Connecticut Historical Collections

" The Ramilies and Paclohis now hauled up and toolc stations withm two miles of the village; and threatened it with in.^lanl desiriictioii. The magistiates sent a depu- tation on board the Ramilies with a note addressed lo Commodore Hardy, informing him, that the town was now cleared of unoircnding inhahilants, in conseijuence of his note of yesterday, and wishing to kiK)W his determination respecting the fate of the village. The dejuitation, consistingof C'olonel Williainsand Mr. Lord, were detained on board an hour, their own boat sent back ; and at tlie ex|)iration of the time, they were conveyed in a flag from the ship, with a note to the magistrates, stating that the deputation having give assurance that no torpedoes had been fitted out from that port, and having engaged that none should be in future, or receive any aid from the town; that further hostilities should cease, and the village be spared, in case they sent on board his ship, by eight o'clock in ihe morning of the 11th, Mi's. Stewart, a lady then resident at New London, wife of the late British consul at that place, and her family. But in case of failure, he should proceed to destroy the village eli'eeinally ; for which he slated that he possessed ample means. The magistrates and ciii/ens cd' the borough were in a singular stale of embarrassment on receiving this demand; being required to procure and send on board the commodore's ship, a lady over whom they had no control. Mrs. Stewart was under the protection of the government ol the United States; had ever been treated with respect at New London, where she had long resided ; her personal safely was never in the least at hazard ; and her husband'.s application to have his family sent on board the squadron had been leceived by Ihe commanding general and transmitted to the executive, and no duubl would be granted ; but the borough of Stonington had no coacern or authoiity on the subject, and pos- W A T F, U F O K D . 347 sessed no powers to comply with the required coudilion. At ci-bt o olock in the mornins of the Uth, the niniiisi rates;, under the direction ol the commanding general, .sent a lla- oa ponrd the Ramilies with the foregoing representation. The commodore replied that he shouhl wait nniil twelve o'clock, and if the lady was net then sent on board hostilities would recommence. At this period, three regiments ot mi uia had arrived and the town was well secured against a landing. At three o clock, ilie bomt) ship, having taken a station out of the reach of the guns of the battery, commenced throwin" shells into the village and continued until evening. At sunrise on the luh, the boird) ship renewed her operations, while the Ramilies and Pactolus were warp- ing in ; at eight o'clock these ships opened their fire. This iieavy bombardment con- tinued until noon, when the ships ceased firing. At four in the alternoon they hiiuieit ofl to their former anchorage, and the conli^si ended. The vice consul was obliged to resort to other and more appropriate measures to obtain his wile and lamiiy, than Ihat of desolating an unotlendmg village. The slnps taking a station out ot the reach of cannon 'shot from the battery, the citizens \V-ere obliged to witness the scene without the power of resistance. The troops withdrew from the point excepting a guard of fifty men, who were kept to jiatrule the streets and e.vtmguish hies. 1 he cannon from" the ballery were ordered up to tlie north end o( the point, to he in reaui- ne.ss in case of an attempt at landing: this hazardous service was performed by vol- unteers of the Norwich artillery, who instantly oflered themselves, under the com- mand of Lieutenant Lathrop. This party, though exposed the whole time to the ene- jiiy's (ire, accomplished the enterprise without loss. J)uring the whole scene no lives were lost, and but two or three wounded. The houses were several times set oil tire by the rockets and shells, but were soon extinguished by the patiole Many o the buildings were much damaged, and few remain without some marks ot the bom- bardment. The judicious arrangements of General Gushing, and the spirit aiid alac- rity with which the mililia turned out to defend Stonington, and guard the other ex- posed points, prevented those ulterior operalions of the British, which were appre- hended hy that general, and which no douhl were designed as the ultimate object of the expedition. The citizens of Connecticut, when called upon to delend their dwell- ings from conllagraiion, manifested a zeal and bravery worthy of freemen in defense ot their soil. 