USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Stamford > Stamford historical sketches > Part 2
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When the old Webb tavern was being torn down in 1868, a group of young men determined to play a joke on the public. They secured some old paper, stained it yellow to give it the effect of great age and then forged some docu- ments, apparently of the Revolutionary period, which purported to show that much of the recorded history of that time was false. These papers were then placed in the debris of the old structure where they could easily be found. When they were "discovered," they created a great sensation, and were written up in one of the New York papers as docu- ments of unusual historical value. After five days the hoax was discovered, but not until the perpetrators had exacted their full measure of fun out of it.
MAJOR TALLMADGE AND HIS EXPLOITS AT SHIPPAN
ROMINENT among the associa- tions of Revolutionary history with Stamford are the daring exploits of Major Benjamin Tallmadge, a brilliant young officer, who carried out two im- portant enterprises from Shippan.
A group of Tory marauders were lo- cated at Lloyd's Neck, on the Sound, where they had been causing consider- able trouble, and Major Tallmadge de- termined to capture them. Although a young man, only twenty-five years of age, he had an intrepid spirit, and ar- ranged for an attack which older men might have hesitated to attempt. On September 5th, 1779, he assembled a group of one hundred and thirty picked men at Shippan, near the present loca- tion of the Stamford Yacht Club, and under cover of darkness started across the Sound for the camp of the enemy. He took several boats with him, which he hoped to use to bring back prisoners. Reaching his objective, his company moved stealthily on the camp of the loyalists, breaking in on them at ten o'clock at night, at a time when they
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least suspected trouble. The manoeuvre was so well managed that his men were able to take the entire company pris- oners. They were piled into the boats brought for the purpose, and on the fol- lowing morning Major Tallmadge re- turned to Stamford. When the enemy were counted, it was discovered that there were more prisoners than there were men in the attacking band, and Major Tallmadge had not lost a single member of his own forces.
Two years later, Major Tallmadge assembled another group of soldiers at Shippan, seven hundred in number, for another purpose. General Washington had given him permission to use his troops to attack a large number of Brit- ish soldiers at Huntington, Long Island. On a bleak night in December, his gal- lant company were ready to embark on their perilous task, when a violent storm developed which made the journey im- possible. Rain, snow and wind con- bined forces against them, and the sol- diers were compelled to pull their boats up on land and seek shelter beneath them. On the second night, an attempt was made again, but the fury of the storm was unabated, and the attack had
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to be given up. On the third morning, six of the best boats were started, but the raging elements drove three of them back to land. The other three chanced to come upon three of the enemy's boats on the open waters of the Sound. They had been moving about, and had been forced by the unfavorable weather to seek refuge at Norwalk Islands. They were attempting a return to Long Island when Major Tallmadge's boats came upon them. Instead of engaging in a land battle, as had been originally planned, the Tories were attacked at sea. Every man in one of the British ships was killed, another ship was captured, while the third escaped.
Once again Major Tallmadge at- tempted to carry out his original plan to cross the Sound, but was finally com- pelled to give up the expedition. He was greatly disappointed by his inability to carry out his purpose, but when he reported his efforts to General Washing- ton he received a letter of approval from him.
Major Tallmadge made his home in Litchfield. He was given the title of Colonel, and in 1812 was offered a prom- inent military position by President
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Madison. He served as a representative to Congress with Major John Daven- port from 1800 to 1816. His death oc- curred at his home in Litchfield in his eighty-second year.
GENERAL DAVID WATERBURY
TAMFORD has produced many men who have distinguished them- selves in war, but in that galaxy of heroes no name is more worthy of dis- tinction than that of General David Waterbury, Jr., valiant leader in the French and Indian wars, and ardent pa- triot and soldier in the days of the Revolution.
General Waterbury commenced his military career when he was only twen- ty-five years of age. He enrolled as a lieutenant in the militia, and three years later was a captain in the train band in Stamford. He participated in six dif- ferent campaigns during the French and Indian wars, and was in the memorable attack made by General Abercrombie on Fort Ticonderoga in 1758.
