USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > East Haven > History of East Haven > Part 18
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While widening Townsend avenue in June, 1870, this tradition of the slaughter was well sustained by the discovery of human bones. These remains were proved not to be Indians by Dr. T. Beers Townsend, who was on the spot when the graves were opened, and who made a most careful examination. While the doctor was making a critical study of the bones, Capt. Charles H. Townshend thoroughly searched the graves with a spade, and was rewarded by finding a number of German silver buttons, about the size of a dime. A
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copper coin was also found, about the size of an English half-penny, known as a stiver. It had a hole in the circumference, and was probably worn on a string around the neck. On the face side is the motto, "Dominus Auxit Nomen" ("The Lord increased our glory"), in its center a man with a mantle about his loins, left hand on his hip, in his right hand a sword, drawn over his head, as if to strike. On the opposite side is a laurel wreath, with the word in the center HOLLANLIA. Dr. J. Edwards of Yale University, an expert, and the best authority, says this coin was struck off in Holland, a province of the Nether- lands, between the years 1648 and 1795. A pompon socket of brass, bell-shaped, was also found. It had upon it No. 8 or 5, with these letters, D. M. A. U. X. The captain says, "These relics satisfy me that these were the graves of soldiers, of Tryon's division." He further verified this idea by subsequently "obtaining in an old print store in Paris, some colored engravings of the uniforms worn by the Hessian Land- graves, a regiment of which was a part of the second division of Tryon's army, which par- ticipated in the engagement on the East Haven Shore." March 22, 1879, the captain made a visit to Europe, and in London made an exhaustive search of the records in the colonial office; obtaining much valuable information, and many copies of events and war correspondence, which had never been published in America. To Capt. Charles H. Townshend the whole community is indebted for rescuing from oblivion the account of New Haven's invasion, his- torical as well as traditional, the latter supported and confirmed by records, from which copious extracts
256 History of East Haven.
have been made, in this work, and to whom the thanks of the compiler are gratefully due.
The enemy's loss on the East Haven side was per- haps greater in proportion to the patriots killed and wounded than on the New Haven side. The East Haven men were most excellent marksmen from long practice of hunting, and everyone carried his own often-tried Queen Anne musket. They knew every inch of advantage ground and, with their long range guns, could keep out of the enemy's fire and do good execution, as they were fighting for their own hearth- stone and families. On the other hand, they were greater sufferers than those of New Haven; every thing but the soil was destroyed; homes burned, crops destroyed, animals of all kinds killed, and destruction everywhere. Who can describe the feelings of those mothers who fled for safety with their children, when they returned? Not a shingle left for shelter, or a mouthful of food, save the little they took with them! Everything in ashes, excepting the few household effects in the returning oxcart! Fortunately the weather was warm, and the devastation did not extend over the whole town, but a clean sweep was made as far as the enemy marched. The present line of the street railway is mainly the same route that the British took from Morris Point to Pardee's ferry (now Quinnipiac bridge), through Ferry street to Neck bridge, at the head of State street, New Haven. At that time this was the only bridge between New Haven and East Haven.
The earthworks on Beacon Hill and Black Rock Fort were quickly occupied, even before Tryon's forces reached the water, and a lively fire was kept
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up between Beacon Hill and the galleys as they passed out of the harbor. This accounts for the numerous cannon balls and shot formerly plowed out in the fields on the East side. A garrison was still kept at the fort. April 18, 1781, a very thick foggy night, the British, led by tories who were acquainted with the locality, came in with muffled oars, surprised the garrison, killed the sentry, John Howe, and made the men prisoners. They then turned the guns towards the magazine, and setting a slow match, rowed off to an awaiting vessel. Mr. Joseph Tuttle had always done coast guard duty at night at the fort, but this night he had a very sick child at home, who was not expected to live until morning, so he sent his second eldest boy, a lad about thirteen, in his place. He went out at daybreak, and glancing towards the fort, saw a small blue stream of smoke issuing from it; losing no time, as he reached the place the fuse had only a foot more to burn, when the whole magazine would have exploded and wrecked the fort. Seizing the fuse, he threw it into the water and thus saved the structure. This time he had two sons captured, one eighteen, an enlisted soldier, and one thirteen. He immediately went to New York with a flag of truce, and with the aid of some English captains, whom he knew, succeeded in releasing his younger son. His older one, on account of his youth, was taken out of the prison ship and placed as a waiter to an officer, when he made good his chance, and escaped. He fled up Long Island, until he thought he was about opposite New Haven, where he hired out at 9d. per day. He worked until he earned enough to buy cloth for a coat, which he cut out with a jack-
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History of East Haven.
knife, and made it in a barn. Thus equipped he took a boat and rowed across the Sound, landing at the Lighthouse.
