580The morning on which these fortresses were revealed to the enemy was

the memorable 5th of March, the anniversary of the _Boston Massacre_. *

The associations connected with the day nerved the Americans to more

vigorous action, and they determined to celebrate and signalize the time

by an act of retributive vengeance. Howe saw and felt his danger; and

his anxiety was augmented when Admiral Shuldham assured him that the

British fleet in the harbor must be inevitably destroyed when the

Americans should get their heavy guns and mortars upon the heights. Nor

was the army in the city secure. It was therefore resolved to take

immediate measures to dislodge the provincials. Accordingly, two

thousand four hundred men were ordered to embark in transports,

rendezvous at Castle William, and, under the gallant Earl Percy, make an

attack that night upon the rebel works. * Washington was made acquainted

with this movement, and, supposing the attack was to be made

immediately, sent a re-enforcement of two thousand men to General

Thomas. Labor constantly plied its hands in strengthening the works. As

the hills on which the redoubts were reared were very steep, rows of

barrels, filled with loose earth, were placed outside the breastworks,

to be rolled down upon the attacking column so as to break their ranks;

a measure said to have been suggested by Mifflin. All was now in

readiness. It was a mild, sunny day. The neighboring heights were

crowded with people, expecting to see the bloody tragedy of Breed's Hill

acted again. Washington himself repaired to the intrenchments, and

encouraged the men by reminding them that it was the 5th of March. The

commander-in-chief and the troops were in high spirits, for they

believed the long-coveted conflict and victory to be near.

While these preparations were in progress on Dorchester Heights, four

thousand troops, in two divisions, under Generals Sullivan and Greene,

were parading at Cambridge, ready to be led by Putnam to an attack on

Boston when Thomas's batteries should give the signal. They were to

embark in boats in the Charles River, now clear of ice, under cover of

three floating batteries, and, assaulting the city at two prominent

points, to force their way to the works on the Neck, open the gates, and

let in the troops from Roxbury.

Both parties were ready for action in the afternoon; but a furious wind

that had arisen billowed the harbor, and rolled such a heavy surf upon

the shore where the boats of the enemy were obliged to land, that it was

unsafe to venture. During the night the rain came down in torrents, and

a terrible storm raged all the next day. Howe abandoned his plan, and

Washington, greatly disappointed, returned to his camp, leaving a strong

force to guard the works on Dorchester Heights.

The situation of Howe was now exceedingly critical. The fleet and army

were in peril, and the loyal inhabitants, greatly terrified, demanded

that sure protection which Howe had March 1776 so often confidently

promised. He called a council of officers on the 7th, when it was

resolved to save the army by evacuating the town. This resolution spread

great consternation among the Tories in the city, for they dreaded the

just indignation of the patriots when they should return. They saw the

power on which they had leaned as almost invincible growing weak, and

quailing before those whom it had affected to despise. They well knew

that severe retribution for miseries which they had been instrumental in

inflicting, surely awaited them, when British bayonets should leave the

peninsula and the excited patriots should return to their desolated

homes. The dangers of a perilous voyage to a strange land seemed far

less fearful than the indignation of the oppressed Americans, and the

Loyalists resolved to brave the former rather than the latter. They

began, therefore, to prepare for a speedy departure; merchandise,

household furniture, and private property of every kind were crowded on

board the ships. Howe had been advised by Dartmouth, in

* The day, usually observed in Boston, was now commemorated at

Watertown, notwithstanding the exciting events occurring in the city and

vicinity. The Reverend Peter Thacher delivered an oration on the

occasion.--Bradford, 94.

** Three weeks previously, suspecting that the Americans were about to

take possession of Dorchester Neck, Howe sent a detachment from Castle

William, under Lieutenant-colonel Leslie, and some grenadiers and light

infantry, under Major Musgrove, to destroy every house and other cover

on the peninsula. They passed over on the ice, executed their orders,

and took six of the American guard prisoners.

Condition of the Patriots in Boston.--Tacit Agreement to spare the

Town.--Cannonade renewed.--Commission to plunder.

581November, to evacuate Boston, but excused himself by pleading that

the shipping was inadequate. He was now obliged to leave with less, and,

in addition to his troops, take with him more than one thousand refugee

Loyalists, and their effects. Ammunition and warlike magazines of all

kinds were hurried on board the vessels; heavy artillery, that could not

be carried away, was dismounted, spiked, or thrown into the sea, and

some of the fortifications were demolished. The number of ships and

transports was about one hundred and fifty; but these were insufficient

for the conveyance of the multitude of troops and inhabitants, their

most valuable property, and the quantity of military stores to be

carried away. *

The few patriots who remained in Boston now felt great anxiety for the

fate of the town. They saw the preparations for departure, and were

persuaded that the enemy, smarting under the goadings of disappointed

pride and ambition, would perform some signal act of vengeance before

leaving--probably set fire to the city. ** Actuated by these surmises

(which were confirmed by the threat of Howe that he would destroy the

town if his army was molested in departing), and by the fearful array of

ships which the admiral had arranged around the city, a delegation of

the most influential citizens communicated with the British commander,

through General Robertson. The conference resulted in a promise, on the

part of Howe, that, if Washington would allow him to evacuate quietly,

the town should be spared. A communication to this effect, signed by

four leading men--John Scoliay, Timothy Newell, Thomas Marshall, and

Samuel Austin--was sent to the camp at Roxbury without any special

address. It was received by Colonel Learned, who carried it to

Washington. The commander-in-chief observed, that as it was an

unauthenticated paper, without an address, and not obligatory upon

General Howe, he would take no notice of it. Learned communicated this

answer to the persons through whom the address from Boston was received.

Although entirely non-committal, it was received as a favorable answer,

and both parties tacitly consented to the arrangement.

Washington, however, did not relax his vigilance, and continued his

preparations for an assault upon Boston if the enemy did not speedily

leave. A battery was placed near the water on Dorchester Neck on the

9th, to annoy the British shipping. On the same March 1776 night a

detachment marched to Nooks' Hill, a point near the city completely

commanding it, and planted a battery there. A fire imprudently kindled

revealed their labor in progress to the enemy. A severe cannonade was

immediately opened upon the patriots from the British batteries in the

city. This was a signal for a general discharge of cannons and mortars

from the various American batteries, and until dawn there was a

continual roar of heavy guns. More than eight hundred shot were fired

during the night. It was a fearful hour for the people of Boston, and

all the bright anticipations of a speedy termination of the dreadful

suspense in which for months they had lingered were clouded. But the

belligerents were willing to avoid bloodshed. Washington determined to

have possession of Boston at all events, but preferred to take it

peaceably; while Howe, too cautious to risk a general action, and

desirous of employing his forces in some quarter of the colonics where

better success might be promised, withheld his cannonade in the morning,

and hastened his preparations for evacuation.

And now a scene of great confusion ensued. Those who were about to leave

and could not carry their furniture with them, destroyed it; the

soldiers broke open and pillaged many stores; and Howe issued an order

to Crean Brush, ** who had fawned at his feet ever since the siege

began, to seize all clothing and dry goods not in possession of

Loyalists, and place

* General Howe's official account.

** Congress gave Washington instructions in the Autumn to destroy Boston

if it should be necessary to do so in order to dislodge the enemy. This

instruction was given with the full sanction of many patriots who owned

much property in the city. John Hancock, who was probably the largest

property holder in Boston, wrote to Washington, that, notwithstanding

such a measure would injure him greatly, he was anxious the thing should

be done, if it would benefit the cause. Never were men more devoted than

those who would be the greatest sufferers.

*** This order, which is dated March 10th, 1776, is in the office of the

Secretary of State of Massachusetts, and bears Howe's autograph.--

Frothingham.

Bad Conduct of the British Troops.--The Embarkation.--Entrance of the

Americans into the City.--The Refugees.

582them on board two brigantines in the harbor. This authorized plunder

caused great distress, for many of the inhabitants were completely

stripped. Shops and dwellings were broken open and plundered, and what

goods could not be carried away were wantonly destroyed.

These extremes were forbidden in general order the next day, but the

prohibition March 12. was little regarded.

On the 15th, the troops paraded to march to the vessels, the inhabitants

being ordered to remain in their houses until the army had embarked. An

easterly breeze sprang up, and the troops were detained until Sunday,

the 17th. In the mean while, they did much mischief by destroying and

defacing furniture, and throwing valuable goods into the river. They

acted more like demons than men, and had they not been governed by

officers possessed of some prudence and honor, and controlled by a fear

of the Americans, the town would doubtless have suffered all the horrors

of sack and pillage.

Early on Sunday morning, the embarkation of the British army and of the

Loyalists commenced. The garrison on Bunker Hill left it at about nine

o'clock. Washington observed these movements, and the troops in

Cambridge immediately paraded. Putnam with six regiments embarked in

boats on the Charles River, and landed at Sewall's Point. The sentinels

on Bunker Hill appeared to be at their posts, but, on approaching, they

were observed to be nothing but effigies; not a living creature was

within the British works. With a loud shout, that startled the

retreating Britons, the Americans entered and took possession. When this

was effected, the British and Tories had all left Boston, and the fleet

that was to convey them away was anchored in Nantasket Roads, where it

remained ten days. * A detachment of Americans entered the city, and

took possession of the works and the military stores that were left

behind. ** The gates on Boston Neck were unbarred, and General Ward,

with five thousand of the troops at Roxbury, entered in triumph, Ensign

Richards bearing the Union flag. General Putnam assumed the command of

the whole, and in the name of the _Thirteen United Colonies_ took

possession of all the forts and other defenses which the a March 18,

1776 retreating Britons had left behind. (a) On the 20th, the main body

of the army, with Washington at the head, entered the city, amid the

joyous greetings of hundreds, who for ten months had suffered almost

every conceivable privation and insult. Their friends from the country

flocked in by hundreds, and joyful was the reunion of many families that

had been separated more than half a year. On the 28th, a thanksgiving

sermon was preached by the Reverend Dr. Elliot, from the words of

Isaiah, "Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eye shall,

see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken

down: not one of the stakes thereof shall be removed, neither shall any

of the cords thereof be broken." *** It was a discourse full of hope for

the future, and con-

* The whole effective British force that withdrew, including seamen, was

about eleven thousand. The Loyalists, classed as follows, were more than

one thousand in number: 132 who had held official stations; 18

clergymen; 105 persons from the country; 213 merchants; 382 farmers,

traders, and mechanics: total 924. These returned their names on their

arrival at Halifax, whither the fleet sailed. There were nearly two

hundred more whose names were not registered. It was a sorrowful flight

to most of them; for men of property left all behind, and almost every

one relied for daily food upon rations from the army stores. The troops,

in general, were glad to depart. Frothingham (page 312) quotes from a

letter written by a British officer while lying in the harbor. It is a

fair exhibition of the feelings of the troops: "Expect no more letters

from Boston; we have quitted that place. Washington played upon the town

for several days. A shell which burst while we were preparing to embark

did very great damage. Our men have suffered. We have one consolation

left. You know the proverbial expression, 'Neither Hell, Hull, nor

Halifax can afford worse shelter than Boston.' To fresh provision I have

for many months been quite an utter stranger. An egg was a rarity. The

next letter from Halifax."

** So crowded were the vessels with the Loyalists and their effects that

Howe was obliged to leave some of his magazines. The principal articles

which were left at Castle Island and Boston were 250 pieces of cannon,

great and small; four thirteen and a half inch mortars; 2500 chaldrons

of sea coal; 2500 bushels of wheat; 2300 bushels of barley; 600 bushels

of oats; 100 jars of oil, containing a barrel each, and 150 horses. Some

of the ordnance had been thrown into the water, but were recovered by

the Americans. In the hospital at Boston a large quantity of medicine

was left, in which it was discovered that white and yellow arsenic was

mixed! The object ean be easily guessed.--Gordon, ii., 32.

*** Isaiah, xxxiii., 20.

Condition of Boston after the Evacuation.--Troops sent to New York.--

Lingering of British Vessels.--Final Departure.

583firmed the strong faith of the hundreds of listeners in the final

triumph of liberty in America.

Sadness settled upon the minds of the people when the first outburst of

joyous feeling had subsided, for Boston, the beautiful city--the

metropolis of New England--was a desolation. Many of the finest houses

were greatly injured; shade-trees were cut down; churches were

disfigured; ornamental inclosures were broken or destroyed; and the

public buildings were shamefully defaced. The spacious old South

meeting-house, as we have seen, was changed into a riding-school; and in

the stove that was put up within the arena were burned, for kindling,

many rare books and manuscripts of Prince's fine library. The parsonage

house belonging to this society was pulled down for fuel. The old North

Chapel was demolished for the same purpose, and the large wooden steeple

of the West Church was converted to the same use. Liberty Tree, noticed

on page 466, vol. i., furnished fourteen cords of wood. Brattle Street

and Hollis Street churches were used for barracks, and Faneuil Hall was

converted into a neat theater. * A shot from the American lines, which

struck the tower of Brattle Street Church, was picked up, and

subsequently fastened at the point where it first struck, and there it

remains.

