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1147110 „
COULHCTION
d
ir-
itn'lni'llfiWlTlT.PIiftLiq LIBRARY
3 1833 02211 8852
HISTORY
O F
ANCIENT WOODBUEY,
CONNECTICUT,
FROM
THE FIRST INDIAN DEED IN 1659 TO 1872,
INCLUDING THE
(resent lolMSof Maslnngtan, SmttlrbttrD, letI]UI]£m, f cxburg,
anlj a prt at i^forir anli piiiijU&urs.
By WILLIAM COTHREN,
" I love thee, oh ! my native land !
I love thy sons, a brother band !
Thy rocks, and hills, and vales, to me.
Are temples of the truly free 1 "
VOL. II.
p..-
WOODBURY, CONN.:
PUBLISHED BY WILLIAM COTHREN.
1872.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1872, hy
WILLIAM COTHREN,
in the Office of the Librarian of Congress.
PiitiBS OF THB STATPOBD PRINTING OFFICE, NBW HAVSJIj CS.
INTRODUCTION TO THE SECOND VOLUME.
1147110
JOYFULLY do I bring this history to
a close — a work of most arduous labor,
— long-continued, — and heartily can T
join in tlie aspiration; — "Oh! that
mine enemy had written a book " —
especially a book of Town History I
The work has grown upon my hands to a volume more than twice
the size contemplated and promised. It became inevitable. We
have made history faster, and more voluiriiinously, during the last
twenty ye.irs, than for the preceding one hundred A faitliful and
minute account of these years has been attempted. At tlie same
time, the careful inquiries and researches of the last twenty years,
have added to the ancient history of the town an amount almost
equal to that contained in the former volume, of most valuable
and interesting matter. In -this part of his work the author has
been most ably aided by several antiquarian friends, and especially
by the Rev. Benjamin L. Swan, of Oyt^ter Bay, N. Y., a most care-
ful and successful antiquarian scholar. Due credit has been given
to each assistant in the pages of the volume.
TV. PREFACE.
No work so elaborate, extended and complete, has been atteraiDt-
ed in this country, and it will remain for the reader to decide,
whether the author has accomplished his purpose of making it a
model of its kind. Neither time, arduous labor, nor expense has
been withheld by him.
A large addition has been made to almost every chaptei- of the
foi'mer work. The statistics of the several towns have been
brought down to date, and include the results of the last election.
As a book of statistics, it must remain for all time invaluable to
all. In the genealogical part of the work, not only lias all addi-
tional information in regard to the families, in the former volume
been added, but the genealogies of a large number of other fami-
lies have been included.
Woodbury has been celebrated for its Bi-Centennial Celebra-
tions. A full history of all these has been included in the work-
A new feature in the work is exhibited in the illustrations. Mi'.
Henry Clay Curtis, an excellent artist, residing, in Hartford, has
profusely illustrated the work, so that the two volumes now con-
tain about one hundred and sixty-seven cuts, of all kinds, inserted
at g'-eat expense, contributing immensely to the attraciions and
and permanent value of the work.
The question of the "Church dissensions in Stratford," resulting
in the settlement of Woodbury, has been seriously mooteil. Ev-
ery recorded item in the records has been carefully collected, and
])i-inted entire in the wc.rk, vviih such leraarks and ehu-idntions as
seemed called for, placing the controver>y, as it would seem, for-
ever at r(;st. As the theoiy maintained in the former work had
been adopted by all subsequent historians, State and Ecclesiastical,
it seemed necessary to thoroughly examine the subject, and vin-
dicate the " truth of history,"
A leading feature of the work is a minute history of the ett'orts
of the several towns in the ancient ten-itory to suppress the late
Rebellion. The author has treated this subject in a maimer en-
tirely different from that pursued l)y the various historians of the
war. The latter have written general histories. The authors
PREFACE. V
were obliged to say such a General did this — such a Colonel did
that. The author of this work has attempted to write Pin individal
history of tlie war. Private A. did this — Sergeant B. did that.
He has attempted to reveal the nerve and sinew wliicli did most
to accomplish the great result. He has given a complete list of
all the soldiers from the ancient town, with particular incidents in
regard to many of them. About 400 pages of the work are de
voted to this history. It is believed that it will be one of the
most satisfactory accounts of the incidtnts of the Rebellion to the
private soldier.
Finally, this work is no*w passed over for the examination of a
discriminating public, upon its merits, and the author awaits its
j'^dgraent with calm composure, believing it will be just.
WILLIAM COTHREN.
Woodbury, May 1, 1872.
CONTENTS OF THE SECOND VOLUME.
CHAPTER I.— PHYSICAL HISTORY.
Page.
Page.
First Impressions,
. 842
Nonnewaug River,
846
Bestowal of names,
843
Sliepaug ' '
. 846
Quassapaug Lake,
. 844
Orenaug Park,
847
Weraumaug "
845
Shepaug Falls,
. 847
Bantam
. 845
Nonnewaug "
848
Kissewaug "
846
Bacon's Pond,
. 849
Village Plain,
. 845
Kettletown,
850
Indian Names,
846
Jack's Brook Legend,
. 852
Pootatuck River,
. 846
Mine Hill,
852
Pomperaug "
846 i Helicon Spring,
. 859
CHAPTER II.— INDIAN HISTORY.
Who were the Indians ? . 861
Their character, . . . 863
Indian Regulations, . . 865
Indian Watches, . . . 869
Definition of Indian names, . 876
Indian Relics, '. . . .878
Indian God,
Pomperaug's Grave,
Nonuewaug's "
Bethel Rock Legend,
Reflections,
880
881
884
CHAPTER III.— ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY.
General Ecclesiastical Review, 890
" Stratford View " of the religious
dissensions, . . . 892
The " Woodbury View " re-stated,
re-affirmed, and proved, . 8
CHAPTER IV.— CIVIL HISTORY.
Accuracy of American History, 929 i Fundamental Articles. . . 932
Free Home-Ixjts, . . . 930 | Lower Nonnewaug Falls, . 935
CONTENTS.
VU
Old Mill-stonea ... 936
Bethel Rock cliurcli meetings, 939
First Meeting House, . . 94
Second " ... 942
Sabbath Day Houses, . . 942
Church Customs, . . .942
Bear Hill and Rag-Land Sheep
Pasture, . . , .942
Church Drum,
Wooden Shoes, .
Ride-and-Tie,
Going to Church,
Iron Kettle,
Quassapaug Scene,
The Parson and Lawyer-
mauff Lake.
-Werau-
943
944
945
946
946
947
950
CHAPTER v.— CIVIL HISTORY CONTINUED.
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS.
Town Bi-Centennial of 1859, 951
Ode of Invocation, . . 958
N. Smith's Welcome, . . 959
William Cothren's Address, 960
Rev. Wm T. Bacon's Poem, . 965
Rev. A. S. Atwood's Speech, 970
Bi-Centenniel Ode, . . .973
Hon. Seth P. Beers' Speecli, 973
Dr. D. B. W. Hard's " .975
Mrs. Ann Stephen's Ode, . 977
Hon. Charles Chapman's speech, 978
Hon. I. W. Stuarts' Letter, 980
Mrs. L. H. Sigourney's Ode, 9S1
Geo. H. Clark's Centennial Poem, 982
Hon. Henry Dutton's Speech, 988
Samuel Minor's " 988
Mrs. Ann S. Stephens' Poem,
Rev. Philo Judson's Speech,
Masonic Centennial, . ,
AlonzoN. Lewis' Address, 1000,1011
Rev. Curtiss T. Woodruff's Ser-
mon, .... 1008
William Cothren's Address, 1011
E. A. Judd's Address, . . 1018
Fjrst Church Bi-Centenniel.
Covenant of 1670.
Rev. W. T. Bacon's Poem,
990
993
998
1022
1024
1019
Rev. John Churchell's Speech, 1020
List of Deacons, . . . 1026
Dedication of the Fathers' Monu-
ment 1040
Rev. T. L. Shipman's Prayer, 10-H
W. Cothren's Dedicatory Ad-
dress, . .' . 1042
Rev. W. T. Bacon's dedication
Poem, . . . .1046
Rev. Mr. Noyes' Bi-Centenniel
Sermon, . . . .1029
Communion Exercises, . 1038
Dedication Hymn, . . . 1048
Rev. Horace Winslow's Greeting, 105 1
Rev. Wm. K. Hall's Speech, 1052
Rev. A. B. Smith's " . 1056
Rev. Geo. W. Banks, " . 1058
Dr. Bellamy's Letter, . . 1059
Rev. Willis S Colton's Speech, 1062
Rev. A. Goodenough's ' 1065
Rev. H. S. Newcomb's •' 1 066
Rev. John Churchill's " 1067
Rev. Thomas L. Shipman's " 1 070
Rev. C. E. Robinson's Letter, 1071
Rev. Chas. Little's " 1072
Rev. Philo Judson's " 1073
Miss C. E. Andrew's '• 1074
CHAPTER VI.— WOODBURY IN THE GREAT REBELLION.
Causes of the War,
Events of 1860, .
Rev. Noah Coe's Buchanan
Prayer, ....
Parson Champion's Revolution-
ary Prayer,
Events of 1861, .
First Union Meeting,
" Woodbury Reds,"
Letters,
Events of 1862. .
Amusing War Stories, 1149, 1157
1078
Woodbury War Notes,
1183
1087
Farewell to Co. " I,"
. 1191
March to Alexandria, .
1199
1102
Scenes at "
. 1209
James C. Policy's death,
1211
1103
Convalescent Camp,
. 1213
1103
Col. Elisha Kellogg,
1213
1120
Lt. Fred. Whitlock,
. 1214
1123
H. H. Fox's Death,
1219
1127
Alexandria Alarm,
. 1219
1146
Events of 1863, .
1223
War Notes of 1863.
. 1226
1183
Events of 1864. .
1230
Vlll
CONTENTS,
Battle of Cold Harbor. . .1230
Battle at Winchester, . . 1230
Battle of Cedar Creek, . . 1238
War Notes of 1864. . . 1254
War Letters 1259
Events of 1865, . . . 1266
Soldiers' Welcome Home, . 1283
Welcome Ode, . . .1284
Dea. P. M. Trowbridge's Address, 1285
Woodbury " Secesh " Flags, 1280
Rev. A. N. Lewis' Poem of Wel-
- come, . . . 1286,1607
Wm. Cothreii's Address of Wei
come, .... 1287
Woodbury Contributions, 1291
List of those who sent Substitutes, 1293
Decoration Day, . . . 1294
W. Cothren's Address, . 1294
Soldiers' Monument Meeting, 1296
Dedication of Soldiers' Monument,1299
W. Cothren's Address at same,
1300, 1308
Col. A. H. Fenn's Speech, . 1304
Complete List of Woodbury Sol-
diers, .... 1304
Woodbury Roll of Honor, 131C, 1313
Andersonville Prison, . 1324
Final Remarks on the War, 1343
CHAPTER VIL— ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY CONTINUED.
Rev. Lucius Curtis dismissed, 1347
Religious Revivals, 1347, 1357
Rev. Robert G. Williams Settled, 1347
Rev. Chas E. Robinson " 1351
Rev. Chas. Little, . . 1352
Rev. Horace Winslow, . . 1353
Rev. Gurdon W Noyes Settled, 1353
Rev. Samuel R. Andrew — Life
and Character, . . 1354
Mr. Andrew's account of his Set-
tlement, . . . 1357
Dea. Matthew Minor's Biography, 1365
Minor Jubilee, . . 1369
Hon. Noah B. Benedict's Will, 1369
CHAPTER VIII.— CIVIL HISTORY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 342.
Tories, ....
. 1372
Moll Cramer — the witch. . 1380
Local School Fund,
1372
Break Neck Hill, . . 1381
Remember Baker,
. 1373
Parson Wildman's Donati'n Visit, 1383
Col. Seth Warner,
1373
Natural Curiosities, . . 1382
Parson Stoddard and the
Flint
Walker Headstone, . . 1383
Lock,
. 1375
Ram Pit Hill. '. - .1383
Epidemics,
1376
Parker Academy, . . 1384
Ancient Burial Ground, .
. 1377
Woodbury Bank, . . .1384
New Burial, "
1377
" Building Association, 1384*
New County Proposition,
. 1378
King Solomon's Lodge, . 1385
Ancient Tea Party,
1379
CHAPTER IX-
-CIVIL HISTORY CONTINUED.
ALTIES.
-CRIMES AND CASU-
Murder of Bennet Ward, . 1390
" Matthew M. Morriss. 1390
" Lucius H. Foot, 1392
Suicide of Ralph Li na, . 1396
Suicide of Columbus W. Randall, 1397
Thefts, . . . . 1397
Burlaries in Curtiss' Factory and
Walker's Store, . . 1 3,97
'CONTEXTS.
IX
CHAPTER X.— HISTORY OF THE SOCIETIES AND TOWNS SET OFF
FROM ANCIENT WOODBURY— CONTINUED FROM PAGE 218.
Southbury Society,
Rev. Jason Atwater,
Rev. A. B. Smith,
South Britain Society,
Rev. John W. Wolcott,
Rev. Homer S. Newcomb,
Southbury War Votes,
Southbury Volunteers,
Bethlehem,
Rev. Eph. M. Wright,
Rev. Greo. W. Banks, .
Bethlehem War Votes, .
Bethlehem Volimteers,
Washintrton.
Rev. Ephraim Lyman,
Rev. Wm. H. H. Murray,
Rev. Willis S. Colton,
1400
1400
1400
1401
1401
1401
1401
1403
1404
1404
1404
1405
1405
1406
1406
1407
1407
New Preston Society, . 1407
Washington War Votes, . 1407
Washington Volunteers, . 1408
Frederick W. Gunn's Boarding
School for Boys, . . 1410
Roxbury, . . . . 1413
Rev. Austin Isham, . . 1413
Rev. Oliver S. Dean, . . 1413
Rev. J. H. Varce, . . . 1414
Rev. A. Goodenough, . 1414
Revivals, . . . .1414
Roxbury Volunteers, . . 1415
Roxbury War Votes, . . 1415
North Congregational Church, 1416
St Paul's Church, . . 1416
Centennial of Same, . . 1417
CHAPTER XL— BIOGRAPHIES AND AUTO-BIOGRx\PHIES OF NA-
TIVES, RESIDENTS AND DESCENDANTS O-F ANCIENT WOOD-
BURY IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER.
Rev. Garrett G. Brown,
1422
Edward J. Hvibbard,
1432
Hon. Seth P. Beers,
. 1423
Hon. James Huntington,
. 1433
Hon. Chas. Chapman,
1423
Willis Lambert,
. 1433
William Cothren,
. 1426
Henry Minor
1434
Hon. Samuel G. Goodrich, .
1^7
Rev. Dr. Elisha Mitchell,
. 1435
Hon. Orlando Hastings, .
. 1428
Hon Simeon H. Minor,
1443
Hon. Joel Hinman,
1430
Hon. Wm. T. Minor.
. 1444
Rev. Benjamin C. Meigs,
. 1444
Hon. Chas. B. Phelps,
1445
Rev. John Purves,
1450
Hon. Henry S. Sanford, .
. 1450
Dr. Avery J. Skilton,
. 145U
Dr. Azariah B. Shipman,
1455
Mrs. Mary Ann W. Smith, .
1459
Dr. Parson G. Shipiiten,
. 1458
Rev. Bennet Tyler, . ''
. 1461
Hon. Isaac Toucey,
1464
Arthur B. Warner,
1465
Col. Seth Warner,
. 1465
Hon. Warren W. Guthrie,
. 1366
CHAPTER XII.— GENEALOGIES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 481.
In Alphabetical order.
CHAPTER XIII.— STATISTICS.
CONTENTS,
APPENDIX.
Oolton Family, . . .1605
Curtiss Family, . . 1P05
Hon. David F. Hollister, . 1606
Rev. Alonzo Norton Lewis, 1606
Rev. Alonzo Norton Lewis' Poem
to Returned Soldiers, . 1607
Rev. Wm. T. Bacon's Reunion
Poem. . . . .1609
TABLE OF ERRATA.
Page
1611
CHAPTER I
PHYSICAL HISTORY.
FiEST Impressions ; Bestowal op names ; Village Plain ; Middle Quarter ;
White Oak ; Indian names ; Quassapaug ; Weraumaug ; Bantam ; Kissewaug;
PooTATUcK ; PoMPERAUG ; NoNNicTVAUG ; Shepaug ; Orenaug ; Bethel Rock ;
NoNNEWAUG Falls ; Shepaug Falls ; Bacon's Pond ; Kettletown ; Divers
Localities ; Jack's Brook ; Mine Hill ; Helicon Spring.
FTER a lapse of seventeen years, during
which history has more than " repeated
itself," in great and stirring events, in the
progress of living ideas, in the advance-
ment of literature and science, in the
spread of Christianity, and in the clear
understanding and final establishment of
the true principles of civil liberty, and the
enfranchisement of the human race, it would seem wise to review
the whole ground-work of our history as a nation, and as civil
communities, that we may learn the true lessons of the recent
past, and take prudent and judicious departures for the scenes and
events of the future, through which we are yet to pass. We have
been so overwhelmed with the tumultuous events which have oc-
curred in the last few years, that we shall be astonished, on a
calm retrospect, to observe Avhat strides we have made in human
progress, and how totally unconscious we have been of the mag-
nitude and importance of the history we have been making, and
of the share each little hamlet has had in producing it. It is from
the careful examination of the elements, that go to make up any
desirable event, or result, that we are able to understand and duly
appreciate it, and derive from it the lessons desirable for future use
and improvement.
It will be our pleasing duty, then, to review the history of our
ancient and honorable town, and gather for the use of ourselves,
and those who shall succeed us in our pleasant abodes, in this val-
842 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY,
ley of valleys, and on these rejoicing hills, so favoi'ed of Heaven,
the " remnants, that remain" of the treasures not discovered be-
fore the completion of our former enterprise, and to preserve
them in the archives of our local history, " that nothing may be
lost." To accomplish this, the plan of the former work will be
followed, recording, step by step, all further facts obtained, under
the several heads employed before, sometimes repeating facts
found in the first volume, for greater clearness of statement, and
to save reference to another volume, so inconvenient in the read-
ing of any work.
Although our country is so young, and our experience so recent,
it is yet very difficult for us to picture to ourselves the novelty
with which this wilderness must have struck the early gaze of our
forefathers, as they came here, " bearing the ark of their covenant
into the wilderness." The land was all before them. They had
full authority to enter and possess it, by solemn conveyance from
the Indian proprietors, and by the full consent and endowment of
the General Court, encumbered by no conditions, except to receive
as many other " honest inhabitants " into proprietorship with them,
as the plantation would " conveniently entertain " — a matter of
prime necessity in new and feeble communities. How does our
most fertile imagination fail to grasp and comprehend the mingled
emotions which must have struggled in the bosoms of our sturdy
forefathers, as, after a weary wandering in the deep forests and
beside the " great rivers," they stood upon the summit of " Good
Hill," first local name selected and pronounced by their lips, in the
new home, and gazed into the wild and beautiful valley, divided
by its lovely, meandering river,' seeking with the eye, even in this
first moment of enraptured vision, the sequestered nooks in which
they would build their happy, moi-al abodes, and erect their family
altars, first offerings to their adorable God and Master. Like the
land of Canaan to the Israelites of old, the new land was all be-
fore them, with its woods and rocks, and hills and streams — name-
less as yet. Here were a thousand hills, valleys, streams, and beau-
tiful local objects of every form and style of loveliness, with no
names by which they might be called ; no appellation by which
they might be described. They had bought land at " Pompe-
raug ; " they had been granted liberty by the General Court to
found a new plantation there, and that was all there was of de-
signation. Every thing betokened that the silence of nature had
remained unjbroken by human voice, since those early days, when
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 843
" the morning stars sang together," save by those of nature's own
uncultivated children, the red hunters of the forest. Nature, in
all its grand magnificence, met the enchanted view of the pale
face in these sweetly fertile plains, and mountain fastnesses. The
grim chiefs of the woody wilds alone roamed over these retired sol-
itudes, save the wild beasts, that growled upon a thousand hills.
The whole face of the country was one vast Avilderness, uncheered
by the benign rays of civilization.
Such was the scene, and such were the circumstances that greet-
ed the eyes of Capt. John Minor, the intrepid surveyor, and his
sturdy companions, as they entered this territory, Avhich was then
the farthest point from our coast and larger rivers, that had been
explored, two hundred years ago. This wilderness must be re-
claimed; human habitations must be erected; the church of God,
with its accompanying school-house, must be builded from these
over-arching forest trees, and all objects must receive names and
designations.
We may imagine the first surveyor, like a second Adam, with
every living and inanimate object before him, awaiting the bestow-
al of an appellation. And right royally did he and his associates
fulfill this duty of necessity and convenience, as they scattered
among the hills and valleys, and reclaimed the waste lands. Per-
haps no town anywhere has so successfully preserved its early de-
signations as this. Everywhere we meet the "old landmarks."
We will mention some of them, that they may be recorded, as
well as remembered forever.
It was natural that they should then and there name the place
whence they had had the pleasure of beholding, their "land of prom-
ise ; " their future homes. They called it Good Hill. It was good
and pleasant for them, in more particulars than one. It was the place
of good hopes and anticipations. It was the place of good views. It
was the place of good lands, and, afterwards, became the location of
their " Good Hill Division," in the proportionate distribution of the
lands of their new territory among the proprietors. The place where
the present village stands, which was, at that date, with the adjoin-
ing intervales, cultivated by the Indians, and planted with scant
crops of corn, beans, and some few other productions, was called
by preeminence The Plain, and the designation has been handed
down to the present day, in the conveyance of lands. The fertile
plateau where the pioneers spent their first night, a little south of
the village, they named Middle Quarter. It was so named, prob-
844 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
ably, because they deemed it nearly midway between the plain
land, which they named Judson Lane, and on which the iirst framed
house was built, and White Oak, a place so designated by them, -
in the upper part of Southbury, nearest the present town of
Woodbury, the place where they spent the second night of their
explorations. This spot has always been one of interest. The
old oak long since passed away, as is stated on a preceding page,
but the interest still lingers around the ancient locality, and our
artist has given a sketch of it for a future chapter.
These few names sufficed their first wants, as they builded their
cabins amid these vales and hills, keeping as nearly together as
possible. As the settlement extended its limits, they learned and
appropriated the good old names, which had been used by the
original native proprietors, and they have been carefully handed
down to the present. No town of equal dimensions within the
writer's knowedge has retained so many of them, and they are of
far greater euphony, for the most j)art, than those preserved in
other parts of the State. Many of our towns long since forgot
the local names of the former occupants of the country. In the
the neighboring town of Watertown, for instance, it is said that
not a single Indian appellation, or name of local objects or places,
now remains. This is the more singular, as there must ever be a
lingering interest or curiosity in all the remaining traces of the
aboriginal race, which preceded us, even in the least observant
minds.
Quite different from this was the care with which our fathers
gathered up, and applied the beautiful Indian names which abound
in our territory. This may, in part, be accounted for by the fact,
that Capt. John Minor, the leading man among the colonists, had
been educated as missionary to the Indians, understood well their
language, and seemed to take a delight in fixing forever the abo-
riginal names to the various localities, as he, in his office of sur-
veyor, parcelled out the lands among the pioneers. To the lovely
lake on our eastern borders he applied the name of Quassapaug,
or The Beautiful Clear Water. This pleasant sheet of water, so
cosily nestling among the verdant hills, furijished one of the first
fishing places to the new settlers, cut off as they wei"e from the
seaboard by the boundless forests lying between them and the sea.
This is an enchanting little water retreat among the hills, where
one may while away an hour of pleasant thought and rest, seclu-
ded from all obtruding care, or may unite with friends in sailing
HISTORY OF AKCIEZSTT WOODBURY. 845
over its limpid waters, enjoying the " feast of reason and the'flow
of soul." It has ever been a location of interest, and is yearly-
becoming the place of resort for those who admire the loveliness
of nature secluded in its deep solitudes. Weraumaug is another
lake of about the same size, one mile by two in dimensions, loca-
ted in the north-west corner of the ancient territory, to which the
same reniarks will apply. It has now become the popular resort
of the city-heated denizen, who seeks, for a brief space, rest and
relaxation during the hot months. Like the former, it has be-
come the place of sweet romance and many a flirtation, while
reverend doctors of divinity and learned doctors of the law, " pass
stately by," and form a solid back ground. Bantam, in the north-
ern bounds, north of what was, at a later day, called " Woodbury
Farms," is another beautiful sheet of water, and point of much
attraction. It is one of the principal boasts of the present town
of Litchfield, the County seat, which is now in somewhat pleasant
repute as a "summer resort," claiming attention, principally, for
the life-invigorating air of its breezy hills and extended country
views. The name of Bantam has usually been considered by his-
torians as the aboriginal name of this lake, together with its river,
and surrounding country. But there is every reason to doubt the
correctness of this opinion. It has neither the look nor sound of
any other words in our native Indian dialect.^ The only
place called by this name, now recollected, is Bantam in the
Island of Java. ISTo reason can be assigned for the transfer of the
name to this locality, except, perhaps, the fanciful one, that " like
the Bantam of the old world, this was a wild and almost unknown
region, inhabited by a race of barbarians." It is hardly probable,
however, that our ancestors, in the necessitous circumstances of a
new settlement in the unbroken wilderness, had time to make,
even if they had the necessary geographical information, such far-
fetched and philosophical, not to say poetical comparisons in
diverse localities. Kissewaug is the name bestowed upon a long
and narrow pond below Quassapaug lake, in the southern part of the
present town of Middlebury. It also bears the more modern name
of Long Meadow Pond. There is a somewhat apocryphal legend
connected with this little lakelet, from which it is said to have
derived its name, Kissewaug. But it is by no means certain that the
first syllable of that name, used as as separate word, has the same
' Kilbourn's History of Litchfield, p. 24.
846 HISTORY OF ANCIEXT WOODBURY.
meaning in the native tongue as in our own, and consequently it
becomes unnecessary to relate it here.
Nearly all the rivers and streams of the territory have retained
their Indian names. The principal river, called by the early set-
tlers at Stratford, the Great River, was called in the eai'ly Indian
conveyances, the Pootatuck river. In later years, it was called by
another Indian name, the Housatonic, which name it now bears*
The central river of the ancient territory still bears its oi'iginal
Indian name of Pomperaug, which was also the name of the last
powerful chief of the Woodbury Indians, who flourished before
the advent of the whites in the territory. This beautiful stream
is fed and formed by the Nonnewaug river, coming in from the
north-east, and joining it near the central village; the " Wecup-
peme " river, as it is called in one of the earliest Indian deeds,
which rises in the northern part of the present town of Bethle-
hem ; and the West Sprain river, which rises in the south-easterly
part of the present town of Washington. In the western portion of
the territory flows the Shepaug river, taking its rise in Bantam lake,
as one of its sources. This river runs through a wild, romantic and
mountainous region, to its junction with the Housatonic. All the
streams of Ancient Woodbury flow southerly, and empty into the
Housatonic. The Quassapaug river, taking its rise in Quassapaug
lake, flows south and joins the Housatonic below Quaker's Farms.
In later years, this stream has been called the Eight Mile brook.
Quanopaug is the name of a brook that flows into the Nonnewaug
river, near the north end of the village. On this stream, which
flows through what was early named the East Meadow where the
settlers had desirable divisions laid out to them, is a very beautiful
cascade, w^hich was much visited by people years ago, but which
has been greatly injured, of late, by diverting the water for irri-
gating purposes, upon the adjacent lands. Yanumpaug brook
flows into the Housatonic river, from its Newtown side, neai'ly
opposite the mouth of the Shepaug river, Pootatuck brook flows
north, into the same river, from the same side, nearly opposite to
the " Pootatuck Wigwams," about two miles above Bennett's
Bridge, A little below is Cockshure's Island, in the Housatonic
river. This has, in a later day, been known as Hubbell's Island,
from Peter Hubbell, who owned it, and to whom the General
Court granted the right to " keep a ferry," at the north end of the
Island, May session, 1730. This Island was owned by an Indian
Sachem, of the name of Cockshure, at the time our fathers moved
HISTORY OP ANCIENT WOODBURY. 84Y
•into the wilderness, and long after. He did not convey it away
till June 18, 1733. His name figured in several of the later In-
dian conveyances. Paquabaug is the name of a small island in
the Shepaug river, above Mine Hill, in Roxbury. At the south-
west corner of Roxbury, at the mouth, and west of the Shepaug
river, is the place called Promiseck, bought of the Indians by Dr.
Ebenezer Warner, in 1728-9. Aurangeatuck Plain is situated
southerly of the present village of Southbury.
Orenaug is the name of the beautiful trap-rock clifls, which
bound the village on the east. The front cliff has been recently
purchased and improved by the writer, as a mountain park. Oak,
maple, hickory, chestnut, and cedar trees are scattered over the
mountain-top, and in the beautiful ravine beyond, while the crest
is covered by a beautiful grove of pine trees, in the midst of
which a tower, thirty feet in height, has been erected, from which
views of six surrounding towns may be obtained. It has been
named the Orenaug Park. Here one can always catch a delight-
ful breeze, and enjoy a beautiful panoramic view of the village,
valley and meandering river below, while the whispering pines
above his head sooth the perturbed, wearied and overworked
mind. The beautiful evergreens suggest thoughts of peace, and
the beatitude of the eternal rest on high :
"As the softened laud-breeze marches,
Through the pine's cathedral arches."
A few moments walk to the south-east, through a pleasant
grove, over the second cliff, brings the visitor to the celebrated
''Bethel Rock," in the bosom of these cliffs, of which more will
be said hereafter. A more lovely and romantic spot, even with-
out its sacred associations, cannot easily be found.
On the Shepaug river, about two miles from its junction with
the Housatonic, is the " Falls " of that river. The river, at this
place, has forced and worn its way through the rocks of the pri-
mary formation, in a hill of considerable size. The channel cut
through these rocks is, in some places, very narrow, and often only
a few feet in width, hemmed in by precipitous rocky banks,
covered with evergreen and other trees, rising a hundred or two
feet, from the bed of the stream. In time of floods, the view of
these falls has been magnificent, with the madly rushing and roar-
ing waters. Below the falls has always been, both in the abori-
ginal days, and now, a favorite and abundant fishing place. Shad
have rarely ascended as high as this place. But trout, suckers
848 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
and lamprey eels, of enormous size, are caught in great abundance.
Occasionally, even in these later years, a trout of very great size,
and of the true speckled variety, strays • into the pools below the
falls. A few years ago, Mr. Thomas Tyrrell, who i)wns the land
and mill at the falls, captured in a brook- pool near the river, by
using a shad seine, a trout of large dimensions, for these waters.
It was 37^ inches in length, measuring 16 inches around the body
in front of the fins, being the largest part, and weighed 17:^ pounds.
This account is vouched for by several witnesses, and is no doubt
correct. But the beauty of these falls has just been destroyed,
by blasting down the cliffs, to make way for the road-bed of the
Shepaug Valley Railroad, leading from Litchfield to a junction
with the Housatonic Railroad at Hawleyville. The rocks have been
skillfully and ruthlessly blasted out, and thrown into the river,
and across it, cutting down large trees two feet in diameter, and
far into the fields beyond. The rock is thrown down the side of
the mountain in large masses, some of them weighing a hundred
and thirty tons to the boulder. It is a fine display of the power
of man in his war with nature. The building of this Railroad,
which runs the whole length of the ancient territory, from north
to south, through the Shepaug valley, with terminus at Litchfield,
is a remarkable result^^f the enterprize of our people. If one had
been asked a year ago to name a locality which was least likely
to be traversed by a Railroad in this region, the unhesitating an-
swer would have been, one through the Shepaug valley. And yet
such has been the indomitable spirit displayed, that the cars will
be running on the road by August, 1871, a little less than a year
from the time when the first spade full of earth was thrown out
to grade the way.
At the upper end of Nonnewaug Plain, in the deep recesses of the
forests, are located the Nonnewaug Falls. These falls are quite
fully described on page 92, but are referred to here for the pur-
pose of collecting all the references and descriptions of places to-
gether. Since the publication of the former edition of this work,
this beautiful retreat of nature has been more and more a place of
resort for pleasure parties, and for those who delight to retire from
the busy haunts of men, and commune with nature in her sacred
solitudes. And yet, as has often been observed in other cases of
the wonderful works of nature, like the falls of Niagara, for in-
stance, people in their vicinity have never seen them, and more
singular still, have never heard of them. In this very case, an old
UPPER NONNEWAUG FALLS, WOODBURY, CONN.
HISTORY OF AZSrCIENT WOODBURY. 849
gentleman, aged 87, living within half a mile of these falls all his
life, and in fall ear-shot of their roaring in flood-time, had never
known, or heard of them, up to the issue of the former edition of
this history, in 1854, This is one of those peculiar instances
where the grand and the sublime objects in nature, which always
attract the attention and the admiration of men, and sway the
heart with great emotions, have been unheeded by those who
have readiest access to them, while a view of them has been
sought by pilgrims from the most distant parts.
Such were some of the Indian names retained by the first set-
tlers, and handed down to the present time. As their families
increased, and new inhabitants were admitted, they continued to
apply new names to the diflerent localities. The hill south of
Good Hill was called Grassy Hill, from its abundant grass, which
made a good grazing, or "Pasture Division." The valley east of
Grassy Hill, they called Transylvania. The hill at the south end
of the village, across the river, west, was called Castle Rock, from
the fact that Pomperaug, the last sachem before the advent of the
whites, had there his principal wigwam, or castle. Beyond is
Bear Hill and Ragland, a rugged country. North-east of the Ore-
naug Rocks, is a small artificial pond, covering an area of six or
eight acres, .which was formed by damming up a small stream
that empties into the Nonnewaug river. This was done by the
late Daniel Bacon, long years ago, and continues to bear his name.
Until three or four yeai's ago, it was owned by his son. Rev. Wil-
liam T. Bacon, the celebrated poet of our ancient territory, who
had a strong reverence for the old homestead, and all its appurte-
nances and surroundings. To this romantic, quiet lake, embo-
somed among the rugged hills, and to the pleasant groves around,
has he often retired for meditation, and here has he composed
some of his best verses. A road passing near this sheet of water
leads quite around the Orenaug group of clifls, from and to the
main street, making a pleasant and convenient drive, which is
often taken by citizen and stranger. East Meadow lies north of
the village on the Quanopaug stream, and was much esteemed
for its fertility by the fathers, insomuch that it was divided into
small parcels among them. Steep Rock is a romantic hill some
two miles south-west of the village of Washington, on the She-
paug river. The Shepaug Valley Railroad, to which reference has
already been made, runs through this hilL A tunnel some thirty
rods long has been excavated for its accommodation, and its for-
850 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
mei" romantic beauty has been somewhat marred by the ceaseless
energy of man. Moose Horn Hill, so-called, from the large quan-
tity of the horns of the moose found in that locality, lies about
two miles north-west of Roxbury center. Cat Swamp, so-called,
from the numbers of wildcats that lurked in that vicinity, is about
a mile and a half north-east of the village, and the White Deer
Rocks are about two miles farther on, near th^ head of Quassa-
paug Lake, These were so named from the numbers of white
deer that made these rocks their hiding place, and found their
way cautiously to the lake, to obtain water. Wolf Pit Hill is sit-
uate near the junction of the Weekeepeemee and West Sprain riv-
ers, at Hotchkissville. The place in South Britain near the junc-
tion of the Transylvania Brook with the Pomperaug river, is
called "The Bent." Kettletown lies in the south-east part of
Southbury, and was so named from the fact that the consideration
of its lirst purchase from the Indians was a brass kettle. But this
consideration did not last long, for the proprietors were obliged
to purchase it over again several times afterwards, to prevent con-
troversies with the numerous claimants. There seems to have been
a fatality connected with this locality, for it has been pre-eminenly
a place of dissensions, and conflicting opinions, and it has always
been more prolific in senseless lawsuits than any similar extent of
square acres within the writer's knowledge. And, although there
have been " prophets " in that land, yet they must have been
" without honor," or influence in " their own country," if we are
to judge by the fruits which have come from that region, or the
heart must have been more desperately wicked there than else-
where. Salt Tooth Rock Hill lies in Southbury, and twenty-five
acres of land there was set out to the wife of Col. Ethan Allen,
from the estate of her father, Cornelius Brownson, previous to 1781,
when they sold it.
Transylvania lies in the south-west part of the town, and Flan-
ders in the north, bordering on Bethlehem. Weekeepeemee is a
little hamlet in the north-west part of the town, on the river of
that name. Carmel Hill lies still further on, in the edge of Beth-
lehem, and is noted for its excellent laud. Hazle Plain lies west
of Hotchkissville, on the West Sprain, and Hell Hollow still fur-
ther on, near Washington line. Making an inquiry for the reason
of {his name, many years ago, the writer was informed, that it
was so called from the peculiari'.y of its appearance, as viewed
from the village and surrounding country. That as it lay sunk in
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 851
its gorge among the hills, "it always had a smoke rising from or
hanging over it, as if ascending from the bottomless pit." Non-
newang lies in the northeast, on the river of the same name. The
lower part of this locality, at Burton's mills, has, in later years,
been called Minortown, from the large number of Minors residing
in that vicinity. West Side is the street beyond the river, running;
parallel to the main street of the village. Quassapaug is a small
settlement at the outlet of the Quassapaug lake. Break Neck
Hill lies near the north end of the lake, in Middlebury. It is not
known how the hill became thus named. It could hardly come from
the rapidity of its descent, for it is not more steep than a multi-
tude of other hills in Ancient Woodbury. At the date of the
former edition, there was a rumor current among the old people,
that it was so named from an occurrence which took place when
Rochambeau's French army passed through our town during the
Revolutionary war ; that it was so called because an ox broke his
neck while descending the hill, drawing heavy cannon. Such an
accident may have occurred, buf it was called by this name, in the
ancient conveyances, more than eighty years prior to the Revolu-
tion. The Purchase, so-called, because it was among the last
purchases from the Indian reservation at Pootatuck, lies in the
western part of South Britain. White Oak Plain is the level land
by the river below the Whitlock place, in which was the old
White Oak, to which reference has been so often made. Bullet
Hill lies east of Southbury village. Pork Hollow, where large
quantities of provisions were concealed in the Revolution, is a
ravine in the hills beyond. The Lightning's Playground lies east
of Orenaug Rocks, west of Quassapaug Lake, and is so called be-
cause no thunder-storm has ever been known to pass over the
town without one or more bolts of lightning descending in that
locality. Alder Swamp lies between Woodbury north, and Hotch-
kissville. Hooppole is a hill south-west of the latter place. Scup-
po is a hill in the south-easterly part of Woodbury, opposite the
village of Pomperaug, and is so called from its having been the
location of the cabin of an Indian of that name, living there long
after the fathers settled in this village. Puckshire is in the eastern
part of the town. The Poorhouse is located there. The street
west, and running parallel with the main street, in Southbury, is
called Poverty; for what reason is not now known. Jeremy
Swamp lies east of Kettletown. George's Hill lies north-west of
Kettletown. Horse Hill is south-east of Shepaug Falls. Tousey
852 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
lies north-west of William Hayes' house, in the south-east part of
Bethlehem, and is so called from a Christian Indian, who lived
there for a time. His full name was Hachet Tousey. A further
account of him will be found on page 101. South and west of
Good Hill, in Roxbury, lies a large tract of land called Rucum.
South-west of that is Wildcat Rock. Still further to the south-
west is Flag Swamp, lying between Roxbury and Southbury.
West of Flag Swamp runs Brown's Brook. The mountain north
of Good Hill is called West Mountain. West of Good Hill lies
a deep and long ravine, called Tophet Hollow. It was a dark,
damp, heavily wooded, dismal place, and hence its name. West
of this is Josiah, or Booth's Hill, and north of the latter is Pain-
ter Hill ; all in Roxbury. Moosehorn Brook rises in Ptiinter Hill,
and flows intp the Shepaug, near Treat Davidson's. West of
this brook is Center Hill, and in its rocks is a cave, called Gama-
liel Den. Bottle Swamp Brook runs through the north-western,
part of Roxbury, into the Shepaug river, and west of this brook,
West of James Wakeley's house, is Raven Rock. Jack's Brook
rises in Tophet Hollow, flows southerly through Pulford's Swamp,
and then westerly to the Shepaug, near Warner's Mills. This
stream is said to have received its name from a native African
slave, who committed suicide on its banks, by hanging, at a place
south-east of the residence of Hon. Harmon B. Eastman, of Rox-
bury. He pined in his servitude, and, like all of his race, was
very superstitious. He longed to return to his native land, and,
having become possessed of the idea that he should immediately
return to his beloved Africa at death, he took this means of rejoin-
ing his fathers, and revisiting his native shores. Hedgehog
Swamp is east of Warner's Mills, and is said to have been so
named from a canine contest with a porcupine there. This state-
ment may be taken " with many grains of allowance." Hop
Brook, so called from the enormous quantities of wild hops found
growing on its banks, in the early days, rises in Second Hill, in
New Milford, and flows south-easterly, to the Shepaug, near the
house of Charles Trowbridge. North of this is the Pine Cobble,
and east of the latter is situate the village of Chalybes, at the
foot of Mine Hill. This name was given to the village a few
years ago by Rev. Dr. Bushnell, of Hartford ; is derived from a
Greek word, and signifies something " pertaining to steel." It
was so named from the steel works located there.
Mine Hill, which is situated here, along the New Milford line,
HISTORY OF ANCIENT •WOODBURY. 853
and is about two miles in length, north and south, by one mile in
width, east and west, bounded west by New Milford line, and
east by the Shepaug, is at present, and indeed has always been,
from the early days, a most interesting locality, from the mineral
wealth concealed in its bosom. The hill was known to contain
minerals of some kind almost from the first advent of the settlers.
But although it has been alternately worked and litigated for more
than one hundred and fifty years, its true character as a mine, has
been but vaguely understood, till quite recently. Its chief attrac-
tion for more than a century was as a silver mine. Its reputation
was highest, ia this respect, while it was worked by a German
company, for a few years, previous to the Revolutionary war.
When that company broke up, it was believed that the superin-
tendent, named Feuchter, carried away for his own use a large
amount of silver in bars, which he had smelted in secret, while
pretending to be running the mine for iron ore for the company.
The mine has been thoroughly worked for the last four or five
years, by the company which now owns it, and although they find
small quantities of silver lead of considerable richness, in various
parts of the vein, yet they do not find it sufiiciently abundant to
pay the expense of working the mine for that ore. And yet they
have driven their drifts more than twenty feet lower 'than the ■
main shaft left by the Germans, and drained the water from it,
making its total depth nearly one hundred and fifty feet. The
vein increases a little in width as it descends into the mountain,
and there is a slightly perceptible increase in the quantity of the
silver lead ore. There is no j^robability that this mine will ever
f rove valuable for its production of silver, for the main shaft,
above alluded to, is the one in which the superintendent, Feuch-
ter, was supposed to have amassed his heavy silver bars.
But in spathic iron ore, this mine is the richest in the United
States, and as good as any elsewhere on the face of the earth, so
far as discovered. A very full account of it will be found on
pages 15 to 19, inclusive, and a further account on page 155. It
is, in all the details of its history, a most remarkable mine for
steel-bearing ore. It becomes steel in one operation from the pig.
It is of such tenacity and purity, that the manufacturers cannot
afibrd to use it alone for common brands of steel, but are obliged
to mix it with other less valuable ores, or with scraps of various
sorts, to bring it down to the desired grade. Although the works
for manufacturing this ore into steel have not been in operation
854 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBTJRT.
more than two years, yet it has acquired the very highest rank in
the market for fineness, tenacity, temper, and all the other desira-
ble qualities in the best brands of steel, and is being rapidly in-
troduced into the various manufactures requiring the purest qual-
ities of steel.
In the month of May, 1865, Mine Hill, with all its minerals, was
purchased of Mr. David J. Stiles, whose title thereto had now be-
come quieted and perfected, after a series of bitter lawsuits, reach-
ing through the period of thirty years, in the State and United
States Courts, by the present owners, who had procured a special
charter from the Legislature of Connecticut, under the name of
" The Shepaug Spathic Iron and Steel Company," with a capital
of $350,000. The price of the hill was |100,000, The company
proceeded to build an extensive smelting furnace, and the neces-
ssiYj dwellings for workmen. The point of failui'e in all the pre-
ceding efforts to smelt this ore, was in the explosive gases which
it contained. When smelted in the common blast furnace, the
gases would accumulate, and the first thing the men would
know, the furnace would " blow out," and all their labor would be
lost. The present company has overcome that difficulty, by means
of " sweating the ore," previous to smelting. This is accomplish-
ed by placing alternate layers of the ore and charcoal, in large
open circular vats, which are much the largest at the top, like a tea-
cup, and igniting the mass, thus heating the ore, and throwing off
the explosive elements. The ore is then smelted in the ordinaiy
way, as readily and safely, as any other ore. In making all these
improvements, the company must have more than expended its
original capital. They have mined and smelted large quantitias
of the ore into the pig, employing, for that purpose, men brought
from Prussia, who were skilled in the working of spathic ore, and
the making of steel after the Prussian method. Finding the iron
adapted to the making of a superior quality of cast-steel, the
company decided, in 1 86*7, to erect complete works for its manu-
facture, at Bridgeport, Conn., having made an application to the
Legislature for power to increase its capital to one million dollars,
and for a change of name to that of the American Silver Steel
Company, which was granted. These works were finished and
put in operation in 1869, and have steadily increased their produc-
tion of steel of various kinds, some of which are claimed to be
superior to any steel of foreign manufacture.
l3liJDlji:^^iiX I^DjNj^J.
•fliiMs/ur i !{niiiio -?»? Ml) iUih.Qi. nHwn/. M r
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 855
Mining in the hill has been progressing for several years, night
and day, until openings have been made more than two thousand
feet in length, in the aggregate, the lowest of which is about
twenty feet below the bottom of the old shaft, or 145 feet below
the surface of the hill. The quality of the ore continues quite
satisfactory, and some thousands of tons of it are now (June,
1871) ready for smelting, in addition to all that has been smelted
before. A cut of the works at Bridgeport accompanies this ac-
count. They consist of three buildings, located on a point of
land jutting out into the harbor, making a very conveniut place
for loading and unloading their heavy freight. The larger build-
ing contains the furnaces, rolls, lathes and all the machinery for
making and finishing the steel ; the next is the house covering the
engine, which furnishes the motive power to the works ; and the
third is the gas-house, in which they manufacture all the gas used
in the production of the steel. All the heating operations required
in making the steel, is accomplished by this gas, which has greater
heating with less lighting power than ordinary coal gas. It is
made by a process of their own, and, in its manufacture, they can
use not only the ordinary coal for making gas, but refuse coal, fine
coal, coal dust, and coal " siftings," or cinders, and every thing
combustible in the coal is made into gas, leaving no coke — nothing
but ashes.
The Bridgeport site was purchased for $40,000, and was a good
bargain. It would now readily bring $60,000. The works have
cost $1 70,000,' including $30,000 worth of machinery removed
from the works at Mine Hill, making an outlay of $210,000. It
is a great pleasure for one who delights in seeing the operation of
perfect machinery, to go through these works, and observe the
several processes from the melting of the pig iron, to the turning
out of the same in the perfect article, ready for the market — all
being accomplished in a brief space.
The legal history of Mine Hill is very interesting. In the va-
rious litigations that have grown out of conflicting interests, in
the title to it, for the last 150 years, many of the most eminent
lawyers in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, have been
employed, and there have been many able and brilliant forensic
contests. As has been stated, the existence of mineral treasures
there, of some kind, has been known from the first settlement of
the territory. It was owned by Hon. John Sherman, ancestor of
the General Wm. T. Sherman, the present head of our armies, be-
856 HISTORY OF ANCIEJfT WOODBURY,
fore 1724, and was by him leased to Thomas Cranne, of Stratford,
and others, May 16, 1724, for a term of years, reserving to himself
one- sixteenth part of all the ore which should be there raised. John
Crissey, and his wife Mary, also had some rights in the hill. Still
later, Thomas and John Wheeler, Doctor Jonathan Atwood, and
Doctor Thomas Leavenworth, acquired rights, by lease, or other-
wise, to said mine. The mining tract, at this time, was supposed
to contain six acres, and that is the number of acres mentioned in
the various deeds and mining leases that were then executed. It
was at this early day worked to some extent, but with what suc-
cess, is not now known. The next digging at this place was by
Hurlbut and Hawley, but the history of their operations is sub-
stantially lost.
The next company was organized by the Messrs. Bronson Broth-
ers, about the year 1764, and many persons became interested in
the mining right. This right, at that date, was supposed to cover
forty acres. Col. Ethan Allen purchased two and a half acres of
land on Mine Hill, or one sixteenth part of the mining title, in
1764, and was interested in the Bronson operations. It was this
company that sunk the " old shaft "125 feet into the mountain, and
another lateral one for the purposes of ventilation. The working
was carried on under the direction of the German goldsmith,
Feuchter, to whom reference has been made, who conducted his
processes of pretended separation and refining with great secresy,
occasionally producing small quantities of silver, which kept the
hopes of his employers alive. But after several years this under-
taking collapsed, like the others before them. Still later, the mine
was worked by a company organized in New York, which ob-
tained a lease for 42 years. This eifort failed. Later still, Asahel
Bacon tried the experiment, with no better success. Finally,
David J. Stiles, of Southbury, began to collect the scattered titles
in 1824, and then the legal contests broke out afresh, and there was
no " rest for the sole of his foot," till after he had repeatedly passed
through the highest Court of Connecticut, and the Circuit Court
of the United States, when his title was finally quieted, and no
enemy any longer wagged his tongue in all the Mine Hill Moun-
tains.
But perhaps the history of this long warfare, and the state of the
title, cannot be better elucidated, than by giving an epitome of
the findings in the last legal decision before the Circuit Court of
the United States, held by the late Hon.. Charles A. Ingersoll, at
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 8o7
New Haven, at the April term of the Court, 1856, wliich was ar-
rived at after a closely contested trial, running through nine days.
Certain parties in New York, claiming fitle under the old mining
leases, sued Mr. Stiles in ejectment, and thus the title to the prem-
ises became the only issue. Stiles being in undoubted possession.
The case, from its antiquity and complications, had consumed
months in its preparation, on each side. Hon. Ralph I. IngersoU,
of New Haven, Hon. Norton J. Buel, of Waterbury, Henry S. San-
ford and John M. Buckingham, Esqrs. of New Milford, appeared
as attorneys for the New York claimants, and ex-Gov. Roger S.
Baldwin, of New Haven, and the writer, appeared as attorneys
for Stiles. To state it in vnlgar phrase, it was a " tiger-fight," and
Stiles succeeded in fully and forever establishing hi.s title to the
spathic mine.
As a result of the trial, it was found that the plaintiff", the New
York party, claimed title by a series of conveyances from one
Sampson Simson, a Jew in New York, who was the nephew of a
man of the same name, and who, with his brother; Solomon Sim-
son, and brother-in-law, Myer Myers, worked the mine on said
premises as early as 1764. This Simson supposed he had some
title to convey, the other two being dead, but on the trial of the
case it was discovered that his interest was never any other than
that of a lessee.
The disputed premises contain a very rich mine of spathic iron
ore, the richest, and perhaps, the only mine of that valuable ore
for the manufacture of steel in the United States. It also con-
tains a vein of silver, yielding a small quantity of silver, with a
large per cent of the pure metal. The extent of this deposit has
not been sufficiently tested to pronounce upon its value as a silver
mine. The title to the mine has been more or less litigated since
the year 1*724, and large sums of inoney have been expended, both
in litigating and working the mine.
