History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

At one time during the war the nearest American ' ns JIamaroneek, and then, taking the road, could outpost to New York in this quarter was at Byram, ' track the cattle by the blood wliicdi had trickled from and the enemy being bent upon a depredatory expe- the wounds of the I)ayoncts wdiieh had fori'cd them dition to North Stamford and Long liidge, came sud- along. At Mount Vernon they retook tlic cattle, and denly in the night and cut every one of the guard to w'ere returning when they found they were imrsued pieces. This wdiole expedition seems to have been ! by a body of the enemy under a lieutenant. Their marked by bloody and liorrible deeds, and it Is hm'ses were tircil by their swift ride, and they soon said that Tarleton himself eommanded the force, knew that their only safely was in separation, and in The whole populace around collected and followed that ease, even, one must lie inevitalily taken. Ae- the enemy, to attack ami worry them on their re- eordingly they left the cattle and plunged se])arately treat. An ambuscade was formed at a defile in in dilfereiit direeiions. Tlie enemy selected J{ichard Round Hill, near the residence of Roswell Jlills, Mead, pursued, and took him ju-isoner. This was E.sq., wdiere the road passes through steep rocks about the middle of .lanuary, 17S0. Ih' was taken to overgrown with thick laurel. At other jilaees on New York and thrown into the fimous Sugar-House, their return the British and Tories were soridy pressed, ; wdiere he remained for a period of six weeks until but here a deadly fire poured in upon them, kill- exchanged. ing and wounding great uund)ers. On that ilay in These three men were lu'ld in high e-tiiiiation by the retreat one of their regiments lost their stand- the jiciple. Their known patriotism and courage, ard, to their great mortifieation and disgrace. which coubl ever be relic 1 on, caused t!:e other citi- zens, hmg alter the I{ev<dutionary war, lo remember ANDREW MEAD, IIU.MPIIRKY DENTOX, AND RICH- their acts with the greatest gratitude. AILD MEAD. We append the fidlowing concerning the brave These men — more, perhaj>s, than any others — de- ami redoubtable old Continental chieftain I'utnam, serve the highest i)raisc for their brave and daring being an address didivered liy ('ol. H. \V. K. Iloyt at acts. It was not so much their ju'ovince to counsel the ("entennial commemoration of the ride of (Jen. and advise as to act. "Old men for counsel and rutn.im at (ireenwieh. Feb. 2ii, 17711. The address young men for action." Such men as Dr. Amos , was delivered Feb. 2.;, l.S7il : Mead, John Mackay, and Abraham Mead were of frvan^ t.^.«..;,.. 4- ti • t 1 "i .. 1 T-i " t " Ji tiiiift giavi'ViH"! Ui tlie town uf Drojl^lvii, in this State, Isniel great service to the inhabitants as counselors. 1 bev i „ . , , , , r i- i i •■■, i . i ,■ • ' rntiiani Iijis lung rested fivni Iih laliois. Ihrinijrli stiinii jiinl sunshiiiu were all past the meridian of life, and one of them, ' to,- nearly ninety years t:ie v.i.rn anil weaiiml loily ol llie old hero has 3S0 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. slept in iti) wo1l>c[iriicd rcpoflo. Almost ii century, flilod with hLttoric ilc«l8 and luilHitiit witl) t)io annals nf ^rrent ovcntD, line gone liy since lit' Wild i^illiured to liM futhcra, Itiit Ins fame liiu) nut bcvu lessened, and t)io Imlt) that stirruundtt ]\i^ namu has ht'coniu hrightor Mith the Iil|)Hl> of time. To-tlay tht» Stiite of his a'topti.m, thixmch hvr hi't;i'*hitnre.' and voluntary orpanizaliuiis. and ailjoiniitf; Statcw, Ihiungh tlipir rc|iresuntA- | lives, have rint'n up to do honor to hi.i ini'niory. Ills fiery cunrago, his gcncmnx qualities, his patriotic zt-al, and his iniporlaiit sorviccs have iiiado him a nio»t prominent flgnro animig tin; hcrvtes of thonu days in which, amiil the thnnilor of cannon and tliu trend of contending annies, the foundations of a great nation were estahUi^heil. His nature and education had well lUted him fur leadership in that time of Inrmuil and achit-vement. Ilia experience in the I'leneh and Indian waiT, and the estimation in which he was held hy the autlioiities, had given him a liigh |iosition in the military fttrces of tlie State; and when, at Cam- hridge, in 177.'», WaHfiinglon iu*snn»ed connnand of the Itevululiunnry army, biinging with him the conimissiiinf o\' the four nuyor-genenils imued hy the Conlinenlnl Congre*», Putnam's alone was delivered, iu conseqnoncc of a want of confidence