General Abercrombie's men moved cautiously toward the fort and after a few successful exploits, arrived, on July 7th, within four miles of the French stronghold. The next day they at- tempted an assault, but were driven back with a considerable loss. On the even- ing of that day Captain Waterbury was put in charge of a party of 500 men
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with instructions to hold a certain point on the lake which it was thought the French might attack. In the panic which followed the reverses of the day, four hundred of Captain Waterbury's men deserted him and he was left with only a hundred followers, many of whom were his fellow townsmen. Despite this defection of his soldiers, the Captain stuck tenaciously at his post until the morning, when he was to be relieved. When no relief came, he sent out one scout after another to discover the rea- son. One finally returned with the re- port that the army had retreated, leav- ing everything in their camp in a chaotic condition. When Captain Waterbury discovered that he was left alone, he ordered his men to "sling their packs" and prepare for withdrawal. The rest of the army had embarked in boats and were well down the lake, but a few bat- toos were still left, and under Captain Waterbury's guidance, his men were able to get away safely, the last group to leave in the enforced retreat.
Captain Waterbury's military train- ing prepared him for valuable services during the Revolutionary War. He en- tered the Revolution as a Colonel, and
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as early as 1775, organized a regiment for the defense of New York. On ac- count of the indecision of the colonies he was compelled to disband the regi- ment for a time, but shortly afterwards, at the solicitation of General Charles Lee, he reorganized it, and this regiment was the first regiment of infantry re- sponding to the call for volunteers for the defense of New York against the British. The standard of the regiment was white, and bore the legend "An Ap- peal to Heaven."
Colonel Waterbury was continually active throughout the struggle and car- ried out several important commissions. He was present at the siege of St. John's and the surrender of Montreal. While engaged as the second in command of the fleet operating on Lake Champlain, he was taken prisoner, but was later ex- changed. Governor Jonathan Trum- bull himself recommended Colonel Waterbury for the high military rank which was bestowed upon him, and char- acterized him as a man who "at all times behaved with bravery and honor."
General Waterbury's character is well revealed in a letter written to his wife in response to one in which she ex-
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pressed doubt that she would ever see him again. He replied, to her fears, "I desire I may be in some way instrumen- tal of overcoming this tyrannical spirit that rules in England. I put my trust in God to defend me in the day of battle. I hope I shall do my duty, stand or fall."
HON. ABRAHAM DAVENPORT AND THE DARK DAY, MAY 19TH, 1780
TAMFORD'S most distinguished citizen of the eighteenth century was the Hon. Abraham Daven- port, eighth child of the Rev. John Dav- enport, minister in the town from 1694 till 1731. His great-grandfather was the original John Davenport, who founded the New Haven colony, and whose name is intimately associated with the early life of Connecticut.
Abraham Davenport was a graduate of Yale College, and early in life dis- tinguished himself as a man of singular abilities. He was the one person to whom the community naturally and in- stinctively turned during the crucial days of the Revolutionary War. His fellow-townsmen recognized his remark- able gifts and bestowed many honors upon him. For thirty-one years he served as a selectman, holding that of- fice for a longer period than any other resident of Stamford. He sat as a mem- ber of the state legislature during twenty-five sessions, and was state sena- tor for eighteen years. His legal gifts were recognized by his selection for pro-
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bate judge, which office he held to the great satisfaction of every one. At his death he was judge at the county seat.
The passionate longing for freedom in Revolutionary days found full ex- pression in his devotion to the colonial cause. During the war he rendered val- uable assistance to George Washington and Governor Trumbull, by both of whom he was recognized as a wise coun- selor and leader.
