USA > Connecticut > New London County > A modern history of New London County, Connecticut, Volume I > Part 2
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At this time Mason called Uncas to him, and asked him what he thought the Indians would do. "The Narragansetts," replied this brave sachem, "will all leave us," "but as for himself 'he would never leave us'; and so it proved, for which expression I shall never forget him. Indeed, he was a great friend, and did great service." The Pawcatuck was the last boundary before the country of the Pequots, and as the Narragansetts found them- selves nearing the strongholds of their dreaded rivals, their timidity increased and all but a handful turned back. The Mohegans, however, encouraged by their chief, mustered the courage to proceed. The small army advanced cautiously till towards evening, when they came to a little swamp between two hills, near what are now called Porter's Rocks, where they halted for the night. Rising at an early hour on the following morning, they reached the fortress a little before daybreak. The plan of attack had been so arranged that Mason was to approach the enemy through the main entrance on the northeast side with one division, while Underhill was to make an attack on the southwestern entrance with his division. Uncas with his force was to form an outer line to act as circumstances might indicate. When within a rod or two of the fort a dog barked, and the alarm was given. The troops rushed on, discharging their muskets through the palisades, and then forced an entrance. Mason, with his party, drove the Indians along the main avenue of their fortress towards the west till they were met by Underhill
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and his division, who had effected an entrance upon that side, when, finding themselves between two fires, they were forced to retreat to their wigwams, where a desperate resistance was made. For a few moments the conflict seemed doubtful, when Mason, realizing the gravity of the situation, hit upon the expedient of burning out the foe, and snatching a brand from the fire applied it to the dry matting of a wigwam. The fire spread with great rapidity, and the whole seventy wigwams were soon in flames. The English retired without the wigwams, and Uncas and his followers formed a circular line close in the rear of the English. The consternation of the Pequots was so great that but few attempted to escape. About six or seven were made prisoners by the English, eighteen were captured by the Mohegans, and seven only made their escape. It so happened that one hundred and fifty warriors from the other fortress were this night in the fort upon Pequot Hill, which made the victory still more complete.
This famous encounter occurred on Friday, June 5th. The same day, at an early hour, the small fleet entered Pequot Harbor. As Mason's force was about to move in the direction of the vessels, a party of Indian warriors approached them from the other fort, but one or two volleys from their trusty weapons served to keep them at a safe distance. The few Narragansetts that hung upon the rear of the little column as it moved steadily up the hill were not slow in making their appearance when the contest was decided, evincing all the courage of tried veterans. They finally accompanied Captain Mason to the harbor, and afforded some assistance to those who conveyed the wounded. The total loss on the part of the English was two killed and twenty wounded.
Sassacus at this critical period was in the fortress on Fort Hill, where he was loudly denounced by his warriors as the procuring cause of their late disaster at the other fort. The Pequots at this fort were also greatly exas- perated at the course of Uncas and his followers, and caused all of their near relatives to be slain, except seven who made their escape.
On the day after the battle, a council of the Pequot nation was held to decide upon their future course of action, and after a hasty deliberation they resolved to leave their country, but not till they had destroyed their fortress and wigwams and such remaining property as could not be carried away. The principal band, headed by Sassacus in person, fled westward and did not make any considerable halt till they had reached a large swamp in Saco, the present township of Fairfield. Thither they were pursued by Captain Mason and his faithful ally Uncas. Captain Stoughton also accompanied the expe- dition in command of a company from Massachusetts. The fugitives were discovered in their new quarters, and were without difficulty routed and utterly dispersed. Sassacus did not risk a halt at the swamp, but with a few of his followers fled directly to the Mohawk country for a safe retreat, but was there slain by the nation, and his scalp was sent to Connecticut as a trophy. As a result of the swamp fight and the death of their late chieftain, the Pequot nation became nearly extinct. Although powerless for harm, the few remaining fugitives were pursued with unrelenting malignity by the English. Even the surrounding tribes were not permitted to harbor them with impunity, but were required by treaty and otherwise to effect, if possible, their utter annihilation. The Pequots were not allowed to dwell in their old homes, to visit the graves of their fathers, or to be called Pequots any more. Lastly, the conquered territory was not to be claimed by the sachems, but to be considered as the property of the English of Connecticut, as their own by right of conquest.
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GENERAL FACTS
American history, and one which for boldness of plan and brilliancy of execution may well claim a place among the most daring exploits of universal history. The Pequots outnumbered Mason's forces ten to one, and the day might have been lost had it not been for the faithful service of Uncas and his followers.