In those upon whom the others wore to have he»Mi conferred. The incidents of his whole lif« are tingtnl with mniancc. Ho wiut funiitiar wixU peiil fiom his early youth, and, I had ho live^l in the days of my'h'dogy, the |KipuIar fancy would have invested liini witti all the attrihrtes and endowments which were be- tfloweil upon the ancient ilivinities. "The exjduit uf Gen. rutnam which wc noM ciuumemoratc occurred at a period of deep j:li>om and depression in the course of the struggle for inde|«;ndence. The spiiit of the colonistti was nnconqueraldi*, the rtres of their patriotism were unqnencheil, but their government was a rope of sjind. There seemed to he no [wwer in the Continental Congress to enforce its recomniendali^ns and resfdulions or to i>n.>vidG for the (supplies and payment of the troopH. The value of the Continental issues ha»l leeome greatly <lepre*iuti*<l. The luaiww of the people were enduring hardship and privation «itli imtience and resohitijn. Occa- sional discontent manifested it«self and uintteriugs were hearil among the s<ddior>', lu:l their faith was nnfalteiing, their determination un- llinching, and, although without ]iay and partially without fumi, they renniined steadf:ist to the got-d eautte. "The huadt|uaitont of the nrniy for that winter wore at Middlebrook, on the Itatilan Kivor, in New Jersey. The luttte-line extended from tliA Delaware northerly along the Highlands to ^Ve^t IVdnt, and then, turning eu.-<twanl. followed the Connecticut shore as far as Stonington. In the fall campaign Savannah luitl been captured l-y the enemy, and ihe province of Georgia wa^ under the duntiniun of the Ihitlsti. Above the island v>f New York and a portion of L<nig I^iland lloatc*<I the banner uf St. George, and foreign sentinels paced their heats from the Hudson to the Ku^t Iliver; the Ihitish genuial Pigot commanded to Rhode Island; liut, with therto exceptions, the Atlantic coiu^t w:ui iu the pos- Hessiuu of the patriots. Sir Heur)* Clinton held t-upreme commaml of ' the Drltinh foree-^, and from hli hcailquaiters iu New York City caused frequent predatory excni>ious to be made up the fettile valley of the Itroiix, along the range of hills that forms the backbone of Westchester ' County, and from point to i>oint ulung the shores of Lung Island and | Cimneeticut. ] '* In 17T», Gen. Putnam had been relieveil from dnty in the IHghlands, and was allorvvaids asoigned to the ciimnuuid'uf the forces in Connecti- cut. He had the two brigades of Iho Connecticut line, one biigadeof New IIami«liire tn>o|M, C^il. Haxen's regiment of infantry, and one of the four rogimeiiU of cavalry rontmamle^l by Col. Shelden. His head- > i|uurten« were at Keadiit;:, \i\ tbi» county, alKiut six niihti iMJUtherly from Danbuiy. Fn'n» this iKiiul he (-upervi?c 1 Ihe military opernliouh in this Statu and nndntained conneotl'Ui with the (Vmlinenlal f«in.*es on the Huilson. Detachments were stationed at advantageous phices.ono of his most impoitant outiNWis Indng located in this vicinity. The tenitory from Kingsbridge to Greenwich won knuM n lu* t!iu deWtablo ground, and for the iteople witliin its liudt» there m ai^ n-tthing but anxiety and danger. Living along the I order of the disputed territory, the iHH>)de of Oitien- \ wich were in a nnwl dcplornble condition. Many of her sons were in the military service (tf thn»o who wore at home a large pro|>ortioii were o|H.'n avowed loyalists, and a third chtsit, w ho wei e living under the prtileeiion of Hrillsh iH>rmitii, secretly gave iufornniti m nud ftirnirthed BuppUe* to the enemy. It wasn winter of unusual severity. With but few '< oxccptlonsi, the jHstide wore weighe<l <lown by |KtTorty. Cold and hunger ' were their dally com|Ninions, ond the motit ligld economy was soirrely Millh-ient to cupply tlo-m V^tf* the Hcaniieot means for Mip]N)rtlng life. The deprtH-latiun of tlie Cmtinental curren<'y, the S4>vere taxation that hod bc4<n rraortod to to enable the Slate to |tiiy the proiM»rtiou of the 1 ullic debt and the expcDseit of tiic geuoial government tluit bod been Qfleigncd to her, and the nncertnlo tenure of life and property, had d> - Btroyed all enterprise and rendered business nndortakings impus.'tibl'- Men moved abuut iu fear and trepidation. Their Idding-plaees were i i the tiebls and woods. "No om- knew thi; nv>ment when a bulb-t ftvm concealed enemy nilglit t-triUe him down. Families were divi.Ied airai' ■ each other ; social ties were disrupted ; old friuudaoDd neighbors rcgunli I each other with hatred and distrust."