It was proved to the jury that the raining tract was laid out as
as common land, on the original proprietors' rights in Woodbury,
and that it was thus laid out because it was discovered that there
was a mine there. It was laid out to Moses Hurlbut and Abel
Hawley, in 1751. Previous to 1762, Hurlbut and Hawley sold it
to Abram and Israel Bronson, who laid out an addition to it,
making the whole tract sixty-seven acres, in the early part of
1764, Soon after this, Abram and Israel Bronson leased seven-
eighths of the mine to Sampson Simson, Myer Myers, and George
3
858 HISTOEY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
Trail, of New York, for the term of forty-two years, ending in
1806. They entered into possession under the lease, and worked
it from 1764 to 1766, when, from some unknown cause, they
abandoned the enterprise, and returned to New York. The title
to the premises continued to be bought up in fractions by various
parties, till 178], when Cyprian Collins and others, of Gosherf
Conn., who were then owners of a considerable interest in the
premises, commenced working the mine, the main shaft of which
had been sunk by the Sampson Simson company, to the depth of
125 feet, and continued it two seasons, when, meeting with bad
luck, they in turn deserted the enterprise. In 1792, Sampson
Simson & Co, underlet the remaining portion of their forty-two
years' lease to Israel Holmes, of Salisbury. He commenced work,
had bad luck, and after staying two years, abandoned the under-
taking in the same manner as his predecessors had done before.
About 1780, Jabez Bacon, of Woodbury, commenced buying up
the shreds of title which were scattered, and before his death, in
1806, had succeeded in perfecting the title to the entire premises
in himself, and the same descended to his seven heirs, through the
Probate Court, Asahel Bacon, one of the heirs of Jabez, bought
out all the rest of the heirs, took possession of the premises,
and maintained the exclusive possession thereof, until he sold it to
the present defendent, David J. Stiles, in 1824. Immediately
upon his purchase, Stiles took possession of the premises. He
cut wood and pealed bark all over them, experimented with the
ores, enclosed the whole hill with fences, built a road all over and
around the place in dispute, and built a small barn directly by the
main shaft excavation. From the day of his purchase till the day
of the trial, he had kept one or more men near the premises, to
watch and warn off trespassers, and had exercised every act of
ownership, that a man could exercise over forest property. Yet,
at three several times, had Stiles been put out of the possession of
this property by trespassers, and had been as often restored by writ
of forcible entry and detainer. Since 1824, he had thus kept
strict possession of the premises. Meanwhile Simson and his as-
sociates never returned to make any claim to the property, nor
any claim to use it under their lease, till 1850, forty-four years
after it had expired by its own limitation, when said Sirason's
nephew, Sampson Simson, deeded to one Josiah K. Sturges, his
supposed interest, as heir of his uncle. Sturges received his deed
from Simson, when he was in possession under Stiles, and for thi^
HISTORY OF i^NCIENT WOODBURY. 859
reason, could not receive a title even though Simson had one to
sell. The same objection existed against all the deeds of the
plaintiff. He could not, therefore, "show a better title," and the
jury rendered a verdict for the defendent, Stiles, thus establishing
his title forever. So that Stiles, when he sold to the American
Silver Steel Compaiiy, was able to give them a warranty deed.
Thus have we recorded the various items in the physical history
of our ancient town. A single item remains. A few rods south
of the "Old Stoddard Parsonage" of lYOO, is a boggy piece of
water, covering, perhaps, an acre of ground, filled with bushes,
bogs, turtles and frogs. Twenty-five years ago, a young man
passed by this pond, which is called Cranberry Pond, and noti-
cing that the frogs were very musical, the odd fancy of the mo-
ment suggested to him, that he should name it the "Helicon
Spring." Acting upon the thought, he immediately wrote a sol-
emn, classical poem, calling this the true fount of poesy, and its
musical inhabitants, the veritable Muses, the goddesses and in-
spirers of song. This little effort attracted some attention at the
time, and has, occasionally, ever since, been the subject of jocose
remark among friends, from the odd conceit. And, in truth, this
conceit is not more whimsical, or illy-applied, than some other
names, that have been given to the other localities. An extract
from the enthusiast ran thus ; —
Fair spring within wliose sweetly gushing fount
The Goddesses of Song are wont to dwell.
And nightly siog in notes harmonious.
When all's &er«ne around, and quiet reigns,
Thou mind'st me of those olden ■days in whicb
The poets all of high and low degr««
Came forth from places far remote and near
To drink thy soul-inspiring water e'er.
And breathe th« air poetic, which always,
Then as now, bestowed the vital power
MelodioTis, that ever movea th« world. —
Hark 1 there's music h-ere, and m-elody hath
Charms for mortal ears with which, on earth.
There's nought that can compare. Sweet harmomy,
And chauats unearthly, rise on every hand.
860
HISTORY OP ANCIENT WOODBURY
The very atmosphere is filled with sounds
Of concord sweet. List the tuneful lyres, that
Strike their joyful notes in highest glee
While all conspire to fill the chorus grand.
CHAPTER II
INDIAN HISTORY.
1147110
Who weee the Indians ; Their cHARAOTEa ; Comparison with modern nations ;
MiXITART ENACTMENTS ; WaTCHES ; DEFINITIONS OF INDIAN NAMES ; NoNNEWAUg'S
grave ; Pomperaug's grave ; Legend of Bethel Rock ; Anecdotes ; Reflec-
a'lONS.
HE history of the aboriginal occupants
of our hills, and vales and waters, in
New England, will always be one of
sad though pleasing interest to the
thoughtful and truthful historian, [t
is now a long time since their "light
went out on the shore," and the white
actors on the stage of life, in the early
days, in the order of nature, also passed
away with them, and we can now form
a true estimate of their character, and
the right and wrong of their conduct,
since all passion ^nd prejudice have
long since been buried in the grave of
years. Still, there is yet great diver-
sity in the views of writers upon this
theme, shaded and tinged, perhaps, by
the savage enormities, ever recurring
between our people and the powerful
tribes in our western borders. But in
New Eogland, the bitterness of the
early days has passed away, and histo-
rians, and, educated people generally,
take a kindly interest in each faintest
trace of authentic history of the for-
mer wild children of the forest. And
it speaks well for our common humau-
ur advance in knowledge aud true civilization,
history of the Indians of Woodbury was contained
ity, and
A ver
for o
y f u
862 HISTOEY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
in the former edition of this work, but the interest that will ever
linger around all that pertains to the dim and shadowy days, in
which the red man was sole " monarch of all be surveyed," will
warrant the record here of the remaining fragments, that have
come to band since the former issue. In a letter received by the
writer from the late most gifted poetess of Connecticut, who has
done so much for humanity, and for the honor of her native State,
Mrs. Lydia H. Sigourney, of Hartford, referring to the chapter on
Indian History in the former edition, she writes: —
" I was particularly pleased with the space and spirit you have
devoted to our aborigines, who, in my earlier days, seemed sub-
jects of romance, — as in later ones, they have been of sympathy.'*
This thought touches the key-note of the subject in our hearts.
The wasting away, and final extinction of the race within our
borders, is a meet subject for sympathetic contemplation.
And who were the strange people that occupied these pleasant
dwelling places in the woods, when tbe white man reached these
shores ? They were, indeed, a strange race, beginning in mystery
and ending in annihilation. Their origin and mission on earth
seem to be one of the secrets of the Great Creatoi-. The race
found inhabiting these new regions, did not live in comfortable
dwellings, surrounded by verdant fields, which they cultivated, but
semi-nude, or clad in the skins of wild beasts, they wandered ia
small clans, in the dense forests, among the lofty mountains, by
the murmuring streams, and along the meandering rivei-s. They
were destitute of the arts of civilized life j had strange rites, and
unheard-of customs. They engaged in fierce conflicts and exter-
minating wars. They were men of iron will, who knew no fear^
had strongest fortitude, and whom severest tortures could not
move. They never forgot a kindness, nor forgave an injury. They
were idolaters, and, on our now peaceful and happy plains, they
oflered human sacrifices to appease the God of evil, created by
their own superstitious imaginations. This rude and barbaroua
people was scattered all over our extended continent, and yet they
had hitherto been unknown — insulated from the rest of the world.
Our fathers tried to civilize and Christianize them with little suc-
cess, though they granted them the privilege of attending their
schools and religious assemblies. Some of them, indeed, profited
by these privileges, gained the rudiments of knowledge, put them-
selves under the care of the ministers, and became appi-oved mem-
bers of the churches. But the great majority adhered to their
HISTORY OF ANCIEXT WOODBURY. 863
dark and cheerless faith, and cruel rites, believed and practiced by
their forefathers. Let it be taken for granted, then, as many
have asserted, that the Indian was fierce, vindictive, cruel, immor-
al, uncultivated, and untamable, copying the vices rather than the
virtues of our jDeople; yet with all his faults and failings, he stood
erect, in the midst of nature's leafy temple, God's original free-
man ! He believed in the existence of the Great Spirit. He could
never be enslaved. No superior intelligence, or cunning, c(»uld
make him wear the bondsman's chain !
But the great complaint of those who denounce the character
of the Indian, is his cruelty, and relentless ferocity. Now nothing
can be said in favor of this habit in the red man — scarcely any-
thing by way of mitigation of judgment, save the ignorance with
which he had been enveloped — the legacy of long, dark ages.
But should not we, who live in the nineteenth century, and boast
loudly of our civilization, our progress, our intelligence, our
Christianity and our- humanity, hide our faces in very shame in
the light of recent events, instead of casting odium, or sharp crit-
icism upon the memory of the poor, departed denizen of the for-
est? In what page of authentic history do we read of the Indians
of this land being guilty of deeds so dark, cruel, malignant and
damning, as the horrors inflicted by the white men of the south,
in the late civil war, upon their brethren of the north — who were
bone of their bone and flesh of their flesh. Talk you of tortures ?
What torture was ever inflicted by the Indians upon their ene-
mies that could, for a moment, compare with the slow, malignant
tortues of filth, starvation, disease and death, inflicted by those
who claimed to be of the highest chivalry of civilization, educa-
tion and refinement, in those loathsome, open sepulcres, the prison
pens of Belle Isle, Salisbury and Andersonville? Too inhuman
to be content with the swift vengeance of the Indian — the run-
ning of the gauntlet, the poisoned arrow, the scalping, or flaying
process, or death at the stake, all of which brought speedy death
and the end of their torments, the heroes of our boasted civiliza-
tion, in these latter, efi'ulgent days, could be satisfied with nothing
less than the tortures of demons, long drawn out before their
gloating eyes and remorseless hearts. And what are we now be-
holding, as these pages are passing through the press, in these
pleasant, May days, in the face of the world, under the eye of
Heaven, in the vaunted metropolis of the world, which pride itself
on the perfection of its civilization, refinement, reason and hu-
864 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOOBBUKY.
manity — in Paris? Churches, dedicated to the worship of God,
are sacked, their sacred implements taken away or destroyed, and
the officiating priests, bishops and arch-bishops are slain at the
altar, or shot like dogs in the courts, and carried away to Potter's
field in carts. Not content with the carnage produced by the
most ingenious, effective and dendly of modern weapons of war
in legalized combat, prisoners are collected by the thousand, and
either shot on sight, or gathered in groups, and mowed down by
revolving cannon, or cast into prison pens, that vie in horrers with
our Andersonville. Splendid works of art, that have been for
long years the pride of the nation, are ruthlessly thrown down
and destroyed. The palaces and public buildings are burned to
the ground. Furious, mad men and women ply the torch every-
where, indiscriminately. A city of two and a half millions of
souls is in flames — mined and fired by the most deadly, explosive,
and destructive of substances. Fiieudship has fled the earth/
No man trusts his brother. Life is utterly insecure, and society
seems dissolving into utter chaos. Less religious and reverent
than the Lidian, in addition to these untold horrors, they say in
their liearts, as well as by their acts, there is no God! Hence-
forth, let there be no prating about the ferocity and cruelty of the
Lidian. In comparison with such acts of the two foremost civil-
ized nations, the character of the benighted red man, in his native
forests, stands redeemed !
So far as the Lidians of Woodbury were concerned, they were
always the friends of our fatliers, and maintained with them a
a perpetual peace. None ever kept the faith of treaties better
than they. There were some Indian conflicts here, but they arose
from the incursions of the Mohawks, who, previous to the arrival
of the settlers, held the Indians of this territory as tributaries, by
superior prowess. As early as 1675, during King Philip's war,
they made a treaty with the pioneers in these valleys, in which
they covenanted to continue in "friendship with the white settlers,
and be enemies to their enemies, and discover them timely, or de-
stroy them." This treaty was ever kept, as a perpetual league,
with entire good faith, by both the contracting parties, and many
were the mutual offices of kindness they performed for each other.
Notwithstanding this treaty, and the aid of the native Indians,
our fathers were not able to maintain their settlement during
King Philip's war, but were driven back to Stratford, as we have
seen, on pages 46-47, and were kept there for some two years, or
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 865
imtil King Philip's death. In all the subsequent Indian and
French wars, Woodbury, as a frontier town, far removed from
succor, was exposed to continued dangers. It was obliged to
maintain pallisaded, or fortified houses, for more than fifty years
after the first settlement. These, be it remembered, were not
erected for fear of the native Indians, but for fear of the French
and their Indian allies, at times, and of the Mohaws, at all times,
on their own accoimt, as long as they existed as a tribe. In 1690
there was another war alarm, and it was enacted by the General
Court, " For the better maintenance of the military watches
throughout this Colony in times of danger, which is of so great
importance, this Court doe order, that all male persons whatsoever,
except negroes and Indians, upwards of sixteen years of age,
shall serve and doe duty equally on the military watch, whoe are
resident on the place where such watches are to be kept, and that
all male persons aforesaid, inhabiting in this Colony, being absent
at sea, or elsewhere, shall, by those of their family left at home,
provide a person to watch, instead of the absent person, or per-
sons, and also that all widowes whose estates in the publique list
amounteth to fifty pounds, shall each of them provide a man to
watch in their steads, and, if there be any old or impotent men,
that by such disability cannot watch, if there estates in the pub-
lique list amounteth to fifty pounds, they shall find a man to watch
in their steads, provided this order shall not extend to the Assist-
ants, nor ministers, nor such impotent men as the respective com-
mission oflicers of the sayd town judg incapable of it, and who
have not estate of fifty pounds in the publique list, and that all
defects on these military watches, shall be punishable by the com-
mission officers, or any one of them, in the same measure and
manner, as is by law provided in the constable watches, and the
commission oflicers in the exercise of their offices by commission
are by this order freed from watching."
"This Codrt appoynts the commission officers in each towne to
list and appoynt every seventh man in each company to be a fly-
ing army of dragoons, to be listed under the officers appoynted by
this Court in each county, to lead them forth against the enimie,
if any occasion shall be. Derby, Danbury, Woodbury, Water-
bury and Sirasbury, are exempted from this order."*
We cannot, at this day, in our peaceful communities, picture to
'Conn. Col. Rec, 4 vol. 18.
866 HISTORY OF ANCIEKT WOODBURY.
ourselves the urgency for the public safety which must exist to
force the wise men of the General Court to order, not only every
person who was present, to take his place as sentinel, and his share
of the common danger, but the families of the absent, and even
widows and impotent old men, to furnish their sentinel in turn,
by substitute, unless they were so poverty-stricken that they had
not the means wherewith to hire one. After all, there is a mani"
fest equity in this distribution, and comports well with a late legal
decision by our Supreme Court, in Booth vs. Town of Woodbury.
It is not certain but that the Court obtained light from this old
statute.
A very curious order was issued at the same session, showing
that the early colonial legislators were careful and " troubled
about many things." They left little to the discretion of the com-
mon scout. Perhaps this was the more necessary, because the
watch did not consist of enlisted men, set apart and educated for
the purj^ose, but every able bodied man must take his turn, while
earning his daily bread, and might well be considered less likely
to be judicious and skillful in the various emergencies that might
arise in the irregularity of savage warfare. The order runs thus :
" This Court orders, that the charge, that shall be given to the
military watch, shall be as follows, viz : — that they shall charge
the watch in his Ma «e» name, that they faythfuUy attend the watch,
by walkeing or standing in such place or places where they may
best discover danger by the approach of an enemie, or by fire
which, if they discover, they are to give notice thereof by crying
Fire, Fire, or Arme, Arme ; they are allso to examine all such per-
sons as they meet with unseasonably, and they are to command
them to stand twice, and the third time, to command them to
stand on their perill, but if they will not stand, but oppose
them, or fly from them, they may shoot at them, but to shoot low,
unless they judg him to be an enemie, and then they are to shoot
as directly at them as they may, and all such persons as they find
out unseasonably, they are to examine them, and if they give no
good occasions, they are to return them to the Court of guarde, to
be secured till the morning, and then they are to carry them to
the next authority, to be examined and disposed of according to
law, and they are to give the next watch notice to watch them
the night following."
It is to be feared that if the town should now be placed under
the care of such a " watch," with power to examine all persons
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 86 Y
who are out " unseasonably," and require them to " give a good
account of their occasions," that the magistrates wotild have more
to do each morning, on the report of the " watch." than they
would be able to perform well, and the parties themselves would
be as little able to give a satisfactory account of themselves, as the
lurking " tramps " of the early days. . In this time of general
alarm and danger, it was further ordered by the General Court,
" that soldiers in all plantations bring their arms and ammunition
to meeting on Sabbath days, and days of publique worship, when
and as often as the County major, or chief military officers in any
town shall appoint, upon the ^^enalty of five shillings, to be paid
to the town treasury by every soldier convict of neglect hereof
before authority, to be levied by distress upon their estate.'"
Some twelve years had elapsed since the dispersions and alarms
occasioned by King Philip's war had ceased, and it would seem,
from the above order, that the former custom of carrying arms to
the church had fallen into disuse, and it had become necessary to
cause its resumption by the somewhat sharp general enactment
just cited. The first church, being located on the site now occu-
pied by Hon. IST. B. Smith's carriage house, was admirably situated
for the purpose of being guarded against surprise. Sentinels
placed on Lodge Rock, were in full view of the approaches in
every direction, while a large fortified house was near by, on the
homestead of the late Erastus Minor, a little south of his dwel-
ling house.
In Feb. 1693-4, a unique order was promulgated for the im-
pressing, making and storing of what the soldier of the j^resent
day would call "hardtack." It shows vividly with what anxious
care the authorities guarded the safety of the plantations. It
enacts : — " Whereas it is a time of warr, and there are fears of sud-
dain surprizalls of the enemie, which may occasion suddain march-
es of the soldiery to repell the enemies of their Maj "", and a
provission of biskit to that end is necessary, this Court doe there-
fore order, that in each of the countyes of this colony, fifty bush-
ells of good winter wheat be forthwith empressed by warrant
from some of the majestraies of the respective countyes, and that
the same be by their order made into biskit as soon as is possible,
and kept by their order in convenient places, to be used as occa-
sion and lawfull order shall require the same, and the wheat so
* Hoadley's Conn. Col. Rec, p. 41.
868 HISTORT OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
impressed to be repayd in specia out of the country rate as soone
as may be."^
After the treaty of 161 5 with our Woodbury Indians, they seem
to have been close allies in time of war, and to have been under
the entire direction of the whites. This is shown by an act passed
by the General Assembly, at its October Session, 1703. It also
gives us an idea of the labor and care of fortifying the frontier
towns. It enacts : " that the civill and commission officers of
each towne shall take all due care concerning the friend Indians
belonging to their townes, and assign them their limitts, to the
intent that none of them be exposed, or the enemies escape under
pretence of being friends ; and that said officers doe strictly charge
said friend Indians, not to move out of their respective limitts, or
bounds assigned them, without order in Avriting under the hands
of such officers, as they tender their own safetie and at their per-
ill ; and all friend Indians are hereby forbidden to hold any com-
munication with, harbour, or conceal, any of the enemie Indians,
requiring them to seize and secure all such as may come among
them, and to deliver them up to justice; and for their incourage-
raent, they shall have ten pounds for every Indian enemie, they
sliall so seize and deliver up. And what extraordinarie charge
there shall be about Wiantonuck and Potatuck Indians shall be
born by the Colonic, and that Capt. Ebenezer Johnson have the
care and ordering of the Paugassuck Indians."
" It is ordered and enacted by this Court : That the inhabitants
of every town in this Colonie shall be called together with as con-
venient speed as may be, to consider what houses shall be fortified,
and if the towne do not agree to fortifie any house or houses,
then it shall be in the power of the civill and militarie officers in
commission, with the selectmen, or major part of them, if they
thinke it necessaire, to order what house or houses shall be forti-
fied ; and what they do order to be fortified, shall be done forth-
with, and shall also order on whose charge; and if any persons
doe refuse or neglect to make their proportions, they shall pay a
fine answerable to their prc^portions, to be levied by the constable
by warrant from civill authority. The proportion of each person
to be ordered according to their estate in the common list of es-
tates."
"It is ordered and enacted by this Court: That there shall be
> Hoadley's Conn. Col. Rec, 119.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 869
constantly eight men upon the scout, untill the grand scout be
settled, viz: two from Syrasbnry, two from Woodbury, and two
from Waterbury, and two from Danbury, to be ordered by the
discretion of the civill and militarie commission officers in each
towne, as also a scout from Windzor, to meet with the scouts from
Newroxbury, to be ordered by the councill of Warre." '
It was, very properly, the constant care and anxiety of the
founders of the colony to protect and maintain the frontier towns,
as the best and most reliable defence to the remaining towns. If
an enemy met with stern and effective resistance on the borders,
he would have less hope of successful invasion and victory over
the whole. This thought was forcibly stated in the letter of Rev.
John Bowers, of Derby, and Rev. Zechariah Walker of Wood-
bury, in their letter of 1676 urging the protection of their respec-
tive towns, as printed on page 49, " The securing of those two
plantations," they say, " of Woodbury and Darby, will, according
to second causes, be one of ye most considerable securities, in a
time of such dangers, unto ye two western counties, viz : of New
Haven and Fairfield : for it can hardly be expected y ' any strength
of Indians will adventure to set upon any lower plantation, till they
have attempted ones above, and if they fail, they will be ye more
shy of poujiding themselves by coming lower." Acting upon this
theory, we find our colonial legislators, at their May session, 1704,
enacting as follows : —
" Forasmuch as the maintaining and defending of the frontiers
in time of warre is of very great importance, and in regard it
would greatly ijrejudice her Majesties interest and encourage an
enemy, if any of the outposts should be quitted, or exposed by
lessening the strength thereof, —
"It is therefore ordered by this Court: That the frontier towns
hereafter named are to be so accounted, that is to say, Symsbury,
Waterbury, Woodbury, Danbury, Colchester, Windham, Mans-
field and Flainfield, and should not be broken up, or voluntarily
deserted without application first made by the inhabitants and
allowance had and obtained from this Court ; nor shall any inhab-
itant of the frontiers mentioned, having an estate of freehold in
lands and tenements within the same, at the time of any insurrec-
tion or breaking forth of warre, remove from thence with intent
to sojourn elsewhere, without liberty as aforesaid, on penalty of
* Hoadlej's Conn. Col. Rec. 1 vol.455.
870 Ul STORY OP ANCIENT WOODBURY.
torleiting all bis estate in lands and tenements lying within such
township, to be recoveied by information of and proof made by
the Selectmen of such towne."
'* And it is further enacted : That no male person of sixteen
years old and upwards, that should be an inhabitant of or belong-
ing to any of the to'wnes aforementioned at the time of such warre
or insurrection, shall presume to leave such place on penaltie of
ten pounds, to be recovrred as aforesaid; all which penalties to be
improved towards the defence of such place, or places whereof
such person or persons were inhabitants."
" It is ordered by this Court : That ten men shall be put in gar-
rison in each of these townes hereafter mentioned, that is to say,
Danbury, Woodbury, Waterbury and Symsbury, and that the rest
of the men to be raised out of the Counties of New Haven and
Fairfield, with such Indians as can be procured, shall be put under
sufficient commanders, and have their chief headquarters at West-
field, uniesse otherwise ordered by the Councill of Warre in the
Countie of Hartford ; and said company of English and Indians
shall, from time to time, at the discretion of their chief command-
er, range the woods to endeavour the discovery of an approaching
enemy, and iu an especial manner from Westfield to Ousatuu-
nuck."
" It is ordered by this Court, that as many of our friend In-
dians as are fit for warre and can be prevailed with, and furnished
with all things suitable, shall goe with our forces against the com-
mon enemie; and Major Ebenezer Johnson is hereby impowered
and ordered to imploy suitable persons to acquaint the Indians in
the counties of New Haven and Fairfield, of this conclusion con-
cerning them, and to furnish such of said Indians as shall offer
themselves for the service as abovesaid, with arms and ammunition,
and what else may be needful to fitt them out for warre, and
cause them forthwith to repair to Derby, to march with our Eng-
lish forces under the command of the chief officer for the said
service. The like to be done with respect to raising Indians in
the Countie of New London by the may of said Countie. And
this Court allows the wages to such Indian volunteers as those
have that are gone to the eastward. And the superiour offi-
cer of the forces now to be raised shall have power to release so
many English from the service as there are Indians added to them,
so that the whole number be still four hundred. And for the in-
courageraent of our forces gone, or going against the enemy, this
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURT. 8*71
Court will allow out of the public treasurie the sum of five pounds
for every man's scalp of the enemy killed in this Colony, to be
paid to the person that doth that service, over and above his or
their wages, and the plunder taken by them.'' ^
The people of our day have little idea of the mode or the ardu-
ousness of the service of our forefathers in those early aboriginal
wars. The savages had no rules of war — no recognized code of
dealing death to their enemies, as modern nations have — no rule
requiring them to proclaim war before making it. But they made
secret and sudden irruptions upon peaceable communities, when
all was apparently peaceful and harmonious, by deadly ambuscades,
or by the midnight torch, in the deep snows of mid-winter, in
these northern lands, where there were no roads and marching
was impossible. Though they had few arts in their savage igno-
rance, they were yet provided with means of attack and annoy-
ance, and at the same time with avenues of escape when over-
matched, or overpowered, not open to the whites. The early
white settlers had to learn these, and prejjare themselves to meet
them. With our present ideas of warfare, after our late great
civil conflict, it would be difiicult for us to conceive of a army on
snow-shoes, whether it were large or small. If the early soldiers
thus provided, kept step, their march must, indeed, have been ma-
jestic, and their line of battle impressive. But the line of battle
was not much in vogue in those days, when it became necessary
to fight an enemy that did not stand up in open field, but sought
every shelter and protection, and where it was necessary for each
man to select his particular tree, rock, or other protection, behind
which to fight, and pick off his unwary foe. The inhabitarfts
early learned to fight the Indians, and later, the French with them,
after their own fashion. Accordingly, we find the following order
passed at the October session of the General Court, 1704 : — '' It is
ordered and enacted by this Court; That every towne and plant-
ation in this Colonic shall be provided with a number of snow-
shoes and Indian shoes, no less than one pair of snow-shoes with
two pair of Indian shoes for every thousand pounds in the list of
estate in such towne, which snow-shoes and Indian shoes shall be
provided at or before the tenth day of December next, by the
selectmen in every towne, at the charge of the Colonic, and shall
be kept by them in good repair and fit for service when there may
' Hoadlej'a Cohd. Col. Records, 1 vol. 462.
8*72 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
be occasion to make use of them. And the selectmen of the sev-
eral townes who shall neglect to provide such a number of snow-
shoes and Indian shoes, and to keep them in good repair as above-
said, shall each of them pay a fine to the Colonic treasurie, the
sume of ten shillings." '
In these early days of frequent ahtrm, the General Court found
it necessary, in order to avoid the too frequent meeting of their
whole body, to appoint a number out of it to meet as occasion
might require, for instant action in cases of emergency, and their
orders were as binding as though enacted by the full. Court. In
the early part of 170*7, there was a special alarm sounded through-
out New England, and the ever-vigilant officers of the frontier
town of Woodbury, were quick to take action, for the protection
of this most north-western town in the colony.
The record of the Council, held at Hartford, Feb. 6th 1706-7,
runs thus : —
"A letter from Deputy Governour Treat to the Governour's
Council, and also a letter from Colonel Schuyler, signifying that he
was informed that the French and enemy Indians were preparing to
make a descent upon the frontier towns of New England ; also a
letter from Capt. John Minor and Mr. John Sherman, to the Dep-
uty Governour, signifying their suspicion that the Pohtatuck and
Owiantonuck Indians, were invited to joyn with the enemy; as
also the examination of the Owiantonuck and Pohtatuck Indians,
before his honour our Deputy Governour, and other gentlemen,
with divers other writings relating to the matter, with the opin-
ion of our Deputy Governour, what might be needful to be done
t(f prevent the defection of those Indians, and to secure their
fidelitie, and for the preservation of the small frontier towns. —
Resolved by the Hon" the Governour and Council, in order to
prevent the defection ot the Pohtatuck and Owiantonuck Indians
to the common enemy and to secure their fidelitie, that order be
sent to Capt. John Minor and Mr. John Sherman, of Woodbury,
with all convenient speed to remove the said Indians dow-n to
Fairfield or Stratford, or both, as should be judged most conven-
ient. But if, by reason of sickness prevailing among them,
they cannot at present be i-euioved, then to take two of their j)rin-
cipal persons, and convey them to Fairfield, there to be kept safely
as hostages, to secure the fidelity of those that remain at those
inland places."
' Hoadley's Conn. Col. Records, ] vol. p. 486.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 8*73
'■'■ Resolved, for the preservation of the frontier towns of Syms-
bury, Waterbury, Woodbury and Danbury, that order be sent to
the inhabitants of those towns to provide with all possible speed
a sufficient number of well fortified houses for the safetie of them-
selves and families in their respective towns. The houses for for-
tification to be appointed by the vote of the major pan of: the
inhabitants of each respective town assembled, if they can agree;
in case of their disagreement, to be appointed by the commission
officers of the town."
" Resolved, that the inhabitants of Woodbury, Waterbury and
Danbury, do every of them maintain a good scout out every day
from their respective towns, of two faithful and trusty men, to
observe the motions of the enemy. The scouts in Woodbury and
Waterbury to be appointed and directed by the commission offi-
cers in each town. The scouts in Syrasbury to be appointed and
directed by the major of the countie. The charges of the several
scouts to be borne by the countrie, as by law provided." ^ «
Till the peace of I7l3, our fathers in the frontier towns were
kept in a state of continual worry from fear of attack and am-
buscade on the part of the foreign Indians, and their allies, the
French, who had early imbibed all the evil and irresponsible modes
of warfare and revenge, for which the Indians have been criticised
by all historians. There was a constant hurrying forth of the
"grand scout" and the town scout, watching, fighting and forti-
fying. Orders were continually proclaimed by the General Court
and by the Council. In Oct., 1707, Woodbury was granted
*' seveu pounds, to be paid out of the country rate, in considera-
tion of their charge of fortifying." In Oct. 1708, the Deputy
Governor was ordered to " cause to be erected such and so many
garrisons at Woodbury-, Danbury and Oweantinuck (New Mil-
ford) and support them with men and provisions, as he shall judge
necessary, at the Colony's charge. Provided there shall not be
any other than two garrisons at Woodbury, and one at Danbury,
erected at the Colony's charge." At the same session it Avas
enacted " that there should be allowed and paid out of the pub.
lie treasury of this Colony, the sum of fifty pounds, in pay for the
bringing up and maintaining of Dogs in the Northern frontier
towns in this Colony, to hunt after the Indian enemy." ^ So great
was the fear that weapons would get into the hands of hostile
^ Hoadley's Conn. Col. Records, 2 vol. 15.
^ Hoadley's Conn. Col. Records, 2 vol, p. 86.
3
874 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
Indians, that it was ordered that no person whatsoever, upon any
pretence whatsoever, should "furnish, lend or sell to any of our
friend Indians, any gun, for any time, longer or shorter." In May,
1709, an expedition against the French and Indians, for the reduc-
tion of Montreal and Quebec, was organized by New York, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. The latter colony fur-
nished 350 men, and of this number, Woodbury sent its quota of
nine, the quota of Hartford, in the same expedition, being but
twenty-two. So that this frontier town, besides attending to its
own " watching and warding," sent nearly one half as many men
as the pioneer town and capital of the colony. This fact shows
the importance of our town to the colony, even at that early day.
Two of this quota of Woodbury, viz: — Sergeant Thomas Skeel
and John J. Johnson, died a few days after their return home, of
disease contracted by exposure in the camp.
Long before these several enactments, requiring the erection of
fortifications in the frontier towns, our fathers had proceeded to
the erection of defensive structures, called pallasaded houses,.
Indeed, they were coeval with the first settlement of the town.
Houses were pallasaded by digging a ditch around them, and
placing logs, sharpened at the top, perpendicularly in the ditch,
and firmly securing them there. The logs were from twelve to
fifteen feet in height, and, with a strong, well fastened gate, fur-
nished a very good protection against a sudden attack of the In-
dians, with such weapons as they had, previous to obtaining the
arms used by the white men. The location of these fortified
houses has been well preserved. Capt. John Minor's house, being
the first one completed, and built of logs, was located six or eight
rods south of the late Erastus Minor s residence, on a little knoll.
The well used by him was discovered at this place in the spring
of 18G9, its walls being still in pretty good preservation, though
it had been covered over and its exact location unknown, for
more than one hundred years. By the tradition handed down
in the family, the pallasades about this house were fifteen feet in
height above the surface of the ground after being set in place.
The fortified house of Isaac Judson was located in Judson Lane,
on the opposite side of the highway from Nathan Warner's resi-
dence. Another pallasaded house stood on the site now occupied
by the dwelling house of Horace Hurd, in West Side. A later
fortified house, occupied by one of the Bronsons, in Transylvania,
is still in existence. It had a look-out, for the purpose of obser-
HISTORY OF ANCIEN'T WOODBTTKY. 875
vation, on its to]), by the cliininey. The old Stoddard Parsonage
House, built in IVOO, now occupied by George W. DeWolf, and
still in a good state of preservation, was the most thoroughly for-
tified house in the plantation. One ot the bounds in a deed of
land next north of this, dated Marcli 31, 1702, was laid within a
foot of "y^ pallasadoes in Mr. Stoddard's fence."
When, in 1707, the order came to fortify the town, the people,
with great alacrity, set about the work of preparing the defences.
They repaired the fortified houses of Capt. John Minor and Isaac
Judson, the one at Horace Hurd's, and the Bronson house, in
Transylvania. They also strengthened the defences of the par-
sonage. So great was the promptitude and zeal displayed by the
town, that the General Court made them a liberal compensation,
as we have seen, as a due acknowledgment of their services for
the common defence. It will be seen by one of the preceding
votes, that the colonial authorities, the next year, furnished, or
paid for a small standing garrison, in addition to the alternate
watch furni;shed by the inhabitants. It was in this year (1708)
that a body of Indian"^ appeared in West Side, and drove the peo-
ple, by their sudden and formidable appearance, into the fortified
houses. What was their intention in coming is not known, as
they made no demonstration beyond showing themselves. If the
design of their demonstration had been a hostile one, no doubt
the watchfulness of the little garrison and of the people, together
with the strength of their fortifications, showed them it was bet-
ter for them to desist and depart, which they accordingly did. It
was during the continuance of these hostilities that Parson Stod-
dard is related to have killed two Indians in the bushes by Cran-
berry Pond, near his house, as detailed on page 79. During the
war with the Maine Indians, in 1723 and 1724, the inhabitants
were obliged to keep garrisons for protection against such attacks,
several of which occurred. Our limits had by this time extended,
and one of these garrisons was located on the Shepaug river,
where six men were stationed. In Oct., 1726, the General Court
resolved to station five men under Lieut. Ebenezer Warner, for
" the defence of the village of Shepaug."
It will have been seen, by the acts and orders quoted, that the
military officer ? of the town were of great importance and author-
ity. Their powers, subject only to the letter of their instructions,
were autocratic. Not only was the safety of the town, but, in
some sense, the welfare of the colony, was entrusted to their cour-
876 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUET.
age and sagacity. If the savages drove in the inhabitants of a
frontier town, the central towns were placed in still greater jeop-
ardy. Accordingly, these officers were held in high esteem, and
military offices, even of the grade of corporal, were sought with
great avidity. Only the most deserving could obtain any military
position, even the lowest.
During all these troubled years of Indian wars and depreda-
tions, the first forty after the outbreak of King Philip's war in
1675, the officers bearing the military offices, the heavy burdens
and responsibilities of the times, were, first and foremost, Capt.
John Minor, who held the office more than thirty years, his suc-
cessor, Hon. John Sherman, having been appointed in 1711. Jo-
seph Judson was Minor's 1st Lieutenant, till Israel Curtiss was
appointed to the place, in 1690, with Samuel Stiles as ensign.
Stiles was promoted 1st lieutenant in 1705, with John Mitchell
as ensign. Titus Hinman was appointed lieutenant in 1710, and
promoted Captain in 17 14. Joseph Minor was appointed ensign
in 1710, lieutenant 1714, with John Curtiss as ensign, and was pro-
moted rapidly, for those days, through the regular grades, till he
rose to the dignity and importance of a Colonel, in 1728.
In the preceding chapter a large number of Indian names of
local objects were given. Tliey are beautiful in themselves, and
worthy of the pi-eservation which they have received for their
intrinsic value, as proper names. But there is a still greater inte-
rest attached to them from another circumstance. They are all
words of the language, possessing a definition and meaning ap-
plicable to the objects to which they are attached. In the Eng-
lish language, such is not the case. "A proper name has been
defined to be, a mere mark put ujjon an individual, and of which
it is the characteristic property, to he destitute of tneaning. But
the "Indian languages" tolerated no such 'mere marks.' Every
name described the locality to which it is affixed. The description
was sometimes topographical ; sometimes historical, preserving
the memory of a battle, a feast, the dwelling place of a great
sachem, or the like; sometimes it indicates one of the natural
products of the place, or of the animals which resorted to it ; oc-
casionally, '\\j% iposition or direction from a place previously known,
or from the territory of the nation by which the name was given." ^
So that each of the aboriginal names of places in these regions
' Vol. 2 Collections of Conn. Hist. Soc.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 811
had a definite meaning, such as seemed called for by tlie object
named, or the circumstances surrounding it. As the Indians had
no written language, and our fathers had to learn the names by the
sounds, and represent them by our cliaracters, each according to
his own fincy, or tlie way in which he caught the sound, and as the
same words sounded dilierently to different ears, nobody at that
day caring what they meant, it is a matter of great difficulty to
give even an approximate translation to the Indian names still
preserved in our territory. But after giving the known meaning
of certain words, sounds, or particles, we shall hazard a transla-
tion of our local names, which may at least suffice to engnge our
curiosity and interest, till some moi'c authoritative interpretation
shall come to hand.
Ohke, Auke, signifies Land, Place, country.
TuK, denotes a river, whose waters are driven in waves by
tides and rivers. This may be the origin of the name of the river
Naugatuck, and others, though not tidal rivers.
Paug, Pog, Bog, denote water at rest. But in New England,
in some instances, it is applied to brooks, rivers, and running
streams.
Amaug, denotes a fishing place.
QussuK, means rock, stone, or stony.
PoHQUi, means open, clear, and in connection with —
Ohke, cleared land, or an open space.
Pahke, means clear, pure.
Peiii, Peeme, means sloping, aslant, twisted.
From these particles, and others, out of which the local names
of our territory were constructed, as well as from local tradition,
we may, perhaps, translate our Indian appellations as follows: —
PoMPERAUG, the great or noble river.
Shepaug, the rocky river.
Paquebaug, the clear or pure water place.
Weeaumaug, the crooked fishing place.
QuASSAPAUG, the beautiful clear water, or rocky pond.
Kissewaug, the laughing water.
QuANOPAUG, the roaring water.
Nonnewaug, the fresh pond or fresh fishing place.
Weekeepeejiee, or Wecuppeme, the twisted river.
Orknaug, the sunny place.
Such were the names given to the rivers, hills, and lakes of the
territory we now inhabit. Such were the appellations so fitly ap-
878
HISTORY OF ANCIENT "WOODBUflY.
plied by the nnoiiltivated mind of the children of nature. Wild
rovers of Pootatuck, Wyantenuck, Pomperang, Weraumaug, Ban-
tam; ye have passed away! Your lights have gone out on the
shore ! Your thin smokes no longer curl faintly amid the thick
woods ! Well do we love your good old Indian names, and
would that more of them, almost the sole relic of your once pow-
erful people, had befn adopted by our fathers to designate the
places where your lights went out forever!
A few relics of the departed race are occa-
sionally found,to tell us that here a former peo-
ple flourished, scarce sufficient, so transient is
their nature, to arrest our attention. Arrow-
heads, stone-chisels, hatchets, axes, gouges,
knives, mortal's and pestles, are found in the
ancient territory. One of these localities is
on Mr. Anthony Strong's land, where they had
a hunting village, and another very prolific one
on Mr. Frederick M. Minor's land, in Transyl-
vania, a few rods in the rear of his dwelling
house. All these are more particularly descri-
bed on page 109. Some very perfect speci-
mens of these relics are now the property of
the author. He has a large quantity of arrow-
heads, of various sizes, of flint, quartz, and oth-
er kinds of stone, showing a widely difierent de-
gree of skill in the workmanship He has a chisel
from near Frederick S. Atwood's, another fiom near Stephen S.
Galpin's, and a very excellent specimen from near F. M. Minor's ; a
[Chisel, 1-4 size.]
[Knife, 14 size.]
slate knife for skinning wild animals ; a very fine specimen of
gouge from near Quassapaug lake; a slate choppingknife, or
HISTOKY OP ANCIENT WOODBURY.
879
*' cleaver," found at Jack's Brook, in Roxbury, in 1852; a very
skillfully wrought tomahawk, made of serpentine rock, found
IMi
[Gouge, 1-4 size.]
[Pestle, 1-4 size.]
while digging a ditch, near the factory of the American Shear Co.,
at Hotchkissville; and an Indian axe, of the size of a common axe
of the present day, only more blunt. This was also made of ser-
pentine rock, and may be said to have been imported by the In-
dians, if such a word is allowable in this connection, as there is no
rock of this kind in all these regions. But by far the most curious
and interesting relic that has been found in the ancient territory, is
880
HISTORY OF ANCIENT W O O I) B U K T .
also in the writer's possession.
It is no less than an Indian idol
or charm, artistically cut from a
piece of rock, which appears to
have been originally a piece of
petrified walnut wood. It was
found in 1860, on the lot near F.
M . Minor's, before mentioned as
the place where the most perfect
specimens have been found. It
was discovered while hoeing corn.
It evidently represents some ani-
mal, but it is difficult to divine
what. It has a pretty well form-
ed head and body, with large,
round ears, and holes lor the in-
sertion of four legs, but the latter
are missing. It looks as much
like the representative of an
enormous lizard, as any thing. It
can hardly repi*esent the Good
Spirit. It is not of a sufiiciently
attractive conception for ihat. It
may, therefore, be presumed to
be the likeness of Hobbamocko, or
their Spirit of Evil, whom they
feared, and worshipped more as-
siduously than tlie Good Spirit,
whom they supposed lived quite
at his ease, caring little for the
actions or affairs of his red child-
ren, after having given them their
corn, beans and squash, and taught
them the mode of their cultiva-
tion. Some of these relics our
artist lias endeavoi'ed to make
plain to the " mind's eye."
It is not known when Pompe-
raug, fiom whom this valley was
named, became sachem of the Po-
otatucks. At the date of the set-
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
881
tlement of Milford and Stratford, in 1639, he was a chief of
note amon,sf the western chin?, his tribe at that time being the
[Tomahawk, 1-4 size.]
most considerable of them, and had a strong fortress on Castle
Rock, whence the name to this day. His reign was a long one,
being sncceeded by Aquiomp, in 1G62. Although the principal
seat of this tribe was at the Pootatuck Village, on the east
side of the Housatonic, about two miles above Bennett's Bridge?
in the present town of Sonthbury, yet, from some cause, he chose
to be buried by a large rock, on the west side of the main street,
just south of Plon. N. B. Smith's carriage house. The Indians
always laid out a trail, or path, from village to village, by the
graves of their chieftains.
[Pomperaug's Grave.]
The Indians had a very beautiful custom of honoring their dead
chiefs, when laid in their last repose. As each Indian, whether he
was on his hunting expeditions or the war-path, passed the grave
882 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
of his honored chief, he reverently cast thereon a small stone, se-
lected for that purpose, in token of his respect and renaembrance.
At the first settlement of the town, a large heap of stones had
accumulated in this way, and a considerable quantity yet remain,
after the tillage of the field in its vicinity for the long period of
two hundred years. These stones, thus accumulated, were of
many different varieties, a large number of them not to be found
in this valley, nor within long distances, showing clearly, that
there was a purpos'e in their accumulation, and verifying the " tra-
dition of the elders," that they were gathered there as a monument
of respect and honor to a buried chieftain. There can be no doubt
of the correctness of the statement as to where Pomperaug, Non-
newaug, Wecuppemee and Mauquash were buried. Pomperaug had
been dead only about tea or twelve years, when our fithers came
hither. Nothing is more natural than that his grave should be
pointed out to them. Their first church Avas built within eight
rods of the place, and the first minister's house was not more than
twenty rods away. Nonnewaug lived for more than forty years
after the first 'settlement, and Mauquash, the last sachem of the
Pootatucks, died about 1758.
The latter was buried under an apple-tree, in the " old chimney
lot," so-called, now belonging to Amos Mitchell, a short distance
east of the old " Eleazur Mitchell House," and a short distance
from the elevated plain on which stood the principal and last vil-
lage of the Pootatucks in our territory, the last sad remnant of
them having removed in 1759, and joined the Scaticooks at Kent,
where there are still a few individuals, now (1871) remaining, on
their reservations in the mountains, under the care of a white
overseer, appointed by the State. There was still quite a mound
remaining over him a few years since. His burial place is near
" Tummaseete's old orchard." There are a dozen of these trees
still remaining, seeming to flourish quite well, there being apples
now (June 187l) growing on them. Several of them are more
than three feet in diameter, and were disposed around the area or
plaza of the village of wigwams. This orchard was called an
"old orchard," in several conveyances, dated more than ]50 years
ago, and was no doubt planted by the Indians soon after the ad-
vent of the whites within the bounds of Stratford, in 1639.
It is not known when the death of Wecuppemee occurred. He
was a witness to a deed (p. 24) dated July 14th, 1673, His mark,
or totem, was the representation of a snake — a pretty good imi-
tation — and his name was spelled Wecuppemee, instead of Wee-
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 883
cuppeemee, the modern spelling. The former mode of spelling,
used by Capt. John Minor in this deed, is believed to be the cor-
rect one, because he so spelled it, and because it truly represents
the sound of the name as uttered to this day. Wecuppemee was
buried on a little knoll, near the river called by his name, a little
west of the residence of the late Willis Lambert. Several small
mounds mark the spot to this day. In the adjoining meadow,
numerous and quite perfect flint and quartz arrow-heads are plow-
ed up yearl)'. The same is true of a meadow near the residence
of Mr. Theodore Judson, in Harle Plain, a mile or two distant.
The Indians were more particular than our fathers in the selec-
tion of their burial places. They always selected the most attrac-
tive places for their villages and burial grounds, and took great
pains in arraying the corpse and preparing it for the necessities of
the long journey before the deceased, on his way to the happy
" hunting grounds." This chief, as was often the case, was buried
at a place removed from the beautiful burial place on the plain be-
low, by the murmuring waters of the Housatonic. From the vil-
lage above, and the spot where the sachem was buried, is obtained
some of the most delightful views, south and west. A series of
hills, with vales between, and now and then a cultivated field, as
in the early days, rise, one above another, in every direction, mel-
lowed and softened by the varying tints of the ever-changing sky.
Below, the noble river ripples on, in haste to join the ocean-tides.
Uncultivated as was the savage, he had a mind to appreciate the
loveliness of nature, and an eye to select the most romantic places.
Said a young lady, while contemplating this enchanting scene, on
a recent occasion, " the Indians found out all the most beautiful
places." None need wonder that the poor native left this most
lovely spot with sad, lingering steps, to make room for the steady
advance of the pale face.
Nonnewaug, the last chief of the clan of his name, conveyed
to our fathers the territory of Nonnewaug, belonging to his peo-
ple, in lYOO, and joined with others in a confirmatory deed in 1706.
Though on friendly terms with his white neighbors, he had till
then sternly resisted all advances towards the purchase of his
lands, yet he now yielded, giving as one reason for so doing : —
" Y® desire y ' is w '•• in us of a friendly correspondency w "" y® English in-
habitants of Woodbury."
After the sale of all his possessions, reserving only the right to
fish and hunt over all of the granted lands, his haughty spirit
seems to have become humbled, and his ambition after any worthy
884
HISTOEY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY,
object to have been lost. It could not be otherwise under the
disheartening prospects before him — the waning of his race — the
loss of his wealth and hopes in life. The Indians now remaining
within the territory, after this sale, became fully amenable, with
other inhabitants, to the laws of the whites. Without other so-
lace, the dispossessed sachem occasionally wandered to the village,
and partook too freely of the "fire-water," which was even, in
those early days of apple-orchards, to be obtained, despite a some-
what rigorous law against the vending, or drinking of intoxica-
ting liquors. On one occasion, being '^ overtaken in a fault "of
this kind, he was arrested therefor, and taken before a magistrate.
But he was so thoroughly intoxicated, his trial was put off till the
next morning. He was then brought before the Court for exam-
ination. The magistrate informed him, that all the plea he could
induce him to make the preceding day was, " Your Honoi*'s very
wise, very wise." " Is that so ?" said the dilapidated chief, in true
Yankee phrase of the modern .stamp. The magistrate assured
him he so said. "Then," responded the fallen sagamore, " I mttst
have been drunh, very drunk f'' This was a somewhat unique
way of pleading guilty, and the stern tribunal was so much pleas-
ed with the witty retort, that he dismissed him with an injunction
to " sin no more."
And Nonnewaug, too, at the appointed time, slept with his fa-
thers, and the small remnant of his people buried him in the beau-
tiful plain at the foot of the musical falls that are called by his
name, where his fathers' people had been buried before him, true
to their instinct of selecting the most beautiful places by the river-
side, by the silvery cascade, or in the verdant plain. An apple-
tree was planted at the head of his grave,
which still stands there, the faithful guar-
V,r— S ^^"^^ of the ashes that repose beneath its
^^ AsP^^ grateful shade. It is a venerable tree,
^^^rvm, some ].50 years old, but does not bear the
marks of so great an age, though there
are several decayed places in it, so per-
^ fectly shown in the accompanying cut of
the grave and tree, taken by the artist on
the spot during the last summer. When
the writer fii'st visited it, twenty
;^ years ago, there was a large hillock,
' *\ or mound, raised over the grave,
u,^ which remained, distinguishing the
HISTORY OF AKCIENT WOODBUKT. 885
sachem's, by its size, from the other graves around him, till a few
years ago, when the present owner of tlie field committed the
sacrilege of plowing it down, saying he was not going to have
such an old "hummock in his field," much to the regret of every
true antiquarian, and lover of ancient things. The mound thus
destroyed was some ten feet long, six feet wide, and four feet
high, having been gradually formed, in the same way, as in the
case of Pomperaug's grave.
Two events will ever render the vale of Bethel Rock memora-
ble ; one, because it was the meeting place, or Bethel of our fa-
thers during the first few years after the settlement : and the other,
because it is the locality of a sorrowful legend connected with it.
It is a tale of sad romance, told and believed by many from the
earlier days of the town. The rock is situated in the bosom of
the Orenaug cliifs, and is the point of much attraction. Beneath
the overhanging crag, a hundred feet below, in the deep dell, is
space sufficient to screen two hundred people from storm, and
danger from a lurking foe. At its woody top is a delightful
place, to which we may wander through the pine grove, at twi-
light hour, for contemplation, rest, peace. In the rapture of the
moment, well may we exclaim, —
" How sweet the mooniiglit sleeps upon this bank.
Here will we sit, and let the sounds of music
Creep in our ears ; soft stillness, and the night •*
Become the touches of sweet harmony !"
This legend of Bethel Rock is somewhat minutely told, and the
reasons given why it may receive credence, on page 90, and is
alluded to again here, to introduce the vivid conception of the
scene by the artist, who has visited the place since the former ac-
count was written. The picture gives a very accurate view of
the scene as related in the universally received legend. Referring
to the former account for full details, a brief stateujent only will
be inserted here.
