USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > Litchfield > Sketches and chronicles of the town of Litchfield, Connecticut : historical, biographical, and statistical : together with a complete official register of the town > Part 12
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Towards the close of life, he thought and talked much of his native land and of the friends of his youth; and sometimes told, with much emotion, how, after his impressment, his mother, having pleaded in vain for his release, followed the press-gang for a distance of twenty miles, that she might have the mournful satisfaction of bidding her son farewell !!
John Glass, William Barrell, Henry Poulson, James Glass and Adam Tilford, all British soldiers in the revolution, be- came residents of this town, and some of them died here, leav- ing families.
Engraved by J. C. Buttre
Pain;, ! by A. Dickinson
Moses Seymour
CHAPTER VIII. MEN OF THE REVOLUTION.
THE historic names of the Revolutionary Period most inti- mately associated with Litchfield, are those of Ethan Allen, Oliver Wolcott, Elisha Sheldon, Andrew Adams, Bezaleel Beebe, Moses Seymour, Jedediah Strong and Tapping Reeve. This chapter will be mainly devoted to brief biographical sketches of these eminent and useful men.
GENERAL ETHAN ALLEN, the Hero of Ticonderoga, was born in Litchfield, January 10, 1737-'8. He was the eldest child of his parents-Joseph and Mary (Baker) Allen-who, when Ethan was about two years old, removed to the adjoin- ing town of Cornwall. The subject of this sketch spent his youth and early manhood in Cornwall and Salisbury ; and about the year 1765, emigrated to the "New Hampshire Grants," as they were then called-a wild, mountainous region lying between Lake Champlain on the west and the Connecti- cut river on the east, and extending from the Massachusetts line northward to the Canadas. This territory was claimed alike by the governments of New Hampshire and New York -a fact which led to a fierce and long continued struggle be- tween the settlers and Governor Tryon of the latter Province. The hardy and resolute pioneers banded themselves together under the name of the " Green Mountain Boys," chose Allen as their commander, and waged a war of extermination against all intruders from New York. This contest continued until the attention of both parties was diverted by the more important events which immediately preceded the Revolution. By this time, Allen was famous throughout the North. When,
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therefore, the seizure of the British Fortresses on Lake Cham- plain was secretly resolved upon by the whigs of Massachusetts and Connecticut, Colonel Allen was, by common consent, se- lected as the leader of the hazardous enterprize. In another part of this volume, I have referred to this subject, and can here only give it a passing notice. In the twilight of a peace- ful May morning, in 1775, the hero, followed by a little band of trusty soldiers, entered the fortress of Ticonderoga, and thundered at the door of the commander, demanding the in- stant surrender of the garrison. "By what authority do you demand it ?" asked Captain Delaplace, as he stood trem- bling before the giant apparition. "IN THE NAME OF THE GREAT JAHOVAH AND THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS !" responded Allen, at the same time threatening the Captain with instant death if his demand was not forthwith complied with. There was no alternative. With a countenance and manner not to be mistaken, Allen stood with his drawn sword, ready to exe- cute his threat. The garrison were at once surrendered as prisoners of war, and all the arms, ammunition, provisions, &c., contained in the fort, fell into the hands of Allen. The capture of Crown Point by Colonel Warner, on the following day, gave the whigs complete possession of Lake Champlain. Colonel Allen now visited the Provincial Congress of New York and the Continental Congress at Philadelphia, and was received with marked consideration by both of those illustri- ous bodies. He was admitted to the floor of each, and per- mitted to detail his plan for the conquest of Canada. His plan was approved, and he was commissioned as a Colonel in the Continental Army. In September following, he made an unsuccessful attack upon Montreal, was taken prisoner, carried to England, and confined in Pendennis Castle. As Ticonder- oga had long been a famous place in that country, the renown of his exploit had preceded him thither. On his arrival at Falmouth, so great was the curiosity to see him that crowds of people thronged the highways, house-tops and rising grounds in the vicinity-the officers being compelled to force their way through the throng, for a mile, with drawn swords. He was dressed in a fawn-skin jacket, an underdress and breeches of
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sagatha, worsted stockings, coarse shoes, and a red worsted cap. On ship board he was treated with great severity, being a part of the time hand-cuffed and imprisoned in a dirty cell. When angry, his rage was terrible. Once, on being insulted by a petty officer, he twisted off, with his teeth, a ten-penny nail with which his shackles were fastened ! During the spring of 1776, he was brought back to America-but was detained in New York as a prisoner of war, until May 6, 1778, when he was exchanged for Colonel Campbell. After repairing to headquarters, and offering his services to General Washington, Allen visited the Grants, (or Vermont,) were his arrival was announced by the discharge of cannon, and other demonstra- tions of joy. The newly organized State of Vermont appoint- ed him to the office of Major-General and commander-in-chief of the State militia, and sent him as a special delegate to the National Congress. He was also elected a Representative to the Legislature-a post to which he was repeatedly re-elected.