Ignorant of the destination of Howe, and supposing it to be New York,

Washington sent off five regiments, and a portion of the artillery,

under General Heath, for that March 13, 1776 city. They marched to New

London, where they embarked, and proceeded to New York through the

Sound. On the departure of the main body of the British fleet from

Nantasket Roads, Washington ordered the remainder of the army to New

York, except five regiments, which were left for the protection of

Boston, under General Ward. Sullivan marched on the 27th; another

brigade departed on the 1st of April; and the last brigade, under

Spencer, marched on the 4th. Washington, also, left Cambridge for New.

York on that day. April 4

A portion of the British fleet, consisting of five vessels, still

lingered in the harbor, and was subsequently joined by seven transports,

filled with Highlanders. The people of Boston were under great

apprehension of Howe's return. All classes of people assisted in

building a fortification on Noddles Island (now East Boston) and in

strengthening the other defenses. These operations were carried on under

the general direction of Colonel Gridley. In May, Captain Mugford, of

the schooner Franklin, a Continental cruiser, captured the British ship

Hope, bound for Boston, with stores, and fifteen hundred barrels of

powder. May 17 On the 19th, the Franklin and Lady Washington started on

a cruise, but got aground at Point Shirly. Thirteen armed boats from the

British vessels attacked them, and a sharp engagement ensued. Captain

Mugford, while fighting bravely, received a mortal wound. His last words

were those used nearly forty years afterward by Lawrence, "Don't give up

the ship! You will beat them off!" And so they did. The cruisers

escaped, and put to sea.

In June, General Lincoln proposed a plan for driving the British fleet

from the harbor. It was sanctioned by the Massachusetts Assembly, and

was put in execution on the 14th. He summoned the neighboring militia,

and, aided by some of General Ward's regular troops, took post on Moon

Island, Hoff's Neck, and at Point Anderton. A large force also collected

at Pettick's Island, and Hull; and a detachment with two eighteen

pounders and a thirteen inch mortar took post on Long Island. Shots were

first discharged at the enemy from the latter point. The fire was

briskly returned; but the commander, Commodore Banks, perceiving the

perilous situation of his little fleet, made signals for weighing

anchor. After blowing up the light-house, he spread his sails and went

to sea, leaving Boston harbor and vicinity entirely free from an enemy,

except in the few dissimulating Tories who lurked in secret places.

Through a reprehensible want of foresight, no British cruisers were left

in the vicinity to warn British ships of the departure of the troops and

fleet. The consequence was, that several store-ships-from England soon

afterward arrived, and, sailing into the harbor

* Frothingham, page 328.

Capture of Campbell and Store-ships.--Effect of the Evacuation of

Boston.--Medal awarded to Washington

584without suspicion, fell into the hands of the Americans. In this way,

Lieutenant-colonel Campbell and seven hundred men were made prisoners in

June.

The evacuation of Boston diffused great joy throughout the colonies, and

congratulatory addresses were received by Washington and his officers

from various legislative bodies, assemblages of citizens, and

individuals.

The Continental Congress received intelligence of the evacuation, by

express, on the 25th of March, and immediately, on motion of John Adams,

passed a vote of thanks to the commander-in-chief and the soldiers under

his command, and also ordered a gold medal to be struck and presented to

the general. John Adams, John Jay, and Stephen Hopkins were appointed a

committee to prepare a letter of thanks and a proper device for the

medal. *

The intelligence of this and other events at Boston within the preceding

ten months produced great excitement in England, and attracted the

attention of all Europe. The British Parliament exhibited violent

agitations, and party lines began to be drawn almost as definitely among

the English people, on American affairs, as in the colonies. In the

spring, strong measures had been proposed, and some were adopted, for

putting down the rebellion, and these had been met by counter action on

the part of the American Congress. ** During the summer, John Wilkes,

then Lord Mayor of London, and his party, raised a storm of indignation

against government in the English capital. He presented a violent

address to the king in the name of the livery of London,

* Journals of Congress, ii., 104.

** Congress issued a proclamation, declaring that "whatever punishment

shall be inflicted upon any persons in the power of their enemies for

favoring, aiding, or abetting the cause of American liberty, shall be

retaliated in the same kind, and in the same degree, upon those in their

power, who had favored, aided, or abetted, or shall favor, aid, or abet

the system of ministerial oppression." This made the Tories and the

British officers cautious in their proceedings toward patriots in their

power.

*** This drawing is the size of the medal. It was struck in Paris, from

a die cut by Duvivier. The device is a head of Washington, in profile,

with the Latin legend "Georgio Washington, supremo duci exercituum

adsertori libertatis comitia Americana;" "The American Congress to

George Washington, commander-in-chief of its armies, the assertors of

freedom." Reverse: troops advancing toward a town; others marching

toward the water; ships in view; General Washington in front, and

mounted, with his staff, whose attention he is directing to the

embarking enemy. The legend is "The enemy for the first time put to

flight." The exergue under the device--"Boston recovered, 17th March,

1776."

Denunciations by John Wilkes.--The King tensed.--Boldness of the Common

Council.--Governor Penn.--John Home Tooke

585in which it was asserted that it was plainly to be perceived that

government intended to establish arbitrary rule in America without the

sanction of the British Constitution, and that they were also determined

to uproot the Constitution at home, and to establish despotism upon the

ruins of English freedom. The address concluded by calling for an

instant dismissal of the ministers. The king was greatly irritated, and

refused to receive the address, unless presented in the corporate

capacity of "mayor, aldermen, livery," &c. This refusal Wilkes denounced

as a denial of the right of the city to petition the throne in any

respectful manner it pleased; "a right," he said, "which had been

respected even by the accursed race of Stuarts." Another address,

embodying a remonstrance and petition, was prepared, and inquiry was

made of the king whether he would receive it while sitting on the

throne, it being addressed by the city in its corporate capacity. The

king replied that he would receive it at his next levee, but not on the

throne. One of the sheriffs sent by Wilkes to ask the question of his

majesty, assured the king that the address would not be presented except

when he was sitting upon the throne. The king replied that it was his

prerogative to choose _where_ he would receive communications from his

subjects. The livery of London declared this answer to be a denial of

their rights, resolved that the address and remonstrance should be

printed in the newspapers, and that the city members in the House of

Commons should be instructed to move for "an impeachment of the evil

counselors who had planted popery and arbitrary power in America, and

were the advisers of a measure so dangerous to his majesty and to his

people as that of refusing to hear petitions." * The common council

adopted a somewhat more moderate address and remonstrance, which the

king received, but whether sitting upon the throne or at his levee is

not recorded. **

On the 23d of August, the government, informed of the events of the 17th

of June 1775at Charlestown, issued a proclamation for suppressing

rebellion, preventing seditious correspondences, et cetera. Wilkes, as

lord mayor, received orders to have this proclamation read in the usual

manner at the Royal Exchange. He refused full obedience, by causing it

to be read by an inferior officer, attended only by a common crier;

disallowing the officers the use of horses, and prohibiting the city

mace to be carried before them. The vast assembly that gathered to hear

the reading replied with a hiss of scorn.

A few days afterward the respectful petition of the Continental Congress

was laid before the king by Richard Penn. Earl Dartmouth soon informed

Penn that the king had resolved to take no notice of it; and again the

public mind was greatly agitated, particularly in London, at what was

denominated "another blow at British liberty." The strict silence of

ministers on the subject of this petition gave color to the charge that

they had a line of policy marked out, from which _no action_ of the

Americans could induce them to deviate short of absolute submission. The

Duke of Richmond determined to have this silence broken, and procured an

examination of Governor Penn before the House of Lords. That examination

brought to light many facts relative to the strength and union of the

colonics which ministers would gladly have concealed. It revealed the

truth that implicit obedience

* Pictorial History of England, v., 235.

** It was about this time that the celebrated John Horne Tooke, a

vigorous writer and active politician, was involved in a proceeding

which, in November, 1775, caused him to receive a sentence of

imprisonment for one year, pay a fine of one thousand dollars, and find

security for his good behavior for three years. His alleged crime was "a

libel upon the king's troops in America." The libel was contained in an

advertisement, signed by him, from the Constitutional Society (supposed

to be revolutionary in its character), respecting the Americans. That

society called the Lexington affair a "murder" and agreed that the sum

of five hundred dollars should be raised "to be applied to the relief of

the widows, orphans, and aged parents of our beloved American fellow-

subjects" who had preferred death to slavery. This was a set-off against

subscriptions then being raised in England for the widows and orphans of

the British soldiers who had perished. The sum raised by this society

was sent to Dr. Franklin, who, as we have seen, paid it over to the

proper committee, when he visited the army at Cambridge, in October,

under the direction of Congress. Out of the circumstance of Horne

Tooke's imprisonment arose his letter to Counselor Dunning, which formed

the basis of his subsequent philological work, The Diversions of Purley,

published in 1780.

Strength of the Americans.--Political Change in the London Common

Council.--Persecution of Stephen Sayre.

586to Congress was paid by all classes of men; that in Pennsylvania

alone there were twenty thousand effective men enrolled for military

service, and four thousand minute men; that the Pennsylvanians perfectly

understood the art of making gunpowder; that the art of casting cannon

had been carried to great perfection in the colonies; that small arms

were also manufactured in the best manner; * that the language of

Congress was the voice of the people; that the people considered the

petition as an olive branch; and that so much did the Americans rely

upon its effect, that if rejected, or treated with scorn, they would

abandon all hope of a reconciliation.

On the 11th of October an address, memorial, and petition, signed by

eleven hundred and seventy-one "gentlemen, merchants, and traders of

London," was laid before his majesty, in which it was charged that all

the troubles in America, and consequent injury to trade, arose from the

bad policy pursued by Parliament; and the new proposition which had just

leaked out, to employ foreign soldiers against the Americans, was

denounced in unmeasured terms. A counter petition, signed by nine

hundred and twenty citizens of London, was presented three days

afterward, in which the conduct of the colonists was severely censured.

This was followed by another on the same side, signed by ten hundred and

twenty-nine persons, including the livery of London, who, a few months

previously, under Wilkes, had spoken out so boldly against government.

This address glowed with loyalty to the king and indignation against the

_rebels!_ Like petitions from the provincial towns, procured by

ministerial agency, came in great numbers, and the government, feeling

strengthened at home, contemplated the adoption of more stringent

measures to be pursued in America. Suspected persons in England were

closely watched, and several were arraigned to answer various charges

against them. ** Lord North became the idol of the government party,

and, in addition to bein _feted_ by the nobility, and thoroughly

bespattered with fulsome adulation by corporate bodies and the

ministerial press, the University of Oxford had a medal struck in his

honor.

Parliament assembled on the 26th of October, much earlier than common,

on account of the prevalent disorders. The king, in his speech at the

opening, *** after mentioning the rebellious position of the American

colonies, expressed (as he had done before) his determination to act

decisively. He alleged that the course of government hitherto had been

moderate and forbearing! but now, as the rebellion seemed to be general,

and the ob-

* I have in my possession a musket manufactured here in 1774, that date

being engraved upon the breech. It is quite perfect in its construction.

It was found on the battle field of Hubbardton, in Vermont, and was in

the possession of the son of an American officer (Captain Barber) who

was in that action. See page 146, of this volume.

** On the 23d of October (1775), Stephen Sayre, a London banker, an

American by birth, was arrested on a charge of high treason, made

against him by a sergeant in the Guard (also a native of America), named

Richardson. He charged Sayre with having asserted that he and others

intended to seize the king on his way to Parliament, to take possession

of the town, and to overturn the present government. Sayre was known to

be a friend to the patriots, and on this charge Lord Rochford, one of

the secretaries of state, caused his papers to be seized and himself to

be arrested. Sayre was committed to the Tower, from which he was

released by Lord Mansfield, who granted a writ of habeas corpus. Sayre

was subsequently tried and acquitted. He prosecuted Lord Rochford for

seizing his papers, and the court awarded him a conditional verdict of

five thousand dollars damages. The conditions proved a bar to the

recovery of the money, and Sayre was obliged to suffer a heavy pecuniary

loss in costs, besides the personal indignity.

*** This is the speech alluded to in the beginning of this chapter,

which the British officers in Boston supposed had produced a

determination on the part of the Americans to submit

Tenor of the King's Speech.--His false-Hopes.--Warm Debates in

Parliament--Duke of Grafton in opposition.

587jects of the insurgents an independency of empire, they must be

treated as rebels. He informed Parliament that he had increased the

naval establishment, and greatly augmented the land forces, "yet in such

a maimer as to be least expensive or burdensome to the kingdom." This

was in reference to the employment of German troops, which I shall

presently notice. He professed a desire to temper his severity with

mercy, and for this purpose proposed the appointment of commissioners to

offer the olive branch of peace and pardon to all offenders among "the

unhappy and deluded multitude" who should sue for forgiveness, as well

as for whole communities or provinces. He also expressed a hope that his

friendly relations with other European governments would prevent any

interference on their part with his plans. *

The address of Parliament responsive to the king's speech was, of

course, but an echo of that document. It was firmly opposed by all the

old leaders of opposition, and the management of the summer campaign in

America was severely commented upon. Ministers were charged with placing

their sovereign in a most contemptible position before the world, and

with wresting from him the scepter of colonial power in the West. "They

have acted like fools in their late summer campaign," said Colonel

Barré. "The British army at Boston," he said, "is a mere wen--an

excrescence on the vast continent of America. Certain defeat awaits it.