Uncas, as lineal descendant of the royal family, laid claim to the sov- ereignty of the conquered territory, and while by the terms of the treaty the portion upon the Sound was given up, his claim to the remainder of the Pequot country was admitted by the English, and he was acknowledged as the lawful sachem of a territory embracing the northern half of New London and the southern half of Windham and Tolland counties. Some of the sur- viving Pequots had been assigned him by the terms of the treaty, and many former tributaries of the vanquished tribe yielded their allegiance to him, and added to his power, but his greatest source of strength lay in the favor of the English, which he had fairly won.
His rapid rise and growing favor greatly excited the envy of surrounding chieftains, especially of those of the Narragansetts and their allies, the Con- necticut River Indians, and they were untiring in their efforts to effect his overthrow. At first they endeavored to cause a rupture between Uncas and the English, but failing in this scheme they next attempted to take his life by assassination. Several fruitless endeavors of this kind were made, but in these diabolic attempts upon his life he was more than a match for them; their calumnies and their murderous designs were made to recoil upon their own heads. Failing in their secret plotting, their enmity ripened into open warfare. In the summer of 1643, only six years after the rout at Mystic Fort, Miantonomoh, at the head of six or seven hundred warriors, suddenly appeared in the very heart of the Mohegan country by a succession of rapid marches. He moved proudly to the contest, doubtless with the assurance that his numerical superiority and the suddenness of his irruption would secure for him an easy victory over his foe and rival. But Uncas was not to be overcome by a surprise. He hastily collected a band of about three hundred warriors and met the invaders upon his own territory, on the Great Plain, probably in the vicinity of the present Fair Grounds in Norwich. He felt the necessity, however, of resorting to strategy in his present emergency, and hence proposed a parley, which was accepted, and the two chieftains met on the plain between their respective armies. Uncas then proposed that the fortunes of the day should be decided by themselves in a single combat, and the lives of their warriors spared, saying, "If you kill me, my men shall be yours ; but if I kill you, your men shall be mine."
Miantonomoh disdainfully replied, "My men came to fight, and they shall fight." Uncas on this immediately gave a preconcerted signal to his followers by falling flat upon the ground. At that instant a shower of arrows were discharged upon the enemy, and, raising the war-cry, the Mohegans rushed forward with Uncas at their head, dashing so unexpectedly upon the invading column of warriors that a widespread panic ensued, resulting in their pre- cipitous and headlong flight without even a show of resistance. The retreat- ing force was pursued in its flight to Sachem's Plain, in the direction of the fords of the Shetucket, at which place Miantonomoh became the prisoner of Uncas. About thirty of the Narragansetts were slain, and among the pris- oners were a brother of Miantonomoh and two sons of Canonicus. Uncas kindly treated his royal prisoner, and without any unnecessary delay took him to Hartford and surrendered him into the hands of the English. His case was laid before commissioners of the United Colonies at their meeting in Boston in September, and the question was there debated whether it was
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right and proper to put the prisoner to death. As the commissioners were unable to agree, the question was by them referred to an ecclesiastical council, which gave its verdict in favor of his execution. It was further decided that the sentence should be carried into effect by Uncas, but without torture. After furnishing a sufficient force to prevent the recapture of the prisoner, Miantonomoh was surrendered into the hands of Uncas, who took him to the place of capture, where he was stricken down by Waweequa, a brother of Uncas. A monument now marks the site of this tragical event. The Narragansetts at several different times invaded the Mohegan country, im- patient to avenge the death of their late chief, but Uncas and his followers were uninjured on account of the aid of the English, which was always extended.
It is noteworthy that the first settlements in the county, at New London and Norwich, were made under the leadership of some of the most influential men of New England. John Winthrop, the younger, who received a grant at Fisher's Island, given first by Massachusetts in 1640, confirmed by Con- necticut in 1641, and by New York in 1668, received from Massachusetts in 1644 a grant of a "plantation at or near Pequot." Here he lived from 1646 till he was chosen governor of the Colony of Connecticut in 1657. He it was who secured in 1662 that famous charter from Charles II which was saved from Sir Edmond Andros by hiding it in "The Charter Oak." John Mason, of whom we shall have more to say, was one of the early leaders of the Norwich settlement.
Under such stalwart leaders as these, the young communities grew and flourished, till by the end of the seventeenth century towns were found at New London, Stonington, Norwich, Lyme, Preston, Colchester, and Lebanon. From these towns were set off the other fourteen towns as stated above.
