The Romance of Norwalk

After burying their three dead comrades, the British pro¬ ceeded to Round Hill where they placed a field gun. Noth¬ ing happened. General Garth merely remained in position for about an hour and then marched his men down to West ave. again, through Cedar and Garner sts. Up West avenue the British continued their march through Norwalk until BURNING OF NORWALK 155 they reached the turnpike, now Armory hill. Very shortly they arrived at the home of Deacon Thomas Benedict, to which place they were attracted by the sight of a large tub of wine and another of cider, on the front stoop. On the site of Thomas Benedict’s home, Dr. and Mrs. Frederick J. Morrison, 502 West ave., formerly lived. They still own the property. More and detailed reference will be made to the Deacon’s home later. General Garth had not intended to pause until he reached Norwalk. As a matter of fact, he had been so intent on gaining this point that he had not even paid attention to the random shots of the patriots on the rear flank of his men. However, it was a warm day and Garth and his men felt that they needed a little stimulation, and so invitation, or no invitation, a number generously helped themselves to both the wine and cider which had been set out for the patriots, who had been on guard all night. While the British soldiers were indulging themselves, urged on by Deacon Benedict who felt that if only enough of them became insensibly drunk, a little less harm would be done, the patriots had changed their position from the rear of Garth’s men to the front, slipping around a back road. Very shortly they were crossing a ford which was north of the present bridge in Norwalk, at a double quick pace, and were hurrying to the aid of their comrades who had held their own against Tryon’s forces for hours in the business section of the town. Meantime, much had occurred uptown during the time when the British and the patriots were battling downtown at Trinity church, near Flaxhill. Tryon, after moving his men from Calf Pasture to Fitch’s Point at 3 in the morning, commenced the march to Norwalk. He followed the shore and about 4 reached the downtown road, East avenue. Here he met continental troops and militia both slowly retreating before his mass of men, to Grumman’s hill, East avenue. This hill, which has been al¬ most cut away during the last few months to make way for a new road, was situated in the vicinity of the Sunset Hills real ROMANCE OF NORWALK 156 estate development, on East avenue. Some of the British continued to force the patriots down East avenue into the center of Norwalk; the majority remained with Tryon. When the Sabbath dawn broke, the colonists saw Grum¬ man hill “all red” with British. General Tryon sat on a large chair at a table writing orders, on the summit of the hill, where he could readily view the operations of his men and the carrying out of his orders. With what despair and heavy hearts must the people of Norwalk have gazed at the gathered enemy up on the hill ! How they must have trembled for their homes, built through the sweat and toil of many years, and trembled for their very lives! NORWALK IN FLAMES Promptly at 6 in the morning, Tryon gave the order for the burning of Norwalk. The first home to receive the torch, according to old records, was the “house where John Day now lives,” near the old steamboat wharf in South Norwalk. As the flames spread from house to house, the crackling of the wood, mingled with the roar of the cannon and the fire of muskets in various parts of the town, rudely broke the quiet and peace of that sunny Sabbath morning. At the time that he gave the order for the burning of Norwalk, Tryon, according to his own official record of the catastrophe, said he sent his soldiers through the streets of Norwalk, issuing a proclamation of pardon to inhabitants, with an invitation to return to their allegiance to the King. He also said that he assured protection and safety to all those who offered no resistance to his men. General Tryon in his statement, added that he had placed soldiers in front of numerous of the homes in order to protect the inmates and to prevent the destroying of their houses but that the colonists abused the protection, and insisted on firing on the very soldiers sent to guard them, with the result that he, Tryon, found himself forced to burn the homes in order to save his own men. There does not seem to be any sound BURNING OF NORWALK i57 substantiation for such allegations. The householders, al¬ most without an exception, left the soldiers alone, neither lifting a hand against their enemies, nor speaking a word of rebuke, yet' their homes were razed, their valuables and ancestral relics taken, and in many cases, their persons abused. Only six houses were spared along the line of British march, advance and retreat, four on the east and two on the west side of the harbor, although some 30 homes in all were saved. These were, for the most part, off the main roads over