USA > Connecticut > The history of Connecticut, from the first settlement of the colony to the adoption of the present constitution, vol. II > Part 33
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The following sums were allowed to the sufferers in the several towns hereafter named, viz. :- Sufferers in Greenwich, £12,291 : 14 : 0} ; sufferers in Norwalk, £26,066:0:1; sufferers in Fairfield, £23,893 : 12 : 8.
Additional losses sustained by several inhabitants of Fairfield, in the enemy's expedition to Danbury, viz. :- £1,436 : 10 : 11; in Danbury, £8,303 : 17 : 10}; in New Haven and East Haven, £16,912 : 16 : 6 ; in New London, £42,062 :- 13 : 7; in Ridgefield, £1,730 : 1 : 10.
The sums advanced to Ridgefield by grants of the Assembly, were deducted, and the net balances allowed.
To sufferers in Groton, £7,719 : 12 : 2.
Whole amount of losses allowed to the sufferers by the grant of said lands, being £251,606 : 8 : 8}.
379
A SHARP CORRESPONDENCE.
[1779.]
effected a landing there. Although too weak to prevent the destruction of the town, Parsons took every opportunity to harass and annoy the enemy-so that they re-embarked and returned to Huntington Bay, ostensibly for fresh supplies of artillery and reinforcements of men. Tryon, however, was too prudent a man to renew his depredations after he had ascertained that the people of Connecticut were waiting to give him a warm reception. He accordingly abandoned his undertaking, and in a short time anchored his fleet off New York .*
The following correspondence between Governor Tryon and General Parsons, is here introduced into the text, as an indication of the spirit of one of the bravest and most accomplished officers of the revolutionary era. It will be observed that the letter of Tryon was written previous to his incendiary expedition ; while the response was penned subsequently :
"NEW YORK, June 18, 1779.
"SIR : By his Majesty's ships of war, which arrived here last night from Georgia, we have intelligence that the British forces were in possession of Fort Johnston, near Charlestown, the first of June. Surely it is time for rational Americans to wish for a reunion with the parent State, and to adopt such measures as will most speedily effect it.
" I am, sir, your very humble, " obedient servant,
" WILLIAM TRYON, M. G.
"To Gen. Putnam, or in his absence, to Gen. Parsons."
[Answer.]
"CAMP, HIGHLANDS, Sept. 7, 1779.
"SIR : I should have paid an earlier attention to your polite letter of the 18th of June, had I not entertained some hope of a personal interview with you, in your descents upon the defenseless towns of Connecticut, to execute your mas-
* The British loss at Norwalk in killed, wounded and missing, was one hundred and forty-eight.
380
HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
ter's vengeance upon the rebellious women and formidable host of boys and girls, who were induced, by your insidious proclamations, to remain in those hapless places ; and who, if they had been suffered to continue in the enjoyment of that peace which their age and sex entitled them to expect from civilized nations, you undoubtedly supposed would prove the scourge of Britain's veteran troops, and pluck from you those laurels, with which that fiery expedition so plentifully crown- ed you. But your sudden departure from Norwalk, and the particular attention that you paid to your personal safety, when at that place, and the prudent resolution you took, to suffer the town of Stamford to escape the conflagration, to which you had devoted Fairfield and Norwalk, prevented my wishes on this head; this I hope will sufficiently apologize for my delay in answering your last letter.
By letters from France, we have intelligence that his Catholic Majesty declared war against Great Britain in June last ; that the combined fleets of France and Spain, amount- ing to more than sixty sail of the line, have formed a junc- tion, and with twenty-five thousand land forces, are meditat- ing an important blow on the British dominions in Europe ; and that the grand fleet of Old England find it very incon- venient to venture far from their harbors. In the West Indies, Admiral Byron, having greatly suffered in a naval engagement, escaped with his ships in a very shattered condi- tion to St. Christopher's ; and covered his fleet under the batteries on the shores, and has suffered himself to be insult- ed in the road of that island by the French Admiral ; and Count D'Estaing, after reducing the Islands of St. Vincent and Grenada to the obedience of France, defeating and dis- abling the British fleet, had sailed for Hispaniola ; where it is expected he will be joined by the Spanish fleet in those seas, and attack Jamaica. The storming of your strong works at Stony Point, and capturing the garrison by our brave troops ; the brilliant successes of General Sullivan against your faithful friends and allies, the savages ; the surprise of Paulus Hook, by Major Lee ; the flight of General Provost
381
STORMING OF STONY POINT.
