ment of hostilities, in March, 1775, a company* of one hundred men, including officers, was enlisted in Danbury, for the service of the colonies, and joined a regiment of Connecticut state troops, commanded by Col. David Waterbury, some time in the month of May or early in June following. The regiment composed part of the army of Gen. Montgomery, in the northern campaign of that year. The company thus raised, was, in the first instance, marched to Stamford, where Col. Waterbury resided, and which was the place of rendezvous for the regiment. From thence their progress northward was slow, as they did not arrive at Half Moon Point, on the Hudson river, (Waterford,) until the latter part of the summer. They were employed in the siege of St. John's, a fort upon the river St. John's, about thirty miles from Montreal; thence they proceeded, under Gen. Montgomery, to Montreal, which was immediately surrendered to the American forces. Here their term of service expired, and they were discharged about the 1st of December.

Many of these old soldiers have spoken of their services and sufferings, in this campaign, with tears in their eyes. On marching to join their regiment, they supposed they were parting from their families and friends forever, and their neighbors regarded them as an offering upon the altar of their country. On the Sunday, previous to their departure, they marched in a body, dressed in their simple uniform, to the meeting-house, where an appropriate sermon was preached by the Rev. Ebenezer Baldwin, the minister of the Congregational church, and who was a brother of the Hon. Simeon Baldwin, of New Haven. The sermon is still spoken of as highly eloquent and patriotic. Notwithstanding they were employed in ten sieges, and were, through the campaign, exposed to great fatigues and hardships, every man of the company returned to his home before the 1st of January following. Four of them, including Daniel Hicock, the Ensign, lived to receive pensions under the act of Congress of June 7th, 1832. One only, David Weed, is still living. His age is believed to be about 92.

Nor did their services cease with that campaign. So far as the history of each individual can now be traced, they entered the service in the campaign of 1776, without a single exception;

* A complete roll of this company is now in the Comptroller's Office.

some in the regiments of State troops, and others in the continental army.

The Captain, (Noble Benedict,) commanded a company in a continental regiment, and was taken prisoner at fort Washington, in the State of New York, in November, 1776. At the same time, one-half of the company under his command, being with him, were taken prisoners-the other half of the company then being in fort Lee, on the other bank of the Hudson. The prisoners, excepting officers, were confined in the sugar-house, in New York. The cruelties inflicted upon them, and the sufferings they endured, are the theme of conversation among their relatives to this day. All, excepting two only, died in prison-most of them from starvation. The detail of their sufferings, was communicated to their friends by the survivors, Sergt. Benedict and Stephen Bump; Col. Joseph Barnum, the father of one of these sufferers, learned from them, that for many days, his son, having been deprived of food and drink, literally died of hunger, in the act of attempting to bite a brick, and with a piece of brick in his mouth. The feelings of this father were excited in the highest degree; and many instances of the exhibition of it, are still often related by old persons. The very next day afterwards, he took his gun and went in pursuit of tories, to revenge on them the death of his son. After proceeding about two miles northward, he saw a tory at work upon his own land, he took deliberate aim, and shot him, wounding him severely, but not mortally.

He had previously been a professedly pious man, but frequently after the loss of his son, concluded his devotions in his family, by invoking a curse upon "old king George and his hell

ish crew."

In the fall of the year 1776, the town was selected by the continental officers, as a place of deposite for military stores; and accordingly, during the ensuing winter, large quantities of flour, pork, and other provisions, were collected and stored there; and the destruction of this property was the object of Gen. Tryon, whose name, in consequence of his exploits, in effecting that object, has obtained an infamous notoriety in Connecticut.

It is well known that Tryon landed at Compo, in the town of Fairfield, in the latter part of April, 1777, with a force of two thousand men, and marched directly to Danbury, a distance of

about twenty-two miles. They were conducted and guided from their place of landing to Danbury, by two young men, inhabitants of Danbury, Stephen Jarvis and Eli Benedict, and made their appearance in the village of the afternoon of Saturday, the 26th of April, 1777. Mr. Silas Hamilton, a farmer residing in the north part of the town of Danbury, having heard after dinner on that day, that the British troops were approaching, resolved to save a piece of woolen cloth, belonging to him, which had been for some time in the hands of a clothier in the south part of the village; he rode into town, took his cloth from the clothier, and had tied one end of the piece behind the saddle, as the advanced guard of the enemy made their appearance at the south end of main street. He mounted his horse, and put spurs to him. Three troopers, well mounted, immediately started in pursuit. In running their horses about one hundred rods, they overtook him, and shouted, "stop, old daddy;" "not yet," said the old gentleman, and again whipped up his horse. The nearest trooper then aimed a blow at him, with his sword, but, at that moment, the cloth partially unrolling, one end of it fluttered in the breeze, and frightened the trooper's horse. Thus giving the old gentleman several rods the start. They pursued him again, for the distance of more than a mile; but whenever they came within striking distance, the flying end of the cloth was in their way, and the old gentleman, having resolutely determined not to surrender himself, or to lose his cloth, finally escaped. As the head of the British column arrived at the court-house, four men stationed in the dwelling-house of Maj. Daniel Starr, a few rods distant, fired upon them from the windows and fled, but they were pursued and shot down; their bodies were thrown into the house, and the house immediately burnt. This was the only injury done to private property that day and the night following.The whole population of the village, excepting a few tory families, made their escape to the adjoining towns, taking with them their moveable property. The Probate records were removed to New Fairfield, and thus preserved; but the Town records, by reason of the absence or negligence of the Town Clerk, remained in his dwelling-house, which was burnt on the following day.