Some ten years after, the return of the inhabitants to Woodbury
from their enforcecl residence at Stratford during King Philip's
war, it is related that Waraumaukeag, a young Pootatuck sachem,
fell in love with Sarah Walker, a young girl of seventeen years,
a niece of the venerable pastor, who was in Woodbury on a visit
to her uncle, of some months duration. He was a youth of manly
proportions, of graceful figure, and finely moulded limbs. He was
far in advance of the other Indians in intelligence and in all the
manly virtues, and, from their return from Stratford, an unwaver-
886
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
ing friend of the white settlers. It seemed to be his ambition to
adopt their habits and costumes, and in the end, as it turned out,
he sought matrimonial con-
nexion with thetn, aiming
to bind in firm alliance and
mutual good offices and in-
terests, llie two races,
whose lots in life then
seemed oast together. He
erected for himself a cabin
of unusual elegance, and
adopted many of the arts
of civilization. He sought
the acquaintance of the old
pastor, and of the other
leading citizens, and seem-
ed fully inaugurated in the
ways of civilized life.
The young lady was the
possessor of great personal
beauty, and womanly at-
tractions. She seemed the
" rare ideal of feminine love-
liness, such as often haunts
the dreams of the imagin-
ative and young, but sel-
-^iW
dom me(jts us in the walks of life." She was the type of innocence
and purity. She was possessed of unaffected piety, and loved to
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 8&7
wander in the beautiful sylvan retreats in the vicinity of the vil-
lage. For the quiet contemplation of nature, and private devo-
tion, she often, at sunset hour, retired by the shady path from
her uncle's house to the over-hanging, mossy cliff, of Bethel
Rock. It was natural for the romantic and religious child to
wander to the place of prayer frequented by all the people, at
stated intervals.
Warauraaukeag was often at the pastor's house, and became
more and more enamored of his niece. Not yet having forgotten the
aboriginal custom of wooing, he brought many a rich and rare
present, and lay at her feet to win her favor, but she, understand-
ing their import, and being unimpressed by the fervor of his pas-
sion, declined them all, with dignity and kindness, desiring to give
no offence, to arouse his anger. Meeting with no success with
the maiden, he pressed his suit upon ihe uncle, desiring his good
offices on his behalf. The old pastor tried to show him the impro-
priety of the alliance, and declined to influence his niece to accept
the marriage proposed. Yet he did this with great kindness, as
well as firmness, for it was a matter of first importance to all the
settlers, to be on friendly and intimate terms with the Indians.
Thus failing, on all hands, in the prosecution of his suit, he de-
parted, and was seen no more at the parsonage. His proud na-
ture could not endure the slight put upon him, the leader of the
red men. No offer of violence followed, and the pastor's house-
liold was for some time in doubt as to what might result from this
unfortunate attachment on the Indian's part, though i'evenge was
feared. One delightful evening in the gorgeous " Indian summer,"
the young girl left her home, as usual, for Bethel Rock, just as the
" sun set behind the western hills," to engage in her evening med-
itation and devotion, but failed to return. Next morning, after
diligent search had been made, her dead body was discovered, at
the foot of the rock, mangled by the fall, but with her limbs de-
cently arranged, her hands folded, and her clothing wrapped
carefully about her. Beside her was the lifeless body of the
chieftain, evidently lying just as he had fallen from the cliff. It
is supposed that after she reached the top of the rock, she saw
Waramaukeag, who had followed her to tliis retreat, and, sup-
posing him still angry, and coming to wreak his vengeance, started
back in alarm, falling from the great height upon the jagged rocks
below, and was killed by the fall. By a secure path the chief
888 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUEY.
reached the scene below, and finding her dead, lie adjusted the
form and dress in a comely way, re-ascended the rock, and sought
death by casting himself from the dizzy height upon the rocks
by her side, thus atoning his responsibility for the occurrence by
sharing her fate.
Let us pause a moment to drop a tear over the obliterated
graves of a buried race. They arc all gone to meet the Great
Spirit, and, perhaps, as they desired while in life, to revel in
" happy hunting grounds." By the romantic falls of his own
ever-murmuring stream, is the grave of Nonnewaug. In his own
orchard, at Pootatuck, near the noble Housatonic, rest the re-
mains of Tummaseete. Within the fertile meadows of Wecup-
pemee reposes the brave of that name, in his last quiet sleep.
And there, by that rock, in our very midst, they buried Pompe-
raug, the renowned chief of our valley, who gave his name to
our beautiful meandering river. There, too, shall remain, perhaps
for ages yet, the little hillock of stones which now mark the spot,
dropped there, one by one, with a tear to each, by his remaining
braves, as they sadly passed the hallowed spot on their hunting
and fishing excursions. The children of the forest have passed
away — faded from the view, and almost from the memory of man.
In their low, unnoticed and unknown graves, they sleep well!
Their existence has become a matter of antiquarian research, and
oft told legend. Their history has been written in desolation.
" The moon, methinks, looks witli a watery e3'e,
I And when she weeps, weeps every little flower."
We may look on this sad history with sympathy, for, in the
" fullness of time," a similar fate will be ours. Our nation will
leave more enduring " foot-prints on the sands of time," but with
all that is noble and hopeful, it may not last forever. As individ-
uals, at least, our heads shall lie as low in the dust as theirs.
"Generation after generation," says an eloquent writer, " has felt as
we now feel, and their lives were as active as our own. Tiiey
passed away like a vapor, while nature wore the same aspect of
beauty, as now, and loveliness crowned the hour. The heavens
shall be as bright over our graves, as they are now around our paths.
The world will have the same attractions for our offspring yet un-
born, as she iiad for us when children. Yet a little while, and all
will have happened. The throbbing heart will be at rest. Our
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
889
funeral will wind its way, and prayers will be said; and then we
shall be left alone, in silence and darkness for the worms ; and, it
may be, a short time we shall be spoken of, but the things of life
will creep in, and our names will soon be forgotten. Days will
continue to move on, and laughter and song will be heard in the
room in which we died ; and the eyes that mourned for us will be
dried, and glisten again for joy; and even our children will cease
to think of us, and will not remember to lisp our names."
CHAPTER III
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY.
General ecclesiastical review ; The " Stratford vikw " of the Woodbuet
Church organization ; The " Woodbury View " re-stated, re-affirmed, and
PROVED,
LTHOUGH the history of the immediate
causes that led to the settlement of Wood-
bury, were very fully set forth in tlie first vol-
ume, yet it has been deemed advisable to
reour to the subject again, carefully review
the evidence in the case, and see if any er-
ror has intervened, or any inaccurate infer-
ence has been drawn. Almost immediately
after the former edition was issued from
the press, the author learned that his state-
ments and conclusions in relation to the
Church difficulties at Stratford, were not deemed to be entirely cor-
rect by our good friends of the First Church in that town, and, on
several public occasions, allusions have been made to the matter,
and the opposite opinion has come to be known as the "Stratford
View" of the church difficulties which led to the division of the
church, and the settlement of Woodbury.
It was stated in the first volume, p. 32, that "the settlement of
Woodbury was the i-esult of diflerence in religious opinions among
the inhabitants of Stratford. The first ministers of the colony
being dead, and a new generation coming on the stage of action,
alterations in respect to church membership, baptism, and the mode
of church discipline, were imperatively demanded. Great dissen-
sions on these subjects accordingly arose in the churches at Hai't-
ford Windsor, Wethersfield, and other places, and continued in
various parts of the colony from 165C to about 1070. The discord
not only afi'ected all the churches, but it " insinuated itself into all
the affairs of societies, towns, and the whole commonwealth.''
About 1664, while these contentions were going on at Bartford,
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY 891
and other places, the people at Stratford fell into the same un-
happy divisions and controversies in regard to the same sub-
jects." And on page 113, it was stated, that the " principal cause
of difference Avas in regard to church merabersliip, baptism, and
the discipline of church members. What the precise nature of
the controversy was could not be distinctly understood by the
most learned and pious, even of that day. It was the same as
that which existed at Hartford, Wethersfield, and other places.
One would say, at this distance of time, that the question to be
decided was, whether the " Half-way Covenant Practice should be
introduced into the church, or not. Upon this question, there
was the most grave difference of opinion among the best and most
distinguished men in New England."
It is not denied that the foregoing, taken together, is a substan-
tially accurate statement of the differences among the people of
Stratford at that date. But the writer, from all the evidence then
at his control, and brought to his attention, inferi-ed, that the
"Half-way Covenant" doctrine was the principal cause of the
dissension, and his history of the matter proceeded on that theory.
The "Stratford Yiew " does not admit that the "Half-way Cove-
nant " practice had much, if any thing, to do with the controversy,
for two reasons. First, because that system was practiced in the
first church, fiora the earliest records of the church now extant,
till after the commencement of the eighteenth century. The town
was planted in 1639, and the church was no doubt coeval in date,
as all the early towns had an ecclesiastical foundation. It was the
first thing attended to. But, unfortunately, the records of the
church were burned in the meeting-house, which was struck by
lightning, in 1'785, and all the records previous to 1675 were de-
stroyed, while the records of the town, to the year 1650, are also
not extant. This is a great misfortune, for if the records of the
church from its foundation had been presei'ved, the question now
under discussion could not have arisen. So fiir as the history of
the Second church of Stratford, now the First church of Wood-
bury, is concerned, its records have been preserved from the day
of its organization. May 5th, 1670. No dispute has arisen, or can
arise on them, and they have the advantage over those of the
First church, in reaching back to a date five years earlier. It has
always been a matter of wonder to the writer that there should
be any sensitiveness on the part of any in Stratford in regard to
the view taken by him, as he gave the First church the credit of
892 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY,
having adhered to the " old landmarks," set up by the fathei'S in
the colony, and as the "Half-way Covenant" plan has been gen-
erally repudiated as unsound for nearly three-quarters of a cen-
tury.
But to those who are interested in tracing the ancient records,
the truth of history is a more controlling consideration than mere
pride of opinion, or indeed any other. While an opinion, once
deliberately formed, on due examination of all the facts, should
not be lightly thrown aside by an opposing opinion, yet it may
often furnish the occasion for a re-examination of the matter, as
well as for the search for additional facts and further light. With
this view, the writer has carefully re-examined the question, in all
its bearings, and has decided to introduce here the "Stratford
View," as well as all other documents and information which have
been any where preserved, that throw any light upon the subject,
with such observations as occur to him.
The sole aim of every writer should be to discover and perpetu-
ate the truth, especially in matters religious and historical. There
can be no inducement to follow any other course.
In order to carry out this design, the writer applied to Rev.
Benjamin L. Swan, of Oyster Bay, N. Y., who was for five years
pastor of the First church in Stratford, who gave great attention,
during his stay there, to antiquarian, archaeological and genelogi-
cal inquiries, and who is, withal, a most careful, thoughtful, and
judicious investigator of the "ancient ways," — to furnish him the
" Stratford View " of this subject. Mr. Swan very kindly consent-
ed, and it is as follows : —
" On the part of the Church in Stratford, a different view is taken of the con-
troversy, that issued in the settlement of Woodbury, from that given in the His-
tory of Ancient Woodbury'. That the " Half-way Covenant," as being held by
one party and rejected by the other, was not the ground of dispute, we feel as-
sured for several reasons."
" It appears by Town Record in Stratford, that 1. Mr. Chauncey was not set-
tled as minister of the parish in 1665, but on April 20th of that j'ear, 'the
town did consider of giving Mr. Chancie a call to help Mr. Blakeman in the min-
istry for a year' and voted so to do. Mr. Blakeman died Sept. 7, 1665. In
March, 1665 *, upon the question of a parsonage lot and house, the vote of the
town was divided, ' not that they were against the ininutry.' i. e. of Mr. Chauncey.
"Junel, 1666. At a lawfull Town meeting, the inhabitants generally pres-
" ent, a paper was offered containing divers propositions to Mr. Israel Chauncey,
*' in order to a mutual agreement for his settling among us in Stratford." " It
*' was voted and agreed, that the said papers should by the townsmen of Strat.
"ford be subscribed in the name of the town, and presented to Mr. Chauncy."
Signed, John Minor, Recorder.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 893
"The foregoing extract, verbatim from the Town Record, is of vital import-
ance, because the paper and agreement to which it relatas is that given on page
119 of Hist, of Woodbury, as prepared May 13, 1669, by the dissentient towns-
men, not members of the church ; whereas it was the original overture of the
town (for all the ecclesiastical business was then done town-wise, so far as re-
lated to the settlement or dismission of a minister) to Mr. Chauncy, in June,
1666, and follows immediately, on the record, the foregoing vote, and is entitled
both 'Town propositions to Mr. Chauncy,' and 'Church Covenant' with Mr.
Chauncey. He accepted the propositions, and was settled as pastor, remaining
such till his death, in 1*703.
" A copy of tin's ' Call ' is on file in Hartford State Archives, where it is en-
dorsed as filed by Secretary AUyn, May 13, '69. Some one, mistaking this for
the date of the paper itself, copied it for Mr. Cothrcn as belonging to a period
after Mr. Chauney's settlement, and as being an overture from those aggrieved
by his settlement. On the Town record, it dates June 1, 1666, and was recorded
by John Minor, Recorder, June 25, 1666. The church and town of Stratford
voted together, parish-wise, in town meeting in all things relating to the minis-
try, until Episcopacy was established, after 1700."
" It is not disputed that these " Town propositions " embrace the principles of
the half-way covenant. That, therefore, could not have been the ground of dis-
sension. Moreover, the earliest records now extant of Mr. Chauney's ministry
show that he did practice on these principles.,"
" Again, uniform tradition in Stratford, even in families of important men in
Mr. Walker's party, (such as Joseph Jiidson, of whom the late Dea. D. P. Judson
was a descendant,) denies that the half-way covenant made the difficulty.
"Again, in none of the papers extant, which passed between the parties, is
that measure set forth as in dispute. There is, however, frequent allusion to
principles of church government, discipline, &c., in which, beyond doubt the
mystery lies. Too much space would be required for exhibition here of the evi-
dence in point.
"The papers on pages 115 — 117 of Hist. Anc. AVoodbury, bearing dates in
old style, belong to January and February, 1866, and with the next ensuing pa-
per, pp. 117, 118, preceded the parish call of June 1, 1666, on Mr. Chauncy to
settle. The remark, therefore, on page 118, "Mr. Chauncy had been settled by
a majoritj' of the members of the church alone," is doubly incorrect, for, at that
date, April, 1666, he had not even been called to settle, and his call, when given in
June, was given by a large majority of the whole parish acting in town meeting.
Indeed, by inspection of the list of inhabitants, it would seem that Mr. Walker's
adherents polled but nineteen votes out of eighty-three, who were freemen of
Stratford. There is no instance, during the whole discussion between the two
parties, of a majority in town meeting adverse to Mr. Chauncy.
"It appears, by a vote Dec. 18, 1666, that the opponents of Mr. Chauncy la-
bored, at first, to obtain his brother-in-law. Rev. Peter Bulkley, for their pastor,
and, only after he declined, settled on Mr. Walker.
The differences between the two churches are declared by Mr. Chauney's peo-
ple, June 14, 1669, ' to be not doctrinal.' If it is said, what are our diflerences?
' We conceive they are matters of civil concernment.' If our differences are ec-
clesiastical, what are they ? Mr. Walker's statement, May, 1670, 'nothing had
894 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
appeared of any such great distance in our apprehensions as might be inconsist-
ent ' witli ' an union,' and his adlierents in their letter to the church, Feb. 9»
1665®, distinctly point at the chief cause of dissension in specifications, which
involve the controversy between Presbyterian and Congregational schemes of
church order. These protestants insist, that examination for church membership
should be by the minister and elder only. They also strenuously object to the
re-examination of persons already professors of religion, when i-eceived to other
churches. They desire 'not to be further troubled with any imposition of that
nature.' The controversy about church government and discipline seriously dis-
turbed not a few of the oi'iginal New England churches.
'' An error occurs on page 115, in representing the letter there given as the
opening of the case, whereas it is entitled, in (he Ecclesiastical Documents at
Hartford, ' An Answer to Mr. Chauncy's' letter.' That letter seems to have been
lost. This letter is itself a reply to a previous letter from Mr. Chauney, by
order of the church of which he was then only a ' stated supply.'
" Two statements regardihg the pulpit in Stratford need correction. 1. The
Walker and Reed story. This is a re-issue of a Scotch anecdote about two can-
didates iu Edinburg, and belongs to a period a hundred years later than the
Chauney and Walker times. 2. Mr. Chauncy's ordination. The current story
of his ordination in the independent mode, and with the laying on of Elder
Brinsmade's mittened hand, is, doubtless, pure fiction. As Mr. Chauney, having
already preached a year, had his call in June, it is not credible that mittens were
were worn in the season of his ordination. Moreover, there was no such person
as 'Elder' Erin^n.ade. Philip Grove was the only elder of Stratford church-
Nor is it conceivable that the church in Stratford disowned or neglected the fel-
lowship of the churches in this ordination, for as early as 1645, the church had
been in a council called by the Milford church for the ordination of a ruling elder,
and had otherwise cultivated that friendship." '
Such is the " Stratford View," and such the reasons for holding
it. The fact that it is the theory held by some friends, for whose
sincerity and general correctness of judgment and of information
the writer has the highest respect, has led him to a full and care-
' The Hist, of Woodbury is not responsible for either of these stories, nor has
the author ever credited them, as will be seen, in part, by note to page 133. The
statement, that " there was no such person as Elder Brinsmade, however, is in-
correct. In a list of the Freemen of Stratford, reported pursuant to the Statute
to the General Court, " 8 mth., 7 d., '69," recorded in 2 Trunibull's Records of
Conn. Col., p. 521-2, appears the name of John Brinsniead, elder. This list of
Freemen was taken in October, 1669, and Mr. Walker was ordained over the
Second church in May, 1670. It contains sixty-four names, and is the legal and
accurate list of Freemen iu the town, at the date of the organization of the
Second church. The "Stratford View " is therefore mistaken in stating the
number sf Freemen to be eighty-three, and the part voting with the Second
church at nineteen. The Second church organized with twenty-seven members,
and four more males were added the folloM"ing year, thus embracing nearlj' hal
of the Freemen of the town.
HISTORY OF ANCIEXT WOODBURY. 895
ful review of all the fjicts in the case, actuated by the sincere de-
sire to "discern tlie truth" of the matter. And upon such care-
ful review he has become more fully confirmed in the substantial
correctness of the " Woodbury View," which is set forth fully in
the former edition of this Avork. There are some minor errors of
statement, but that the " Half-way Covenant" system and cognate
theories were the substantial and overshadowing cause of the dis-
sensions among the people of Stratford, he is most fully persuaded.
Nothing short of something most vital in doctrine — something
that concerned the spiritual welfare of the soul to all ages — some-
thing, the abandonment of which involved a loss eternal, can fur-
nish an explanation for that long, earnest, intense dissension which
resulted in the formation of t'^e Second church in Stratford, now
the First church in Woodbury. Trivial differences, as between
the Congregational and Presbyterian modes of Church govern-
ment, while both parties Avere imbued with the same faith, and
acknowledged the same covenant of grace, theoretically and for-
mally, could never be the occasion of a dispute so heated, in a
new and feeble community, struggling for existence, surrounded
by external dangers and difficulties, in a wilderness land, — among
Christians as earnest and conscientious as were the fathers of
Stratford and Woodbury. Spiritual pride, or pride of opinion,
could not go so far as that among a people so strictly conscien-
tious. It was also quite too early in the ecclesiastical history of
the colony for the laity, with whom these questions began, to be
so thoroughly conversant with the systems of chui-ch government,
and so well grounded in the "fundamentals," or Christian author-
ity for their views, as to induce them to run the risk of such open
opposition to the polity or order of the Puritan churches, as to
involve their excision from the church and deprivation of all the
church ordinances for themselves and their children, for the enjoy-
ment of which, in every recorded word and act of theirs, they
showed so earnest a solicitude. Presbyterianisra, as such, had not
at that date a place for the "sole of its foot," in all the colonies.
Dissatisfied individuals were, indeed, in various places, waiting a
safe occasion to introduce Presbyterian and Episcopalian views of
church discipline and government. But their efforts were " with-
out form and void," to a period long after this date, so far as Pres-
byterianism is concerned. Says Dr. Sprague, in an srticle on
Presbyterianism in the New American Encyclopaedia, vol. 13, p.
557 : " The Presbyterian church of the United States is undoubt-
896 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
edly to be reckoned as a daughter of the Church of Scotland.
Presbyterians begun to emigrate from Scotland and the North of
Ireland, to the American Colonies, as early as 1689; and they
quickly manifested a disposition to reproduce here, their own pe-
culiar institutions. The first and largest churches were established
in Pennsylvania and Mai-yland, two colonies distinguished from
the earliest times for their notions of religious liberty. The Pu-
ritan element early found its way into the body from New Eng-
land, and the reformed churches on the continent have, from time
to time, made contributions to it; but the original organization
has always remained substantially the same." So Presbyterianism
was introduced into the States south of us some twenty years
later than the time of the Stratford troubles, and into New Eng-
land later still. Yet by the " Stratford View," we are called to
believe, that differences as between Presbyterian and Congrega-
tional church order and discipline, was the true cause of the "un-
happy " dissensions at Stratford. It is quite inconceivable that this
church should be disputing about " non-essentials," and rending
the peace of the colony, as well as their own, Avhile they were quite
at peace, and in loving accord on the " Half-way Covenant " theory,
and views connected with it, which were at that very time shaking
to their centres, and to the loss of their usefulness, the churches
at Hartford, Windsor, and, indeed, all churches throughout the
colony.
It will also be readily noticed on a careful inspection of the
records introduced into the former volume, and those which fol-
low iu this, that the form of church government and discipline is
no where insisted on. It is nowhere claimed by either party, that
the " ancient way" of independent and individual church govern-
ment should be abandoned, and a " system of church government
by presbyteries, or associations of teaching and ruling elders,"
should be instituted in its stead. From the beginning they had
had their Elder Grove, a leading man in the colony, " Deputy
and Assistant," against whom no complaint seems ever to have
been brought, who remained said elder to his death, in 1676, a
period some years later than this. And yet this church, like the
first three churches of the colony, was a strictly Congregational
church. It was a "law unto itself" It never ceased to be a
Congregational church, and never had even a ruling elder after
Elder Grove's death. The Second church of Stratford ever was
and now is, as the First church of Woodbury, a purely Congre-
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 897
gational church. It never had a ruling elder. Where then do we
discover the faintest traces of Presbyterianisni ? Something caused
the division of the church, and the formation of the new one.
Neither ever practised Presbyterianisni. Both, in their original
organization, and in their subsequent history, were and are, lite-
rally, " a church Avithont a bishop, and a State without a King."
They oi-ganized as civil, as well as religious communities, and for
long years the towns acted parish-wise in the calling and settling
of ministers, and in all arrangements for their support, while all
the conditions of baptism, communion and church government
were decided within the circle of communicants, subject only to
appeal to the General Court. In 1665, (about the commencement
of these troubles,) the Commissioners of Charles II. reported, of the
people of Connecticut, "that they had ?i scholar to their min-
ister in every town or village." They were independent, and
Avere well supplied with scholars to lead them. In view of
all this, could disputes concerning the introduction of Presbyte-
rian church order have been the cause of these Stratford disputes ?
We think not.
If, then, the "Stratford View" be not the true one, is the
"Woodbury View" any more reliable? Let us examine, and
weigh well every recorded word on the subject, and determine, as
best we may. And, in the beginning, we must bear in mind
throughout the discussion, that the First church of Stratford was,
in its church government purely Congregational, and in its doc-
trine purely Calvinistic. It was precisely the same, in all its fea-
tures, as the churches at Hartford, Windsor and Wethersfield. A
history of the one, with a change of names, would be a history of
the other. \\ hat was this organization? No better answer can
be given to this question, nor to the question as to what caused
the divisions in the church at Stratford, than those given in an-
swer to the same questions in relation to the church at Hartford,
planted by the sainted Hooker and the Apostolic Stone, by the
late lamented author of "Hartford in the Olden Time," the Hon.
Isaac W. Stuart, the accomplished scholar, the industrious anti-
quarian, the orator of surpassing ability, who was a descendant,
in the fourth generation, of that worthy and distinguished divine,
who for more than sixty years ministered to us in Ancient Wood-
bury — our own sainted Anthony Stoddard. In his truly eloquent
history he records : —
" A few words now on the first religious organization of Hart-
898 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUEY.
ford. This was purely Congregational, and we may add also,
purely republican. Non-conformists all to the liturgy, ceremonies
and discipline of the Church of Engand, though firm believers in
its faith — feeling that the simplicity of the gospel was ' marred
by association with the display of surplices, caps, capes and cas-
socks ' — the settlers claimed the right, independently of all extei"
nal or foreign power, to choose and establish their own ministers,
to enact their own ecclesiastical laws, and exercise their own dis-
cij)line — and so, with a Pastor, Preacher, Ruling Elder, and Dea-
cons, for officers, in a Meeting House, which th(*se who preceded
Hooker and his party had already erected, they started the first
systematized Church of God in this their ' Wilderness town,'
Their Deacons were as Deacons now, but their Pastor and their
Teacher were somewhat peculiar in their functions. Exhortation
chiefly was the duty of the former — it was his province to work
on the will and the affections. The latter was Doctor in ecclesia,
as he is styled — it was his province to teach, explain and defend
the doctrines of Chiistianity. The Ruling Elder, who was ordain-
ed with all the solemnity of a Pastor, or Teacher, was, " to assist
in the government of the church, to watch over all its members,
to prepare and bring forward all cases of discipline, to visit and
pray with the sick, and, in the absence of the Pastor and Teacher,
to pray with the congregation, and expound the scriptures." ^
Such was the organization and constitution of the church at
Hartford, and such was the type of the church at Stratford, during
what we will call the First Period in the ecclesiastical history of
the colonj^, which extended to 1650 or later.
Now let us quote from the same eloquent author in the same
volume a statement which embodies the " Woodbury View," in
choicer words than we can express it.
"Soon after the commencement of our Second Period, a contro-
versy commenced in the church of Hartford, which, 'for its cir-
cumstances, its duration, and its obstinacy,' says Trumbull, 'was
the most remarkable of any in its day — which affected all the
churches, and insinuated itself into the affairs of societies, towns,
and the whole commonwealth.' Nor was it confined to Connec-
ticut. It hung like a cloud over the heart of all New England —
darkened almost every temple of worship, and kindled baleful
fires at almost every altar.
' Hartford in the Olden Time, p. 58.
HISTORY OF ANCIEJ^T WOODBURY. 899
"It began with a difference between Mr. Stone and Elder Wra.
Goodwin, either about the admission of some ijiember to the
church, or the administration of the rite of baptism, and quickly
involved many other points also of ecclesiastical polity. Look at
the leading questions that were raised :
" What constitutes church membership — admission to full com-
munion only, or a belief in Christianity and worshipful attendance
upon its ordinances also? Is the ' matter of the visible church'
composed of saints exclusively, or of those also, who, not being
communicants, attend religious services, hold pews, and pay rates ?
Particularly does it not belong to the whole body of a town jointly
to call and settle its minister — and may not the adult seed of vis-
ible believers, not cast out, be true members of the church and
subjects of church watch? What constitutes baptism — is 'fede-
ral holiness or covenant interest' its proper ground? Is the
grace of perfect regeneration vital to its application, or may it not
be used also as a seal of the covenant initiatory in its nature ?
Particularly, is it scriptural to baptize the children of any parents
who are not themselves in full communion ? Whence do minis-
ters receive their commission to baptize? Does the word of God
warrant the communion of churches, as such ? Has a Synod de-
cisive power? How far shall any particular church yield to its
authority, or to that of any other ecclesiastical council? Must
every person grieved at any church process or censure, acquiesce
in it, and if not, where shall he repair? What is the gospel way
to gather and settle churches ? Does the laying on of hands in
ordination belong to presbyters, or brethren ? A formidable list
of questions, truly ! But there were others, too — of minor conse-
quence, yet all involved in these just stated — and most of these,
in point of fact, i7i them two salient ones of church membership
and baptism.^ of which baptism parlicularly was debated with an
ardor that neither Socinian nor Romanist, Pelagian nor Hermian,
not Naziandzen, St. Ciril, nor Salmasius, have ever surpassed!
" We are blameless, as most people, in our lives and conversa-
tion — we are well disposed — we are sober — argued, according to
Mather, 'multitudes' of persons — and so, particularly, many in
the church in Hartford. We are full believers in the doctrines of
Christianity. We desire to accept Christ for our Redeemer. We
seek forgiveness of our sins. We are ready to promise that,
through the aid of the Holy Spirit, we will forsake the vanities of
this evil world, and strive to act according to the rules of the
900 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
gospel. We wish to submit ourselves to the watch and discipline
of the church. Particularly, we will promise to bring up our
children, that may be given i;s, in the nurture and admonition of
the Lord. We want the distinction and privileges, therefore, of
church membership for ourselves, and of baptism for our children.
True, we are not communicants, but we will labor diligently to
become so. Why then shut upon us, ' hopeful candidates ' as we
thus are, the doors of church privilege? Is it just? Is it wise?
Why make no difference, in this respect, between ourselves and
Pagans? Why, in particular, exclude our offspring, dear as they
are to our hearts, and partakers, as it is our dearest wish they
should be, of the kingdom of heaven, why exclude them from the
baptism of Christianity simply because our own honest doubts
and fears are such that we cannot ourselves come up to the cove-
nanting state of communicants at the table of the Lord ? This
is harsh — it is an unwarrantable strictness. Baptism and full com-
munion are separate things, and the former, with church watch,
may be enjoyed without the latter. Seal though it be of the cov-
enant, baptism is, after all, but an initiatory rite. It does not itself
absolutely confer, it does not of itself indelibly impress the grace
of regeneration, nor is salvation so inseparately annexed to it, as
that without it, no person can enter heaven. 'The Lord hath not
set up our churches,' be it remembered, ' only that a few old
Christians should keep one another warm while they live, and
then carry away the church into the cold grave with them Avhen
they die ; no, but that they might with all care, and with all the
obligations and advantages to that care that may be, nurse up
still successively another generation of subjects to our Lord, that
may stand up in his kingdom when they are gone.' So pleaded,
so demanded one large party in the church of Hartford." *
So pleaded, so demanded one large party in the church at Strat-
ford, in 1665 and 1866. Let us see if we are right. Let us refer
to the vote of' the town, parish-Avise, passed June 1, 1666 — for, it
will be remembered, that the whole town voted parish-wise in the
settlement of ministers till after 1*700 — which vote is recorded on
page 119 of this history. By that vote, it is claimed in the "Wood-
bury View," the liberal, or dissentient party triumphed over the
church proper in its conservative, close corporation notions, that
is, the dissentient communicants, added to the freemen who were
'■ Stuart's Hartford in the Olden Time, p. 221.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT ^VOODBURY. 90l
not communicants, but who agreed in their view with the minority
of the church, made a majority of the whole in town meeting, and,
in their call to Mr. Chauncy, were able to establish their platform,
as the condition on which they would settle him, grant him a portion
of the lands, " set apart for the support of the ministry," and pay
him an annual salary beyond. Whether we are right in this claim
will be discussed further on. An extract from that vote seems to
shine with a clear light upon the subject matter in dispute at Strat-
ford, They lay down, as the great object of desire, and as the
prime condition* of settlement, the principles of the Half-way Cov-
enant. Why so particular, unless the privileges of this plan had
before this time been denied to them by the church proper, in the
church meetings, where communicants only were allowed a voice.
They say : —
" More particularly we desire y ' all they y ' professe fayth and
obedience to the rules of Christ, not scandalous in life, and doe
present themselves in owning y« covenant wherein they have
given themselves unto the Lord in baptism, may be admitted and
accounted members of y* church, and under the care and disci-
pline thereof as other members, and have their children baptized.
Yet, notwithstanding, we desire not that any thus admitted may
approach unto the Lord's table till, in and by examination and due
tryall, they make testimony unto the Judgement of Charity, of
their fitness thereunto. Moreover, as God owneth the Infant
children of believers in y® Covenant of Grace, neither doth ex-
clude y" same children w° grown up from keeping their standing
in y® covenant, while they soe walk as they doe not reject it,
God owneth y " and would not have y^ grace of his covenant
shortened or straitened, nor put y "" from under the dispensations
of his grace, giving his ministers a solemn charge to take care of,
and train up sucli a part of their flock : We desire also that
y* children of church members may be accounted as church mem-
bers, as well as their parents, and y * they do not cease to be mem-
bers by being grown up, but that they still doe continue in the
church, successively, until, according to y^ rules of Christ, they
be cast out, and y ' they are still y* subjects of church discipline,
even as other members, and y ' they should have their children
baptized, notwithstanding their present unfitness for partaking of
the Lord's Supper."
This is the " Woodbury View," and it is not questioned but
that it is a full statement of the Half-way Covenant system. Was
902 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
this the original platform of the Stratford church, or was it some-
thing new — an innovation '? If it was the old platform, why so
earnestly proclaim it again, and make it a condition precedent to
settlement ? Why not say, simply, that they would settle Mr.
Chauncy upon the ancient platform— in the ancient order, and
"way of Christ among the churches? " Not a word is said here
of a different mode of church government from the old one. It
was the right of church membership and baptism, that was the
sole and all-absorbing theme. On this they insist — on this solely.
This vote furnishes the key to the whole controversy. The same
eloquent writer proceeds to give the views of the first established
churches from wliich these were a departure. He says ; —
" On the other hand, it was urged in reply to these claims, that
they were wholly inconsistent with the rights of the brotherhood
and the strict principles of the Congregational churches — that
they were innovations on its practice, and contrary to its purity —
that they would subvert the very design for which the churches in
New England were planted. Baptism, said the advocates of these
views, is a seal of the whole covenant of grace — those, therefore,
not interested in this covenant of faith, by saving faith, by the
having of repentance, ought not to have the seal thereof for them-
selves, nor for their children. If we extend it in the manner de-
manded, there would be great corruption. It would be a profa-
nation of the right. It would have a natural tendency to harden
unregenerate persons in their sinful condition — and to admit such
to pi'ivileges and membership in the churclies, would at once throw
the homes of the saints into the power of the worldly part of
mankind, profane their administration, and pervert their efficacy "'
Wliicli party at Stratford was it that entertained such views as
these? Was it the Walker party, who for years insisted on being
allowed the privileges of the Half-way Covenant, and, when they
could not fully obtain them, organized a separate church, and re-
paired to the interior forests to enjoy their faith in peace? Or
was it the party of the " ancient church," under the guidance of
Mr. Channcy, as a "stated supply," who, when addressed by the
Walker party, in Jan. 1G65 * (p. 115) "desiring also that we and
our posterity may be owned as inunediate rnembers of the Church
of Christ by you; as Christ owneth us and ours by his own in-
stitution, taking us into covenant, and solemnly setting his seal
' Stuart's Hartford in the Olden Time, p, 224.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUBY, 903
upon US," (p. 115,) and again in Feb. 9, 1665 ° (p. 116) desiring "com-
munion in all God's orrlinances," with the rest of the church, replied,
April 16, 1666, (p. 117) "These are to give you to understand,
that our appreliension concerning the order of discipline is the
same that we have formerly manifested it to bee, both by our
practice, and answer to your proposalls. And whereas you appre-
hend you have equal rights with ourselves in all the ordinances of
Christ in this place. These may certifie you at present that we
are of a different apprehension from you in that matter. And
whereas you desire that your posterity may, etc. : we would put
you in mind, that as yet the matter is in controversie among the
learned and godly ? " Which party was it tliat demanded they and
their seed should be "owned as immediate members of the
church ? " Which party refused this before the ordination of Mr.
Chauncy ? It was the Walker party that demanded. It was the
church tliat refused, acting as a church, entitling and embalming
its actions as " Church Answer to the Men." Are we wrong, then,
in saying, that the cliurch, when acting as an associated body of
communicants, rejected the Half-way Covenant dogma, and that
on the following June 1, 1666, the Walker party, in open town
meeting, when all, both communicants and freemen, were acting
together parish-wise, carried the day, and established the condi-
tion of the Plalf-way Covenant in the ''Town propositions to Mr.
Chauncy" of that date, (p. 119,) which were afterAvards accepted
by Mr. Chauncey? Why, if this view be correct, it did not bring
peace to the town and clmrch, we will consider further on.
Before we do that, however, !et us examine another considera-
tion. It is recorded, that the church enjoyed great peace and
prosperity under the administration of the Rev. Mr. Blakeman,
the first minister. Now what manner of man was Mr. Blakeman ?
We find this account of him in the Manual of the old First Strat-
ford church, printed in 1869 :
"The Rev. Adam Blakeman was born in Staffordshire, England,
A. D. 1599, and was matriculated at Christ's College, Oxford,
May 2&th, 1617. He was a pieacher for some years in Leicester-
shire and Derbyshire, and in 1638 came to New England. He
was one of the original company of settlers in Stratford in 1639-
40, and was minister of tlie church until his death, Sept. 7th 1665.
Just previous to his death, the 20th of April of that year, the
Rev. Israel Chauncy became, by vote of the town, his assistant.
Mr, Blakeman held a prominent position among the colonial min-
904 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
isters. Cotton Mather says (Magnalia, book 3d. chap. 7) that
many of his people came with him to this country, and that Hook-
er once remarked, "If I might have my choice, I wonld live and
die under Mr. Blakeman's minstry."
This is a satisfactory account of an old Puritan minister, truly.
He appears in the history of the Colony only four years later than
Hooker himself, and though he was thirteen years his junior, yet
he was his coeval in establishing the church of God in this wil-
derness land, and so well approved himself, as a minister of the
Most High, in sustaining the good old Puritan doctrines, that
Hooker, in his love, admiration and enthusiasm, proclaims that he
fain would, could he have his own choice, live and die under his
ministrations. Blakeman led his flock, for a quarter of a century,
in the paths of peace and the ways of pleasantness. Even before
his death, the questions concerning baptism and church member-
ship began to disturb the other churches. There is not a particle
of evidence, that there was a word of dissension in his church
during his life. Was he a Half-way Covenanter? If so, then
were Hooker and Stone. The former died, July 7, 1647, before
these discussions arose to any considerable entent. He, therefore,
had been converted to no new theory, and Stone was firm as a rock
against all innovations. May we not then say, in the full assurance
of its truth, that the Halfway Covenant theory had not a "Name
to live," — nay, liad not become a disturbing cause of discussion
during all his holy life, so far as the church at Stratford was con-
cerned. A.t the date of his death the discussion on these subjects
had waxed warm in the colony, but such was his influence with
his flock, it had found no disturbing entrance into his church.
There is a moral certainty that not a solitary Half-way Covenant
admission to the church or baptism on that theory, occurred
during his ministry.
But the good man was dead ; his place was to be filled, and
young Mr. Chauncy "just turned of" twenty-one years of age,
having been born in 1644, was the candidate. New views were
abroad in the land, the state of religion was low and weak, and
imbued with the spirit of liberty, which led our fathers to found
their, homes in the wild woods, they exercised the freedom of
choice among the conflicting theories. The older communicants
stood by the " ancient landmarks " so long maintained by their
sainted Blakeman. The younger conmiunicants and non-commu-
nicants sought-out what seemed to them to be " a more excellent
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 905
way." Mr. Chauncy had been called to " assist Mr. Blakeman,"
and naturally sustained bis views. He, therefore, represented the
conservatives. But, as we have seen, he was settled by the con-
current votes of both parties, after the dissentients had been able
to engraft the Half-way Covenant theory into the conditions of
his settlement. Who was it that insisted on this plank in the plat-
form ? Was it the old communicants, who in April, 1G6G, before
the adoption of this platform and the settlement of Mr, Chauncy,
when add|pssed on this subject by those who afterwards became
Mr. Walker's adherents, replied in their " Churcli Answer to the
Men," (p. 118,) " We answer in the words of Paul in another case,
wee have no such custome, nor the Churches of Christ with whom
we hold communion f Or was it rather those who afterwards
formed the new church, and practiced the Half-w\ay Covenant
plan, but did not follow in the least the Presbyterian mode of
church government? There can be but one answer to these ques-
tions. If the dispute was what the "Stratford View" affirms — a
dispute in relation to Presbyterian and Congregational modes of
church government and discipline, it is the most inconceivable
thing in the world, that neither of the churches, after they were
well apart, and had full liberty to do as they chose, practiced any
thing but pure Congregationalism. If the '' Woodbury View " is
accounted the correct one, the subsequent history of the two
churches is consistent. The Woodbury church practiced on the
Half-way Covenant s) stem for ninety years, ending at the ordina-
tion of Mr. Benedict, (p. 302,) in 1760. The theory that the
"' call " of 16(56 was a compromise, receives further confirmation
from the fact, that two members of the church, viz : Thomas Fayre-
child and Thomas Uffoote, and two of the minority, (church mem-
bers,) Ensign Joseph Judson and Henry Wakelyn, were appointed
by the town a committee to carry the "Town Propositions" to
Mr. Chauncy.
But the " Stratford View " insists that the Half-way Covenant
plan was practiced by the First church in Stratford from the ear-
liest date to which its present records extends, and that, clearly, Mr.
Chauncy was settled by the town vote of June 1, 1666, on the
Half-way Covenant plan. The latter branch of this statement is
undoubtedly true. The vote of 1666 is a most perfect statement
of the Half-way plan, and it is also true that Mr. Chauncy accept-
ed his settlement on that vote. And light here, we apprehend, is
the key to the whole difficulty. The town, voting parish-wise,
5
906 HISTOET OF ANCIEKTWOODBUEY.
including in its vote all its freemen, carried the " Half-way condi-
tion." But the " ordinances of baptism and communion " could
only be obtained through the church, i. e. the communicants, min-
ister, ruling elder and deacons. They held "St. Peter's key" to
these ordinances, for which the minority of the church had so
earnestly striven. And in this same vote of 1666 (p. 119) they
had established a condition as to Ihefiiness of candidates for a^lmis-
sion to the privilege of the Half-way Covenant, i. e. they must
not be "scandalous in life." Under this exception, any candidate,
whether for the half-way, or for the full covenant, could be arbi-
trarily kept out, by the church officers, without a technical breach
of the conditions of Mr. Chauncy's settlement. And it is believed
that this power, reserved under the " call," was exercised, and
that freemen who desired to own their covenant, in full or pai tial
communion, were rejected, and thus the flames of discord were
fanned anew, and dissension intensified till the final separation.
On an examination of the church records at Stratford, we are
not able to discover a single half-way admission, or baptism under
that plan, for the first ten years after the formation of the Wood-
bury church. The practice, by this time, had become general
elsewhere, and, having lost nearly half their original number on
this question, and, probably, being threatened with more loss, the
church succumbed, and we find the following as the first record
on the whole controversy, so far as the first church is concerned,
viz : —
"June 4th, 80." (1680.) "At a chh. meeting.
" The whole consented that baptism be extended to the Infants
of tliose qualifyed according to y * 5 * prop. o± Synod 62."
Immediately following this vote is quite a list of names admit-
ted under its provisions at various dates, mingled with such en-
tries as follows, viz : "Jonathan Lura covenanted and was bap-
tized." " John Bostwick and his wife renewed their covenant
and y' children were baptized, June 16, '89." Sometimes the en-
try is " renewed their baptismal covenant." On the margin under
this vote, against a list of several names, are the words : — " These
renewed Gov *."
The " Stratford View " is correct in stating, that there is abund-
ant evidence of practice under the Half-way plan, after the above
vote, but we do not find a particle of evidence of the practice of
this plan at any earlier date. Between the years of 1723 and
1736, the names of about 150 pex'sons were entered as having
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUET. 907
owned the covenant, and having liad their children baptized. In
1784, under Rev. Mr. Stehbins'adiuinstration, a quarter of a century
after the Woodbury church had given up the practice, it seemed
to have gained a new lease of power, and sucli admissions con-
tinued at least as late as 1811. Mr. Stebbins styled these, admis-
sions to "Special Privileges." The first entry preserved in Mr.
Cliauncy's hand writing on the Stratford clnirch records is — " .Mem-
bers added to the church of Christ in Stratford since 1675."
Under this heading are admissions both before and after the
date of 1680, and so, we suppose, this was the list in which were
placed those who were received to the full communion. Tliough
the First church records of Stratford are strangely meagre and
imperfect, when we consider that they were kept by Mr. Chauncy,
a finished scholar, who had the honor of bein^ elected "Rector'"
or "President" of Yale College, yet if any intelligible inference at
all can be drawn from them, they must mean what we here claim.
" What now^, it will naturally be asked on reviewing the 'Con-
troversy we have descibed," says the eloquent Scaeva,'' " what
m.ade these people of the olden time so warm, and withal so bit-
ter ?" Prudent, good, forbearing persons, that we suppose them
to have been — not apt to "let their angry passions rise" — why in
this matter so quarrelsome and so acrimonious ?
" Well, in the first place, such, as upon them, is the usual effect
of all religious dispute. The Odium Theologiaon has grown into
a proverb ! Religion lies so nearest the hearts of men that they
find it more difficult for this reason, we suppose, to endure diffe-
rences of sentiment upon theological, than upon other subjects,
and anger and pride of opinion, with the best of us, are, after all,
the hardest passion-horses of our nature to bit and rein in. In
the next place, a new, and in some important respects a different
generation, as compared with the First Period of the colony, had
sprung up. Formerly, there had been great harmony in the
church. Though strictly Calvinistic in doctrine, and rigid in its
exaction of duties and in its discipline, it had no sectaries. Its
clergy walked in the most endeared friendship, like Moses and
Aaron, with the Legislature. Its influence was rarely questioned,
and almost unbounded. Now, many of the old ministers were
dead, as was, particularly, Mr. Hooker, Quite a number had re-
turned to England. The children of the First Period had become
1 Stuart's Hartford in the Olden Time, p. 227.
908 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
adults. The stamp of grand-fother, and grand-mother was upon
most of their parents who survived. New emigrants had arrived,
less strict in their views than those who preceded them. A new
spirit was abroad — one in some material features more liberal, less
submissive, more inquisitive, more progressive, but at the same
time, under some aspects, less scriptural, perhaps, and less pure.
It would of course seek, as it did, increased freedom in the ad.
ministration of religion. Fewer, comparatively, were church
communicants than formerly. Such, if of sober lives and conver-
sation, would naturally strive, for themselves and for the sake of
their children, to relax the rigid claims of the church. Many
there were also who begun " notoriously to forget the errand into
the wilderness " — many whom '' the enchantments of this world"
led " Sensibly to neglect the primitive designs and interests of reli-
gion as propounded by their fathers." All such would naturally
look with indifference upon any struggle for the preservation
of old ecclesiastical opinions and usages, or labor earnestly
after emancipation from their restraints. Others there were also,
many, as compared with former times, who were decided sinners —
who neither sought the influences, nor cared for the duties of
piety, but who, on the other hand, disrelished its ordinances, and
even despised its demands. All such would of course like a quar-
rel which tended to relax the strictness and weaken the force of
Christian organization — would help it on — would relish the spec-
tacle of religious parties pitted in the fiield of strife,
" To prove their doctrines orthodox
By Apostolic blows and knocks" —
would rejoice even to see each casting upon the other frowns,
" As ■when some black clouds
"With Heaven's artillery frought, come rattling on.
Over the Caspian."
"Under all the circumstances now described, it is not strange
that the controversy upon which we have dwelt, assumed in Hart-
ford the phase it did. Reasoning doubtless from these circum-
stances, but in their nascent state — when, like little clouds, they
were 'no bigger than a man's hand' — Mr. Stone, singularly
enough, at the very beginning of the Second Period in our histo-
ry, in a time of profound calm, foretold the controversy and its
violence. He foretold it deliberately, and in a sermon preached in
1650. The churches, he s.tid, will ' come to be broken by schism,
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUKY. 909
and sudden censures, and angry removes.' — ere they are aware,
he added, there will be in them ' prayers against prayers, hearts
against hearts, tears against tears, tongues against tongues, fasts
against fasts, and horrible prejudices and underminings.' — How
quick, alas, did his own church become the stage of all these tra-
gedies?"
A graphic picture, truly, of those melancholy times, but hap-
pily not experienced to the full in the church at Stratford. De-
pletion was a sovereign remedy.
So much in explanation and suppoi't of the " Woodbury View."
We will now take a rapid review of all the record evidence in
the case, introducing all original documents throwing light upon
the controversy, that were not introduced into the first volume*
and see if our view is sustained by it. The whole colony, and,
indeed, all New England, was convulsed with these troubles. The
General Court, even, could not avoid taking cognizance of the
controversy, tliough it dealt prudently with the questions which
were raised, and made earnest endeavors for a peaceful solution
of them. Accordingly, we find the following act: —
October Session, 1666.
"This Court doth conclude to consid'' of some way or meanes to bring those
Ecclesiasticall matters that are in difference in the Severall Plantations, to an
issue, by stating some suteable accommodation and expedient thereonto, and doe
therefore order that a Syn(|d be called to consider and debate those matters, and
that y ^ Questions p ■■ seuted to y « Elders and Ministers that are called to this
Synod shalbe publiquely disputed to an issue. And this Court doth confer
power to this Synod, being met and constituted, to order and methodize the dis-
putation soe as may most conduce, in their apprehension, to atteiue a regular
issue of their debates.
"This Court orders that all y ® Preaching Elders and Ministers that are or
shalbe settled in this Colony at y® time of y* meeting of the Synod, shalbe sent
to attend as members of y« Synod. This Court orders that Mr. Michel, Mr
Browne, Mr. Sherman, and Mr. Glouer, shalbe desired, as from this Court, to
assist as members of this Synod.
"This court orders that all these Ministers or y® maior part of them meeting,
shal proceed as a Synod, Provided that y« maior part of y« Preaching Elders
of y« Churches be present. The Synod is to meet at Hartford, vpon the 3'' Wed-
nesday in May. The Secretary is to send this order and y« Questions stated to
each Minister in this Colony. Mr. Sum" Willys and the Sec''y are to write to
j« Elders in y® Bay to request them to attend what is here desired.
" This Court doth order that y® Questions stated by this Court shalbe those
that shalbe considered and publiquely disputed in y« Synod next May.
" It is desired by this Court and solemnly commended to y® Churches and peo-
ple in this Jurisdiction, to suspend all matters controversall, and y® practice of
910 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
them not formerly receaved and practised in y« Churches here vntil an orderly
decision be given by y*" Synod in May next.
The Questions to be disputed ;
1. Whethei- federall holines or couen* interest be not y^ propper ground of
Baptisme.
2. Whether Comunion of Chs , as such, be not warrantable by the Word of
God.
3. Whether the adult seed of visible believers not cast out, be not true mem-
bers and the subjects of Church watch.
4. Whether ministerial! officers are not as truly bound to baptize the visible
disciple of X' providentially settled amongst them, as officially to preach the
word.
5. Whether setled inhabitants in the Countrey, being members of other
Churches, should have their children baptized amongst vs wthout themselves
first ord''ly joyneing in Churches here.
6. Whether membership in a perticular instituted Church be not essentially
requisite Vnd'' the gospel to entitle to baptisme.
7. Whether adopted children and such as are bought with money are cove-
nant seed.
8. Whether things new and weight}- may be manadged in a Church without
concurrence of officers and consent of the fraternity of the same Church ; And
if things are of conion concern', then how far the consent of neighbouring
Church is to be sought for.
9. Whether it doth not belong to y® body of a Towue collectively, taken
joyntly, to call him to be their minister whom the Church shall choose to be
their officer.
10. Whether politicall and externall administration of Abraham's Coven* be
not obligatory to gospel Ch'.
11. Vnto whom shal such persons repaire that are grieved at any Church pro-
cess or censure, or whether they nmst acquiesce in the Churches sentence vnto
wcb they doe belouge.
12. Whether the laying on of hands in ordination of Elders belong to Pres-
biters or Brethren
13. Whether the Church her invitation and election of an officer or preach-
ing Elder necessitates the whole Congregation to sit down satisfied, as bound
thereby to accept him as their Minister, though invited and settled without y«
Townes consent.
14. What is the Gospell way to gather or setle Cli*.
16. From whom doe Ministers receave their comission to Baptise.
16 Whether a Synod have a decisive power.
17. Whether it be not justifiable by the Word of God that Civil Authority
indulge Congregation'^ and Presbiterian Churches, and their discipline in the
Churches." ^
Here is a statement of the various questions in dispute in the
colony Not all these questions arose in every church. Now,
how many of them arose at Stratford, and which were they ?