[1779.]
from Carolina ; and your shamefully shutting yourselves up in New York and the neighboring islands, are so fully within your knowledge as scarcely to need repetition.
Surely, it is time for Britons to rouse from their delusive dreams of conquest, and pursue such systems of future con- duct as will save their tottering empire from total destruc- tion.
I am, sir, your obedient servant,
SAMUEL H. PARSONS.
Major-General Tryon."
On the 15th of July, General Wayne commenced his march with the intention of storming Stony Point. The van of the right, consisting of one hundred and fifty volun- teers, was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Henry, while the van of the left, numbering one hundred volunteers, was commanded by Major Stuart-all with unloaded muskets and fixed bayonets-preceded by a company of twenty picked men, whose duty it was to remove the abbatis and other obstructions. Colonel Meigs was one of the officers engaged in this expedition.
On the morning of the 16th, about one o'clock, Wayne, at the head of his men, entered the works in the face of an incessant fire of musketry and artillery. The capture was soon effected. "About fifty of the garrison were killed, and the remainder, to the number of four hundred and fifty, were taken prisoners. Wayne's loss in killed and wounded was about one hundred. The surprise and capture of Paulus Hook (now Jersey city,) by Major Lee, soon followed.
Between Huntington Harbor and Oyster Bay, on Long Island, on a high promontory, known as Lloyd's Neck, the enemy had erected a fort and manned it with about five hundred soldiers. Encamped under the protection of this fortress, was an organized band of marauders, who, having armed boats in command, had long plundered the inhabitants along the Connecticut shore, besides robbing the small vessels on the Sound. Major Tallmadge determined, if pos- sible, to break up this horde of banditti. On the 5th of Sep-
382
HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
tember he embarked with one hundred and thirty men of his detachment, from Shipand Point, near Stamford, at eight o'clock in the evening, and about ten o'clock landed on Lloyd's Neck. He attacked the enemy so suddenly, and with such spirit, that nearly the whole party was captured, and landed in Connecticut before morning. Though Tall- madge's corps were fired upon by the freebooters while they were engaged in destroying the huts and boats, not a man was lost during the expedition .*
On the 28th of September, Samuel Huntington, delegate from Connecticut, was elected President of Congress, in the place of Mr. Jay, who had accepted the appointment of minister to Spain.
In October, the Connecticut quota of twelve thousand militia, called out by Washington to strengthen him in his contemplated attack upon New York, were disbanded, and the army under the immediate direction of the commander- in-chief, went into winter-quarters near Morristown, New Jersey. Strong detachments, however, were stationed at the posts on the Hudson for their defense and to prevent the enemy from ascending the river. The cavalry were sent into Connecticut to pass the winter.t
General Putnam availed himself of the brief season of quiet which followed, and in company with his son, Major Daniel Putnam, and his secretary, Major Humphreys, visited his home in Pomfret. In December, he began his journey to Morristown ; but while on the road between Pomfret and Hartford, he began to feel an unusual numbness and torpor in his right hand and foot, which increased so perceptibly and rapidly that before he reached the house of his friend, Colonel Wadsworth, his limbs on that side were partially
* See sketch of Colonel Tallmadge, in the " National Portrait Gallery."
+ Hildreth, iii. 395. The depreciation of the currency still occasioned intense feeling, not only among the soldiers, but with the people generally. In some places it was the occasion of mobs and bloodshed. With the hope of remedying the evil, a convention of the five eastern states was held at Hartford, on the 20th of October. A new regulation of prices was recommended.
383
DEFENSE OF SEA COAST.