A garrison was kept at the fort until the close of the war. On October 19, 1781, General Cornwallis surrendered his whole army to Washington, which practically ended the struggle, although there was still some fighting, but nothing of note occurred. The British held for two years or more the cities of New York, Charleston and Savannah. September 3, 1783, a treaty of peace was signed at Paris, which conceded all that the Declaration of Independence had proclaimed; and the new nation, now called "The United States of America," took its place among the nations of the earth.
No doubt there are many interesting incidents con- nected with the fleeing women and children if they could be collected, and yet the experience of one is typical of all. In the writer's family, at the present time, is a silver tablespoon, which was buried on what is now the Townsend farm by Mrs. Joseph Tuttle, in a large iron kettle, used to boil sea water to make salt, which had become scarce during the late years of the war. She took the money of the house in one hand and her silverware in the other, saying, "I will bury one and take the other, maybe I can save one"; as it happened she saved both. They packed this great kettle full of valuables of the house- hold, and buried it among the currant bushes. They then drove off in the oxcart, with her six children, one a babe in arms, to the woods in the north part of the town, where they all passed the night. Here they stayed until the departure of the British, who took
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Losses by War.
with them her husband and son as prisoners from Black Rock Fort. No mention has ever been made of robbing and abusing women on the East side, because they all fled out of the way.
The British had stationed a signal corps on Pros- pect Hill, directly back of the Townsend home, out of which the next day the commander and two of his men were picked off by Capt. Jedediah Andrews and some of his neighbors. The morning of the 6th a very dense fog hung over the land, and Mr. Andrews and others crept along under cover of the bushes, and picked off each his man, while they were roasting a sheep for their breakfast. Their remains were buried at the foot of the hill, and for a long time a large red boulder marked the place.
The following story has often been told, among other reminiscences, of an East Haven Bradley, and Captain Townshend gives it as coming from an old Mr. Pinto who saw it. "While sitting in his door, a finely-dressed officer in red uniform came riding down Elm street, and turned up State, toward Grove. Just then a Mr. Bradley, from East Haven, came from a direction which is now Grand avenue, on horseback, with loaded musket, all primed. Seeing the officer, he levelled his piece and fired. The officer dropped off his horse and Bradley rode up to him, took the officer's sword, and gave him several cuts over the head. He then took the officer's horse, and on his own rode out of town." The officer crawled into a yard, where some of his comrades found him.
Very little, if anything, has been related about tories in East Haven and it is doubtful if there were any; if there were, they were in no way active. Mr. Henry
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F. Hughes' second son was a tory. He was a mer- chant, residing in New Haven, and persisted in selling tea. Complaint was entered against William Glen and Freeman Hughes, Jr., and both were cited to appear before the committee of the Continental Association. Glen pleaded guilty and begged to be restored to favor ; but Hughes would not appear to make his defense, whereupon the evidence was called and sworn :-
"On motion voted that the evidence is sufficient to convict Freeman Hughes jun. of a breach of the association, by buy- ing and selling Tea :- and ordered that he being advertised, that no person have any further dealing or intercourse with him."
Joh'th Fitch, Chairman, Test, Peter Colt, Clerk.
When the British left New Haven, he with his wife and two children went with them. So bitter was the feeling of the family that they never afterwards would hold any communication with him or his family. And so strongly did his brother, Daniel Hughes, feel on the subject that he would never allow a dust of tea in his house. Although he lived to be 83 years old, dying in 1842, and was married three times, yet none of his wives ever enjoyed a cup of tea at his table. Being a man of means, and a very hospitable one, he set an abundant table, to which everyone was welcome, but tea was conspicuous by its absence. "Had disgrace and trouble enough with the stuff," he always said. Chocolate was his substitute at the evening meal. Mr. Hughes' store of goods was either destroyed or removed to the vessels in the harbor, probably the latter. His real estate was confiscated, and the whole transaction brought much financial trouble upon the family.