Aside from several pamphlets which had their origin in the controversy with New York, Allen published a Narrative of his Captivity in a volume of 200 pages, and a theological work entitled " The Oracles of Reason," in which he attempts to subvert the doctrines of Christianity. His writings are bold, artful and egotistical, and, though sometimes crude and unpol- ished, evince talents of a high order.
The following anecdote (indicating that Allen in reality had very little faith in his own system of divinity,) is contained in a note to page 409, volume ii, of President Dwight's " Travels in New England and New York :"
" Dr. Elliot, who removed from Guilford in Connecticut, to Vermont, was well acquainted with Colonel Allen, and had made him a visit at a time when his daughter was very sick and near to death. He was introduced to the Library, where the Colonel read to him some of his writings with much self- complacency, and asked-" Is not that well done ?" While they were thus employed, a messenger entered and informed Colonel Allen that his daughter was dying, and desired to him. He immediately went to her chamber, accompanied by Dr. Elliot, who was desirous of witnessing the interview: The
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wife of Allen was a pious woman, and had instructed her daughter in the principles of Christianity. As soon as her father appeared at her bed-side, she said to him-‘ I am about to die ; shall I believe in the principles you have taught me, or shall I believe in what my mother has taught me ?' He became extremely agitated ; his chin quivered ; his whole frame shook-and after waiting a few moments, he replied-‘ Be- lieve what your mother has taught you.'"
While Allen was on parole in New York, a British officer of honorable rank sent for him to call at his lodgings. On his arrival, the officer told him that his fidelity, though in a wrong cause, had won the good opinion of Lord Howe, who was disposed to show him favor. He, at the same time, held out to him brilliant prospects of promotion and money, and large tracts of land either in Connecticut or Vermont at the close of the war. Allen replied, that if by faithfulness he had recommended himself to General Howe, he should be loth by unfaithfulness to forfeit the General's good opinion ; and as to the lands, he regarded the offer not unlike that made by Satan to Christ, who promised him " all he kingdoms of the world," when in fact " the old devil didn't own an acre !" The officer thereupon sent him away as incorrigable.
Jared Sparks, LL. D., (late President of Harvard College,) in his Biography of the subject of this sketch, says-" There is much to admire in the character of Ethan Allen. He was brave, generous and frank-true to his country, consistent and unyielding in his purposes, seeking at all times to promote the best good of mankind-a lover of social harmony, and a deter- mined foe to the artifices of injustice and the encroachments of power. Few have suffered more in the cause of freedom, few have borne their sufferings with a firmer constancy or a loftier spirit. His courage, even when approaching to rashness, was calm and deliberate. No man probably ever possessed this attribute in a more remarkable degree. He was eccentric and ambitious, but these weaknesses, if such they were, never betrayed him into acts dishonorable, unworthy or selfish. So rigid was he in his patriotism, that, when it was discovered that one of his brothers had avowed tory principles and had
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been guilty of a correspondence with the enemy, he entered a public complaint against him in his own name, and peti- tioned the Court to confiscate his property in obedience to the law. His enemies never had cause to question his magnanim- ity, or his friends to regret confidence misplaced or expecta- tions disappointed. He was kind, benevolent, humane and placable. In short, whatever may have been his peculiarities, and however these may have diminished the weight of his in- fluence and the value of his public services, it must be allowed that he was a man of very considerable importance in the sphere of his activity, and that to no individual among her patriot founders is the State of Vermont more indebted for the basis of her free institutions and the achievement of her independence, than to ETHAN ALLEN."