The story of the Charter has been told by Mr. Daniel Howard in a document on Connecticut history issued by the State Board of Education:
At the time when Connecticut was settled and when her infant settle- ments formed their first written constitution, the king of England paid very little attention to what was being done in this new State. On the other hand, the people of Connecticut paid very little attention to their connection with England. They did not even mention England or the king in the constitu- tion that they drew up in 1639.
England at that time was very poorly governed. Her king was a tyrant who tried to rule by illegal methods. The people would not submit to such a rule, and in 1639 they put their king to death. No one wonders under such conditions why Connecticut made no mention of the fact that she belonged to England. No wonder also that the king paid little attention to Connecticut, for he had troubles enough at home. From 1649 to 1660 England had no king. The people who were at the head of the English government had so many troubles on their side of the ocean, however, that they, too, paid little attention to Connecticut.
In 1660 a great change in affairs took place. In that year a new king, Charles II, came to the English throne. With him came peace and order in England. The new government had time to look abroad and it was sure to give its attention to what was going on in America. Connecticut thought it was wise for her to maintain friendly relations with the new king. She
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must have his permission to carry on her government, and she might need his protection to shield her from the Indians, the Dutch, and other enemies. Accordingly, in 1661 the Connecticut people took the necessary steps to win the king's favor. They declared that their settlements were English, and that they themselves being the king's faithful subjects owed allegiance to the English crown.
The next step was to send Governor Winthrop to England with a petition for a charter. The king was a good-natured man, fond of honors and atten- tions, and at the same time desirous of adding to his wealth and revenue. So when Governor Winthrop presented him with the ring that the king's father had given to the governor's grandfather, his heart was touched with gratitude and affection. When the governor told him that the land which the settlers had bought of the Indians and fought for at the peril of their lives was now a fertile and populous territory capable of adding much to the wealth and income of his kingdom, he was favorably impressed. Lord Say, Lord Seal, and other friends, aided Governor Winthrop in persuading the king to grant the charter and in 1662 it received the royal signature. Governor Winthrop received two copies of the charter. One of these he sent to America immediately. The other copy he kept in his possession and brought it to Hartford himself. How the people at Hartford, Windsor and Wethersfield rejoiced! New Haven at first objected to being united to the three river towns, for she had hoped to remain a separate colony. Soon, however, she accepted the situation, and all the Connecticut towns were happily united under one government.
Under this liberal charter the colony grew and prospered for the next twenty-five years. The form of government was popular, for the people were required simply to make no laws contrary to those of England. The charter guaranteed to the colony substantially the same rights and privileges that the people had claimed for themselves when they made the constitution of 1639. It was the people's ideal of what a charter ought to be, for it granted all they had asked and even wished for. No wonder they regarded it as a priceless blessing.
Neither is it any wonder that the people were filled with anxiety and distress when a new king, James II. came to the throne of England and tried to take from them this precious charter. The new king believed that it would be a good thing to unite all the New England settlements into one strong colony under an able English governor. In this way they would be better prepared to defend themselves against their Dutch, French, and Indian neighbors.
The king did not stop to inquire whether this change in government would please the people of New England or not. In 1686 he sent Sir Edmund Andros to Boston as governor, with instructions to seize the charters of Rhode Island and Connecticut and annex those colonies to Massachusetts and the rest of New England. From Boston the new governor sent to Governor Treat at Hartford asking that the charter of Connecticut should be sent to him.
Failing to obtain the charter in this way, Governor Andros determined to go to Hartford himself and demand it. Attended by several members of his council, two trumpeters, and a body-guard of red-coated soldiers, he left Boston. Traveling on horseback, they reached the Connecticut river at a point opposite Wethersfield in the afternoon of October 31, 1687. The ferry boat took them to the other side of the river, where a troop of Hartford soldiers met them and escorted them to Hartford with all the pomp and dignity befitting the reception of a royal governor. At Hartford, Governor
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Treat, his assistants, and the members of the General Assembly, received them with courtesy and respect. In the evening the General Assembly was in session to hear what Governor Andros had to say. He was escorted to the governor's seat and the Assembly listened to his message. He demanded that the Charter of Connecticut should be given to him and that it should no longer be a separate colony.
Governor Treat made an eloquent and touching plea in reply. He pictured the toil, the hardship, and the sufferings of the early settlers. He told how they had fought with tribes of murderous savages, how they had turned the wilderness into a land of happy homes, how they had obtained their cherished charter, growing and prospering under its protection until relinquishing it would be like giving up life itself.
Still Governor Andros insisted that the charter must be surrendered. There it lay upon the table around which they were sitting. How could the charter be saved? Suddenly the candles were extinguished. There were no matches in those days, and it took some time to relight the candles. When this was done the charter was missing.