[1780.]
disabled. His naturally energetic mind and robust frame for awhile induced him, as well as his friends, to believe that the effect was but temporary ; but it proved to be a paralytic affection, from which he never recovered .*
In January, 1780, two regiments were ordered to be forth- with raised for the defense of the sea-coast, each regiment to
* The remainder of General Putnam's life was necessarily passed in retirement. His mental faculties remained unimpaired, and he continued to enjoy the society of his friends until the period of his death, in 1790. The late Rev. Dr. Dwight, President of Yale College, who knew General Putnam intimately, has portrayed his character faithfully in the following inscription, which is engraven on his tomb :
Sacred be this Monument to the memory of ISRAEL PUTNAM, ESQUIRE, senior Major-General in the armies of the United States of America ; who was born at Salem, in the province of Massachusetts, on the 7th day of January, A. D. 1718, and died on the 19th day of May, A. D. 1790. Passenger, if thou art a Soldier, drop a tear over the dust of a Hero who, ever attentive to the lives and happiness of his men, dared to lead where any dared to follow ; if a Patriot, remember the distinguished and gallant services rendered thy country by the Patriot who sleeps beneath this marble ; if thou art honest, generous and worthy, render a cheerful tribute of respect to a man, whose generosity was singular, whose honesty was proverbial ; who raised himself to universal esteem and offices of eminent distinction, by personal worth and a useful life.
384
HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
consist of eight companies, and each company to contain fifty-five privates, with a captain, lieutenant, ensign, four sergeants, four corporals, a drummer and fifer. Levi Wells and Bezaleel Beebe were appointed lieutenant-colonels and commanders of these regiments, and Edward Shipman and Elias Buel were appointed majors of the same.
At the same time it was officially announced to the Assem- bly that an exchange of prisoners had been effected between General Washington and the British commissary general of prisoners in New York,*
Among the acts passed at this session, was one designed to establish the value of the bills of credit issued by the legisla- ture, forbidding any person from offering or receiving them at a less rate than that which they purport to be, and making them, as well as the bills issued by Congress, a legal tender for all payments within this state, according to their current value.t
In compliance with a call from Congress, the Assembly, in April, appointed James Watson to be a commissary to pur- chase rum and hay for the army, and to deposit them at such place within the state as the commander-in-chief shall direct.Į
A requisition was made upon the Assembly by General Washington, for two thousand five hundred and twenty effective men, rank and file, " to cooperate with the army of the United States for the term of three months from and after the 15th of July next." Measures were immediately taken to comply with the call thus made. The number of men designated were directed to be raised, and to march and rendezvous at Danbury by the 15th of July, there to await the order of the commander-in-chief. It was also voted, that fifteen hundred men should forthwith be enlisted for the Con-
* Brigadier-General Silliman was exchanged for Judge Jones ; Brigade-Major William Silliman was exchanged for Mr. Willett and John Pickett.
t This act was repealed a few months afterwards.
# Mr. Commissary Watson, after the war, became a United States Senator from New York. He was a native of Woodbury, Connecticut.
385
THE SIX NORTHERN STATES.
[1780.]
necticut battalions in the continental army, to continue in the service until the last day of December.
If, during the campaign, it should be deemed advisable to make an attempt to recover New York from the hands of the enemy, the two state regiments commanded by Lieuten- ant-Colonels Beebe and Wells, were directed to join the main army, to serve on this side of the Hudson river. The gov- ernor was desired to inform General Washington of this arrangement, and to assure him that the state would furnish the full number of men that he had requested .*
When the legislature had assembled in October, immediate steps were taken for raising and equipping four thousand two hundred and forty-eight effective men to serve in the con- tinental army during the war. Each town was required to furnish its proportion of beef, pork, and wheat flour, for the use of the troops. Congress having proposed a convention of the six northern states, to assemble at Hartford, on the second Wednesday of November, to consult on some uniform measures for filling up and completing their several quotas for the continental service, and to agree upon other means
* State Records, MS. Colonel Henry Champion, superintendent of purchases, is directed to repair to New London and seize and secure for the use of the state one half of the mess beef and salted pork which has been lately captured and brought into that port by privateer ships.
Messrs. John Chevenard, Ebenezer Wales, Samuel Lyman, Fenn Wadsworth, and James Church, were appointed committee of pay table.
The bounty heretofore offered to soldiers to enlist, was extended to the dragoons under Colonel Sheldon and Major Tallmadge.
" Upon the memorial of Benedict Arnold, Esq., major-general in the army of the United States, in behalf of himself, and Israel Putnam, Esq., major-general of said army, praying that they may be admitted to the benefits and advantages granted to the officers and soldiers of the Connecticut line of the continental army, by acts of the General Assembly passed in April and October, A. D., 1779"- their petition was granted, and a committee was appointed to adjust their accounts. It is worthy of remark, that, though Arnold enjoyed the honor of being born in Connecticut, his native state did little or nothing toward honoring him. It is believed that the only commission ever granted him by the government of Con- necticut, was that of captain of the governor's guards. He procured the appoint- ment of colonel from the Massachusetts committee of safety, and his subsequent commissions were received from Congress. Indeed, his name seldom occurs upon our colonial and state records.
