History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

GUKEXWICH IN 1779. " The physical appoamnce of the town has been greatly changed. Tim stately mansions that now adorn the street along which Putnam rode in 1771> were then rcpiX'Sented l»y the <piaint dwellings of that early day, with gable-ends and long, low-slanting roofs. Jiiht beyond the fmit of the precipice now known as Putnam Hill, then stiod the resilience of Gen. Ebcnezcr Mead, who was a prominent member of the c<miniitten nf sitfcty and a soldier in the Connecticut senico. On the summit of llr hill, noith of the old Eidscopal church, was the residence of Jal>ez Fitt )j. The church itself was a plain frame building without walls, with tli rafters showing overhead, and was sj fniil a stnicttirc that it was unaM- to williHtnnd the force of the gale by which it was destroyed in liSJl The rear of the building stood a few feet from the brow of the hill. Tb- main countn' n>ad, as it was then called, led thnmgh the village to i point near the e Igoof theprecli>Ice, and then n»n northerly for some thr- • hundred feet. At the latter i>oiot It turned shandy to the 8«mth, an>l. hugging the side of the hill heiieatli the rocks that frowned alnjve it, <h Bcended witli a steep inclination to a point alwut eighty feet st»utli of tli. Iiresent causeway. Then, bending again to the east, it trende<l off in tli' direction <..f Stamford. Northerly and westerly of the chundi,acn'*w tli. point where the passage-woy has since been blasted through the n>clis, tlio ground was level and unbroken. South of the church edifice wa» tli. graveyanl, in which to-day are seen a few lonely and di-sorle.l ndics r the i»ist. Fri-m the rear uf the church, across land now owned by H* v B. 21. Yarringtun. a fence mn easterly down the hill along the southci)> margin of the old road. IJetwoen the carriage-path and the fence ronyh aiul untrimmed st-mes had been pl.iced from time tu time, forming iin irregular stairway up the hill. The face of tlie precipice was ctiver- 1 with a growth of bus'ies. Westerly from the sununit of the hill, an: opiRisiie the prcjont rectory of the KpiM:jpal church, was the old laven. kejit at that time by Israel Knapp. The origimtt building I* still in . \ istence, and is owne<l by J. Frederick HidnuH, the st^mo wing bavin,' lK.en conslructe 1 since the |H*ri.Ml of which I now tt|>cak. Still fartb- r tuwanis the village stood an ^Id house on the nuithweat corner of tb- present homestead of A. Foster Iltggins, and on the lot now occufled !■> the Gieenwich Academy was the residence of Moses Ilusteil. At thi- houso the AnietKan guanls were frequently quartered. Just easterly of the chunh in which wo are imw aieenibled stood the house of Djiidel Smith, which was burned by Trjon, and on the lot acrofs the t-t l>oeitetheold Town Hall, had l)oen erect e«l another b'inldiDg, the i of Jared Mead. His residence f^tooil near the present homestead oi r..^.- erlck Mead. Angell Hu-^ted (idj owned a house on the land now m-cu- liieil by the Congregathmal cemetery. Uetween that buibling and thiJ churrh edifice the house of woivhlp of the Second Cungregnii -nalS-Miety —in dimensions thirty-flve by flRy feet— hiul been sUinding since 1730. Cnpt. John Hobby kept n public-honso on the projicrty now uwned by Prvf. William G. Peck. Clemence Hubby lived on the pite of the Green- wich Savings Diuik. Amdher house was situated on the ground now occupied by the Lenox lloU(«e, and from that pidnt to RtK-ky Neck, on the Sound, there was not a building in existence. Opposite the l.-iin House was a buibling, then kept as a tavern, which Is still Mandh-.: md i-j occupied by John H. Snifi'en. Ou llie prtqieily of Ja«-obT. We.-i -I --d another dwelling, and near the residence of Copt. J. G. Meatl was a dwelling-house that Itos been dwlr\»yed within the past fifteen yeore. On the bniw of (he hill, on the gmund now occupied by the honn-'iead uf Col. Tliumos A. Meud,stoodanother house, then owned by tVd. Kiibnrd Mead. In place of the magnificent n>w of trees that now line Puiiinm Avennethoroslood thn'eballw.ifxl ton's, two of which still n-nuiin. One uf them Is ou iho gnmnd of Col. Thomas A. 3lead, the other f<tand- in fn»nt i>f the n-ideiice of the late Peter Acker, and the Ihinl nb""! near the dlviiliiig-!lne Utween the gmund0 of Lather P. llul'l>Ard and Prvf. William G. Peck." PUTNAM'S RIDE. " The "iCth doy of Febniary, 1779, Is memoniblc In the annals of Green- wich. GubhNi by tlie records and tnidltions thot exist, by the statements of eyo-wltue?w)« that have been hande*! down fnmi generation h> gen- eration, wc are able to put forth our hands into the shadowit uf the |««t uud rc»cuo fivm oblivion the true story of the Incident* of tliat day that Res/denceof HAN ford U% 4, 1.1 1 I f , '=»5^g?