smoke hid their movements, so that the enemy was at an entire loss as to their numbers and strength. Panic-stricken with the belief that the whole army was approaching, they threw their powder into a well, and deserted the battery. With exultant hearts the little band of provincial soldiers hastened forward, and took possession of the guns without the loss of a man.
The work of reducing the fortress was still before them. In order to get their guns in position, they had to drag them a distance of two miles. A deep morass stretched part of the way ; and as oxen and horses sank too deep in the treach- erous bog to permit of their use, the men were compelled, under cover of the night, to drag the heavy guns, mortars,
146
HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
[1745.
and timbers to the place where they erected the temporary batteries. It was an herculean task, but they did not falter ; and in less than twenty days they had prepared five fascine batteries. Meanwhile the fleet was not inactive. By a shrewd manœuvre, the " Mermaid," a forty-four-gun ship in command of Captain Douglas, captured the "Vigilant," a French sixty-four-gun ship. The loss of this vessel with her abundant stores, and five hundred and sixty men, was a heavy blow, and hastened the final victory. Four days after the " Vigilant " had struck her colors, two other ships joined the English fleet. The garrison within the fortress was disheart- ened. The western gate of the town was broken down, and breaches were visible. The only battery that com- manded the town, and could defend it against ships, was in ruins.
On the 15th of June the officers of the garrison asked for a cessation of hostilities, that terms of capitulation might be arranged. This was granted, and on the 17th of June " The Gibraltar of North America " was surrendered to England.
The provincial troops were determined to push the siege, although they had suffered very much from exposure and hardships. For their sake the final surrender came none too soon. It was a remarkable victory, and its intelligence car- ried joy into every New-England home. It was a terrible blow to the French power in North America, all the more
Of disheartening and severe because it was unexpected. the five thousand colonial troops who had taken part in the expedition, eleven hundred were from Connecticut.
The effect of this victory was to encourage England in the determination to wrest from France her provinces in the New World.
France in the following year planned a campaign for the retaking of Louisburg and the punishment of New Eng- land. The large and well-equipped fleet that set sail for the shores of North America was scattered and disabled by
147
PERIOD OF THE LAST FRENCH WARS.
1748.]
storms ; pestilence swept away the men ; its commander and his successor died suddenly, and nothing was accomplished.
It is not strange that the colonists felt that a protecting Providence through mysterious ways had broken the power of the enemy, and turned them away from their shores. In 1748 a congress convened at Aix-la-chapelle to consider terms of peace that should restore tranquillity to the dis- tracted nations of Europe. England once more was at peace with France and Spain, and their possessions in the New World had rest from the horrors of war for a little season.
1 AT the time of the Revolution of 1688, and the deposition of Andros, Con- necticut had twenty-eight towns. With- in thirty-seven years twenty-two were added; viz., Danbury (1693), Lebanon (1697), Colchester and Durham (1699), Voluntown (1700), Mansfield and Can- terbury (1703), Hebron (1704), Killingly (1708), Coventry and Ridgefield (1709), Newtown (1711), East Haddam, Pomfret, and New Milford (1713), Ashford (1714), Tolland (1715), Stafford (1719), Litch- field (1721), Willington and Bolton (1720), and Somers (1726). In 1726 Windham County was formed of the eleven towns in the north-eastern corner of the colony.
2 THE founder of this strange sect was John Rogers of New London. Hold- ing the views of the Seventh-Day Bap- tists, they added notions of their own, both eccentric and immoral.
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3 SALTONSTALL, at the time he was elected governor, was pastor of the Con- gregational Church in New London. His close relations with Governor Fitz John Winthrop and other prominent men had given him great influence in public affairs. A born leader, and gifted with marked business ability, he was recognized as perhaps the most learned lawyer in the colony. Winthrop leaned upon him as his principal adviser, and it is not strange that at his death he was chosen his successor. Palfrey (Hist New
Eng., vol. iv. p. 495) speaks in these terms of the administration of Saltonstall : "Its wisdom and vigor moulded the senti- ments of a transition period; and no man memorable on the bright roll of Connecticut worthies did more to estab- lish for her that character which was in- dicated by the name, appropriated to her through many generations, of ' the land of steady habits.' "
4 BETWEEN the years 1726 and 1739 the following towns were established : Somers, New Fairfield, East Haddam, Union, Barkhamstead, Colebrook, Hart- land, Winchester, New Hartford, Tor- rington, Kent, Goshen, Canaan, Salis- bury, and Cornwall.