Not the Earl of Chatham, nor Frederic the Great, nor even Alexander the

Great, ever gained so much in one campaign as ministers have lost."

"They have lost a whole continent," said Fox; and at the same time he

characterized North as "the blundering pilot who had brought the vessel

of state into its present difficulties."

"It is a horrible idea, that the Americans, our brethren, shall be

brought into submission to ministerial will by fleets and armies," said

General Conway; and other members were equally severe upon ministers. In

the Upper House, the Duke of Grafton, Lords Shelburne, Camden, Richmond,

Gower, and Cavendish, and the Marquis of Rockingham, took decided ground

against ministers. Chatham was very ill, and could not leave his country

seat. The Duke of Grafton, one of the minority, was bold in his

denunciations, and in the course of an able speech declared that he had

been greatly deceived in regard to the Americans, and that nothing short

of a total repeal of every act obnoxious to the colonists passed since

1763 could now restore peace. The Cabinet, of course, did not concur

with his grace, and he resigned the seals of office, and took a decided

stand with the opposition. ** Dr. Hinchcliffe, bishop of Peterborough,

followed Grafton, and also became identified with the opposition.

Thurlow and Wedderburne were North's chief supporters. The address was

carried in both houses by large majorities.

Burke again attempted to lead ministers into a path of common sense and

common justice, by proposing a conciliatory bill. It included a

proposition to repeal the November 16, 1775 Boston Port Bill; a promise

not to tax America; a general amnesty; and the calling of a Congress by

royal authority for the adjustment of remaining difficulties. North was

rather pleased with the proposition, for he foresaw heavy breakers ahead

in the course

* The king did not reckon wisely when he relied upon the implied or even

expressed promises of nonintervention on the part of other powers. He

had made application to all the maritime powers of Europe to prevent

their subjects from aiding the rebel colonics by sending them arms or

ammunition; and they all professed a friendship for England, while, at

the same time, she was the object of their bitterest jealousy and hate,

on account of her proud commercial eminence and political sway. The

court of Copenhagen (Denmark) had issued an edict on the 4th of October

against carrying warlike articles to America. The Dutch, soon afterward,

took similar action; the punishment for a violation of the edict being a

fine of only four hundred and fifty dollars, too small to make shipping

merchants long hesitate about the risk where such enormous profits were

promised. In fact, large quantities of gunpowder were soon afterward

shipped to America from the ports of Holland in glass bottles invoiced

"gin." France merely warned the people that what they did for the

Americans they must do upon their own risk, and not expect a release

from trouble, if they should get into any, by the French admiralty

courts. Spain flatly refused to issue any order.

** His office of Lord of the Privy Seal was given to Lord Dartmouth, and

the office of that nobleman was filled hy his opponent, Lord George

Germaine--"the proud, imperious, unpopular Sackville." Germaine had

taken an active part in favor of all the late coercive measures, and he

was considered the fit instrument to carry out the plans of government

toward the Americans, in the capacity of Colonial Secretary.

The Colonies placed under Martial Law.--Augmentation of the Army and

Navy.--Proposition to employ foreign Troops

588of the vessel of state; but he had abhorred concession, and this

appeared too much like it. A large majority voted against Burke's

proposition.

November 22 Lord North introduced a bill a few days afterward,

prohibiting all intercourse or trade with the colonies till they should

submit, and placing the whole country under martial law. This bill

included a clause, founded upon the suggestion in the king's speech, to

appoint resident commissioners, with discretionary powers to grant

pardons and effect indemnities. * The bill was passed by a majority of

one hundred and ninety-two to sixty-four in the Commons, and by seventy-

eight to nineteen in the House of Lords. Eight peers protested. It

became a law by royal assent on the 21st of December.

Having determined to employ sufficient force to put down the rebellion,

the next necessary step was to procure it. The Committee of Supply

proposed an augmentation of the navy to twenty-eight thousand men, and

that eighty ships should be employed on the American station: The land

forces necessary were estimated at twenty-five thousand men. The king,

as Elector of Hanover, controlled the troops of that little kingdom.

Five regiments of Hanoverian troops were sent to Gibraltar and Minorca,

to allow the garrisons of English troops there to be sent to America. It

was also proposed to organize the militia of the kingdom, so as to have

an efficient force at home while the regulars should go across the

Atlantic. For their support while in actual service it was proposed to

raise the land-tax to four shillings in the pound. This proposition

touched the pockets of the country members of Parliament, and cooled

their warlike ardor very sensibly.

The peace establishment at home being small, it was resolved, in

accordance with suggestions previously made, to employ foreign troops.

The king wrote an autograph letter to the States General of Holland,

soliciting them to dispose of their Scotch brigade for service against

the Americans. The request was nobly refused. A message was sent to the

Parliament of Ireland requesting a supply of troops; that body complied

by voting four thousand men for the American service. They servilely

agreed to send men to butcher their brethren and kinsmen for a

consideration; while the noble Hollanders, with a voice of rebuke,

dissented, and refused to allow their soldiers to fight the strugglers

for freedom, though strangers to them in blood and language. **

The king was more successful with some of the petty German princes. He

entered into a treaty with the Landgrave of Hesse-Cassel, the Duke of

Brunswick, the Prince of Hesse, and the Prince of Waldeck, for seventeen

thousand men, to be employed in America. On the 29th of February, 1776,

Lord North moved "that these treaties be referred to the Committee of

Supply." A most vehement debate ensued in the House of Commons.

Ministers pleaded necessity and economy as excuses for such a measure.

"There was not time to fill the army with recruits, and hired soldiers

would be cheaper in the end, for, after the war, if native troops were

employed, there would be nearly thirty battalions to claim half pay."

Such were the ostensible reasons; the real object was, doubtless, not so

much economy, as the fear that native troops, especially raw recruits,

unused to the camp, might affiliate with the insurgents. The opposition

denounced the measure as not merely cruel toward the Americans, but

disgraceful to the English name; that England was degrading herself by

applying to petty German princes for succors against her own subjects;

and that nothing would so effectually bar the way for reconciliation

with the colonists as this barbarous prep-

* This bill became a law, and under that clause General Howe, and his

brother, Lord Howe, were appointed commissioners.

** can not forbear quoting the remarks of John Derk van der Chapelle, in

the Assembly of the States of Overyssel, against the proposition.

"Though not as principals, yet as auxiliaries our troops would be

employed in suppressing (what some please to call) a rebellion in the

American colonies; for which purpose I would rather see janisaries hired

than troops from a free state. In what an odious light must this

unnatural civil war appear to all Europe--a war in which even savages

(if credit can be given to newspaper information) refuse to engage. More

odious still would it appear for a people to take a part therein who

were themselves once slaves, bore that hateful name, but at last had

spirit to fight themselves free. But, above all, it must appear

superlatively detestable to me, who think the Americans worthy of every

man's esteem, and look upon them as a brave people, defending, in a

becoming, manly, and religious manner, those rights which, as men, they

derive from God, and not from the Legislature of Great Britain."

Reasons for employing German Troops.--Opposition to it in Parliament.--

Terms on which the Mercenaries were hired.

589aration to enslave them. It was also intimated that the soldiers to

be hired would desert as soon as they reached America; for their

countrymen were numerous in the colonies, were all patriots, and would

have great influence over them that they would accept land, sheathe

their swords, and leave the English soldiers to do the work which their

German masters sent them to perform. On the other hand, ministers

counted largely upon the valor of their hirelings, many of whom were

veterans, trained in the wars of Frederic the Great, and that it would

be only necessary for these blood-hounds to show themselves in America

to make the rebellious people lay down their arms and sue for pardon.

The opposition, actuated by a sincere concern for the fair fame of their

country, pleaded earnestly against the consummation of the bargain, and

used every laudable endeavor to arrest the incipient action. But

opposition was of little avail; North's motion for reference was carried

by a majority of two hundred and forty-two to eighty-eight.

Another warm debate ensued when the committee reported on the 4th of

March; 1776and in the House of Lords the Duke of Richmond moved not only

to countermand the order for the mercenaries to proceed to America, but

to cease hostilities altogether. The Earl of Coventry maintained that an

acknowledgment of the independence of the colonies was preferable to a

continuance of the war. "Look on the map of the globe," he said; "view

Great Britain and North America; compare their extent, consider the

soil, rivers, climate, and increasing population of the latter; nothing

but the most obstinate blindness and partiality can engender a serious

opinion that such a country will long continue under subjection to this.

The question is not, therefore, how we shall be able to realize a vain,

delusive scheme of dominion, but how we shall make it the interest of

the Americans to continue faithful allies and warm friends. Surely that

can never be effected by fleets and armies. Instead of meditating

conquest and exhausting our strength in an ineffectual struggle, we

should, wisely abandoning wild schemes of coercion, avail ourselves of

the only substantial benefit we can ever expect, the profits of an

extensive commerce, and the strong support of a firm and friendly

alliance and compact for mutual defense and assistance." ** This was the

language of wise and sagacious statesmanship--of just and honorable

principles--of wholesome and vigorous thought; yet it was denounced as

treasonable in its tendency, and encouraging to rebellion. The report

recommending the ratification of the bargain was adopted, and the

disgraceful and cruel act was consummated. The Landgrave of Hesse-Cassel

agreed to furnish twelve thousand one hundred and four men; the Duke of

Brunswick, four thousand and eighty-four; the Prince of Hesse, six

hundred and sixty-eight, and the Prince of Waldeck, six hundred and

seventy; making in all seventeen thousand five hundred and twenty-six

soldiers, including the officers. Perceiving the stern necessity which

compelled the British government to negotiate with them, these dealers

in fighting machines drove a hard bargain with Lord George Germaine and

Lord Barrington, making their price in accordance with the principle of

trade, where there is a small supply for a great demand. They asked and

received thirty-six dollars for each man, and in addition were to

receive a considerable subsidy. The whole amount paid by the British

government was seven hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars! The

British king also guarantied the dominions of these princes against

foreign attack. It was a capital bargain for the sellers; for, while

they pocketed the enormous poll-price for their troops, they were

released from the expense of their maintenance, and felt secure in their

absence. Early in the spring these mercenaries, with a considerable

number of troops from England and Ireland, sailed for America, under

convoy of a British fleet commanded by Admiral Lord Howe. ***The fierce

German

* It was estimated that, when the Revolution broke out, there were about

one hundred and fifty thousand German emigrants in the American

colonies, most of whom had taken sides with the patriots.

** Cavendish's Debates.

*** Admiral Howe, who was a man of fine feelings, hesitated long before

he would accept the command of the fleet destined to sail against his

fellow-subjects in America. In Parliament, a few days before he sailed,

he spoke with much warmth upon the horrors of civil war, and "declared

that he knew no struggle so painful as that between a soldier's duties

as an officer and a man. If left to his own choice, he should decline

serving; but if commanded, it beeame his duty, and he should not refuse

to obey." General Conway said a war with our fellow-subjects in America

differed very widely from a war with foreign nations, and that before an

officer drew his sword against his fellow-subjects he ought to examine

well his conscience whether the cause were just. Thurlow declared that

such sentiments, if once established as a doctrine, must tend to a

dissolution of all governments.--Pictorial History of England, v., 248.

Parliament alarmed by a Rumor.--French Emissary in Philadelphia.--

Official Announcement of the Evacuation of Boston.

590warriors--fierce, because brutish, unlettered, and trained to

bloodshed by the continental butchers--were first let loose upon the

patriots in the battle of Long Island, * and thenceforth the _Hessians_

bore a prominent part in many of the conflicts that ensued.

During the residue of the session of Parliament under consideration,

American affairs occupied a good portion of the time of the Legislature,

but nothing of great importance was done. The Duke of Grafton made an

unsuccessful attempt to have an address to the king adopted, requesting

that a proclamation might be issued to declare that if the colonists

should, within a reasonable time, show a willingness to treat with the

commissioners, or present a petition, hostilities should be suspended,

and their petition be received and respected. He assured the House that

both France and Spain were arming; and alarmed them by the assertion

that "two French gentlemen had been to America, had conferred with

Washington at his camp, and had since been to Philadelphia to confer

with Congress. ** The duke's proposition was negatived.

