Connecticut Historical Collections

With bridles, saddles, pillimis on, In a few niimites all was dene. The men which hrm-e liny took awriy, Upon this sacred awliil day VVas forty-ei^'lit, hesides two more When to the shore they were coiiv.'y'd. obey, Oil board the shi| iiiia the y were sent, lint iireatly feared iIk s;id ■vent, ^s well they miijl I, 111 e they knew, Their captors wi'i elll ;de' il's crew. They hoisted sail, llie SOUl d they cross'd, And near Lloyd's ■Nee i th V ancliored llrs liis name, Then every man ims tell A list they took ai d k 'pt t le same. Now twenty four if 11 ty men, Were ordered home u ^ain The tvveiity-si.x \v lo s ay'd behind, Most cruelly they wer ilhiM, Oil board the hri^' Uri 1' III' lered iinick And were conllne 1 l,r ,1.(11 1 llie deck ;' A nasty hole wit! lilli bl■^ iiiear'd, Itiit 'twas no niori tha 1 \\ lal tliey fenr'd. Itnl to return whenei: I left oil', 'I'hey at nur misery make a siulP, I.ike raving devils l. in; about, jSwearinn Un-y'd Iraroiir vilal.s m; N.i'r let a cursed rebel live; I lint Would their joints in pieces cut, I Then round the deck like devils strut. Oh, human nature, how deprav'd ! I I 'ail any mortal e're be sav'd ) fio \old of good, and lull of evil. And wholly bent to serve the dovil. .Inly I he bmraiid twentieth day, We all were sent to Oysler-)lay. We to the ferry came at Inst, Vu-wM by spectators as we past : TLcna/.iii^' rablile, Tory Ihroiig, As Ibid' the streeUi we past aloiij,', 'I'ln ihiaisand curses round iis rung; Ibil Slime would laush and smiie would s And .some would grm, and some would li A niiMd mob, amedlfv crew, I niiess ase'erthedivii knew. To llie (irovost we were tluli hal'd, Tbongli we of war were pri.-,oners eall'd ; Our Irniis now were ordered otl'. Till slanders by would swear and scoll". Hut O what company we found; With great suriirise wi' luok'd around I I must ciinclude that in this place. We loniid the worst of .^daui's race; Thieves, murderers, and |iii-liiinckets loi And every lliiiig that's bad Ibiv'd do: One of our men found to his cnst, Three (louiids York money he had lost; Mis pockets pick'd, 1 guess bidore We had been there one single hour. Full eighteen days or sometliing more, We fairly were I'.xchaliu'd beluri', or the ixchamze tliev b'l us know, Or In.iii that pkice of bonda-e go, Hut IIIKl GREENWICH. The setllemeut of Giecnuicli wiis begun, after it liad been pur- cbasctl of the Indians, in KMO, under ibo Dutch government at INew York, then New Amsterdam. In 1065, it was incorporated by Gov. Stuyvesant. It was, however, originally purchased for the colony of New Haven, by Robert Feaks and Daniel Patrick. But the purcha- sers violated their engagements to tluit colony, and together with the few inhabitants, placed themselves under the government of New Am- sterdam. The settlement went on heavily, until the people returned to the jurisdiction of Connecticut, then including the colony of New Haven. The Indians were hostile to the Dutch, and were not very favorably inclined towards the inhabitants. " The war between the Dutch and Indians continuing," says Dr. Trumbull, " a great and gen- eral battle was fought between them, in that part of Horse neck com- monly known by the name of Strickland's plain. The action was long and severe, both parlies fighting with much obstinacy. The Dutcii with much dilliculty kept the field, and the Indians withdrew. Great numbers were slain on both sides, and the graves of the dead, for a century or more, appeared like a number of small hills." This battle took place in 16 16. 390 G n F. r, n w i c ti . Grceinvicli Is bounded on the nortli and west by the county of West- chester in the sl:ite of i\e\v York, on the east by Stamford, and on the south by Long Ishmd sonnd. Its average length is 8^ miles, and its breadth nearly six. The town is divided into three parishes, AVest OreiMuvich on the west, Greenwich on the east, and Stanwich, a part of which is taken I'roni Stamford, on the north. West Greenwich is often called Ilorsc neck, fiom a peninsula on the sound, formerly used as a pasture for horses. This parish is the largest, richest, and most popu- lous pari of the town. The township is hilly, and broken, and ledgy, ir) many places. After passing Uyram river, the boundary between Conneclicut and New York, the road passes thiough a tract of country unusually wild and savage in its asiiect, large masses of rocks being scat- tered about in great disorder. But the grounds at a short distance, both above and below the road, are smoother, and the soil is of the best (|ual- ity, and (ilted for every production of the climate. There are several small sti'eams which discharge their waters into the Sound on the south- ern border of the town, of which I^yram river and IMiannus creek are the larsiest. Tliere are also several landing ))laces. Sairpitts landing is on the New York side of Byram river, where