USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Fairfield > The history of Fairfield, Fairfield County, Connecticut, from the settlement of the town in 1639 to 1818, Vol. II > Part 37
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General Washington, however, endowed as he was with true military genius and bravery, resolved to make some vigorous efforts to raise the spirits of his army.
On the 15th of September the British had detached a large force to cross the East River three miles above New York, and established a line of occupation across the island. General Putnam with a rear guard of 4.000 exhausted men barely had time to escape and reach the Washing- ton camp at Harlem. The enemy sent out parties to reconnoitre. Washington seized the opportunity to attack their front, and at the same time sent a detachment to attack their rear. Although the British were reinforced, they were defeated with the loss of over a hundred men. The American loss was not half as great, but Colonel Knowlton and Major Leitch while leading the attack in the rear were killed.
The British were now in full possession of New York. On the 20th * Col. Rec. Conn., XV, 515. + Col. Rec. Conn., XV, 522.
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of September 493 buildings, including Trinity Church, were consumed by fire.
Meanwhile Washington's forces were engaged in strengthening their positions in and above Harlem by a double line of entrenchments, and in erecting Fort Washington, " on a rocky height overlooking the Hudson." Discovering it to be impossible to attack the Americans successfully in their fortifications, General Howe, with a view to storm them in the rear, sent a part of his fleet up the Hudson to cut off communications with the west and south, while he himself with a strong force sailed up the Sound and took possession of grounds northeast of Washington's camp. Mean- while Washington, anxious to prevent an engagement, left a body of 3,000 men to guard Fort Washington at all hazards, and moved from Manhattan with the remainder of his army to White Plains.
The following interesting account of the Battle of White Plains, in which General Silliman's regiment and Captain David Dimon's company were engaged, is most thrilling as given by an eye witness:
" Action at White Plains, Oct. 28. Last Monday we received intelligence that the enemy with their whole body were advancing upon us. The army was alarmed & Gen. Wadsworth's brigade with Gen. Spencer's (about 600 more) were sent out as an advance party to skirmish & harass the enemy; & they advanced cautiously to a hill, where they were discovered by the British & fired upon. Advancing with light parties we fired upon them from behind walls & fences, scattering & causing them to run away from the front; but they attempted to get round upon our wing to flank us, playing upon us in the most furious manner. We held the walls until about to be surrounded & then retreated from one hill to another. The Hessians advancing were fired upon at about 20 rods distant, & scattered like leaves in a whirlwind, running so far that we, some of us, had time to run to their grounds & bring off their arms & accoutrements & rum that the men who fell had with them, which we had time to drink round before they came on again. The enemy formed at a distance & waited until their artillery & main body came on, when they advanced in solid columns upon us, & were gathered all around us, ten to our one. Cols. Douglas & Silliman's regiments fired four or five times on them as they advanced and then retreated; but not until the enemy began to fire on our flanks. Cols. Silliman, Douglas & Arnold be- haved nobly, & the men gained much applause. Col. William Williams' & Col. Douglas' regiments had the principal share of the action. Col. Webb had four killed & eight wounded. Col. Silliman lost six & had ten or twelve wounded. Col. Douglas had three killed & six wounded. Col. Brooks', Smallwood's & Ritzman's regiments, who were drawn upon the hill near the lines, suffered considerably. Our loss seventy or eighty killed & wounded. It is said by all the deserters & captains, who agree in their stories, that the enemy had about 300 killed & wounded.
" The scene was grand & solemn; all the adjacent hill smoked as though on fire, & bellowed & trembled with a perpetual cannonade & fire of field pieces, hobits & mortars. The air groaned with streams of cannon & musket shot; the hills smoked & echoed terribly with the bursting of shells; the fences & walls were knocked down & torn to pieces ; & men's legs, arms & bodies, mangled with cannon & grape shot, all around us. I was in
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the action, & under as good advantage as any one man perhaps to observe all that passed, & write these particulars of the action from my own observation.
" No general action was designed on our part, & I believe that not more than 1000 men were ever engaged at one time with the enemy. They came on to the hills opposite our lines & halted; & after commanding part of the lines a short time they became very still and quiet.