A very brief official announcement of the evacuation of Boston appeared

in the London Gazette of the 3d of May, 1776. *** Ministers endeavored

to conceal full intelligence of the transaction, and assumed a careless

air, as if the occurrence were of no moment. But Colonel Barré would not

allow them to rest quietly under the cloak of mystery, but moved in the

House of Commons for an address to his majesty, praying that copies of

the dispatches of General Howe and Admiral Shuldham might be laid before

the House. There, and in the House of Lords, the ministry were severely

handled. Lord North declared that the army was not compelled to abandon

Boston, when he well knew to the contrary; and Lord George Germaine's

explanation was weak and unsatisfactory. The thunders of Burke's

eloquent denunciations were opened against the government, and he

declared that "every measure which had been adopted or pursued was

directed to impoverish England and to emancipate America; and though in

twelve months nearly one thousand dollars a man had been

* I intended to defer a notice of these German troops (generally called

Hessians, because the greater portion came from Hesse and Hesse-Cassel)

until the battle of Long Island should be under consideration; but the

action relative to their employment occupies such a conspicuous place in

the proceedings of the session of Parliament, where the most decided

hostile measures against America were adopted, that here seemed the most

appropriate place to notice the subject in detail. See note 2, page 164,

vol. ii.

** Some time in the month of November, 1775, Congress was informed that

a foreigner was in Philadelphia who was desirous of making to them a

confidential communication. At first no notice was taken of it, but the

intimation having been several times repeated, a committee, consisting

of John Jay, Dr. Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson, was appointed to hear

what he had to say. They agreed to meet him in a room in Carpenters'

Hall, and, at the time appointed, they found him there--an elderly, lame

gentleman, and apparently a wounded French officer. He told them that

the French king was greatly pleased with the exertions for liberty which

the Americans were making; that he wished them success, and would,

whenever it should be necessary, manifest more openly his friendly

sentiments toward them. The committee requested to know his authority

for giving these assurances. He answered only by drawing his hand across

his throat, and saving, "Gentlemen, I shall take care of my head." They

then asked what demonstrations of friendship they might expect from the

King of France. "Gentlemen," he answered, "if you want arms, you shall

have them: if you want ammunition, you shall have it; if you want money,

you shall have it." The committee observed that these were important,

assurances, and again desired to know by what authority they were made.

"Gentlemen," said he, again drawing his hand across his throat, "I shall

take care of my head;" and this was the only answer they could obtain

from him. He was seen in Philadelphia no more.--See Life of John Jay,

written by his son, William Jay.

*** The official announcement in the Gazette was as follows: "General

Howe, commander-in-chief of his majesty's forces in North America,

having taken a resolution on the 7th of March to remove from Boston to

Halifax with the troops under his command, and such of the inhabitants,

with their effects, as were desirous to continue under the protection of

his majesty's forces; the embarkation was effected on the 17th of the

same month, with the greatest order and regularity, and without the

least interruption from the rebels When the packet came away, the first

division of transports was under sail, and the remainder were preparing

to follow in a few days, the admiral leaving behind as many men-of-war

as could be spared from the convoy for the security and protection of

such vessels as might be bound to Boston."

Royal Approval of Howe's Course.--Opinions of the People.--Position of

the Colonies.--Count Rumford. Fortifications.

591spent for salt beef and sour-krout, * the troops could not have

remained ten days longer if the heavens had not rained down manna and

quails."

The majority voted down every proposition to elicit full information

respecting operations in America, and on the 23d of May his majesty,

after expressing a hope "that his rebellious subjects would yet submit,"

prorogued Parliament.

The evacuation of Boston was approved by the king and his ministers, and

on the day when the announcement of the event was made in London, Lord

George Germaine May 3, 1776 wrote to Howe, deploring the miscarriage of

the general's dispatches for the ministers, **

praising his prudence, and assuring him that his conduct had "given the

fullest proofs of his majesty's wisdom and discernment in the choice of

so able and brave an officer to command his troops in America."

Thus ended the Siege of Boston, where the first decided triumph of

American arms over the finest troops of Great Britain was accomplished.

The departure of Howe was regarded in England as a flight; the patriots

viewed it as a victory for themselves. Confidence in their strength to

resist oppression was increased ten-fold by this event, and doubt of

final and absolute success was a stranger to their thoughts. "When the

siege of Boston commenced, the colonies were hesitating on the great

measures of war; were separated by local interests; were jealous of each

other's plans, and appeared on the field, each with its independent army

under its local colors. When the siege of Boston ended, the colonies had

drawn the sword and nearly cast away the scabbard. They had softened

their jealousy of each other; they had united in a political

association; and the Union flag of thirteen stripes waved over a

Continental army." ***

Few events of more importance than those at other large sea-port towns

occurred at Boston after the flight of the British army. The Americans

took good care to keep their fortifications in order, and a full

complement of men to garrison them sufficiently. **** This fact

* A Dutch or German dish, made of cabbage.

*** It appears that Howe sent dispatches to England on the 23d of

October, 1775. by the hands of Major Thompson, and those were the last

from him that reached the ministry before the army left Boston for

Halifax. Major Thompson was afterward the celebrated philosopher. Count

Rumford. He was a native of Woburn, in Massachusetts, and was born on

the 26th of March, 1753. He early evinced a taste for philosophy and the

mechanic arts, and obtained permission to attend the philosophical

lectures of Professor Winthrop at Cambridge. He afterward taught school

at Rumford (now Concord), New Hampshire, where he married a wealthy

young widow. In consequence of his adhesion to the British cause, he

left his family in the autumn of 1775, went to England, and became a

favorite of Lord George Germaine, who made him under secretary in the

Northern Department. Near the close of the Revolution he was sent to New

York, where he commanded a regiment of dragoons, and returning to

England, the king knighted him. He became acquainted with the minister

of the Duke of Bavaria, who induced him to go to Munich, where he became

active in public affairs. The duke raised him to a high military rank,

and made him a count of the empire. He added to his title the place of

his marriage, and became Count Rumford. He was in London in 1800, and

projected the Royal Institution of Great Britain. His wife, whom he

abandoned, died in 1794 in New Hampshire. Count Rumford died August

20th, 1814, aged sixty-one vears. His scientific discoveries have made

his name immortal. He bequeathed fifty thousand dollars to Harvard

College.

*** Frothingham, page 334.

**** With the exception of Dorchester, Bunker Hill, and Roxbury, I

believe there are few traces of the fortifications of the Revolution

that can be certainly identified; and so much altered has been the

fortress on Castle Island that it exhibits but little of the features of

1776. Every year the difficulty of properly locating the several forts

becomes greater, and therefore to preserve, in this work, a record of

those landmarks by which they may be identified, I condense from

Silliman's Journal for 1822 an interesting article on the subject which

was communicated by J. Finch, Esq., with such references as later

writers have made. A recurrence to the map on page 566, vol. i., will

assist the reader.

**** I. Breed's Hill and Bunker Hill.--These works were on the summits

and slopes of the hills, looking toward Boston. Bunker Hill Monument now

stands upon the spot where Prescott's redoubt was thrown up. II. Plowed

Hill.--This fort was upon the summit of the eminence, commanding the

Mystic River and the Penny Ferry. It was in a direct line from

Charlestown Neck to Winter Hill, further northward. III. Cobble or

Barrell's Hill.--In consequence of its strength, the fort on this hill

was called Putnam's impregnable fortress. This was on the north side of

Willis's Creek, in full view of Bunker and Breed's Hills, and commanding

the whole western portion of the peninsula of Charlestown. IV.

Lechmere's Point was strongly fortified at a spot one hundred yards from

West Boston Bridge There was a causeway across the marsh, and a line of

works along Willis's Creek to connect with those on Cobble Hill. V.

Winter Hill.--The works at this point, commanding the Mystic and the

country northward from Charlestown, were more extensive than any other

American fortification around Boston. There rested the left wing of the

army under General Lee, at the time of the siege of Boston. There was a

redoubt near, upon the Ten Hill Farm, that commanded the Mystic; and

between Winter and Prospect Hills was a re-doubt, where a quarry was

opened about the year 1819. This was called White House Redoubt, in the

rear of which, at a farm-house, Lee had his quarters. VI. Prospect Hill

has two eminences, both of which were strongly fortified, and connected

by a rampart and fosse, or ditch. These forts were destroyed in 1817.

There is an extensive view from this hill. VII. The Cambridge Lines,

situated upon Butler's Hill, consisted of six regular forts connected by

a strong intrenchment. These were in a state of excellent preservation

when Mr. Finch wrote. The Second Line of Defense might then be traced on

the College Green at Cambridge. VIII. A semicircular Battery, with three

embrasures, was situated on the northern shore of Charles River, near

its entrance into the bay. It was rather above the level of the marsh.

IX. Brookline Fort, on Sewall's Point, was very extensive. The ramparts

and irregular bastion, which commanded Charles River, were very strong.

The fort was nearly quadrangular. X. There was a battery on the southern

shore of Muddy River, with three embrasures. Westward of this position

was a redoubt; and between Stony Brook and Roxbury were three others.

XI. Roxbury.--There were strong fortifications at this point, erected

upon eminences which commanded Boston Neck, sometimes called Roxbury

Neck. About three quarters of a mile in advance of these redoubts were

The Roxbury Lines, situated northward of the town. There were two lines

of intrenchments, which extended quite across the peninsula; and the

ditch, filled at high water, made Boston an island. The works thrown up

by Gage when he fortified Boston Neck were near the present Dover

Street. Upon a higher eminence, in the rear of the Roxbury lines (at

present [[1850]] west of Highland Street, on land owned by the Honorable

B. F. Copeland), was Roxbury Fort,1 2 a strong quadrangular work, with

bastions appears to have been on the southwest side, near which was a

covered way and sally-port. I have nowhere seen a fortification of the

Revolution so well preserved as this, except the old quadrangular fort

or castle at Chambly, on Ground Plan of the Fort.3 the Sorel; and it is

to be hoped that patriotic reverence will so consecrate the ground on

which this relic lies, that unhallowed gain may never lay upon the old

ramparts the hand of demolition. The history of the construction of

Roxbury Fort is somewhat obscure. It is known to have been the first

regular work erected by the Americans when they nearly circumvallated

Boston. Tradition avers, that when the Rhode Island "Army of

Observation," which hastened toward Boston, under Greene, after the

skirmishes at Lexington and Concord, encamped at Jamaica Plains, a

detachment was sent forward and commenced this redoubt at Roxbury.

General Ward, who, by common consent, was captain-general of the

accumulating forces, ordered them to desist, as he was about to commence

a regular line of fortifications under the direction of Gridley. The

Rhode Islanders, acknowledging no authority but their own Provincial

Assembly, proceeded in their work; and when Washington took command of

the army, he regarded this fort as the best and most eligibly located of

all the works then in course of construction. During the siege of

Boston, Roxbury Fort was considered superior to all others for its

strength and its power to annoy the enemy. XII. Dorchester Heights.--The

ancient fortifications there are covered by the remains of those erected

in 1812, and have little interest except as showing the locality of the

forts of the Revolution. XIII. At Nook's Hill, near South Boston Bridge,

the last breast-work was thrown up by the American^ before the flight of

the British. It was the menacing appearance of this suddenly-erected

fort that caused Howe to hasten his departure. The engineers employed in

the construction of these works were Colonel Richard Gridley, chief;

Lieutenant-colonel Rufus Putnam, Captain Josiah Waters, Captain Baldwin,

o! Brookfield, and Captain Henry (afterward general) Knox, assistants.

These were the principal works erected and occupied by the Americans at

Boston. When Mr. Finch wrote in 1822, many of these were well preserved,

and he expressed a patriotic desire that they should remain so. But they

are gone, and art has covered up the relics that were left. But it is

not yet too late to carry out a portion of his recommendation, by which

to preserve the identity of some of the localities. "The laurel, planted

on the spot where Warren fell, would be an emblem of unfading honor; the

white birch and pine might adorn Prospect Hill: at Roxbury, the cedar

and the oak might yet retain their eminence; and upon the heights of

Dorchester we would plant the laurel, and the finest trees which adorn

the forest, because there was achieved a glorious victory, without the

sacrifice of life!"

* This view is from the southwest angle of the fort. In the foreground a

portion of the ramparts is seen. These are now overgrown, in part, with

shrubbery. On the right is seen the house of Mr. Benjamin Perkins, on

Highland Street, and extending across the picture, to the left, is the

side of the fort toward Boston, exhibiting prominent traces of the

embrasures for the cannons. It was a foggy day in autumn when I visited

the fort, in company with Frederic Kidder, Esq., of Boston, to whose

courtesy and antiquarian taste I am indebted for the knowledge of the

existence of this well-preserved fortification. No distant view could be

procured, and I was obliged to be content with the above sketch, made in

the intervals of "sun and shower." The bald rocks on which the fort

stands are huge bowlders of pudding-stone, and upon three sides these

form natural revetments, which would be difficult for an enemy to scale.

The embankments are from eight to fifteen feet in height, and within,

the terre-plein, on which the soldiers and cannons were placed, is quite

perfect.

** See map on page 566, vol. i.

*** This is a ground plan of the fort as it now appears. A is the

parade; B, the magazine; C, the sally-port D, the side toward Boston.

Boston Harbor.--Remains of the Revolutionary Fortifications around

Boston

592seemed to be well known to the enemy; for while Newport and the

places adjacent suffered from the naval operations of British vessels,

Boston Harbor was shunned by them. Some

The "Convention Troops."--Their Parole of Honor.--Picture of the

Captives.--Burgoyne in Boston

593of the Tories who went with Howe to Halifax returned, and cast

themselves upon the clemency of the new government. Those who possessed

influence that might be dangerous were immediately arrested and thrown

into prison, where they were confined for several months, until

satisfactory arrangements were made for their release.

