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By John Schultze, 2002, descendant of Joseph Cheney 

                In The History of Newbury, Massachusetts 1635-1902, Joseph Cheney is listed as having served in an expedition against Crown Point during the French and Indian War.  It is not known if he was in the Battle of Lake George, but he was in Col. John Greenleaf’s (Newbury) Regiment from the summer of 1754 (or winter of 1754-5) to 20 Mar 1756.  Another Newbury regiment under Col. Moses Titcomb took part in the battle. 

THE BATTLE OF LAKE GEORGE 
by  John Schultze

          On 14 Apr 1755, Gen. Edward Braddock, newly arrived commander in chief of British forces in North America, called a meeting of Colonial Governors at Alexandria, Virginia.  They identified Fort St. Frederic on Lake Champlain as one of four objectives against the French (the others were Fort Duquesne in Pennsylvania, Fort Niagara in New York, and Fort Beausejour in Nova Scotia).

Sir William Johnson was put in command of 3500 Provincial troops from New England, New York, and New Jersey for the expedition.  Johnson also knew the famous Roger’s Rangers by reputation and employed them for scouting.  From papers captured during Braddock’s defeat near Fr. Duquesne, the French learned of the threat to Ft. St. Frederic.  Baron Ludwig August Dieskau assembled 2800 French troops and 700 Indians and took 1500 of them south to intercept Johnson.  By 28 August, Johnson and 1500 troops and Indians had reached the southern end of Lac St. Sacrement (renamed Lake George by Johnson).

On the morning of 8 September, Dieskau’s forces debarked from bateaus (flat boats) at South Bay and marched the fourteen miles toward Ft. Lyman (Ft. Edward).  He was hoping to cut off supplies, after hearing that only a small force was at this fort.  Within four miles of the fort, he learned that his information was wrong, and the fort was well manned, and he withdrew again to South Bay.  Johnson then learned of Dieskau’s presence.  He sent Col. Ephraim Williams with 1000 men and 200 Indians (led by Mohawk war chief, King Hendrick) on an Indian path for the nine miles to reinforce Ft. Lyman.  Dieskau learned of the movement and ambushed them from both sides of the path.  The Indians fired prematurely, however, preventing a total British disaster.  King Hendrick and Col. Williams were both killed.  Nathan Whiting assumed British command of the rough retreat.  Hearing the commotion, Lt. Col. Edward Cole and 300 men were sent to assist in the retreat.

By 10 A.M., Whiting reached Johnson’s garrison at Lake George.  It had positioned artillery and a barricade in preparation for a French onslaught.  At about noon, the enemy appeared and began marching toward the center of the British line.  The French were mowed down.  The British faltered as Johnson was shot in the leg, but Phineas Lyman rallied the troops.  The French advance was stopped, and Dieskau was wounded three times.  By 5 P.M. the British rushed over their barricades after the retreating French forces.  One more brief but bloody skirmish occurred later that day between 300 New Hampshire and New York troops (led by Capt. McGinnis and Capt. Folsom) and some Canadians.  Thus ended the Battle of Lake George, the first significant win for the British Provincials of the war.  Casualties are believed to be 262 British and 228 French.

  
Map of Lake George, click for a larger version

2. Corporal Benjamin Cheney (Great-Great Grandson of Thomas and Hannah Dustin/Duston)
 b: May 18, 1763 in Wells, York Co., Maine
Baptism: May 18, 1763 First Church of Christ in Wells, Maine
Burial: Freedom English Cemetery, Freedom, Cattaraugus Co., New York (Parker Sage found Abt 1960) 
Census1: 1790 Guildhall, Essex Co., Vermont (Head, Wife, three small children) Census2: 1800 Granby, Essex Co., Vermont ( Head, 5 males, 5 females) Census3: 1810 Granby, Essex Co., Vermont(3males,3females)
 Fact1: Jun 14, 1790 Guildhall, Essex Co., Vermont, land was assigned (Listed as one of the first residence) 
Served: Bet. Jul 03, 1779 - Jan 01, 1780 American Revolution, Wells, York, Maine

Corporal Benjamin Cheney I

By John Schultze, 2001, descendant of Benjamin Cheney I and Eunice Hubbard. 

Bunker Hill and the Invasion of Canada.