FORT HALE.
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It has often been asserted that rum saved the city of New Haven from the flames. No doubt it was quite a factor in the matter, but the real savior was Col. Edmund Fanning, who was a son-in-law of General Tryon, and commanded the King's American regi- ment. He was a graduate of Yale, having spent four years in New Haven, and was well acquainted with tory and patriot. Then too, perhaps, he possessed the "Yale spirit," which could not see his Alma Mater destroyed. His influence, coupled with that of some influential tories, saved the city.
FORT HALE.
The first mention of this site, which was a bold trap rock of basaltic formation, was in 1657. It was then thought to be useful for defensive purposes, and the records show it was made a coast guard station in 1659, mounted with "great guns." The Black Rock Fort of the Revolution was constructed early in the year of 1775 on this site, and manned with cannon made in Salisbury, Connecticut.
Although the site is considered of no defensive use at the present time, yet in the Revolution it did good work in keeping off plundering and foraging parties from the warships constantly moving up and down the Sound. Its capture in 1779, and subsequent his- tory, has been related in the invasion of that date. After the close of the Revolution in 1783, these forti- fications were dismantled, save a gun or two, and allowed to go to ruin. At the beginning of the nine- teenth century, when the war cloud was threatening Europe, the idea was originated, in our own land, of fortifying the whole Atlantic coast of the United
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History of East Haven.
States, and money was voted in 1808 by Congress to erect a new fort on this ancient site for the defence of New Haven Harbor.
In 1808, the United States government ordered a battery to be built on the site of the old Black Rock Fort at New Haven, as the channels had deepened there. The fort was to hold six guns, the barracks forty men; $6,295 was paid by Congress for the for- tification in 1809. Reported in December, 1811, as an elliptic enclosure battery of masonry, mounting six guns, brick magazines, brick barracks for fifty men, and officers in a field outside the fort. At the com- mencement of the War of 1812, the fort was garri- soned with seventy-eight artillerymen and named Fort Hale. The garrison at this fort was at no time in a regular engagement, yet on several occasions it opened fire on British ships in the offing, and forced them to "haul off." During the time from 1812- 1814, Commodore Hardy's British fleet of twenty sail were kept at bay by the guns of this fort. On receipt of the news of the Treaty of Ghent the guns of Forts Hale and Wooster proclaimed the glad tidings. They were the last guns ever fired from either place.
After the war, Capt. John A. Thomas was appointed custodian, residing with his family in the barracks and dying there in 1840: The barracks accidentally took fire and were burned in 1850. About 1855 Mr. J. A. Stock rebuilt the brick barracks, which he and his employees occupied while manufacturing was carried on in the vicinity. When the War of the Rebellion broke out, government took possession of the property, demolished the old fort and rocky promontory, cut a ditch through the rocks from the moat, and built
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a new earthworks fort, armed with Dahlgren guns, costing $125,000. This was built under the direction of Lieutenant Mansfield, United States Engineer, superintended by P. Ferguson and Hemingway Smith, the latter of East Haven. It was completed about the close of the war, but was never garrisoned. In 1867 the public property and tools were sold. The Farrel works of Ansonia, Connecticut, bought the guns, to be melted up for other purposes. The wooden bar- racks and buildings were shipped in sections to New- port, Rhode Island, and the whole reservation, later on, was imparked, by the consent of the United States, into Fort Hale Park.
PENSIONERS.
There was no general pension law passed by Con- gress until March 18, 1818, when those who had served nine months in army or navy could, under the conditions of that act, become pensioners. These conditions were such that few could take advantage of the law. A few special cases were pensioned before 1818. But one pensioner under the act of 1818 is found credited to East Haven, viz .: Daniel Bradley.
Under the head of "Individual Records" is found that of Thomas Shepard, East Haven, Douglass' regi- ment, wounded by cannon shot at Kips Bay, New York, Sep. 15, 1776.
"Invalid Pensions" granted under the act of 1833-4 were given to Chandler Pardee, East Haven, Rus- sell's regiment militia, and Thomas Shepard, East Haven, Douglass' regiment.