This is certainly a high compliment, coming from the source it does. The theological writings of Allen, however, were not calculated to render him popular with the good people of New England. Preachers, poets and critics joined in a furious cru- sade against him, to all of which he affected the utmost con- tempt. Soon after the publication of his " Oracles," alluding to the anticipated attacks of the clergy, (in a letter to a friend,) he says-" I defy the whole artillery of hell-fire." The follow- ing piece of satire from the pen of Dr. Lemuel Hopkins, (him- self for some years a resident of Litchfield,) is preserved in Dr. Elihu Hubbard Smith's " Collection of American Poetry," which was printed at Litchfield, by Collier & Adam, in 1792:
" Lo, Allen, 'scaped from British jails, His tushes broke by biting nails, Appears in hyperborean skies, To tell the world the Bible lies. See him on Green Hills north afar, Glow like a self-enkindled star,
Prepared (with mob-collecting club,
Black from the forge of Beelzebub, And grim with metaphysic scowl, With quill just plucked from wing of owl,)
As rage or reason rise or sink, To shed his blood, or shed his ink.
Behold, inspired from Vermont dens, The seer of anti-Christ descends, To feed new mobs with hell-born manna In Gentile lands of Susquehanna ; And teach the Pennsylvania quaker High blasphemies against his Maker. Behold him move, ye staunch divines !
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His tall head bustling through the pines ; All front he seems, like wall of brass, And brays tremendous as an ass. One hand is clenched to batter noses, While t'other scrawls 'gainst Paul and Moses !"
On the 23d of June, 1762, Allen married Mary Bronson of Woodbury, who died in 1784. . Their children were-Jo- seph, Loraina, Lucy, Mary Ann, and Pamela. Loraina died young, and was the subject of the anecdote just given.
General Allen died of apoplexy, on his estate at Colchester, Vermont, February 12, 1789, aged 51 years. A splendid monument, forty feet in height, (to be surmounted by a colossal statue of the hero,) has recently been erected to his memory at Burlington, by the Legislature of Vermont.
THE HONORABLE ELISHA SHELDON, a native of Lyme, and a graduate of Yale College in the class of 1730, became a resident of this village in 1753, and here spent the remainder of his life. He was an Associate Judge of the Court of Com- mon Pleas for Litchfield County from 1754 to 1761; at which latter date he was elected a member of the Council, or Upper House, in which distinguished body he sat until his decease- a period of eighteen years. He was also chosen a Representa- tive by the freemen of this town at ten semi-annual elections. Mr. Sheldon was equally conspicuous in the civil and ecclesi- astical affairs of the town, and was often called upon to pre- side at our town meetings. He also, for a period of eighteen years, held the office of County Treasurer. An active patriot in the revolution, he was not unfrequently appointed by the Legislature, and by his fellow-citizens, on important commit- tees, having for their object the advancement of the common cause. He died in the midst of the great contest. His re- mains rest in the West Burying-Ground, beneath a marble tablet, on which is inscribed the following epitaph : "This Monument is erected to the Memory of the Hon. ELISHA SHEL- DON, Esq., who departed this life September the first, Anno Domini 1779, in the 79th year of his age. A Gentleman of extensive genius and Liberal Education, called in early life to various public employments, both Civil and Military, all which he executed with punctuality and fidelity ; much respected for his Generosity and Benevolence, and greatly lamented by
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his extensive Acquaintance. In early life he made a profes- sion of the Christian Religion, and till his Death adorned it by a very Exemplary Conversation. 'Blessed are the Dead who die in the Lord.' "
The wife of Mr. Sheldon was Elizabeth Ely, by whom he had five children, viz., Lois, (m. Lynde Lord, Esq., Sheriff,) Mary, Thomas, Samuel, and Col. Elisha, (commander of the 2d Regiment of Light Dragoons in the Continental Army.)