      
                During the Revolutionary War, Corporal Benjamin Cheney, according to his great grandson Horace Cheney, was in hand-to-hand fighting, with a sword, at the Battle of Bunker Hill.  In 1802 his Illinois land grant for military services rendered said that he was in McIntire’s company in the corps of artillery.  In “The History of York County, Maine” Capt. Rufus McIntire of Wells, ME had a company of United States artillery and it states that he was in service in Canada.  This would be the disastrous invasion of Canada.

THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL

                Just over 1000 men, led by Col. William Prescott, marched toward Charlestown to erect a fortification and battery on Bunker Hill.  They opted to work first on the lower Breed’s Hill that was closer to the British.  On the morning of June 17, 1775, British on their battleships awoke to see new redoubts.  The ship’s cannons opened up.  Col. Prescott flaunted the minimal damage from the cannon fire by pacing atop the unfinished fort.  The Americans continued building other works during the day, while the British debated what move they should make.

                The Redcoats decided to land 1500 men on the eastern-most point called Moulton’s Point.  Light infantry immediately formed four abreast and marched toward a rail fence extending from the northern beach of the Mystic River, so that another column could flank the American left.  Capt. Knowlton’s men were behind the fence and John Stark’s men were behind a quickly constructed a rock wall nearest the beach.  When within 50 feet, the Americans opened up.  British infantrymen fell in droves.  The orders had been to use bayonets, so muskets remained unloaded.  The flanking movement had failed.

                The British commander Howe decided that with his superior numbers a frontal assault was called for.  The second attack was toward the rail fence, while Col. Pigot’s force charged the breastwork and main redoubt.  Again accurate American musket fire from behind cover into the regular marching columns again decimated the British, causing them to again fall back.  Howe sent for 400 more reinforcements.  This time he ordered the men to discard their heavy packs. 

The third attack concentrated on the breastwork and fort on Breed’s Hill.  The determined British drove up the hill into the teeth of enemy fire.  By now the Americans were running out of ammunition – some throwing rocks.  Only after the Redcoats finally broke through to the inside of the fort and fighting was hand-to-hand, did Prescott order a retreat.  Knowlton’s troops at the fence provided cover while Prescott fell back.  Altogether there were over 1050 British casualties compared to 440 American.  The commander of the British forces in America, Clinton: “A dear bought victory, another such would have ruined us.”

THE INVASION OF CANADA

                In August 1775 George Washington offered Benedict Arnold command of an expedition against Quebec, both assuming that the Canadians would be willing to join a revolution against British rule (which proved untrue).  On September 19 he sailed with 1050 men from Newburyport, MA for Gardinerstowne (now Gardiner, ME) about 25 mi. up the Kennebec River, from which he would follow Dead River, then Chaudiere River to the Canadian city.  A previous survey failed to mention how dangerous and treacherous the trek would be.  Gen. Schuyler and Gen. Montgomery would take another force through Lake Champlain to Montreal.

200 heavy batteaux (double-ended flat-bottomed boats) quickly proved difficult when the waterway turned into disconnected streams and swamps.  Besides having to carry the heavy vessels for miles, the green wood of the batteaux leaked and quickly began to deteriorate.  Then Dead River proved to have a strong current and there were several rapids and falls along the way.  On October 19^th it began to rain and after three more days of rain a division of 300 men voted to turn back without Arnold’s knowledge, taking much of the food with them.

At about the halfway point, they abandoned the batteaux and climbed over the mountains to Chaudiere River.  By this time they were out of food and had begun eating their moccasins, shot pouches, and even soap.  Finally on November 2 they killed a moose and traded for fresh flour.  By the time they arrived at Point Levi opposite Quebec on November 9, 100 men had died and another 100 had turned back, leaving 600 remaining.

The Quebec garrison consisted of only 70 British regulars, but Carleton had mustered perhaps 1000 militia, sailors, and soldiers from his ships.  Arnold’s men were worn out, low on powder, and without artillery, but he was determined to take the city.  They crossed the river, but heard news of a British sortie, so retreated to await Montgomery’s arrival, which occurred (with only 300 men; the rest on garrison duty after easily taking Montreal) on December 2.