A serious difficulty in locating East Haven pension- ers has been that all names were registered under
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counties, instead of towns. As two or more surnames would be the same it could not be positively stated which one belonged to East Haven. In that way some names may have been omitted. Application was made to the Bureau of Pensions, Washington, D. C., and the answer received was:
"This department has no other record of pensioners than those contained in the list of New Haven County."
A request was then made to the adjutant-general at Hartford, Connecticut, when the same answer was returned.
From "Connecticut Men in the War of the Revo- lution," the following statistics are copied. In 1832 a new pension act was passed, removing most of the restrictions of 1818, and the following names are from East Haven, viz .:
Elijah Bradley, Enos Hemingway,
Elisha Andrews, Jacob Mallory,
Eli Forbes,
Elle Granniss,
Jesse Luddington,
Chandler Pardee,
Jared Granniss,
John Tyler.
Elijah Bradley was the only one out of seven confined in the prison ships that lived through that terrible ordeal.
In 1840 another pension act was passed removing all restrictions, and the following names are placed in a list as belonging to East Haven, viz .:
Elijah Bradley, 80 yrs.
Sylvia Brown, 76 yrs.
Hannah Chidsey, 83 yrs.
Widow of Abraham, Jun.
Abigail Goodsell, 94 yrs.
John.
Phoebe Davenport, 81 yrs. " John.
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Temperance Hotchkiss, 79 yrs. Widow of Joseph.
Rosanna Pardee,
78 yrs.
Abijah.
Mabel Tyler,
74 yrs.
"
" John.
Abraham W. Johnson, 89 yrs.
Eli Forbes,
80 yrs.
Anna Smith,
88 yrs.
Widow of Thomas.
John A. Thomas,
70 yrs.
John Rowe,
86 yrs.
Enos Hemingway, 85 yrs.
Lucinda Miles, 77 yrs.
Sarah Smith, 81 yrs.
Jared Granniss,
85 yrs.
Jesse Luddington,
84 yrs.
The above list is all that could be gathered from the work "Connecticut Men in the Revolution." No doubt there were many more entitled to pensions, belonging in East Haven, who, with their wives, passed away before 1840, therefore no mention is made of them, although their record of service is to be found in the volume referred to above. Neither does this list contain all who received pensions under the sev- eral pension acts. The widow of Josiah Tuttle received a pension under the act of 1832, dying in 1838. The widow of Hezekiah Woodward, who died in 1854, received a pension under some of the acts, but no mention is made of either. Two in this list were not Revolutionary soldiers, but were in the War of 1812, viz .: John A. Thomas of the 25th United States Infantry, and the husband of Sylvia Brown, who were entitled to pensions under some other of the acts. So it is seen that the information which can be gathered at the present time does not include all of those entitled to honorable mention, but it is the best which the records afford.
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History of East Haven.
Thanks are due to Dr. Bela Farnham, who through the kindness of his nature, so firm and so gentle and just, was very much interested; and who through his official capacity of town clerk for forty years was enabled to render much aid in securing pensions for these aged, infirm, and beloved townspeople of his time. Otherwise these pensions might never have been secured.
Many of the East Haven men belonged either to Capt. Phineas Bradley's company of Matrosses Artil- lery, which was raised for the defence of New Haven, and was stationed partly in the town at one of the forts, and partly in New Haven and West Haven, or were members of Captain VanDeusen's company, State Guards, stationed at New Haven. No doubt many were scattered through all the different branches of the army. Their war record will be found in the "Connecticut Men of the Revolution," a copy of which is lodged in every town clerk's office in the state, as also a copy of the "Connecticut Men in the Rebellion."
WAR OF 1812 WITH ENGLAND.
The second war with Great Britain was declared by the United States Congress June 18, 1812. It was brought about by this government denying the right of search of American vessels, and the restrictions laid upon American commerce.