57
, 386
HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
of defense, Messrs. Eliphalet Dyer, William Williams, and . Andrew Adams, were appointed commissioners to represent this state in that body .*
In response to the application of Count Rochambeau, the cavalry corps of the Duke of Lauzun was allowed to be quartered during the approaching winter, in the towns of Windham, Lebanon, and Colchester. Colonel Jeremiah Wadsworth, David Trumbull, Esq., and Mr. Joshua Elder- kin, were directed to provide suitable accommodations for the officers and to erect barracks for the men of the Legion. At the same time, the second regiment of dragoons, consist- ing of two hundred and forty men, with one hundred and forty horses, were directed to be quartered, at the expense of the state, in the towns of Cornwall, Salisbury, Sharon, Goshen, Canaan, and Torrington.t
The southern campaign, under Lincoln and Gates, had proved particularly disastrous to the Americans. Almost our entire army in that quarter had been swept away. Some had died of disease, some had been killed, some taken prisoners, and others scattered and lost. Washington was alarmed, and declared that the army under him could not be kept together during another campaign, unless the aspect of affairs was changed. Anxious to strike a decisive blow, he proposed to Rochambeau, then commanding the French troops at Newport, that New York should be attacked. This measure was not thought feasible without an addition to our naval force. Letters were sent to the French admiral in the
* These gentlemen, together with Jeremiah Wadsworth, were appointed com- missioners to meet with those from other states, at such time and place as should be agreed upon, " to agree upon some terms for supplying the French army and navy now in this country with necessary provisions."
Captain Roswell Grant, Captain James Hillhouse, Mr. Zephaniah Huntington, Colonel Eli Mygatt, Major John Ripley, and Major Aaron Austin, were at the same time appointed commissaries of brigade.
+ Benjamin Tallmadge, David Smith, and Richard Sill, officers of the Connec- ticut line in the continental army, in behalf of the officers and soldiers of said line, complain that they have been paid off in depreciated currency-and ask for redress. The committees appointed for that purpose are directed to adjust their claims and pay them from the monies received from the sales of the confiscated estates.
387
WASHINGTON GOES TO HARTFORD.
[1780.]
West Indies, begging for assistance. Washington, on the 19th of September, set out for Hartford, for the purpose of consulting with Rochambeau and others in regard to some definite plan of operation .*
On Thursday, the 21st, the principal chiefs of the allied armies met according to agreement, and a long conference ensued. The commander-in-chief assured his friends that he had in camp but fifteen thousand troops for a new campaign. The plan of another campaign was agreed upon, and trans- mitted to the Court of France.t
On Friday, the French commanders started on their return to Newport ; and on the following day, the American officers set off toward the camp. Passing through Farmington, Litchfield, and the new town of Washington, the commander- in-chief and his suite reached West Point, by way of Fishkill, on Monday, where his arrival was announced by the firing of thirteen cannon, about eleven o'clock, of that day.į On his way, however, he had learned of the infamous attempt of Benedict Arnold, who commanded at that post, to surren- der it into the hands of the enemy.§
A short time before this discovery, Washington had granted
* From the Connecticut Courant, of September, 26th, 1780.
"Last week, their excellencies Governor Trumbull, General Washington, Count Rochambeau, and Admiral Ternay, arrived in this town, with the Marquis de Lafayette, General Knox, and several other officers of distinction from the allied armies. The greatest satisfaction was expressed by all parties at their meeting, and the highest marks of polite respect and attention were mutual. The corps of guards and artillery were on duty, and saluted with thirteen cannon on the arrival and departure of these gentlemen."
+ Gordon, iii. 128. This author states that General Washington and his suite, on leaving for Connecticut, had procured all the money they could for the trip, but found it was more than half gone before they left New York. "They put on a good countenance when in Connecticut, called for what they wanted, and were well supplied ; but the thought of reckoning with their host, damped their plea- sure. However, to their great joy, when the bills were called for, they were informed that the governor of Connecticut had given orders that they should pay nothing in that state, but should be at free cost."