" Yesterday (Oct. 31st) it was observed that they had nearly finished four or five batteries which they had erected against us; &, as our ground near the center of the town at White Plains was not good, being overlooked by neighboring hills, the Generals last night drew off most of the troops from the lines there, & this morning the Generals & sentries burned the town & foraged all around it, & came off about nine o'clock.
"We carried off all our stores & planted our artillery on the hills about a mile & a half back of the center of the town. The enemy advanced this forenoon on the ground we left, but as soon as they came over the hills we saluted them with our cannon & field pieces, & they advanced no further. The main body now lies over against us, & they have formed no lines across the country as yet below us. The light horse may possibly scour across as far as the river, but how that is we cannot determine. All things seem to be quiet at Fort Washington." *
Finding the Americans had entrenched themselves strongly during the night, General Howe did not feel it prudent to attack them until reinforced. Taking advantage of his delay, Washington withdrew his forces to New Castle, south of the Croton River. After a few days Ilowe returned to New York.
While these events were passing in the army, a General Assembly of the Governor & Company of the State of Connecticut in New England in America was held at Hartford on the Toth of October. Mr. Jonathan Sturges and Mr. Thaddeus Burr represented Fairfield.
The first act of the Assembly was to pass the following resolutions, approving the act of the Continental Congress in severing the United States from all allegiance to the British Crown: "That this Colony is & of right ought to be a free & independent State, & the inhabitants thereof are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, & all polit- ical connection between them & the King of Great Britain is, & ought to be totally dissolved."
It was further enacted: " That the form of civil government in this State shall continue to be as established by Charter received from Charles the Second. King of England, so far as an adherence to the same will be consistent with an absolute independence of this State on the Crown of Great Britain; & that all officers, civil & military, heretofore appointed
* Penn. Evening Post, November 14, 1776. Moore's Diary of American Revolution, pp. 334- 337.
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by this State, continue in the execution of their several offices; & the laws of this State shall continue in force until otherwise ordered. And that for the future all writs & processes in law or equity shall issue in the name of the Governor & Company of the State of Connecticut, & that all summonses, attachments, & other processes before any assistant or justice of the peace, the words, One of his Majesty's justices of the peace be omitted; & that instead thereof be inserted, justice of the peace; that no writ or process shall have or bear any date save the year of Our Lord only; any law, usage or custom to the contrary notwithstanding. And that the act in alteration of an act prescribing forms of writs, pro- cesses, etc., be repealed, & the same is hereby repealed."*
An act was passed making it " a treasonable offence for any person residing in the State & under the protection of its laws, to levy war against the State or Government, knowingly to assist any enemy at open war against the State, or the United States of America, by joining their army, persuading others to aid or enlist for that purpose, furnish- ing such enemies with arms, ammunition, provision, or carrying on a treacherous correspondence with them, forming any combination, plot, or conspiracy for betraying the State or the United States into the hands of the enemy, or shall give or attempt to give any intelligence to the enemy, shall suffer death."t
An Oath of Fidelity was enacted to be taken by the members of the General Assembly and other officers, civil, military and the freemen within the State of Connecticut.
An act was passed for seizing and imprisoning persons inimical and dangerous to the United States and conveying them to a place of safety. This law proved a severe measure for Tories. Many persons refused to take the oath of allegiance to the United States; some fled to Canada and others joined the British forces and sought safety on their ships. The names of Tories were published in the papers.
An act was also passed for " supporting the credit & currency of the bills of credit of the State, & of the United States; & making it punish- able to attempt to depreciate them or to counterfeit bills of credit or lawful coin."
Fresh efforts were ordered to be put forth for equipping and supply- ing the army with arms, ammunition, clothing and provisions. If neces- sary provisions were withheld to supply the army when in need, the
* Rec. State Conn., I, 3, 4. + Rec. State Conn., I, 4.
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Governor and Committee of Safety were authorized " to impress & seize the same out of the hands of any engrosser, by paying them a suitable remuneration."
An embargo was laid upon all kinds of provision and clothing sent out of the colony.
Provisions of every kind were scarce throughout the State. In the absence of the older members of families, women and young boys were forced from necessity to plow the fields and raise grain and provisions. Husking parties were formed in the fall, and bushels of corn made ready for the use of the army.