They planned that Arnold’s force would enter the lightly guarded north Palace Gate and Montgomery would take the southern Diamond bastion.  They waited for a dark night, which occurred on the last day of enlistment for many, the night of New Year’s Day.  In early skirmishing Arnold was wounded in the leg and carried to the rear and Daniel Morgan took command.  Meanwhile, the first volley at Diamond bastion had cut down much of the American leadership, including Montgomery, and over fifty men.  The remainder of this 300 lost heart and turned back.  Morgan was cut off from a retreat and so Carleton captured 426 of Arnold’s men.  The Americans maintained a powerless siege throughout the winter, until they forced to flee to Montreal when British reinforcements arrived on May 6, 1776.

THE RETREAT AND THE BATTLE OF VALCOUR ISLAND

More British reinforcements arrived so that they totaled nearly 11,000 by June 1.  When a large force was sent toward Montreal, the Americans, though reinforced by Gen Sullivan, were still outnumbered and weakened by defeat and disease, especially smallpox (which killed Gen. Thomas) and malaria.  They also lacked adequate shelter, clothing, and provisions, causing poor morale.

 In a pitifully decrepit condition encamped at Crown Point, Gen. Sullivan was replaced by Gen. Horatio Gates.  He figured that the key to stopping a British advance was to command Lake Champlain.  Carleton had the same realization and had an 18-gun ship dismantled on the St. Lawrence and carried overland in sections to reassemble on the lake.  He then had built two schooners (14 and 12 guns), a 7 gun gondola, 20 gunboats, and a large raft-like vessel called a radeau that carried 300 men and a 24 pounder.

The Americans had four small vessels totaling 36 guns.  Gates had Arnold expand this navy.  Arnold managed to pull together craftsmen to work through July and August to build a half dozen gundalows (3 guns/45 men) and an equal number of galleys (8-10 guns/70-80 men).  By September, they were setting sail and were drilling on how to use the craft.  On October 11 lookouts spotted the British fleet and this larger fleet saw the Americans as the passed Valcour Island.  The British schooner “Carleton” engaged and took the brunt of the American fire, but the powerful, but ungainly, radeau “Thunderer” could not maneuver and proved useless.  The fire of an 18-gun ship, the “Inflexible,” however, overpowered the smaller American vessels, but darkness came before the British victory could be achieved.

3. Captain John Heard Hubbard 
(Great-Grandfather of Dr. Levi Cheney)
 born: Aug 23, 1735 in Wells, York Co., Maine 
m: Dec 03, 1748 
d: Aug 23, 1790 in Wells, York Co., Maine 
 Known as an local famous Indian Fighter, Kittery, York Co., Maine
 Mar 05, 1759 Was elected Surveyor of highways
 Capt. John Heard lived on Sturgeon Creek 
Number of children: 10 Occupation: He was a "tanner" and a prominent, enterprising citizen of Wells Father: Moses Hubbard Mother: Abigail Heard

By John Schultze, 2003, descendant of John Heard Hubbard

.

Private JOHN HEARD HUBBARD was in Captain Stephen Titcomb’s Third Wells Company of Militia, Colonel Tristram Jordan’s Regiment, which marched on 21 Apr 1775 in response the alarm of the nineteenth.

 THE BATTLES OF LEXINGTON AND CONCORD

King George III of England had pressured General Thomas Gage, the royal governor of Massachusetts and commander of the British forces in the colonies, to suppress the rebellious Americans.  On the night of 18 Apr 1775, he sent seven hundred “lobster-backs” under Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith and Marine Major John Pitcairn to seize the colonial military stores in Concord.  Dr. Joseph Warren had forewarning, however, and sent the Boston silversmith Paul Revere and William Dawes in the early morning hours of 19 Apr 1775 to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams, members of the Continental Congress, who were in Lexington and to initiate the alarm along the way.  Revere was to row across the bay to Charlestown to begin his ride, and Dawes took the land route over Boston Neck.  Throughout the night march of the British, bells and cannon began to sound, alerting the countryside.  At dawn, as Pitcairn reached Lexington (Smith was a distance to the rear), he was met by about seventy militiamen, led by a veteran of the Indian Wars and former member of Rogers’ Rangers, Capt. John Parker.  Their number had depleted from twice the number that was there a few hours earlier, but they were still a challenge to the Redcoats.  Pitcairn ordered the rebels to drop their arms, but he was ignored.  Suddenly a shot rang out, and this resulted in a full volley by the British.  Pitcairn had tried to call off the fire, but when it finally subsided eight militia were dead and ten wounded.  One British soldier was slightly wounded.  When Smith arrived, they simply fired a victory volley and set off for Concord. 