' 2 Trumbull Conn. Col. Records, 63.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 911
We, who take the "Woodbury View," think it was the ques-
tious of church communiou and baptism, that disquieted our
fathers, somewhat inseparably joined witli questions 9 and 13,
which inquire whether when a church invites and is satisfied with
a minister the " whole congregation " of non-communicants are
bound to accept him and " sit down satisfied " with him " they in-
vited and settled w^'^out y" Towues consent." We think the
church at Stratford had [previously chofen Mr. Chauncy in churcli
meeting as their minister, and when met parish-wise, the town
raised this issue, by its vote of June 1, 1666, though the church
would have been better satisfied with its clioice under the old
close corporation views, untrammeled by the conditions of that
vote.
It is to be particularly noticed, that though the town, by its vote
of June 1, 1666, gave Mr. Chauncy a " call," and though it w\as
so far a compromise that two of each party were appointed a
committee to present the action of the town to Mr. Chauncy, and
though he accepted said " call," the truce did not last long, but
the parties, later in the year, were able to " agree to disagree,"
and each have its own minister without offense to any. Accord-
ingly, at a town meeting held Dec. 18, 1666, (p. ] 20,) the same
year of the settlement, be it remembered — they voted to appro-
priate one half of the "sequestered land reserved for the use of
the ministry," and divide it equally between Mr. Chauncy and Mr.
Bulkley, or whoever might be obtained by the dissentients.
The general court at its Oct. Session, 1667, (p. 121,) approved
of this agreement between the parties, conditioned that "all joynt-
ly" should contribute to Mr. Chauncy's support, till the other
party should obtain a minister. Early in 166S, the minority did
obtain Mr. Walker. It is to be noticed in this connexion, that
the General Assembly acted with entire impartiality between the
parties, and treated both with equal consideration.
As soon as the minority secured their minister, the committee
appointed by the General Court proceeded, June 8, 1668, to set
out the portion of land belonging to Mr. Chauncy, under the vote
of Dec. 18, 1666, and on the 2d day of November, the same year,
set out a like portion of the ministerial lands to Mr. Walker. Both
these ministers signed an agreement in identical words, to return
the lauds to the town, in case they gave up the work of the min-
912 HISTORY OF ANCIENT "WOODBURY.
istry in the town. A copy of this agreement, taken from the Con-
necticnt Archives, Ecclesiastical, I., 27, follows;'
"Apr" 29^^1668:
Att a lawfull Townsmeeting it was voated and agreed y* y* land
being layd out according to y® agreem ' of y ® Town nppon Mr.
Chancey his subscribing t6 y*pap* bearing Date herew^h signify-
ing his Acceptance of ye s<^ land according to y*^ intent of y® s^ Act
ye Committee shall surrendr to y® s*^ Mr. Chancey full and fi-ee
possession of y® same according to ye s<J Act. baring 18*^ De-
cemb"^ 1666 : And w^as any oth^ Minister is to have and enjoy land
after ye same mann»' as Mr. Chahcey doth. It is by y^ Towne
A'oated and agreed ye 29*^ Apr" 1668 y* before hee possess hee
shall subscribe to y® same as Mr. Chancey doth y® name onlye dif-
fering.
April 29th 1668:
Whereas ye Oommittee appointed both by ye® Towne and
Courte have layd out part of ye sequestred land both upland and
meadow according to y^ Act & agreem* of ye Town bearing date
Decemb'" 18*'^^ 1666 : Mr. Israeli Chancey taking possession of y*
part granted to him in ye s* Act hee doth subscribing hereto de-
clare his Acceptance of ye same according to ye intent of ye s*i Act.
And wras there is in y* act something as Respecting laying down
y® work of ye Ministry left dark, ye s^ Mr. Chancey doth hereby
alsoe ingage y*' in case hee lays down or makes a tot^ll Cessation
of y^ &^ work in this place then ye land shall by him be returned
to y^ Town in like mann^' as if hee removed y® 8*^ June, 1668.
ISRAELL CHANCEY.
Subscribed in ye p'^esence of
Tho : Fayrechildb, ^
Wm. Curtiss, I
I
Joseph Judson ) '
Richard Buttler,
Joseph Hawley, j
Henry Wakelyn, J
Exactly Coppied ye 26th Novembr.- 1668.
John Minor, Recordr-
'The agreement of Mr. "Walker is dated (or subscribed) Nov. 2, 1668, and
witnessed by John Hurd, Jeremiah Judson, Robt. Claris, Jolin Minor.
HISTOKT OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 913
At the May Session of the General Court, held May, 1668, we
find it enacted : —
"May 16th. This Court, in order to the promoateing and es-
tablishing of peace in the churches and plantations, doe desire
reverend Mr. James Fitch, Mr. Gershom Bulkley, Mr. Joseph El-
liott and Mr. Samn Wakemau to meet at Saybrook, if Mr. Fitch
can come there, if not, then at Norwich, vpon the eighth or ninth
of June next — to consider of some expedient for our peace, by
searching out the rnle and thereby cleareing up how farre the
churches and people may walke together within themselves and
one w*"^ another in the fellowship and order of the Gospel, not-
withstanding some various apprehensions amouge them in matters
of discipline respecting membership and hapttisme, c^c.'"
We think a careful examination of all the documents in relation
to the Stratford controversy will show, that its ever recurring
theme was of matters " respecting membership and baptisme."
This difficulty was fully stated and often referred to, while no
other grievance, oi' object 'of paramount desire, was ever distinctly
set forth. A vote passed at the May session, 1669, seems to throw
light upon this view of the subject.
" This Court, having seriously considered the great divisions amongst us about
Chui'ch Government, for the honor of God, wellfare of the Churches and pre-
servation of the pLil)hque peace so greatly hazarded, doe declare that wliereas
the Congregational Churches in these partes for the generall of their profession
and practice have hitherto been approved, we can doe no less than still approve
and countenance the same to be wthout disturbance vntill better light in an orderly
way doth appeare ; but yet forasmuch as sundry persons of worth for prudence and
piety amongs t us are otherwise perswaded (whose welfare and peaceable sattis
faction we desire to accommodate) this Court doth declare that all such persons
being allso approved according to lawe as orthodox, and sound in the fundamen-
talls of Christian religion, m&j have allowance of their persuasion and profes-
sion in church ways or assemblies, wtliout disturbance." *
In view of all that precedes, it may be well to recur to the
views expressed on page 115, and see whether there be any ma-
terial error contained in them It is objected in the " Stratford
View," that the communication which is there recorded, and which
is the earliest paper passing between the parties that has been
preserved, is in reply to a former one from the church proper,
which seems to have been lost. But, however this maybe, it does
not alter the point in discussion ; for this communication, which
1 2 Trumbull Conn. Col. Record, 84.
' 2 Trumbull's Conn. Col. Record, 109.
914 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
preceded the settlement of Mr. Chaiincy, most clearly sets forth
the matter in dispute, i. e., the conditions or terms of church mem-
bership and baptism. Language could hardly make it clearer.
They claim that God " of his free and abundant grace hath taken
us and our seed into covenant with himself and with his church
and people, and hath given us an interest in himself to bee our
God, and taken us to bee his own, giving us his own discipline and
ordinances for our spirituall and eternall good, and owning us,
hath given us equall rigid with yourselves in all his ordinances,
his /trovidence also having settled us together in this plantation,
that we might Jointly together worshipp him in all his ordinan-
ces,'''' declaring their " earnest desire to enjoy communion in all
of God^s ordinances,'''' and further " desiring also that wee and our
posterity may be otoned as immediate members of the Church of
Christ by you. At the same time they qualify this statement of
their claims and desires, by saying " Wee desire that if any man
be converted according to God's rules, and doe not hold forth re-
pentance, then no such person so remaining may bee admitted to
the commu7iion till heboid forth repentance." And again in their
commuication of the next month, p. 116, they say, "we have for-
merly made known our minds unto you in writing, as concerning
our desire of commmiion in all God''s holy ordinances with yoic ;
holding forth unto you by way of preference, our right unto them,
from the free Grace of God among us, and externally sealing the
privileeges of y® Covenant unto us."
These petitioners want something that the church will not grant
them. What is it ? Is it that the church shall change its form of
government from the Congregational to the Presbyterian ? Is
there a word to countenance this idea? No ! the very cry of their
hearts is, give us church membership and baptism, for ourselves
and our children. Give us communion in all of God's holy ordi-
nances. It is our right. We desire church admission. You re-
fuse it. We are willing you should examine us " in respect of our
faytli and knowledge." We admit that the minister should " take
particular knowledge of all those y* are to have communion in
the tohole toorship of God.'" But we have " wholly and onely en-
gaged ourselves to be the Lord's". We have been baptized.
Therefore, we pray you, admit us as members of the church on
probation, with no right as yet to come to the table of the
Lord, subject to the watch, care and discipline of the church,
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 915
and grant baptism to our children. Any other interpretation of
these two letters would do violence to the language employed.
What is the answer of the church, which they style " Church
answer to the Men," p. 117, to such earnest and respectful re-
quests ? It follows : —
" Neighbours; whereas we received two writings, the sum of
both u'JdcJi was, to hold forth your earnest desire as to communion
in all the ordinances of Christ with us. These are to give you to
understand that our apprehension concerning the order of disci-
pline is the same that we have formerly manifested it to bee, both
by our practice, and answer to your proposalls. And whereas you
apprehend you have equal right with ourselves in all the ordi-
nances of Christ in this place. These may certifie you at present
that we are of a different apprehension from you in that matter.
And whereas you desire that your posterity may : etc. : Wee
would put you in mind that as yet the matter is in controversie
among the learned and godly.''''
Thus stood the matter in dispute between the church and the
dissentients on the 16th of April, 1666. Six week^ later, on the
1st of June, of the same year, the town in parish meeting assem-
bled passed the vote giving Mr. Chauncy the " call " of that date, p.
119, to which allusion has so often been made in these pages.
This "call" embraced, fully and clearly, all the principles of the
"Half-way Covenant." Only six weeks before, the church had.
informed the dissentients explicitly, that they had not an equal
right in the ordinances of Christ with them, that the right of bap-
tism for "posterity" was a matter "in controversie among the
learned and godly," and generally, " wee have no such custome,
nor the churches of Christ with whom we hold communion."
Now every thing is reversed. What has caused this change in
opinion? Have the scales lalleu from the eyes of the Church,
and have its members become converted to the lately inadmissible
theories, with a suddenness equalled only by the case of St. Paul ?
Or, is the " Woodbury View " right, after all, in saying that the
dissentient members of the church, united to the non-communicant
freemen, constituted a majority in town meeting? If it is the
church that has changed, why is it that the " difference" still con-
tinues, insomuch that in December of the same year, within six
mouths of such harmonious action, they have agreed to separate
and divide the ministerial lands between Mr. Chauncy and some
minister -whom the dissentients should settle over themselves ?
916 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
Why is it, on that theory, that the church, in the face of tlie
" call " to Mr. Chauncy repudiates the Half-way Covenant system
till 1680, while the Second church practices it from the moment of
its organization, in 1670.
A deposition taken in 1671, concerning events transacted in
1667, would go to show, by inference at least, that the dissenti-
ents did not obtain the church privileges they desired, and so they
refused to pay Mr. Chauncy, according to the terras of the same
agreement, thus seeming to balance a breach of the contract on
one side by a breach of it on the other. It will be remembered
they were, by their "call" of 1066, according to their ability, to
contribute for the " comfortable subsistence " of Mr. Chauncy,
The paper is as follows : —
" At a town meeting a little after the General Courte in May, in the year 1667,
when Mr. Hawley did present a petition to the said General Courte respecting
the Towns meeting for the laying out of the lands for the ministers : Joseph
Judson did say, in one town meeting at that time, when Mr. Hawley did present
the petition. — Mr. Hawley did make a complaint agaynst the Towne for not pay-
ing Mr. Chauncey, and he had done the towne great wrong in soe doing. Mr.
Hawley was absent when Joseph Judson spake these words ; but he being in-
formed of what he had spoeke agaynst him, Avheu he came in Joseph Judson
replyed unto Mr. Hawly in these word-s, — did not Mr. Gold say to you, that the
Towne had not payed Mr. Chauncey, and you answered yes ; then this was ask-
ed Joseph Judson, is yes a complaint, and he answered, if I make account, it is.
Joseph Judson further added, at the same time, when Mr. Hawley presented
the petition to the Generall Courte above said Towns agreement had bine set-
tled, had it not bine for Mr. Hawley ; for the Secretary had drawn up a wright-
ingfor that purpose; and he had it to shew and, eayth he, one of the bench said
to Mr. Hawley, will you be willing that the land shall be layd out to them for
their minister, as you would have the other part to you, but Joseph Judson closed
up — with this he answered nothing, but was silent; then the writing was crost
and the matter was layd aside. Mr. Hawley answered ensign Judson, that is false
which you say : then Lieut. Curtice asked Joseph Judson yf there was any more
than one writing drawn up at that Courte by the Secretary, for the settling
of the Town's agreement, and Joseph Judson answered not that I know of:
then Lieut, made this return to him, it cannot be what you have sayd now, for I
was present in the Courts, with many others that are here, when one wrighting
was drawn for that purpose, and there was noe petition presented there at
that time, and we know that one of the bench sayd, the naked truth is, yf you
grant them any thinge, you must grant them a Presbyterian minister ; (hen dep-
uty Gouvn'' we must forbeare, for we have sent for the Elders to consider about
that thinge, and the matter was layd aside upon this account. John Briusmead,
Sen., and John Peat, Jun., have attested upon oath to this testimony.
Before me, WM. CURTICE, Decemr. 12, 1671.
This is a true coppie, according to the original. Wm. Hill, Gierke."
* State Archives, Ecclesiastical, 1 vol. 37.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 917
From the foregoing it would seem that liigh words passed be-
tween the parties, and some of the Court were becoming wearied
with the dispute, and deemed it imi^ossible to heal the differences
without granting them the right to have a minister of their own
clioice. Accordingly, the vote passed at the October session
1667, approving of the town vote to divide the ministerial lands,
orders tlie freemen to contribute to Mr. Cliauney's support, '■'•till
there be another minister at Stratford there cohabiting^''
Tiie dissentients obtained the services of Kev. Zechariah A\^alk-
er, early in 1668, and though dissensions and disputes still con-
tinued, doctrinal ditferences were never again discussed, tliough
•there were frequent allusions in their papers to the subject matter
of their former disputes. The papers passing between the par-
ties after this date, referred principally to union meetings, and
the way in which they should enjoy their joint property, the meet-
ing-house. They had scarcely got a iirm foot-hold in the wilder-
ness, and completed tl;eir house before these dissensions begun
and it would be an enormous burden, in their then impo\eiished
state, to build a new house of worship. Hence the earnestness
with which the Second church insisted on a joint use, or a use in
common, of their church edifice. Their first proposition to Mr.
Chauncy's party, therefore, was, that Mr. Walker should preach
one part of each Sabbath in the meeting-house, and Mr. Chaancy
the other part, thus joining the two congregations.
The first church, in its reply to this j^ropositiou, (p. Vll) speaks
of their " difierent persuasions as to order in the house of God,''
and afiirms '' that though our differences be not about " funda-
mentalls and essenlialls of faith and Christian religion, yet it
reacheth to the fundamentalls of order in church aclmi)iistrations^
which are styled, Ezek. xliv, 5, " The comings in and goings forth
of the sanctuary ; " and, " we doe account ourselves bound by
covenant to that order and dispensation of the worship of God
that hath hitherto been peaceably practiced in this church and
other churches of Christ holding communion with us ; " that is,
as we say, the " ancient way " practised under Blakeman, and
such churches as those presided over by Hooker and Stone, when
no half-way theory disturbed the Christian serenity of God's peo-
ple. They further say, "as to Mr. Walker, he is one whom we
desire to honour and esteem in the Lord ; yet wee cannot see how
two, though godly, can walke together (especially two ministers)
except they be agreed." They therefore decide '' to retain and
918 HISTORY OF ANCIEISTT WOODBUKT.
maintain those dis2oensations which we have so dearly bonght, and
so long enjoyed without interruption."
It was the church administrations that they could not consent
to change — something connected witli the interior workings of
the church. They were asked simply to unite services with a
minister whom they honored and esteemed^ but their theories of
membersliip and baptism were such, that they could not consent
to give such slight countenance to the minority view, as would be
involved in the innocent act of uniting " in preaching and prayer,"
as advised by the General Court. It was impossible, it would
seem, for the older communicants to unite in adorations and sup-
plications to Deity, when in an adjoining pew sat an unconverted '
man, who had solemnly owned his covenant, and promised to
strive to become "perfect in the law," and by that means had be-
come entitled to every church privilege except, that he could not
come to the communion, nor hold church office. It may seem to
us, at this day, as illiberal to slam the gates of heaven in the face
of those who professed to be seekers after divine light and divine
truth — and force them to seek church room in the wilderness,
while their own hands had helped to build a commodious church,
large enough to contain an assembly of all the inhabitants.
In their next communication, dated Dec. 7, 1668, (p. 123,) the
church uiges, as a reason against joint services, that though Mr.
Walker is " hired, accommodated and settled, and in all resj^ects
equally privileged with Mr. Chauncy, and preaching part of his
worke for which hired," yet " wee rather tremble to thinke that
we should deviate from any rule of Xt and our ancient pattens, •
and undervalue our ancient Lawes and Law-makers, then as some
tremble to thinke .what will be the end of separation." Besides,
they say, " rule forbids us, which gives a church poioer to choose
her own feeders. Mr. Walker was never chosen by us to be our
feeder ; " and " how each minister can vindicate his own persua-
sion, and differend Administrations be cari-yed on together, and
no disturbance, each to other, but peace be preserved, we see not."
Different administrations is here referred to, which are, we think,
their ''federal holiness" and half-way covenant plans.
In reply to this, Mr. Walker's party speaks of " former differ-
ences," (p. 124,) and of the provision, by the agreement, for each
party to enjoy without disturbance the " ordinances of God ac-
'cording to s"" different persuasions," avowing their inability to
understand how " meeting or sitting together in ye same house, or
HISTORY OF ANCIEl^T WOODBURY.- 919
seat," or "conjunctiou in fifFection " could in any way interfere
with their " different persuasions " iu relation to 'f ye ordinances of
God," They close by giving notice that they shall occupy the
house one part of the next Sabbath, and hear their own minister,
giving Air, Chauncy's party the choice of the part of the day they
would prefer for their own service. The consequence of this no-
tice was, that Mr. Walker was allowed two hours for his services,
between the two services of Mi-. Chauncy.
In their statement of claims to tlie General Court in May, 1669,
Mr. Walker's party says, (p. 128,) "wee have, at least, an equall
interest in y® publick meeting-house, with our present ojjposites,
'and desire no other improvement of it than what religion and law
aUoweth us." This would hint toward the relative strength of the
two parties, while a petition to the same session from the " church
of Christ at Stratford, with many of the inhabitants," (p. 128,)
shows a list of forty-five names. At this session, the Court gave
Mr. Walker liberty to occupy the meeting-house three hours
each Sabbath, in the middle of the day, between Mr. Chaun-
cy's two services, till the October session, and advised both par-
ties to choose, " some indifferent pei'son of piety and learning to
compose their differences." Their " differences " at this time, so
far as the record shows, was confined exclusively to the way and
manner in which they should " enjoy the use of their meeting-
house." At least, this was the understanding of Mi*. Walker's
party. It will be seen by the next paper in order, of which a
copy follows, that the First church endeavored to raise other
issues, and to deny the only questions that had hitherto been- dis-
cussed. They allege that the '' diflerences " are " matter of civil
concernment," Avhen, during all their disputes, the burden of dis-
cussion had been about enjoying the ordinances of God, and not
one recorded word appears in legard to civil differences on either
side before ; —
" June 13, '69.
" Neibours :
" We are so far_from slighting Godlj advice from Godly magistrates, that
we honour botli, and are as ready as yourselves to attend it, according as we con.
ceive the full latitude and compasse of it reachetii. Therefore, for the advice
itselfe, we would consider it: First from the reason of it, and that is differences .
Secondly, from the end of it, and that is to settle a peace amongst us, and^
Thirdl}', it is serious advice, and that appears as from the end, so from ye qualifi-
cation of ye persons to be chose for this end, viz : indifferent, godly, and learned,
and then the work for these so qualified is, to compose our differences and to set-
920 HISTOKY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
tie a peace or agreement. Our worke, therefore, we conceive is to to state all our
diiferences, so as the end may bo attained, and that we conceive is your worke in
the first place to doe (if you please). But first we will tell you what is not our
difference nor worke for advice, viz: a full improvement of our minister and ad-
ministrations ; all our priviledges, and libertyes, formerly settled and now con.
firmed, are no matter for us to take advice in, and we presume you so believe ;
therefore we would be as careful to attend the Courts act, as their advice, and
therefore not slight eyther.
If it be said what are our differences ? we conceive they are matter of civil
concernment. We have two reasons from, yourselves. First, that you charge us
with irregularity in the election of Town officers, as appears by your protest ; we
confesse if so this is worke for Arbitration. Secondly, from your presentation of
a paper of testimonyes at Hartford, before some magistrates at the time of the
Genii Court, these we are willing should be considered, though we had thought
our former advice had left us ground of agreement, if it had been received. But,
3dly, as to ourselves, (we conceive,) we have cause to desire that we may agree
to choose meet Arbitrators, according to advice, that may judge of our damages
and determine a reparation of them, which you cannot but know are great, and
occasioned by your unjust molesting of us; this being the worke, (and if you
will not slight the Courts advice,) we d sire you would name your men, and then
agree upon time and place, and so shall we." ^
The Second church denies that "civil concernments" have an)''
thing to do witli the case, and insist that it is their " ecclesiastical
differences" which they desired to have settled by the arbitrators,
though if there is any thing else to be adjusted, they are willing
that too shall be decided. They propose as follows : —
"Beloved neighbours: we persuade ourselves j-ou cannot be altogether insen-
sible of ye uncomfortable differences yt have been so long among us, and still re-
main uncomposed ; nor can you be unmindfuU of ye serious advice of ye Hon._
Gen. Court, recommended to us, viz : yt that in order to ye healing of our differ-
ences, we should jointly make choice of some indifferent persons of learning and
piety, to indeavoui (at least,) to reunite us, and to compose and issue our present
differences : We therefore, in compliance with the advice and with respect to ye
end therein proposed, do declare our readiness to join with you in ye attending
of such a hopeful and probable meanes, for the healing of our so imcomfortable
breaches, and do earnestly request your concurrence with us therein y*' (if it be
possible there may be a renewall of peace and love among us). You may (per-
haps) persuade yourselves that your case is so clear that you need not any advice
concerning it, and we on the other hand may as readily believe yt both reason
and equity are ingaged on our side ; but this we can easily be convinced of, yt
persons not interested in a case, are in a greater capacity of a right judgment con-
cerning it; than those that are on ye one hand or on the other so nearly con-
cerned. As for any difference among us about civill affaires, which ye honoured
court hath never had any thorough inspection into, we cannot think it to be
^ State Archives, Ecclesiastical, 1 vol,
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUKT. 921
mainly, if at all respected or intended in your advice, (though some of yourselves
in some former discourses between us, have wholly restrained your advice there-
unto,) for who can rationally conjecture, yt ye worship would advise us to make
use of a councell, and that of such persons as yy describe, for yy knew not what ?
Yet, nevertheless, we are content yt any such difference among us shall be sub-
mitted to the judgment of such a councell; but the main things, which we sup-
pose were aimed at by ye court, and wherein we desire ye help of a councell, are
our ecclesiasticall concernments, and particularly our differences about the car-
rying on of ye worship of God among us ; though we desire not to exclude
anything yt may be thought of. which is causall to disturbance and difference
amongst us. If, therefore, you so far respect the advice of ye court, or ye at-
tainment of peace among ourselves, as to comply with us in such an indeavor, be
pleased to signify your minds unto us as soon as convenience will allow, yt we
may mutually apply ourselves to the prosecution thereof: if otherwise you con-
clude, we request you by y® seasonable communicating of your conclusion, to
discharge us from further expectation. July 28, 1669.
Zachariah Walker,
Joseph Judson,
John Minor, in ye name of ye rest concerned with us.
Stratford Towue proposal." ^
The next jjaper is from Mr. Chauncy's party, and only shows
that the two parties were not agreed as to what " differences "
the General Court had advised them to leave to arbitration. The
Chauncy party claimed it was " civil dilferences," while the Walk-
er party claimed it was " Ecclesiastical difierences." The paper
explains itself: —
" To ensigne Joseph Judson, to be communicated to the rest.
" Loving Neibours :
" "We have received a paper in the name, but know not whither with the
consent of the rest. The names and consent of them that are called the rest, we
judge rational that we should be acquainted with, and shall expect it before any
further treaty with you. In this your paper you signify your desire of our con-
currence with you in seeking to counsel, in order to the attendance of the Hon''.
Gennll courts advice for the healing of our differennes, and ye renewal of Love
and peace amongst us. But when we consider the further contents of your pa-
per, together with what hath bin propounded unto you by some of us, (of which
you might have had a copy,) it seemeth our greatest difference is what is
difference ? "We say it is our civil concernments, not ecclesiastical, and have
given our reasons. — You say not civil, but ecclesiastical — about the carrying on
the worship of God amongst us : If you please, we would consider your rea-
sons as they present themselves to us in your paper. The first, Negative ex-
prest, the second, aiSrmative implyed. The Negative hath two parts; first, sight;
secondly, knowledge. And so your sense is this — the Hon''. Genii court would not
^ State Archives, Ecclesiastical, Vol. 1.
6
922 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
advise us to put our civil differences to the judgment of indifferent, pious, learn-
ed men, because they had not a through inspection into them, and knew them not. "
An. True, they knew them not throughly; yet in part they did. And so, (ac-
cording to your manner of arguing) no prudent man seeing two neighboures at
differences, and knowing but part of y'' difference, can rationally advise them to
put their matters to references and not goe to Law. Tou know how to apply
it. 2. Affirmative strongly implyed, the court did not know our civils therefore
not advise us, the court did know our differences as to ecclesiastics, therefore at
them they aimed in their advise. An. It is true, indeed, they did hear a great
deal, and knew our differences, and (yourselves know) provided a Law for the
peace of you and us, therefore could have no aim in their advise to ecclesiasticks :
unlesse you will say the Court indeed hath made a Law, and hath given out to
this Church a particular charter or grant; but have advised us to leave it to a
counsel to alter it. But we say further, the court could have no aime in their ad-
vise that we should leave our ecclesiastical concernments to the judgment of a
counsel, when themselves have given liberty to yourselves as to us, to enjoy our
own persuations; for would yourselves be willing to leave that liberty to the ad-
vice of a counsel, if they should advise you to be of our persuations. If so we
understand you had that advice already ; and for our parts in the matters of
God's worship (wherein you say our difference lyes) our desires are to take the
counsel of him who is called Wonderfull, and, if you can, we cannot be so shght
in them as to put them to Arbitration : But we mind one thing more in your
paper to which we adhere, viz : persons not interested in a case, are in a greater
capacity of a right judgment concerning it than those that are on the one hand
or the other so nearly concerned, and such for our civil differenses we hope to
meet you with : And if still you say our difference is in the worship of God,
shew us iu what particulars, and wherein we misse the rule, and so by discharging
your duty, you will engage our affections, and have greater peace in the enjoy-
ment of your own persuasions by yourselves, which we desire not to hinder you
of Neibours, we must needs tell you, tliough we had almost forgot to tell you,
that the paper we received from you neither reacheth your promise (as we tooke
it up) nor our expectation, viz: a stating our differences in order to counsel
And therefore we adde the following questions which we desire a plain answer to,
that we may not be always beating the ayr, but come to some conclusion.
Q. 1. If your differences be Ecclesiastical, then what are they?
Q. 2. If such differences be found from whom doe they arise, or who acca
sioned them.
Q. 3. Of what standing or continuance are they ?
Q. 4. Whether have you found such men as are uninterested in such differ-
ences ? If so,
Q. 5. Who are they ?
Q. 6. Whether if advise should lead to the laying down of your persuasions,
and acting contrary to them, you could submit to it ? Upon a plain answer fo
these questions we shall come to a conclusion.
5th, (6th,) '69. Israel Ghauncy,
Philip Grove. In the na-ne
and with the consent of the church and several of our Neibors." '
' State Archives, Ecclesiastical, 1 Vol.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUKY. 923
The next paper, from the First church party, explains itself: —
" For ensigne Joseph Jud8on, to be communicated to the rest :
Sept. 10, '69.
Loving Neibours:
Wee are informed of a meeting of Revd. Elders at New Haven, upon the
sLxteenth day of the Instant, September; and have thought good seriously to ac-
quaint you thei'ewith, it being so good a providence to reach the end advised un-
to, which yet hath not bin attended ; though for our parts we have shewed our
readiness. Now, if you please to make use of the opportunity, in presenting
anything relating to our differences, we desire you will please to let us under-
stand your mindes, that so we may have some to goe along with you, where we
doubt not but you and we shall have counsel that may be suitable to our con-
ditions.
Israel Chauncey,
Phillip Grove." »
The next communication, and, so far as has beea preserved, the
last but one between the contestants, is from the Walker party,
addressed to the General Court at its Oct. Session, 1669. It ex-
plains itself, and gives a full resume of the matters in dispute,
since they had liberty from the Court to have their own minister.
No epitome can do it justice, and it is given entire, that all may
see the statement of fact and style of its reasoning : —
" Whereas it hath pleased ye Hon. Genii Courte to propound ye advice to y«
Inhabitants of Stratford yt for the healing of the differences yt are amongst us,
there should be a councell mutually chosen of pious and learned men ; And we,
in observance of yr s'^ advise have proffered our concurrence with our neibours
in, improveing of such a councell, but have had no such return from them, as in
reason wee might expect; but instead thereof, a positive rejection of our motion •
wee thought good to present to the Hon. Courte some animadversions uppon the
return we have received from them.
'■ As for yr introduction, wherein they acquaint us yt they have received a pa-
per in the name, but know not whether with the consent of the rest — we cannot
but wunder yt our neighbours should make so great a distinction when there is so
little, or rather no difference. When God separated ye tribe of Levi, to bless in
his name, Deut. 10, 8, and 20, 5, was it then a rationall question whether ye ben-
ediction was with divine consent? When David sent his messenger to greet Na-
ball in his name, hee thought it not needful to adde yt it was with his consent ;
nor was Naball such a churl as to object ye want of it : 1 Sam. 25, 5. When
David blessed the whole congregation of Israeli in ye name of ye Lord, there
was not a man amongst them yt moved the question whether it were with the
Lord's consent, 2 Sam. 6, 18. When our blessed Savior tells us, in Matt. 18, 20,
that were two or three are gathered in his name, he is in the midst of them, who
' State Archives, Ecclesiastical, 1 Vol.
924 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
can think that his consent is not therein understood ? Many such like Scripture
instances might be given to prove y* these are consonant expressions and of like
import. But they proceed, and tell us yt they think it rationall yt they
should bee acquainted -with your names, and consent of them that are called the
rest, and that they shall expect it before any further treaty with us, <fec. But is
it rationall yt we must give them each of our names, and produce a letter of at.
torney impowring such as act in behalf of the rest : And is it not at the same
time as rationall that they which demand that of us, should do the like them-
selves? are two names subscribed to yours sufficient, with your bare word that
it is with the consent of the Church, and are not three, these subscribed to ours
as suflScient, with as much assurance that they were imployed by the rest ? Are
you all soe notable, or so notorious, yt you neede no mention of your names, and
we, on the other hand, so obscure and unknown that we must bee imagined to
be, unless they have our names in writing: But not to stay here. They further
acknowledge our manifestation of our desires to attend the courts advice in seek-
ing to counsell, in order to the healing of our differences, what then hinders, yt it
should not be attended? The reasone you give to the contrary, are the conside-
ration of first the contents of our paper, (wherein we declare ourselves willing to
submitt any differences amongst us to the Judgment of a councell, and, 2nd,
of what had been propounded to us by some of yourselves, viz : to make choyce
of a councell to Judge our civill differences, and lett alone our ecclesiastical dif-
ferences, which were the main things upon which we disagreed : uppon these
considerations they are pleased to inform us yt it seemeth (we suppose to none
but themselves) yt our greatest difference is what is difference: if yr were guilty
of any good reason it might deserve a rationall answer, but it is as good as it will
bee, onely by the way it is worthy the noting, yt ye same persons yt have by
word of mouth professed yt they know of no ecclesiastical differences amongst
us, and yt in the writing doe affirm yt their greatest difference amongst us is
what is difference, or in other words what it is to differ, doe yet with all profess
that our differences are such that they cannot joyn with us in any act of worship,
how they will reconcile those we may soon inquire : then they can rationally an-
swer. Whereas they subjoin their and our opposite apprehensions concerning
the differences amongst us intended in the courts advise ys yt onely civil affayres
are therein intended, and thot ecclesiastical concernments were maynly respected.
It may remain with the Hon courte to give the sense of their own advice. As
for the antick analysis of our reasons for our apprehension in the above sd re-
spect, it will not be worth inck and paper to write out an answer thereunto, onely
one thing therein must not be wholly omitted, viz: yt aspertion they cast uppon
us, yt after our manner of our arguing, (in our reasons so prove that our ecclesi-
astical concernments were maynly intended in yt courts advise). No prudent
man seeing two neibours at difference and knowing but part of their difference, can
rationally advise y^to put the matter to reference, and not goe to law ; in answer
whereunto, lest it be considered whether none but pious and learned men are
competent judges of ordinary differences betwixt neibour and ueibour, we are
ready to think that civill honest men, though unlearned, might serve their turn.
Whereas they are pleased to argue yt the courte, in their advice, could have no
aim that we should leave our ecclesiastical concernments to ye judgment of a
counsell, seeing they have given liberty to us as well as our neibours to injoy our
own persuasions, and wee (as they suppose) would be unwilling to leave yt lib-
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 925
berty to the advice of a councell, if they should advise us to be of the same per-
suasion with them, our neibours. As to the first pretense of argument herein
imployed, we answer, that though the court hath given hbberty to them in our
different apprehensions, yet we persuade ourselves that it would be no unwell-
eome news to the court to hear, that our differences were well issued, and we
united. As for the latter argument, from our unwillingness to leave our libberty
to a councell, if they should advise us to be of different persuasions, wee cannot
think that it was the thing aimed at by the court in propounding a councell, that
they should tell us of what persuasion we should he, but rather yt they should
advise how we might manage our different persuasions so as, notwithstanding
them, to mayntain love and unity amongst us. And whereas they further adde
yt we have bin allready advised to be of your persuasion, we must profess yt we
never yet knew the man yt was so absurd and irratiouall as to give us yt advice :
Whereas they furttier inform us of their desires to take the councell of him who
is called Wonderful, let it be considered whether that be wholly inconsistent with
taking advice from pious and learned men ; if so, the courte is more to blame
than we, for advising thereunto, nor can their worships be excused in the next
clause, wherein our neibours tell us, that if we can, they cannot be so slight in
matters of worship as to put them to arbitration ; for we have desired nothing
of them but which the courte advised unto. So if we are guilty, slightness for
offering to attend the courts advice, vV is the courts for propounding it? But
they further tell us of one thing in our paper to which they adhere, viz : that
persons not interested in a case are the fittest judges concerning it ; but if they
adhere to this, as they pretend, what means the following expressions : that such
for our civill differences they hope to meet us with, but why not for our ecclesi"
astical differences likewise? Are not men as lyable to pride, self-love and par-
tiality, in ecclesiastical as in civill differences ? But their will is sufficient.
They go on, that if we affirm, (what they know to be true,) yt our grand differ-
ence is about the worship of God, we should show them wherein they miss their
rule, but what shall we gett yt ? They tell us we shall thereby discharge our
duty, engage 'their affections and have the greater peace in ye injoyment of our
own persuasions, by ourselves ; but it seems we shall not attayn their company
in conjunction with us, notwithstanding : no, though should most convincingly shew
them that wherein they differ from us, they miss their rule, yet still we must not
hope for any more, but a peaceable injoj^ment of our own persuasion by our-
selves: as for them, it seems they are resolved in their way, hit or miss, and
will rather separate from their rule, than conjoin with us. But to proceed, they
further inform us (as a thing by no means to be omitted) that our writing did not
answer their expectation, nor our promise as they took it up: as for their ex.
pectation, we must let it alone to themselves to explain what it was. As for any
promise they had from us, we know not that in the least we have fayled to ac-
complish it. But for a conclusion, they are pleased to propound an halfe-dozen
of questions, uppon our answer to which they promise to come to some conclu-
sion. But let it be remembered yt they have denyed us any further treaty till
they have a list of our names, and something to manifest the consent of all our
party with any imployed by them: so that unless we will answer their insolent
demands, uppon that account, an answer to their questions will be of little value*
And farther, lest it be considered yt if our proffering to attend the courts advice,
in submitting our differences to the judgment of a counsel!, doth ingage us to
926 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
answer those questions of yours, certainly the courts advising us to so doe doth
much more ingage them to make their responsive part of the catechize unto y'
worships ; therefore we shall wholly refuse it. Some time after our receipt of
yours, we received another paper, inviting us to a counsell or meeting of Elders at
New Haven. But how much reason, ingenuity, or verity y"" paper contayns, is
worth y'' inquiry. First, they tell us they thought good to acquaint us with such
a meeting, as a good providence in order to the attaynment of the end aimed at
in y« courts advice, and yet themselves have before, once and again, peremto-
rily refused to submitt any ecclesiastical differences amongst us to the judgment
of a counsel!. Again they desire, if we will make use of that opportunity, that
we should acquaint them.
This is a true copy according to the originall, examined by me.
Mr. Wm. Hill, Clarke."
The result of tliis application to the October Session, 1669, was
a resolution advising the First church to comply with the desire
of Mr. Walker's party, to have union services, allowing Mr. Walk-
er to preach one part of each Sabbath. The church did not heed
this advice, but excluded them from the church entirely. No
more appears of record till Sept. 29, 1670, following the organiza-
tion of the new church, by consent of the neighboring churches,
May 5, 16*70, when a communication was addressed to the First
Church, (p. 130,) sadly complaining of the treatment they had re-
ceived, by which they had been made such " causeless sufferers,"
and the " house of God and religion suffered as well as we " —
asking " that you would so far 'bethinke yourselves what injury
you have done us in excluding us from the place of publick wor-
ship, wherein you know our right to be as good as yours, and how
unwilling yourselves would have beene to be so dealt with, — as to
suffer us, without any molestation or disturbance, to return to the
enjoyment of that our right in the meeting-house, therein to have
the improvement of our minister one part of each Sabbath." If
they wished " to oppose and resist so rationall and just a propo-
sition as this," then they proposed to divide the town, and sepa-
rate, " that so, by the removall of one party, there may at length
be a cessation of those so long lasting troubles that have been
amongst us." They also gave notice that they should, in case no
arrangement was made, apply to the General Court. They did so
apply, at the Oct. Session, 1670, and a committee was appointed to
*' view the lands desired, and consider the proposition, but nothing
was effected by the committee, nor was any report made. There
' State Archieves, Ecclesiastical, 1 Vol.
HI.STOKY OP ANCIENT WOODBURY. 92*7
is no record of any other action in the matter, on the part of the
autfiorities of the Colony, til] May, 1672, when, as we have seen,
on the advice of Gov. Winthrop, Mr. Walker and his church were
granted lands, and allowed to found a new town at Pomperaug.
The Second church of Stratford was organized under Rev. Zech-
ariah Walker, as pastor, May 5, 1670. A clear light is thrown
upon the nature of the dissensions for the last three preceding
years, when in Oct. 1667, the dissentients had been granted au-
thority to have a minister for themselves. He says, in the open-
ing of his history of the Second church : —
•
" After great indeavours for an uaion wth ye former chh., and much patience
therein, wn long experience had too plainly evidenced yr irremovable resolution
to oppose an union wth us, though nothing had appeared of any such great dis-
tance ill our apprehensions, as might be inconsistent y'with : All hopes of suc-
cess in our indeavours being at length taken away, we thought ourselves bound
to seek after ye injoyment of ye ordinances of God in a distinct society, finding
ye door shut agst. or attaining it in any other way : we did yrfore, first more pri-
vately (by reason of ye great opposition wi'wth we were attended) set apart a
day of solemn humiliation, (fee."
Mr. Walker says, (p. 131,) that nothing of any "such great dis-
tance " between their several opinions existed, as might prevent
" an union." We should also think not, for since the Oct. Session
of the General Court in 1667, there had been no matter of discus-
sion between them, except to determine whether they could agree
on joint services in " preaching and prayer," in their joint prop-
erty, the meeting-house, and failing in that, to see if they could
agree on separate hours of the day in which each party might attend
the services of its own minister. The First church was unbending
throiighout. They would not have union meetings. They would not
consent that Mr. Walker should occupy the meeting-house either
part of the Sabbath. By the order of the Court they must not dis-
turb the First church. They must obtain their rights peaceably.
The First church insisted they would be disturbed, if the Second
church occupied the house either part of the day, and so they kept
them out. There was no matter of" great distance" at issue, but hav-
ing the advantage, they would not accord them even their just rights.
It is to be noted, that the 7ieio Stratford church was organized
by " y® approbation of ye chhs. of Fairfield, Killingworth and
ye neio church^X Windsor," What was this new church at Wind-
sor ? Was it formed on the Hooker and Stone plan, or was it
formed as a result of the differences there in regard to " church
membership and baptism ?"
928 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
Thus have we carefully examined, and discussed each recorded
trace of the facts connected with the church dissentions at Strat-
ford, with calmness, and with the earnest desire to arrive at the
truth. As the accuracy of the former conclusions of the writer
had been called in question, after they had passed into several his-
torical works, and become embedded, so to speak, in the history
of the State, the duty to re-examine the subject became imperative.
The reader now has before him, in the two volumes of this work,
every thing now extant that has been recorded concerning this
controversy, so far as we know or believe, as well as the differing
theories of the " Stratford " and "WoodUury Views," and each
one can form his conclusions for himself While the writer, from
his renewed examination, has only become more confirmed in the
theory, that the subject matter of the disputes at Stratford re-
lated principally to the Half-way Covenant system and cognate
theories, and not to simple differences about adopting the modes
of Congregationalism or Presbyterianism, he will in no wise be
disturbed if others should come to a different conclusion. The
truth of history required him to present the evidence, and that
being done, his responsibility in this regard is ended.
CHAPTER IV
CIVIL HISTORY.
Accuracy of American History ; Characteristics of the Fathers ; Free
Home-lots ; Comments on the " Fundamental Articles ;" Lower Nonnewauo
J'alls; Old Mill-stones; Bethel Rock; The First Meeting-house; Sec-
ond Meeting-house; Sabbath-day Houses; Church Customs ; Bear-hill and
Ragland Sheep Pasture ; Drumming for Church Meetings ; First Arti-
zans ; Wooden Shoes ; Ride and Tie ; Going to Church ; Iron Kettle ;
Quassapaug Scene ; Reflections.
HERE is one peculiarity in the his-
tory of our nation which applies to
no other. We go back to the ear-
liest days, and record all the mi-
nute events of our own origin.
There is no nation except, perhaps,
the Jewish, that undertakes to do
this. We record the annals of our
time, step by step, noting every
event as it occurs, with great particularity and accuracy. " No one
of the present nations of Europe can tell a word of their earliest an-
cestors ; or even specify the century in which their territory was
first taken possession of by them ; but all is as involved in obscurity
as are the years before the flood." Scarcely more is known of them
than of the location of the Garden of Eden. All their early history
is a mithical period, and one scarcely knows where their authentic
annals begin. But it is far different with our early history as a na-
tion. We know the men who said they would be free, and who laid
the foundation of this mighty republic. We know whence they
came, the spot to which they came, the object for which they
came, and the year, the month, and the day they took possession."
They began at once to make, and require of their officers the
keeping of records of all events of interest in their independent,
civil communities. Neglect was punished with severe penalties.
" Our nation owes a lasting debt of gratitude to our ancestors,
for their fidelity in recording tfie incipient steps taken by them in
9 30 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURT.
settling this new world." We have seen, in the preceding pages,
with what care our fathers preserved the history of the events,
painful in themselves, which resulted in the settlement of our
town. We respect them for it. If they had faults, they dared
confess them, and meet such retribution as properly attached to
them. It is the great, apparent trait in our ancestors, one on which
they seemed to pride themselves, that they studied deeply the
questions that interested them, formed their opinions deliberately,
and, having become assured that any particular course or theory
was right, they dared avow and defend it, whatever might be the
consequences of such avowal or action. It is to be remembered,
always, that they were cut oft' from nearly all the privileges which
we possess. They had fled to a wilderness inhabited by savages
and wild beasts. They were poor. They had but the bare neces-
saries of life, forced from an unwilling soil. They had neither the
daily nor weekly newspaper, bringing them intelligence and
useful information from the whole civilized world. Books were
rare, and of schools there were none, till they were able to " set
them up " amid the forests. Laborious days and nights were con-
tinually required to eke out the naked requirements of humanity, ■
and to reclaim and cause the desert lands to bud and blossom as
the rose, and make possible the introduction of a more refined
civilization. Yet they had, thanks to the old Puritan care, the
rudiments of an education. Most of them could read and write,
and search the holy Scriptures. Many were from the more intel-
ligent classes and higher walks in life in the old world, who had
fled to this new land for opinion's sake. And, above all, they
" had a scholar to their minister " — a learned man — " in every
town and village." Their religion was intellectual and doctrinal,
rather than emotional, and the consequence was, that while they
felled the forests and tilled the stubborn soil, they thought deeply,
were imbued with the importance of the conclusions to which
they arrived, and the inspirations that glowed in their hearts,
while an overwhelming sense of the "justice and majesty" of
God, whose servants they were, to shew forth his glory on earth,
made them tully persuaded, that each important act of theirs
should be recorded, and have its controlling influence on the gen-
erations. Hence the care they took of their records. Hence the
fact, that we are so perfectly informed of all the past of our country.
In looking over the early acts of our fathers, another thing at-
tracts out attention, and that is the care with which they selected
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 931
their associates in founding their new town. With their first as-
sociates they were well acquainted. They had battled with them
side by side, in their contests with the First church, for six yeai"s.
They knew how reliable they were, and they simply covenanted
with each other, that they would make the new plantation " their
dwelling place four whole years after y* such y' removal, before
they shall have liberty to dispose of their Accommodations y'*
granted them. Granted to any other person iu the way of sale,
or alienation, to prevent discouragement to y® s'^ plantation." And
even after this time had elapsed, the owner could sell or let his
property to no person, " but such as y^ town shall approve of."
But that there should be no hardship in the matter, the town, on
its part, agreed either to purchase the lands of any person who
desired to sell and remove, or approve of purchasers who were
"blameless men in their conversation, with certificates according
to law." They not only desired to plant and establish the right
institutions, but to make it certain that they should be preserved
to all time.
It will be remembered that in removing to the wilderness, therfi
was no expense for land. The town lands were free, so far as any
colonial charge was concerned. There were expenses in clearing
the territory of the rights of the original proprietors, expenses of
removal, and various other joint charges, which miist be defrayed.
Though all our fathers were poor on their first entrance on these
western lands, yet there were distinctions even among them in
their worldly possessions. For this provision was made, that
every thing might be done according to the rules of equity and
justice. The charges mentioned constituted the indebtedness of the
new colony. The lands constituted their capital, or wealth, which,
pursuant to their grant from the General Court, and their own ar-
ticles of association, (p. 39,) they were to divide in proportion to
the amount they severally contributed to the expenses of estab-
lishing the plantation. Meanwhile, they reserved liberal quanti-
ties of land for the support of the ministry, the establishment of
a school, and for the accommodation of such new settlers as they
should approve and admit to become inhabitants, which newly
received inhabitants were allowed a proportion of the lands on
paying into the town treasury a sum sufticient to make them
equal with the " first removing proprietors." They granted " ac-
commodations," without a pecuniary payment, to skilled artizans
and professional men, as an inducement to settle with them, and
•<032 HISTOKY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY,
enable them to avail themselves of their educated skill. Accord-
ingly, we find that they thus endowed the town miller, blacksmith,*
fuller and a physician — but not the lawyer — that was reserved to
a later and more luxurious period. This mode of land division
was not very dissimilar to the present " homestead law," for the
encouragement of settling our western lands. After the settle-
ment each inhabitant was to pay his share of the public expenses, in
proportion to the amount of his land received from the common
stock, without regard to the amount of personal property. To
effect this purpose, "Adjusters' Books" were kept, and lands sold,
or purchased, or set out in their land divisions, were added to, or
subtracted from their land accounts, and thus a perfectly certain
basis for taxation was furnished. There was no chance for the
concealments which are now so abundantly furnished by our mode
of assessments and taxation.
Another particular in the Fundamental Articles is to be noticed,
(p. 40). It is the condition by which all engaged, "each for him-
selfe not only, that wee will not any way disturb y® peace y'in,
but also, that we will personally subject ourselves to that Ecclesi-
astical Government that shall be there established, or practised
agreeable to j^ Word of God," and agreed to forfeit their lands,
and all interest in the plantation, in case of a breach of this con-
dition. They had just issued from a religious dissension, which
ran through several years. It had become necessary, on this ac-
count, to remove into the wilderness, and they resolved that they
would so order their affairs, that there could never be a similar
occurrence in their day and generation. Doubtless from this con-
dition, in some measure, may we attribute the fact, that there was
no schism in the church, involving a division of its membership,
for more than one hundred and forty years. Six Societies had,
meanwhile, been permitted, in brotherly love, to set up for them-
selves, made necessary by the increase of the inhabitants, and the
'May 13, 1706, the town voted a ten acre accommodation, with the accompa-
nying interest in all the land divisions, to "Mr. Samuel Bull, of Farmington,"
provided he should reside in town for the space of six years, and carry on the
"trade of a Smith in the town." Mr. Bull was a deacon in the church and a
man of note in Farmington, before his removal to Woodbury. He did not exer-
cise the functions of a deacon after his removla here. He married Elizabeth,
only daughter of Rev. Zechariah Walker, and died without children.
A ten acre accommodation (p. 73) was also granted to Abraham Fulford, in
1700, being "a well accomplished person for carding wool, weaving and fulling
cloth."
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
935
good crops the year of their removal. While building their
houses near together for protection against Indian incursions, they
pushed out their working parties in all directions. All the river
lands were at once appropriated. East Meadow was esteemed by
them as very desirable, and they quickly overrun all meadow land
quite to Nonnewaug Falls. These falls have been fully described
on pages 92 and 847. They consist of a series of three cascades,
making a total fall of about one hundred feet. The artist has
given a vivid sketch of the two principal ones.
[Lower Nonnewaug Falls.]
It is one of nature's loveliest nooks retired in the dim solitudes,
where the silence is broken only by the roar of the sweetly falling
waters and song of solitary bird.
After the settlers had made their first crop, and erected their first
rude cabins, they laid out other divisions of land from their com-
mon stock, and cultivated the same, extending their borders mean-
while. But they were thirty miles from the old home. They had
neither saw nor grist-mills. They were, in fact, forced to be about
as primitive in their habits as the natives of the forests. At the
same time there were no roads to connect them with the mother
town by the sea-side. The only means of conveyance was on
•©32 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
enable them to avail themselves of their educated skill. Accord-
ingly, we find that they thus endowed the town miller, blacksmith,*
fuller and a physician — but not the lawyer — that was reserved to
a later and moi'e luxm-ious period. This mode of land division
was not very dissimilar to the present " homestead law," for the
encouragement of settling our western lands. After the settle-
ment each inhabitant was to pay his share of the public expenses, in
proportion to the amount of his land received from the common
stock, without regard to the amount of personal property. To
effect this purpose, "Adjusters' Books" were kept, and lands sold,
or purchased, or set out in their land divisions, were added to, or
subtracted from their land accounts, and thus a perfectly certain
basis for taxation was furnished. There was no chance for the
concealments which are now so abundantly furnished by our mode
of assessments and taxation.