which the soldiers passed. Altogether, 80 dwel¬ ling houses, (though some histories say 132) both churches, Congregational and Episcopal, 87 barns, 22 storehouses, 17 shops, four mills, five vessels, and practically all storages of wheat, hay and grain in the town, were burned to the ground. The enemy destroyed all the salt pans along the coast, towed every available whaleboat out of the harbor, took all the town’s magazines and stores for its own army, and burned every vessel moored in the river or to the docks, before departing for good at 2 on that memorable Sunday afternoon. “battle of the rocks” But before the British were able to accomplish the com¬ plete destruction of Norwalk, they were forced to undergo a very unpleasant time, between the hours of 10 and 12, Sunday morning, July 11, 1779, at the hands of the Nor- walkers, in the “Battle of the Rocks” above France street. During the morning the militia and the continental troops ' headed by Generals Samuel Parsons and Oliver Wolcott had gathered on the hill near “The Rocks” from where they continually fired on the enemy at Grumman’s Hill, East avenue. In order to drive them from their position Tryon sent a large body of troops to The Rocks. The British soldiers, who anticipated very little trouble, were surprised and chagrined at the very warm reception handed them by i the valiant Norwalkers. It is judged that the two forces ROMANCE OF NORWALK 158 came together, even while Norwalk was burning, in France st., at 10 in the morning and that hot fighting continued until high noon. General Parsons, who had been sent to Norwalk by Gen¬ eral George Washington, to take charge of the militia here, had evidently arrived in time to place in position on the hill near The Rocks the battery of six cannon, brought from Salisbury by Thaddeus Betts two years previous. With Gen¬ eral Wolcott, who came to Norwalk to supervise the con¬ tinental troops, he was firmly intrenched on the hill and ready for what might happen. The British, not expecting to be met by any very active resistance were thoroughly surprised to find that most of the manhood of Norwalk had gathered there to defy them. For two long, hot hours the forces battled, with the militia and continental troops of less than 400 patriot soldiers, pitted against more than half Tryon’s 2,500 trained troops. Ardently, vigorously, the Norwalkers fought, with cool and well planned decision, wasting neither shot nor man. Al¬ though, according to Captain Stephen Betts’ statement, Tryon’s men succeeded in gaining mastery of the field, yet the British were ordered to retreat at noon and very shortly they were on their way back to Fitch’s Point. Tryon, in his official report, said that he retired his men in two columns to the place of disembarkation, unassaulted, at 2 in the afternoon. But such does not seem to have been the case, if the word of old inhabitants, passed down through family history, may be taken for aught. What seems to have been nearer the truth, was that the Norwalk¬ ers harassed the British from the time they landed until the time they left, giving them uncomfortable times at Flax- hill, at Pudding Lane (Main street) and at France street, and that when the British retreated, the volunteers, the con¬ tinentals and the town militia clung to Tryon’s rear until he was within sight of the spot where he had landed the previous evening. As far as is known, but two Norwalk men were killed, one BURNING OF NORWALK 159 captured and one wounded in the local Revolutionary battle, while according to a report by General Tryon, 20 British were killed, 9 6 wounded and 32 missing or unaccounted for. It is a significant fact, and at least a little consolation, to know that no sooner had Tryon recrossed the Sound, than he was called before Sir Henry Clinton, British Commander in Chief, and forced to apologize for his conduct in Nor¬ walk, and for his needless destruction of property here. General Tryon also experienced an uncomfortable mo¬ ment at the hands of General Parsons from whom he re¬ ceived a scathing letter after the burning of Norwalk. The letter was in answer to one sent Parsons by Tryon, June 18, 1779 before the attack on this city, in which Tryon said: “Surely it is time for rational Americans to wish for a reunion with the parent state and to adopt such measures as will most speedily effect it.” In his reply under date of September 7, 1779, Parsons said he would have written sooner had he not “entertained some hope of a personal interview with you in your descents upon the defenseless towns of Connecticut to execute your master’s vengeance. . . . But your sudden departure from Norwalk and the particular attention you paid, to your personal safety when at that place, and the prudent resolu¬ tion you took to suffer the town of Stamford to escape the conflagration to which you had devoted Fairfield and Nor¬ walk, prevented my wishes on that head. This, I hope, will sufficiently apologize for my delay in answering your last letter.”