Meanwhile, after a lengthy ride, shouting, “the British are coming,” Revere was captured, but Dawes had warned Hancock and Adams. Word of spilled blood spread quickly, and militia from neighboring counties marched on the alarm.  When the British reached Concord, about four hundred colonials were waiting.  At first the militia withdrew at the sight of the British on the opposite side of the North Bridge, observing the royal forces.  When the British search fired the courthouse and a blacksmith shop, the militia leader Colonel James Barrett, ordered the advance.  The British fired a poorly-aimed volley and a colonial volley killed twelve redcoats, four of which were officers. 

After fulfilling the orders, Colonel Smith ordered the British retreat back to Boston.  The return trip of thirty-five miles proved disastrous.   The Americans sniped from ambush positions, even after one thousand British reinforcements met Pitcairn’s troops at Lexington.  By the time they had reached Cambridge, the sniping stopped.  Out of 1800 men, the colonials had picked off 273.  Open warfare had begun. 

    Major Pitcairn leading his British troops through the gauntlet of militia fire on his return trip back to Boston.

Corporal BENJAMIN CHENEY and Private JOHN HEARD HUBBARD may have taken part in the siege of Boston under General Artemis Ward, in command of the Massachusetts militia.  Private JOHN HEARD HUBBARD enlisted 12 May 1775 and was a fifer in a muster roll dated 1 Aug 1775 under Captain Jesse Dorman’s Company, Colonel James Scammon’s Thirtieth Regiment.  His period of service was two months, twenty-four days.  Private JOHN HEARD HUBBARD was listed on a return probably in Oct 1775, with a pay abstract through July 1775.

                                            THE BOSTON SIEGE

            Map of the Siege of Boston. 

                  After Lexington and Concord, the American militia surrounded Boston.  Though they had few instruments for a siege, the British were cautious about attempting further confrontation after Concord.  General Gage eventually wanted a plan for taking the most strategic colonial position, Dorchester Heights south of the city.  This would give them command of the harbor, but word leaked out leading to stronger fortifications there from the Americans.  General Artemis Ward, leader of the Massachusetts troops, possibly including our ancestors, was deferred to as the commander of the siege since he had the most men.  It was mostly just a semi-organized gang, since there was as yet no organized American army. 

Meanwhile, on 10 May 1775 Generals Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen, with eighty-three men surprised and took Fort Ticonderoga.  The garrison was only fifty strong and surrendered without a fight.  It was a rich source of arms and artillery, however.  On the following day Allen captured Crown Point and another one hundred cannon. 

On 25 May British Major Generals William Howe, Henry Clinton, and John Burgoyne landed in Boston to advise General Gage.  General Gage eventually was urged to make a plan for taking the most strategic colonial positions, Dorchester Neck and Dorchester Heights south of the city.  This would give them command of the harbor, but word leaked out leading to stronger fortifications from the Americans.  The American decision to fortify these strong points led to the Battle of Bunker Hill.   

Private JOHN HEARD HUBBARD was a fifer under Captain Tobias Lord’s Company, which marched on 27 Feb 1776 to Falmouth for defense of the seacoast.  This was probably Falmouth, ME about 55 miles to the north of Kittery, ME on the coast.  It could have been Falmouth, MA, however, which is on Cape Cod about 155 miles to the south on the coast.  His length of service there was two months, twenty days.