Boston was the place whither the captured troops of Burgoyne were sent

in 1777, to embark for England on parole. * They entered Cambridge on

the 7th of November, during the prevalence of a severe northeast storm.

A graphic description of the appearance of the Hessians is given in a

letter from Mrs. Winthrop to Mrs. Warren, printed on page 82. Speaking

of the British portion of the captive army, the same writer says:

"Their baggage-wagons were drawn by poor half-starved horses; but to

bring up the rear was a noble-looking guard of American, brawny,

victorious yeomanry, who assisted in bring ing these sons of slavery to

terms. Some of our wagons, drawn by fat oxen, driven by joyous-looking

Yankees, closed the cavalcade. The generals and other officers went to

Bradish's, where they quarter at present. The privates trudged through

thick and thin to the hills, where we thought they were to be confined;

but what was our surprise when, in the morning, we beheld an inundation

of these disagreeable objects filling our streets." These captive troops

were quartered in some of the best private houses, and the students of

Harvard College were dismissed to make room for these foreign soldiers.

Alluding to this fact. Mrs. Winthrop writes, "Is there not a degree of

unkindness in loading poor Cambridge, almost ruined before this great

army seemed to be let loose upon us? ** Surprising that our general

[Gates], or any of our colonels, should insist on the first university

in America being disbanded for their genteel accommodation, and we, poor

oppressed people, seek an asylum in the woods against a piercing winter.

General Burgoyne dined on Sunday in Boston with General. He rode through

the town properly attended, down Court Street and through the Main

Street, and on his return walked to Charlestown ferry, followed by as

great a number of spectators as ever attended a pope." There must have

been a great contrast between the feelings of Burgoyne at that time and

when he walked the same streets two years before, a general covered with

fresh laurels won upon the Spanish Peninsula. *** The captive army were

sent to Charlottesville, in Virginia, at the beginning of 1779.

* I have before me the original paroles of honor, signed by all the

surviving officers of Burgoyne's captured army. They are the property of

J. Wingate Thornton, Esq., of Boston, who kindly placed them in my hands

for use. The paroles are dated at Cambridge, December 13th, 1777. One is

signed by 185 English officers, headed by Burgoyne; the other by 95

German officers, headed by Riedesel, the Brunswick general. Their names

may be found in the Supplement, page 672.

** This sudden influx menaced the country about Boston with famine, for

the five thousand prisoners of war had to be fed. Every article rapidly

rose in price; wood was sold at twenty-seven and a half dollars a cord.

*** When Burgoyne left Boston for England, General Phillips was left in

chief command of the captive troops, quartered on Prospect Hill. He was

a conceited, irritable person, and often his haughty pride made him

forget the relation in which he stood to the victorious Americans, whom

he had been taught to despise. On one occasion, one of his officers was

returning from Boston, with two females, to the British camp, and

refused to answer the challenge of the sentinel. He was shot dead, and

the act was justified by the rules of war. General Phillips was greatly

enraged, and wrote the following impudent letter to General Heath, the

commanding officer:

*** "Cambridge, June 17, 1778. "Murder and death have at length taken

place. An officer, riding out from the barracks on Prospect Hill, has

been shot by an American sentinel. I leave the horrors of that bloody

disposition, whieh has joined itself to rebellion in these colonies, to

the feelings of all Europe. I do not ask for justice, for I believe

every principle of it has fled from this province. I demand liberty to

send an officer to General Sir Henry Clinton, by way of the head-

quarters of General Washington. Wm. Phillips, Major General." This was

strange language for a prisoner of war to use toward his keeper! Before

the insulting note had been received by Heath, the sentry had been put

under guard to await the decision of a jury of inquest. Heath had also

written a polite note to Phillips, informing him of the fact. As I have

observed before, the haughty insolence of the British functionaries,

civil and military, toward the Americans, did more to engender hatred

and foster the rebellion than any other single eause. Phillips's conduct

is a fair picture, among many others, of the haughty bearing of the

Britons in authority. I have before me an autograph letter to General

Heath, written at about the same time, by Lieutenant Kingston,

Burgoyne's deputy adjutant general. It is marked by flippant insolence,

although a little more polite than Phillips's letter.

--Expedition against Penobscot. Its Failure.--General Phillips.--General

Wadsworth.--Close of the Chronicles of Boston.

594In July, 1779, the State of Massachusetts fitted out an expedition at

Boston to go against the British troops at Penobscot, a small town on

the east side of Penobscot River in Maine. The enemy were estimated to

be one thousand strong. Fifteen hundred men were ordered to be raised

for the expedition, but only about nine hundred were actually employed,

and some of these were pressed into the service. Some were conveyed

thither by a fleet, consisting of several sloops of war, carrying from

sixteen to twenty-eight guns, one of thirty-two guns, seven armed brigs,

and twenty-four other vessels, which served as transports. Other

portions of the militia marched from the lower counties of Maine.

Commodore Salstonstall commanded the fleet, and Generals Lovell and

Wadsworth led the land forces. A disagreement arose between the

commanders of the fleet and army, which greatly weakened the power of

the expedition It was agreed, however, to attack the enemy. The American

land force debarked, and rushed to the assault of the fort up a steep

declivity, in the face of a storm of shot from the enemy. The marines

did not come to their support, and a large naval re-enforcement for the

British arriving at that moment, the assailants were repulsed and forced

to abandon the expedition. The Americans destroyed many of their vessels

to prevent them from falling into the hands of the enemy, and in

scattered detachments, the troops, marines, and sailors, made their way

back to their homes, suffering great hardships in their route through

the almost unbroken wilderness. It was a most unfortunate affair The

General Court of Massachusetts instituted an inquiry, which resulted in

censuring the naval commander, and commending Lovell and Wadsworth. *

Here let us close the chronicles of Boston. Henceforth we shall only

refer to them incidentally, as the elucidation of prominent events

elsewhere shall make this necessary. We have seen the discontents of the

colonies ripen into open rebellion in this hot-bed of patriotism; we

have seen a Continental army organized, disciplined, and prepared for

action, and those yeomanry and artisans, drawn from the fields and

workshops, piling, with seeming Titan strength, huge fortifications

around a well-disciplined British army, and expelling it from one of the

most advantageous positions on the continent. Let us now proceed to

places where other scenes in the great drama were enacted.

* Peleg Wadsworth was a native of Massachusetts, and graduated at

Harvard College in 1769. After his unsuccessful attempt against the

British fort at Penobscot in 1779, where his bravery was acknowledged,

he was sent to command in the district of Maine, whither he took his

family. In February, 1781, a party of the enemy eaptured him in his own

house, and conveyed him to the British quarters at Bagaduce or Castin.

In company with Major Burton, he effected his escape from the fort in

June, crossed the Penobscot in a canoe, and traveled through the

wilderness to his home. Of his capture, sufferings, and escape, Dr.

Dwight has given a long and interesting account in the second volume of

his Travels in New England. For many years Wadsworth was a member of

Congress from Cumberland district. He died at Hiram, in Maine, in

November, 1829, aged eighty years. His son, Lieutenant Henry Wadsworth,

was blown up in a fire-ship in the harbor at Tripoli in September,

1804.--Allen's American Biography.

Departure from Boston.--Scenery on the Route.--Cochituate.--The

Quinebaug.--Tradition of Mashapaug.

595

CHAPTER XXVI.

"Day wanes; 'tis autumn's eventide again;

And, sinking on the blue hill's breast, the sun

Spreads the large bounty of his level blaze,

Lengthening the shades of mountains and tall trees,

And throwing blacker shadows o'er the sheet

Of the dark stream, in whose unruffled tide

Waver the bank-shrub and the graceful elm,

As the gray branches and their trembling leaves

Catch the soft whispers of the evening air."

George Lunt.

T was in the afternoon of a warm, bright day in October, that I left

Boston for Norwich and New London, upon the Thames, in Connecticut,

where I purposed to pass two or three days in visiting the interesting

localities in their respective neighborhoods. I journeyed upon the great

Western rail-way from Boston to Worcester, forty-four miles westward,

where the Norwich road branches off in the direction of Long Island

Sound, and courses down the beautiful valleys of the French and

Quinebaug Rivers. Every rood of the way is agreeably diversified. Hill

and mountain, lake and streamlet, farm-house and village, charmed the

eye with a kaleidoscope variety as our train thundered over the road at

the rate of thirty miles an hour. Yet memory can fix upon only a few

prominent points, and these appear to make the sum of all which the eye

gazed upon. Thus I remember the sweet Lake Cochituate, whose clear

waters now bless the city of Boston with limpid streams. I remember it

stretching away north from the rail-way, pierced with many green

headlands, and rippled by the wings of waterfowl. Thus, too, I remember

the beautiful little Mashapaug, * lying in a bowl of the wooded hills of

Killingly, sparkling in the slant rays of the evening sun as we swept by

and became lost among the rugged heights and dark forests at twilight.

The Quinebaug is dotted with pretty factory villages at almost every

rift in its course; and, as we halted a moment at the stations, the

serried lights of the mills, and the merry laughter of troops of girls

just released from labor, joyous as children bursting from school,

agreeably broke the monotony of an evening ride in a close car. We

reached the Shetucket Valley at about half past seven o'clock, and at

eight I was pleasantly housed at the Mer-

* This sheet of water is now known by the unpoetical name of Alexander's

Lake, from the circumstance that a Scotchman, named Neil Alexander,

settled there, and owned all the lands in the vicinity in the year 1720.

The Indians, who called it Mashapaug, had a curious tradition respecting

the origin of the lake. I quote from Barber's Historical Collections of

Connecticut, p. 431: "In ancient times, when the red men of this quarter

had long enjoyed prosperity, that is, when they had found plenty of game

in the woods and fish in the ponds and rivers, they at length fixed the

time for a general powwow--a sort of festival for eating, drinking,

smoking, singing, and dancing. The spot chosen for this purpose was a

sandy hill, or mountain, covered with tall pines, occupying the

situation where the lake now lies. The powwow lasted four days in

succession, and was to continue longer, had not the Great Spirit,

enraged at the licentiousness that prevailed there, resolved to punish

them. Accordingly, while the red people, in immense numbers, were

capering about on the summit of the mountain, it suddenly gave way

beneath them and sunk to a great depth, when the waters from below

rushed up and covered them all, except one good old squaw, who occupied

the peak which now bears the name of Loon's Island. Whether the

tradition is entitled to credit or not, we will do it justice by

affirming that in a clear day, when there is no wind, and the surface of

the lake is smooth, the huge trunks and leafless branches of gigantic

pines may be occasionally seen in the deepest part of the water, some of

them reaching almost to the surface, in such huge and fantastic forms as

to cause the beholder to startle!"

Arrival at Norwich.--A literary Friend.--Indian History of Norwich.--

Uncas and Miantonomoh.

596chants' Hotel in Norwich, a city beautifully situated at the

confluence of the Yantic and Shetucket Rivers, whose wedded waters here

form the broad and navigable Thames.

Early in the morning I started in search of celebrities, and had the

good fortune to meet with Edwin Williams, Esq., the widely-known author

of the "Statesman's Manual" and other standard works. Norwich is his

birth-place, and was his residence during his youth, and he is as

familiar with its history and topography as a husbandman is with that of

his farm. With such a guide, accompanied by his intelligent little son,

an earnest delver among the whys and wherefores in the mine of

knowledge, I anticipated a delightful journey of a day. Nor was I

disappointed; and the pleasures and profit of that day's ramble form one

of the brightest points in my interesting tour. I procured a span of

horses and a barouche to convey us to Lebanon, twelve miles northward,

the residence of Jonathan Trumbull, the patriot governor of Connecticut

during the Revolution. While the hostler is harnessing our team, let us

open the chronicles of Norwich and see what history has recorded there.

Like that of all the ancient New England towns, the Indian history of

Norwich, commencing with the advent of the English in that neighborhood

about 1643, is full of romance, and woos the pen to depict it; but its

relation to my subject is only incidental, and I must pass it by with

brief mention.

Norwich is in the midst of the ancient Mohegan country, and Mohegan was

its Indian name. Uncas was the chief of the tribe when the English first

settled at Hartford, and built a fort at Saybrook, at the mouth of the

Connecticut River. He formed a treaty of amity with the whites; and so

fair were his broad acres upon the head waters of the Pequot River, now

the Thames, that the sin of covetousness soon pervaded the hearts of the

Puritan settlers. Wawekus Hill, now in the center of Norwich, was a

famous observatory for his warriors, for eastward of them were the

powerful Narragansets, sworn enemies of the Mohegans, and governed by

the brave Miantonômoh, also a friend of the white men. In the spring of

1643 the flame of war was lighted between these powerful tribes, and

Miantonômoh led his warriors to an invasion of the Mohegan country. His

plans were secretly laid, and he hoped to take Uncas by surprise. For

this purpose six hundred of his bravest warriors were led stealthily, by

night marches, toward the head waters of the Pequot. At dawn, one

morning, they were discovered at the Shetucket Fords, near the mouth of

the Quinebaug, by some of the vigilant Mohegan scouts upon the Wawekus.