THE HONORABLE OLIVER WOLCOTT, LL. D., (son of His Excellency, the Hon. ROGER WOLCOTT, Governor and Chief Justice of Connecticut,) was born in Windsor, December 20, 1726, and was graduated at Yale College in 1745. In early manhood, he commanded a company of volunteers in the Northern Army, in the war against the French. Having pur- sued the usual course of medical studies, he established him- self as a physician in Goshen, and was residing there at the date of the organization of the County of Litchfield, October, 1751. The Legislature appointed him the first High Sheriff of the new County, and he immediately took up his abode in this village, and continued to reside here until his decease, a period of forty-six years. He was thus but twenty-five years of age when he became a resident of Litchfield, and hence his fame, subsequently achieved, as really belongs to us as if he had been born in the town. In 1752, he erected the "Wolcott House" in South street, which is still one of the most desirable residences in the place, though more than a century has rolled by since its foundations were laid. With a commanding per- sonal appearance, dignified manners, a clear and cultivated intellect, and a character for integrity far above the reach of suspicion, it is not to be wondered at that he became a favorite of the people with whom his lot was cast. Besides holding the office of Sheriff for over twenty years, he was chosen a Repre- sentative to the Legislature five times between the years 1764 and 1770, inclusive ; a member of the Council or Upper House from 1771 to 1786; Judge of the Court of Probate for the District of Litchfield from 1772 to 1795; Judge of the Court of Common Pleas from 1773 to 1786; and member of the Continental Congress from 1775 to 1784, (except two years.)
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He was one of that memorable band of patriots and sages who, on the 4th of July, 1776, affixed their names to the Declaration of Independence. In the early part of the war of the Revolu- tion, Judge Wolcott was commissioned as a Brigadier General, and Congress appointed him a Commissioner on Indian Affairs for the Northern Department, with General Schuyler and oth- ers. In May, 1779, he was elected by the Legislature and com- missioned by Governor Trumbull, as Major General of the Militia of Connecticut, to succeed General James Wadsworth, resigned. In these important and responsible stations, he rendered the country essential service. On the field, in the camp, at the rendezvous, in the apartments of the Commissary of Supplies-in fact, wherever he could render himself useful -he was found, ever prompt in planning and efficient in exe- cuting. At the same time he was an active member of the Committee of Safety ; and, when at home, was equally zealous and conspicuous in the local affairs of the town-officiating as Moderator, Selectman, Committee-man, &c. Indeed, no man in the State, at this period, discharged so many and varied public duties. A considerable share of the reputation which Connecticut acquired for promptness in furnishing men and means for the army, is due to General Wolcott. Certainly, to no other individual in the western counties could Governor Trumbull or General Washington appeal for aid, with the cer- tainty of success, as to him.
In 1786, he was elected to the office of Lieutenant-Governor of the State, and was annually re-elected for a period of ten years. In May, 1796, he was chosen Governor-the highest executive office in the gift of the people of his native State. To this distinguished position he was again elevated at the an- nual election in 1797. He was now seventy years of age. His naturally robust constitution began to feel the weight of care and responsibility which had been so long pressing upon it. He departed this life at his residence in Litchfield, December 1, 1797, aged 71 years. A sermon was preached at his funeral by the Rev. Azel Backus, D. D., which was published. Gov- ernor Wolcott had long been a professed disciple of Christ, and his faith in the efficacy of the great Atonement sustained him
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in the decisive hour. "With all the splendor of his station and his well-earned fame," says Dr. Backus, "he was not ashamed to pray in the expressive language of the Publican, 'God be merciful to me a sinner,' and to make the most feel- ing declarations of his own personal unworthiness. For several days before his death, the shattered remains of a once noble mind and vigorous body were devoted continually to God. His very breath appeared to be prayer, until, after many painful struggles, he fell asleep. O Death ! in what a mortify- ing light doth thy power put the little glory of this diminutive world ! To what insignificance do earthly honors dwindle, before the grandeur of eternity ! Nevertheless, the death of such a character is a grievous loss, especially under the present threatening aspects of Divine Providence, and the perilous sit- uation of the country. Such tried characters are the " salt of the earth," and the pillars of our national existence. The presence, firmness, counsels, prayers and example of such Fathers, should be esteemed the " chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof." But God governs the world, and his will is done. Let it be the solemn care of each one of us, to make a profitable improvement of the frown of Heaven in this remo- val."
Joel Barlow, in his great national poem, The Columbiad, thus refers to his zeal and efforts in the cause of Independence :
"Bold WOLCOTT urged the all-important cause, With steady hand the solemn scene he draws ; Undaunted firmness with his wisdom joined, Nor kings nor worlds could warp his steadfast mind."
No resident of the town ever achieved a more honorable and wide spread fame, than OLIVER WOLCOTT-and no name in the historic annals of the Town and State in which his life was passed, is more earnestly and affectionately cherished, than his. His family have been and are distinguished-some for high political stations, others for enterprize and wealtlı, some as professional or literary men-and all, for their liberality, sterling moral qualities, and exalted social position. His mortal remains rest in our East Burying-Ground, surrounded by those of many of his descendants and kindred.