  FROM THE BOOK Old Kittery and her families. 1903 By Stackpole

John Heard Hubbard- b in Wells Aug 23, 1735, d between Aug 23, 1790, and July 4, 1791, married pub Dec 3, 1748, to Hannah Neal of Kittery, daughter of Andrew and Hannah Neal, both admitted to Church, Jan 25, 1756, when Hannah was also Baptized. He was a "tanner" and a prominent, enterprising citizen of Wells, elected March 5, 1759,and March 10, 1760, surveyor of highways, and was the first inhabitant of Wells to adopt a middle name, which he always signed in full. A senseless custom prevailed in the period of rating men in the church, there being three ranks, John Heard Hubbard was declared to be of the first rank, and his brother Warwick of the second rank. He was called "Captain", a Rev soldier , and was particularly prominent as a successful Indian fighter. His will, probated March 25,1791, bequeaths " to my son Heard Hubbard oe10, to my son Asa Hubbard oe3, to my daughters Abigail Emmons, Hannah Hussey, Eunice Cheney, Jane Neal, and the heirs of my daughters Doreas Buffum and Mary Gillpatrick, deceased, each a new testament, they having received their portion, and to my son Noah Hubbard ( named executor of the will) all my lands and my estate not already disposed of. "The inventory amounted to oe104.18, and the liabilities 136.26, so the estate was insolvent.


4. Private Robert Snow (Father of Nancy Snow the wife of Benjamin Cheney II)

   
From the Biography of Benjamin Cheney Jr. and Nancy Snow by John Schultze,

.  "Robert Snow was a Revolutionary War Patriot who was at Valley Forge with George Washington and was at the battles of Monmouth, where Washington rallied the troops to victory and at Newport, where the failed French Naval support aborted the Continental Army’s siege of the British-occupied town.  Later in the war, he was with General Sullivan’s army that was performing a scorched earth march against the northern Indians."

More information from a short Biography written by  John Schultze,

Robert Snow

":Robert Snow enlisted from Ashland, Windham, CT and first appeared in May 4, 1778 in the Fourth Regiment “Connecticut Line” under Capt. Daniel Allen’s Company, Col. Durkee’s Regiment, Gen. Varnums’s Brigade, and Mgen. Lincoln’s Division.  Private Snow arrived during the last month of Valley Forge, after the hardships of winter were over and during Steuben’s rebuilding of Washington’s army.  The army moved out in June to follow the enemy in their withdrawal from Philadelphia to New York.

THE BATTLE OF MONMOUTH

                On June 18, 1778 Clinton’s British forces began evacuating Philadelphia, crossing the Delaware toward New York.  Washington sent harassing groups, wanting to bring on battle.  Mgen. Charles Lee, distrusting the ability of colonial troops in a stand-up battle, persuaded Washington against it.  On June 27, British movements made action imminent and Lee was placed in command of the advanced body with explicit orders to attack the enemy rear guard the next day.  Lee didn’t coordinate a plan of attack with his officers, however.  With 5,000 men and twelve guns, on the morning of the 28^th, he met the British rear guard, but quickly lost command of the situation.  No clear plan and conflicting orders had led to confusion and the beginning of a rout.  Washington was appalled at seeing his fleeing troops.  After giving Lee a tongue-lashing, he rallied the disorganized troops and met the British head-on.  After bitter fighting, the British withdrew toward New York.  This was the battle where Mary Ludwig Hays became “Molly Pitcher.”  Her husband wounded, she went into the middle of the action to bring water to the thirsty and tend the wounded.  Steuben’s work had molded troops that proved capable (with proper leadership) in a confrontation with regular British troops.

                Col. Durkee had the brigade in this battle (Varnum was in RI).  After Lee’s repulse, the brigade was pushed to the front.  It engaged the enemy and in addition to losses in action became greatly exhausted through much marching and counter-marching under Lee’s orders.  The heat of the day was excessive.  Durkee was wounded in the hand during the action.  They encamped at White Plains and the army was reformed so that Durkee’s Fourth Regiment was under Bgen. Parson’s First Brigade, Lincoln’s Division.

BATTLE OF RHODE ISLAND

                MGen. Sullivan had overall command.  His Continentals included the two Connecticut brigades commanded by MGen. Lafayette (the French were now allies), and MGen. Greene’s militia.  The total was about 10,000.  The French Comte d’Estaing had arrived with a naval force (including 4,000 French soldiers) much superior to Major Howe’s British fleet.  The object was Clinton’s British garrison at Newport and the plan had the disembarked French troops marching south on the western side of the island, while Sullivan’s troops went down on the eastern side.

                The French landing was to take place August 10, but Sullivan jumped the gun and pressed forward on the August 9.  That and Sullivan’s brash messages to the Comte, cooled the French response.  While Sullivan set up siege lines, d’Estaing had decided to chase Howe’s fleet.  Unfortunately, a sudden gale battered both fleets prior to a confrontation.  On August 21, the French sent word to Sullivan that they were departing for Boston to refit.  This enraged Sullivan, who’s reaction risked further French assistance.