From the rocky nooks near the falls of the Yantic, a canoe, bearing a

messenger with the intelligence, shot down the Thames to Shantock Point,

where Uncas was strongly fortified. With three or four hundred of his

best warriors he marched to meet Miantonômoh. They confronted at the

Great Plains, a mile and a half below Norwich, on the west side of the

Thames. A fierce conflict ensued. The advantage gained by Uncas by

strategy * was maintained, and the Narragansets were put to flight,

closely pursued by the Mohegans. Through tangled woods and over rocky

ledges, across the Yantic, and over the high plain of Norwich toward the

Shetucket Fords, the pursued and pursuers swept like a blast. Two swift-

footed Mohegans pursued Miantonômoh with unwearied pertinacity, and

finally outstripped him, he being encumbered with a heavy corselet. They

impeded his progress, but did not attempt to seize him, that honor being

reserved for their chief. As soon as Uncas touched Miantonômoh, the

latter halted and sat down in silence. He was conducted in triumph to

Shantock, where Uncas treated him with generous kindness and respect.

The conflict had been brief, but thirty of the Narragansets were slain.

Among the prisoners were a brother of the captive king, and two sons of

Canonicus, his uncle Uncas, probably fearing that the Narragansets would

make an attempt to recapture their

* When Uncas saw the superior number of Miantonômoh's warriors, he sent

a messenger to that chief to say, in the name of Uncas, "Let us two

fight single-handed. If you kill me, my men shall be yours; if I kill

you, your men shall be mine." Miantonômoh, suspecting treachery,

disdainfully rejected the proposition. Uncas then fell on his face, a

signal previously agreed upon with his warriors, who, with bent bows,

rushed upon the Narragansets, who were carelessly awaiting the result of

the conference, and thus put them to flight.

Surrender of Miantonômoh to the English.--Unjust Decision.--Murder of

Miantonômoh.--Settlement of New London

597chief, sent him to Hartford, and surrendered him into the custody of

the English, agreeing to be governed in his future conduct toward his

prisoner by their advice. Miantonômoh was imprisoned until September,

when the commissioners of the United Colonies, at their meeting in

Boston, after debating the question whether it would be lawful to take

the life of Miantonômoh, referred his case to an ecclesiastical

tribunal, composed of five of the principal ministers of the colonies.

Their decision was in favor of handing him over to Uncas for _execution,

without torture_, within the dominions of that sachem. Delighted with

the verdict of his Christian allies, the equally savage Mohegan, with a

few trusty followers, con-, ducted Miantonômoh to the spot where he was

captured, and, while marching unsuspicious of present danger, a brother

of Uncas, at a sign from that chief, buried his hatchet in the head of

the royal prisoner. Uncas cut a piece of flesh from the shoulder of the

slain captive and ate it, saying, "It is very sweet; it makes my heart

strong." Satisfied revenge made it sweet; and no doubt his heart felt

stronger when he saw his powerful enemy lying dead at his feet. The

whole transaction was base treachery and ingratitude. Miantonômoh had

been the firm friend of the whites on Rhode Island, and his sentence was

a flagrant offense against the principles of common justice and

Christianity. He was buried where he was slain, and from these

circumstances the place has since been called the Sachem's Plain. *

The Narragansets, burning with revenge, and led by Pessacus, a brother

of Miantonomoh, invaded the Mohegan country in the spring of 1645.

Plantations were laid waste, and Uncas, with his principal warriors, was

driven into his strong fortress at Shantock. There he was closely

besieged, but found means to send a messenger to Captain Mason, the

destroyer of the Pequots, then commanding the fort at Saybrook. As in

duty bound, that officer sent succor to his ally, not in men, for they

were not needed, but in provisions. Thomas Leffingwell, a young man of

undaunted courage, paddled a canoe up the Pequot at night, laden with

many hundred weight of beef, corn, pease, &c., and deposited them safely

within the fort at Shantock. This timely relief was made known to the

besiegers by hoist ing a piece of beef upon a pole above the ramparts of

the fort. Unable to break down the fortress, the Narragansets raised the

siege and returned to their own country. This invasion was repeated, and

with almost fatal effect to Uncas. The English saved him, and, finally,

after nearly twenty years of strife, the hatchet was buried between

these tribes.

It was in the midst of these hostilities that the younger Winthrop and

others commenced a settlement at Pequot Harbor, now New London; and in

1659 Uncas and his two sons signed a deed at Say-brook, conveying a

tract of land, "lying at the head of the Great River," nine miles

square, to Thomas Leffingwell and others, for a value consideration of

about three hundred and fifty dollars. Leffingwell had thirty-five

associates, and there founded the city of Norwich, at the head of the

plain now known as the _old town, or up town._ It is not my province to

trace the progress of settlement, but simply to note the prominent

points

* The spot where Miantonômoh was buried is a little northward of the

village of-Greenville, on the west bank of the Shetucket, and about a

mile and a half from Norwich. A pile of stones was placed upon his

grave, and for many years a portion of his tribe came, in the season of

flowers, and mourned over his remains, each one adding a stone to the

tumulus. At length their visits ceased, and the voice of tradition being

seldom heard at that isolated spot, the proprietor of the land, ignorant

of the fact that the pile of stones was sepulchral and sacred to

patriotism, used them in the construction of the foundation of a barn.

On the 4th of July, 1841, the people of Greenville celebrated, by a

festival, the erection of a monument to Miantonômoh, on the spot where

he was slain. It is a block of granite eight feet high, and about five

feet square at the base, hearing the inscription Miantonômoh. 1643. I

did not visit the spot, but, from description, I think the initial

letter I, at the beginning of this chapter, is a fair representation of

it.

** Owaneko was a bold warrior in his youth, and was distinguished in

King Philip's War. In maturity, having lost the stimulus of war, "he

used to wander about with his blanket, metonep, and sandals, his gun,

and his squaw," says Miss Caulkins, "to beg in the neighboring towns,

quartering himself in the kitchens and outhouses of his white friends,

and presenting to strangers, or those who could not well understand his

imperfect English, a brief, which had been written for him by Mr.

Richard Bushnell. It was as follows

"'Oneco king, his queen doth bring To beg a little food; As they go

along their friends among To try how kind, how good. Some pork, some

beef, for their relief; And if you can't spare bread, She'll thank you

for your pudding, as they go a gooding, And carry it on her head.'"

Settlement of Norwich.--Mohegan Cemetery.--Uncas's Monument.--

Revolutionary Spirit.--Owaueko

1659.

598in the colonial history of a people who were among the earliest and

most ardent supporters of the Revolution. *

It was a charming spot where the Puritan settlers founded the city of

Norwich, a name given to it in honor of the English birth-place of some

of them. "Birds and animals of almost every species belonging to the

climate were numerous to an uncommon degree; and the hissing of snakes,

as well as the howling of wolves and bears must soon have become

familiar to their ears.

To complete the view, it may be added, that the streams swarmed with

fish and wild fowl; in the brooks and meadows were found the beaver and

the otter, and through the whole scene stalked at intervals the Indian

and the deer." ** The planting of this settlement greatly pleased Uncas,

but irritated the Narragansets; the former regarding it with pleasure,

as the latter did with anger, as a barrier to the meditated invasions of

the Mohegan country by the tribe of Miantonômoh. Uncas remained a firm

friend to the whites until his death, which occurred soon after the

close of King Philip's War, probably in 1683. He died at Mohegan

(Norwich), and was interred in the burial-ground of his family, situated

upon the high plain just above the falls of the Yantic. The royal

cemetery has been inclosed, and a granite monument erected therein to

the memory of the celebrated sachem.November 1, 1660 The first male

white child born in Norwich was Christopher Huntington, afterward

recorder of the town. The name of Huntington is intimately connected

with the whole history of that settlement, and is prominent in our

revolutionary annals. Several of that name were engaged in the army, and

one. Samuel Huntington, was President of Congress. Indeed, the whole

population seemed to be thoroughly imbued with the spirit of freedom,

and from the Stamp Act era until the close of the war for independence,

almost every patriotic measure adopted was an act of the town, not of

impromptu assemblages of the friends of liberty or of committees. ****

Like

* The reader is referred to a well-written volume of 360 pages, A

History of Norwich, Connecticut, from its Settlement in 1660, to

January, 1845: by Miss F. M. Caulkins. It is carefully compiled from the

town records, old newspapers, and well-authenticated traditions, many of

the latter being derived from then living witnesses of the scenes of the

Revolution. I am indebted to this valuable little work for much

interesting matter connected with Norwich.

** Miss Caulkins, page 40.

***This monument is on the south side of Prospect Street, and stands

within a shaded inclosure surrounded by a hedge of prim, upon the estate

of Judge Goddard. The obelisk is a single block of granite, and, with

the pedestal, is about twenty feet high. The monument was erected by the

citizens of Norwich. The foundation-stone was laid by President Jackson,

while visiting Norwich during his Eastern tour in 1832. Several small

tomb-stones of those of the royal line of Uncas are within the

inclosure. The name has now become extinct, the last Uncas having been

buried there about the beginning of the present century. A descendant of

Uncas, named Mazeon, was buried there in 1827, on which occasion the

wife of Judge Goddard (he being absent) invited the remnant of the

Mohegan tribe, then numbering about sixty, to partake of a cold

collation.

**** On the 7th of April, 1765, on the receipt of intelligence of the

passage of the Stamp Act, the people, in town-meeting assembled, voted

unanimously "that the town clerk shall proceed in his office as usual,

and the town will save him harmless from all damage that he may sustain

thereby."

Norwich Liberty Tree.--Celebration under it.--Honors to John Wilkes.--

Patriotic Town Meeting.--Benevolence of the People.

599those of Boston, the people of Norwich had their _Liberty Tree_,

under which public meetings were held in opposition to the Stamp Act. It

was brought from the forest, and erected in the center of the open

plain. Ingersoll, the stamp distributor for Connecticut, was burned in

effigy upon the high hill overlooking the plain, just above the site of

the old meetinghouse. The repeal of the Stamp Act was celebrated, on the

first anniversary of the event, on the 18th of March, 1767, with great

festivity, under _Liberty Tree_, which was decked with standards and

appropriate devices, and crowned with a Phrygian cap. A tent, or booth,

was erected under it, called a pavilion. Here, almost daily, people

assembled to hear news and encourage each other in the determination to

resist every kind of oppression. *

The inhabitants of Norwich entered heartily into the scheme of non-

importation from Great Britain. The pledge was generally signed, and

almost all were strictly faithful. On the 7th of June, 1768, an

entertainment was given at Peck's tavern, ** to celebrate the election

of John Wilkes to a seat in Parliament. Every thing was arranged in

excellent taste. All the table furniture, such as plates, bowls,

tureens, tumblers, and napkins, were marked "45," the number of the

_North Briton_, Wilkes's paper, that drew down upon his head the ire of

the British government, and, consequently, as a _persecuted patriot_,

obtained for him a seat in the House of Commons. The Tree of Liberty was

decorated with new banners and devices, among which was a flag inscribed

"No. 45, Wilkes and Liberty." Another celebration was held there in

September, avowedly to ridicule the commissioners of customs at Boston;

and in various ways the people manifested their defiance of British

power, where it wielded instruments of oppression. The margins of their

public records, for a series of years, were emblazoned with the words

Liberty! Liberty! Liberty! Every man was a self-constituted member of

the committee of vigilance, and none could drink tea, or use other

proscribed articles with impunity. Some who offended were forced

publicly to recant. The conduct of such persons was under the special

inspection of the Sons of Liberty, of whom Captain Joseph Trumbull,

eldest son of Governor Trumbull, was one of the most active.

On the 6th of June, 1774, a town meeting was held in Norwich, to take

into consideration "the melancholy state of affairs." Honorable Jabez

Huntington was chosen moderator; a series of resolutions, drawn up by

Captain Trumbull and Samuel Huntington, were adopted, *** and a standing

committee of correspondence, composed of some of the leading pa triots

of the town, was appointed. **** The people of Boston, in their

distress, consequent upon the closing of the port, (a) received

substantial testimonies of the sympathy of those of a June 1 Norwich;

(v) and when the rumor which went abroad that the British soldiers were

massacring the people of Boston, reached Norwich, a multitude gathered

around the September 3, 1774 Liberty Tree, and the next morning (Sunday)

four hundred and sixty-four men,

* Miss Caulkins, page 208.

** This building, though somewhat altered, is yet standing on one side

of the green in the upper town, not far from the court-house. Belah

Peek, Esq., son of the proprietor of the house at that time, and then a

half-grown boy, was yet living. I met him upon the road, when returning

from Lebanon, sitting in his wagon as erect as most men at seventy. He

died toward the close of 1850, in the ninety-fifth year of his age.

