History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

"This harbor has already been the place for Newtown, so famous fur Tories, to resort to in all their trade and traffic, and it is now tlie capital place of re-^ort for all our Tory enemies to go out. We have great reason to believe that great numbers more are now watchingaconvenientupportu- nity to get out and go off with MaJ. French, who is lurking about not far off we have reason to believe : aud tluue are sliii>s every day hovering about, and at night oftentimes comes to within a few miles of this harbor; and we have reason to believe that as soon as the weatlier moderates, those Tories, with the aid of our otlier enemies, will return again into this harbor and destroy the lives aud property of the friends of our own gov- ernment. "We are therefore humbly of opiinon that the safety of the peojile requires that there sliould be a guard of twenty-five men constantly stationed at this harbor, with two small cannon, mounted on traveling carriages, to protect the peoplo and batbor; and earnestly entreat that your Honor and Council (or Assembly if sitting), will be pleased to give orders for it, " For the pai'ticular state of facts wo beg leave to I'efer your Honor to the bearers, Messrs David and Aaron Ilawly, Abraham Hubbell, and William W«)rden, who live at and near the harbor. "We humbly pray your Honor's attc-ntion to tliese matters, for they are important; and we as in duty bound shall ever pray. " Dated in Stratford this I4th day of January, a.d. 1777. Jabez Reach, Andrew Heardaley, Squire Beardsley, ■^Thaddeus Bennett, Jr., Samuel Cable, Elnathan Edwards, Ebenezor Gregt)ry, John Hall, Elijah Hawley, Ejihraim Hawley, Ephraim HawU-y, Jr., E/.ra Hawley, Samuel Hawley, Thonuw Hawley, William Hawley, Abel Lewis, Cilbert McKenzie, John Odell, Samuel Odell, Zechariah Sanford, Nathan Seeley, Abijah Sherman, David Sherman, Ebenezor Sherman, Elnathan Sherman, Klnathan Somers, Jabez Somers, Lewis Sturgis, Stephen Starliu, Wolcot Hawley, Henjiiinin ilnbhell, Gideon Hubbell, Hezekiah Hubbell, John Hubbelt, Rielutrd Hubbell, Jr., Walter Hubbell, William Hubbell, N. Peet JacUsnn, James Knapp, Josepli Knapp, Benjamin Lacey, Josiali Lacey, Joseph Strong, David Treadwell. Zechariah Treadwell, Josiah Treadwell. Lemuel Treadwell, Jr., Abel \\aUeIey, David Wakeley. . Siuunel W'akeley,\ J..de.Iiah Wells, Benjamin Wheeler, Timothy Wheeler, Ezra Wiuton, Samuel W^ordin, William Wordiu." The prayer of the petitioners was granted, and tli*- command of the guard was givrii to Lieut. .Viiron Hawlev, of Ni-wtield. An order was also givt-n him on thr ioundry at Salisbury for two small cannon, fifty ronnd-shot, aud a hundredweight of grap<'-shot. The coni]iany was stationed in Stephen Burroughs' store, a small wooden building, upon the only wharf at that time in the place, near what is now the fttot of State Street. Several sentinels were |>osted upon this wharf, with orders not to permit any boat to pass (.ut of the harltor if unprovifU'd with m proper elraraiiec If the boat did not stop when ehalleiiged, it was to \h' tired upon. In May, 1778, Amos Hubbell and other residents of Newfield petitioned the Legislature to have tins guard dismi.ssed, claiming that it was stationed in a place p<iorly calculated to discover the apj>roach or to resist an attack of the enemy, and that great uneasiness iiad l)een caused, in consequence, among the peoi)h' i)f the place. It was therefore requested that this company might be disbanded, and a small guard poste<l upon the shore of the Sound near the boundary-line between Stratford and Fairfiehl. This request was granted, auil Lieut. Hawley ordered to dismiss his men and turn over the public i)roi)crty in his charge to the colonel of tiie Fourth Regiment of State troops, who was directed to detail twelve s(ddiers and station them on the site of the present Seaside Park. ProbaI)ly this arrangement failed to inspire complete satisfMrlioji. for the old guard was afterwards revived, under connnand of Lieut. William Hall, and again took up its (piarterson Burroughs' wharf. They cap- tured many boats atteni]>ting to run out of the harbor, which, with their contents, became the property of the soldiers. One of these captures is said to have been attended with loss of life. It oeeurred at two (Teloek on the morning of the 2Stli id' .Inly, 17S2. A boat attempt- ing to run the guard was hailed by one of the senti- nels, and, refusing to sto|», was fired ujnui. Two men, named Stoddard and Judson, were killed by the shots. A third man, named Bhineas Baker, was grazed by a bullet, but escaped uninjured. He was captured, with the boat, and after the war was iiver resided in New- field, (rideon Hawley is said to Iiave been the senti- nel who fired the fatal shot. There were also during the war several detaclmients enlisted in Stratfield for service at a distauce. One BO HISTOllY 01" FAlllFlELD COUNTY. CONNECTICIT. of these took part in Arnold's expedition airainst Canada, and before its de])arture for the scene of action was mustered in the door-yard of