# Connecticut Courant.
§ While Arnold was in command in Philadelphia, he had lived in great extrav- agance ; his debts accumulated, his creditors tormented him, and he was charged
388
HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
to Major Tallmadge a separate command, consisting of the dismounted dragoons of the regiment, and a body of horse, with directions to break up a system of illicit traffic which had been for some time carried on between the British on Long Island, and the tories on the opposite side of the Sound. With this body of troops, Major Tallmadge took a position on the coast near the line between the states of New York and Connecticut, where he had the best facilities for obtain- ing intelligence and watching the operations of the offenders. Spending some time at this point, without an opportunity of effecting his purpose, he turned back towards the Hudson and encamped near North Castle. On the very day of his arrival there, he was informed that a prisoner had been taken, by the name of John Anderson. On inquiry, he ascertained, that three militia-men, named John Paulding, David Williams, and Isaac Van Wert, who had passed below our ordinary military patrols, on the road from Tarrytown to Kingsbridge, had fallen in with the prisoner, while he was riding towards New York. Upon searching him, they had found sundry unintelligible papers in his boots, and had brought him in as a prisoner to Colonel Jameson.
The next morning, Anderson was given in charge to Major Tallmadge, who was the first to suspect that he was an
with having appropriated public property to his own use. His bills against the government were enormous, and were not allowed. A court-martial sentenced him to be reprimanded by Washington. Arnold vowed vengeance, and he appears from that time to have meditated treason. He had been so far restored to public favor as to be placed in command of the important post at West Point. In carrying out his plan of revenge, he commenced negotiating with General Clinton for the surrender of the fortress ; and Major Andre, of the British army, was soon sent to West Point to perfect the arrangement. Having agreed with Arnold upon the terms and time of the surrender, Andre started on his return to New York. He had safely passed all the guards and posts on the road, and began to congratulate himself on his safety, when his horse was suddenly seized by three militia-men who had been out with a scouting party. Scorning his proffered bribes, they conducted him to the quarters of Colonel Jameson. Andre showed the colonel his pass from Arnold, and begged permission to write a line to him, (Arnold,) informing him of the capture ; which Jameson, through an ill-judged delicacy, granted him. Arnold was thus warned in time to effect his own escape.
389
FATE OF ANDRE.
[1780.]
important British officer, under an assumed name. This opinion was formed from his military step, as well as from his general manners, intelligence, and refinement. The prisoner (Major Andre,) was tried by fourteen general officers, includ- ing the Marquis de Lafayette and Baron Steuben, to examine into his case ; who, upon his own confessions, adjudged him to be a spy, and sentenced him to hanged. Major Tallmadge retained charge of him up to the time of his execution, and walked with him to the gallows. To him Major Andre delivered the open letter to General Washington, disclosing his real character .* Andre was hanged October 2d, 1780.
Early in October, a committee appointed for that purpose reported a plan for a re-organization of the army, to which Congress gave its assent. All new enlistments were to be made for the war. Fifty regiments of foot, four regiments of artillery, two corps of rangers under Armand and Lee, one regiment of artificers, and four legionary corps to con- sist of two-thirds horse, and one-third foot, in all thirty- six thousand men were to constitute the sum total of the new army. Of these troops, Massachusetts and Virginia were to furnish eleven regiments each, Pennsylvania nine, Connecticut six, Maryland five, North Carolina four, New York three, South Carolina, New Hampshire, and New Jersey, two each, Rhode Island, Delaware, and Georgia, one each. The corps of Armand, Lee, and Hazen, were to be recruited at large.t
About the same time, Robert H. Harrison, secretary to the commander-in-chief, having accepted the post of chief justice of Maryland, resigned, and was succeeded by Jonathan
* " Nat. Portrait Gallery." Major Tallmadge thus wrote concerning Andre : " For the few days of intimate intercourse I had with him, which was from the time of his being remanded to the period of his execution, I became so deeply attached to Major Andre, that I could remember of no instance when my affec- tions were so fully absorbed by any man. When I saw him swing under the jibbet, it seemed for a time utterly insupportable ; all were overwhelmed with the affecting spectacle, and the eyes of many were suffused with tears. There did not appear to be one hardened or indifferent spectator in all the multitude assembled on that solemn occasion."
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