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| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| James N. |
Posted - August 05 2012 : 11:40:40 AM
One of Colonial and Revolutionary America's larger-than-life heroes was Connecticut's Israel Putnam, whose life included many legendary feats. Among the best known were his being saved at the last minute from being burned at the stake after being captured by Indians while serving as a major in Rogers' Rangers during the French and Indian War; how he left his plow in the field and shouldered his musket to march off to Boston when he learned of Lexington and Concord; and how he rode his horse down a flight of stone steps to escape pursuing British dragoons during the Revolution. As elaborated as many of these may have been, none was as well-known as the one that supposedly happened here.
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The story goes that as a young farmer in the winter of 1742 - 43, Old Put had joined a group of his neighbors hunting the she-wolf that had been raiding their flocks, killing as many as a dozen sheep nightly. When tracked to her lair smoke failed to drive her out, and one of the dogs was severely mangled while attempting to flush the wolf. Put supposedly tied a rope around his waist, dropped to all fours, and crawled into the small opening armed with his musket and a torch. After a couple of failed attempts, he managed to shoot the wolf, and grabbing the body by the ears, signal for both to be pulled out by others in the party tugging at the rope. This tale was told for years afterward, becoming an important part of the Putnam legend.
Viewing the scene today, located deep in the wilds of Wolf Den State Forest near Pomfret, Conn., it's hard to visualize. The Wolf Lair doesn't require crawling to enter nor does it slant downward like in the tale, and though not very deep, there's room inside to stand, even if cramped. Perhaps it's been altered to make it more accessable, but seeing it was quite a letdown after reading the story! As you can see, as all-too-frequent some vandal has stolen the bronze plaque that was inset into the rock by the entrance. At a span of now 270 years, it's impossible to know the truth behind this exploit, but Putnam probably DID at least kill the wolf! Though no longer regarded as one of the Revolution's major leaders, during his lifetime and for many years afterward, Israael Putnam was Connecticut's "Favorite Son" and deserves to be better-remembered today.
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| 2 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| James N. |
Posted - August 05 2012 : 2:19:41 PM
Originally and logically known as Mohegan since it was the homeland of that tribe, modern Norwich, Conn. was home to many notable Revolutionaries. I have previously posted in a thread dedicated to King Philip's War photos of the Royal Mohegan Burial Ground, burial place of the historical Chief Uncas, and site of Mohegan Fort Shantok, scene of a battle between his tribe and attacking Narragansetts in 1643. Established in 1659, three years later the town changed its name to Norwich. The Ca. 1765 Leffingwell House was an early inn run by Thomas Leffingwell and an important center of Revolutionary politics once visited by Washington.
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Norwich was home to the powerful and numerous Huntington family, whose crypt in the Old Colonial Burial Ground contains the graves of several important Revolutionary leaders: Benjamin ( 1736 - 1800 ), town mayor, judge, and member of the Continental Congress; militia General Jabez ( 1719 - 86 ); his sons Continental General Jedediah ( 1743 - 1818 ) and Ebeneezer ( 1754 - 1834 ), a Revolutionary soldier and later congressman. From another branch of the family, Samuel Huntington ( 1731 - 96 ) was a Signer of the Declaration of Independence and President of Congress for two years and later Governor of the state. Both front and back of the Huntington family crypt are shown.
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Though one of my favorite photos from the Old Colonial Burial Ground, this small mound is something of a mystery and I believe demonstrates how facts have become garbled in the years since the Revolution. The inscription on the bronze plaque reads:
"In Memory of / Twenty French Soldiers / who serving under / LAFAYETTE / died while in camp at / Norwich, Conn. 1778"
There are several problems with the bare "facts" contained here: What would French soldiers be doing HERE in 1778 since that was the very first year of the Alliance and the only ones even remotely near were the sailors and marines with d'Estang briefly at Newport and later Boston. LaFayette never commanded French troops during the American Revolution - he was only a colonel in his own regiment in France and it never came to America; he was a general in the American army commanding Americans. It is my belief that these are either: invalids from d'Estang's fleet who were put ashore and subsequently died of disease ( though why so far from shore is a mystery ); OR, more likely, some of Rochambeau's soldiers who returned to New England in the Spring of 1782 after wintering at Williamsburg, Va., following Yorktown. Likely by the time this tablet was placed, in the public mind ALL French troops had been led by LAFAYETTE and exact dates had been forgotten along with Rochambeau, d'Estang, de Barras, and de Grasse. One thing is certain, however: whoever these men were and whenever they died, NONE would recognize the flags so lovingly placed above them! |
| James N. |
Posted - August 05 2012 : 12:55:15 PM
As Boatner describes in his Encyclopedia of the American Revolution, "Wethersfield is the oldest permanently inhabited township in Connecticut, and is now a suburb of Hartford." It was originally settled in the 1600's by Puritans from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, but the 1710 Buttolph House is the oldest now remaining in the community. Nearby is the Congregationalist Church with its Christopher Wren-inspired steeple.
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Wethersfield is possibly best known as the site for an important conference held May 21 - 22, 1781, during which General Washington and his ally Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau agreed to cooperate in a campaign towards New York which ultimately led them to Virginia and Cornwallis' surrender at Yorktown. As described in the entry on the Battle of Rhode Island, following its evacuation by British troops, Newport was occupied by Rochambeau as his base in July, 1780. The French remained there the next ten months, largely inert, but making friends among the Rhode Islanders by paying with the King's gold for all their suppplies! Of course, this idyll could not last, and Washington chafed to have them join him at New York for a joint operation against the British stronghold. Having exchanged many letters on the subject, the two commanders agreed to meet at a midway point to discuss plans and options.
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Wethersfield was also the home of American diplomat and Minister to France, Silas Deane, shown above. Next door to his modest home was another vacant house belonging to the family of one of Washington's private secretaries and Deane's stepson, Col. Samuel Blatchley Webb. The Webb house was suggested as a meeting-place for this important conference. Washington and Rochambeau met at Hartford and proceeded to Wethersfield where they spent two days making plans which resulted in the French marching overland from Newport to join the Continentals outside New York. I can easily imagine them strolling in the garden behind the house, perhaps with the Marquis Chastellux acting as translator, since neither Washington nor Rochambeau spoke the other's language.
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After probing Clinton's defenses and deciding they were too strong to attack, word reached Rochambeau that Admiral de Grasse's French fleet had left the Carribean bound for Chesapeake Bay. Crossing the Hudson at King's Ferry just north of Stony Point, the combined Franco-American force, minus a few militia left to "amuse" Clinton, headed through the Jerseys to Philadelphia and ultimately Yorktown.
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