Eight battalions were ordered to be raised out of the Connecticut troops for the Continental army.
Colonel David Dimon of Fairfield was appointed major and Philip Burr Bradley colonel of the eighth battalion, to be raised in the State of Connecticut. Albert Chapman of Green's Farms was appointed cap- tain and Ebenezer Banks of Greenfield second lieutenant in the same battalion. Elijah Abel, Phineas Beardsley and Ezekiel Sanford were also made captains of the eighth battalion .*
The exposed position of the seaboard towns led the Assembly to appeal to Congress to send two battalions to be posted along the coast of Connecticut. +
David Wooster of New Haven was commissioned major-general of the militia of Connecticut, and placed in command of the Ninth, Tentli and Sixteenth Regiments, the Third Regiment of Light Horse, as well as all available militia and householders, to prevent the encroach- ments of the British on the western borders of the State, and to give all possible relief to General Washington. Quartermasters or their agents were given liberty to impress and seize timber, stone, horses, oxen, carts or carriages, under a just sum of pay or hire, as well as every kind of provision and necessity for the use of the army .. Supplies and provisions were also sent to General Gates for Fort Ticonderoga.+
It having been shown to the Assembly that certain persons in the County at Fairfield withheld provisions for the use of the army, Captain Samuel Squire was instructed to seize any such necessary provision. and. if refused, to take with him proper officers to break open any shops
* Col. Rec. State of Conn., I, 13. + Col. Rec. State of Conn., I, 16.
# Col. Rec. State of Conn., I, 19.
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or store, in order to take possession of them; and to remove all stores in the seaboard towns to the interior.
Measures were taken to furnish the sick in camp with every possible relief and comfort and to establish a State hospital .*
A Commissary of Prisoners of War was appointed to care for prisoners of the State and those sent from other States for safety.
Thaddeus Burr was appointed one of four gentlemen to repair to Washington's army, and with the advice and assistance of the general officers of the State to arrange into regiments and companies the officers and soldiers appointed for the State battalions, and number their com- missions according to their proper rank. The Governor was requested to forthwith issue orders to the chief commanders of the second, third, fourth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth and twentieth regiments of militia, to be suitably equipped with arms and ammunition, and assigned to suitable posts along the Sound; to be held in readiness for any sudden attacks upon the towns, and to give speedy alarm to the adjoining towns. t
It had been discovered that a party of miscreants had formed a direct line of communication with the British from New York to Canada. General Wooster was therefore instructed to aid a committee appointed to remove all Tory sympathizers with the British in the western part of the State, as well as " persons disposed to cause insurrection and re- sistance to State authority to some suitable place in the interior, & there to hold them as prisoners."#
Lieutenant-colonel Samuel Whiting was promoted to be colonel of the Fourth Regiment of militia in place of Gold Sellick Silliman promoted; Captain Abraham Gould (Gold) was promoted colonel of militia in place of Ichabod Lewis deceased; Captain Jonathan Dimon major in place of Agur Judson, all in the Fourth Regiment of militia of the State. S
It was reported about the 7th of October that on the 29th of Sep- tember a prize ship from Jamaica bound to London was taken by Captain Harding of the ship " Defence," with a large cargo of rum, sugar, bales of cotton, a quantity of mahogany and two sea turtles, which he sent into New London. This prize had " sailed from Montego Bay, in com- pany with two hundred sail under a convoy of two ships of war, which returned to port." " On the 3d of October Captain Harding arrived in the ' Defence ' from a cruise; & on the same morning he fell in with two
* Col. Rec. State of Conn., I, 20, 26. # Col. Rec. Conn., I, 27.
+ Col. Rec. Conn., I, 26. § Col. Rec. Conn., I, 28.