Another particular in the Fundamental Articles is to be noticed,
(p. 40). It is the condition by which all engaged, "each for him-
selfe not only, that wee will not any way disturb y® peace y'in,
but also, that we will personally subject ourselves to that Ecclesi-
astical Government that shall be there established, or practised
agreeable to y® Word of God," and agreed to forfeit their lands,
and all interest in the plantation, in case of a breach of this con-
dition. They had just issued from a religious dissension, which
ran through several years. It had become necessary, on this ac-
count, to remove into the wilderness, and they resolved that they
would so order their affairs, that there could never be a similar
occurrence in their day and generation. Doubtless from this con-
dition, in some measure, may we attribute the fact, that there was
no schism in the church, involving a division of its membership,
for more than one hundred and forty years. Six Societies had,
meanwhile, been permitted, in brotherly love, to set up for them-
selves, made necessary by the increase of the inhabitants, and the
"May 13, 1706, the town voted a tea acre accommodation, with the accompa-
nying interest in all the land divisions, to "Mr. Samuel Bull, of Farmington,''
provided he should reside in town for the space of six years, and carry on the
"trade of a Smith in the town." Mr. Bull was a deacon in the church and a
man of note in Farmington, before his removal to Woodbury. He did not exer-
cise the functions of a deacon after his removla here. He married Elizabeth,
only daughter of Rev. Zechariah Walker, and died without children.
A ten acre accommodation (p. 73) was also granted to Abraham Fulford, in
1700, being "a well accomplished person for carding wool, weaving and fulling
cloth."
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
935
good crops the year of their removal. While building their
houses near together for protection against Indian incursions, they
pushed out their working parties in all directions. All the river
lands were at once appropriated. East Meadow was esteemed by
them as very desirable, and they quickly overrun all meadow land
quite to Nonnewaug Falls. These falls have been fully described
on pages 92 and 847. They consist of a series of three cascades,
making a total fall of about one hundred feet. The artist has
given a vivid sketch of the two principal ones.
[Lower Nonnewaug Falls.]
It is one of nature's loveliest nooks retired in the dim solitudes,
where the silence is broken only by the roar of the sweetly falling
waters and song of solitary bird.
After the settlers had made their first crop, and erected their first
rude cabins, they laid out other divisions of land from their com-
mon stock, and cultivated the same, extending their borders mean-
while. But they were thirty miles from the old home. They had
neither saw nor gi'ist-mills. They were, in fact, forced to be about
as primitive in their habits as the natives of the forests. At the
same time there were no roads to connect them with the mother
town by the sea-side. The only means of conveyance was on
936 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
horseback, following a bridle-path, guided by "blazed" trees.
Trees were " blazed " by scorching their bark with torches, at
convenient distances, and these constituted very good guide-
boards. But committees were appointed as early as 16*75, to lay
out a road from Woodbury to Derby, and from Derby to Strat-
ford, and provision was also made for a ferry. The committee,
however, did not report till 1677, and the road was probably not
built till several years later. Meanwhile, the people must have
mill privileges. They accordingly procured a set of stones, and
transported them on horseback, or, rather, slung them between
two horses, and took the weary way of their bridle-path to Wood-
bury. They set up their mill-shed on a little brook a short distance
east of Deacon Eli Summers' house, in Middle Quarter, and
though but about a bushel of grain per day could be ground at
this mill, yet it was all the accommodation of the kind that the
inhabitants had, till 1681. These mill-stones were of small dimen-
sions, being not more than thirty inches
in diameter. One of these is still pre-
served, and has been attached to the base
stone of the "Fathers' Monument" in
the south, or ancient burial ground, for
[First Mill-stones.] preservation, after having done service
for more than a hundred years as a door-stone to the house in
Middle Quarter lately occupied by Miss Lucy Sherman. Traces
of the first mill-dam still exist. The second mill was built in
1681, near the Pomperaug river, about fifty rods westerly from
the dwelling-house of Hon. N. B. Smith, immediately under the
hill, the water with which to run it being brought from the river,
about one hundred rods distant. Faint traces of the old dam still '
remain. Some of the timbers of this second mill-dam still remain
imbedded in the river, in a state of perfect preservation. It was
much troubled by the freshets, had to be frequently repaired, or
re]>laced, and the town was obliged to make other arrangements
for a stable mill. In 1691, Mr. Samuel Stiles Avas appointed town
miller ; mill accommodations were granted for its " encourage-
ment," and the mill located near where the mill of D. Curtiss &
Sons now stands, where it has ever since been maintained.
As soon as the pioneers had fairly settled themselves in their
new homes, they took measures to build a meeting-house for the
worship of God, and a school-hodse, that " leai'ning might not be
neglected to children," As we have seen, they had their grant of
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 933
conveniences of location, which became the nucleus of towns,
that have since been incorporated. It was a wise provision, and
brought forth good and abundant fruits.
These articles were made and signed in Stratford. Every thing
was prepared and fully agreed upon, before they buried themselves
in the depths of the wilderness. It was a great undertaking, in
those early days of want and privation. It is difficut to imagine
that overwhelming sense of duty which could impel them to this
step, when there was room enough and to spare in the beautifully
shaded Stratford, on the pleasant shores so gently laved by the
ever-murmuring sea waves. Speaking of this removal of the
Second church of Stratford, this thought was very eloquently ex-
pressed by Rev. William K. Hall, of Stratford, pastor of the First
church, in a speech at the Bi-centennial of our church, in May,
1870:—
" The daughter, with her chosen spiritual leader and guide, left
the old homestead, and in choosing her new home wisely turned
northward, preferring the clear, bracing air of the north to the
damp and fog and malaria of the shore lands. The record of
these two hundred years, and these festivities to-day, testify to
the wisdom of that separation and of that choice.
That setting forth from the old home was under circumstances,
and amid scenes, which, if we could reproduce them in our imagi-
nation to-day, would aid us in rising to the full significance of this
occasion. The Plantation was only thirty years old. These years
had been years of toil, of hard work in subduing the wilderness,
and in making for themselves comfortable homes. They had been
spent in almost constant fear of the depredations and attacks of
the Indians. One generation was about passing away, and a new
generation had already begun to take up and carry on the ever
unfinished work. They were just beginning to enjoy the fruits of
their hard pioneer toil, were just beginning to realize the benefits
of a social life, well ordered, properly systematized as to govern-
ment, adequately equipped and adjusted by the experiences of
those thirty years. Those years had been years chiefly of prepa-
ration. The settlement was now assuming the appearance and the
character of a thrifty agricultural town. It must have required
a resoluteness of purpose, backed by a firm, conscientious regard
for duty, for that little band to go forth at such a time, and strike
out an entirely new path for themseles, to begin over again that
same laborious work of making new homes in these wild wood-
934 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
lands of jthe north. The prime motives that led thera to take that
step were wholly of a religious nature. Their rights as church
members they would maintain. Spiritu al interests must be held
paramount. They felt that they could not remain in the old
church home, though it was large enough to contain them, if the
course they deemed right and scriptural was not pursued, so they
left it. They had pluck, nerve and energy— stood their ground
firmly until they were convinced that it was for the good of both
parties that they should secede. I apprehend that at the last, the
spirit that prevailed was not far diiFerent from that exhibited in
the Patriarch brother, after variances had arisen in the family :
"Let there be no strife, 1 pray, between me and thee, and between
my herdsmen and thy herdsmen ; for we be brethren. Is not the
whole land before thee : separate thyself I pray thee from me.
If thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right, and if
thou depart to the right hand then I will go to the left."
" Fortunately there was land enough, and that too not far distant
from the old home. Could those bold spirits who planned and
achieved that work of settlement, whose names shine out upon
these tablets before us to-day, see what we of this generation see,
could look upon these well tilled, well fenced farms, this attractive
thoroughfare, bordered by this cordon of cottage and homestead,
indicative all of such comfort, and plenty, and taste, could behold
what would be to them of by far greater value, and in their
estimate the largest proofs of their success, and the highest earthly
reward of their sacrifices and toil, these marks of church life and
church progress which have been commensurate with the growth
of the outreaching population, they might well believe that the
Lord went up with them and before them, and marked out for
them the goodly heritage which was to be theirs, and their
children's.
" All honor and praise from us be to that devoted band. The un.
fiinchiug fidelity to honest convictions, the uncompromising spirit
of attachment to what was to them the truth of God, which they
exhibited at the sacrifice of so much they held dear, were the
rightful issue of the Puritan blood that flowed in ther veins. Let
us emulate their spirit, and prove ourselves worthy of such a
godly ancestry."
Our fathers were now fairly embarked in their new enterprise.
They quickly placed the open lands under cultivation, securing
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 939
the township of Woodbury in 1672, made a small crop the same
year, lost it by wild beasts the following winter, and removed
their families here in the spring of 1673. In two years they were
driven back to Stratford by King Philip's war, and began to re-
turn again in 1676, not fully regaining their foothold till the next
year.
Previously and subsequently to Philip's war, our fathers wor-
shipped, in summer, at Bethel Rock, which has been so often al-
luded to in these pages, and in winter they gathered in their own
rude houses. But the question may be asked, why did the people
at any time of the year leave their homes, and retire from the vil-
lage, (for it was almost as much of a village in the early years as
now, the houses being built near each other for protection) to the
rock for their devotions? The answer is obvious. Their num-
bers were, from the beginning, considerable. They came with
about twenty families, and their numbers increased rapidly for a
new plantation. In contrast Avith the present generation, they
had large families in those days, obeying the divine command-
ment, and every household constituted quite a little colony in it-
self. It was with them a law of conscience, as well as of the col-
ony, that all should attend divine service, and there was no one
of their log huts that could contain a tythe of the inhabitants for
the purpose of Avorship. They had no meeting-house. They were
never for a moment free from the danger of the incursions of the
hostile Mohawks. It was the object of their coming into the wil-
derness, that they should not " forget the assembling of them-
selves together " to worship the Great Creator. What should
they do ? A beautiful dell, secure from hostile attacks and the
buffet of storms, in the bosom of the cliffs, of the mountains, fur-
nished with sufKcient audience room, and a rude stone pulpit, was
at hand. It was nature's church, built and fashioned by the Holy
One of Israel, as though a miracle had been performed for the ben-
efit of this band of Christians. It was conveniently near, and
" guarding rocks," to be picketed by the men of the match, or flint
lock, lined the way. Three minutes walk from the house of their
pastor, where Levi S. Douglass now lives, by the south cliff, or
five minutes walk from Judson Lane, by the north cliff, brought
them to this place of prayer, and of " hopeful security." What
more appropriate or pleasing, than to resort t9 the beautiful fast-
nesses of nature, in the holy stillness of the Sabbath morn, to join
in adorations of the Giver of all a:ood ?
940
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
That they did meet there for this purpose, in the feeble state of
their'new colony, is proved by the universal voice of the most reli-
able tradition from the early fathers, and by much circumstantial
evidence. It is a fact to be doubted by none. The sons of the
pioneer, Capt, John Minor, who died Sept. 17, 1719, had their
home lots on the hill where the family of the late Erastus Minor
resides. Capt. Matthew Minor succeeded to the homested of his
father, Ephraim, which was identical with that of Capt. John,
and lived in a house under the hill south of Erastus Minor's pres-
ent dwelling house. This was the pallasaded house of which we
have spoken. This son, Ephi*aim, was born in Stratford, Oct. 24,
1675, after the return from Woodbury to Stratford, at the com-
mencement of King Philip's war. He returned to Woodbury
with his father, a child of two years, after the war, and of course,
as he grew up, knew the history from the beginning. He died
Sept. 16, 1762. His son, Capt. Matthew, was born Sept. 2, 1708,
and died Nov. 21, 1778. His son, Dea. Matthew, was born Feb.
11, 1753, and died in 1835. His son, Erastus, was born March 27,
1796, — died in 1870. Capt. Matthew Minor was, therefore, eleven
years old when his grand-father, Capt. John Minor, died, and fifty-
six years old when his father, Ephraim, died. Dea. Matthew
Minor, son of Capt. Matthew, was twenty-five years old when
his father, died, and the late Erastus Minor was thirty-
nine years old when his father, Deacon Matthew, died. This
brings us to the present day, and the tradition that Erastus Minor
gives us, brings us to the very days of the services at Bethel
Rock. There can be no question of a tradition that can trace itself,
by sure steps, to its truthful origin. The tradition handed down
through this family, as well as others, is very simple and direct.
It is that the fathers worshipped at Bethel Rock till the building
of the first Church. The Orenaug cliff, near Bethel Rock, is
owned by this family, to this day, having descended from father
to son, through the Probate Court.
The first church was a simple
structure. The seats were raised,
on each side of the center aisle, so
that the sexes could sit on opposite
sides. The pulpit was at one end.
It had no steeple, and was alto-
gether an unpretending building,
but it served the purpose of a con-
venient place of worship for sixty-
[Fu St Church, 1681,]
HISTOBY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 941
six years. After the second church was finished, in 1Y47, it was
used as a " Town-House," for the transaction of public business.
In lYo4, the town voted to build a new town house where the old
church stood, but contented itself with repairing the old church.
It was used thus a good many years, (p. 156). After the Episco-
palians began to get a foothold in the town, they used it for a
church. Finally, it was moved, by Mr. Tallman, a little way, and
used for a butcher's shop and barn, during some years. It was
afterwards used for a barn by Judge N. Smith, and later still, by
his son, N. B. Smith, till about ten years ago, when it was pulled
down, and passed into the oblivion of past things, that have out-
lived the day of their usefulness. Perhaps no other building
has had a longer career of usefulness, since the founding of the
town.
This meeting-house was located on the site now occupied by N.
B. Smith's carriage-house, some six rods from Pomperaug's grave,
and twenty from Rev. Mr. Walker's house. A road run by it to
the intervale, a short distance below where the second corn-mill
was located. The site of the first school-house was immediately
opposite the meeting-house, where Mr. George Hitchcock's shop
now stands. The meeting-house, the school-house, the minister's
house, and the corn-mill — all necessaries of prime impertance to a
new Settlement — w'ere thus grouped together.
In process of time, a new church edifice became necessary, and,
on the usual application to the General Assembly, in May, 1744,
a committee was appointed to determine the location, and, on the
26th of September, 1744, the house was located on the site now-
occupied by the Soldiers' Monument. The location was approved,
work upon the building was at once commenced, and pushed as
fast as the means of the people would permit. It was completed
and dedicated in 1747, This house was a large one for those
days, and its " Bigness, Strength and Architecture," (page 139,)
was much admired by our fathers, and a number of societies took
it for a model in building meeting-houses in their several localities.
It had doors for entrance on the west, south and east sides. The
pulpit was on the north side, with a deacon's seat beneath it, in
the fashion of those days. It continued to be used as the place
of public worship till the dedication of the present church, Janu-
ary 13, 1819, a period of seventy-two years. It was then sold at
auction in sections. The house now occupied by Ralph N. Betts,
942
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY,
dentist, was constructed out of the materials of one of the galle-
ries. Thus passed away the
last " house of the sounding-
hoards " in this society.
Near the meeting-house,
about where the mile-stone
now stands, was a long, low
Sabbath-day-House, a place in
which to take refreshments
between the two church
services, and for social and
religious worship, as the oc-
cupants might be inclined.
It was built in two divisions,
"one for males and the other
for females. A man made it
his dwelling, and had it rent-
free, in consideration of hav-
ing it well warmed for the
use of the owners during the
cold weather. One or two
individuals liad smaller hous-
es of their own, for private
[Second Meeting-House.] use, On the east side of the
way, running by the church. It will be remembered that these
houses were necessary, because the church was not warmed.
It was a custom of the early days, when the pastor entered the
meeting-house to conduct divine service, for the people on the
lower floor, to rise and remain standing till he had ascended the
pulpit, where he made a bow, and the people in the galleries rose,
and remained standing till he sat down, when the audience did
likewise. Similar respect was shown him, on meeting him in the
street or elsewhere. He was always invited to open with prayer
all the business and freemen's meetings of the town. These were
generally held in the church, and were fully attended. It was,
emphatically, the age of respect for seniors and superiors. A
tythe of such customs would not hurt us of the present age.
It may surprise us, at the present day, to learn that nearly the
whole of Bear Hill and Ragland was laid out by the town, more
than a hundred and sixty years ago, as a sheep-pasture, and made
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 943
forever free for the use of aU the inhabitants of the town, for the
purpose of pasturage. But such is the fact, as will be seen by the
following vote : —
"At a lawful town meeting the 8th March, 1705, It was voated and agreed
that all the barehill and ragland, from the highwaj' to the westside, through
poplar meadow, down to the highway, from whiteoak through the Sawteeth, we
say, all that is now common land unlaid out, is and shall be sequestered land for
common, for the feed of sheep and other cattle forever, for the use of the inhab •
itants in genl." '
This is a pretty extensive pasture. It must be a tract of land
two miles long, by more than a mile in width. How long it was
used for this purpose is not now known. Farmers still use the
land for this purpose, iu their separate enclosures.
We may well imagine that, in the tirst settlement of the towns,
the meeting-houses were without bells. Our first house was also
without one. But the second meeting-house was provided with
this convenient appendage. The first house of the mother church
at Stratford, for some unexplained reason, had a bell, but ours, in
common wuth other early churches, had none. The Stratford Man-
uel says : — " This fact in reference to it is of interest, and deserves
to be remembered. It possessed a bell, with which the people
were summoned to worship. How it came to be thus favored is
not known, for it was the only church in all the colonies, where
the people were not called together by " drum, the blowing of
shell or horn." In the case of many churches, the people built a
high sentry-box, and this answered the double purpose of a place
of "look-out" for the sentry, who nightly, and sometimes daily,
guarded the town against the incursion ol the Indians, and a con-
venient place to drum for church on Sunday, for town meeting,
and for the assembling of the train-band. Happily, there was no
need, in our case, to build either a belfry, which was in the first
age deemed rather a " device of Satan," or a sentry-box for the use
of the inevitable drummer, for nature, in the convenient blufi", now
occupied by the Masonic Lodge, had furnished a most convenient
and beautiful substitute — being within a stone's throw of the
meeting-house, the parsonage, and the then center of the town.
Accordingly, we may well imagine the drummer upon the rock,
^ Woodbury Town Records, 2 vol., page 1.
944
HISTORY OP ANCIENT WOODBURY
vigorously and skillfully plying his enormous drum, by the requi-
site beats called for in his triple
capacity of civil, ecclesiastical
and military official. For this
matter was not left to volunteers,
or chance, but like all other mat-
ters concerning- the general inte-
rest, the affair, as M'ell as the offi-
cer, was " well ordered."
«lKtaiill(,yW\W,(((ll(lRlll!^^^^^^ We have seen that the first
' blacksmith " called " by the town,
was Deacon Samuel Bull, of Fav-
[Drummer on Rock.] mington, and the first clothier
here, and the first in the colony, for that matter, was Abraham
Fulfoid, afterwards a leading citizen of the town. The first wheel-
wright was Samuel Munn, who had a home-lot granted him by
the town in 1681. The first regularly appointed town miller was
Ensign Samuel Stiles. Lieut. Joseph Judson, or Henry Hill, was
the first ferryman over the Housatonic river. Doct. Butler Bedi-
ent was the first physician. But what was the name of the first
shoemaker is not now known. Our grand-mothers could make
the clothes of our grand-fathers, but they were not skillful enough
to fabricate the enormous wooden shoes " of the period." That
required a skill of which they could not boast — in fact, it required
educated skill to make these enormous wooden afiairs, a few of
"which remain in historical rooms to the present day, as interesting
antiquarian debris of our youthful country. It is difficult for us
to imagine how they contrived to accomplish the process of loco-
motion with such ungainly contri-
vances. But a little of the " van-
ity of this life " invaded the breasts
of some of our stern and sturdy
fore-fathers, and they even fell into
the sin of indulging in " French falls," and, it is barely possible,
they sometimes — the younger ones — even yielded to the seduc-
tions of enjoying, on stolen occasions, feats of the " light fantastic
toe," 7^ery lights as will be seen in the truthful cut, taken from a
pair of "French Falls" still in existence.
As the farms were pushed out into the valleys, and over the
hills, beyond convenient walking distance, the proper means of
locomotion became a subject of inquiry. Of wagon roads, there
niSTORY OF ANOIETSTT WOODBURY,
945
were none worthy of the name, down to the date of the Revolu-
tion. There were no carriages, and with so much else to do, the
early fathei's were excusable for not giving their attention to arti-
cles — to them — of luxury. Locomotion on horseback in the nar-
row roads and bridle-paths, was the only mode of passing any
distance, except on foot. It is always well to take the best ad-
vantage of any conveniences we possess. Our fathers, accord-
ingly, used saddles with a pillion or saddle-pad contrivance, hitched
behind the saddle, by means of which, while the man bestrode his
steed, his wife, or lady-love, sat securely behind, upon the pillion,
her arm confidingly and lovingly encircling his waist foi protec-
tion, and security from falling. In the poverty of the early days,
not every family could own a horse and accoutrements, and so
two neighboring families availed themselves of the services of one
horse. One couple would mount and ride an equitable distance
towards the sanctuary, dismount, tie the horse, and proceed on
foot. A second couple, on foot, would come up and ride the re-
maining, or proportional distance,
and so all finally arrived at church
in time, and with hearts attuned
by the exercise for the service
that was to follow. It must have
been, or rather would now be,
an interesting and suggestive
sight to see these devout worship-
pers thus hasting to the " hill of
the Tabernacle," to unite in the
service of God.
While the more remote wor-
shippers thus proceeded to the place of devotion, those who re-
sided within walking distance of the meeting-house, repaired
thither on foot with their families, accompanied by the ever faith-
ful musket, while sentinels paced before the church door, and at
a specified distance in either direction from it. It must have been
a picturesqe sight, to behold armed men witli their families repair-
ing to church, sentinels at each approach, with arms stacked be-
fore the church door. It was because of this danger from sudden
incursion and attack, it is supposed, that the custom was initiated,
of having the able-bodied men of the household sit, during ser-
vice, at the head of the pews. In case of attack, the men could
946
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY
the more readily rush out to their stacked arms, for defence. But,
sj^j;i!^' f in the most dangerous times,
they did not run even this risk.
Each man took his trusty weap-
on into church with him.
^^ Although there are no relics
in town, so far as we are aware,
that were brought over in the
!^/^^^^P'°'_- ""^^^^ May-Flower, in which, if tra-
dition is to be believed, almost
every ancient thing now in
'ii''^'f'^^.M ^^^H A^^l:, this country was brought over,
yet there is in our bounds a look-
ing-glass '250 years old, two
paintings of about the same
age, and one over 300 years
old ; a small brass tea-kettle, brought from Holland, about the
year 1656, a gun made and dated in 1624, the " Pequot-gun," now
held as an heir-loom in the Minor family, so-called from the alleged
fact,' that it had, during the French and Indian wars, been the in-
strument of death to forty red-skins, and an iron kettle, which is
now in the possession of Treat Davidson, of
Roxbury, and was brought to this country in
1660. It descended to the present owner from
Nathan Botsford, one of his ancestors, who
himself brought it from England. This is, no
doubt, the oldest culinary vessel in the terri-
^p to^T' ^'^^t sad to relate, it is no longer used for
i a culinary purpose. It has for some years been
degraded to the sordid use of a hog- trough, by
its irreverent owner!
For long years after the first settlement of the town, the fore-
fathers were obliged to take their fresh fish principally from the
Quassapaug Lake. Nor has it been disused for that purpose even
to the present time. But, in these later years, it has become a
place of great resort for pleasure parties of both sexes, who de-
light to visit its limpid waters, and sail over its fair bosom, gath-
ering mosses on the shore, and lilies near its banks, breathing
words of affection, of thought, and of deathless secrets, and utter-
ing vows of eternal fidelity. A sweet serenity settles over the
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY
94Y
spirit, worn by life's turmoils, as one rocks listlessly and dreamily
over its pellucid depths.
In these days of civilization
and refinement, surrounded
by the comforts, conveniences
and luxuries of life, we can
little estimate the hardships
and difiiculties encountered
by the sainted men and wo-
men who first trod these smi-
ling valleys, subdued the un-
compromising wilderness, and
made the howling wastes to
" bud and blossom as the
rose." Here they came, in
their lofty trust, having no
^p cover for their heads but the
over-arching heavens, no lodg-
ings for their weary and travel-worn bodies but such as nature
afforded. The men of the present day may carelessly smile at the
idea of our fathers' thinking so much of a journey to or from the
sea-coast, or even from Woodbury to Bethlem, as we are told they
did. But they forget the obstacles and dangers they had to en-
counter. They forget there were no public roads, and no vehicles,
that could be employed for the transportation of their goods.
There were no railroads, nor steamboats, running in all directions
with the swiftness of the wind. The first females, as well as the
males, went on foot, or on horseback, through a trackless wilder-
ness, guided by marks upon trees, or feeling their way, wherever
they could find room to pass. In the midst of the first drear
winter their provisions gave out, and some of the settlers were
obliged to .take their way through the pathless forests to the older
settlements for food to sustaira them during the remaining wintry
months. Some of those sturdy men went to Stratford, a distance
of twenty-five miles, with hand-sleds, and returned laden with corn
for their pressing necessities. We can have but a faint idea of the
dangers that surrounded those early founders, on ?uch a journey,
exposed to all the perils and privations of these interior forests.
They were surrounded by numerous red men, fierce and cruel, who
could havfe destroyed them at any hour, in their isolated and fee-
ble condition. Added to their lack of bread, the pioneers had
948 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY,
neither dwellings, nor clothing sufficient to prevent suffering.
Should any emergen6j happen, they were cut off from any succor,
or effective retreat. What a sad beginning had these now fair
and opulent towns on the Poniperaug and Shepaug. !
It has been seen that all the ideas of our fathers were essen-
tially religious, and that the pious sentiment entered into every-
thing. Even in the exhibitions of the tender emotions, and in
the preliminary ceremonies of a matrimonial alliance, they ever
exhibited the same gi'ave countenance, and air of devotion, as
when going to a prayer-meeting. Perhaps they were the only
people who treated the subject with the consideration due to that
most important and indissoluble union of " Kindred hearts." But
the " course of true love" was usually urgent. There was no
time for " billing and cooing," much less for vain flirtations ! As
an instance of the way in which the thing was done, take the follow-
ing characteristic example: John Minor, Jr., being seriously in-
clined, by the state of his affections, unto the blooming and comely
damsel, Sarah Judson, immediately mounted his horse, and with a
deer-skin for a saddle, rode over in front of the house of the
fair Sarah's father. Without dismounting, he sent for her to come
out to him, and on her complying with the request, he informed
her plainly, that the Lord had sent him to marry her. At this
startling announcement,' the sensible maid, neither fainting in the
present fashionable mode, nor asking time to consult her mamma,
replied with hearty good will, "Here is the handmaid of the Lord
— His will be done ! " What else could the maiden do ; for John
was a good man, and she believed both him and his message !
There was nothing more to be done, than to get on horseback the
next Sabbath eve, and sitting on a pillion, behind her messenger
from the Lord, ride to the parsonage, and be duly joined in the
holy bonds of wedlock. Of the fruits of that primitive marriage,
there are many representatives here to-day !
Doubtless the qiaestion has often occurred to each bt us, how
did our fathers and mother's dress? What were their costumes
and fashions ? By the indefatigable exertions of our " Antique
Committee," at the Bi-Centennial celebration, in 1859, this ques-
tion was very satisfactorily answered, by their actual, not " coun-
terfeit presentment." We saw an " early father," a fine old Eng-
lish gentleman, in small clothes and coat of brown silk, white
plaited ruffles, powdered hair, and cocked hat. We sa\^ an " early
mother," in ash-colored brocade, with white damask skirt, open in
HISTOEY OF ANCIENT WOODBUEY. 949
front, high-heeled shoes, with large buckles, and an eaormous bon.
net. We saw the Puritan costume contrasted with that of the
Cavalier of the same age. But these were the holiday suits,
brought from old England, and belonging only to the more opu-
lent citizens. After the first settlement here, such rich articles
for long years were " rarities under the sun." All the garments
of both sexes were of homespun, of their own manufacture, from
the raw material to the perfected garment. The small clothes,
and even the coats of the men, were often made of deer-skins and
leather. Nothing is more commonly mentioned in the early in-
ventories of estates. And yet, amid all this rigid simplicity, the
General Court, four years after the settling of Woodbury, passed
an act against the excess of apparel among the people, as " unbe-
coming a wilderness condition, and the profession of the gospel ;"
ordering, that any person who should wear any clothing, that
should be " apparently beyond the necessary end of apparel for
covering, or comeliness^'' should, on due conviction, forfeit ten shil-
lings for every oiFence ! How great a commotion would be made
by the passage of such a law, in these days of expanded crinoline,
and of lengthened Shanghai coats !
One of the few luxuries of the early fathers was the fruit of the
orchard, and the beverage made from it. The apple-tree was the
constant attendant of the early founders of towns, and followed
them in all their wanderings. They made haste, not only to " sit
under their own vine," but as soon as possible, with equal satis-
faction to sit under their own apple-trees. Nor, with all their
stern morality, does it appear that they had the fear of a '* Maine
Law " before their eyes, for they freely granted the privilege of
erecting " cyder mills," even in the highways, the place of great-
est notoriety and temptation. These privileges were doubtless
granted as a sort of set-ofli" against their prohibitory law, which
■ enacted that if any " Barbadoes liquors, commonly called Rum»
Kill-Divell, or the like," should be landed in any part of the col-
ony, it should be confiscated. There had been a still earlier law
among the Pilgrims, abolishing the " vain custom of drinking one
to another," assigning as reasons for the act, that " it was a thing
of no good use," was an inducement to drunkenness, " occasioned
much waste of wine and beer," and forced masters and mistresses
" to drink more often than they would." I believe that the rea-
sons given hold good to the present day, but our sage legislators
never give a reason for their legislation.
950
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUKY
. And thus we draw to a close ouv account of some of the lead-
ing events of the first hundred years in the history of the town.
We have lingered over them, because they are fraught with
great lessons for all the coming generations ; because of their unique
interest, and because their like will never come again. Well will
it be for us and the inhabitants of the future times, if we shall
labor as earnestly and worthily, and if we shall leave behind us,
when we too, as we hope, shall have ascended to that " rest that
remaineth to the people of God," — work and results that shall
equally embalm our names, and secure the like filial reverenc'e of
our posterity.
ARAMAUa
CHAPTER V.
CIVIL HISTORY CONTINUED CENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS.
Town Bi-Centennial Celebration of 1859; Masomc Centennial Celebration
OF 1865 ; First Church Bi-Cente\nial Celebration of 1870.
HE town of Woodbury has become
celebrated for its centennial cele-
brations. No town in the State
has so thoroughly looked up its
own history, and with becoming
pride celebrated its leading events,
and put its history on enduring
record for the benefit of posterity.
It has set an example, in this re-
gard, worthy of the imitation of
all our old towns. It arrests the attention of the young, sets be-
fore them all that is glorious in the past, and stimulates to a
healthy emulation of right action.
On the 5th of July, 1858, a mammoth Pic-Nic was held upon
the Oreuaug Cliffs, at which were assembled some two thousand
persons from the several towns of " Ancient Woodbury." The
Hon. Samuel G. Goodrich (Peter Parley) delivered an oration
and the professional men of the town followed with short speeches.
At the close of the day's entertainment, it was moved by William
Cothren, and seconded by Rev. John Churchill :
" That a Committee of two from each of the towns once in-
cluded, in whole or in part, in the ancient town of Woodbury, be-
appointed by the meeting, with power to add to their own num-
ber, and to appoint all necessary Assistant Committees, for the
purpose of making efficient arrangements for the Historical Cele
bration of the Second Centennial Anniversary of the first Explo"
ration of the Town, and the reception of the first Indian Deed, at
Bethel Rock, on the 4th day of July, A. D. 1859, and also to in-
952 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
vite gentlemen to deliver the various addresses, &c., of the occa-
sion."
The motion was unanimously adopted, and the following named
gentlemen were appointed such Committee :
William Cothren, C. B. Phelps, W. T. Bacon, P. M. Trow-
bridge, Woodbury ;
R. W. Frisbie, S. H. Mitchell, Washington ;
T. B. Wheeler, A. B. Downs, Col. C. Hicock, Southhury ;
Abraham Beecher, H. W. Peck, Bethlehem ;
H. B. Eastman, F. W. Lathrop, Roxbury ;
N. J. Wilcoxson, Alfred Harger, Oxford ;
Dr. Marcus DeForest, Jr., Leonard Bronson, 3Iiddlehury.
This Committee made all the necessary arrangements for the
celebration, and adopted the following:
ORDER OF EXERCISES.
July 4th and 5th, 1859.
First Day— 10 A. M.
Antique Procession, escorted by the Band and Roxbury Guards.
Ode, by the Choir — tune " Briice's AddressP
Prayer, by Rev. R. G. Williams, of Woodbury.
Short Introductory Address, " Welcoming the Emigrants from
Woodbury home again," by Nathaniel Smith, of Woodbury.
Music by the Band.
Historical Address, by William Cothren, of Woodbury.
Music by the Band.
Recess of one Hour for Refreshme)its.
Music by the Band.
Song— "The Pilgrim Fathers," by G. S. Minor.
Poem, by Rev. William Thompson Bacon, of Woodbury.
Ode, by the Choir — tune, '•'' Aidd Lang Syne.''''
Benediction, by Rev. Thomas L. Shipman, of .Jewett City,
SECOND MORNING,— 8 o'clock.
Prayer Meeting at Bethel Rock.
SECOND DAY,— 10 o'clock, A. M.
Music by the Band.
Centennial Hymn.
HISTORY OF AXCIENT WOODBURY. 953
Prayer, by Rev. Friend W. Stnitli, of Woodbury.
Hymn.
Sermon, by Rev. Henry Beers Sherman, of Belleville, N. J.
Hymn.
Speech: — "The early Clergy of Ancient Woodbury," by Rev.
Anson S. Atwood, of Mansfield, Conn
One Hour for Refreshtnents.
Music by the Band.
Ode, by the Choir — tune, " Sv^eet Homey
Speech : — " The early Lawyers of Ancient Woodbury," by
Hon. Seth P. Beers, of Litchfield.
Music by the Band.
Speech : — " The early Physicians of Ancient Woodbury." by
David B. W. Hard, M. D., of Bethlehem.
Music by the Band.
Speech: — "The Founders of Ancient Woodbury," by Hon,
William T. Minor, of Stamford.
Ode, by the Choir — tune, " America.''''
Speech: — "The early Schools "of Ancient Woodbury," by T.
M. Thompson, of Woodbury.
Speech ; — " Grand-children of Ancient Woodbury," by Hon.
Chas. Chapman, of Hartford.
Speech : — The Cousins of Ancient Woodbury," by Hon. Henry
Dutton, of New Haven.
Volunteer Speeches, by distinguished sons of Ancient Wood-
bury from abroad.
Reading of Letters and Odes prepared for the occasion.
Concluding Prayer, by Rev. C. T. Woodruff, of Woodbury.
Benediction, by Rev. Philo Judson, of Rocky Hill.
Hon. Nathaniel B. Smith, President of the Day.
Hon. D. B. Brinsmade, of Washington,
" Joshua Bird, of Bethlem,
S. W. Baldwin, Esq., of Roxbury, , tt- n -j^
^ Ttr. , .1 -r^ ^ r, , , \ Vice Fresidents.
Cyrus Mitchell, E,sq., oi Southbury,
Nathaniel Walker, Esq., of Oxford, |
Leonard Bronson, Esq., of Middlebury, j
954 HISTORY OP ANCIENT WOODBURY.
Henry Minor, Chief Marslial.
Assistant Marshals :
R. I. Tolles, Elijah D. Judsoo,
George Camp, Elisha P. Tomlinson,
Robert Peck, James Stone,
Benjamin Doolittle, Truman S. Minor,
W. C. McKay, George P. Crane,
George Saxton, James H. Minor,
This programme was carried out in full, as laid down. The
Committee had sent out circular invitations all over the Union,
cordially inviting the sons of Woodbury to return home and join
us in the commemorative services. Notices had also been insert-
ed in many newspapers, so that the invitation was widely and
thoroughly disseminated.
The following action, which was decided upon in April, 1859,
will explain itself, viz :
The Indian Deed given to the founders of Woodbury, in 16S9,
granted
JS^ " A parcell of Land, hounded as folloioeth ; Potateuk
Miver jSouthtoest ; Naugatunck River northeast ; and bounded
on ye northioest with trees mai'ked by me and other Indians^
Potateuk river was the Housatonic, and the " marked trees "
extended across South Faims west to the Housatonic river. All
north of Derby then to this line was oomprised in this deed, in-
cluding Ancient Waterbury west of the Naugatuck, part of
Litchfield and New Milford. The committee, therefore, consider-
ing these towns and the towns formed out of them, to be of near
consanguinity to us :
Voted: " To invite our cousins, the towns of Waterbury,
Naugatuck, Seymour, Watertown, Plymouth, Litchfield, New
Milford and Bridgewater, to unite with us in our approaching
Centennial Anniversary."
A committee appointed by the citizens of Woodbury, changed
the place for the exercises selected by the vote passed a year ago
on Orenaug Rocks, and secured the field of Mr. T. M. Thompson,
directly east of the First Congregational Church in Woodbury.
It was an exceedingly fine location for the celebration. The large
tent of Yale College was procured and supplied with seats,
speakers' stand, &c., and the still larger tent belonging to the
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
955
Litchfield County Agricultural Society, was procured for the Pic-
Nic provided by the Woodbury Ladies. A large tent was also
provided for invited guests, besides a table set out under the
apple trees, loaded with the various articles of the Antiquarian
Pic-Nic proper, such as bean porridge, baked beans and pork,
Indian pudding, &c., served up in the old style, in old pewter and
wooden platters, with old pewter spoons, and other antique
articles to match. Besides these, the General Committee fur-
nished a tent for each of the other towns in which to hold their
Pic-Nic, except Washington, which chose to furnish its own tent-
cloth.
On the first morning of the celebration, the Chief Marshal,
Henry Minor, Esq., made out the order of procession, as follows,
viz:
A single Fifer and Drummer.
Antique Procession.
Masons.
New Milford Band.
Warner Light Guards.
President of the day,
Vice-Presidents.
Orator of the day and Poet.
Clergy.
The various Committees of Arrangements.
Emigrant Sons, &c., of the Territory.
Citizens at large.
The Chief Marshal wore the Revolutionary military undress of
a Major-General, and Dr. Davi?, of Bethlem, wore a military suit
worn by Col. Bellamy in the war of 1812.
A cloudless sun rose over the fair valley of Woodbury, on the
morning of the fourth, and the weather was cool and most de-
lightful.
The day was ushered in by the
booming of cannon and the ringing
of bells, in the various parts of the
town, in the most spirited and joyous
manner. At an early hour the peo-
ple began to fill the town, and at 10 jff
o'clock, A. M., the streets were
almost impassable. The people of -"
Washington came under the direc-
8
956 HISTORY OF AKCIENT WOODBURY.
tion of Sherman Havtwell as Marshal, in a procession of more thau
a mile in length, escorted by the New Milford Band. In it were
one six-horse team, loaded with fifty persons, ten four-horse teams^
sixty two-horse teams, and fifty one-horse teams, with flags, ban-
ners, and some antique costumes. Much credit is due to Russell
W. Frisbie and Thomas F. Brinsmade, for this fine turn out. Rox-
bury came out in her ancient strength. Her procession consisted
of two hundred and seventeen teams, under the direction of CoL
Philo N. Hodge, as Marshal. This processisn was rich in antique
display, and contained several things worthy of special mention.
Among them was a cart, bearing for a motto, " Days of Home-
spun," drawn by six yokes of oxen, the team of Ira Bradley, con-
taining a flax-breaker, hetchell, flax cards, double flax spinning
wheel, and quill wheel, all in operation, worked by ladies in
antique costumes. The driver was Le Roy Bradley, in corres-
ponding dress. Another wagon bore John A. Squire, of Roxbury,
and twenty-two of his grand-children, while another still loaded
with people in antique dress, bore a flag with the motto, " Times
and Seasons continue- — Manners and Customs change." This
section was escorted by the Warner Light Guards of Roxbury, in
a new and elegant uniform, under the command of Capt. Lewis
Jndd, who performed escort and sentinel duty during both days,
and by the excellence of their military evolutions, the strictness
of their discipline, and the gallantry of their bearing, might be
favorably compared with many a veteran company, which had seen
years of drilling. Southbury, also, turned out more than one
hundred teams, under Charles Whitlock, as Marshal. All the
other towns came with very creditable processions, besides the
numerous conveyances crowded with people, who did not join any
procession.
After the several delegations had arrived, the General " Antique
Procession " was formed at about 11, A. M., on' the green in front
of Hon. N. B. Smith's dwelling house, at the location of the First
Meeting House in the town. Under the effective arrangements
made by N. Smith, Esq., and H. W, Shove, M. D , aided by Rev.
Messrs. R. G. "Williams and C. T. Woodruff", it became the marked
feature of the occasion. It extended, while on its march towards
the grounds, at least an eighth of a mile in length, exhibiting all
the varying costumes of the last two hundred years. It was
headed by an ancient drummer and fifer. Next came the clergy
of the several towns, in bands and gowns, the clerical costume of
HISTORY OP ANCIENT WOODBURY. 957
clergymen of all denominations, less than two centuries ago.
Among the clergy, Rev. R. G. Williams was particularly noticea-
ble for the perfection of detail in his costume. Then came the
Puritan costumes of two hundrtd years ago, worn by the Minors,
the Judsons, the Curtisses, the Stiles, lineal descendants of the
early settlers of Woodbury, succeeded and contrasted by ladies
and gentlemen in the cavalier costumes of the same period. Some
ot these costumes were magnificent, and all attracted much atten-
tion. Succeeding the couples on foot, came others on horseback,
the ladies on pillions. One couple attracted particular attention.
They were Capt, Judson Hurd, aged 85 years, and Mrs. Harvey
Atwood, aged 72, both dressed in ancient costumes, and riding a
horse thirty years old. Then followed old chaises with couples
clothed in the quaint fashion of other days. And here it should
be noticed, that some of these antique costumes and dresses were
bona fide relics of the olden times, descended as heir-looms from
father to son. Nothing could be more curious than this proces-
sion of ladies and gentlemen ; the latter gallanting the former in
all the styles, from that of two centuries ago, down to the present
time, the former displaying huge bonnets, high head-dresses, and
gowns ranging in size from three breadths in a skirt to the ample
dimensions of modern crinoline. The Masons and the general
procession followed the antique, making a very imposing display.
If the various processions as they entered the town, had been ex-
tended in one line, they would have reached the distance of three
miles. Nothing in the whole course of the day's proceedings ex-
cited such general curiosity, conferred so much real pleasure, or
gave so clear an insight into the past.
The procession moved directly to the speaker's stand, arriving
there about half-past 11 A. M. The assemblage was, in all proba -
bility, the largest ever gathered together in Litchfield county, and
far the greatest ever convened in the state on a similar occasion,
numbering not less than fifteen thousand persons. Not less than
five thousand of these were within hearing distance of the speak-
er's stand, part of them within, but more without the tent, which
was open on all sides. The most effective arrangements had been
made by the Chief Marshal for the preservation of order, and to
his tact, and the aid of his excellent assistants, great credit is due.
Everything was under perfect control. This vast multitude
observed the strictest order, and there was no accident of any
kind to mar the pleasure of the festive occasion.
958 HISTOKY OF ANCIKNT WOODBUKY.
The exercises of the day at the stand where Hon, N. B. Smith
presided in his dignified and excellent manner, were opened by the
choir's singing to the air of " Bruce's Address," the
ODE OF INVOCATION.
BY WILLIAM COTHREN.
" Spirits of our sainted dead,
Heroes to these valleys led,
Sages of the hoary head,
Kindly o'er ug bend ;
Smile upon this classic hour,
"y"'' To U3 children, give your power,
In this consecrated bower.
Us your glory lend.
" Pioneers of Pomperaug,
Dwellers near the Quassapaug,
By meandering Nonnewaug,
Hasten ye along ;
Brothers near the Weraumaug,
By the cliffs of Orenaug,
By the falls of old Shepaug,
Help to swell our song.
" From the pines on Bantam's shore,
Softly whispering evermore,
Weekeepeemee's verdant plain.
And from Polatuck,
Come we with our offerings,
All our dear and holy things, i
From each side the chorus rings,
E'en from Naugatuck.
" Here we come with earnest zeal,
Mindful of our ancient weal.
Memories bright to us appeal.
On this glorious day ;
Here where Freedom's banner waves.
Here above our father's graves,
We, as erst the native braves.
Glad our honors pay.
" We revere those holy men.
Soon returned to heaven again.
But their works with us remain.
On this festive day ;
■HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUKY. 959
Thankful to our God above,
For their deeds of matchless love,
Their example let us prove,
While on earth we stay."
PRAYER.
A fervent and impressive prayer was oftered to the Throne of
Grace, by Rev, Robert G. Williams, pastor of the Fii'st Congre-
gational Church of Woodbury.
The Emigrants from Woodbury were then " Welcomed Home
again," by Nathaniel Smith, Esq., of Woodbury :
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, who are here as
Returned Emigrants :
We have learned, as the preparations for this our Bi-Centennial
Celebration progressed, that many of you would to-day revisit the
scenes of your childhood ; and have feared that among you there
might be some whose old homesteads no longer echoed to familiar
voices, — whose relations had gone out from among us, to a newer
or a better land. Lest, therefore, any here should be sad for the
lack of kindly greeting in their native valley, the citizens of
Ancient Woodbury have directed me to bid you in their name, a
C0RDL4L WELCOME HOME AGAIN !
" We have invited you to unite with us in reviewing a history
which is our mutual inheritance, — a past whose story is written all
over these hills and valleys. Around us, smiling m-eadows and
cheerful homes speak of the patient, unobtrusive toil that has
wrought this " Dwelling in a Wood." Moss, gathered and gath.
ering on the tomb-stones in our grave-yards, tells how long ago
the eai'ly builders began to fixll asleep. Their homes are our pos-
session — their memory a legacy to all.
" We are happy to see you here, not only on account of the
pleasure your presence adds to the general enjoyment ; but more
especially because your coming assures us that our history, and
song, and services, are not the result of mere local pride, but that
you esteem them, as we do, a proper tribute to departed worth,
an expression of gratitude justly due from us on such an anni-
versary, to the noble and the good who have gone before. We
commemorate no ordinary struggles and necessities of frontier
life. We rehearse the fortitude and success of no common
adventurers. Were those whose memory we are here to honor,
960 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
mere first settlers, actuated by no higher motive than usually leads
such into the wilderness, our theme would perhaps be unworthy
of this occasion. The pioneer is rarely a man of exalted virtue.
Hardy, courageous, and uncouth, he resembles those lichens,
which, forerunners of vegetation, fix themselves on the barren
rock, by their acids disintegrate its surface and assimilate its sub-
stance, till the soil adheres, the grasses grow, and waving flowers
succeed them. Not such were the Puritan fathers. They were
holy Pilgrims, and the place they sought became a shrine.
"To such a spot you return to-day — return to meet cheerful faces
and hospitable dwellings. How difierent was their coming !
' The rocking pines of the forest roared,
7%zs was their ' welcome home.' '
" They followed God's guidance into the wilderness, and brought
His worship with them. Hai'dships were before, dangers around
them : but tliey encountered all in that spirit, which instead of
choosing castles, towers, or beasts of prey, the emblems of con-
quest and pride, for armorial bearings, placed three vines upon a
shield, and wrote beneath,
" Qui Transtulit Sustinet."
" Behold to-day how He has ' sustained !' See it in these fruitful
valleys ! Read it in this happy throng ! Truly it is not wondei*-
ful that a past thus begun and thus resulting, should move us to
unite in public rejoicing. Let other and older nations do homage
to conquero;'s and triumph in their battle-fields. New England
celebrates her centuries, which bring down the Puritan's blessing
to ever increasing thousands in her land of peace.
"^Welcome, then, sons and daughters of Ancient Woodbury, who
return as emigrants to-day — welcome to the land of your fathers,
to the scene where we unite to do honor to their memory ! How
longsoever you have been absent, though you meet with few
familiar faces, we greet you as old acquaintances, as near relations.
And knowing that the child of New England never forgets his
birth-place, though you have your habitations elsewhere, return-
ing here, we bid you welcome HOME."
A historical address was then delivered by the author of this
work, who introduced his subject as follows :
" We stand this day upon the grave of two hundred years.
We have come with solemn awe and reverent tread to commune
with the long buried past. We are assembled, on this anniversary
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 961
morn, for the first time, in the long lapse of two centuries, to
commemorate the deeds of our departed sires. We are come,
after years of absence from the old firesides, to recall the memo-
ries and renew the associations of former days. Some of us come
to look upon the old homesteads among the hills, and breathe a
sigh over the moss-grown graves of ancestors long since gone to
their rest. Some of us come to view the hallowed spot on which
our eyes first saw the light; where we, in the hours of innocent
childhood, received a father's and a mother's blessing, and where
we, could we have our wish, at the^ close of a well-spent life,
would yield our tired spirits up to the Giver of all good. We are
this day surrounded with the results of all the labors of the past,
and occupy the proud positions long years ago so nobly adorned
by the sainted fathers and mothers who planted this fei'tile terri-
tory, and who, having ceased from their labors, have 'ascended
into glory.' They have passed away to the laud of spirits like the
dissolving of a sunset cloud into the cerulean tints of heaven —
stealing from existence like the strain of ocean-music, when it dies
away, slowly and sweetly, upon the moonlit waters. We do
well, on this glad day of liberty, to celebrate their lofty achieve-
ment s, and do meet honor to their deathless names. If those re-
vered spirits, who have so long enjoyed their sacred repose, can
look down through the veil that obscures our view of Heaven,
they will approve, with a smile of love, the design of our assem-
bling here. And when, on the morrow, you shall leave this place
to revisit it no more forever, you will feel that it has been good
for you to have been here on this glad occasion."
Then followed a rapidly sketched epitome of the history of the
town. The old first mill stone of 1681, being placed on a table,
was used for a reading desk — rude memorial of the early days
which has escaped the ravages of " time's efiacing finger !"
During the progress of this address various ancient articles were
exhibited to the audience, some of which were thus described ;
" Here is the ball which buried itself in the groin of Col. Hin-
man, where it remained for the long period of thirty-three years,
when it was extracted by Dr. Anthony Burritt. On its passage
it hit a bayonet by his side, cutting and flattening the edge as you
see. And here is another Revolutionary relic, aye, a relic of the
first days of the colony, two hundred years ago. It has been
handed down from father to son, from its first known owner, Capt.
962 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY,
John Minor, the Indian interpreter, and is known to be at least
220 years old. By closer inspection, I see the manufacturer's
date upon the barrel is 1624. It was used in the Pequot war, in
all the French and Indian wars, and in the war of the Revolution.
It is said to have caused, first and last, the death of forty red menr
and from this circumstance has been familiarly known as the
'forty Indian gun.' And here is still another relic of two centu-
ries ago — the old arm chair of Col. Benjamin Hinman, brouglit
from Stratford, and formerly the property of Francis Stiles.
Here, too, is his pipe of peace, presented to him at the peace of
1783, with a request that he would smoke it as often as the 4th of
July should return — a request with which he faithfully complied.
Here, too, is a chair used by Gen. Washington at New York."
Alter recounting the various historical events in the proud
history of the old town, the address closed with some reflections
growing out of the circumstances attending the occasion :
"Thus have we wandered through the flowery fields of the past,
plucking here and thei'e a sweet garland of wild flowers by the
wayside, and another in the cultivated gardens of advancing
civilization, as best suited our purpose. We have endeavored, in
our humble way, duly to reverence and honor the past. We have
traced with pious toil the varying tints, the lights and shadows of
the pioneer life of our sainted fathers, who occupied these seats
before us. We have rendered them a willing and a filial tribute
of love, duty and recollection. There is a pure and unalloyed
pleasure in wandering amid the scenes and incidents of the long-
buried past. There is a sad, though ennobling interest in seeking
the faintest recorded trace of the early fathers. The eye has
kindled at the ancient glories, and the soul has been warmed with
a placid flow of tender heart sympathies. In the wealth of the
past, full well have we traced ' God's hand in history.' No inqui-
ries can be more interesting to the intelligent student seeking
guidance from the light of former days, and desiring above all to
emulate that sublime intermixture of the true principles of sta-
bility and progress, so happily blended in the history of our fore-
fathers. The feelings that promjot these filial inquiries are just
and natural — they give birth to some of the dearest charities of
life, and fortify some of its sternest virtues. The principle that
prompts them lies deep within our nature.