                When French assistance disappeared, so did the American militia, leaving Sullivan with fewer than 5000 men.  The Americans were forced to retreat, making a clever and daring escape from the bunkers and garrisons surrounding Newport.  Lafayette called the skillful escape the most successful action of the war.  As they retreated north, Hessians on the west road and British on the east road, followed and clashed on August 28, pushing them further north.  With the Sakonnet River at their backs, Continental troops made a valiant stand, and on the night of the 29^th, they made it safely across Howland’s Ferry to Tiverton.

SULLIVAN’S MARCH AGAINST THE IROQUOIS

                Washington directed Gen. John Sullivan of New Hampshire to launch an all-out assault on the Iroquois in upper New York State with a Continental force numbering 3,500 men.  They arrived in Wilkes-Barre on June 23, 1779 and marched to the shores of the Genesee River, punishing Iroquois settlements all along the way.  By October, 1779, the Indians had for the most part been successfully quelled, though small bands of Iroquois continued to harass colonists in the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania.  For the rest of the war, the “Connecticut Line” had no further major engagements, but kept up skillful harassment and retreat tactics.

5. Benjamin Streeter Jr. (Father of Jemima Streeter, the wife of Moses Cheney)

Benjamin Streeter is said to have server in the records of Parker Sage.

6. Joseph Morse (Grandfather of Jemima Streeter, the wife of Moses Cheney) 

Joseph Morse died from a gunshot would to the head at the Battle of Saratoga, (New York) His descendants would later settle in Arcade, New York, where Moses Cheney married his granddaughter Jemima Streeter. Joseph is of the Morse family from Medway Massachusetts just as Amelia Mary Clark the wife of Dr. Levi Cheney, making them distant cousins. Joseph Morse is as well a descendant of Henry Adams of Medway Massachusetts, making him a fourth cousin of John Adams, the second President of the United States. Joseph Morse married Jemima Wheat the daughter of Dr. Solomon Wheat and also the granddaughter of Mayflower passenger and Governor of Massachusetts, William Bradford.

7. Lt. David Clark (Great-Grandfather of Amelia Mary Clark. Served at Lexington and Bunker hill, executed at the Battle of Fort Griswold in Conn.)

 David was in Petersham by 1762. He served 1775-1777 at the battles of Lexington and Bunker Hill. (http://www.wpi.edu/Academics/Depts/MilSci/BTSI/Lexcon/) He served as lieutenant at Fort Griswold under Colonel Ledyard, 1781, and with the colonel, was massacred by the British after the surrender. (DAR Lineage books)

Clark, David, Medway. List of men in service at various times subsequent to April 19, 1775, estimated April 13, 1778. (Mass. Soldiers and Sailors)

Information from the Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park

Privateers

"During the Revolutionary War, New London harbor on the Thames River was home port for many privately owned armed ships that preyed upon British supply vessels and merchant ships. The privateers were licensed by the State of Connecticut according to the rules established by Congress. Each year they increased in number and captured more British shipping. Their exploits peaked with the taking of the Hannah by the Minerva in the summer of 1781. Seizure of the Hannah's rich cargo which included personal supplies for the British officers stationed in New York City, helped prompt the events that soon followed.

New London's bulging warehouses brought great wealth to adventurous ship owners and merchants, but they were a potential target for enemy reprisal. From the earliest days of the war, state officials had seen the need for harbor fortifications, but construction proceeded slowly. By 1781 the largest structure on the New London side, Fort Trumbull, was still unfinished and vulnerable to attack from land.

Fort Griswold

East of the river on Groton Heights, a completed work, Fort Griswold, commanded the harbor and the surrounding countryside. It was somewhat square with projecting fortifications on two corners and a projection on the east side. A deep trench surrounded the fort on three sides. The lower walls were faced with stone and were topped with a barrier of cedar pickets projecting outward. Above this was an earthen wall with openings (embrasures) for cannon. A tunnel-like passageway (sally port) led to a covered ditch which ended at a battery for cannon southwest of the fort. The gate at the north end was protected by a V-shaped earthen mound. Barracks for 300 men paralleled the innermost wall and the magazine was set into the southwest bastion near the flagpole. The fort was in good condition and the magazine was full in 1781.