^^S^ >--t'-?5'T-V*^-;B5?5«i-' ^ '^ni d„- ** ' ■''■vo^6t>.^^<;ija- ^^^^SgfesSfe; %«!SL^ ■g«ai.>>- iWOOD, Greenwich Fairfield Co. Conn. « GKPJEXWICH. 381 stir til.- Mnn.I at the \-:uf inital. As to a (v\\ miii.>r 'I<-tails ..f rntiiain s ■.'xploit tlirl't- inay l>c ruoiu t\<v ilisiniti', Imt tlit: iJi;iiii fart is In-yuml qiu-s- liun. Tlif momiiig lu-uUo cuM ami firLMiy. A fevlin;: "f llIlt•a^iIlL■^s and ^ iinriTlaiii appri'lu-iisi.iu Iiatl gaim-il a plai'o in llie c miiiuiiiity. Unwn t..uanl.> \\,<- Uriti^li lines tlu'i ... w;i.^ a iiio\. m.-nt anMii- tlio s.il-ii -ry. Ont el" that ic-i,.ji i.f sih-urr ami il.-solaliMii Ihar iiit.-i-v<-ti.-.I caiiii- the simul uf iiuuvhiii^ hattaliuns ami thi^ rhitti-r of Miuailioiis uf hursi'iiicn. Thi'ir [luriKi.vc ami ih-sliiiali.m \\ci<- iiiikii >\v;i, hut t- thi- in- .ph' i.f Grcfiiwith, ai'cti-.(niiii'il tn atai lu. thi-s;- si^iis wcu- oiiiiri.nis nf (laii;.nT. ThLM.lIiiial ic<nnKshnw that ..n tiu- evening' nf K.-h. *j:.. n7;i, a niaraiid- iiig L'XpL-Jitioii still tfd fmm Kinj;"s Ilriilj;*', (■fimiiiauih-il liy 3!:ij--(icii. Tryoii, the Tury Cuivcnii'i- uf Nt!W York. His r.irn- mnsistL-.! uf ah.mt fiflL-c'U hvinih'L'd nion, LOinposi-d of Crili^ili an<i Ihs^ian tiuups ami two j n--iin.-nt. Mf Ti.iies. At New Ko.-ln-lh- lli.-y wvyv met hy a small hnrly j .if (^i.iiliiu-utal ski rill ishcrs. i-oinmati'h'd hy ('apt. Titus WalM.n, \\h,. had hft'U Sfiit forward tu rt'L-ijiniuitrc, This coinpany at unci' ictn-atc-d. Iiut near Miltuii, in th« town <>f Ky»-, w.is ..vtitaUfii and athickcd. Th.dr force hecaiiu' rlivided; a mimhi-r uf tlinii wtie kille 1 A put ion of thi' eoinpaiiy eoliceali'd thcnisdvcs in the swamps, and tin- nuiaind-M made their escape alung tlte liighway to the Byram l!ivi': . whirh thi.v n-a' lied in time Ui destroy the hriilfje hefv)re they \v<-ie ov.-rtaken hy their luii- suers. liVLM- tlie hills at full f^allop rude t'apt. Watsnu aii<l his naii- pain'oriji, to ^ive warning t,i the few truops then in (Jn-i-iiwi h. (_\d. Holdriilge, of Hartfonl Counly. was in onimaml uf the uutp.ir*t. TJen. Putnam had arrived btit a few days previou;^, Ui ohtain irdormaiiun jls lo i the mililaiy situation, and was then in the villai;.*. At this point neeurs the Jirst dis-repancy in the traditions of that day. hnt the pieYailinj; cnrreiit of authority seems to indi.ate that his quarters at that lime were at the pnl)li.-housu kept hy Israel Knapp, wliich was kiioun in lati-r , years as the Tiacy jdace. The enemy reailied (irei-nwjih at ahtnit nine i o'clock on the morning' uf tli«' iiiitli. Tlie small body ut Aiueri.aiis were j Iiosted across the roail on tlu- eminenei- soiilli uf Ilu' t\iii;;ri'i;alional cliureh. They ha 1 two small cannon, ^^i^llo^lt Imim's ur dray;-ropi'S. A portion of them were ch-pluyel as skirmish<'rs on eitln-r Hank, h-avinj; hut ahunt sixty nn-n t* hohl this pi>siti.>n. A e uih-st h.r.- wnnl 1 have heeii madness They had no cavalry ; tin- enrmy uutnunihei ed them ten to oni'. The j;uns were lire 1 npon the a Ivan* in;; i oluiuu, and lien the order was ;;iven fur retreat. "Ill Ihi' van of Tryon's forces mdu Prlain-i-y's corps, comp'.'s.'d uf Tories from Westchester Coiinly. who had (■nrulh-il thcms.lvi-s heneatli the royal lianners and were the most hitter and malignant enemies of the patiiots. At the apjiroach of this Ix.dy, i Iiar-in- at a gallop, the few Continentals witlidrew from tlie field, and Pntnain started on his luu^e j fur Stamford to obtain leinforcemeiits. Along the fro/.en highway ring i the 8teel-shod hoofs of tlio ('ontinciital charger; thundering on in swift | pursuit lide tlic eneniy'.-i ilragoons. The une.\iieeted jei.'.e is alniuht within their grji^p. Kvery nerve i-t stiained to its ntinust Irnsi-ui. The rowels aie driven dei-p intu tin- Hanks of their ste<-ds Their st.Md fl;i.slies ' in the sunlight, their soahhards clank loudly in tlie frosty air. Kach man, amhitions of the glory of heing the (-afitor of so distinguished an officer in the rebel serviee, h^ans hirwaid in his saddle, a.s though to i lessen the distance het«een liinis<df and t)ie living lioi^enian. Nearer and nearer tu the old heru (vmie the piirsuris. Only a inonient more, and the uiad eluise will he ended and the American general will lie a prisoner in the hands uf his enemie.s. lint hy this lime the hrow at' the hill is reached, and the hold lider— to whom fear is unknown, who ia Ills lifelime has bearded the \\ild beasts of the forest in Iheir den, wlio in tlie line of duty hiis faced grim death a liiindrc-d tiims w ith umpiailing eye — spurs hiH horse riglit onward ju;ro8.s tlie pieLipict'.aiei amid a vull. y of bullets from his haflled pursuers lakes his h-ap into hist"iy,