" While rendering, therefore, due liomnge to the past, and
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 963
profiting by all its honored maxims, we wonld not blindly worship
it. In the proud consciousness of manhood, we should not fear
the present, or its bold and startling issues, nor should we be dis-
trustful of the future, and of the hidden mysteries it may have in
store. We should not fear the rapid march of events across the
stage of life. We would not build a fair superstructure on the
ruins of former times, nor wonld we 'bind down the living,
breathing, burning present,' to the mouldering though honored
relics of the past. We would rather imitate all that was glorious
in the acts and example of the ' men of seventy-six, the boldest
men of progress the world has ever seen.' We would emblazon
their great principles of conservative progress with a pencil
dipped in fire. We are proud of the past, glory in the present,
and look hopefully forward to the future. We do not even tear
enthusiasts and ultraists, as from the collision of extremes comes
the ever truthful mean. We would so mingle them that there
'should flow in harmonious procession the cadence of a history
chiming on through the centuries, full of faith and praise.' We
would fearlessly meet the issues vv^e cannot avoid, while the past
impels and the future summons us to prompt action, occupying as
we do the great middle ground between the early age of planting
and the bright harvest of the future, which stretches towards us
its hands laden with ripened fruit. We would hasten to the
golden fields and bright realizations of the days to come. Our
acts are not for an age, but for all time.
" Glorious, thrice glorious is the day we celebrate ! It is the
two hundredth anniversary of the exploration of this valley, the
one hundred and eighty-ninth of the gathering of the First
Church, and the eighty-third of our national independence. Ou
this glad day of liberty, what sacred emotions arise in the patri-
otic breast ! How shall we rightly honor a day consecrated by
the deeds of the noble men of all the past — not more the patriots
who fought in the gloomy days of the revolution, than those who
struggled amid the dangers of defenceless and remote forests. It
has taken all the labors of our fathers, from tlie first hardy pio-
neer, to make the glorious present. We enjoy the fruits of all the
toil and blood of our fathers for two hundred years. It is meet,
then, that we greet with enthusiastic joy the smiling morn of the
anniversary of that last, most daring and sublime of all the acts of
our forefathers, the Declaration of Independence. It is well that
we hail its annual return with the ringing of bells upon ten
964 HISTORY O* ANCIENT WOODBURY.
thousand hills ; by the booming of innumerable cannon and smaller
arms ; by rockets, fire-works and illuminations ; by solemn pro-
cessions and grateful prayers to God ; by stirring orations and
patriotic songs ! May the hymns of liberty never die out from
our breezy mountains, nor the lofty sentiment of patriotism from
our happy valleys ! Let the glad echoes be repeated from the
Eastern to the Western Ocean, and from the icy regions of the
North to the sunny climes of the ever-blooming South !
" What shall be the developments and improvements in our
highly favored territory, a hundred years hence ? The answer to
this question must depend mainly upon ourselves. Of all this
vast concourse, not one will be here to celebrate the next centen-
nial. Long ere another centennial sun shall rise over this lovely
valley, we shall have experienced the ' last of earth,' and passed
to join the innumerable company of the dead ! ' The dead of old
Woodbury ! Lost, yet found forever — absent, yet present now
and always — dead, but living in that glorious life, which, com-
mencing on the confines of time, spreads onward and ever
onward through the endless ages of eternity.' Then let tis, by
the nobleness of our conduct, and the purity of our lives, eschew-
ing all low delights and jarring discords, strive to add our mite
to the great and good history of our sainted fathers, who have
* ascended into glory.' Then will our cliildren, as they shall, with
wet lids, assemble here, a hundred years hence, to commemorate
our history, be enabled to say of us, ' they wrought well, and
have received the reward of their labors,' Then shall our fame, as
well as that of those glorious men who have already entered into
their rest, be perennial with our noble language, in which it is re-
corded, now ' spread more widely than any that has ever given
expression to human thought.' "
At the close of the address, after music from the Band, the
vast multitude repaired to the tents, provided with an abundance
of eatables by the good ladies of the several towns, where they
were hospitably entertained. In a brief space, the people were
again summoned to the stand, and the exercises were opened by
music from the Band, followed by the well-known song, " The
Pilgrim Fathers," sung with fine efiect by Gilbert Somers Minor,
an aged man of silvery locks and long white beard. Then fol-
lowed a Historical Poem by Rev. William Thompson Bacon, of
Woodbury.
HISTOKY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 965
Mr. Bacon is a native of Woodbury, and the chief poet of all
the ancient territory. He has written much and well, but no
effort of his pen ever did him more credit than his poem on this
occasion. We will quote a passage or two, applicable to this
history, which may serve as a sample of the whole. Describing
the advent of our fathers in this valley, to found a new town, he
says :
"It is a thought of beauty and of fear,
To look upon those lonely wanderers here, —
The first white men that ever stood upon
This ancient soil, or look'd upon the sun, —
And try an instant to call up the power,
That lay upon their souls in that still hour !
Was it not solemn, as they paused to view
The embracing hills, or look'd upon the blue
Broad heaven, that, like a canopy, came down.
And rested on the circling mountains' crown,
They all alone, alone, amid the scene, —
A solemn, silent, wilderness of green ":'
O, had some power, one little moment then,
Flashed through the minds of these heroic men.
The mighty future, from the distance caught.
With all its splendid wealth of soul and thought,
It's strength and beauty, innocence and truth,
And reverend age. and loving dreams of youth.
Each age successive gatliering up the past.
Till the bright present on their souls was cast, —
Would there been wanting to that spot and time.
One single element of the grand sublime? —
And would they not have trembled, in each sense.
At God's unfolding, mighty Providence ?
'• These brave men scoured the region all around.
Sought every spot, and all its promise found, —
The gentle valley and the rounded hill.
The winding stream and solitary rill ;
Each opening vista through the forest glade,
And every charm by freak of Nature made, —
From the cool grotto, where the brooklets run.
To splinter'd peak, tall black'nii g in the sun; —
At last, discovering what they came for, pleas'd
With what they'd purchas'd, not, like robbers, seized,
Back 10 old Stratford's strand they turn once more,
And tell the wondrous story o'er and o'er.
" RcU back the tide of time ! and let us stand
Two hundred years ago, with that brave band.
966 HISTORY OF ANCIE NT WOODBURY,
Who, from the hill, that, westering, skirts this scene,
Looked down upon its rolling forests green.
And, gazing, as they might, with strange surprise,
Let the whole mighty landscape All their eyes!
" Roll back the tide ! and let us, as we may,
Group, in our thought, the picture of that day, —
Of that brave band along the forests' led,
Now climbing steeps, now whore the waters spread,—
Startled, how oft, to catch that sound of iear,
The bark of cat, or yell of mountaineer, —
Till where you mountain rising to the blue.
Gave all this glorious landscape to their view !
"Far to the north, hills over hills survey,
Till their blue tops are mingled with the day ;
Far to the south the widening vale extends.
Whose wealth of splendor every beauty lends;
Far to the west, in wide succession spread,
Valley and hill, and jutting mountain head;
While right before them, 'ueath the morning sky.
Nature's wide wonders all, were in their eye !
" I wonder much, if those broad-breasted men.
In that rough age — (it will not come again —
Should not perhaps)— I wonder if they view'd
As we, this mighty stretch of wave and wood !
The Spring's first bird was whistling in the skj-,
The fragrant birch its tassels flaunted nigh ;
Through the moist mould, in beauty ever young,
Tall ranks of flowers on every bank were flung;
Far by the streams, as here and there they view'd,
The classic willow, by the brook-side stood,
Trembling all over in the morning's beam,
Or playing with its shadow on the stream ;
The young winds bore their fragrance all about,
Mingled with hum of bee and torrent's shout,
And the wide air with all those sounds was filled,
That fancy ever dream'd, or heart has thrill'd ; —
I wonder how those men, of stalwart mien,
In that sweet morn looked forth upon the scene j
" One mighty purpose all that age had fired.
One mighty aim each swelling soul inspired ;
One truth, fast lock'd, in every soul was kept,
That conscience guarded, and that never slept ; —
Man came from God, in his own image made,
And by that charter certain rights conveyed; —
Those rights long trampled by an hireling throne.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 96*7
Had sent them forth, to ways and wilds unknown;
Here on bleak shores, soft breezes seldom press'd,
Here mid rude scenes, gay fancy seldom dress'd,
Alone, raid death, in want of all but worth,
They battled for the noblest prize on earth, —
Man in his native dignity to stand,
Himself a prince and ruler of the land !
" Small time had they then for the mere ideal,
Their love was truth, their present life all real ;
They walked the world, faith's vision never dim,
Saw not God's works, they only gazed on Hmi !
" Tell me, ye sons of that imperial race.
Imperial only, as their truth ye trace ; —
Those brave men, scorning courts, and kingly cr©w.
And only daring less than angels do ; —
Tell me, if prince or nobleman there be,
Can boast a prouder ancestry than we !"
At the close of the poem, which occupied an hour and a half in
the delivery, the assemblage united in singing an original congrat-
ulatory, and reminiscient ode, furnished by the writer of this.
Then followed the benediction, by Rev. Thomas L. Shipman, of
Jewett City, Conn., formerly Pastor of the Congregational
Chnrch in Southbury. The invited guests then scattered among
the hospitable homes of our town, and never was their hospitality
taxed to so great an extent before or since. Happy greetings of
friends, and long deferred reunions were the order of the hour
that will never be forgotten while life remains.
On the morning of the second day, at eight o'clock, about one
thousand persons convened in that sacred dell in the thick woods,
on the east side of the Orenaug Rocks, half a mile from the vil-
lage, which was consecrated by the prayers and praises of the
early fathers, and by them called Bethel Rock. This meeting was
held for the special purpose of commemorating this most interest-
ing fact in the history of our revered ancestors, and the occasion
was one long to be remembered by every devout heart.
Rev. Robert G. Williams, pastor of the old Pioneer Church,
opened the meeting by giving out one verse of the hymn com-
mencing —
" Be Thou, God, exalted high,"
which, being sung with great solemnity, in the ever welcome air
968 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
of " Old Hundred," Dea. Eli Summers was called upon to lead in
prayer, which he did, after making some feeling and appropriate
remarks. Then followed the reading of portions of the 28th and
35th chapters of Genesis, which contain the account of Jacob's
setting up a stone to indicate the place where God had talked with
him, and naming it his Bethel ; Avhich passages occasioned the
giving by our falhers of the name of Bethel Rock to this beauti-
fully wild and secluded place of prayer and communion with God.
Then followed, in rapid succession, appropriate remarks by Mr.
B. H. Andrews, of Waterbury, Rev. Anson S. Atwood, of Mans-
field Centre, Dea, Truman Minor, of Woodbury, and Rev. Philo
Judson, of Rocky Hill, Mr. Judson became much affected while
giving reminiscences of the great and good men with whom he
had communed in prayer in this sacred retreat, in former years,
and who now rest from their labors till the " Great Day of Ac-
counts." Then followed the hymn —
" Once more, my soul, the rising day,'"' &c.
Rev. Benjamin C. Meigs, late missionary to Ceylon, where he
had labored for more than forty years, now led in a beautiful and
impressive prayer, after having made the following remarks : —
REMARKS OP MR. MEIGS AT THE BETHEL ROCK.
My Friends ! I feel that it is good for us to be here. Here is
the place where our Puritan fathers assembled to worship God,
before they had any sanctuary built for this purpose, and while
their savage foes roamed in these forests. In this beautiful ravine,
under these sheltering rocks, by setting a watch on younder point,
they could worship in comparative safety. Hence the name by
which this place is known — " Bethel Rock." Surely the God of
Bethel is here this morning, " This is none other but the house
of God, and this is the gate of heaven." May we not suppose
that our pious forefathers are now looking down upon us, while
we are gathered together in this consecrated place of worship ?
With what delight will they behold this assembly, while we pour
out our hearts before God in prayer '?
A few appropriate remarks by Dea. Judson Blackman, were fol-
lowed by a prayer from Rev. Anson S, Atwood, and the singing
of a verse from the ninetieth Psalm, The regular exercises being
now closed, a few moments were spent in hearing volunteer
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 969
remarks, when the audience united in singing the verse, com-
mencing —
" Lord, dismiss us with thy blessing,"
Then followed the brief concluding prayer, by Rev. Philo Jud-
son, and the benediction by Rev, Austin Isham, of Roxbury, and
this solemn and interescing occasion was numbered with the events
of the past, an event never to occur again during the life of any
soul present at the revered spot. Many lingered, as if unwilling
to separate, and many more procured and carried away portions
of the rock and moss, to be treasured as sacred mementoes of a
hallowed spot and a sacred scene.
At ten o'clock, a procession was formed in the same order as
the first day, with the exception of the " antique " portion of it,
which was omitted, and marched to the Tent, escorted by the
Band and Warner Light Guards.
The services were opened by music from the Band, followed by
reading of the following
CENTENNIAL HYMN.
BY REV. WILLIAM THOMPSON BACON.
Supposed to be sung on the spot where the Pilgrim Settlers held their first Sabbath
Worship.
Here, then, beneath the greenwood shade,
The Pilgrim first his altar made ;
'T was here, amid the mingled throng.
First breathed the prayer, and woke the song.
How peaceful smiled that Sabbath sun,
How holy was that day begun,
When here, amid the dark woods dim,
Went up the Pilgrims' first low hymn !
Look now upon the same still scene.
The wave is blue, the turf is green ;
But where are now the wood and wild.
The Pilgrim, and the forest child ?
The wood and wild have passed away ;
Pilgrim and forest child are clay ;
But here, upon their graves, we stand,
The children of that Ckristian band.
9*70 HISTORY OF AN^CIBXT WOODBURY.
An exceedingly eloquent, fervid, and appropriate prayer was
then offered by Rev. Friend W. Smith, Pastor of the Methodist
Church in Woodbury.
Then followed a sermon by Rev. Henry Beers Sherman, of Belle-
ville, New Jersey, a native of Woodbury. It was a labored and
finished production, and gave great pleasure to the friends on the
occasion.
At the close of the sermon, short speeches, in reply to previ-
ously prepared sentiments, was the order of the day, and consti-
tuted one of the most interesting features of this most memorable
occasion.
The first sentiment was, — " The early Clergy of Ancient Wood-
bury," and was responded to by Rev. Anson S. Atwood, of Mans-
field Center, Conn., a native of Woodbury. A passage or two
will show the character of the effort, and will be read with
pleasure : —
" Zechariah Walker was the first Pastor of Ancient Woodbury.
It is a good name — Zechariah — it is a Bible name, and he was a
Bible man. The church was organized in 1670, and he assumed
the pastorate. And if tradition tells the truth, and the little of
history that has come down to us, may be credited, he is not to
be numbered among the tyiinor prophets of his day and placed on
the last leaves of the Bible. He was not an ordinary man, but
made of sterner stuff — a man for the times and the work Provi-
dence had for him to do ; every way worthy to be the minister of
that little adventurous band, who came from Stratford to explore
and seek a home in the wilderness of Pomperaug ; and when they
reached the elevation of that western summit, and had gazed and
gazed again upon the valley, the object of their search, reposing
at their feet in all its primitive beauty and loveliness, they fell on
their knees in gratitude to return thanks to God, and John Minor
offered that memorable prayer, which your own historian has re-
corded — a prayer for a divine blessing on their enterprise, and that
they might have an upright and godly posterity in all coming gen-
erations. A prayer- that has proved well nigh prophetic for ten
generations of the descendants of some of these pioneers.
"Yes, Zechariah Walker was fitted for such an enterprise, casting
in his lot with theirs, comforting and cheering them on in their
toils, labors, sacrifices and perils in the wilderness, in laying the
foundation of a new order of things.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOOI>BUEY. 9*71
" For a few of the first years of his ministry, the place of worship
in the winter was the log cabins of his parishioners ; in the sum-
mer, the Bethel rock was his sanctuary and altar, the beat of the
drum his bell, the heavens his sound-board, his chorister unknown,
but perched on a rocky eminence might be seen the sentinel watch-
ing the approach of danger, while they bowed the knee of devo-
tion before God. There, in the solitude of the forest, the glad
tidings of the gospel were heard by attentive ears, and the songs
of Zion were sung by strong and joyful hearts.
'' History says of him, that he had a sound mind, was a powerful
and pungent preacher, that he lived in harmony with his people
thirty years, died beloved, and sleeps in death with those to whom
he ministered.
"Anthony Stoddard followed in the pastorate in 1702. A part
of his name Roman, but all the rest of him was Stoddard, from
the crown of his head to the sole of his foot ; and he had a brave,
strong, Christian heart, that beat full and clear, as it sent out its
pulsations through all the channels of the duties of his sacred of-
fice. Who was his father ? Whence came he ? W^e have the
answer. He had an enviable descent, from one of the ablest di-
vines New England had raised on her soil. Solomon Stoddard, of
Northampton, Mass., was that father, who had few equals, if any
superior, in the ministry of that day. He was of a liberal heart,
and he gave to the cause of Christ some large donations. He had
a daughter, Esther, much beloved, and he gave her away to be
the wife of the Rev. Timothy Edwards, of East Windsor, Conn.,
and the mother of the immortal Jonathan Edwards. He had a
son, Anthony, equally beloved, and he gave him to Ancient Wood-
bury.
"This son honored his parentage. His intellect and furniture of
mind were of a high order; and one would think from the amount
of labor he performed, his mind must have been kept from rust-
ing. He must have had almost a giant's strength, to have, in no
unimportant sense, discharged the duties oi three professions: that
of a pastor, a physician, and a counsellor or judge, while, it is said,
he neglected no part of the duties of the ministry. It was from
a necessity of the times that all these labors devolved upon him.
It must be remembered, that education was almost entirely with
and in the hands of ministers in the early infancy of our colonial
State. Hence, they had to do many things that belong to other
professions. To teach school-masters, and fit them for their work
972 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
draw deeds, wills, keep records, and even be judges, in some cases ^
of probate. Many of these burdensome duties pressed upon Stod-
dard, but he met them cheerfully, manfully devoting soul and body
and every energy of his being to the advancement of the best in-
terests of his flock, temporal and ^ternal, and not without blessed
results. A long, prosperous and happy ministry of sixty years
crowned his labors. The divine approbation set its seal to his
ministry, in permitting him to see almost constant additions to
the church through the whole period of his ministry, numbering
in all four hundred and seventy-four persons.
" At an advanced age, having served his generation faithfully,
he came to the grave, " as a shock of corn fully ripe," and his
record is on high.
" Noah Benedict, the third pastor of Ancient Woodbury, was
ordained October 22, 1760. We now come within the recollection
of living witnesses, to speak of a man whose name is hallowed in
the memories of many who have gone before me. You remember
him well — remember him as you remember no other minister you
ever knew, and loved him as you never loved any other man. Nor
can I think you wrong in it. My earliest years were impressed
with the godliness, purity and excellency of his character, as I
beard it from parental lips with so much adoration and venera-
tion, that I came to feel, long before I knew him, that he was
something more than a man. I am not alone in this impression.
I have heard grave and venerable men, in the profession and out
of it, say of him, that " he was born a minister, lived a minister,
died a minister, and could not, if he would, be any thing else but
a minister ;" a minister at all times, in all circumstances, in
the pulpit and out of the pulpit — a 7iol)le minister — a Nathaniel
indeed, in whom there was no guile.
" There are three men, of the good and the great that I have
known, that I would like much to hear pray again, of all men I
ever heard pray, if they might come back to the world for a brief
space. Noah Benedict, his Deacon, Matthew Minor, and Azel
Backus. They are better employed. I recall my impertinent wish,
"The venerated pastor of whom I am speaking, and Benjamin
Wildman, of Southbury, were near neighbors, and long tried and
intimate friends; very different were they in natural temperament
and ministerial gifts and graces. I remember an anecdote I heard
in ray youth, illustrative of the two men. Said one of their breth-
ren, who well knew them both and their different gifts, in a circle
FIRST CHURCH, WJODBURY, COXN.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 973
of Christian friends on a certain occasion, " Give me Benedict to
pray, Wildman to preach, and I get as near to God and Heaven
as I ever expect to while in the body."
Next followed vrell approved speeches by Rev. Thomas L. Ship-
man, of Jewitt City, Conn., on the " Departed clergy of the present
generation," and Truman Minor, a deacon of the First church, on
the " Pioneer Church " of Woodbury.
After another re-union at the refreshment tents, the booming
cannon, and the music of the Band, again called the delighted
multitude to the Speakers' tent, where the exercises of the last
afternoon were opened, on the part of the choir, by singing with
hearty joy, the following
ODE.
BY WILLIAM COTHREN.
Air — " Sweet Home.'"
Thrice welcome the day which now brings to the mind.
The deeds of our fathers, so noble and kind ;
An incense of sweetness breathes out on the air,
The incense of welcome,- the incense of prayer.
Home, home, sweet, sweet home,
No place like our firesides,
No place like our homes.
The earth has grown old for full many a year,
Since the people of God came to worship Him here ;
And the graves are moss-grown of the sturdy old stock,
\Yho prayed in their Bethel, the shade of the Rock.
Home, «&c.
Oh ! shades of the mighty, most faithful of men,
Will the meed of your virtues e'er greet us again 'i
A halo of glory surrounds each fair brow.
Which shall shine in yon Heaven forever as now.
Home. <fec.
Then followed a speech in reply to the Sentiment, "The Early
Lawyers of Ancient Woodbury," by Hon. Seth P. Beers, of Litch-
field, Conn., a native of Woodbury.
He spoke with much feeling, having been absent from the home
of his birth nearly sixty years. A few passages of his speech are
appended, of biographical interest, now that he has passed away
to his great reward : —
974 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
"I go back to seventy-eight years ago ; and from that stand-
point glance over the succeeding time.
"In yonder mansion, late the residence of the much lamented
and Hon. Charles B. Phelps, on the fourth day of July, 1781, was
found puling in its nurse's arms, a child — now, the humble indi-
vidual who addresses a generation that knew not Joseph.
" My coming hither to-day, seems a completion of the circle of
my life. It brings me round to the point whence I started, and
connects the termination of the line with its beginning ; amid the
scenery of my early days the experiences of my early life come
back to me.
" And now while here, a reminiscent, with the aid of objects
around me, which call to mind the early events of a life which must
soon terminate, and of which the present generation possesses lit-
tle if any knowledge, my thoughts naturally linger upon that early
portion of my life, which was passed in this my birth-place.
" Whatever opinions may be entertained by others on this sub-
ject, so far as it respects myself, there is no part of my life to
which I recur with greater satisfaction, or of which I am more
proud, than the first chapter of my history. It would deface the
rest, if that were obliterated from the account. Some person has
said, (I don't remember who — but am willing to stand sponsor to
the sentiment,) " the heat and most important section of every
man^s life is its first.'''' I go back, therefore, to my best, and be-
gin with the beginning.
"I can say of myself, that I am ' native and to the manor born ;'
and if I am entitled to indulgence anywhere, for lingering upon
personal details, I may fairly claim it here. As no person will be
likely to undertake my biography, I may as well, perhaps, do it
myself.
" I can answer as to my own family, who were all here in force
when I emigrated, that the name of Beers has become extinct in
the town ; and all that now remains here of the Beers blood has
flowed back into a branch of my mother's family, and the name is
lost in that of Preston.
"The annals of my father's family are for the most part to be
found upon the monuments in yonder grave-yard. With the ex-
ception of myself, the solitary remainder of a generation that has
passed away, and a few descendants of my sister, all are gone.
Having reached that extreme point in human life which is close
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUKY. 975
upon fourscore years, though still in the enjoyment of health and
strength, and hardly feeling in its full weight the burden of my
years — for which I bless God, and am thankful, — I cannot but feel
that my coming hither on this occasion is as a bringing together
the two ends of the line, and a making up of the circle of my his-
tory. Farewell.
An extended and studied speech by David B. W. Hard, M. D.,
of Bethlehem, followed in answer to the Sentiment, " The early
physicians of Ancient Woodbui y."
The next Sentiment, " The founders of Ancient Woodbury,"
was most eloquently and appropriately responded to by Ex-Gov.
William T. Minor, of Stamford, a grandson of Woodbury. In
opening, he said : —
" It has given me great pleasure that I have been able to accept
the invitation of your committee and be present with you to join
in these commemorative services. Since my arrival here last Sat-
urday afternoon, from what I have seen and heard, I have been
somewhat disposed to doubt my own identity. I am inclined to
the opinion that I ought to have been " Deacon Minor." I rather
think I ought to have been. I am certain that if I had been, and
discharged faithfully the duties appertaining to that office, I should
have been a much better man than at present ;. but as I am, it has
long been a cherished wish of aiy heart, to visit the home of ray
ancestors; to look at the spot which gave them birth, at the play-
grounds of their childhood, at the old school-houses in which their
education was commenced, and in many instances, finished, at the
fields cultivated in their middle age, at the houses which sheltered
their old age, at the churches where they ever worshipped, and at
the grave-yards where now rest all of their mortal remains. Un-
til now the active business of life has prevented the accomplish-
ment of that wish. I only regret now, as I look upon your beau-
tiful hills and valleys, and partake of your generous hospitality,
that duty has been so long neglected. One of the most obvious
reflections forcing itself upon the mind, as the eye passes over the
immense concourse here assembled, is, what numbers of the de-
scendants of ancient Woodbury, have come together here, from
all parts of our common country ; the merchant from his counting-
room, the mechanic from his work-shop, the farmer from his field,
the professional man from his office, the authoress from her study,
bringing with her poetical garlands all green and fresh — all leav-
976 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
ing behind the active, stirring scenes of life, some to clasp the
hand of living friends, fondly welcoming them ; others, to drop a
tear over the graves of departed ones — all to commemorate the
virtues of the founders of Woodbury.
" Although I mingle with you but as a grandchild, of this good
old town, yet I doubt not my appreciation of its growth and pros-
perity will be as true, and my relish for these exercises as keen
and hearty, as of the children and immediate heirs ; from all of
us a tribute of admiration and respect is equally due to the vir-
tues, the true nobility and the undying energy of its founders."
In closing, he gracefully alludes to the fathers : —
" If the spirits of those good old men, who, two hundred years
ago, stood on Good Hill, surveying the prospect before and about
them, could be brought back to-day, and placed upon the exact
spot where first they looked upon the valley of Woodbury ; if
they could look upon these side hills, all luxuriant with vegetation,
these valleys all dotted over with beautiful residences ; if they
could hear the hum of industry from mountain top and valley,
and above all, could they look upon this immense concourse of
their descendants, prosperous, happy and contented ; if their view
could be extended over the thirty-three States of this confederacy,
teeming with a population everywhere busy and active, just now
engaged in commemorating the birth-day of the government
whose protecting power guarantees to all its citizens life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness, they would feel that their first prayer
ofiered up in this then wilderness, had become prophecy, and that
their great faith had been more than realized in its results. Such
were our ancestors, the founders of Woodbury ; they did well the
work alloted for them to do, each in his own sphere. Erect for
them the monumental stone! Cherish well their memory in your
hearts ; above all, guard with fidelity their principles which you
have inherited, that on our government maybe inscribed "^s^o
perpetual
" A word more, and I have done. It is said that communities,
as individuals, when thej^ commence to exist, commence to die.
With reference to this, I will close with ofifering the sentiment —
" Woodbury. — Its head-stones in 1659, may its foot-stones be in
eternity."
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUKY. 977
The whole audience then united in singing, with great enthusi-
asm, tlie following
ODE.
BY MRS. ANN S. STEPHENS.
Tuae — " America^
All hail our brothers, friends !
Each heart a welcome sends —
Come neighbors, come ! •
Meet where your fathers dwelt ;
Kneel where our mothers knelt ;
Think how they toil'd and felt,
In the old home.
Two hundred years ago,
Old men, with heads of snow,
Bared to the breeze,
'Mid a wild Indian band —
By the red council brand —
Grasped the proud chieftain's hand.
Under the trees.
Soon the log cabin stood,
Deep in the hemlock wood,
Hid by its green ;
Sons rose to aid the sire.
Red shone the " fallow fire,"
Up rose the rustic spire.
Peaceful, serene.
As forest leaves are shed,
All round a silent bed,
Under the sod ;
There foUow'd sire and son.
Each when his race was run,
And all his work was done.
Going to God.
If angels wander by,
When hearts beat warm and high,
Our sires are here ;
Thankful that liberty
Has set their children free —
Smiling with sympathy.
Gladness and cheer.
978 HISTORY OF ANCIENT AVOODBURY„
Sons of that pilgrim few !
Souls that are firm and t rue !
Hail ye the day !
Our union is glorious,
Our strength all victorious,
God reigneth over us.
Praise Him alway !
Hon. Charles Chapman, of Hartford, a grand-son of Woodbury,
next responded to the sentiment, "The grand-children of Ancient
Woodbury."
We have looked this speech through carefully, to see if we
could make an extract, which would accomplish at once the pur-
poses of this volume, and, at the same time, do justice to one of
the most valued, warm-hearted, and genial friends, the author has
ever possessed. He has now passed the " bourne whence no trav-
eller returns," and no more beautiful and graceful garland can be
placed upon the grave of the gifted and eloquent speaker, than to
present his offering of friendship and love entire. He said : —
" Having been called to respond to the toast last announced, I
ought perhaps to imitate the example of the politicians, and ' de-
fine my position.' The nearer we can approach to the common
grand-mother, on this occasion, the better pleased we are ; but,
truth to tell, I am but a great-grandson of ' Ancient Woodbury.'
The difference, h#wever, may be of minor importance, (if the
Governor^ will excuse the use of the word in that sense,) inasmuch
as all the grand-children are great grand-children to-day.
" There is in the human heart an instinctive love for the place of
one's nativity. The youth who leaves the paternal roof to seek
his fortune elsewhere, keeps the old homestead in view, toils on to
acquire a competency, and when he has achieved the end for which
he has labored many years, returns to the place of his birth, re-
purchases the paternal acres, which have passed into other hands,
and rears a more expensive edifice upon the spot where the old
mansion stood. He adorns and beautifies the old farm, enriches
the old fields, plants hedges where the old walls stood, and calls
the place by a fancy name.
" Of a kindred character is the regard which one feels for the
home of his more remote ancestors, the spot where the family took •
root in the then new world. This sentiment will show itself in
various ways. It ' crops out,' (in the language of the miners, I
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 979
mean the tuiners in metals,) from time to time, and on this occa-
sion may be observed i;pon every hand. The remote descendants
of the early settlers in this lovely valley are here in great num-
bers, and others residing in distant regions have sent their con-
tributions to this festival in letters, relics, and touching senti-
ments.
*' I have been commissioned by one of these descendants to pre-
sent to the town of Woodbury some tokens of his regard, which
I trust you will carefully preserve in the archives of the town.
I will read to you my " Power of Attorney," (excuse the language
of the profession,) and when you hear that, and the name of the
man from whom it comes, you will regret with me, that he can
not be heard from this stand, upon an occasion so w^ell suited to
his tastes as this is. You will recognize in him the historian of
Hartford.
"Hartford, July 1st, 1859.
" Hon. Charles Chapman :
Dear Sir: — In compliance with your solicitation, I take
pleasure in sending, through you, some memorials for the forth-
coming celebration of the settlement of Ancient Woodbury. They
are, a piece of the wood of the far-tamed Charter Oak, a view of
this Monarch Tree as it looked in life, and a view of it as it looked
in death, the morning after it fell. It was within the period of the
birth of Woodbury — but a few years only after the Stileses, and
Curtises, and Judsons, and Minors, tirst settled there — that Sir
Edmund Andros made his impotent attempt to seize and inval-
idate that noble Charter under whose folds Samuel Sherman and
his associates obtained liberty from the General Court "to erect a
plantation at Pomperauge " — and those, the early dwellers there —
in common with the Colonists of Connecticut at large — rejoiced,
then in the olden time, in that gnarled old Oak, which protected
their Constitution of government, and saved their liberties — liber-
ties which have never since been overthrown — but which — conse-
crated by the sacrifices and services of her sons in the councils
and on the battle-fields of the Union — are now, thank Heaven,
"imperishable and impregnable."
" Pleasant, therefore, I have thought it would be to the descend-
ants of the first settlers of Woodbury, to receive the particular
^ Gov. Wm. T. Minor, who was sitting on the stand.
980 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
memorials which I commit to your charge. A thousand interest-
ing historic associations cluster around them. They vividly renew
the Past. They point to an heroic age for Connecticut. They
should incite patriotic emotion. They should teach us all to love
and honor our State as it has loved and honored us.
" I am myself, Sir, a descendant, in the fourth generation, of
that worthy and distinguished divine, who, for nearly sixty years,
ministered in Ancient Woodbury — the Rev. Anthony Stoddard —
and I therefoi'e feel a special gratification in the fact that the birth
of this town is to be duly celebrated, and that you, Sir — one of its
grand-sons — are to mingle, actively, in the " high festival." Few
municipalities in Connecticut can point to a more historic past
than Woonbury. Its Indian, civil, ecclesiastical and Revolutionary
life — so admirably portrayed by its historian, Wm. Cothren, Esq.
— place it among the first of our towns, and justify its good re-
pute. That the celebration in which its citizens propose to in-
dulge, may prove gratifying to themselves — may call up gladden-
ing memories — may glow with the spirit of patriotism — and aug-
ment their love for their venerable and happy home, is the hearty
wish of, Yours truly,
I. W. STUART.
[Then Mr. Chapman exhibited the block from the Charter Oak,
the picture of the tree as it appeared when standing, and after it
was prostrated by the storm.]
There are others, and many others, who are neither inhabitants
of Woodbury, nor descendants of those who were, who feel a deep
interest in its history, and in these festivities, which mark the two
hundredth anniversary of the exploration of this valley. Your
industrious and talented fellow-citizen, William Cothren, Esq., has
done much to create and foster this interest, by his carefully
prepared work — a work that does honor to him and to you, and
which is a most valuable contribution to the history of our State.
Our own poetess, who is the poetess of Connecticut, ^>ar excel-
lence^ has committed to my hands a little " gem of purest ray se-
rene " from her casket of jewels, which she has authorized me to
present to you on this occasion. She rejoices in your history, as
you do in her well-earned fame. Like another eminent lady who
went from among you in her youth, [JSIrs. Ann S. tStephens,) and
who has contributed to this Festival by her presence and by her
pen, she has risen to her enviable position in the world of letters
HISTOIIY OF A NCI EXT WOODBURY. 981
by her own merit. Long may she live to entertain us by her
works, and teach us by her example.
RETURN TO WOODBURY.
Back to the hills by summer-breezes courted,
Back to the ancient roof, the shaded plain, —
Back to the play-ground where their fathers sported,
The summon'd children turn their course again.
And as the Fountain loves the tuneful voices
Of her far streamlets, whereso'er they tend,
And at the echo of their fame rejoices
When nobly with the ocean-tide they blend, —
So this fair Region— rich in vales and waters.
Swells with maternal pride her flowery zone,
At this re-union of her sons and daughters, —
And in their well-earned honor finds her own.
L. H. SiGOURNET.
Hartford, June 28th, 1859.
There is another of the other sex, who is bound to you by no
tie, but Avho has yieldefl to my request, and sent a sparkljng con-
tribution to this intellectual banquet. He may be known to some
of you as a regular contributor to the Knickerbocker, and as an
occasional correspondent of some of the journals in this State. He
would enjoy this scene, were he present, and for his sake and yours,
I regret his absence. I suppose I ought to tell you who he is. He
is one of my fellow-citizens, who deals in iron for gain, and courts
the muses for fun — brimful of mirth and with a wit that is keener
than a Damascus blade. He is a living refutation of the truth of
a paragraph in Hudibras, to the effect that
" A man of quick and active wit
For drudgery is more unfit.
Compared to those of duller parts,
Than running nags to draw in carts."
Alike a man of business and a poet, success attends his efforts in
both departments.
"Our friends, the Clergy, who have figured so largely and so suc-
cessfully in these exercises, will pardon the spice of levity which
may, by a careful examination, be detected in the verses which I
am about to read. Yes, I know they will. I see it in their be-
nevolent faces, and I remember, too, that the holidays of the
082 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
Clergy are " few and far between," and I am persuaded that they
enjoy this to the very " top of their bent."
" But it is time I should tell you the name of my friend who
has been so kind to ns all. It is George H. Clark, and here is what
he sends " greeting," as the Lawyers say :
Geo. H. Clark's Woodbury Centennial Poem.
Mysterious notes were abroad on the air —
Significant hints of some weighty affair :
Rumors increased till they rose to a shout,
And now we all see what the stir was about.
Ye modest admirers, who've nothing to say,
Make room — for spread eagle is coming this way,
We stand, as it were, in our forefathers' shoes.
And the time for tall talking'^ too precious to lose.
Here frolicsome age shall grow young at the core,
And youth shall strike hands with the boys of threescore;
Brim full of good feeling — Oh! call it no folly —
We've assembled on purpose to laugh and be jolly.
Ye attorneys — turn over a holiday leaf;
The facts are before you — and here is the brief !
So give us as much as you please of your jaw, '
But don't, if ycju love us, don't let it be law.
Ye grave Boanerges — who thunder at sin,
Let your features relax to a good natured grin :
Pretermit theological chafing and chat,
And talk about buttercups, birds, and all that.
Forget, my friends, in this glorified hour,
The Parson who vanquished that dreadful pow-wow-er;
But remember the Backus and Bellamy jokes,
And up and be merry like rational folks.
Sink the siiop, O ye trader in di'y goods, to-day, —
Just look at the prospect right over the way !
Don't the sight of the Pomperaug hills and green valleys
Beat all your gay patterns on muslins and chnliies?
Ye medical men — whose dreams are of drugs,
Omit for a while your professional shrugs :
Give the go-by to boluses, blisters, and nux.
And think of the dandelions, daisies, and duckss.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 983
Ye farmers — the nearest to Nature's own breast,
• Who draw from h"r stores what her children love best ;
Who irradiate towns with fresh butter and cheese,
And tickle our palates with lamb and green peas ;
We remember your haymows so fragrant in June ;
Your pumpkins, as large and as round as the moon ;
The green corn we roasted and ate on the sly.
And the rye 'n 'ndian bread, and the — Oh ! let us cry !
It makes my mouth water to talk of such things, —
The truth is, you farmers are Nature's own kings:
And the queens ! — would you see the true test of thoir worth ?
Just look at those boys! arn't they proud of their birth?
Of course, we'll remember, and speak of with pride,
Seth Warner, and others who fought by his side :
And grand Ethan Allen — the hero all over —
, Who conquered Fort Ti, in the name of Jehovah !
Historians assert that you'd only one witch —
But history makes an unfortunate hitch ;
For witches still flourish — as witness the groups !
Though for halters and faggots you substitute hoops.
Then a health to old Woodbury — merry or grave —
And long in the land may her progeny wave,
Nor forget where their excellent grand -mothers sleep,
While their own little babies are learning to creep.
*' Now, my friends, I have disposed of the props upon which I
have relied to sustain me in the event, that my own thoughts
should fail. I am left to my own resources, and begin to be ap-
prehensive that you may be mirthfully inclined when I am seri-
ous, and seriously disposed when I am gay. Topics were plenty,
yesterday morning, but in the two days' speaking they have been,
for the most part, used up. All the leading features in your his-
tory have been passed in review. Those men who have dlstin-
guished themselves most among you have also been already noticed.
Of some of them too much could hardly be said. First and fore-
most among the intellectual giants in our State, was the Hon. Na-
thaniel Smith, who was born and lived, until his death, within the
ancient limits of this town. He was indeed a great man. With-
out the advantages of early culture, he worked his way to the
front rank of the legal profession, at a period when the ablest men.
984 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
who have been known in the courts of this State, were in full prac-
tice. He stood among them primus inter pares. As an advocate^
he had great power, and his efforts were attended with marked
success. At a later period he was an ornament to the Bench, and
has left a record upon the pages of our Reports of which the
worthy President here, (his son,) may well be proud.
"I must be indulged in saying a few words of another member
of the profession who has recently passed away. He was one of
the originators of this celebration, and one of the Committee to
carry out the plan adopted a year ago. The vacant chair upon
the stage draped in mourning, reminds us of him, who, had he
lived, would have mingled in these festivities with a keen relish.
He (the Hon. Charles B. Phelps) was a man of genius, and a
highly respectable member of the Bar. A ready debater, he was
always equal to the emergency of an occasion. He had a keen
wit and overflowed with humor.
k
" A merrier man
Within the limit of becoming mirth,
I never spent an hour's talk ■withal."
" He had, moreover, a kind heart, which displayed itself on all
suitable occasions, and long will he be remembered for his many
good deeds. You will hardly " look upon his like again."
" You will pardon me for speaking a word of another gentle-
man of another profession, who has long since gone to his rest. I
mean the Rev. John R. Marshall, who was the first Episcopal cler-
gyman in this town. He was an eminently good man, and much
beloved by those to whom he ministered in holy things. He plant-
ed a vine here which he carefully nurtured while he lived, and
which flourishes now in full vigor. He closed liis ministry here
with the termination of his life, leaving behind him many blessed
fruits, "Allured to brighter worlds and led the way."
"There are many others who have distinguished themselves here
in the different professions, and many who have gone from among
you, and distinguished themselves elsewhere, who deserve to be
mentioned on this occasion, did time permit. There have been, too,
very many equally worthy and estimable men, who never attained
to any particular prominence in the eye of the world, men who
pursued the noiseless tenor of their way, but who have done their
share in building up your institutions, and in making this valley
bud and blossom. They were the fathers and the grand-fathers
HISTORY OP ANCIENT WOODBURY. 985
of many whom I see before me, and this gathering attests the in-
terest which their posterity feel in their memory. While the
blood of some of them courses in the veins of their descendants,
their names have become extinct among you. This is true of the
names of my maternal grand-father and grand-mother, (Perry and
Beers,) names once well and favorably known here. One of the
latter name {Hon. S. P. Heers,) has addressed you to-day, but he
has resided elsewhere for more than half a century. From his
account of himself, nearly seventy years ago he had the ambition
to sit cross-legged upon a tailor's bench, but because perhaps (in
the language of the old song,) " the money came slowly in," he
concluded to pursue the legal profession, supposed by some to be
more productive. It would seem from his statement that he is
now an old man, which, from his full head of brown hair, (which
I envy,) and his youthful appearance, we should all doubt, had we
not confidence in his veracity, and did we not know that he had
been the popular commissioner of the School Fund, since the ear-
liest recollection of the " oldest inhabitant." The sons of many
have emigrated to other portions of the country, and thus have
their names become extinct here. The daughters, although emi-
nently worthy of trust in all other particulars, cannot be relied
upon to bear up a name. In this particular, however honest they
may be, they resemble the most practiced rogues. They are, with
now and then a solitary, (not to say melancholy exception,) in
search of an alias, and are quite sure to find and adopt it. I have
always wondered why they mark their linen with their maiden
names. Nearly two days have been spent here in glorifying our
grand-fathers. But there has been, as there now is, a " better-
half " of humanity, of whom I have heard nothing said. I mar-
vel that such an omission could have occurred in such a presence.
A '■'• mutual admiration society," composed exclusively of men, I
confess is not to my taste. We have heard much about great men
— good men — valiant men — self-taught men, and about " all sorts
and conditions of men." It has been from the beginning — men —
men — men; nothing but men. Had they no mothers — no wives?
Men have indeed fought the battles of the country; felled the for-
est trees ; tilled the earth, and toiled in the diflerent professions
and trades. But woman has toiled too amid dangers which ap-
palled the stoutest hearts. She has braved suiFering in its count-
less forms, such as woman only knows, and submitted to priva-
tions with a patient meekness of which woman is alone capable.
I
986 PIISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
In the early settlement of the country, the mother nursed and
reared her own children; was mistress and servant; carded the
wool ; spun it into yarn, and made it into cloth. She was her
husband's and boy's tailor, her own and her daughter's milliner
and mantuamaker ; and in a word, discharged every domestic duty
unaided. It is not strange that such women should have reared
such sons as we have been boasting about here for two days.
" Let us do fitting honors on this occasion to the female charac-
ter. Every man who has risen to distinction in any of the
walks of life, is indebted to his mother for those traits of genius
which he inherited from her, aud those habits of thinking and of
action, which are the result of her early teaching.
" The mother in her office, holds the key
Of the soul : and she it is who stamps the coin
Of character, amd makes the being who would be a savage,
But for her gentle cares, a Christian man. — "
" How dear to us is the sacred name of mother ! She it was
whose loving care and ceaseless vigilance protected and nurtured
us in helpless infancy. We learned from her those earliest lessons
which are most deeply impressed upon our memories, and which
time does not obliterate. Our recollections of a mother's love, a
mother's care, a mother's patience, and a mother's forgiveness of
our faults, freshen and become more and more tender, as our shad-
ows lengthen upon the dial. It is to her we owe all that we are
and all we hope to be.
" I might speak of woman in the relation of wife, and of the
love, respect, and kindness which she deserves as such. She is
sought and won, forsakes father and mother, and cleaves unto the
husband. With an amazing confidence, she entrusts her happi-
ness, her all, in his hands. She shares his sorrows, participates in
his joys, labors for his advancement, and occupies the position in
life in which his success or misfortuae may place her. If we
loved her when seeking an alliance, how much more tenderly
should we feel toward her, when she has committed herself to our
fostering care, and has become the mother of our children.
" There is still another relation in which I might speak of woman.
I mean as daughters. None but fathers know aught of the emo-
tions of a father's heart toward tliem. With what solicitude do
we watch their growth and development. With what intense in-
terest do we gaze upon their budding beauty, and varied accom-
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 987
plishments. With what tender affection do we cling to them, and
how they wind themselves about our hearts. And then, endeared
to us as they are, and in the flush and beauty of their youth, we
are called to relinquish them into other hands, as their mothers
were relinquished to us. Then we know for the first time, what
the yielding to our request cost some few years ago.
"Were there time, and were there not some Governors, Lawyers,
Doctors, and Clergymen yet to speak, and whom you are anxious
to hear, I should be pleased to enlarge upon this fair topic ; but
even at the hazard of standing between you and those gentlemen
for an unreasonable time, I could not say less. When I look upon
this immense audience, and especially upon this bed of flowers be-
fore me, in which I see the spring violet, the summer rose, and the
dahlia of autumn, all in bloom at the same time, as if the three
seasons had been consolidated, I wish we had another day in which
we could say what we feel and think.
" Since my earliest recollection, great changes have been wrought
in this valley. The stately elms and maples that line the way
southward to the western limit of the village of Southbury, were
in their infancy fifty years ago ; but now they spread their giant
arms in every direction, and are models of strength and beauty.
This was then a sparsely settled village ; but since that period it
has undergone such alterations as to change its appearance alto-
gether. Then it was purely an agricultural town ; but now it de-
rives its prosperity in a degree from the successful prosecution of
some of the mechanic arts.
" The men of that day have been for the most part gathered to
their fathers ; but I recognize in some of those here, the family
likeness, and hear on every hand the familiar names. The names
of Stiles, Curtiss, Hinman, Sherman, Judson, Atwood, Strong, and
many others, are still preserved, and last, but not least, you have
' saved your Bacon.' We had yesterday afternoon a taste of the
attic salt which gives it value.
"In conclusion, let me congratulate the originators of this cele-
bration, and all who have been interested in it, upon the singu-
larly fortunate circumstances attendant upon this Festival. The
heavens have smiled upon us— no accident has occurred to mar the
festivities of the occasion — and the re-union has been one of un-
mixed enjoyment. We can be present but upon one si'.ch occa-
sion in a life-time. Here we have renewed old friendships, and I
trust have formed new ones of an enduring character. Many a
10
988 HISTORY OP ANCIENT WOODBURY.
history will date from this occasion, for it would not be strange if
som.e, who have met here for the first time, will pursue life's jour-
ney hand in hand — will ' climb life's hill together,' and when the
journey is concluded, will ' sleep together at the foot ' the sleep of
death. The youth of both sexes here present, will excuse this
public allusion to a delicate subject, which may have found a place
in their private thoughts.
'* Now, my friends, I must take my leave of you. There is a
small army of orators behind me, who are waiting for turns, as the
old settlers waited at the old mill ; and there are many here whose
thoughts, radiant with beauty as they are, will not find vent in
words. We part with pleasant recollections of this memorable
interview, which we shall cherish while we live."
Hon. Henry Dutton, of New Haven, a native of Watertown,
within the limits of the Woodbury deed of 1659, responded to
the sentiment, " The Cousins of Ancient Woodbury."
Mr. President : — An incident has occurred since I have been
on this platform, which has almost induced me to withdraw. The
distinguished gentleman from Litchfield related an anecdote, which
seemed to reflect upon the honored practice of *' cousining." Now
as I am here only under that long established custom, and have no
right to be heard, except as a remote cousin of Woodbury, had I
not felt the utmost confidence in the friendship of that gentleman^
I should have been disposed to take ofience. I have been some-
what reassured, however, by the course taken by the eloquent
gentleman who has preceded me. When that gentleman,
" Whose head is silvered o'er with age,"
but whose
" Long experience has [not'] made him sage,"
and whom I have known for many years as a grand-father, comes
here and palms himself ofi" as a great-grandchild of Woodbury, I
trust I shall be excused if I claim the relationship of only fourth
cousin."
Gov. Dutton then proceeded to give some very interesting re-
miiiiscenses of the men of the early and the Revolutionary times,
to the great interest of the audience.
Samuel Minor, Esq., of Sandusky, Ohio, a native Woodbury,
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 989
then spoke to the sentiment, " The Emigrants from Ancient Wood-
bury," as follows : " —
Mr. President : — Under a brief notice, I am desired to make a
few remarks in behalf of the Emigrants from Ancient Woodbury,
those who have left these hills and valleys for distant abodes, and
returned to unite in this festive occasion. In their names, we ten-
der most cordial thanks, for the invitation we have received, to
visit our paternal homes — to gather again around the domestic
hearthstones, and to sit again in the old arm chairs of our ances-
tors.
" Personally, this occasion has a special interest, for around the
residence near by, and the grounds on which we are assembled,
are gathered all the associations of a New England Home. Hera
were spent my childhood and youth, and here were received those
instructions prized higher than any other legacy earthly parents
could bestow. The rocks and trees and hills are as familiar as
household words. When I call to mind those who have fallen
asleep, and look upon those who live ; when recollection runs over
the reminiscenses of the past, and then turn to the present, the soul
is filled with emotions which can not be uttered, and I can only
exclaim in reference to this loved spot, as can each returning wan-
derer as to his own :
' Home, home, sweet, sweet home,
There's noplace like our old firesides.
There's no place like our good old homes.'
Those of us who have removed from among you, observe with pe -
culiar interest one feature of this celebration, and that is, the
presence of so many of advanced and maturing years, bo many
bright links connecting the past to the present, so many Elishas,
upon whom have fallen the mantles of the Elijahs that have gone
before ; and when I speak for myself, I speak for all who reside in
the newer States, and assure you, there is nothing we there so
much miss as the presence of good old men. Happy is that com-
munity which is blessed by many of them. It is for you, my aged
Fathers, to remember, that, as physical strength diminishes, the
fruits of a worthy character are ripening, and the fragrance of
useful lives is being shed abroad over the community. Your in-
fluence, like gravity, is silent, but powerful. To you we look with
confidence, and respect. We feel that you have imbibed the spirit
990 HISTOEY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
and principles of our Puritan ancestors, and are manifesting these
principles in your lives, and that you have thus become, not only
sons of the past, but fathers of the future.
" But time is passing. Again, we thank you for this occasion ;
we thank you for the hospitality and kindness received, and for
the able addresses we have heard. We thank you for the influence
your character still exerts, and that, as we wander over the earth,
we are enabled to point with pride to New England, with pride to
Connecticut, with pride to Woodbury.
"Permit me, in behalf of my adopted, and also my native home,
without disparagement to others, to close with this sentiment :
" Ohio — Noblest of the Western States.
" Connecticut — Parent of the best part of Ohio."
Dr. Leman Galpin, of Milan, Ohio, a native of Woodbury, next
spoke of the early days, and gave pleasing reminiscenses of early
life, followed by Gen. William Williams, of Norwich, who con-
gratulated us on our successful celebration, and invited the inhab-
itants of the town to be present at a like celebration, to be held at
Norwich in the succeeding September. Gen. Williams' remarks
were followed by the reading, by Rev. Robert G. Williams, of an
interesting poem by Miss Hortensia M. Thomas, now Mrs. Elam
B. Burton.
Rev. C. Trowbridge Woodrufi' then read, with admirable effect,
the closing poem of the occasion, Avritten by Mrs. Ann S. Stephens,
the distinguished authoress of New York, a native of Ancient
Woodbury : —
" We have met — we have met, by the graves of our sires,
Where the forest once reddened with war council fires,
"Where the smoke of the wigwam, while curling on high,
Left its bloom on the hemlock, — its cloud on the sky.