5 IT was ordered that the celebration which had taken place at Hartford, be repeated at New Haven ; " that the troops in the county of New Haven, five of the oldest foot-companies in the town of New Haven, and two foot-companies in Milford, attend that day's service; that a treat of thirty pounds be made for their refreshment; that a quarter of a pound of powder be delivered to each sentinel; that a sufficient quantity of powder be provided for discharging three of the great guns; . . . that the sheriff provide ten pounds of candles for illuminating the court-house; . . . and also, that he procure a barrel of good wine, at the charge of the colony, for refreshment of the Assembly."
148
HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
[1748.
CHAPTER XXV.
1748-1755.
PERIOD OF THE LAST FRENCH WARS.
THE peace of Aix-la-chapelle was followed by a cessation - of hostilities between England and France that con- tinued for nearly ten years. It was the brief lull before the breaking out of a more furious and decisive struggle for the control of North America. Vigorous and united in its inde- pendent government, Connecticut prospered abundantly. New towns were settled, and old ones increased in popula- tion and wealth. The life of the people was earnest and thoughtful ; and the interests of religion, morality, and edu- cation were nourished with jealous care.
While peace and prosperity reigned within her borders, the people of Connecticut were fully alive to the progress of events that linked their destiny with that of the other colo- nies in the struggle against the French. The military spirit was kept alive by the frequent gatherings of the train-bands for exercise ; and in almost every home-circle, there were those who could tell a story of personal adventure in the wars that had so frequently called for volunteers. From the settlement of the colony, a militant disposition was fostered by necessity ; and the blood of the hardy sons of the fathers who first subdued the wilderness, possessed a martial strain that was easily stirred to heroic action.
It was now seen that France was seeking with consummate skill to gain imperial power in North America. Having
149
PERIOD OF THE LAST FRENCH WARS.
1748-54.]
secured a firm foothold in Canada and Louisiana, the French claimed the whole country west of the Alleghanies. From the Great Lakes to the mouth of the Mississippi, they were busy erecting a line of forts and trading-posts, and furnish- ing them with materials of war. The English Government realized that something must be done to stay the progress of the French in their plan to hem in and confine the colonies to a narrow strip of country along the Atlantic coast. An English colony was planted in Nova Scotia ; and at the begin- ning of the war that soon broke out, the original French settlers were driven from the peninsula. The sad story of their exile from their Acadian homes is told by Longfellow in his poem of "Evangeline."
In 1749 the city of Halifax was founded, under the direc- tions of Lord Halifax, then at the head of the British Board of Trade. A company, also of English noblemen and mer- chants, with some Virginia planters, formed an association to occupy a part of the beautiful valley of the Ohio. Al- ready the French governors of Louisiana and Canada had given orders that all English settlers and merchants should be driven from the valleys of the Ohio and the Mississippi. The flames of the last great struggle between these nations for the control of North America were kindled at several points. From the shores of Lake Erie a force of twelve hundred men drove the English settlers from their colony on the Ohio, and built Fort Duquesne where the city of Pitts- burg now stands. This commanding position had been selected as the site of an English fort by a young Virginian planter, and some work had been done upon it when it was seized by the French. The same youthful officer was or- dered not long after to make the attempt to dislodge the enemy, but it proved a hazardous and unavailing effort. This was the beginning of the military career of George Washington.
The French had gained a wonderful influence over most
150
HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
[1754.
of the Indian tribes, and this was a great help to them in carrying out their projects of conquest. Fortunately for the English, the powerful Iroquois tribes, who lived west of the Hudson River, still continued friendly to them, and hostile to the French. In 1754, under instructions from the home government, a convention of delegates from the colo- nies met at Albany to make a treaty with these friendly tribes, known as the " Six Nations," and to form a union for self-defence. The twenty-five colonial delegates first met a hundred and fifty Indian chiefs, and made a treaty with them. Then Benjamin Franklin, who had been influen- tial in calling the convention, proposed a plan of union. The Philadelphia editor and printer, who was to link his name and fame so closely with the new nation that was to rise in the near future, was successful in gaining the approval of a majority of the convention to his plan.