*** One of these resolutions, looking favorably to a general Congress,

was as follows: "That we will, to the utmost of our abilities, assert

and defend the liberties and immunities of British America; and that we

will co-operate with our other brethren, in this and the other colonics,

in such reasonable measures as shall, in general Congress or otherwise,

be judged most proper to release us from burdens we now feel, and secure

from greater evils we fear will follow from the principles adopted by

the British Parliament respecting the town of Boston." This was one of

the earliest movements in the colonics favorable to a general Congress.

**** The committee consisted of Captain Jedediah Huntington, C.

Leffingwell, Dr. Theophilus Rogers, Captain William Hubbard, and Captain

Joseph Trumbull. Captain Huntington was afterward aid to General

Washington, and brigadier general in the Continental army.

*( v ) The inhabitants of Norwich sent cash, wheat, corn, and a flock of

three hundred and ninety sheep, for the relief of the suffering poor of

Boston. This liberality was greatly applauded in the public prints of

the day. A further instance of the liberal devotion of the people of

Norwich to the cause may be mentioned. The Connecticut Gazette for

January, 1778, published at New London, says, "On the last Sabbath of

December, 1777, a contribution was taken up in the several parishes of

Norwich for the benefit of the officer and soldiers who belonged to said

town, when they collected 386 pairs of stockings, 227 pairs of shoes,

118 shirts, 78 jackets, 48 pairs of overalls, 208 pairs of mittens, 11

buff caps, 15 pairs of breeches, 9 coats, 22 rifle frocks, 19

handkerchiefs, and £258 17s. 8d. [about $1295], which was forwarded to

the army. Also collected a quantity of pork, cheese, wheat, rye, Indian

corn, sugar, rice, flax, wood, &c., &c., to be distributed to the needy

families of the officers and soldiers. The whole amounted to the sum of

£1400," or about $7000.

March of Militia to Boston.--General Huntington.--The French Officers.--

Benjamin Huntington.

600a large proportion of them well mounted, started for the oppressed

city, under Major John Durkee. The report proved to be false; but the

following year, when the skirmish at Lexington inflamed all Anglo-

America, a large proportion of these same men hastened to Cambridge, and

Durkee and others were in the battle of Bunker Hill. * A company of one

hundred choice men, raised by Durkee in Norwich, marched thither under

Lieutenant Joshua Huntington, and were annexed to Putnam's brigade.

In the spring of 1776, the Continental army that left Boston for New

York after the British evacuation of the former place, passed through

Norwich to embark for New London.

There General Washington met Governor Trumbull by appointment, and both

dined together at the table of Colonel Jedediah Huntington. The dwelling

of that active patriot, pictured in the engraving, is well preserved in

its original character. It is in the present possession of his nieces,

the daughters of Colonel Ebenezer Huntington. Its roof at different

times sheltered several of the foreign officers--La Fayette, Steuben,

Pulaski, the Duke de Lauzun, and the Marquis de Chastellux.

While Lauzun's legion was cantoned at Lebanon, in the winter of 1780--

81, General Huntington invited that nobleman and his officers to a

banquet at his house. The noble and brilliant appearance of these men

when they rode into the town attracted great attention. After the dinner

was over, the whole party went into the yard, now adorned with flowering

shrubs, and gave three loud huzzas for liberty *

Our vehicle is at the door; let us take the reins and depart for

Lebanon.

Before leaving Norwich, we called upon Jonathan G. W. Trumbull, Esq., a

grandson of the patriot governor of that name, who kindly furnished us

with a letter of introduction to the oldest inhabitant" of Lebanon,

Captain Hubbard Dutton. Mr. Trumbull is a lineal descendant, through his

grandmother, of the Reverend John Robinson, the Puritan divine whose

flock were the Pilgrim Fathers. Among other relies, Mr. Trumbull showed

us a

* This was the Colonel Durkee engaged in affairs at Wyoming, and known

as "the bold Bean Hiller", See note, page 345,

** This pleasant mansion is situated in Old Norwich, or "up town," a few

rods eastward of that of Governor Huntington. The original owner,

Jedediah Huntington, was one of five sons of General Jabez Huntington,

who were in the Continental army 'at different times during the war. He

was born at Norwich, August 15, 1745, and graduated at Harvard College

in 1763. The address which he delivered upon that occasion was "the

first English oration ever heard upon the commencement boards" of that

institution. When opposition to British rule began, young Huntington was

aroused, and at once espoused the cause of the colonists. He was an

active Son of Liberty, and was one of the earliest captains of militia

in his native town. He raised a regiment, and with it joined the

Continental army in 1775. In 1777, Congress commissioned him a

brigadier, which office he held until the close of the war. Washington

highly esteemed him, and appointed him collector of the port of New

London in 1789. He resided there until his death, which occurred on the

25th of September, 1818. His first wife was daughter of Governor

Trumbull. She died at Dedham, while her husband was on his way to

Cambridge, in 1775. His second wife was sister to the late Bishop Moore

of Virginia. She died in 1831. Benjamin Huntington, of another family,

was the first mayor of Norwich, and was a representative in the

Continental Congress from 1784 to 1787 inclusive; also during

Washington's administration. His son Benjamin married a daughter of

General Jedediah Huntington, who became the mother of Huntington, our

distinguished artist. He was at one time one of the most eminent of New

York brokers. He died on the 3d of August, 1850, at the age of seventy-

three years.

A precious Heir-loom.--The Road to Lebanon.--Bozrah and Fitchville.--

Situation of Lebanon.--Governor Trumbull

601silver cup, with a richly-wrought handle, and bearing the initials I.

R., which belonged to Mr. Robinson. It is properly preserved as a most

precious heir-loom.

The road to Lebanon passes through a broken but fertile country, every

where thoroughly cultivated where tillage is practicable. We passed

through Old Norwich and over Bean Hill, but, mistaking the Colchester

road for the Lebanon turnpike, found ourselves at Fitchville, in Bozrah,

nearly two miles from our most direct way. * The ride along the high

banks of the winding Yantic, coursing in a deep bed among stately trees,

was ample compensation for the loss of time, and we had no inclination

to chide the road-fork that deceived us.

The gentle hills rise one above another toward Lebanon, until they are

lost in a high, rolling plain, on which the old town is situated. The

land throughout that region has ever been held in the highest estimation

for its fertility; and around Lebanon, the focus of Connecticut

patriotism and vigilance during the Revolution, cluster associations of

the deepest interest. Here was the residence of Governor Trumbull, whose

name and deeds are worthily associated with those of Washington, on the

records of our war for independence.

No man during that contest acted with more

* The origin of this name is a little amusing. A plain man, who lived

where Fitchville now is, was not remarkable for quoting Scripture

correctly. On one occasion, in quoting the passage from Isaiah, "Who is

this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah," &c., he

stated that the Prophet Bozrah said thus and so. He was afterward called

the Prophet, and the place of his residence Bozrah. When the town was

incorporated, that name was given to it.--Barber, 302.

** Jonathan Trumbull was born at Lebanon, Connecticut, on the 10th of

June (O. S.), 1710. He graduated at Harvard in 1727, and commenced the

study of theology with the Reverend Solomon Williams, of Lebanon. The

death of an elder brother, who was engaged in a mercantile business with

his father at Lebanon, caused him to become a merchant instead of a

clergyman. At the age of twenty-three he was elected a member of the

Connecticut Assembly, where his business capacities raised him rapidly

in public estimation. He was elected lieutenant governor of the colony

in 1766, and by virtue of that office became chief justice of the

Superior Court. His first bold step in opposition to Great Britain was

in refusing to take the oath enjoined in 1768, which was an almost

unconditional submission to all the power claimed by Parliament; nor

would he be present when others, more timorous than he, took it. Because

of his firmness he was chosen governor of the colony in 1769, and he has

the proud distinction of being the only colonial governor at the

commencement of the Revolution who espoused the cause of the colonies.

He was considered the whin; leader in New England while the Adamses and

Hancock were legislating in the Continental Congress; and during the

whole contest no man was more implicitly relied upon as a firm,

consistent, and active friend of liberty than Governor Trumbull.

"General Washington relied on him," says Sparks, "as one of his main

pillars of support." In 1783, when peace for the colonies returned,

Governor Trumbull, then seventy-three years old, declined a re-election

to the office of governor, which he had held fourteen consecutive years.

He retired from public life, but did not live long to enjoy the quiet he

so much coveted in the bosom of his family. He was seized with a

malignant fever in August, 1785, and on the 17th of that month died. His

son was afterward Governor of Connecticut, and in 1849 his grandson

filled that responsible office. The Marquis de Chastellux, who came to

America with Rochambeau in 1780, has left behind him a charming, life-

like description of his sojourn here. He thus pleasantly alludes to

Governor Trumbull. "I have already painted Governor Trumbull. At present

you have only to represent to yourself this little old man, in the

antique dress of the first settlers in this colony, approaching a table

surrounded by twenty huzzar officers, and, without either disconcerting

himself or losing any thing of his formal stiffness, pronouncing, in a

loud voice, a long prayer in the form of a benedicite. Let it not be

imagined that he excites the laughter of his auditors; they are too well

trained; you must, on the contrary, figure to yourself twenty Amens,

issuing at once from the midst of forty mustaches, and you will have

some idea of the little scene."--Travels, i., 458.

Character and Services of Governor Trumbull.--His Dwelling and War

Office.--Settlement of Lebanon.--Lauzun.

602energy, or plied his talents and resources with more industry than

he. During the whole war, the responsible duties and services of

governor of the state rested upon him, yet he performed immense labors

in other departments of the field to which he was called,

notwithstanding he was more than threescore years old.

His correspondence was very extensive, and he sat in council no less

than one thousand days during the war. Washington never applied to him

for supplies of any kind without receiving an immediate response. It is

a fact worthy of record that, although Connecticut can not point to any

brilliant battle field within her borders, she furnished for that war

more troops and supplies than any other colony, except Massachusetts. If

the old _war office_ of Governor Trumbull, yet standing at Lebanon, had

a tongue to speak, it might tell of many a scheme elaborated there,

which, in its consummation, may have been the act that turned the scale

of destiny in favor of the Americans. There the illustrious owner

discussed with Washington, Franklin, Rochambeau, and others, the gravest

questions which then occupied the attention of two hemispheres.

Such a spot is like consecrated ground, and the shoes of irreverence

should never press the green-sward around it.

We dined at the upper end of the village, and then proceeded to visit

the relics of the era of the Revolution which remain. I have called

Lebanon an old town. A portion of the tract was pur chased about 1698,

of _Owaneko,_ the son of _Uncas_ There were several tracts purchased by

the whites in the vicinity, all of which were united in the year 1700.

The village is situated principally upon a street thirty rods wide, and

more than a mile in length. Several well-built houses erected before or

about the time of the Revolution yet remain. Among them is that of

Governor Trumbull. It is a substantial frame building, and is now (1849)

owned by Mrs. Eunice Mason, a widow eighty years of age. We were denied

the pleasure of an interview with her on account of her feeble health.

The house is on the west side of the street, near the road running

westward to Colchester. Sixty or seventy rods southwest from the

Trumbull House is the "barrack lot," the place where Lauzun's legion of

cavalry were encamped.2 His corps consisted of about five hundred

horsemen. Rocham-

* This was the building in which Governor Trumbull transacted his public

business. It formerly stood near his dwelling, but is now several rods

northwest of it, on the same side of the Common. For many years it was

occupied as a post-office. This sketch was taken from the open field in

the rear, looking north.

** The Duke de Lauzun was an accomplished, but exceedingly voluptuous

and unprincipled man. His personal beauty, talents, wit, wealth, and

bravery were passports to the friendship of men who abhorred his

profligacy. Why he espoused the cause of the Americans it is not easy to

determine, unless, surfeited with sensual indulgences, he was desirous

of engaging in new excitements, where he might regain the waning vigor

of his body. His conduct here made him very popular. After his return to

Europe he became acquainted with Talleyrand, and accompanied him on a

mission to England in 1792. There one of his familiar associates was the

Prince of Wales, afterward George IV. On the death of his uncle, the

Duke de Biron, Lauzun succeeded to the title. He became involved in the

stormy movements of the French Revolution, and being found guilty of

secretly favoring the Vendeans, was executed on the 31st of December,

1793. Two officers in his regiment in America, named Dillon, brothers,

also suffered death by the guillotine.

The Alden Tavern.--General Prescott horsewhipped there.--The Williams

House.--The Trumbull Vault

603beau was there, with five regiments, for about three weeks, in the

winter of 1780, and while he tarried Washington arrived, stayed a few

days, and reviewed the French troops. A French soldier was shot for

desertion, a few rods north of the "barrack lot."

Nearly opposite the Trumbull mansion is the old tavern kept during the

Revolution by Captain Alden. It is famous generally as a place of

rendezvous of the French officers, for drinking and playing, and more

particularly as the house where General Prescott, the British officer

who was captured on Rhode Island, stopped to dine, while on his way,

under an escort, to Washington's camp, and received a horsewhipping from

the landlord. *

Of the remarkable circumstances of Prescott's capture I shall hereafter

write. Mr. Wattles, the present proprietor of the old tavern, is a

descendant of Captain Alden. While making the annexed sketch we were

joined by Captain Dutton, the venerable citizen to whom we bore a letter

of introduction, but who was absent from home when we arrived in the

village. He has a distinct recollection of all the revolutionary events

about Lebanon and vicinity, and could direct us to every spot made

memorable by those events.