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British frigates ; the frigates fired sixty or seventy shot at the 'Defence,' & the 'Defence ' returned a like number-& the frigates came to anchor off Goshen-reef, about five miles west of New London harbor." Two days after " Captain Harding took the aforesaid prize, he also took a Guinea-man, homeward bound from the West Indies, William Jackson, Master."*
Captain Harding was ordered, October 23d, by the Governor and Council, sitting at New Haven, to sail with the brig " Defence " on a cruise against the enemy for two months. t Before sailing Captain Hardy reported December 12th to Governor Trumbull, " That Lieut. Ebenezer Bartram was in poor health, & unable to go to sea, which he much regretted, as he was a man of courage, & wished him kept under pay for his former good. services." Captain Bartram was afterwards fully remunerated for his valuable services in the " Defence."+ He died January 3d, in 1783, aged fifty-two, and was one of the heroes of the Revolution who sacrificed his health and life for his country. His re- mains, with those of his wife (his son, Captain Joseph Bartram, was lost at sea on a return voyage from the West Indies), were buried in Burial Hill Cemetery at Fairfield.
October 30th, Captain Samuel Squire was granted £500 as com- missary.
At the same time it was voted to supply Andrew Rowland of Fair- field and Samuel Broom and Company, "with 8 three-pounders double fortified, 8 swivels, 500-weight of gunpowder at 5s. 4d. per hundred- weight, 240 round of shot & one hundred-weight of grape shot, two ounces each.",
A most dispiriting account of the naval action on Lake Champlain and the defeat of the Americans by the British reached the Governor and Council soon after. Though the action lasted five hours, only one galley escaped, with the sloop " Enterprize," two small schooners and one gon- dola. The remainder of the fleet was taken and burned. General Arnold fought in the galley "'Congress,' as long as possible, then ran her ashore, burned her, & escaped to Ticonderoga with a loss of twenty men. General Waterbury in the 'Washington' galley, fought until the galley was sinking under him & was obliged to strike to the enemy." Both Generals Arnold and Waterbury commanded Connecticut troops.
* Ilinman's War of the Revolution, p. 90. + Rec. State Conn., 1, 54. $ State Rec. Conn., I, 56.
# State Rec. Conn., 1, 456.
| Connecticut Courant. Hinman's War of the Revolution, p. 91.
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The appearance on the Sound of several armed British cruisers gave general alarm to all the towns. On December 9th twenty-four sail of the British fleet were at anchor between Fairfield and Norwalk.
A town meeting was called at Fairfield, October 31st, when it was voted : "That there be a guard of twenty-six men to guard the town nightly, & every night to be set in manner following, viz. : four to patrol from Saugatuck River to Cable's mill, & from said mill to Sasco river, & four from Sasco river to the Mill River, & four from Mill River to Pine Creek, & six to patrol from Pine Creek to the Ash-house Creek so called, & in the town streets, & four at Stratfield. Voted, Each one of the guards have three shillings a night for their services. Voted the guard to be taken out of the Fairfield Prime Society, Green's Farms, Greenfield & Stratfield."*
Meanwhile General Washington, fearing an attack on New Jersey, left General Lee in command of about four thousand men at Fort Wash- ington, and took up his headquarters at Fort Lee on the opposite side of the Hudson. General Lee was soon after attacked at Fort Washing- ton by the British in overwhelming numbers and obliged to capitulate, leaving stores and ammunition, with over two thousand prisoners, in the enemy's hands. The British then crossed the Hudson, November 19th, to Fort Lee, which Washington hastily abandoned, leaving a great quantity of baggage and artillery, and, marching rapidly to Trenton, crossed the Delaware by boat, into Pennsylvania. By this time Wash- ington's troops were reduced to three thousand men, who endured great hardships while pursued by the British, " some of them being without shoes, leaving blood-stained tracks on the frozen ground." Among those who were with General Washington's forces at this time was Cap- tain Nathan Jennings of Fairfield, one of whose daughters afterwards married Commodore Reid of the United States Navy. Lord Cornwallis followed closely after, but upon reaching Trenton concluded to wait before crossing the Delaware until the ice in the river should be broken up. He stationed his troops at Princeton, New Brunswick and other advantageous points in New Jersey.
Philadelphia was now threatened, and the Congress adjourned to Baltimore. Washington was soon joined by fresh forces from Pennsyl- vania, and finding himself at the head of an army of five thousand men, he resolved to make an attack upon the enemy.
* Fairfield Town Records.
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At this critical state of depression and gloom throughout the country Sir William Howe offered pardon to all persons who should return to their allegiance to Great Britain within sixty days, as well as to all con- gresses, civil and military.
