The testimony of Ruana Roberson, of lawful age, and wife of John Roberson, of Fairfield, is as follows, viz. :-When the enemy, on the evening of the 7th inst., first came into the west end of this town, I soon left my house and went to a neighbor's, which I heard was guarded, and there I found the general and a great number of officers; and one Mrs. Beardsley, who belonged to the house was there, and pregnant, and appeared to be in travail. All the officers appeared disposed to treat her and her assistants with decency; and in the course of the night, I often heard the officers and general say, there should not be left a house or barn standing in the town, by, or in the morning. There were but few soldiers in the house, and they employed in waiting on tables; and they spared that dwelling house on account of Mrs. Beardsley, who was supposed to be in labor. They said the commissioners made offers of peace, and the Americans refused to accept them, and that their orders were to burn all, and I understood the orders were from England. They said they would burn the church, for that it was not the church of England, nor had it been since the war, for the professors did not comply with the articles of the church of England. The Hessians appeared active in plundering and burning, and seemed not to understand English. 'Twas at sundry houses where they came and plundered, and they gave to understand they pursued orders. And further saith not.

RUANA ROBERSON. Fairfield, July 22, 1779. Sworn before ANDREW ROWLAND, Justice of Peace.

The testimony of Abigail Bulkley, wife of Josiah Bulkley, of lawful age, is as follows, viz. :-That the enemy, on their coming to the west end of the town, on the night of the 7th inst., they enquired after my husband. I told them he was out of the town, and was not under arms; however, they plundered my house of almost all the moveables in it. I went with Mrs. Beardsley, who was supposed to be in travail, and the officers then behaved decently to me, and by the aid and assistance of one of them, I saved my house, and some trifle of furniture from the flames. It appeared to me there were a number of Hessians at liberty to act without restraint. And further deponent saith not.

her

ABIGAIL * BULKLEY. mark.

Fairfield, July 23, 1779. Sworn before ANDREW ROWLAND, Justice of Peace.

The testimony of Ann Nichols, of lawful age, and wife to Hezekiah Nichols, of Fairfield, is as follows, viz. :-That when the troops under the command of Gen. Tryon, came into Fairfield, I was peaceably at home; and thereupon, one of the soldiers came to me and with strong hand, robbed me of the buckles out of my shoes; and in the course of the night, I was often treated with extravagant, insulting, and abusive language, and threatening at my own house. I told them my husband was from home, but it availed nothing; and in the course of the night, the soldiers appeared to have full liberty, and many came in parties, at different hours, and destroyed almost every thing of furniture; and in the morning burnt down the house and barn. Whereupon I saw Gen. Tryon, who appeared to be exceeding angry at something, I know not what; and I heard him tell a person, that he would not spare one house more than another. One Thomas Chapman, formerly of Stratford, a tory, was called a captain, and appeared to be a principal hand in burning. I escaped from the conflagration of

the town, in the morning, and concealed myself in a wet ditch and miry swamp. The soldiers, generally, appeared to be in a great panic through the night, and exceedingly afraid that the rebels, as they called us, would be upon them in the morning early. ANN NICHOLS.

Fairfield, July 21, 1779. Sworn before ANDREW ROWLAND, Justice of Peace.

COL. SAMUEL WHITING'S ANSWER TO THE BRITISH FLAG. Connecticut having nobly dared to take up arms against the cruel despotism of Britain, and as the flames, have now preceded the answer to your flag, they will persist to oppose to their utmost, that power exerted against injured innocence.

To Maj. Gen. Tryon.

SAMUEL WHITING, Colonel Commanding.

Dated Fairfield, 7th July, 1779.

CHURCH RECORD OF FAIRFIELD.

The following is a copy of the Church Record in the town of Fairfield, made at the time Fairfield was burnt by the British, in 1779, by the Rev. Andrew Elliot, who was the Pastor of the Congregational Church at that time, and forwarded for publication by the Rev. Lyman H. Atwater, the present Pastor.

"1779, JULY 7.

"A part of the British enemy, consisting of Britons, Germans, and American "refugees, under the command of Maj. Gen. Tryon and Brig. Gen. Garth, "landed in this town from a fleet, commanded by Sir George Collier.

"In the evening and night of the same day, great part of the buildings in the "town plot were consumed in the flames by said troops.

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"July 8th. In the morning the Meeting House, together with the Church of England buildings, the Court House, Prison, and almost all the principal 'buildings in the Society, were laid in ashes.

[NOTE.-The Rev. Andrew Elliot's Letter is published in the Massachusetts Historical Collections, and is therefore omitted in this work.]