Mr. Davenport will long be remem- bered as the principal figure in an anec- dote connected with the famous dark day, May 19th, 1780. The story reveals the true character of the man, and gives some insight into his philosophy of life. May 19th, 1780, was a day long remem- bered by the people who were living at that time. Some strange physical phe- nomena occurred, which caused the day to become unusually dark. Candles were lighted, birds were hushed, fowls retired to roost ; bats flitted about, and many thought the Day of Judgment had come. The state legislature was in ses- sion in Hartford at this time, and the ex- citement and commotion became so great that the lower house adjourned. The Senate considered the advisability
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of doing so, and turned to Colonel Dav- enport, as he was then designated, for his advice. With firm voice and calm demeanor, he said: "I am against ad- journment. The Day of Judgment is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. I wish, therefore, that candles may be brought." Whittier has written a beautiful poem, entitled "Abraham Davenport," in which he memorializes this event. His closing lines are strik- ing:
"And there he stands in memory to this day, Erect, self-poised, a rugged face half seen Against the background of unnatural dark,
A witness to the ages as they pass- That simple duty has no place for fear."
A BRITISH INVASION OF STAMFORD AND AN ATTACK ON THE CHURCH AT MIDDLESEX
HE present town of Darien was originally a part of Stamford, and remained so until 1820, when it was incorporated as a separate town. In Revolutionary days the place was known as Middlesex. A church was established there, and the Rev. Moses Mather was made the pastor. Mr. Mather began his ministerial career when the church was organized in 1744, and under his lead- ership the new organization greatly prospered. During Revolutionary days he was an ardent champion of the colo- nial cause and used his gifts fearlessly in the support of General Washington and his troops. He was so active in his work that he aroused the bitter animosity of the Tories, and on August 3d, 1779, five members of his own parish, with three other British sympathizers, seized him and his four sons, and carried them away to New York. Later he was re- leased, but was destined to have an even harder experience upon his return to Middlesex.
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A group of Tories from Lloyd's Neck journeyed across the Sound on Saturday, July 21st, 1781, and secreted themselves in the swamp near the Middlesex meet- ing house. They were about forty in number and were under the leadership of one of the residents of the community which they had come to attack. On Sun- day afternoon, while Dr. Mather stood up in his pulpit to preach to his congre- gation, the invaders closed in upon the assembled worshippers and demanded surrender. Only a few escaped. One old lady marched boldly through the ranks of the enemy, and no one dared to touch her. The minister's son made a dash for liberty, and, although he was able to effect his escape, received a bul- let wound in his heel which left a scar for the rest of his life.
The men of the congregation were un- able to offer any resistance, and were seized by the enemy, who bound them together, two and two, and arranged them in marching order. The women and children were placed under a special guard. The patriot preacher was placed at the head of the prisoners, and after all had been searched and deprived of their jewelry and valuables, the men
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were led away. Boats were in readiness, and forty-eight were taken across the Sound to Lloyd's Neck. Here the men found some of their own townspeople and former neighbors, who were located there in that Tory settlement, but they received little consideration or kindness from them. After a short time, half of the group were sent home and the other half were taken to Provost prison in New York. Their life there was unen- durable, and only nineteen of the twen- ty-six that were incarcerated lived to re- turn home, when an exchange of prison- ers was effected on December 27th.
Mr. Mather was among those taken to the prison. His food was insufficient for his needs, and, as President Dwight records, "His lodgings corresponded with his food. His company, to a large extent, was made up of a mere rabble, and their conversation, from which he could not retreat, composed of profane- ness and ribaldry." The Provost Mar- shal in charge of the prison was particu- larly unkind to him, and sought to tor- ture him by telling him, from time to time, that his execution had been plan- ned for the following day.
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Mr. Mather was finally released, and returned to his parish in Middlesex, where he remained in his pastorate until Sept. 21, 1806, at which time he died. He had a consecutive ministry of sixty- two years in this, the only church in which he ever served.
DESECRATION OF STAMFORD'S OLDEST BURIAL GROUND
HE two triangular greens located at the place where River and South Streets enter Main Street are inter- esting, not only for their present charm, but for their historic associations. These two open places, with the intervening space on the Post Road, mark Stam- ford's first burial ground.