The Legislature afterwards provided all the remedies for repairing the loss of the Town records, the case admitted of.

[Refer to the records of the General Assembly, for resolutions, concerning highway and titles to lands in Danbury.]

Tryon established his head-quarters at the house of a bitter tory at the south end of the village, and near the public stores. All the other dwelling-houses in the village, were filled with British troops, during the following night. The alarm was of course spread through the adjacent towns, and volunteers came flocking to the camp of the patriots, a short distance north of the village, through the night and the following day. The British sent out no detachments, and paid little or no attention to the small American force in the vicinity, but spent the night in revelry and drunkenness.

Early on Sunday morning, the 27th, every dwelling-house in the town, was set on fire, excepting the houses of tories and one or two others; and the enemy marched out of the town, while they were yet in flames. The rear guard, on leaving the town, whether in pursuance of orders, is not known, set the Congregational meeting-house on fire, but it was soon extinguished. Gen. Wooster, being in the vicinity, took command of the few American troops which could be collected, and followed close upon the rear of the British army, harassing them considerably upon their march, south-westerly, towards Ridgefield, and in which pursuit he lost his life. He received the fatal wound about two miles north of the village of Ridgefield, while in the act of urging on his men to the attack of a small force of British troops, who had been separated from the main body. The command then devolved upon Arnold, who conducted the pursuit with his usual impetuosity. On arriving at the village of Ridgefield, the rear of the enemy turned upon their pursuers, and there was a smart skirmish for about half an hour. In the conflict Arnold's horse was killed under him. While Arnold was struggling to release his feet from the stirrups, a tory from New Fairfield, named Coon, advanced towards him, for the purpose of making him a prisoner, and said to him, "surrender-you are my prisoner,”— "not yet," said Arnold, who at that moment having extricated himself from his fallen horse, drew a pistol from his holster, and shot his tory adversary dead upon the spot.

The number killed in this skirmish exceeded forty-those of their countrymen, who had aided, or given countenance to the

enemy, and, who had, with worse than savage barbarity, destroyed and laid waste the dwellings of a peaceful community, and surrendered their friends and relations, could hardly expect to escape the popular indignation. But the men of that day rarely indulged their passions at the expense of the interests of their country. Accordingly, the only punishment inflicted upon their traitorous countrymen, by way of revenge, if revenge it would be called, was harmless. Soon after the retreat of the British troops, some fifteen or twenty young whigs, walked into the house, (then) lately occupied by Tryon as his head-quarters, in the evening, took the host, and carried him a short distance, to a stream of water, and gave him, what they called a thorough "ducking." They used him the greater part of the night, and in that time immersed him as frequently as they deemed profitable. He was ever afterwards a worthy citizen.

Benedict, one of the guides of the British, after the war, returned to the town, with the intention of residing there. But, as soon as his return was known, large numbers of the inhabitants collected in the neighborhood of his house, with the avowed intention of escorting him out of the town upon a rail. He had timely notice of their intention, and made his escape, and never afterwards returned to Danbury.

The other guide, Jarvis, at the close of the war, went to reside in Nova-Scotia. Many years afterwards he returned privately to Danbury, on a visit to his relations. His being there, however, was soon known, and the inhabitants of the northern part of the town, turned out in the night to prepare to furnish him a coat of tar and feathers. They surrounded his father's house; but one of his sisters happening to discover them, awakened and concealed him in an ash-oven. The house was searched, but as the ashes, under which he lay concealed, were not examined, he escaped the punishment he so richly deserved. He fled to the British dominions, and resided either in Nova Scotia or Canada, until his death, which took place within two or three years past.

The next most important operation of the campaign of 1777, was the successful affair of Long Island, an account of which is given in a note, being a letter from Gen. Parsons, to Governor Trumbull, page 126, of this work.