A PETITION TO GOVERNOR TRUMBULL FROM THE INHABITANTS OF NORWALK.

Te His Excellency Jonathan Trumbull, Esq., Governor and Commander-inChief in and over the State of Connecticut; comes the civil authority and select. men of the town of Norwalk, in behalf of themselves and the rest of the inhab.

itants of said Norwalk, and with submission beg leave to represent to your Excellency, that numbers of the soldiers in Col. Sheldon's regiment of light-horse belonging to the continental army, and others, frequently come into the parish of Canaan and other back parts in said Norwalk, and by force and violence enter the inhabitants' barns, and at will and pleasure, with the same force, take their oats and carry them off, and in some instances thresh oats and destroy and make much waste; and also take such kinds of grain and stover as they think proper, and carry it away without ever applying to any authority, or shewing any power or authority to do the same, and against the mind and will of the inhabitants and without their consent; and also in many instances strip the inhabitants to such a degree of their oats, that if it is not prevented there will not be a sufficiency of oats left in the town for seed next year; and the inhabitants are apprehensive that they will next attack their Indian corn, and then their wheat, as the light-horsemen in some instances in some of the back places have taken the peoples' wheat to feed their horses; and that if they should be suffered to conduct in that sort, the people are apprehensive they shall be put to great straights and difficulties for want of the necessary articles of bread-corn. And that these light-horsemen come armed and with such force, that the inhabitants cannot prevent them from taking their substance, without taking up arms, and in that way defend their property, which method they would by all means avoid, in hopes that their property may be secured to them without taking such desperate methods; and that as there does not seem to be any rule given by law upon an application for a press warrant in such cases, we would beg leave humbly to propose to your Excellency, whether it is not necessary at this time, and the property of the people more secure, to have some rules and laws made respecting these matters. And that there has been one instance this week wherein one of the inhabitants took out a writ against one or two of the light-horsemen for threatening his life, and of burning his dwelling house and barn, for refusing to let them take his oats; and that one of said light-horsemen was taken with said writ soon after, while Capt. Stoddard came into the town with a number of his men and rescued him out of the hands of the officer and carried him off, and the complainant and his son; which we imagine and are fearful will ever be the case, and the people distressed, if it is not prevented; all which is humbly submitted, by your Excellency's most obedient humble servants.

Norwalk, 1778.

(Signed)

Thaddeus Betts, Charles Raymond, Justices of the Peace; Jesse Raymond, Nehemiah Benedict, Nathaniel Benedict, David Comstock, Daniel Betts, Selectmen.

PETITION OF JOHN LOCKWOOD AND OTHERS OF NORWALK.

It appears by a petition of John Lockwood, and 37 others, of Norwalk, to the General Assembly, in December, 1780, that in July, 1779, all the subscribers were burned out of house and home, and stripped and plundered by the British, of nearly all their household furniture; their barns also destroyed by fire, with the greater part of their wheat harvest and English hay, to the very great distress and impoverishment of the inhabitants.

Representations had before been made to the Assembly of the distress and losses, to which the Legislature had listened in tenderness, and granted the relief

of the abatement of the State tax on list 1778, for which the sufferers in the conflagration, tendered them their unfeigned thanks.

;

Many of the suffering farmers had not sufficient wheat to support their families until the next harvest, though they would have had large quantities to have supplied others, had it not been destroyed. So many buildings were burnt, that it was impossible to rent houses, so as to be comfortably located to use their farms and many of them were obliged to build small houses, and disposed of all they could spare, to re-settle upon their farms, and most of them left in debt, and obliged to live without barns to preserve their grain, because they were unable to build them; and many who had built their houses were unable to finish them, and lived in them through the following winter, cold and half finished, for want of money and materials for building, while labor was exceedingly high, and it appeared to many of them as if it was impossible ever to settle themselves again in any tolerable manner. In addition to the burden of building, they were destitute of the necessary utensils for keeping house; town, state, and society taxes to pay; taxes for re-building public buildings that were burnt; the provision tax then lately laid; the expense of raising soldiers from time to time to fill the continental army: In all which, with their misfortunes, they were obliged to suffer with their neighbors, which appeared insupportable to many of the sufferers, in their then distressed situation; and yet declared they would exert themselves in assisting to discharge all public demands, as far as possible, willingly and cheerfully, and only regretted that they were not of the same ability to do, as they had been before they had been burnt out.

The memorialists closed by asking the Assembly to abate their State taxes, laid on list 1779 and 1780.