The original Post Road from Boston to New York passed through Stamford, but its course was much more irregular than it is today. The highway had many a twist and turn, which added consider- ably to the actual distance between the two great cities. In 1795, traffic on this famous thoroughfare had become suffi- ciently great to bring out a general de- mand for straightening the road and eliminating all unnecessary curves. Many heavy stage coaches plied back and forth, and the number using the road was continually becoming larger. During the session of the state legisla- ture in 1800, a commission was ap- pointed to make a careful survey of the situation, and large powers were dele- gated to them to make such changes in
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the road as were deemed necessary. The original Post Road entered Stamford on the east at Main Street, and proceeded westward to Park Place. Thence it con- tinued past the present Davenport Hotel to River Street; thence to the right to Broad Street; thence to the left over what was known as Theale's bridge, and over Palmer's Hill, past the spot now occupied by the Stamford Hospital. The commissioners proposed to take this irregular bend out of the road by going diagonally through the old cemetery of the town, leaving two small plots on either side. The citizens looked upon the burial place as a hallowed spot, made sacred by the memory of many whose mortal remains had been placed there, and they strenuously opposed the project. But the commission felt that the public good was of more importance than the sentiment of a few villagers, and proceeded with their task, taking care, however, to move carefully the re- mains of the dead. When the road was finally opened, the opponents of the plan expressed their disapproval in vigorous fashion. They assembled together at night, and with their faithful oxen dragged load after load of huge rocks-
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in which the town was not lacking-and placed them at either end of the entrance to the cemetery. The first piles were pa- tiently removed by the authorities, but, before the incident was closed, four suc- cessive efforts had been made to block traffic in this manner. For years after- wards, old residents could not be in- duced to drive through the hallowed spot, preferring always to go around and not to desecrate the abode of the dead.
An amusing anecdote is told in con- nection with the removal of the remains from the cemetery. When the bones were being removed, a large hogshead was rolled to the place, and the exhumed bones were placed in it. A citizen of the village who was returning home one night, after imbibing too freely, crawled into the hogshead and, in his intoxicated condition fell asleep. A little later in the evening, two deacons of the church happened to be walking past the burial ground, and stopped for a few words of farewell by the large cask. The bung of the barrel was out, and one of the men playfully took his walking stick and thrust it through the hole. The drunken man within felt the thrust and let out a
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terrible groan, and the two deacons, thinking the dead had come to life, cried out in terror and fled in utmost haste. It is rumored that they have not stopped running yet !
GOING TO CHURCH IN STAMFORD ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO
A N interesting description of the Old Meeting House which stood in Central Park one hundred years ago is given by a writer who attended services there in 1824. His vivid pic- ture helps us to reconstruct an idea of the interior of the old edifice and the na- ture of the worship held there. He writes as follows concerning the place: "That venerable building used to be called the meeting house of that time, but the term itself revealed one of the weaknesses of the old Puritans, who had contracted, we think, an unreasonable aversion toward Episcopalians, who were in the habit, from the first, of call- ing their places of worship churches. It is time that the awkward paraphrase of ours was dropped. The pulpit, of which Parson Smith always seemed to be a part, stood on a post, and was a little larger than a good-sized hogshead. Over it was suspended what was called a sounding board, in the shape of an umbrella, though a very solid and heavy one; and the writer, in his boy days, not understanding much of what was going
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on in the pulpit on Sunday, nor feeling very much interest in what was good preaching, and was so considered by the congregation, used to sit and watch that heavy umbrella, in the expectation that it would perhaps fall some day, and then, would it kill Parson Smith? He thought not, for it would probably crowd him down into the hogshead like a Jack-in-the-box.
"There was one box stove in the church, near the door, which supplied the congregation with smoke and with a dripping black acid that came down in gentle showers from the long stove-pipe. For heat and comfort we depended chiefly on foot stoves of all patterns. It always made quite a sensation when some one was obliged to go to the stove and fill up the foot stove with live coals, which often happened during the ser- vices.