What had become of it? Governor Andros never knew, but we know that good friends of Connecticut carried it away and hid it. Andros had no right to demand it, and the Connecticut Assembly were determined that he should not obtain it.
Captain Joseph Wadsworth was the man who carried it away. Believing that the English governor would try to find it, he tried to think of a safe place in which to hide it. He hid it finally in the hollow trunk of a large oak tree standing near the home of Samuel Wyllys.
Equally interesting is Mr. Howard's account of Colonial life at that time :
For us to go back to the old colonial days and visit the people who then lived in Connecticut is, of course, impossible, yet we must go back at least in imagination if we are to understand the kind of life they lived.
Let us suppose that we are on a journey through Connecticut a few years before the time when Governor Andros tried to deprive the people of their charter. How strange it seems that everybody travels either on horse- back or afoot. We see neither steam nor electric cars nor automobiles, and the people do not even own carriages or wagons. How poor the roads are! They are little better than beaten paths through the woods and fields. Men are at work on their farms, harvesting their crops, and cutting down trees in order to clear new land to plant next year. The homes are mostly grouped in villages and look very much alike.
In the center of almost every house is a great stone chimney ten or twelve feet square from the floor of the cellar up to the floor of the second story, above which it decreases in size as it approaches the roof. In the center of the front of the house is a door opening into a hall from which a stairway leads to the second story. On the right and left are doors opening from the hall into large rooms on each side of the chimney. In the rear of the chimney is another large room. One of these rooms is the kitchen, which in most cases is also the living room of the family. The other large rooms are used for parlors or guest rooms, and the smaller sleeping rooms are up stairs.
We see no stoves, but on three sides of the chimney are huge fireplaces. In the kitchen fireplace is an iron crane on which hang two great kettles. The oven is built into one side of the fireplace. The sides of the rooms are plastered, but the joists and floor overhead are not covered, and nails are driven into the joists to serve as hooks on which to hang small articles. The
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windows have small diamond-shaped panes of glass set in frames of lead. The floors have no carpets. The furniture is plain and useful rather than ornamental. In one room is a spinning wheel and a hand loom on which the farmer's wife and daughters spin the wool that has been cut from the backs of the sheep, and weave it into cloth from which to make garments for the family.
After the evening meal, eaten from pewter and wooden dishes by the light of tallow candles in the great kitchen, we enjoy listening to the stories told by farmers and their neighbors as they sit about the great fireplace, some of them cracking nuts and others making brooms and various useful articles. We hear strange news of what has happened during the day. A man has been arrested for swearing and has had to stand in the pillory one hour and then receive a whipping. Another man has had to sit for hours in the stocks to punish him for drunkenness.
Last night farmer Jones had five sheep killed by a wolf, and today he and his sons have been hunting for the beast that did the damage. Tomorrow farmer Smith is to begin building a barn and his neighbors are going to the "raising" to help erect the framework, for it is their custom to be friendly and give their services to a neighbor on such occasions. On the morrow we go to the "raising," and late in the afternoon, when the framework of the barn has all been put in place and securely pinned together, we sit down at the great tables and enjoy the feast prepared by Mrs. Smith and her daughters. All go home early, for tomorrow is Sunday, and in Connecticut the observance of the Sabbath begins on Saturday at sunset. Family worship is followed by religious instruction given to the children and to the servants.
On Sunday morning a drum beats and everyone goes to church. The minister and the congregation all carry their muskets. Why? Because hostile Indians are liable to attack them at any minute. Sentinels and guards watch outside the door during the sermon, which lasts two hours. After luncheon, the congregation returns for another long sermon. The tithingman with his long rod tipped at one end with brass and at the other with a rabbit's foot, prevents anyone who is weary from going to sleep. An old man becomes drowsy. He is gently touched upon the head with the brass end of the rod and awakes with a start. In another pew a lady is awakened by having her face brushed by the rabbit's foot. Though these good people could not help becoming tired and sleepy, they had a high regard for their pastor's teaching, for it was to him that they went for advice and counsel not only for their religious life but for almost every question that arose regarding what was right and proper in their social life and customs.
The life of these early settlers was quiet, healthful, and happy. They labored industriously and contentedly on their farms and in the forests. All that they earned was their own to use and enjoy. They made their own system of government and laws, and enjoyed the justice and liberty that these gave them. They believed in education for themselves and for their children. Their moral and religious character made them trust and respect one another and earned them the respect and esteem of people in other colonies.
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