Taking advantage of Christmas, at which time Washington, foresee- ing that the German and British troops stationed at Trenton would give themselves up to enjoyment, decided to make a bold stroke and attack them on the night of the 25th while they were sleeping soundly after their day of revelry. The night being stormy favored his design. Two of his divisions found it impossible, however, to cross the Delaware, which was full of floating ice; but Washington and Sullivan, with the third division, successfully crossed and commenced their march at four o'clock in the morning to Trenton. They came suddenly upon the enemy, and taking them wholly by surprise completely overpowered them. Colonel Rahl in command of fifteen hundred Hessians, while vainly endeavoring to rally his troops, was mortally wounded. One thou- sand Hessians threw down their arms, while the rest, with the British cavalry, escaped. Recognizing the fact that he could not hold Trenton against the numbers which in a short time could be marched against him, Washington prudently recrossed the Delaware with his prisoners and captured booty, having lost but four men, two of whom died from cold and exposure.
This well achieved stroke gave heart to the entire country, and Con- gress invested Washington with almost unlimited power to prosecute the war. Lord Howe, who had so recently offered pardon to all in arms against Great Britain, recalled General Cornwallis to New Jersey almost at the moment when the latter was about to sail for England.
Although the enlistment of fourteen hundred of Washington's forces had expired, upon being offered a bounty of ten dollars each to continue with him they agreed to remain six weeks longer. Four days after Washington recrossed the Delaware with his forces to Trenton, but upon learning of the arrival of Cornwallis with a large body of troops he made a forced circuitous mareh in the rear of the British to Princeton, where, January 3d, they overtook a brigade of the enemy, overpowered them, drove them from the town with great loss and took three hundred pris- oners. Cornwallis, hearing the noise of an engagement, hurried to the relief of his brigade, but Washington had led his forces and prisoners to Morristown Heights, where the British general saw that it was useless
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to attack them in their impregnable situation, and soon after withdrew most of his forces to New York and vicinity. The loss of the British at the Battle of Princeton was about four hundred, and that of the American about one hundred.
Washington now stationed his army in detachments at Princeton, in the Highlands of the Hudson and at Morristown, where he spent several months in organizing, training and preparing them for service. And here Washington, from his winter quarters, sent out detachments of troops which recovered the greater part of New Jersey.
The drain on Connecticut for forces to carry out the war in all these engagements was very great. Reinforcements were constantly sent for the defence of Lake Champlain, Ticonderoga, Crown Point, Canada, New York, New London, Long Island, Rhode Island and to protect the western part of the State. About fifteen thousand men were employed in these drafts and marched out of the State during the year."*
On the 18th of December the General Assembly met at Middletown, when it was enacted that all the twenty-five regiments of the State should be formed into six brigades commanded by two major-generals, “ to rank & command as first & second over the whole militia of the State."+
To prevent unreasonable and excessive prices for the necessities and conveniences of life occasioned " chiefly by monopolizers, the great pests of society, who prefer their own private gain to the interests & safety of the country," the committees of the several States of New England, having recommended that the prices of necessities be limited by law, the Assembly proceeded to fix a price upon labor of every kind, as well as all kinds of products, food and clothing; legal fees of every kind, liquors, imported goods and those taken on prize vessels. Suitable penalties were fixed upon any infringement of these prices. Vessels or boats of any size were prohibited from going out of harbors of the State without a license. A limit was placed upon excessive charges by tavern keepers in houses of public entertainment. Owing to a scarcity of bread stuffs, dis- tilled liquors from wheat, rye and Indian corn were prohibited until the May Assembly.#
Eighty thousand pounds of notes, in equal sums of ten pounds each, were ordered to be borrowed from persons in the State in money or bills of credit on the State or on the Continental Congress by the State
* Hinman's War of the Revolution, p. III.
+ Col. Rec. Conn., I, 91.
Į Rec. State Conn., 1, 97.
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treasurer, payable to the bearer at or before the end of three years, with four per cent. interest. These notes were to be received and paid by a State Loan Office, established at this time for borrowing and repaying money. John Lawrence, Esq., the treasurer of the State, was chosen commissioner for this office .*
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