tlie steamboats stop to land and r(>ceive passengers. Putnam's Hill is situated in West Greenwich, about five miles west from Staudord, on the main road to New Y^ork. This place is celebrated for the daring ex|)loit of Gen. Putnam, who descentled this precipice when pursued by the British dragoons. The place is considerably al- tered in its appearance since the Revolutionary war, by a road being blasted through the rocks at the summit of the bill, and continued by a causeway to the valley below. A small lOpiscopal church formerly stood on the brow of the hill, a few feet south of where the road is now cut through ; and the road ])assed north by the house* seen in the en- graving, and after proceeding to a considerable distance, bent again with a sharp angle to the south. The members of the congregation who lived [)L'low the hill, in order to save the tedious circuit of going round in the road, when walking to the church, placed stepping stones, in number about seventy, at suitable distances, so that loot passengers could ascend the precipice, directly up to the church. On the lelt of the [)rint is seen a range of small trees, extending bom the bottom to the top of the bill ; these trees now occupy the place where the s.teps or stairs were situated, few or no traces of which now remain. On the approach of Gov. Tryon to this place, with a force of about fifteen hundred men, (ien. Putnam planted two iron field pieces by the meeting bouse, without horses or drag ropes. Having fired his cannon several times, Putnam perceiving the dragoons, (supported Ijy the in- fantry,) about to charge, ordered his men, about one hundred and fifty in number, to provide for their safety, and secured his own by plunging down the precipice at full trot. The dragoons, who were but a sword's length from him, stopped short; for the declivity was so abrupt that ♦ This luitise was siiindiiifr duriiifj the RevuliUioiiary w.ir, aucl is now occupied by oneol'the physicians of ihc place. Tlie r."oni,negauonal churcii is about 80 rods west. A uiisv Episcopal churcli h;is been recently erected, which is still nearer. 0 n K r. N w I c n . 331 ^^t sill t ' fir' ■'^1 M • ai&.2i<&i:^. Son(hcu6(eni viciu of Vatnuiii^s JIt/l, G ixuuncli. ihoy diircfl not lolhjw, and Ijclbie tliey could i,';iiii llie \ alley, 1j}' ^:oin^ round the brow of the Iiill in llie ordinary way, lie was far beyond ilieii- reach. One shot, however, of the many fired at bin), went throui^h iiis hat as he was jiassing down the hill. It has been g(Mierall}' slated, that Putnam rode directly down tlie steps ; but ihose who saw hinj pass down the hill, say that he look a zi|;7.ag course, connnencinj^ at the barn seen in the ciiLjravini,', north ofilie lionse, and continninfi, south till he luached the steps, the lower ones of which he mi^ht have descended. This course woidd be snlliciently hazardous, and it is believed but very few men could be found who would dare make the attempt. The followin^r is Gen. Putnian's official account of the skirmish at Horse Week. Camp at. ULudluii, M„ick 2r/, 1779. X " A ileiachiiK-iii from the enemy at K'lnij's brid^e, consisliiig ol'llu; 17lli, -l-ltli, and r)7lli i'.riiisli re'/iinciiis, one ul' tlu' IJl■^^iu^s, and two ol' new levies, inarched I'loni lliL'ir lines lor llor.se neelc on llie eveniiijr ul' ilie 25tli nk., with nn intention of i>n\- IM'isinf;- llie troops at that place, and desiruyin^' the salt works. " A captain ami thirty men were sent lioni our advanced lines from Horse neelc, who discovered the enemy at New Rochelle, in advance. They retired hclore them undiscovered, as far as Rye neck, where it growing light, the enemy observed and at- tacked them. They defended themselves as well as possible, and made theii- wa}' good to Sawpitts, where they took advantage of a commanding piece of gioumi timl made some liUle stand, hut the superior force of the enemy obliged them to retiie over lly- ram bridge, which they took up, and by that means hail an oppoilunity of leaching Horse neck in safety. ■• As I was there myself to see the situation of the guards, 1 liad the iioops I'ormed on a hill by the nieeiing house, ready to receive the enemy as tlu-y advanced. They .382 G n E E N w I c II . came on briskly, and I soon (liscovcreil tliat their design was to turn our flanks and possess themselves of a tlelile in our rear, whicli would etTectiially prevent our retreat. I therefore ordered pailies out on both flanks, with directions to give me inft)rmalion of their approach, that we might lelire in season. In the mean lime a column ad- vanced up the main road, where the remainder of the troops (amounting only to about sixty,) were posted. We discharged some old field pieces which were there, a few times, and gave them a small fire of musketry, but without any considerable efl'ect; the superior force of the enemy soon obliged our small detachment to abandon the place.