The Burning of New London

Late that summer, the British generals were anxious to distract Washington who was then marching south. They decided to create a diversion by attacking an important northern supply center, New London, and, with the same stroke, destroy the "Rebel pirate ships". The command of the expedition fell to Benedict Arnold who had deserted the American cause the year before, and who, being a native of nearby Norwich, knew the harbor area well.

At sunrise on September 6, 1781, the people of the town were awakened with the news that a large force of British Regulars had landed on both sides of the river's mouth and were coming upon them fast. They could do nothing but flee. A number of rigged ships in the harbor caught a favorable breeze and escaped upstream, but the rest were trapped. The 800 men led by Arnold into New London met only scattered resistance as they set about the task of destroying the "immense" stockpile of goods and naval stores kept there. Buildings, wharfs and ships were soon in flames. One hundred and forty-three buildings, nearly all the town, were consumed.

The Battle of Groton Heights

The British force of 800 that landed on the east side of the Thames River was slowed by tangled woods and swamps. A battalion of New Jersey loyalists responsible for moving the artillery could not keep pace with the Regulars who came within striking distance of Fort Griswold at 10 a.m. Meanwhile, the fort had been garrisoned with about 150 colonial militia and local men under the command of Colonel William Ledyard. Colonel Ledyard and his officers, expecting reinforcements momentarily, elected to defend the post against the superior force. Colonel Eyre, the British commander, sent forward a flag demanding surrender. Ledyard refused. The demand was made again and Eyre threatened that if he were forced to storm the fort, no quarter would be given to its defenders. The response was the same.

The British force immediately spread their ranks and advanced on Fort Griswold. As they neared the ditch, they were met with an artillery barrage that killed and wounded many, but the seasoned and disciplined troops continued their charge. Some tried to gain the southwest bastion but they were repulsed and Colonel Eyre was badly wounded. Under heavy musket fire, another group dislodged some pickets and by hand to hand combat reached a cannon and turned it against the garrison. Another party led by Major Montgomery charged with fixed bayonets. They were met with long spears and the major was killed. A few of the Regulars managed to reach the gate and open it and the enemy force marched in, in formation. Seeing this, Colonel Ledyard ordered his me to stop fighting, but some action continued on both sides.

American and British accounts of the subsequent events are at odds. The American version holds that after Ledyard gave up his sword in surrender he was immediately killed with it and that a massacre ensued. Before the "massacre" it is claimed that less than ten Americans had been killed, but when it was over, more than eighty of the garrison lay dead and mutilated and more than half of the remainder were severely wounded. The British version makes no mention of the massacre or the manner of Ledyard's death. The entire battle had lasted only 40 minutes.

Aftermath

Major Montgomery was buried in the fort's parade ground. The other British dead were placed in unmarked graves and their wounded were carried down the steep hill to the river. The American wounded were placed on a heavy artillery cart, which as it was being moved down the hill broke away and smashed into a tree causing terrible suffering. The bleeding wounded men were then carried to the nearby Avery house. Prisoners who were able to walk were placed aboard ship. As evening approached, the British troops embarked leaving a detachment behind to lay a powder train from the full magazine to the barracks and then burn the barracks. This attempt to destroy the fort failed when a patriot put the fire out. Arnold reported his losses for the expedition at 51 dead and 142 wounded. Many of his wounded men and prisoners soon died aboard the ship

8. Private Jonas Carruth  (Great-Great Grandfather of Amelia Mary Clark)
 
b: Jun 08, 1740 in Westborough, Worcester Co., Massachusetts 
d: Jun 1827 in Petersham, Worcester Co., Massachusetts 
 Burial: 1827 Petersham Village Cemetery, Petersham, Worcester Co., Massachusetts 

During the French and Indian War, Jonas was a private on the Train Band of the 2nd Company of Militia in Westborough commanded by Capt. Bezealeal Eager. He served as a private in the revolution in Capt. Robert Cutting's Company, Col. McIntosh's Regiment, Gen. Lovell's Brigade. (Carruth, H) Revolutionary War


9. Ephraim Lindsay (Great Grandfather of Amelia Mary Clark)

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