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Governor Wolcott married Lorana Collins, of Guilford, in 1755 ; she died, April 19, 1794. Their children were, Oliver, (who died in infancy, and was interred in the West Burying- Ground ;) Oliver, 2d, (see Biographical Notes ;) Lorana, m. Hon. William Moseley, M. C., of Hartford ; Mary Ann, m. Lieut. Gov. Goodrich, of Hartford ; Frederick, (see Biograph- ical Notes.) Ursula Wolcott, (a sister of Gov. W. next older than himself,) married Governor Matthew Griswold, and was the mother of Governor Roger Griswold. Thus, her father, brother, husband, son, and nephew, were all Governors of Connecticut !- a fact which cannot, probably, be said of any other lady who ever lived in the State or United States.
THE HONORABLE ANDREW ADAMS, LL. D., (a native of Stratford, and a graduate of Yale College in the class of 1760,) commenced the practice of law in Litchfield in 1774, and continued to reside here until his death, which took place in November, 1797. He rose rapidly in public esteem, and was chosen a Representative in October, 1776-a post to which he was nine times re-elected. A friend of the Revolution, he took a prominent part in its favor in our town meetings, and by his influence and efforts did much to promote the cause of the patriots in this vicinity. He rose to the rank of Colonel, and was for a short time in actual service in the war. In 1779, and again in 1780, he was Speaker of the House of Rep- resentatives-the other member from Litchfield, (the Hon. Jedediah Strong,) being at the same time Clerk of the House. Colonel Adams was a member of the Council of Safety two years, a member of the State Council nine years, a member of the Continental Congress three years, a Commissioner of the Northern Congresses at Hartford and Providence in 1780; an Associate Judge of the Superior Court four years, and Chief Justice from 1793 until his decease. He was also for a few years a Deacon of the First Church in this town.
The body of the subject of this sketch rests beneath a marble tablet in our West Burying-Ground. His epitaph is as fol- lows : " In Memory of the Hon. ANDREW ADAMS, Esq., Chief Judge of the Superior Court, who died November 27, 1797, in the 63d year of his age. Having filled many distinguished
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offices with great Ability and Dignity, he was promoted to the highest Judicial Office in the State, which he held for several years, in which his eminent Talents shone with uncommon Lustre, and were exerted to the great Advantage of the Public and the honor of the High Court in which he presided. He made an early Profession of Religion, and zealously sought to promote its true Interests. He lived the Life and died the Death of a Christian. His filial Piety and paternal tenderness are held in sweet Remembrance."
Mrs. Eunice Adams, his wife, died June 4, 1797, aged 53 years.
The " Litchfield Monitor" mentions it as a sad and singular coincidence, that Governor Wolcott and Chief Justice Adams, (the two highest official dignitaries of the State,) both resi- ding in the same village and on the same street, should be ly- ing apparently at the point of death at the same time. Gov- ernor Wolcott survived his distinguished neighbor about three days only.
The children of Judge Adams were-1. ANDREW, Jr., who m. Annis Canfield, of Sharon, and had two daughters, Cornelia, (wife of Dr. Tomlinson and mother of the Hon. Theodore E. Tomlinson, of New York city ;) and Maria C., (wife of the late Hon. Henry F. Tallmadge. Andrew Adams, Jr., died in Litchfield in the year 1806. 2. SAMUEL, died also in L., un- married. 3. ELIJAH, (see Biographical Notes.) 4. EUNICE, m. Mr. Masters. 5. POLLY, m. (perhaps) Nathaniel Lamson. 6. LYDIA, m. Elias Cowles, merchant, of Litchfield, afterward of New York ; the Hon. Edward E. Cowles, late Judge of the Marine Court in that city, is their son.
COLONEL BEZALEEL BEEBE was born in Litchfield, April 28, 1741, and spent his life in his native town, except when absent in the service of his country. At the age of seventeen he enlisted as a soldier in the French War, and marched with Captain Evarts' company to Fort George, where he was for some time stationed. He was afterward a member of Major
* I have said that Judge Adams commenced the practice of law in Litchfield in 1774. The indications are, that he became a resident here some eight or ten years earlier than that date. An Andrew Adams of this town was a Commissioner on two estates at early as 1766 ; and was chosen a Lister in 1772 and 1773.
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