"Let us turn from the brightness of this happy hour.
Two centuries back, when the savage held power.
From the Naugatuck, sweeping through gorges and glen,
To the bright Housatonic and onward again.
Here a wilderness spread in its wildness and gloom.
Revealed by the starlight of dogwood in bloom,
And the broad rivers ran in the flickering shade.
Which the pine trees and cedars alternately made.
Here the chiefs gathered wild in their gorgeous array,
And their war-path was red at the dawning of day
Along the broad plain where light lingers clear,
Came the crack of the niusket — the leap of the deer.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY 991
" When the leaves of the oak were all downy and red,
And the wild cherry blossoms were white overhead,
When the buds and the sap of the maple were sweet,
And the child lay asleep on the moss at her feet,
Here the squaw sat at work in the cool of the trees.
While her lord roamed at will, or reclined at his ease, —
This — this is the picture all savagely grand,
Which our forefathers found when they sought out this land.
" The contract was honest our ancestors made
When they found the red warriors, lords of the shade;
They came not to wrangle or fight for the sod.
But armed with the law and the blessing of God,
With the gold they had won by privation and toil.
They purchased a right to the rivers and soil.
Then their cabins were built, and they planted the corn,
Though the war-whoop soon answered the blast of the horn,
And the sound of the axe as it rang through the wood
But challenged a contest of carnage and blood.
Still, upward and onward in peril of life
They planted our homesteads with labor and strife.
For labor is mighty, and courage is grand,
When it conquers the foe as it toils with the hand.
While the war-cry resounded from valley and hill,
The smoke of the fallow rose steady and still ;
If a cabin was burnt on the hiUs or the plain,
A score of stout hearts piled the logs up again.
If famine appeared, it was not to one roof,
For charity then had its power and its proof;
No mortar stood empty while one teemed with corn.
For of danger and want is true brotherhood born.
Thus our forefathers worked, and our forefathers won
The wealth we inherit from father to son,
Till their heads grew as white as the snow when it lies
On the pine branches lifted half-way to the skies,
And they laid themselves down in the ripeness of years,
While a new generation baptized them with tears.
While the meeting-house, crowned with its belfry and spire.
Takes rose tints from dawn — from the sunset its fire, —
While our homesteads are built, where the log-cabin stood.
And our fields ripen grain to the verge of the wood. —
We ask for no trophies to tell of their deeds,
No thunder of cannon, nor tramping of steeds.
For each wild flower that springs to the smile of its God,
Has written their virtues abroad on the sod.
" We have met — we have met, in the bloom of the year.
The first glow of summer encircles us here ;
The sunshine is warm on the ripening fruit.
And the whip-poor-will sings when the robin is mute ;
992 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
Our mills as they toil through their burden of grain,
Send over the waters a mellow refrain.
While the wind whispers low as it whispered to them
And sways the pale rose on its delicate stem.
Our souls as they feel the melodious thrill,
Send up a thanksgiving more exquisite still,
And our fathers might bend from their heaven of bliss,
To smile on a scene of rejoicing like this.
Rev. C. T. Woodruff, Rector of St. Paul's Church, Woodbury,
then said the concluding prayer.
Rev. Philo Judson, an aged clergyman of Rocky Hill, Conn., a
native of Woodbury, after making the following remarks, pro-
nounced the benediction, and the great assembly broke up, to meet
no more on a similar occasion, within our beautiful valley .*
" Me. Presieent : — This is a glorious and interesting day to
Woodbury. I am proud to say that I am a descendant' of the
Pilgrim fathers.
"I have attended celebrations before, but never one equal to
this. It excells all that have been held in this State.
" This morning we met for prayer at Bethel Rock. My friends,
my feelings and emotions were such as language cannot describe.
We stood on sacred and holy ground. There our Pilgrim fathers
and mothers worshipped on the Sabbath for about eight years,
during the summer season. The over-hanging rock, as you saw,
is perhaps 300 feet long, and very high. Our fathers, seated by
this rock, would to some extent be shielded from the storms. Sen-
tinels were placed on the top of the rock, so as to give the alarm
if the Indians approached. There was a stone pulpitj as you saw.
O ! what prayers were there offered by our fathers. Prayer-meet-
ings have been held there, more or less, ever since. In 1811, 1 at-
tended a prayer-meeting there with Dr. Azel Backus, Dr. Bennett
Tyler, Dr. Lyman Beecher, Rev. Messrs. Clark, Harrison, and others. .
It was one of uncommon interest and solemnity — we wrestled with
God in prayer.
" Woodbury has produced more great and eminent men than
any other town of equal size. Dr. D wight, of Yale College, re-
marked, that Hon. Nathaniel Smith's native talent was superior to
that of any man he ever met. He had not his equal in this State
— some say, not his equal or superior in New England.
" This has been a glorious celebration. Even our friend, Hon.
Charles Chapman, of Hartford, comes here to share in the glory,
HISTORY OP ANCIENT WOODBURY. 993
trying to claim some relationship here. "We had supposed he had
popularity and glory enough in Hartford for any one man.
"But he labored very hard, as you have seen, to make out that
he was the great-grandson of somebody in Woodbury ! I do not
know but he made it out, because he will make out anything he
undertakes.
" But while listening to his spicy, eloquent, and able speech, I
believe we should have been willing to adopt him as a grandson .
At the next centennial celebration, they will probably be willing
to adopt him as a son ! "
" The Historical address by William Cothren, your able historian,
was very learned, interesting, eloquent, and instructive. He is
<3eserving of much credit, and has done immense service to the
community, in giving us the History of Woodbury. It is an able
work, and must have required much persevering research. It is
read with deep interest by those away from Woodbury. Many
lay it on their tables, next to their Bibles. It is read by those
that are not descendats, with great interest. It is a very popular
work among intelligent and literary men. Its interest will increase
as time passes on. In fifty or one hundred years from this time,
it will be read with tenfold more interest than now, even in Wood-
bury. It will go down to generations yet unborn, and be consid-
ered as one of the most interesting of histories, Cothren's name
will be immortal — remembered as long as time shall endure.
Many will rise up and call him blessed !
" Woodbury has sent forth more ministers than any other town
within my knowledge. Nearly eighty heralds of the cross have
descended from the loins of the first William Judson. Many of
them have borne his honored surname, and many others have
borne the honorable names of the female alliances. They have
preached the Gospel far and wide, and their labors have been
greatly blessed. None can estimate the great and good results
which have arisen from the labors of the ministers who have gone
out from Ancient Woodbury, Eternity alone can unfold them."
Very interesting letters were received from numerous sons and
descendants of Woodbury, for the occasion, which, for want of
time, coiild not be read, but they were all published with the pro-
ceedings of the celebration. Among these contributors were, Hon.
John Lorimer Graham, of New York, Hon. Charles J. Hill, of Ro-
chester, N. Y., Hon. John Sherman, of Ohio, Hon. Royal R. Hinman,
994 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
of Hartford, Rev. Samuel Fuller, D. D., Col. Henry Stoddard,
Q,f Dayton, Ohio, Hon. Thomas B. Butler, Chief Justice of Con-
necticut, Col. John E. Hinman, of Utica, N. Y., Jonathan Knight,
M. D., of New Haven, Prof. Harvey P. Peet, of New York, Hon.
Henry Booth, of Poughkeepsie, N. Y., Rev. Rufus Murray, of
Detroit, Mich., Hon. Hiland Hall, ex-Gov. ot Vermont.
CONCLUDING REMARKS.
The weather, during the two days devoted to the exercises, was
clear, cool, and delightful. It was a general remark that Provi-
dence seemed to smile on the celebration. The immense concourse
of people exhibited very great interest in the proceedings, which
never flagged during the extended exercises, and constant sittings
of the two days. There was a generous and intelligent apprecia-
tion of the intellectual feast prepared for them on this occasion,
never excelled at any similar celebration. Although the labors of
the Committee were severe and painful, beyond the comprhension
of many, and might exceed the belief of all, yet its members felt
fully compensated for all their pains and toil, by the expression of
entire satisfaction and approbation, on the part of the people,
which greeted them on every side. So far as we know, every hear-
er, whose voice was heard, declared the celebration to have been
an unbounded success.
On the Sabbath preceding the 4th, allusions to the approaching
celebration were made in several of the Churches in town, and
an appropriate welcome to the returned emigrants from the old.
town extended. In the First, or old Pioneer Congregational
Church, the oldest by many years in this county, the pastor. Rev.
Robert G. Williams, read a sermon, preached by Rev. Anthony
Stoddard, its second minister, on the 6th of July, 1754, to the
same Church, in presence of the levies, raised to march against
Crown Point, in the old French War. The sermon was written
on leaves about three inches square, and showed evident traces of
the patriarchal age of one hundred and five years. The historical
associations which clustered around it, the place, the identical man-
uscript, the very presence in which we were assembled, listening
to the same words which our fathers, who have been slumbering
for generations in the old church-yard, heard on that occasion, so
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 995^
momentous to many hearts, wrought up the imagination to a tem-
porary companionship with the silent shades of the spirit land.
It was a fitting introduction to the exercises of the celebration^
that was so soon to occur.
It was not a small matter to feed and shelter the vast multitude
assembled at the celebration. But the most ample provision to
meet the exigencies of the occasion had been made by the ladies.
Tents had been prepared by the Committee, for each of the towns
once included within the limits of Ancient Woodbury, " with en-
signs flying," to direct the people to the proper places. There
was also a tent appropriated to the use of invited guests from
abroad. In these the multitudes united in a mammoth Antiqua-
rian Pic-Nic. No price was demanded, but like the sunshine, all
was free. But the antique pic-nic proper was celebrated beneath the
deep blue sky, within the shade of some large apple-trees, spread
on old tables, covered with pewter platters, wooden trenchers, pew-
ter and wooden spoons, and all the antiquarian articles that had been
preserved, and handed down to us from " former generations." The
viands consisted of bean porridge, baked pork and beans, Indian
pudding, hominy, rye and Indian bread, and numerous other primi-
tive dishes. Mrs. N. B. Smith presided over the table arrangements
for Woodbury, with that ease and grace for which she 4s so much
distinguished, aided in the most effective manner by nearly all the
other ladies of the town. In all the tents the tables groaned with
abundance, and were set out with a taste in arrangement, and ex-
cellence of viands, rarely equalled on any similar festive occasion.
Great praise was awarded to the ladies for the indispensable aid
they furnished at the joyous festival.
Among the many pleasing incidents of the celebration, was the
reading of the beautiful and thrilling poem, in the preceding
pages, of Mrs. Ann S. Stephens, a native of "Ancient Wood-
bury." There was a soul, and an emotion, pervading the whole
of the production, that showed the heart of the writer was in the
subject ; and so striking was its effect on an audience wearied by
the almost uninterupted exercises of ten hours, that when the
reading was concluded, and the writer advanced to the front of
the stand, and moved three cheers for the " Poetess of Ancient
Woodbury," it was responded to by the great assemblage, with
an enthusiasm which must have been grateful to the distinguished
authoress, who was, at the moment, sitting quietly upon the stand.
An attempt was made to keep a Register of the names of all
996 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUET.
who attended the celebration, with a view to preservation. The
request that every person would register his name, was announced
from the stand. But owing to the great multitude, and to the
fact that every moment was occupied with interesting public ex-
ercises, very few complied with the request.
Among the distinguished persons in attendance, besides those
already named, we noticed the following named persons ; and
doubtless there were many others, whom we did not see in the
crush and hurry of the occasion ; — Hon. John Boyd, of Winches'
ter, Secretary of Connecticut ; Hon. Origen S. Seymour, of Litch-
field, Judge of the Superior Court, with his son, Edward W. Sey-
mour, Esq., ; Jonathan Knight, M. D., of New Haven, Professor
in Yale College ; Hon. Ralph D. Smith, of Guilford, a native of
Southbury ; Hon. William B. Wooster, of Birmingham ; E. B-
•Cooke, Esq., Editor of the Waterbury American ; Rev. J. M. Wil-
ley, of Waterbury ; Hon. Judson W. Sherman, Member of Con-
gress, of Angelica, N. Y. ; Hon. Green Kendrick, of Waterbury ;
Nathaniel A. Bacon, Esq., of New Haven ; William Nelson Blake-
man, M. D,, a distinguished physician of New York, and a native
of Roxbury ; Charles Nettleton, Esq., of New York, a native of
Washington ; Hon. Samuel G. Goodrich, of Southbury, late Con-
sul at PariSj the well-known " Peter Parley ; " C. S. Trowbridge,
Esq., of Auburn, N. Y. ; R. F. Trowbridge, Esq., of Syracuse, N?
Y. ; Rev. Charles W. Powell, of Middlebury ; Alexander Frazer.
Esq., of New York ; Rev. C. S. Sherman, of Naugatuck ; Rev.
Abijah M. Calkin, of Cochecton, N. Y. ; Rev. Ira Abbott, of South-
bury; Rev. Jason Atwater, of West Haven; Rev. J. K. Averill,
of Plymouth ; Rev. E.Lyman, and Hon. Charles Adams, of Litch-
field, Editor of the Litchfield Enquirer.
Among the venerable men of other days, we noticed on the
stage, Capt. Judson Hurd, 85 years of age, so active and vigorous,
that he had ridden on horseback in the morning, with his " lady
love" of 72, on a pillion behind him. We also noticed Dea. Da-
vid Punderson, of Washington, aged 86, Nathaniel Richardson,
of Middlebury, aged 85, and Mr. William Summers, of the ripe
age of nearly ninety years, a resident of Woodbury, and the old-
est man in town.
The extended and efficient arrangements of the General Com-
mittee, for providing strangers with accommodations and protec-
tion, were thoroughly carried out. Perfect satisfaction and quiet
reigned throughout the celebration. More than fifteen hundred
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 997
visitors were lodged in the town the first night, and in the other
towns of the ancient territory, at least twice that number. All
the inhabitants threw open their doors, and from ten to seventy-
five persons to a house found quarters for the night. Even our
least opulent citizens displayed an anxiety to add to the general
enjoyment of the occasion. As an instance, Mr. Harry H. Fox,
who, certainly, is not much blessed with this world's goods, fed
twenty-six persons, and lodged twelve. We have not yet heard
of an individual who was not provided with reasonable accommo-
dations.
A very pleasing feature in the "Antique Procession," not before
noticed in these pages, was the fine turn-out of King Solomon's
Lodge, No. 7, of Free and Accepted Masons, of Woodbury, in
the splendid regalia of its mystic brotherhood. This is not only
one of the oldest lodges west of Connecticut river, having received
its first charter in 1765, from the Provincial Grand Lodge of the
Colony of Massachusetts, but it has been one of the oldest and
most respectable in the State, both for the number and character
of its members. It was with becoming pride, that they joined in
the antique portion of the proceedings of the festival, celebrating
at once the antiquity of the town, and the establishment therein
of their own ancient, benevolent, and honorable fraternity.
The music of the occasion was furnished by the New Milford
Band, in a highly creditable and satisfactory manner. During the
evening of the first day, it serenaded the orator of the day, and
other residents connected with the active exercises of the occa-
sion. In short, every part of the programme was well performed,
and the whole celebration was pronounced by all present to be a
perfect success. As it was the largest, so it was more perfect, in
all its arrangements, than any similar celebration in this country.
998
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOOOBUJJT.
the 19th of July, 1865, King Solomon's
Lodge, No. 7, of Free and Accepted Masons,
celebrated the one hundredth anniversary of
its organization.
At a meeting of sundry brethren of King
Solomon's Lodge, held May 10, 1862, at
the residence of the late Bro. Ckarles B.
Phelps, assembled upon the invitation of Past
Master Alonzo Norton Lewis, Past Master
Charles H. Webb was called to the Chair, and
A. N. Lewis appointed Secretary.
" On motion of Bro. Lewis, it was voted that a Committee be
nominated to the Lodge, to take in hand the celebration of the
approaching Centennial Anniversary of King Solomon's Lodge.
The following brethren were appointed : —
" P. M. Alonzo Norton Lewis,
" William Cothren,
" James Huntington,
" Charles H. Webb,
P. M. Benjamin Doolittle,
" Nathaniel Smith,
Bro. G. Platt Crane.
EXTRACT FROM RECORDS OF KING SOLOMON'S
LODGE.
Aug. 15, A. D., 1862, A. L., 5862.
" A Communication from a meeting of Masons, nominating
Bro's Lewis, Cothren, Huntington, Webb, Doolittle, Smith, and
Crane, a Committee to arrange for the Celebration of the Centen-
nial Anniversary of this Lodge, was received, the Committee
appointed J and the Communication ordered on file."
The committee immediately entered on the performance of the
duties of preparation for an event so interesting to the brethrenj
and, in due time, every thing was " made ready."
The appointed day, Wednesday, July 19, A. D., 1865, A. L,,
5865, dawned bright and fair, as if Nature herself smiled npon
the occasion.
At half past 10 o'clock, A. M., the procession was formed,
under the direction of Past Master Benj. Doolittle, Chief Marshal,
HISTORY OF ANCJIENT WOODBURY. 999
assisted by his Deputies, Bro's Eli Sperry aad G. Eugene Betts,
in the following
ORDER;
Two Tylers, witli drawn Swords.
Tomj^kins' Brass Baud.
Two Stewards, with White Rods.
Monroe Lodge, Monroe.
Eureka Lodge, No, 83, Bethel.
* George Washington Lodge, No. 82, Ansonia.
^ Wooster Lodge, No. 79, New Haven.
S * Shepherd Lodge, No. 78, Naugatuck.
^ Meridian Lodge, No. 11, Meriden.
St. Andrews' Lodge, No. 54, West Winsted.
Seneca Lodge, No. 55, Wolcottville.
St. Luke's Lodge, No. 48, Kent.
* Morning Star Lodge, No. 47, Seymour,
Harmony Lodge, No. 42, Waterbury.
* Rising Sun Lodge, No. 36, Washington.
St. Peter's Lodge, No. 21, New Milford.
^ Harmony Lodge, No. 20, New Britain.
g. Federal Lodge, No. 17, Watertown.
p Frederick Lodge, No. 14, Plainville.
* St. Paul's Lodge, No. 11, Litchfield.
* King Solomon's Lodge, No. 7, Woodbury.
St. John's Lodge, No. 3, Bridgeport.
Pliram Lodge, No. 1, New Haven.
Royal Arch Masons.
Council Masons.
Knight Templars.
A Junior Deacon . \ ^^^ ^oly Writings, ) ^ g^^.^^ ^^^^^^
( Square and Compasss, 3
g A Steward. ] ^^^ Worshipful Master of ) ^ g^^^^^^
^ ( Kmg Solomon s Lodge. )
S^ 1 Officers of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge.
£. The Clergy.
* Lodges marked by a star, were present as Lodges.
1 The following were present : — The M. W. Grand Master, Eli S. Quintard, o
New Haven; Past Grarid Master Howard B. Ensign, of New Haven; Past
Grand Master D. E. Bostwick, of Litchfield, and Grand Lecturer G. M. Hatch, of
Bridgeport.
1000 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUET.
The procession marched to the South Congregational Church,
and entering in reverse order, when all were seated, the acting
W. M., A. N. Lewis, introduced the Most Worshipful Eli S.
Quintard, of New Haven, Grand Master of Masons in Connecti-
cut, who took the Chair, when the following Order of Exercises
was proceeded with ;
I.
Ode by the Woodbury Mucisal Association, under the leader-
ship of P. M. Trowbridge, Esq., and accompanied by Tompkins'
Band.
II.
Reading of the Scriptures (1 Corinthians, xiii) by Rev. C. T.
Woodruff, Rector of Christ Church, Ridgefield.
HI.
Ode.
IV.
Prayer by Rev. John Purves, Rector of St. Paul's Church,
Woodbury.
V.
Chant.
Past Master Alonzo Norton Lewis then delivered an eloquent
and interesting address, from which we select a few passages, our
limits forbidding more extended quotations :
" W. M. Officers and brothers of King JSolomon's Lodge :
"You stand, to-day, upon the hither coast of a seemingly
boundless ocean. You strain your eyes, in vain, to catch one
faint glimpse of the other shore. At last, as you are about to
turn away in despair, a small boat heaves in sight. You gather
around the weary voyager as he steps from his tempest-beaten
craft, upon the strand, and anxiously inquire if he has brought
any tidings or relics of those who have gone down upon the
deep. The solitary navigator, who has crossed the trackless
waste, exhibits a few moth-eaten books and MSS., and informs
you that these are all that remain of the gallant mariners whose
loss you deplore. To drop the figure ; you, my brethren, are the
anxious inquirers by the sea-side ; the speaker is the ' weary
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURT. 1001
Toyager ' who has crossed the sea 'in search of that which was
lost,' and returned 7iot without tidings.
" An historical address furnishes but a narrow field for the
flowers of rhetoric, or the graces of oratory. Facts, dates, rec-
ords, names, and details are the wares of the historian. If I do
not fatigue you in the story of my communings with the past — if
I present you, in the brief period assigned me, with an epitome ot
the history of King Solomon's Lodge, from its foundation, one
hundred years ago, to the present time, I shall have fulfilled the
duty with which I was entrusted. Leaving, therefore, to my
reverend brother, who is to follow, the more pleasing task of
moving your hearts with the strains of eloquence, I set out at
once upon the journey before me.
"King Solomon's Lodge was constituted upon the 17th of July,,
in the year of our Lord 1765, and ot Masonry 5765. I hold ia
my hand the original charter, beautifully engrossed upon stamped
paper, in the plain round hand of the olden time.
"To the uninitiated it may be proper to say, in explanation of
the almost sacred reverence with which a mason regards his
charter, that no lodge can be held without its presence at the
place of meeting ; and if lost or destroyed as by fire, a dispensation
must be obtained from the Grand Master before lodge-meetings-
can be again held. If revoked by the proper authority, the lodge
ceases to exist until it is leguUy restored. The charter, there-
fore, is most carefully preserved in the lodge archives.
" While the lodge was located in Waterbury, the regular cotn-
munications (which is the masonic term ^ov meetings) were holdert
monthly in the house now occupied by Bro. James Brown, then
the residence of Capt. Geo. Nicholls. The hall was an upper
room, running the whole length of the house, with ' gambrel^
roof and windows, it being a dancing-hall, such as were often
found in the private residences of that day.
" Of the doings of the lodge, while it sat in Waterbury, we
have no record, save the paper which I hold in my hand. It is the
original draft of the ' Bye-Laws,' enacted and approved on Christ-
mas Day, 1765, which I beg leave to read, as a relic of ' ye olden
time.'
" At the period of which I am speaking (1765 to 1775) Wood-
bury exceeded Waterbury in population and importance. After
a few years it is probable that the members of the lodge, dwelling
in the valley of the Pomperaug, began to outnumber those residing
1002 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
in Mattatuck, or Waterbury. The lodge was, therefoi'c, in 17*75
(or previously) removed to Woodbury, where the tabernacle has
ever since rested. The names of Joseph Perry, James Raynolds,
Hezekiah Thompson, and other of the Waterbury brethren,
appear upon the records as in attendance upon lodge meetings,
the weary distance of twelve miles through woods and swamps,
over hills and streams, not being sufficient to keep from them the
monthly reunion with the ' Sons of Light.'
"The Records from 1*765 to 1775, are missing. In that valua-
ble work, by a brother who sits before me to-day, the ' History of
Ancient Woodbury,' we read, that ' all the records, except the
charter, from its first organization to 1782, are no longer in exist-
ence.' This paragraph was written in 1854. Three years later,
while 'searching among the rubbish' of the lodge-room, the
speaker had the good fortune to discover this ancient record book,
containing minutes of all the 'communications,' or meetings,
from St. John's Day, Dec. 27, 1775, to Sept. 7, 1780. The first
-entry is as follows :
" Att a Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons held att the house of Br. Peter
Gilchrist, in Woodbury, Dec. 27th, 1775,
Present.
R. W. Bro. Joseph Perry, Master,
" Peter Gilchrist^ Senior Warden,
'• Mitchell Lampson, Junior "
" Delucena Backus, Treasurer,
" Aaron Mallort,
" ZiMRT Moody.
•' The same evening the Lodge was Led to the Choyse of a Master for the
year ensuing, when they unanimously mad choyse of R. W. Bro. Joseph Perry to
fill the Chear.
" The Lodge likewise mad choyse of Bro. Peter Gilchrist, S. W,, and Bro.
Mitchell Lampson, J. "W., Bro. Delucena Backus, Sec, and Bro. Aaron Mallory,
Treas., very agreeable to the Lodge.
Expense of the night - - - £0 11
Paid - , - - " " "
^'From 1775 to 1797, a period of twentj'-two years, the lodge
met in an ' upper room,' or ball-room of Peter Gilchrist's house,
now the residence of Geo. B. Lewis, Esq. Bro. Gilchrist seems
to have been a prominent mason, and was for many years Secre-
tary of the lodge.
"In Oct., 1796, the lodge voted to remove to a room to be pre-
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY, 1003
pared for their use by Bro, David Tallman, in the house of widow
Damaris Gilchrist, now the ball-room of Kelly's hotel.
"This room was finished in due time, with ' suitable pews for
the Master and Wardens,' and the lodge voted Bros. Tallman and
Fabrique a further allowance of 18 and 12 dollars respectively for
' stock extraordinary furnished.' Masonic tradition informs us
that this hall was fitted up in magnificent style : Upon the ceiling
over head, were delineated the ' starry decked heavens,' with the
' All-Seeing Eye,' and other emblems well known to the craft.
"Sept. 18th, 1823, the lodge removed to a new hall in the build-
ing lately occupied by Bros. Ghapin and Lathrop (more recently
perverted into a barn by Bro. H. W. Shove) where the meetings
were held for some fifteen years, when they again removed to the
old lodge-room over Kelly's hotel, in 1837, where they continued
to meet until the dedication of the present lodge edifice in 1839.
" Aug. 29th, 1838, at a regular communication ot the lodge, it
was voted 'that Bros. Benj. Doolittle, Ghas. B. Phelps, Edwd.
Hinman, and Edgar Botsford, be appointed a committee to obtain
subscriptions to build a lodge room.' This committee reported at
the next meeting that one could be built at a cost not to exceed
the sum of $700. They were, therefore, instructed ' to commence
the building when half the amount should be subscribed, in addi-
tion to the existing funds of the lodge.' The mone}^ was raised
by dividing the stock into shares of $10 each, some of which
were taken by persons not members of the fraternity. For many
years after, candidates for initiation paid their fees by purchasing
the requisite number of shares at a low rate. In this way, and
from the natural anxiety of the brethren to extinguish the out-
standing shares, some were inducted into the mysteries of Mason-
ry, -who have since proved anything but ornaments to the lodge
and institution. At last, in the year 1857, the last share and a
half was cancelled, being held by our late Bro. Mitchell S. Mitch-
ell, of New Haven.
"The new lodge edifice was solemnly dedicated to the 'Holy
Saints John,' by the Grand officers, upon the festival of St. John
the Baptist, 1839. The ofiicers and brethren of King Solomon's
Lodge, were present at the exercises, and many visiting brethren
from other lodges. In the language of the records :
" The marshalls (which were Bros. W. H. Hunter and Bethel Castle) formed
the procession, and proceeded to St. Paul's Churcli, to hear an oration by Rev.
Bro. Burhanns, after which the procession fopmed and marched to Bro. Chas. S
11
1004 HISTORY OF AKCIENT WOODBUKY.
Peck's, where the brethren partook of a sumptuous feast prepared for the occa-
sion. After toasting, ' ifec.,' and ' parting upon the level,' (it is to be hoped
the latter phrase is not to be taken literally,) the lodge closed in due and ancient
form. Henry A. Huli,, Sec."
" Lodge meetings were anciently held on the Tuesday preceding
the full of the moon, from five o'clock, P. M. to nine in the
evening, from September to March, inclusive ; and from six to
nine the remainder of the year. At seven, or thereabouts, the
lodge was ' called from labor to refreshment,' when a bounteous
supper was served by the ' Boniface,' at whose inn the lodge was
sitting. After supper followed toasts and masonic songs. Labor
was resumed at about eight, and the lodge ' closed in peace and
harmony ' at nine. The meetings Avere held uj^on the week ' pre-
ceding the full of the moon,' that the brethren who came from
a distance might have light on their homeward ride.
" The general spirit of conviviality, which at one time disgraced
even ministers' meetings, ordinations and funerals, was also felt in
the lodges at their meetings. Many lodges had decanters and
glasses in their ante-rooms, and the members sometimes partook
too freely at the ' hour of refreshment.' The anti-masonic storm
which swept over New York, and a portion of the New England
States, though it checked the progress of Masonry, and at one
time bid fair to overthrow the institution, had one good result.
The M. W. Grand Lodge of Connecticut recommended the sub-
ordinate lodges to discontinue the use of ardent spirits at lodge
meetings, and King Solomon's Lodge, in a resolution offered by
our late Bro. Charles B. Phelps, was one of the iirst to banish
tippling from the lodge-room,
For several years prior to 1841, the lodge had enjoyed great
and continued prosperity. From that time to 1846, from re-
movals and various causes, it rapidly declined in numbers and
efficiency, and having failed to make its returns to the Grand
Lodge for three years, the charter was vacated and surrendered
to the grand officers in October of the latter year. The inter-
regnum was but of short duration. In December of the same
year, a dispensation was applied for and granted, empowering the
brethren to resume their labors as a lodge, and on the 6th of Jan-
uary the charter was returned, officers elected, and a new era
begun. The craft are now (1865) in possession of a fine lodge
edifice, unincumbered by debt, and have in their treasury the
HISTOKY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1005
* wherewith ' to reheve ' poor distressed master masons, their
widows and orphans.'
" A few extracts from the records may not be inappropriate to
the time and occasion.
"Aug. 1st, 1780, it was voted that 'the treasurer send to Bro.
David Wooster, 200 continental dollars out of the Box.'
"Feb. 4th, 1800, 'Bros. J. Clark and Wm. Moseley were
appointed to confer with the Committee of Arrangements for the
22d insti, and to procure the aprons trimmed with black,' as a
token of respect for the memory of their illustrious Brother
George Washington.
" I have thus, "Worshipful Master and Brethren, endeavored to
trace, in an imperfect manner, the history of King Solomon's
Lodge. 'Tis a solemn thought that here, in these few volumes,
lie the records of a hundred years ! How ' swifter than a weav-
er's shuttle ' is the flight of time ! ' We spend our years as a tale
that is told !' This day should ' furnish food for serious reflection '
to us all. 1765—1865—1965 ! Who, of all this company, will be
present at the second centennial of King Solomon's Lodge?
"Eight years ago, I enrolled my name as a member of the
Woodbury fraternity. As I cast my eye over these seats, I see
many new faces, but, alas ! not all of the old ones ! I miss the
genial face and portly form of one who twice filled the Oriental
Chair, dispensing light and knowledge to the craft. He was made
a mason in 1812, and, at the time of his decease, had been for
neavly fifty years a valued and respected member of this lodge.
But a few weeks before his death he was present at an installa-
tion service, and delivered an address approj^riate to the occasion.
In two short months you stood around his open grave, and with
streaming eyes, dropped your sprigs of acacia upon his coffin,
sighing in tremulous accents, ' Alas ! my brother P
" Any eulogium upon his character, to those who knew him,
would be to ' gild refined gold, or paint the lily !' Those who
knew him best, loved him most. For more than two years the
speaker was most confidentially and intimately associated with
him, and he has no hesitation in affirming that " he was a ruan,
take him all in all, we shall not look upon his like again !' Born
soon after the revolution, and familiarly acquainted with many of
the actors in that great drama ; educated in the celebrated Litch.
field Law School of Judge Reeve, with such men as John M
Clayton, and John C. Calhoun for fellow students, he was a con.
1006 HISTORY OF ANCIENT "WOODBURY.
necting link between the generation of '76 and the present. In
his tastes and habits, a ' gentleman of the old school ;' with a
high-toned sense of honor that is too rarely found in these modern
times ; his mind unusually well stored with that knowledge which
only habits of observation can acquire ; a never-failing flow of
wit, and anecdote, and keenest irony and sarcasm, if the occasion
demanded ; of great power as a public speaker and an advocate ;'
full of ' wise saws and modern instances,' and quaint sayings and
comparisons, which convulsed the listener with merriment ; a kind
and unselfish neighbor ; an ever faithful and sympathizing friend ;
strong in his likes and dislikes ; a man who read character at a
glance ; hospitable, charitable, and generous to a fault,
" ' As many a beggar and impostor knew ;'
though a knoyer, a peace-niaker ; (his proudest boast being that
he * had settled more cases than he had tried ') ; to those who
knew him, in the sanctity of his home, (whatever he may have
seemed to the world), a man of deep religious feelings and yearn-
ings ; in the language of another,
" ' Not, like too many, worser than he seemed,
But always better than himself had deemed :' 1
Charles B. Phelps, 'the Old Judge,' as we loved to call him, will
never be forgotten, so long as there is one who knew him left to
cherish his memory !
" ' The iipright judge, the wit, the mind intent,
With the large heart, that always with it went :
Passing his years among us, softened, sage,
Almost the feature of another age ; —
In one dread moment sent to that far shore
Where praise, nor blame, shall ever reach him more. '2
There is another brother, whose hoary head and Christian
character deserves a passing notice. The oldest member of the
fraternity, initiated jnto Masonry in 1813, fifty-two years ago, he
still lingers among us, at the good old age of three score and ten,
and eighteen years. Though he has come to realize by sad expe-
1 Rev. Wni. Thompson Bacon, in his Woodbury Centennial Poem, July 4,
1859, .
Ibid.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1007
Tience the iafirmities of age, ' when the keepers of the house
tremble, and the strong men bow themselves, and the grinders
cease because they are few, and those that look out of the
windows be darkened ; and the doors are shut in the streets
when the sound of the grinding is low; when fears are in the
way, and the almond ti*ee flourishes and desire fails :' — though all
this is come upon him, he still retains his first love for the Insti-
tution, before whose altar his youthful knees bowed in fealty and
prayer. Need I say that I refer to our venerable Brother James
Moody ?
"It may seem invidious to speak of the living, where so many
are worthy of praise. When the anti-masonic tempest of 1828
had well-nigh extinguished our ' three lesser lights ;' when ' the
love of many waxed cold,' and to acknowledge one's self a Mason
required more courage than to storm a battery ; when mobs pro-
scribed, and churches excommunicated the known or suspecied
Mason ; prominent among a faithful few, a brother who sits before
me, was untiring in his efforts to keep the masonic flame a-light
upon the altar of King Solomon's Lodge. Unlike too many, he
never 'renounced Free Masonry' at the bidding of party or sect.
Filling, as necessity required, every ofiice, from the chair in the
East to the Tyler's station ' without the door ;' for many years the
faithful and eflicient Treasurer ; twice elected Worshipful Master ;
present at nearly every meeting of the lodge since his afliliation,
more than forty-tour years ago ; King Solomon's Lodge is in-
debted for its present existence, to no brother, living or dead,
more than to Brother Benjamin Doolittle ! i
"My task is done! My communings with the past, though
tinged with sadness, have been pleasing and profitable to myself;
I trust the result, even if somewhat tedious, has not been without
interest and instruction to my hearers.
" Finally, Brethren op King Solomon's Lodge, let us strive to
grow wiser and better for our masonic associations. Let us never
confound Masonry with Religion, nor Religion with Masonry.
Let us ever remember that Masonry, though 7iot religion, is her
handmaid: and that he who would be a true Mason must also
aspire to that higher name, a. follower of the Lord Jesus Christ,
Thus, at the last, when the grim tyrant Death shall alarm for us
1 Brot Doolittle passed to the Lodge on high about three years ago, at the age
of 70, and this eulogy is not overdrawn.
1008 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
'the inner door' of the lodge — we may welcome him as a kind
messenger, sent to translate ns from this imperfect to that all-
perfect, glorious, and celestial lodge above, where the Supreme
Grand Master of the universe presides !"
The address was succeeded by a very eloquent and instructive
sermon, by Rev. C. Trowdridge Woodruff, of Ridgefield, for-
merly rector of St. Paul's Church, Woodbury, From this sermon
we make a few brief extracts : —
SER]Nd:ON
I. KINGS VI. 1.
" And the house, when it v/as building, was built of stone, made ready before
it was brought thither ; so that there was neither hammer, nor axe, nor
tool of iron, heard in the house while it was building."
" Wonderful record ! record, made of no other building in the
history of our world ; record, worthy of Him who planned the
building, and of him who sought the " understanding heart," that
he might work out the woundrous design ; record, significant of
the mighty Past, whose history it was to embody, and of the Fu-
ture, whose prophetic analogies were to cluster around it ! The
work then going on, the massive stones then I'ising into walls, in-
dicating no ordinary work, nor yet the usual architecture of the
time. No ! in the centuries by-gone, upon the rugged and scarred
brow of awful Sinai, amid lightnings and thunders, with the huge
mountain shaking beneath the overshadowing presence of the
great Jehovah, Moses was showed the pattern of that majestic
Temple, which, with all its sacred rites, afterwards stood, the joy
of the whole earth, on Mount Moriah's stately brow. The Tab-
ernacle, set up in the wilderness, and carried along with the Israel-
ites as they journeyed to the Promised Land, was but the finished
model of the vast and magnificent edifice, whose foundation stones
of costly worth, reached down as deep as Kedron's shadowed
glen, and whose pinnacles towered to heights too dazzling ftr the
sight.
HISTORY OF ANCIE^TT WOODBURY. 1009
For many years had the pious David been carefully gathering
the varied materials for the sacred house, and now his illustrious
son, Solomon, with all the aid of native and foreign artists, was
consummating the grand design. The forests resounded to the
stroke of the woodman's axe ; the quarries of Zeradathah echoed
to the ring of the hammer and maul; the smitheries glowed;
carpenters, and carvers, and cunning workmen went in and out,
intent upon their mighty work, and, day by day, the ponderous
beams, the perfect ashlers, the polished cedar, and the olive, and
the golden plates, came by the hands of the seventy thousand
Apprentices, from the eighty thousand Fellow-Crafts, till the co-
ping was finished, pilaster and column were set, the burnished
roof thrown over all, and the great Temple, from foundation to
dome, stood the fairest and the noblest structure that greeted the
sun in his daily course.
" So stands the Temple to the view of every true and enlighten-
ed Mason ; at once, the first and highest type of the Masonic art
in opei'ative Masonry, and the sacred historical symbol of all that
is dignified and ennobling, and purifying in speculative Masonry.
It embodies the great principles of our order ; — charity and unity ;
— around it cluster the emblems, and from it are derived the cer-
emonies and the working tools of the craft,
" It is a singular fact, and, aside from the belief of its high ori-
gin, an inexplainable fact, that, while thrones of earth have crum-
bled, while orders and systems of men have passed away, — des-
potic, patriotic, benevolent, and religious, — while opposition has
fiercely assailed, backed by influence, wealth and power ; while
persecution has flamed, and driven into the wildeajiess ; while po-
litical fanatics have denounced and religionists have anathema-
tized, and false friends sought to betray ; while barbarians have
demolished the grand monuments of the Order; and all that mal-
ice could invent, and man perform, has been combined against it,
still, Masonry lives ! Yes, and will live till Time itself shall be
no more ! Nothing else, save Christianity, has stood the test of
the ages ! It stands to-day, adorned with life and beauty, simply
because its great Light, the Bible, shines full upon and irradiates
its throbbing heart ! Its chief corner-stone, its central idea, like
that of the symbolic Temple, and like Christianity itself, is Love,
love to God supreme, love to our neighbors as ourselves. The
golden chain which links us to the Past, to each other in the Pres-
ent, and which shall join us indissolubly with the Future, is that
1010 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
heaven-born Charity, which is the ' bond of peace and the perfec-
tion ol every virtue.'
" In the great struggle through which the nation has so success-
fully passed, Masonry has come out as grandly as the nation, tested
as in no other age, glorious as never before. Under its almost
magic influence, foemen have been made friends in rifle pits, on
skirmish lines, at bayonet points, and at the cannon's mouth.
Rebel and loyal, each, have learned on bloody fields, wounded and
captive, in ambulance and hospital, that brothers ever answer to
the sign, and fly, at the mystic cry for help, with comfort and suc-
cor such as needed. And all this is full of richest promise for the
future.
Go forward, then, ye faithful sons of faithful craftsmen gone!
By all that is sacred in the antiquity of the Order, by all that is
tender in the bond of brotherly love, by all that is affecting in the
condition and wants of your erring and needy brethren, by all the
resources which heaven has poured into your lap, by all the pre-
cious memories of those beloved in the lodge on high, and by all
the motives addressed to you in every degree in which you have
wrought, I say, go forward ! And, when all the bonds of earthly
circumstances, the outward conformations of ministries and ordi-
nances, have passed away forever, then, the whole body of Ma-
sons, true and faithful Masons, who have adorned the divine prin-
ciples of the Order by a godly life, shall stand up together in an
imperishable fellowship, known by one name, animated by one
spirit, and combined together in one glorious employment for
eternity."
After the exercises at the Church, the procession was again
formed, and marched to the site of the building recently occupied
by Bro's Chapin and Lathrop, where the Lodge was held for fif-
teen years, — from 1823 to 1837. Here a halt was made, and the
" grand honors " given, in honor of the fraternal dead. The march
was then continued to the residence of Geo. B. Lewis, Esq., for-
merly the Inn of Peter Gilchrist, where the Lodge was held, from
1*775 to 1797, where the "grand honors" were again given.
Thence the procession moved to the Hotel of F. Kelly, where the
"grand honors" were given in front of the "north chamber,"
where the Lodge held its meetings, from 1797 to 18i2;3, and again
from 1837 to 1839.
The vast concourse of Masons, Masons' wives, daughters, and
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1011
invited guests, then entered the large Tent of the Litchfield Co.
Agricultural Society, where they partook of a bountiful Collation.
ORDER OF EXERCISES AT THE TENT.
After the " cloth had been removed," the assembly was called
to Oder by Past Master A. N. Lewis, who announced the regular
toats, and on giving the sentiment, " Our Sister Lodges," re-
marked : —
"I see before me those who, as Entered Appentices, have delved
and hewed in the quarries ; have wrought upon the Temple as
Fellow-Crafts ; and learned lessons of fortitude and fidelity at the
grave of the widow's son — others who have received the " white
stone," in which a " new name is written, which no man knoweth,
save him to whom it is given ; " who have been inducted into the
" Oriental Chair," and learned lessons in government from earnest
and practical instructors ; who have assisted at the dedication of
the Temple, " when the glory of the Lord filled the house, so that
the priests could not stand to minister,' but bowed themselves
upon the pavement, exclaiming, 'for He is good, and His mercy
endureth forever ; and, ' at the peril of your lives,' searched for
and brought to light those valuable secrets, which lay buried and
hidden from the craft, for the space of four hundred years ; — oth-
ers, who have ' wrought in the secret vault, when prying eyes were
closed in sleep.' — Otbers who, as valiant and magnanimous Sir
Knights, have worshipped upon the Island, at the Sepulchre, and
in the Temple. And if there be any other and higher than these,
I bid you all an earnest, a heart-felt, a Masonic welcome!"
This was followed by the third regular toast ; " The Fraternal
Dead of King Solomon's Lodge, — Their failings are hidden by the
sod that covers them ; their virtues are on perpetual record upon
living tablets, the hearts of their brethren !"
Past Master William Cothren responded in the following words :
Brothers and Friends : —
In rising to respond to the toast just read in your hearing by
our worthy presiding officer, I seem to be addressing some five
1012 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY,'
hundred living, sentient beings, — a company of friends and broth-
ers. And yet, as I firmly believe, not only am I doing this, bnt I
am addressing an equal number of the " faithful dead," whose
mortal remains sleep peacefully in this beautiful valley, the home
of the honored, and the resting place of the tried worthies who
have gone before us to the " echoless shore." I take pleasure and
consolation in believing, that that large company of the good and
" great lights " of our beneficent Order, look down from their se-
rene and happy abode upon us, their children, who, with filial
hearts, unite in celebrating their virtues on this happy hundreth
birth-day of our beloved Lodge, which they did so much to " adorn
and beautify." Secure, themselves, from the perils of life, they
smile benignantly upon the noble actions of their descendants.
They speak to us from every lowly and sacred mound, — they
speak to us from their high abode in Heaven.
A sacred feeling comes over us, as we remember the character,
and recount the noble deeds of our revered brethren, who lived
and acted during the century which has now gone to "join the
former ages " in the world's history. We look around us, and note
the resting-places of those sainted men, in the pleasantest nooks
of this most beautiful of valleys. We tread lightly, as we ap-
proach the sacred dust, that silently reposes till the resurrection
morn. Their ashes are all around us, as their spirits are above us.
I firmly believe that the faithful dead take cognizance of things
pertaining to the welfare of friends below. They smile on us from
their high seats to-day. " Their crown is secure, and their mem-
ory precious forever ; to us the strife yet remains." Errors they
had, like all the human race ; for the Book of books declares, that
«/? have gone astray. But their errors are "hidden by the sod"
that covers them. They have "reached that silent home of all the
living, which buries every error, covers every defect, extinguishes
every resentment."
They lived in " days that tried men's souls." They lived in
times that required great and heroic deeds. They lived in a
period when moral courage, as well as manly hearts, was re-
quired, — the great demands of history, the great urgencies of life
in perilous periods. Even one of our Ministers, bearer of good
tidings to men, was obliged, right there, two hundred yards from
our place of meeting, to take, two savage, lurking lives, and send
their guilty spirits to their dread account. Like courage was re-
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1013
quired of other men, in that period of violence, a hundred years
ago. '
Look through the history of our State during the century that
is past, and the part that our good old town has borne in all its
great events, and you will find the worthies of our Order preemi-
nent in every good and great work. In the deadly struggle of the
American Revolution, which gave us our nation's life, and planted
the germ of freedom forever ; — in all the wars and struggles which
have increased and shown our nation's strength ; and now, in the
last, most momentous and greatest civil war in the history of the
ages, which has signalized itself over those of all the past, in giv-
ing freedom to* an entire race, the brethren of the craft have ever
been conspicuous, — foremost in every great undertaking. In the
history of the Revolution, their names are radiant on every page,
both in the crash of battle, and in the steady support of the breth-
ren at home, giving more aid and comfort, with the other patriotic
citizens, to the brave boys in the field, than came from any other
interior town known to your speaker. Time would fail me to
give a list of those brave men, or to speak of the deeds and vir-
tues of the Hinmans, the Perrys, the Ortons, the Curtisses, the
Osbornes, the Chapmans, the Prestons, the Shermans, the Hic-
ocks, the Brinsmades, the Beers, the Nichols, and a host of others,
who did great service in that memorable conflict. In our later
civil struggle, our fraternal band has oftered up of its numlbers,
and has increased the concourse of the " fraternal dead." In these
early hours of our grief, need I speak, (while I say nothing of the
living brothers who have done good service to our country) of Pol-
ley,' and Orton, who have delivered up their lives, a willing sac-
rifice, to the great cause of freedom, and of our country. Need
I speak of their gentle, home virtues ; their orderly walk and con-
versation, their unwavering fidelity to friends ? Of Sergeant
Walter J. Orton, dying by a shot through the breast, received at
the battle of Winchester, I speak with more than ordinary friend-
ship. He was more than a sincere friend. He was at once a devoted
and efiective one. Well do I remember that summer Sabbath, three
years ago, when the members of Co. I., 19th Regt. Conn. Vols.
' Reference here is made to Rev. Anthony Stoddard, who was for sixty-one
years pastor of the First Church in Woodbury. His house, built in 1700, is
still standing.
^ James C. Policy, of Company I. 2d Conn. Artillery, who died in service, o^
fever, at Alexandria, Va., 19th Nov., 1862.
1014 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WO CD BU RY.
were called to leave in haste for the tented field, to " dare and do "
for their country ! We all remember how the churches were
closed, and the people assembled to speed the brave boys on their
way, for the salvation of the country, — heroic hearts all! — On
that occasion of throbbing hearts, and hasty and sad farewells,
well do I remember the words of Orton, as he talked with his
friends, and bid adieu to his wife and children ; that he should
never more be a citizen of Woodbury. Something told him he
should not survive the war, but that he thought it his duty still
to go and fight in the defense of his country. How prophetic were
his forebodings! He died a true soldier, from wounds received
in the heat and shock of battle. The memory of. such a soldier,
such a brother, will be forever enshrined in the hearts of his liv-
ing brethren of the "mystic tie."
I have already intimated, that, in all the civil and social virtues,
and in all the great events in the history of our State during the
past century, the members of King Solomon's Lodge have been
prominent. Let us name a few of the more celebrated, for time
would fail me to mention all who have done the State good ser-
vice, and done honor to our ancient fraternity. John Hotchkiss,
the first Worshipful Master, appointed by the Grand Master of
the Provincial Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, and residing " at or
near Waterbury," assembled the first members of our Lodge, and
appointed the Wardens. The records of our Lodge, from 1Y65
to 1775, are lost, and we know not who those Wardens were; but,
in the latter year, the Lodge began to be permanently held in
Woodbury, a town then older, and considerably more important
than Waterbury. The history of the Lodge since then is com-
plete, even through the dark days of the miserable political Mor-
gan excitement, when many other Lodges yielded to the fury of
that relentless storm of reasonless indignation. Of John Hotch-
kiss, little is now known, save that he was a prominent citizen of
our Colony, trusted by the Massachusetts Grand Master, and the
founder of the Hotchkiss family in this part of Connecticut.
Among the early Masters of the Lodge, was Hezekiah Thomp-
son, Esq., the first practicing lawyer in the present limits of Wood-
bury, and a leading citizen. Beginning as a saddler, by trade, he
won his way to distinction as an advocate and jurist, a magistrate,
a legislator, a soldier, a genial friend and an honest man, and died,
leaving descendants who, in this and the adjoining States, have
continued to take a leading part in public affairs, and to exercise
HISTORY OP ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1015
a powerful influence in the places of their residence. From
the founding of the Lodge, for near forty years, he was one of its
most active and efficient members.
Associated with Mr. Thompson, were several other leading spir-
its of those early days, in the history of the Lodge. Among these
was Dr. Joseph Perry, who, for nearly half a century, adorned the
profession of Medicine, and for three-fourths of that time, greatly
contributed to the prosperity of the Lodge, and the spreading of
the benefits of Masonry. He was conspicuous in aiding the sol-
diers in the Revolutionary struggle, and in curbing the impetuos-
ity of the rampant tories in our midst. And in this place, I have
the pleasure to say, that the name of no tory disgraces the fair
historic pages of our ancient Lodge. He died an honored citizen,
at a good old age, leaving his son. Dr. Nathaniel Perry, tit repre-
sentative of his father's virtues, to follow with reverence in his
footsteps, in every great and good work. Well did he bear up
his father's reputation, as the kind and skillful physician, the firm,
considerate, and efl:ective friend, the fi'iend of all, the Mason's
champion, the friend of charity and all good works, and that no-
blest of God's works, an honest man. For nearly fifty years did
these worthy men labor with the workmen, and for half that time,
directed them in their labors.
In the galaxy of talent, worth, and ability, which adorned the
Lodge in these early days, was Hon. Ephraim Kirby, a native of
Washington, and, for a long time, a resident of Litchfield ; after-
wards dying in Mississippi, while on his way to assume his duties
as Judge of the territoiy of Orleans, by the appointment of Jeffer-
son. He served during the whole of the Revolutionary war; was
present, and participated in, nineteen battles and skirmishes, among
which was Bunker Hill, Brandywine, Monmouth, and German-
town, and received thirteen wounds. In war, in civil and profes-
sional life, he greatly distinguished himself. He had the high pro;
fessional honor of being the author of the first volume of judicial
decisions ever published in this country. He was a fit representa-
tive of our Order, — a man of highest moral as well as physical
courage, warm, generous, and faithful in his attachments, and of
indomitable energy,
Associated with Past Masters Thompson and Perry, was Dr.
Anthony Burritt, of Southbury, then a parish of Woodbury. He
was a leading spirit in the Lodge, and in the events of his time.