On the corner of the road leading from Lebanon to Windham is the house

once occupied by William Williams, one of the signers of the Declaration

of Independence. It has been slightly modified, but its general

appearance is the same as it was during the Revolution Its present

occupant is Mr. Sim-eon Peckam. A biographical sketch of Mr. Williams

will be found among those of the Signers, in another portion of this

work, and the most prominent events of his life are also noticed in his

epitaph, given on the next page.

We will pass on to the sacred inclosure containing the vault of the

Trumbull family. It is in a cemetery a little eastward of the village,

and near the Windham Road--a cemetery which probably contains the

remains of more distinguished men of the Revolution than any other in

the country. In the Trumbull tomb are the remains of two governors of

Connecticut, the first commissary general of the United States, and a

signer of the Declaration of Independence.

* While at table, Mrs. Alden brought on a dish of succotash (boiled

beans and corn), a dish much valued in America. Prescott, unused to such

food, exclaimed indignantly, "What! do you treat mo with the food of

hogs?" and taking the dish from the table, strewed the contents over the

floor. Captain Alden, being informed of this, soon entered With a

horsewhip, and flogged the general severely. After Prescott was

exchanged and restored to his command on Rhode Island, the inhabitants

of Newport deputed William Rotch, Dr. Tupper, and Timothy Folger to

negotiate some concerns with him in behalf of the town. They were for

some time refused admittance to his presence, but the doctor and Folger

finally entered the room. Prescott stormed with great violence, until

Folger was compelled to withdraw. After the doctor had announced his

business, and Prescott had become calm, the general said, "Was not my

treatment to Folger very uncivil?" "Yes," replied the doctor. '"Then,"

said Prescott, "I will tell you the reason; he looked so much like a d--

d Connecticut man that horsewhipped me, that I could not endure his

presence."--Thatcher's Journal, p. 175.

** The marble monument standing in front of the tomb is in memory of

William Williams, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and bears

the following inscription: "The remains of the Honorable William

Williams are deposited in this tomb. Born April 8th, 1731; died the 2d

of August, 1811, in the 81st year of his age. A man eminent for his

virtues and piety. For more than 50 years he was constantly employed in

public life, and served in many of the most important offices in the

gift of his fellow-citizens. During the whole period of the

Revolutionary war, he was a firm, steady, and ardent friend of his

country, and in the darkest times risked his life and wealth in her

defense. In 1776 and 1777 he was a member of the American Congress, and

as such signed the Declaration of Independence. His public and private

virtues, his piety and benevolence, will long endear his memory to his

surviving friends; above all, he was a sincere Christian, and in his

last moments placed his hope, with an humble confidence, in his

Redeemer. He had the inexpressible satisfaction to look back upon a

long, honorable, and well-spent life." On the pedestal upon the top of

the tomb are the following inscriptions: "Sacred to the memory of

Jonathan Trumbull, Esq., who, unaided by birth or powerful connections,

but blessed with a noble and virtuous mind, arrived to the highest

station in government. His patriotism and firmness during 50 years'

employment in public life, and particularly in the very important part

he acted in the American Revolution, as Governor of Connecticut, the

faithful page of history will record. Full of years and honors, rich in

benevolence, and firm in the faith and hopes of Christianity, he died,

August 9, 1785, Ætates 75." "Sacred to the memory of Madam Faith

Trumbull, * the amiable lady of Governor Trumbull, born at Duxbury,

Mass., A.D. 1718. Happy and beloved in her connubial state, she lived a

virtuous, charitable, and Christian life at Lebanon, in Connecticut, and

died lamented by numerous friends A.D. 1780, aged 62 years." "Sacred to

the memory of Joseph Trumbull, eldest son of Governor Trumbull, and

first commissary general of the United States of America; a service to

whose perpetual cares and fatigues he fell a sacrifice A.D. 1778, aged

42 years. Full soon, indeed! may his person, his virtues, and even his

extensive benevolence be forgotten by his friends and fellow-men. But

blessed be God! for the Hope that in his presence he shall be remembered

forever." "To the memory of Jonathan Trumbull, Esq., ** late Governor of

the State of Connecticut. He was born March 26th, 1740, and died August

7th, 1809, aged 69 years. His remains were deposited with those of his

father."

* Her maiden name was Robinson, and she was a lineal descendant of the

Reverend Mr. Robinson, pastor at Leyden of many of the Pilgrim Fathers.

** Son of the first governor

Return to Norwich.--Destruction of the Yantic Falls.--Birth-place of

Arnold.--Inscription upon the Trumbull Monument.

604The day was waning when I finished my sketches, and bidding Lebanon

and its interesting associations adieu, we returned to Norwich, stopping

for a few minutes at the Sachem's Burial-ground, on the verge of the

city, to delineate the monument of Uncas, printed on page 30.

On the following morning, accompanied by Mr. Williams, and his son in a

light dearborn, I proceeded to visit the many points of historic

interest within and around Norwich. We went to the plain and the upper

town by the road that passes along the margin of the Yantic, to the once

romantic falls near the mouth of that river. The natural beauties of

this cascade were half hidden and defaced long ago by towering

factories; but the chief spoiler was _public improvement_, which, with

pick and powder-blast, hammer and trowel, has digged down the crown of

the waterfall, and bridged it by a rail-way viaduct. A curve of a few

rods might have spared the beautiful Yantic Falls; but what right has

Nature to intrude her charms in the way of the footsteps of Mammon?

I saw at the house of Mr. Trumbull, in Norwich, a fine picture of these

romantic falls, painted by the eminent artist John Trumbull, a son of

the patriot governor, before a layer of brick or the sound of an ax had

desecrated the spot. It was, indeed, a charming scene.

About half way between Norwich, city and the upper town, on the right or

south side of the road, was the birth-place of Benedict Arnold, depicted

in the annexed engraving. The view is from the road, looking southeast.

The house had had some slight additions to its size since Arnold played

in its garden in petticoats and bib, yet its general appearance was the

same as at that time. Several circumstances bord-

Arnold's early Years.--Attempt to commit Murder.--A Ringleader in

Mischief.--His Mother.--Scorching Acrostic.

605ering upon the marvelous, and viewed with a little superstition, gave

the house an unpleasant notoriety, and for many years it was untenanted,

because it was haunted! by what or whom rumor never deigned to reveal.

When I visited it, only two or three rooms were occupied, the others

being empty and locked. The room in which Arnold was born, in the

southwest corner of the second story, was occupied, and the people

seemed to be familiar with the traditions respecting the boyhood of that

distinguished man. Arnold was blessed with a mother (Hannah King, of

Norwich), who was, says her epitaph, "A pattern of patience, piety, and

virtue," but her lessons seem to have been fruitless of good effect upon

the headstrong boy. * He was wayward, disobedient, unscrupulous, and

violent--traits of character which finally worked his ruin. He even

attempted _murder_ while a young man residing at Norwich, by shooting a

youthful Frenchman, who paid court to Arnold's sister, Hannah, by whom

his love was reciprocated. Young Arnold disliked him, and finding

persuasion powerless on the mind of his sister to induce her to break

off her engagement with the foreigner, vowed vengeance upon him if he

ever caught him in the house again. The opportunity occurred, and Arnold

discharged a loaded pistol at him as he escaped from a window,

fortunately without effect. The young man left the place forever, and

Hannah Arnold lived the life of a maiden. Arnold and the Frenchman

afterward met at Honduras They fought a duel, in which the latter was

severely wounded.

When a mere boy, Arnold's courage was remarkable, and among his

playmates he was a perfect despot. A ringleader in every mischievous

sport, he often performed astonishing feats of daring. On a gala-day, he

set a field-piece upright, poured powder into it, and dropped from his

own hand a firebrand into the muzzle. On another occasion, at the head

of a number of boys, he rolled away some valuable casks from a ship-yard

at Chelsea, ** to make a thanksgiving bonfire. An officer, sent by the

owner to recover them, arrested the casks on their way. The stripling

Arnold was enraged, and, taking off his coat upon the spot, dared the

constable, a stout man, to fight him! Such was the boyhood of one of the

most intrepid generals of our Revolution--such was the early type of the

unscrupulous, violent man whose memory is black with the foulest

treason. *** We have met him in preceding

* Miss Caulkins publishes the following letter from Mrs. Arnold to

Benedict, while he was at school in Canterbury. It exhibits the

character of his mother in strong contrast with his own in after life.

*"Norwich, April 12,1754. "Dear Child,--I received yours of the 1st

instant, and was glad to hear that you was well. Pray, my dear, let your

first concern he to make your peace with God, as it is of all concerns

of the greatest importance. Keep a steady watch over your thoughts,

words, and actions. Be dutiful to superiors, obliging to equals, and

affable to inferiors, if any such there be. Always choose that your

companions he your betters, that by their good examples you may learn.

"From your affectionate mother, Hannah Arnold. "P.S.--I have sent you

50s. Use it prudently, as you are accountable to God and your father.

Your father and aunt join with me in love and service to Mr. Cogswell

and lady, and yourself. Your sister is from home."

** Chelsea is the old port of Norwich. The houses cluster chiefly at the

mouth of the Shetucket.

*** Oliver Arnold, a cousin of Benedict, and also a resident of Norwich,

was the reputed author of the following scorching acrostic, written

after the treason of his kinsman. It is bad poetry and worse sentiment.

"Born for a curse to virtue and mankind, Earth's broadest realm ne'er

knew so black a mind. Night's sable veil your crimes can never hide,

Each one so great, 'twould glut historic tide. Defunct, your cursed

memory will live, In all the glare that infamy can give. Curses of ages

will attend your name, Traitors alone will glory in your shame.

"Almighty vengeance sternly waits to roll Rivers of sulphur on your

treacherous soul; Nature looks shuddering back with conscious dread On

such a tarnish'd blot as she has made. Let hell receive you riveted in

chains, Doom'd to the hottest focus of its flames!"

*** The author of the above had a peculiar talent for making extempore

verses. Joel Barlow once met him in a book-store in New Haven, and asked

him for a specimen of his talent. Arnold immediately repeated the

following:

"You've proved yourself a sinful cre'tur.; You've murder'd Watts and

spoil'd the meter, You've tried the Word of God to alter, And for your

pains deserve a halter."

*** To understand the witty sarcasm of these lines, it must be

remembered that Barlow, at that time, was en joying much notoriety by a

publication of a revised and altered edition of Watts's Psalms and

Hymns.

Residence of Governor Huntington.--Unpublished Letter written by

Washington

606pages in his glorious career as a bold patriot; we shall meet him

again presently amid the scenes of his degradation.

Leaving the Arnold House, we rode to the upper town, and halted at the

spacious mansion of Charles Spaulding, Esq., formerly the residence of

Governor Samuel Huntington, who was also a signer of the Declaration of

Independence, and President of Congress. It was considered the finest

dwelling in Norwich when occupied by the governor, and now presents an

excellent specimen of the architecture of that era. Surrounded by shade-

trees and adorned with shrubbery, it is a summer residence to be coveted

by those who love spacious rooms and a quiet location. I saw in the

possession of Mrs. Spaulding an autograph letter of General Washington,

written to Governor Huntington, then President of Congress. It has never

been published, and as its purport is of an interesting public nature, I

give a copy of it here. *

"Sir.,

"I beg leave to introduce to your excellency Colonel Menonville, deputy

adjutant general to the French army. This gentleman, who is charged by

his excellency the Count de Rochambeau with matters respecting a

contract entered into by Dr. Franklin, in behalf of the United States,

for the supply of a quantity of provision, will, through your

excellency, lay his business generally before Congress.

"He will also, agreeably to the wishes of Count Rochambeau, make an

application for some heavy iron cannon for the use of the works at

Newport, which he understands were imported into New Hampshire for the

use of the seventy-four gun ship now upon the stocks. The brass

artillery at present in them are the artillery of siege, and must be

removed should the army remove. If there are such cannon in New

Hampshire, and there is no probability of their being soon wanted for

the purpose for which they were intended, I think a part of them can not

be better applied.

"I recommend Colonel Menonville to your excellency's personal attention

as a gentleman of peculiar merit.

"I have the honor to be, with great respect, your excellency's most

obedient and humble servant, Geo. Washington.

"His Excellency the President of Congress."

In the rear of the Huntington mansion is the cemetery of the first

Congregational society of Norwich. Within it lie the remains of many of

the early inhabitants of the town, and

* The only letter written by Washington at this date, and published in

his "Life and Writings" by Sparks, was addressed to the Count de

Rochambeau, on the subject of an expedition to Penobscot. See Sparks,

viii., 8.

Family Vault of Governor Huntington.--Tomb of General Jabcz Huntington.-

-His five Sons.--The old Burying-ground

607upon the steep southern slope of a hill is the family vault of

Governor Huntington. It is substantially built of brick. On the front,

over the entrance, is an inscribed marble tablet. *