'J'he reei'ption which the P,rili>h met with at Stonington, deterred lliem from any further ailemjUs on the cuast of Connecticut." ^V A T i: n FOR 1) . Waterfokd was formerly included wiiliin the limits of NewLondon. It was iiicorpor;iitHl as a distinct town in 1801. It is hounded n. by IMontviiie, w. hy Lyme, e. hy New J^ondon and the Thames, and s. by ]^ong Island sound. Its averafre length is 7 miles, and its average breadth about five miles. Its surface is uneven, and the soil a gravelly loam, better adapted to grazing than grain, of which there is little cul- tivated, excepting Indian corn. There are two woolen factories in the town. In the southwestern part of the town is a valuable granite quarry, owned by the Messrs. Gardiner, at which many workmen are employed. There are three houses for public worship in this town, all of which are for the Baptist denomination ; one of which is for the Scveyith Jay Baptists, so called from their observing Saturday, the Jewish sabbath, Instead of the first day. The following is from Backus' history of the Baptists, vol. 1, pub- lished'in Boston in 1777. " A new sect came out Iroin among the Bapiisis about this lime, who have caused not a little trouble to theiiibelves and others, of whum I liave collected the following brief account, chielly from ihe letters preserved by Mr. Samuel Hubbard. In the close of the year 107-1, "the lamily of Mr. James Rogers of New London, called Mr. Ciandal over from Westerlv, who preached among them, and baptized his sons John tmd James, 3'18 WATEUFORD. nncl an Indian named Japliet. Tliis alarmed the other denomination, and Mr. Brad- i^tieet, minister at IN'ew Londun, said lie hoped the next court would talie a course with them. Tliey sent to Newport, and ekler Hickox, Mr. Hubbard, and his bon Clarke, were sent to visit them in Alarch, 1G75, wlien Jonathan Rogers was also baptized, and all lour of them were received as members of their church by prayer and laj-ing on of hands. Hereupon John Rogers' father-in-law, took his wife and children trom him ; and upon her complaints against him, he was carried before their deputy governor, and committed to Hartford gaol, from whence he wrote to Mr. Hubbard, April 6ih, 1705. How long he continued there I do not find, only he visited the churcii at Newport tho next Se|)ti'mber, On September 18th, 107(5, those four members went with a boat and lirought elder Hickox and Mr. Hubbard to New London again, when old Mr. Rogers, liis wife, and daughter, were all baptized and received into thai church ; whereupon they were called before the magistrate, but were soon released ; though from that time Ihey began to imprison the Rogerses for working on the fiqst day of the week. And when Mr. Hickox and Mr. Hubbard visited them again, and held worship with them two miles out of town, on their sabbath, Nov. 23, 1G77, and Joseph Rogers' wife had next morning given them a satislying account of her experiences, John must needs liave them go up to town to baptize her there. Mr. Hubbard opposed it, but John carried the day ; and while Mr. Hickox was preaching at town, the constable came and took him, and they all went before the magistrate ; where also was the minister, Mr. Bradstreet, who had much to say about ihe i^ nod way (heir fathers had set 'up. Upon which Mr. Hubbard, obtaining leave to speak, said, ' you are a young man, but I am an old planter of about forty yeai.s, a beginner of Connecticut, and have been persecuted for my conscience from this colony, and I can a.ssure you, that the old begin- ners were not for persecution, but we had liberty at first.' After further discourse, thu magistrate said couid yuu not do it elsewhere ? ' A good answer,' says Mr. Hubbard ; and so they were released and went to Samuel Rogers' house, where his brother John put himself forward, prayed, and then went out to the water and baptized his sister: upon which Mr. Hickox was seized again, as supposing he had done it, but Joliii camo before the magistrate, and was forward to make known his act therein ; so the others were released and returned home.'' "Jonathan Rogers, liad married Naomi Burdick, granddaughter to Mr. Hubbard, and on March -2, 1678, elder Hickox, baptized her at Westerly, together with James Babciick, George Lamphere, and two others, and on the 5lli of May following, Joseph Clarke wrote Irom thence to his lather Hubbard, that John and James Rogers with their father were in prison ; having previously excommunicated Jonathan, chietly because he did not retain their judgment of the unlawfulness of using medicine, nor accuse himself before authority, for working on the first day of the week." Hereupon the church at Newport sent messengers to New London about this matter, who re- ported on their return thai, " a practice was started up (out of conscience,) that because the world, yea, most professors, pray in their families mornings and nights, and before meats and after, in a customary way, therefore to forbear i)rayer in their families, or at meals publicklv exceut some are led forth uiiou stune special occasion ; saying they llnd no command in the wor.l of God for it.'' " The church lepeatedly sent and labored with them but to no etfect." " From this beginning proceeiled