By reason of the death of Colonel Williams at the battle of Lake George, the command of his regiment fell on Colonel Whiting, then of the Town of New Haven, but subsequently removing to this town. He distinguished himself by great coolness, skill and bravery. Colonel Whiting’s orderly book and sword were valued possessions of the Whiting family, who, until within a year, have been residents of the town. The Litchfield Company which, under the command of Captain Archibald McNeill of Colonel Whiting’s Regiment—although not composed exclusively of inhabitants of the town—was enlisted in this immediate vicinity, and its roster contains the names of distinguished men from this town, members of whose families are still living with us—such as the Marshes, Baldwins, Smiths, Gibbs, Catlins, Warners, Lords, Stoddards, Beebes, Osborns and Bissells—with many others.
Dr. Timothy Collins, who had been the first Pastor of the Congregational Church of Litchfield, was appointed as one of the physicians and surgeons of this Connecticut Regiment.
Of the part taken by the town in the Revolutionary War, the difficulty is in determining what to omit. Without instituting comparison, it can safely be said that Litchfield did—as she has always done—her full duty. Circumstances contributed somewhat to the prominence of the town. The control of Long Island Sound and the southern shores of our state by the British ships and troops necessarily compelled the use of the northern route between New England and the western and southern parts of our country. General Washington, when desirous of a consultation with Count Rochambeau at Wethersfield, had almost of necessity to pass through Litchfield. When a place of safety for provisions, stores and prisoners was required, what better situation could be found than among our secluded hills? So, when the Royal Governor—Franklin of New Jersey—and Matthews, Mayor of New York City, were arrested, and Governor Trumbull was requested to detain them, he immediately sent them to Major Moses Seymour, who was then acting not only as Commissioner of Supplies but of prisoners as well—to be detained, and the original warrant for the detention of Mayor Matthews is now in the possession of Judge Woodruff.
None of the Colonies’ soldiers west of the Connecticut River was ordered to Boston at the time of the Lexington Alarm. Only those east of the river received orders to march, while those on the west side were generally instructed to await orders. At the battles of Lexington, Concord and Bunker Hill, if any of our townsmen participated, it was as individuals—as they did when Arnold marched to Quebec. But the most thrilling event of this time was undertaken by a Litchfield man—born in a house still standing if tradition is to be believed—Colonel Ethan Allen, who was in command of the troops that captured Ticonderoga, and who demanded the surrender of the fortress,—“In the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress,” nearly fourteen months before the Declaration of Independence.
Before the War, Connecticut had no cavalry regiment, as such. Each regiment of infantry had a troop of horse attached to it, consisting of one company. Soon after the beginning of the War, these companies were consolidated in a cavalry regiment and placed under the command of Colonel Elisha Sheldon—which regiment soon became the pride of the army, and was subsequently reorganized as the United States First Dragoons.
The conspicuous part which that regiment played in the War is of common knowledge and need not be dwelt upon. When Washington needed protection in his retreat from Long Island and through the Jerseys, it was this regiment which acted as rear guard and protected his retreat through the state. Colonel Sheldon was a distinguished and valuable citizen of the town, and I have reason to believe that the house in which he lived is still standing.
The pulling down of the equestrian statue of George III on the Bowling Green in New York and the bringing of it to Litchfield to be moulded into bullets by the fair women of our town is an incident too well known to require special mention, but it has always seemed to the writer to have a semi-comic as well as a tragic side. A British soldier maimed by a bullet moulded by Yankee Rebel women out of a statue erected to honor his King, must have had mingled feelings; his loyalty to the King prohibited his having any ill-feeling toward the statue, but his respect for the ladies of Litchfield must have been considerably lowered.
When the importance of defeating General Burgoyne in his attempt to separate New England from New York and the western and southern states became apparent, General Schuyler sent word to General Wolcott to hasten forward to Albany as many as possible of the Connecticut troops. General Wolcott with his usual promptness without waiting instructions from Gen. Washington or Gov. Trumbull, ordered all the Connecticut troops west of the Connecticut River to proceed immediately to Albany. The Litchfield Troop of Horse, under Major Moses Seymour, and the Infantry Company, under Captain Beebe, marched immediately, and participated in the Battles of Stillwater, Bemis Heights and the final victory at Saratoga, which victory Cressey—in his enumeration of the famous battles of the world—includes as one of the most important.
There is an interesting and prophetic incident related of the banquet to which General Gates invited General Burgoyne and his officers, after the surrender, at which General Burgoyne in response to a request for a toast, after some hesitation, arose and said: “I give you England and America against the world.”
At the attacks on Danbury and New Haven, our Litchfield soldiers rushed to the assistance of both places. From Danbury down to the place of debarkation at Compo Beach, they pursued, attacked and harrassed Tryon’s troops, capturing and killing many of them.