The three representatives from Connecticut - William Pitkin, Roger Wolcott, and Elisha Williams-did not al- together favor this scheme of union, and so reported when they returned home. It would have been strange had they done so. With unfaltering determination the colony- had always resisted every attempt to lessen the control of its charter government. They were more than willing to do their share in the common defence, but they did not pro- pose to give the management of their affairs into other hands. They were suspicious that this plan, that created a council with a head appointed by the crown, with power to make general laws, and raise money in all the colonies for the defence of the whole, might prove an entering- wedge that would finally destroy their charter government. More than this, they argued that the attempt to carry on a defensive war along so extended a frontier under the management of such a council as was proposed, would be impracticable and dangerous. The plan of union met with opposition in other directions, and was given up. A bill
151
PERIOD OF THE LAST FRENCH WARS.
1755.]
was then introduced into Parliament by Lord Halifax, that provided for an assembly of the governors and one or two delegates from each colony with authority to direct the mili- tary force, and draw the money for their expense from Eng- land, which should afterwards be repaid by taxes on the colonists. This project met not only with the earnest pro- test of Connecticut, but of all the colonies. The bill was dropped, but the discussion which it aroused was the stirring of thought and opinion that culminated in the war of the Revolution.
Meanwhile the gifted Marquis of Montcalm, who was now governor of Canada, had united the French strongholds of Duquesne at the head waters of the Ohio, of Niagara near Lake Ontario, and of Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain, by a chain of smaller forts. The British ministry saw that the question of uniting the colonists for their common defence, taxation, and control by the home government, must be de- ferred, and active measures taken to resist the encroachments of France in the great interior of America. A campaign was marked out; and it was decided that an expedition in command of General Braddock should march against Fort Duquesne, while another should make an attack upon Crown Point. Efforts at the same time were to be made to wrest Niagara from the enemy. About the middle of January, General Braddock embarked for Virginia with fifteen hundred troops. In the early spring, the governors of the colonies met the English general in council, and it was agreed that the campaign against the French should be earnestly sustained.
The ill-fated attack of Braddock upon Fort Duquesne, in which he was slain, and the remnant of his little army saved from utter destruction by the skill of his young staff-officer, Colonel Washington, caused great excitement, both in Eng- land and the colonies. This crushing defeat was the work of Indian allies, and taught the British that warfare on American soil was very different from that upon the open
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HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
[1755.
battle-fields of Europe. The French, elated with this vic- tory, were now in possession of all the region west of the Alleghanies ; and scenes of massacre and pillage filled the hearts of many with dismay and fear. The colonists dreaded the horrible tactics of Indian warfare, and the influence the French had gained over them, more than all else.
Preparations had already been made to push the campaign against the enemy in their stronghold on Lake Champlain.
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THE FRENCH WAR.
Connecticut raised a thousand men to join the provincial army that was to proceed to Crown Point, and the governor was authorized to enlist five hundred more troops if they were needed. William Johnson of New York was made commander-in-chief of the army; and the New-England troops were placed in command of Phineas Lyman of Con- necticut, who had been appointed major-general. Before the end of June an army of six thousand men was gathered at Albany, together with a large body of Mohawk Indians, under Hendrick their sachem.
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153
PERIOD OF THE LAST FRENCH WARS.
1755.]
General Lyman, with the main part of the troops, marched along the banks of the Hudson, as far as the " carrying- place," fourteen miles south of Lake George. Six weeks were consumed in building a rude fort at this point to pro- tect the military stores, and provide a safe place of retreat if the army was compelled to fall back. It was late in August before an advance was made to Lake George. Before they were scarcely settled in their new camp, Indian runners brought tidings that the enemy in large numbers was advancing from Ticonderoga, by South Bay, to Fort Edward. This important post was held by five hundred troops from New York and New Hampshire. Word was sent to them of their danger. While on the alert, awaiting the movements of the enemy, a courier brought news to General Johnson that they were on the march, and within a few miles of Fort Edward. It was decided at once to send a thousand men, under the command of Colonel Williams of Massachu- setts, and Colonel Whiting of Connecticut, with the Mohawk warriors, to intercept the enemy.
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