Rev. Mr. Ro.ss, where all knelt down while the derfryman in- voked tlie divine blessing upon tliem and their enter- prise. In August, 177fi, the Stratfield Train-Band joined Washington's army in New York for a brief term of service. It was attached to Silliman's Connecticut Brigade, and was officered by Capt. Thaddevi§_Bennett and Lieuts. Edward Biirroughs anTTJosiah La'cST. The company suffered much from sickness, from the juffrits of which Lieut. Burroughs and Private Ichabod w" riiich died, and sundry others were obliged to be discharged as until lor service. Two of these, David Sherman and !jte]>lH'n Sterling, were unable to make their way home until Abijah Sterling went down to their relief. He found them in a barn near Harlem, unable to move, and brought them home in his chaise, going on foot himself and leading his horse all the way. Both were eventually restored to health. The Stratfield Train-Band narrowly escaped capture with its brigade when New York wa.s evacuated by Wa.«hiugton, the order for retreat not having been fC: ceivcd in time. It took part in the battle of White Plains, anil sikui afterwards was mustered out, its term of enlistment having expired. A few months after the discharge Josiah Lacey raised a company for the Continental army, and was commissioned as its cap- tain. Its term of service was three years, and it formed a part of Col. Philip Bradley's regiment, in Huntington's brigaile. With the exception of parlies called out hastily in sudden emergencies, and as si)eedily disbanded when the danger was over, the foregoing were jirobably all the military companies recruited in Stratfield during the Revolution. In the early part of the year 1777 great suffering was caused in Stratfield by the terrible si'ourge of Bmalli)ox, introduced by a party of exchanged pris- oners who ha<l been landed at Stratford Point under a Hag of truce. The horror of this com|)laint can be but faintly conceived by us at the present day. Vac- cination was unknown, and those who had contracted the disease were shunned even by their friends and nearest neighbors. People were afraid to travel upon tlie higliway past the dwellings where the red flag showed the presence of the dreaded infection. The guard at the luirbor forsook their post-s, bu.siness was suspended, and yet, in spite of all precauti<ms, the number sick at one time in Stratford township was estimated at six hundred persons. In May, 1777. Timothy Wheeler and twelve other residents of Stratfield petitioned the Legislature for relief, and a few weeks later another petition was signed by Rev. Robert Ross and twenty-one others. In this it WiLs stilted that the condition of attiiirs had be lime insupportable; that the people were desper- ate, and even threateuedr to pull down the infected houses and shoot the sufferers if the jilague could be stayed in no other way. By direction of the Legislature, Gen. Silliman, of Fairfield, took the matter in hand, and by the use of vigorous .sanitary measures (though hardly such ex- treme ones as the jietitioners threatened) the ravages of the disease were finally checked. During the whole war the people of this i)lace, in commou with those of other towns along the coast, were exposed to constant alarms^ occasioned by real or anticipated attempts of the enemy to land and burn their dwellings and plunder their property. The British fleet having control of Long Island Sound, and many of the able-bodied men being ab- sent in the Continental army, every strange sail ap- proaching the shore was viewed with apprehension and its movements carefully watched. The first at- tem])t of the kind was unsucce.s.sful. In ^larch, 1777, seven British vessels anchored off Mill River (now South])ort), and twelve or fourteen boat-loads of men tried to eftect a landing, but were repulsed by the militia on shore, among whom was a company from Stratfield, commanded by Capt. Abijah Sterling and I Lieut. Nathan Seeley. Six- weeks later, Ajiril 25, 1777, a fleet of twenty- six sail aiipoared at Compo Point and landed a fiirce of two thousand men, commanded by the infamous Tryon, the Tory (iovernor of New York. Their dcs- I tinatiou was Danbury, where there was a depot of military stores belonging to the Continental array. At Ridding Ridge, on the following morning, Tryon's light-horse wounded and captured a young American, Lambert Lockwood by name, who was bearer of a letter from Col. Cook, the officer in command at Dan- bury, to Gen. Silliman, of Fairfield. The ine.s.senger perhaps owed his life to the fact that he was recog- nized by Tryon, to whom he ha<l rendered some a.ssistance several years before, when the Governor's carriage had broken down in passing through Nor- walk. After the Revolution, Mr. Lockwood removed to Bridgeport and lived here for many years, a suc- cessful merchant, a leading member of the Congrega- tional Church, and a prominent man in local affairs generally. The story of the raid upon Danliuiy. the Inirning of flic town by the invaders, and their ilisa.stroiis re- treat, will be found in another part of this volume.