"When there was no choir in the high gallery to set the tune, Parson Smith used to give a look toward Sylvanus and Harris Scofield in their pews, and, after a few cross fires of glances between the three parties, it seemed to be understood that they were called upon to leave their pews and walk down the aisle, out of
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the door, and up the stairs leading from the entry to the singers' loft. As the floor of the aisle had no carpets, every time the boots struck the floor until they arrived in the choir we could mark prog- ress by the noise they made. Pretty soon the sounding pipe, a kind of whistle on the note A, in the form of a small book, was produced and sounded, and after one or two 'hems' to see that every- thing was clear and ready for action, the psalm began, and never broke down very often till the whole was finished. High up in the wall, behind the choir, was a window through which the bell-ringer always looked down to see when the minister appeared in the pulpit, and that ended the tolling of the bell.
"In connection with this venerable old church, the writer quite distinctly remembers a certain day (week day) when there was a large crowd around the church and in the church, and on inquiry, was told that it was a court about Henshel wood and Elizabeth -
"Right opposite, on the south side of the street, was the whipping post. At the bottom of the whipping post was a remnant of the stocks, that is, the lower part of them, the upper part having dis-
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appeared before the writer's recollection of things began."
Parson Smith referred to in this de- scription was the Rev. Daniel Smith, who was pastor of the Congregational Church for fifty-three consecutive years. An interesting anecdote is told of him which, although not related to the above, reveals something of the situa- tion existing in his time. Stamford was taxed to support the Congregational ministry from the beginning of the set- tlement till 1835, and in 1802, when the church was in arrears financially, Par- son Smith went to a blacksmith to col- lect the citizen's tax for the support of the gospel. The sum was one dollar. The blacksmith was not an attendant of the church, and responded: "I haven't attended church; why should I pay the dollar?" To this the minister replied: "The doors are always open, and you could have attended had you chosen to do so." After some argument, the black- smith yielded and handed over the money. A few days later, Parson Smith received a bill from the blacksmith for two dollars for shoeing his horse. The parson called on the blacksmith at once for an explanation, for he had not had
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his horse shod. "Well," said the smith to the parson's protest, "the door of the shop was open, and I was there, and you could have had your horse shod had you chosen to do so!" There is no evidence that the bill was ever paid.
THE VISIT OF LAFAYETTE TO STAMFORD
ARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE has always been a popular idol of the American people, but never more so than to the generation immediately following the Revolutionary War. His earnest espousal of the Colonial cause made a deep impression on the people, who were not unmindful of the assist- ance he secured from France, and his military achievements at Barren Hill and Monmouth. His efforts were of un- questioned value in hastening the end of the struggle which made the colonies free. In August, 1824, he visited the United States at the invitation of Con- gress, and was given an enthusiastic re- ception. A gift of two hundred thousand dollars was voted him, and he was also presented with a township of land. He had lost his own private fortunes by confiscation during the Reign of Terror in France, and these expressions of ap- preciation were particularly appropri- ate, as they helped him to re-establish himself financially. While in this coun- try he visited many cities and towns, and was received with unrestrained enthu-
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siasm. It was during his triumphal tour that he visited Stamford.
During the short time that he was here, he was entertained at the old Dav- enport home on Park Place, which occu- pied the location of the present Daven- port Hotel. This dignified colonial man- sion was one of the most imposing in the village, and was the home of Major John Davenport, distinguished Colonial patriot and former member of the Na- tional Congress.
An eye-witness of the reception ac- corded Lafayette has recorded the im- pressions which the event made upon him as a boy, in the Fairfield County Democrat of March 29th, 1871. He writes: "His coming was a great event, especially for a quiet town as ours was. He wore a blue coat with buff-colored vest and breeches, and was accompanied by his son, George Washington. His carriage was drawn by four or six beau- tiful cream-colored horses. He went into the house and partook of some refresh- ments, and in a few moments came out on the piazza and a great and mighty shout went up from the people of the village, including, of course, all the boys in town, who had gathered around the
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