[Col. Benjamin Hinman, Nehemiah Beardsley, and William Heron were appointed a committee to go to Norwalk, to examine and report to the Assembly.] Said committee reported in May, 1781, that the State tax of 123 persons in said Norwalk, on list of 1779; and that said tax, on list 1780, on 119 persons in said town, should be abated-which was accepted.

DEPOSITION OF CAPT. STEPHEN BETTS.

NORWALK, July 26, 1779.

Capt. Stephen Betts, of Col. Butler's regiment, in the continental service, personally appeared and made solemn oath-That on the 11th inst., while the enemy invaded Norwalk, he, with about 50 continental troops, and some militia, engaged a superior number of the enemy, which obliged them to give way to an unequal force. As they retreated, John Waters, a continental soldier fell into the enemy's hands, delivered up his arms, and begged for his life; but the enemy notwithstanding, assaulted him with their bayonets, with which they stabbed him in sundry places, and then one of them presented his peice, and aimed (as the captive supposed) at his body, but missing that, the ball shattered his arm; whereupon finding no quarters, he made a strong effort to escape, which he happily effected. Soon after the above accident, John Rich, another continental soldier, was shot so as to fall, and as the enemy were nigh, and crowded fast on over our people, he desired Capt. Betts to leave him, as they could not take him off without the greatest hazard. Capt. Betts saw Rich no more, but says Capt. Eells, of Col. Wyllys' regiment, told him, he saw Rich after the enemy had retreated

about two hours after Capt. Betts saw him; he was then dead, and the top of his skull torn off, supposed to be blown off by a musket to despatch him. And further saith not, before me. THADDEUS BETTS, Justice of the Peace.

LETTER FROM SAMUEL C. SILLIMAN, ESQ., TO COL. ST. JOHN. It appears by a letter from Samuel C. Silliman, Esq., of Norwalk, dated 1778, to Col. St. John, then a member of the General Assembly, that Col. St. John issued a writ in favor of a Mr. Comstock, against two of Sheldon's light horsemen, taken by constable Lockwood, for taking property not their own, who were taken before said Silliman for trial; but before the trial had began, the captain of the two light horsemen, (i. e. Capt. Stoddard of Col. Sheldon's regiment) came in, in great fury, with a party of his light horsemen, all armed, and their swords drawn, and pointed at the breasts of the court and by-standers, and wrested the offenders from them, and defied the authority; laid violent hands on Mr. Comstock the prosecutor, and dragged him from the house. The court, when attempting to quell the riot, was accosted by one of said light horsemen, with his sword pointed at the breast of the court, swore he would run him through, if he offered the least resistance. They then forced Mr. Comstock and one of his sons, on to horses and carried them off, and swore they would take them to their quarters and keep them under guard. They drove them two or three miles, constantly threatening them, in the most abusive language, and then dismissed them.

REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON DAMAGES SUSTAINED IN WEST HAVEN BY THE INCURSION OF THE BRITISH.

It was represented to the Legislature, held at Hartford, January 10, 1782, that on the 30th day of August, 1781, a party of British troops and refugees, made an incursion into the parish of West Haven, in New Haven, and destroyed much of the property of the inhabitants. Whereupon, the Assembly appointed Gen. Andrew Ward, Col. Edward Russel, and Gideon Buckingham, a committee to estimate the losses of each individual, by the enemy, and abate such part of the State taxes of said sufferers as said committee should judge proper, and report thereon to the next session of said Assembly. The committee met at West Haven on the 13th day of March, 1782, and examined the sufferers on oath, and reported to the Assembly each sufferer in said parish, and the amount of loss found by them annexed to his name, together with a list of names of such as should be abated on said taxes, to the amount of £30:15:2, together with £365:18: 6, allowed the sufferers in said parish; which report was accepted by the Assembly, and ordered to be lodged on file, with liberty of a bill to make said abatement.

MAY, 1787.

At the General Assembly holden in May, 1787, the sufferers in different parts of the State united in a petition to the Assembly, for remuneration; in which they stated, they had twice before petitioned the Assembly, and had received no answer; which petition was signed by Daniel Taylor for the suffer. ers in Danbury; Thomas Fitch for those in Norwalk; Jonathan Sturges for Fairfield; John Mead for Greenwich; Ebenezer Ledyard for Groton; John Deshon for New London; Charles Chauncey for New Haven; Philip B. Bradley for Ridgefield; and Andrew Ward and Daniel Leete for the sufferers of Guilford; which petition was continued to the next General Assembly.