This was principally a naval war; although the British troops took and plundered many towns on the southern coast, finally burning the Capitol and Presi- dent's house-a dastardly act censured by all nations. At this time a new beacon on Beacon Hill, and new earthworks were made by volunteer work of New Haven, East Haven and surrounding towns. Cheshire
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sent 100 men and teams for two days; North Haven 100 men; Hamden, Meriden and Wallingford the same. At first it was called Fort Treadwell after Governor Treadwell of Connecticut, but a short time later, Fort Wooster, after Major General David Wooster whose home was in New Haven. A musket ball from a tory's gun broke his spine, just after he had called, "Come on, boys, never mind such random shots!" He lived six days. He died in Danbury, May 2, 1777.
At this time the government rebuilt Black Rock Fort, naming it Fort Hale, after the martyr spy of the Revolution, whose expiring words were, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."
Mention is made of the Fourth Connecticut Militia being garrisoned at these two forts. These men were members of the state militia and were generally drafted, although there were some volunteers. Most of these men received pensions, granted many years after the war. The war lasted two years and six months.
PENSIONERS OF WAR OF 1812.
It is very much regretted that no official list of pensioners of the War of 1812 can be obtained. Application was made to the adjutant-general, at Hartford, who referred the writer to the Bureau of Pensions, Washington, D. C., whench the following answer was received, viz .:
"You are advised, the pension records of the war of 1812 are arranged alphabetically according to names of soldiers, not according to residence. This Bureau is unable to furnish you with a list of pensioners of the war of 1812, belonging to East Haven, Connecticut."
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History of East Haven.
WAR OF THE REBELLION.
No one not in the midst of it can imagine the excitement that arose in all the northern states when the news came that Fort Sumter had been attacked.
Up to that moment, there had been a great division of feeling at the North; and there were many who thought that by patient efforts, those who wished to secede from the Union could be brought back again. Few really believed there was to be any serious fight- ing; but the fact showed that the whole South had been preparing for war eight years before it came. All through President Pierce's administration it was, in theory, preparing the minds of the people. President Buchanan's inauguration took place on March 4, 1857. Although he was a Pennsylvania man, yet his sym- pathies were with the South. At this time the writer was living South, and the remark was made by one of the leading men, "that it was only an armistice of four years," and that "Virginia would be the battleground," which subsequently proved but too true.
While the white population of the South had been actually preparing for war, the northern people had gone about their usual employments and when the attack came they were taken by surprise.
Mr. Buchanan's secretary of war was himself a firm secessionist, and had sent several hundred thousand muskets to southern arsenals, ammunition and other army supplies also, leaving the northern arsenals almost bare. The regular army was very small, and that also had been sent to widely scattered posts. Cannon and ammunition were mostly in the southern states. The navy of the United States was very small ;
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Losses by War.
at the outset there were but four ships available for service at home, with less than three hundred sailors. At the present time it is amazing that such a state of things should have been allowed. The consequence was that a great war was on hand with no ready facil- ities to meet the situation. President Lincoln was inaugurated March 4, 1861, which was the signal gun for the South to open the war. On April 12, Fort Sumter was attacked. The 15th of April, President Lincoln issued a call for seventy-five thousand volun- teers for three months only, which order was very quickly filled. One year from that time the Union army amounted to more than five hundred thousand men, all volunteers-a thing never before known in civilized warfare. Before the close of the four years' war over a million men had been connected with the Union army-mostly volunteers.
In some of the severest battles fought, one hundred thousand men were engaged on a side, each losing more than fifteen thousand.
On both sides the self-devotion of the women at home equalled that of the soldiers on the field; and in the northern states, the multitude of women who worked for the "Sanitary Commission" rendered very valuable services to their country. The sacrifices made during the Civil War can never be computed on either side, although they were greater on the confederate than the unionist, because their country was the one overrun. There were few families, North or South, which did not suffer some bereavement dur- ing the long contest, and if not actual loss, the daily anxiety and apprehension of what the next day's news might bring. At the close of the war, the United
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History of East Haven.
States debt was more than two billion seven hundred thousand dollars, besides more than a half million lives lost, including both sides.
The South had lost that for which they fought and slavery was abolished. The North had won that for which they contended, that the United States must be regarded as a nation, one and indivisible, and not a mere alliance of independent states. The Civil War has proved that the people of the United States are strong enough for self-protection against any foreign powers, and that those who founded the American colonies left to their descendants the rich legacy of noble lives and unselfish purposes, which will be carried out with the same high motive and religious self-devotion.
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