During a part of the period of the Revolution, he acted as Sur-
1016 HISTORY OP ANCIENT WOODBURY.
geon's-mate, was taken a prisoner, and carried to Long-Island, but
was afterwards liberated by the intercession of his friend, Jabez
Bacon, of this town, the richest man that fiver resided here. His
son, Daniel Bacon, Esq., and General Chauncey Crafts, his son-in-
law, were afterwards honored and acceptable members of the
Lodge, generous friends, and useful citizens of the town.
The last of the Past Masters who assenabled at the grand re-
union Lodge Meeting in the Hollow, with those before mentioned,
in 1T82, was Hon. Nathan Preston. He was a soldier of the Rev-
olution, serving in the ranks, and in the Commissary Department.
He was a lawyer of ability, with a full practice. He was Town
Olerk for thirty-nine years, a member of the General Assembly
twelve Sessions, and Judge of Probate fourteen years. He was
often Master of the Lodge, and thoroughly identified with its in-
terests, as well as those of the town.
Among the " early lights," serving in the South and West, was
Elijah Sherman, familiarly known as " Father Sherman," fi*om the
fact that he was the father and founder of the Methodist Church
in this town. An Elder in his Church for twenty years, with
some few companions, worshippers in his faith, he held religious
services in his own house, but lived to see the erection of a Meth-
odist Church on a part of his own homestead, and a devout com-
pany of believers worshipping there. He was gathered to his
fathers at the advanced age of ninety, in 1844 ; a useful citizen,
an accepted Mason, and a Christian man, who adorned his pro-
fession. In the very early history of the Lodge, was another dis-
tinguished man and Mason, Col. Joel Hinman, who did much
honor to the Lodge, by his earnest zeal and brotherly charity.
Before 1800, Rutgers B. Marshall, Benjamin Stiles, Esq., an early
lawyer in Southbury, Capt. Timothy Hinman, of Revolutionary
fame, Dr. Samuel Ortou, a physician of great eccentricity, but of
rare ability as a physician, and an honest man ; Deacon Scovill
Hinman, for many years the oldest member of the Lodge, and
dying at the age of more than ninety years ; Jesse Minor, Esq.,
father of the respectable family that bears his name ; Bartimeus
Fabrique, and nearly thirty others of the best inhabitants of
Woodbury, during the years of 1797 and 1798, were received as
Apprentices, passed as Fellow Crafts, and raised to the sublime
degree of Master Mason.
Previous to 1787, Rev. John R. Marshall, the founder of the
Episcopal Church (St. Paul's) in Woodbury, was received into
HISTOKY OF ANCIENT WOODBUKY. 101 7
the benevolent bosom of our honored Order, and well did lie
fulfill the sacred duties committed to his trust. He went to
England in 1771 ; was ordained Deacon and Priest, returned to
Woodbury the same year, entered upon his ministrations, and
at a period between that and 1775, when the preserved records of
the Lodge commence, he received the benevolent initiation of the
" mystic tie." In the measures connected with the establishment
of the Protestant Episcopal Church in America, after the war,
Bro. Marshall bore a conspicuous and effective part. Nor was his
influence less in the Lodge. Of him we may say, he " wrought
well, and his works do follow him."
Of all the members of our venerated King Solomon's Lodge,
now hoary with years, perhaps, all things considered, the most
noted, revered and celebrated, by his works in the ministry as well
as by his writings, was the Rev. Dr. Azel Backus, then of the
Woodbury Parish of Bethlehem, celebrated as a theologian of
great force and power, revered as a teacher of youth for the min-
istry and the colleges, and a devout, undeviating Christian ; he
was no less a decided and honored Ma?on. At the festival of St.
John the Baptist, in 1794, he preached a sermon to the Lodge, in
its private assembly, of great power, pathos and beauty, and the
influence of this eminent man was ever felt in the honor, useful-
ness and success of the craft. Sweet flowers of memory bloom
over the graves of such immortal members of our beloved Lodge.
Near the beginning of the 19th century, other conspicuous
names begin to greet our vision, of whom time fails me to speak.
In 1812, among other noble men, were Hon. Curtiss Hinman, and
the late Judge Charles B. Phelps. And there are many living
members whose masonic modesty would not allow me to speak of
their enduring merits. Judge Phelps has too lately passed to the
spirit land to allow us to forget the great gifts and noble traits
which he possessed. His eulogy has been fittingly spoken by,
the orator of the day — one who knew them well, and had the
right to speak them. His kindly, genial and charitable acts are
enshrined in many hearts.
In 1826, we find two respected members, father and sou, occu-
pying respectively the "East" and the "South" in the Lodge.
They passed long ago to that " bourne whence no traveler re-
turns," and have gone to join the numerous band of worthies who
had passed before them into the spirit land. Need I mention the
names of Dr. Samuel and Roderick C. Steele, to bring to the re-
1018 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
membrance of this presence the brothers to whom I refer? They
were lovely in their lives. Too soon for earth they passed to the
mansions above. The father was, in his generous natnre, a father
to all whom he knew. The true hand of masonic charity was
stretched forth to all who were in need, in the Order and out of
it. Genial, social and benevolent to the core, he charmed all with-
in the circle of his influence, and died beloved as he had lived re-
spected, having gained the affections of all. An honest man, a
true friend, an honored citizen, a sincere Christian, he has left be-
hind him the grateful incense of an affectionate remembrance.
Such are a few of the names of which our ancient Lodge has
the right to boast, and which will ever be held by the fraternity,
in honorable and aflectionate remembrance. Their characters and
noble actions will rise to view when the memory of others will
have sunk in oblivion. "The good never die; to them belongs a
double immortality, they perish not on earth, and they exist forever
in heaven. The good of the present live in the future, as the good
of the past are now with us and in us to-day."
I close with the finale of the sentiment to which I am respond-
ing : " The virtues of the Masonic dead are indellibly recorded
upon living tablets, the hearts of their surviving brethren."
The next toast, " Harmony Lodge, No. 42, of Waterbury,
the eldest daughter of King Solomon's Lodge. May she live to
celebrate the one thousandth birth-day of her venerable mother,"
was well responded to by Bro. E. A. Judd, Worshipful Master of
Hai-mony Lodge. Among other things he said :
"We are gathered here to-day, brethren, to celebrate the Cen-
tennial Anniversary of King Solomon's Lodge ; and I feel as if
Harmony Lodge had a peculiar interest in the ceremonies. In the
words of the toast, she is the 'eldest daughter of King Solo-
mon's Lodge.' We are, therefore, but children, come home to the
family gathering — come home to join in the festivities of the one
hundredth birthday of our mother Lodge.
" We find by an examination of the records, that in October,
179Y, 'permission was granted by King Solomon's Lodge to the
brethren residing in Waterbury and Salem, to apply to the Grand
Lodge for a charter for a Lodge to be located in Waterbury or
Salem, as the Grand Lodge might direct.' A charter was accord-
ingly granted for a lodge ' to be holden alternately in Waterbury
HISTORT OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1019
and Salem,' and on the festival of St. John the Evangelist, on the
2Vth day of December, 1797, the first officers of Harmony Lodge
were installed by Bro. Jesse Beach, of Derby, then Deputy G.
Master. Harmony Lodge then and there commenced her work ;
a work that she has carried on for 68 years, adding, we humbly
trust, some good square ' ashlars ' to the great temple of Masonry.
" Previous to this time, many of the brethren had been com-
pelled to go from ten to fifteen miles to attend Lodge ; and per-
mit me to say that their regular attendance, as it appears upon
the records, should put to shame some of our modern Masons, who
can not make it convenient to attend lodge, though living almost
within the shadow of its portals.
" During the terrible convulsion through which our country has
passed, churches have been rent in sunder, societies have been
scattered to the four winds of heaven, social relations between the
two sections have been destroyed ; but Masonry has stood firm
and immovable, repelling every attack that has been made upon
her, like some vast New England rock which the waves bufiet in
vain ! While the strife lasted, Masonry could do but little. She
can never gain laurels upon the tented field, or in the wild havoc
of war. She can only protect the fallen, comfort and I'elieve the
wounded, and gently bury the dead. Now that Peace once more
waves her olive branch over the nation, it is for Masonry to do her
work. The day of noble deeds and manly daring is not yet closed.
There are still broad fields in which we can work and win crowns
that shall never decay, laurels that shall bloom in fadeless beauty
forever."
Rev. William T. Bacon, though not a member of the Order, was
present as an invited guest, and being called on to reply to the
toast " Charity," responded : —
" The speaker, en route to the east 't'other day
Met his friend, " Master " Lewis — yes, right in his way ;
" You sir — all th' elitv — have express invitation
To be present with us at our grand celebration ;
Where sermons, historic addresses, and toasts,
And last, tho' not least, Mr. Kelly's good roasts,
Are expected — believed too — if anything can,
To fill full, and satisfy every man."
And he added, (you all know his genteel persuasion,)
" You'll give us a word, just to grace the occasion."
Now my friend Lewis knows mankind has its weak side ;
Would he tickle my vanity, or touch ray pride?
12
1020 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUKY.
Or resoi't to that other power which so far reaches,
Would he snare me with dear Mrs. Kelly's good dishes
Well, whatever his motive, he caught me, that's certain>-
And he's got me here under this wide-spreading curtain.
And demands that I give, in response to his whim,
This sentiment, song, or
MASONIC HYMN.
Beside the Galilean flood.
With those He loved so well,
The earnest Christ at evening stood.
And words of blessing fell.
"Go forth," — the voice rang loud, yet sweet —
" Go to earth's farthest bound,
And where one sorrowing soul ye meet,
There let your love be found."
Upon this spot our sires have stood,
One hundred years or so,
And heard that voice roll down the flood
Of ages long ago;
Here their warm hearts were joined as one
In holiest charities ;
Commending thus from sire to son,
This message from the skies.
Down the far future, stretching forth.
We send our earnest gaze.
Where children's children, in their worth
Exalt their fathers' ways :
be they first upon the list.
Earnest in heart and hand,
To hold aloft this sign of Christ,
Long as the world shall stand !
Rev. Jno. Churchill, Pastor of the North Congregational
Church, Woodbury, replied to a call from the Brethren :
" Officers and Members of King Solomon's Lodge:
" It was the custom of Dr. Dwight, when lecturing to his
classes, to inveigh in good set terms against the use of tobacco,
somewhat in this wise:
" * Young gentlemen, [taking a full pinch of ' rappee ' from his
vest pocket] never be guilty of using [applying it to both aper-
tures in his nasal organ] tobacco [repeating the dose] in any
HISTORY OF ANCIKNT WOODBURY. 1021
form. It is a very [applying pinch nxmiber three as aforesaid]
deleterious i^ractice !' [Finishing the balance between his thumb
and two fingers]. So I am about to recommend to all the young
men present to do what I have never done, which is to send in at
once to King Solomon's Lodge their applications to be made
Masons. Should anyone here suggest that I ow^X, to practice
what \ preach, I reply, that were I not somewhat advanced in life,
I would most certainly petition, myself, for initation.
" In making this recommendation, I do it, I think, for good and
sufficient reasons. As I remarked upon a former occasion,^ I saw
the open Bible borne before you in procession. That act assured
me that Masonry teaches a respect and reverence for the Scriptures.
If there were nothing else to recommend the institution, that
alone would be sufficient to convince me that the aims and objects
of Masonry are good.
" But this is not the only argument which commends Masonry
to the approval of my judgment and conscience. If I understand
its cardinal principle, it is charity, which is declared by St. Paul
to be the ' greatest of these three.' I cannot but conclude, there-
fore, that an institution which inculcates a reverence for the Bible,
as * God's most inestimable gift to man,' and which is built upon
charity as its chief corner-stone, is entitled to the esteem of every
man who loves his race.
" There is yet another reason that makes me a friend to Free
Masonry. An institution which has stood, as I am credibly in-
formed, since the building of King Solomon's Temple, surviving
the wreck of dynasties, and empires, and nations, must be estab-
lished upon a good and worthy foundation — must be a promoter
of good and worthy objects.
"For these and other reasons, which to me seem incontroverti-
ble, I have no hesitation, here, in this public manner, and before
this assembly, in giving your fraternity the humble endorsement
of my honest esteem and confidence.
"Again, I recommend every young man who hears me to apply
for initiation into the mysteries of the Order, who have celebrated
^-his joyous anniversary in so decorous and becoming a manner,
if it be good, to support and advance its interests ; and if it be
had, to right or restrain the evil.
1 In an address at the funeral of Merritt Thompson, a member of King Solo-
mon's Lodge.
1022
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUKY,
" I thank you, gentlemen of the Masonic society, for your flat-
tering invitation to speak upon this pleasant occasion, and for your
kind attention to the unpremeditated thoughts which I have offer-
ed for your consideration."
Thus ended the celebration of the Centennial Anniversary of
King Solomon's Lodge. More than five hundred Masons were
present, from different parts of the State, and, according to esti-
mates made by those accustomed to large gatherings, more than
fir^e thousand persons were in the streets to witness the imposing
procession.
May the brethren who in 1965 celebrate the tioo hundredth
anniversary of King Solomon's Lodge, have as pleasant an occa-
sion as their forefathers, of this year of Grace, one thousand
eight hundred and sixty-five, and of Masonry, five thousand eight
hundred and sixty-five.
So Mote it Be !
E now come to the next, and, to this date, the
last celebration in Woodbury, that of the First
Congregational Church, held May 5th, 18Y0^
Although the change between the old and new
styles has made eleven days difference in
dating, and so the celebration should have
been on the 16th of May, to be accurate in
the present mode, instead of the 5th, yet it
was thought advisable for various reasons
to hold the celebration on the 5th of May ;
thus corresponding with the record, though
' the precession of tlie equinoxes, and "man's
devices," had' made a change in the way of dating. A succint
report was made by the writer of the proceedings in said celebra-
tion, and he has carefully examined it to see if he could in any
way condense it for the purposes of this history, and yet do
justice to the occasion. But he has been unable to see where it
could be judiciously curtailed, and so it is here introduced almost
entire :
HISTORY OP ANCIENT WOODBUKY. 1023
For several years past it had been a matter of consultation and
agreement between the writer and Dea. Philo M. Trowbridge,
that when the Bi Centennial year of the existence of our Church
approached, they would suggest to the brethren the desirability of
a proper observance of its natal day. It was thought to be appro-
priate to celebrate so joyous an anniversary. It was belived to
be well to set up a monument to mark the passage of the ages.
It was thought fitting that the Church, which had for two hundred
years acknowledged the same confession of faith, and " owned the
same covenant," written and adopted by the fathers by the shores
of Long Island Sound, taken " from out the Word," should, with
devout joy and thanksgiving, render praise to Almighty God for
all His wonderful mercies toward it. We could do no less than
to render thanks to the Lord. It seemed to redound to His glory
and our great good.
In accordance with these views, the subject was brought before
the Church, and the following action was taken by it and the
Committee of its appointment :
" Annual Meeting of the First Congregational Church,
Sept. 16, 1869.
" Voted, That Deacons Trowbridge and Liusley, and Brother
William Cothren be a Committee with power to make full arrange-
ments for a public observance, on the 5th day of May next, of the
Two-Hundredth Anniversary of the orgauizution of this Church."
The Committee held its first formal meeting February 22, 1870,
and, after due consideration,
" Votedf That the Mother Church, at Stratford, and the six
daughters of this, be invited to be present, and participate in the
exercises.
Voted, That the Pastor be invited to deliver the sermon, and
that he invite the Pastor of the Church at Stratford to assist him
at the Communion.
Voted, That Brother Cothren be instructed to prepare senti-
ments for responses from each of the churches invited."
At the same meeting, various sub-committees Avere appointed to
carry on the work of preparation.
All the committees, under the inspiration of the general com-
mittee, performed their several duties with alacrity, fidelity and
1024 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUKY.
ability, and every thing was " made ready " for the successful in-
auguration of the interesting ceremonies of the approaching ju-
bilee.
With the aid of the ready hands and executive ability of the
ladies, the church was most beautifully decorated by Mr. Plenry
C, Curtis, a special artist, of Hartford. A more striking and ap-
propriate mode of decoration could not have been devised, than that
adopted by Mr. Curtis, whether considered historically or artisti-
cally. It is a remarkable fact that the first four pastors of the
church occupied the pulpit, in the aggregate, the long period of
172 years, out of the two hundred celebrated. We think this a
length of time unparalleled in the history of the churches in this
country. This fact was beautifully represented by introducing
the four names ; Walker, Stoddard, Benedict and Andrew, into a
large cross composed of six circles, the names occupying four of
the six circles, " 172 years " the center, and a cross and anchor, the
lower circle. This was placed in the recess behind the pulpit.
Beneath the cross were two tablets, the one containing the " cove-
nant of 1670," and the other the names of the original signers.
THE COVENANT OF 1670.
'* We, whose names are hereunto subscribed, being (by y ® all-
disposing providence of God, who determines y® bounds of men's
habitations) cast into co-habitation on wt^ another, and being sen-
sible of o'^duty unto God, and one to another, and of O'liableness
to be forgetfull, and neglective of y® one and y® other, do hereby
(for y* further incitent of o'selves unto duty in either respect)
solemnly give up o''selves & ours unto y^ lord, engaging o'^selves by
his assisting grace to walk before him, in y® religious observance of
his revealed will, as far as it is or shall be made known unto us.
We do also in y® presence of God solemnly ingage o^selves each
to other to walk together in church-society, according to the rule
of y' gospell, jointly attending ally® holy ordinances of God, as far
as it shall please him to make way thereunto, and give opportunity
y" of: and walking on w*'^ another in brotherly love, & chtian
watchfullness for ©"^mutual edification, and furtherance in y® way
to salvation. And jointly submitting o'selves & ours toy® govern-
ment of Cht in his church, in y® hand of such church governours, or
officers as shall be set over us, according to gospell institution.
The good lord make us faithfull in covenant with him & one w*"^
another, to walk as becomes a people near unto himself, accept of
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY,
1025
y« offering up of o'selves, & ours unto him and establish both us
and y" to be a people unto himself in his abundant mercy through
cht jesus, who is o"^ only mediato' in whom alone we expect ac-
ceptance, justification and salvation : to him be glory & praise
through all ages. Amen."
"The names of y* persons y' subscribed this covenant, & again
publickly owned it, May 5th, viz : y* day of my ordination were
as foUoweth :
Zechariah Walker,
Samuel Sherman, Sen-^,
Joseph Judson, Sen',
John Hurd, Sen",
Nicholas Knell,
Robert Clark,
John Minor,
Samuel Sherman, Jun'.,
John Wheeler,
Samuel Stiles,
Hope Washborn,
Hugh Griffin,
Ephraim Stiles,
John Thompson, Jum,
Theophilus Sherman,
Matthew Sherman,
John Judson,
Samuel Mils,
Benjamin Stiles,
Edward Shermond.
Persons since added .
John Skeeles,
Israel Curtiss,
Thomas Fairechilde,
Richard Butler,
Robert Lane,
Moses Johnson,
Richard Harvy.
Between the tablets was the name of the present jjastor, Rev.
■Gurdon W. Noyes, in golden letters. At the apex of the recess
above the pulpit was an elegant golden cross and crown. At the
top of the pillars on either side ot the pulpit, was a large golden
" C," on which appeared the years 1670 — 1870, under which, res-
pectively, was a list of the deacons of the first and second centu-
ries, on tablets upon the pillars :
1026
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
Deacons of the \st Century.
Hon. John Minor,
Samuel Miles,
Matthew" Sherman,
Hon. John Sherman,
Matthew Mitchell,
Z. Walker, Jr.,
Samuel Sherman,
Samuel Minor,
Jehu Minor,
Hon. Daniel Sherman,
Gideon Stoddard,
Deacons of the 2d Gentury.
Clement Minor,
Josiah Minor,
Matthew Minor,
Daniel Huntington,
Nathan Atwood,
Ens. Seth Minor, Jr.,
Benjamin Judson, Jr.»
Judson Blackman,
Eli Summers,
Truman Minor,
P. M. Trowbridge,
J. H. Linsley.
On the panels of the gallery face were the names of the mother
church at Stratford, and the six churches which have gone out from
the first church, with the date of their organization, viz : Stratford,
1639 ; Southbuiy, 1731 ; Bethlehem, 1739 ; Judea, 1741 ; Roxbury,
1743 ; South Britain, 1766 ; and North Woodbury, 1816. On the
two panels nearest the pulpit were the names of the pastors succeed-
ing the first four, viz : — Wright, Sti'ong, Curtis, Williams, Robin-
son, Little and Winslow. A beautiful white dove was suspended
from the pulpit desk beneath the bible, which, wdth outstretched
wings seemed to be alighting upon the communion table below. The
pulpit was splendidly decorated. Festoons extended from the corners
of the church to the center orua*
ment in the ceiling, whence de-
scended a large anchor, beauti-
fully wi'eathed in evergreens and
flowers, while wreaths ran along
the galleries, over and below the
recess, and to the letter " C " at
the caps of the pillars, above
which appeared two century
- =.^^-,^ plants. The whole was com-
pleted with the mottoes "Welcome," and "We Greet You."
Throughout the house, in the lamp brackets, were vases and bask-
ets of flowers and drooping plants, producing the finest and most
artistic eflTect.
The clearest and balmiest day of the year heralded the coming
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1027
exercises. We could but feel and see the favoring smile of that
good Providence, who has so wisely and tenderly watched over
this church during the two centuries of its existence. At an early
hour, the people of this and the neighboring towns began to assem-
ble, the sti-eets were lined with vehicles of every description which
had come from the hills and valleys of the " ancient town," and
the church was almost immediately filled to its utmost capacity-
Settees and chairs were carried into the aisles above and below.
The vestibule and every place where standing room could be found
were immediately filled, while there was a large crowd without,
which could gain no admission. There must have been more than
1,500 people in attendance. As a test of this estimate, it may be
remarked, that 1,000 collation tickets had been issued, and yet it
became necessary for the committee to admit large numbers, Avho
had not been provided with tickets.
Pursuant to the admirably arranged programme of Dea. P. M.
Trowbridge, chairman of the general committee, the exercises com-
menced precisely at 10 A. M., by the great congregation rising and
singing " Praise God from whom all blessings flow." The reading
of an appropriate selection of scripture, and prayer by the pastor
next followed, after which the congregation sang the old, familiar
hymn, — "Ye tribes of Adam join," &c. This was followed by a
carefully prepared historical sermon by the pastor, of great beauty
and excellence, briefly narrating the history of the church and its
pastors for two hundred years.
OPENING PRAYER.
O Lord, Thou alone art great — glorious — good ! Hence we
would adore and serve Thee. Our fathers worshipped in this moun-
tain ; but the fathers, where are they ? And the Prophets — do they
live forever ? Alas ! Alas ! We do all fade as a leaf. Thou earnest
us away as with a flood. We spend our years as a tale that is told.
But Thou art the same and of Thy years there is no end. Thou
hast been the dwelling place of Thy people in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth or ever thou hadst formed
the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting Thou
art God ; and Thou hast ever had thoughts of mercy and love
toward the children of men. We praise Thee for their early mani-
festation in the prediction of Thy word and in the advent of Jesus
Christ Thy Son and our Saviour. We adore Thee for the Church
set up in His name and which is graven upon the palms of Thy
1028 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
hands, guarded by Thy power, guided by Thy wisdom and against
which Thou hast said the gates of hell shall never prevail. We
especially praise Thee at this time for Thy guidance and care of our
ancestors in planting a branch thereof in this place. Thou didst
cause them to go forth like a flock. Thou didst cast out the heathen
before them and divided them an inheritance by line. The wilder-
ness and solitary place soon became glad for them, and the desert
rejoiced and blossomed as the rose. They trused in Thee and
Thou didst deliver them from fears and foes ; didst prosper the
work of their hands. Yea, Thou didst cause the little one to
become a thousand and the small one a strong nation. In conse-
quence of their faith, forecast, labor, the lines have fallen to us in
pleasant places,. and we have a goodly heritage. We have pleas-
ant and fruitful fields, quiet and happy homes, rich and rare, civil,
educational and religious privileges. Gathered here in Thy Sanc-
tuary after the lapse of centuries to review the history of Thy deal-
ings, Ave find that goodness and mercy followed our fathers and
have followed us. We Avould therefore recall their virtues and
catch anew impulse from all that was noble and Ohrist-like in their
example and strive to perfect and perpetuate their work. We
know O Lord that it is Thy will, that one generation should praise
Thy works to another and abundantly utter the memory of Thy
great goodness that men may set their hope in Thee. We praise
Thee for our free government and beneficent institutions, with the
righteous peace vouchsafed unto us. We entreat Thy blessing
upon our President and all in authority in State and Nation, that
we may lead quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty.
We pray Thee to bless our Colleges, Schools, Churches, that the
Gospel may permeate the land and drive out from it, all ignorance,
error, vice, irreligion, and make us a people to Thy praise. And
we beseech Thee to send the disenthralling life-giving Gospel
over the Globe, that Jesus may speedily have the heathen for his
inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for his posessions-
And now, O Lord, we humbly invoke Thy presence and blessing
during this sacred Jubilee, Smile upon the associated Churches
here represented, and those who are to take part in these exercises,
that they may utter fitting and forceful words, for our pi'ofit and
Thy Glory, O Lord, shine Thou upon us from Thy throne of light
and love. Yea, grant us the favor which Thou bearest unto Thy
people, through Jesus Christ, Thy Son and our Redeemer. Amen,
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY 1029
BI-CENTENNIAL DISCOURSE.
BY THE REV. GURDON W. NOYES.
*'l HAVE C0N8IDKEED THE DAYS OF OLD : THE YEARS OF ANCIENT TIMES." — Psalm 7*7 : 5.
To many in this age there is little enchantment in the distant
past. The present is so full of duty and enjoyment, and the future
is so bright with hope and promise, that they readily forget " The
days of old, the years of ancient times." Hereby they lose much
of help and cheer in their life-work. It is, as we trace our connec-
tion with departed worthies, and realize our indebtedness to them
for present privileges and blessings, that we are incited to emu-
late their virtues, and fitly labor for posterity and Heaven. To-
day this church completes a history of two hundred years. With-
in this period great events have transpired on this globe in rapid
succession ; events which have changed the entire face of human
society. Empires have been built up and cast down ; nations have
been born and buried; modes of government, and systems of opin-
ion, have flourished and decayed, and yet amid all these changes,
this church has continued steadfast in its faith and worship. Its
founders ere long passed away, but they left behind a godly seed,
and so from generation to generation this candlestick of the Lord
has been kept in its place, and from it has ever shone forth the
pure light of the Gospel. It is a fitting time to trace its course,
recall the bright names identified with it, and note Heaven's favor
toward it. The church and congregation of to-day, on whom has
devolved the duty of arranging this celebration, do here and now,
through, me, most heartily welcome to these sacred festivities all
who are drawn hither by filial or fraternal affection. Let us to-
gether scan the Mdsdom and love of God in planting this goodly
vine near the Indian wigwam, and keeping it in such vigorous
growth down the ages, and join our earnest petitions that it may
continue to flourish in the future, ever covering the hills with its
shadow, and extending its boughs like goodly cedars.
The church has been signally fortunate in receiving one from
another State, William Cothren, Esq., who, in filial love, and with
great skill and fidelity, has written her history, and that of the
1030 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
town as well. In this, her records, and kindred sources, I have
found such rare and rich materials for a historic sketch, as to be
puzzled in deciding what to leave out, so as to bring it within
proper limits, and have it symmetrical and just. Aiming only at
impartiality, pertinence, accuracy, I frankly submit my work to
your kind and Christian consideration.
In 1650 the churches of New England began to be agi-
tated by what was termed the half-way covenant system. By
this system persons of good moral character, recognizing bap-
tism, assenting to the creed, and signifying their intention of
becoming true Chi-istians, were admitted to all the rights and
privileges of church members, except partaking of the Lord's
Supper. Controversy rose to such a pitch upon the matter,
that a council of leading ministers convened in Boston, in
1647, to deliberate upon it, and they decided in its favor. The
church in Stratford did not believe in the practice, and would
not adopt it, even after the decision. A respectable minority,
however, clung to it, and were uneasy at its disregard, and the
more so as they felt that it was largely owing to the influence of
Mr. Chauncy, who had been recently settled against their wishes.
By earnest argument, and fraternal remonstrance, they sought to
secure accordance of views, or if not that, an arrangement by
which each party could have its own minister, and worship at dif-
ferent hours of the Sabbath in the same sanctuary. According to
the custom of the day, the aid of the general court was called in.
The discussion was keen and spirited on both sides, though digni-
fied and courteous. As the result, early in 1668, the minority had
the civil sanction to obtain their own minister, and had three
hours of the Sabbath to worship in the Sanctuary. They soon
engaged Rev. Zechariah Walker, a licentiate from Jamaica, L. I.,
to act as their pastor. But their position was still unpleasant and
unsatisfactory, as the other party would allow them no use of the
church, and spoke of their unordained minister to his and their
disparagement. So, despairing of any agreement, they detei'-
mined to set up for themselves. They appointed a day for the
purpose, and spending most of it in prayer for the Lord's guidance
and blessing, they entered into solemn covenuat with God, and
one another. Then calling neighboring churches together, and
renewing that covenant, which is a model for brevity, scriptural-
ness and beauty, they were constituted the second church in Strat-
ford, on May 5th, 1670, and Mr. Walker was ordained their pastor.
Twenty males comprised the church at its outset. Some of them
HISTOKY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. ,1031
forcasting separation as the probable relief from their difficulties,
had made provision for a new sphere for growth and enjoyment,
by applying to purchase lands of the Indians, as early as 1667.
Accordingly, at the suggestion of Gov. Winthrop, who deemed
the course best for the churches and the colony, the court, in May,
1672, granted them the privilege of erecting a plantation at Pom-
peraug. Early the next spring twenty-five families migrated to
this place, then a wilderness. Mr. Walker divided his ministra-
tions between this Hock and that at Stratford until June, 1678,
when he moved here. Seventeen more had been added to the
church, and so it started as the first church of Woodbury, with
thirty-seven members, six of whom were females, and full one-third
of the half-way covenant type. Yet, few as they were in numbers,
busied as they were in procuring food and houses for their fami-
lies, beset as they were with difficulties of every kind, beyond our
conception, they cheerfully undertook the sustainment of the Gos-
pel in their midst. They sequestered lands for the use of their
pastor, and freely taxed themselves for his support. At first reli-
gious services were held in each other's houses in winter, and in
summer on the east side of the Orenaug Rocks, with sentinels
stationed on their summits, to guard against sudden attack from
hostile Indians. On this account the name of Bethel Rock has
been given to the spot. In later times, good men, their descend-
ants and others, have repaired thither for meditation and prayer.
Hence, though beautiful in itself;, with its surroundings of tree,
shrub and flower, and for its clear out-look upon the charming
valley, it is more so for its historic incidents and hallowed associa-
tions. For several years, during King Philip's war, the people
were so absorbed in erecting fortified houses, furnishing soldiers
for the colony, and providing guards for their own safety, that
they could do nothing toward supplying themselves with a place
of public worship. But early in 1681, when the stress of care and
peril had passed, they took the matter up, and after some little
difference of opinion as to the site, they came to a pleasant agree-
ment by leaving the decision to two prominent and disinterested
outsiders. The house was at once erected, and stood just below
the present residence of Hon. Nathaniel B. Smith. It was large and
plain, with pulpit opposite the entrance, and with elevated pews
and high-backed seats. The people were called to worship therein
by the peculiar tap of a drum upon the high rock nearly opposite.
.Here Mr. Walker preached the word until his death in 1700, at 63
1032 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODEUKY.
years of age. His papers in the Stratford discussion evince hi&
learning, ability and piety. His thirty years' hold upon the atten-
tion and regard of the people, as well as the harmony and growth
of the church, evince his power as a preacher, and his wisdom as a
pastor. During his ministry he received one hundred and eight to
the church, and baptized three hundred and seventy-six. The
church sincerely mourned him as their heroic leader and faithful
shepherd.
In the same year they invited Mr. Anthony Stoddard, then just
licensed, to preach to them. They soon became so interested in
him, as to desire him to settle. As an inducement to this end, the
people in lawful town meeting voted as a salary seventy pounds
per annum to be paid in wheat, peas, Indian corn, pork, as also
firewood, at the following prices " not to be varied from, extraor-
dinary providences interposing being excepted," to wit; Wheat,
4s. 6d. per bushel ; pork at 3 cents per pound ; Indian corn, 2s. 6d.
per bushel ; peas, 3 shillings per bushel. They also voted to build
him a house of specified dimensions, he only providing nails and
glass, and also a well, and to furnish him with 115 acres of land,
properly divided into lots for tillage, pasture, meadow, wood, and
conveniently situated. He accepted the call, and was ordained in
May, 1702, and moved into the house built for him, and which
still stands in the lower part of the village, in a good state of pre-
servation, after the storms of ITO years. It was built in the old
lean-to style of the time, with a small room projecting at the front
for a portico, which Mr. Stoddard used as his study for 58 years-
May its historic character long keep it from vandal hands, as its
palisadoes once kept it from the assaults of the Indians, to remind
coming generations of the Christian forecast and self-denial of their
fathers ! Mr. Stoddard possessed great versatility of mind ; had
enjoyed the best classical and theological culture of the day, and
had been favored with the counsels and example of his eminent
father at Northampton. And though retiring to this then obscure
parish, he found room and verge enough for the exercise of his
rare powers. He soon took rank among the leading ministers of
the colony. He was chairman of the committee to draft the origi-
nal rules of the Litchfield Consociation, and was chosen to preach
the election sermon at Hartford, in 1716. He was also as much at
home in medicine and law as in theology. According to a custom
then quite common, he prepared himself in these departments that
he might be useful to his flock when physicians and lawyers were
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1033
not at hand. He was probate clerk of ancient Woodbui'y for 40
years, and all the records are in his handwriting. He drew most
of the wills of his parishioners ; he was also one of the largest
farmers in the town. And yet it would seem that he did not sufTer
these secular labors to interfere with his higher work as the Lord's
ambassador;
Under his ministry the church was harmonious and prosperous,
while othei's in the colony experienced dissensions and drawbacks.
Though losing many to form churches at Southbury, Bethlehem,
Judea, Roxbury, yet through frequent revivals it filled up again.
In the great awakening of 1740, it received 97. Indeed admis-
sions were made during all the years of his ministry save two,
amounting to 616 — 142 of these being by the half-way covenant,
most of whom, however, subsequently entered into full com-
munion. He baptized 1540, and ordained five deacons. In the
latter part of his ministry he was privileged to preach in a new
and finer edifice, built in 1747. With remarkable retention of
mental and physical 2Dowers, he labored on until his 88d year,
when, after a two days' illness, he died, esteemed and lamented by
the children and grandchildren of those whom he had followed to
the tomb, and in the midst of whom they reverentially laid his
body to await the general resurrection. Just before his death the
people had called the Rev. Noah Benedict to settle as his col-
league. He had accepted, and the day was fixed for his ordination.
He was accordingly ordained Oct. 22, 1760. Mr. B. originated in
Danbury ; graduated at Nassau Hall in 1757. Though a Barnabas
in temperament and manner, bearing consolation and cheer unto
all with whom he came in contact, yet in preaching and debate he
could rise to somewhat of an ApoUos in might and eloquence.
The main grounds of his success, however, lay in his remarkable
discretion, his eminent goodness, and his rare fidelity. At the
very outset of his ministry he devised a plan to get rid of the half-
way covenant, without any jar, and with good efiect, though to it
the church had tenaciously clung for 90 years, and that, too, when
neighboring churches had dropped it long before. He also secured
some slight changes in the covenant, thereby giving it such excel-
lence that for 110 years no one has attempted its improvement.
Rev. Worthington Wright was settled as his colleague in 1811,
but in consequence of some disease of the eyes, preventing study,
he was dismissed at his own request early in 1813. Mr. Benedict's
pastorate, like that of his predecessors, was long, prosperous, and
1034 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
peaceful, until near its close, when an unpleasant controversy arose
about locating the third and present edifice. He received 272 to
the church, baptized 758, and oi'dained eight deacons. He re-
tained the confidence and aifection of his people until his death
in 1813, at 76 years of age, and the 53d of his ministry. Here and
there an aged one in the parish and vicinity has a pleasant remem-
brance of his jDerson and work, and through them his influence
gleams gently out on the present generation, as the sun's rays
gleam upon the sky after his setting.
And here, in passing, I would call attention to the fact that the
united pastorates of the three first ministers of this church cov-
ered the remarkable period of 143 years, probably the only instance
in the country, and one alike creditable to both parties. Fortu-
nate as this ancient church may be in the future there is now little
prospect that it will ever have a pastor who, in this respect, will
attain unto either of the first three. After a year's vacancy. Rev.
Henry P. Strong, of Salisbury, was settled over the church in May,
1814, and was dismissed in January, 1816. Rev. Samuel R. Andrew,
of Milford, became his successor in October, 1817. From Mr. Bene-
dict's death to his settlement, the church had received 38 additions.
The party too, disaffected by the location of the new church edi-
fice, had withdrawn and formed themselves into a strict Congre-
gational church. He entered upon his work with forecast and tact,
and prosecuted it with earnestness and efficiency. Over his rich
endowments and fine culture there was cast a kind, devout, loving
spirit, which gave him great power as a preacher and pastor. So
exemplary was he in his daily walk and conversation, that a quaint
and captious neighbor once said that, " He had watched him for
25 years to find something inconsistent with his profession, but
must give it up." This speaks volumes as to his discreetness and
piety. Hence, no wonder that the church was united and success-
ful under his care. He was blessed with three revivals, received
263, baptized 243, and ordained three deacons. Finding his health
failing, he resigned, and was dismissed in 1846, about 29 years
from his settlement. He removed to New Haven, Avhere he died,
May 26th, 1 858, at the age of 71. Rev. Lucius Curtis, of Torring-
ford, was immediately installed as Mr. Andrew's successor in July,
1846, and was dismissed in 1854, at his own request. He led
the church forward, adding 70 to its membership, baptizing 36,
and leaving it harmonious and hopeful. In April of the ensuing
year, Rev. Robert G. Williams was installed, and remained until
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUKY. 1035
July, 1859. In 185Y, the second year of his ministry, some $4,000
were expended in modernizing and improving this church edifice.
He also received 32 persons into this visible fold of Christ. Rev.
Charles E. Robinson began to supply the pulpit early in 1861,
and was ordained pastor in June, 1862. He received IV to the
church, and was dismissed at his own request, in the spring of
1864. Rev. Charles Little began to supply the pulpit in 1865,
and after two years retired, having added 30 to the church. Rev.
Horace Winslow, as his successor, supplied the pulpit one year,
and added to the church 24. In vacancies, from time to time, 10
persons were added. Rev. Gurdon W. Noyes, of Stonington, the'
ninth and present pastor, began his work on November 14th,
1869, and was installed on the 8th of December following. He
has received 6 to the church. From its origin, this church has
received into its fold 1526; placed the seal of the covenant
upon 2999, and ordained 23 deacons, only three of whom sur-
vive. Its present membership is 192. Six churches have been
formed entirely out of it, and two others have received a goodly
number of members from it, to say nothing of its contributions
to other denominations within its ancient limits, and to the
churches of its own faith in the cities of the East and West.
From it have sprung 13 ministers, seven by the name of Judson,
one the father of Adoniram, the pioneer missionary, and another,
Philo, distinguished as a revivalist. It has also been favored with
a line of deacons of such rare worth and long continuance in
oflace, as to deserve a passing notice.
Hon. John Minor, the pioneer who at the first view of this
place from Goodhill, with bended knee, craved heaven's bless-
ing upon the little company, and asked for a godly posterity, was
in ofiice 49 years, and seven of his descendants filled it after him,
the last dying in 1865. Of these, Matthew and Truman (the last
one) were distinguished for Bible knowledge, piety and usefulness.
The first was in oflice 42 years, and several of the others of like
merit were in ofiice from 25 to 45 years ; and one, Eli Summers,
still remains with us who has been in office 40 years. To the wise
effort, bright example, fervent prayers, of these men, the church is
greatly indebted for its unity, stability and success. Society has
received more marvelous modifications in these two centuries than
in any other two since the Christian era. In this period, printing,
steam, machinery, electricity, have been exerting their magic and
civilizing power. In this period, too, gradually, indeed, church
13
1036 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
edifices have improved in style and comfort. Square pews, eagle-
nest pulpits, with sounding-boards, have disappeared. The wor-
shippers rent their seats, and are not seated as formerly, accord-
ing to age and rank. The cold, humid air, which our fathers and
mothers endured for hours is rarified by the heat of stove or fur-
nace. About the sanctuary no Sabbath-day houses appear ; and
instead of coming to church on foot, or upon saddles or pillions,
as of old, the people now come in spring wagons or covered car-
riages. And then at its origin, this church was one of 18, in the
Connecticut colonies. Now there are 290 in the State, and 3,043 in
"the United States, with other evangelical denominations as strong
or stronger. Then a few hundred colonists were struggling for
a foothold in this wilderness, against the rigors of the climate, the
assaults of savages and the interferences of the mother country.
Now, there are 37 States, scattered over a vast and fertile area,
with some forty-five millions of inhabitants, under one free and
beneficent government, and with almost every conceivable facility
for materia], intellectual and spiritual advantage. With few helps
and many hindrances, our ancestors kept the flame of worship
burning on the altars of this Zion. Though the church has
been weakened by wars, wasted by pestilence, thinned by emi-
gration, endangered by prosperity, yet it still lives and in much
vigor. It is a glorious thing that it has thus held right on its
way through ten generations. It has rendered acceptable service
to its Head and Lord, and been a rich boon to this community.
And now, how interesting this transitional point when it is to
pass over its great legacy of good to the keeping of another series
of generations. Our fathers cast up stepping-stones for our ad-
vancement ; not arbors wherein to take our ease. We may well
glory in their work ; but if we rest upoti it, the Lord will raise up
children to them from the stones of the street. We should rather
feel that the church is to go forward in numbers, beauty, achieve-
ment, influence.
As we leave this cycle of years, lined with Christian heroes
and heroines behind us, we must needs cast the horoscope of the
future. We who gladly join in this jubilee, will, ere long, pass
away ; but others will take our places, and the tide of afiairs will
sweep on. When the next century comes round, and posterity
gathers for commemoration, what shall be the aspect of the place,
and the character of the people ? We can decide with certainty,
as to some things that will greet our descendants then, as they
HISTORY OF ANCIBNT WOODBURY. 1037
do US now. They will be hailed by the same spring, with its
birds and flowers. They will pass up the same broad and shaded
street, and look out upon the same gem of a valley, with its pic-
turesque setting of hills. The rude monument of Pomperaug
will remain and will be visited by the curious, as to-day. But will
the people be wiser, better, happier ? Will most of them be in
Christ's visible fold, as burning and shining lights ? Christian
friends, the answer to these queries depends largely upon us.
Our faith, zeal, fidelity, with heaven's favor, may fill the lips
of posterity with glad hosannas at the tri-centennial. Gazing
backward, I seem to see the great cloud of witnesses for Jesus
here clasping hands along the flying years, and as they pass on,
the blessed results of their sacrifices, toils and tears, I seem to
hear them say : " Freely ye have received, freely give." " Take
the triumphs we have gained to cheer you ; gaze upon the tro-
phies we have gathered and hung around you, then press forward
from conquest to conquest, until called to lay your armor down,
and receive the Master's well-done." Amen.
The concluding prayer was uttered by Rev. John Churchill,
and after this a recess of five minutes occurred to give opportu-
nity for such as chose to retire.
During the services of the forenoon, the deacons of the mother
church, our own, and those of the North church, sat about the
communion table after the manner of " ye olden time." After the
recess came the administration of the Lord's supper to some 800
communicants, filling the seats above and below, Rev. William
K. Hall, of Stratford, and our own pastor, officiating. It was a
solemn and interesting occasion — never before enjoyed here — never
again to be enjoyed by us below, — when a mother church, with
its own mother and six children sat down together at the " Earth-
ly marriage feast of the Lamb." The remembrances of that hour
will go with us through the eternal ages.
The exercises at the communion were opened by singing the
following verses, beautifully rendered by "William Cothren, James
H, Linsley, Mrs. Enos Benham, and Mrs. Horace D. Curtiss, as a
quartette :
'Tia midnight, and on Olive's brow,
The star is dimmed that lately shone ;
'Tis midnight; in the garden now,
The suffering Saviour prays alone.
1038 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY
" 'Tie finished," — so the Saviour cried,
And meekly bowed his head, and died ;
"'Tis finished," — yes the race is run,
The battle fought, the victory woq !
ADDRESS AT COMMUNION.
Fathers, Brethren, Friends : — We approach this sacramental
table to-day under circinustances of peculiar interest. The "com-
munion of saints " is changed from a dry dogma of our creed into a
blessed reality of our experience. The mother church sits down
in this heavenly place in Christ Jesus, with her daughter, grand-
daughters, cousins, and many of the remoter kindred and others of
different denominations. No idea of the Church in the Bible is
more common or beautiful than that of a family or household.
God is the Father, Jesus is the elder brother, and all true believers,
brothers and sisters in Him. The Savior once said that whosoever
should do his will, the same was his brother, sister and mother.
And Paul gathers into one family the redeemed on earth and in
heaven. Ah ! the hundreds who have preceded us in caring for
this Zion, must be near to-day in sympathy and gratulation, though
we feel not the pressure of their hands, and hear no word of cheer
from their lips. And through the knowledge we have of their
career and of their blest estate in glory, we can commune with
them, and gather inspiration to press on in our Christian course.
Friends, our time for holy fellowship and achievement here is fast
passing by. The Lord help us to go down from this mount of
glorious privilege with a fuller conseci'ation to his service. Then,
when called to rest from our earthly labors and cares, we shall be
niimbered among those who die in the Lord, and whose works
folloio them!
The service was continued by Rev. "William K. Hall, in the fol-
lowing remarks :
Brethren in Christ : — Our thought has been directed to the
blessed truth of the unity of all believers in Christ, of the family
relation in which all who are Christ's are found, a relation which
death itself cannot sever.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1039
This truth is made most vivid and real to us by this Supper of
our Lord, and by these memories of our fathers, which as a sister-
hood of churches we have come together to-day to revive. We
love to contemplate this truth. It produces a deep, quiet, joyous-
ness of spirit, thus to keenly realize that we are one with those
who have gone before us to the home above, one with that godly
ancestry who jjlauted these Churches of Christ and bequeathed to
us these religious institutions. There is, it is true, this invisible,
indestructible unity.
But what does this imply ? That we have the same faith, the
faith " once delivered to the saints," that we are sustained by
the same hopes and the same promises ? Most surely ; but is there
not more than this ? There is a unity of tlie spirit, a spirit of devo-
tion to the truth, a spirit of consecration to the Master and His
service. Through much self-denial, through much self-sacrifice, they
labored to secure for themselves and for those that should come
after them, these blessings of the Christian family and the Christ-
ian state. Fidelity to the truth, a firm, unyielding devotion to
the interests of religion among them, marked their character and
their lives. We may not, my brethren, be called to practice
the same kind of self-denial, and may not find the same kind of
sacrifices in our path of duty, but if we are true, devoted
Christian men and women, loyal to the Master and His kingdom,
we shall find ihat we need the same spirit that actuated them, and
we shall moreover find that our path of duty is the path of self-
denial and self-sacrifice. That teaching of the Savior, which was
in so large a manner exemplified in their lives, is for us also. "If
any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his
<;ross daily and follow me. For whosoever will save his life, shall
lose it ; and whosoever will lose his life for My sake, shall find it."
This supper which calls to remembrance the sacrifice of our Lord,
His self giving for us, ever brings to mind afresh that root-principle
of all Christian living, self-giving for Christ, self-losing in Christ.
We are here brought into communion with Him. Shall not this
communion bring us into a closer sympathy with His spirit V
Shall we not, by this communion, possess more of the mind of
our Lord ? As we take this cup to our lips, and by faith behold
the blood that was shed for us, shall we not take into our hearts
more of Christ that we may take into our lives more of Christ ?
If we here renew our covenant vows, let us remember that these
vows are vows of allegiance, by which we devoted ourselves and
1040 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
our all to the service of Christ. If we here re-consecrate our-
selves to Jesus, let us recognize the truth, that it is a consecration
to the cross — that the cross is to be henceforth more deeply im-
printed in our souls, and that we are to bear it more steadfastly
and faithfully in our lives.
May we all to-day be so baptized by the Holy Spirit into the
spirit of the Lord Jesus, that " denying ungodliness and worldly
lusts," we may " live soberly, righteously and godly in this present
world ; looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing
of the Great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself
for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto
Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."
It was now "high noon," and the final hymn being sung, the
" great congregation " moved to the Town Hall to partake of the
collation, which had been prepared by the church and congrega-
tion, aided by the voluntary and acceptable contribution of eat-
ables and assistance from the ladies of the North Church, and the
churches of Judea and Roxbury. We shall not soon forget their
kindness, and shall be only too happy to assist them on any simi-
lar occasion. All were amply supplied, and when all were " filled "
there were " many baskets full taken up."
At 12.45 P. M., the bell gave warning of the services at the
cemetery, where the Fathers' monument was to be dedicated.
This is a structure hewn from native boulders, of massive propor-
tions, 33 feet high, erected at a cost of more than $1,500, more
than one-third of which was contributed by a single individual.
There is no similar monument in this country, so far as known to
the writer. The principal stone is a granite block of great beauty
found on a farm at a distance, and prepared for the place of honor
on the base of the monument. On the front it bears the inscrip-
tion in prominent letters, " Presented by William Cothren and
Lyman E. Monrijie, July 4th, 1861." This inscription refers to the
block, and not, as some supposed, to the entire monument.
Just above, on a brown stone block, are the names of the gentle-
men at whose expense the monument has been erected. The in-
scription is, " Erected in honor of the Fatherg, by Rev. W. T
Bacon, Hon. Thomas Bull, David S. Bull, Esq., George H. Clark,
Esq., Hon. William Cothren, Hon. Julius B. Curtiss, Hon. Henry
C. Deming, Hon. Henry Dutton, Charles G. Judson, Esq., Wood-
bury Lyceum, Walter P. Marshall, Esq., Rev. Benjamin C. Meigs,^
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUBY. 1041
Deacon Truman Minor, Rev. Geo. Richards, Rev. James Richards,
D. D., Hon. Thomas H. Seymour, Edward W. Seymour, Esq., Rev.
Henry B. Sherman, Rev. Thomas L. Shipmau, Hon. Nathaniel B.
Smith, Chas. A. Somers, Esq., Hon. Henry Stoddard, Rev. J. B.
Stoddard, Rev. Robert G. Williams, Gen. William T Sherman."
On the shaft above is the name, David J. Stiles. On the east
side is the inscription, "Rev. Zechariah Walker, first pastor of
ancient Woodbury, died Jan. 20th, 1699, in the 63d year of his age,
and in the 36th of his ministry." At the foot of the monument is
the ancient headstone, with this record :
ZECHARIAH
WALKER,
AGED 63,
DYED JAN. 20,
1699.
On the north side is the epitaph of Rev. Anthony Stoddard, the
second pastor, who died Sept. 6th, 1760, in the 83d year of his
age, and the 61st of his ministry ; and on the west side is that of
Rev. ISToah Benedict, the third pastor, who died April 20th, 1813,
in the '76th year of his age, and the 53d of his ministry. At the
base, on the north side, is an old mill-stone, one of two small ones
taken to Woodbury on horseback, two hundred years ago, from
Stratford, with which they ground corn and meal for the whole
settlement at the rate of one bushel per day.
The dedicatory exercises were very interesting and impressive .
Rev. Thomas L. Shipman, of Jewett City, one of the contributors,
opened the exercises with the following
DEDICATORY PRAYER.
O Thou, whose we are, and whom we would glorify in all our
works begun, continued and ended ; may Thy presence be with
us and Thy blessing upon us on the occasion which has convened
us in this place of graves. Thy servants have erected this monu-
ment before which we are assembled, to the memory of the fore-
fathers of the ancient church whose history we have to-day recalled.
Accept Thou this work of their hands and offering of their hearts.
May this shaft long stand in remembrance of the men whose names
are engraven upon it — though dead, they yet live by the influence
of their ministry upon coming generations. Time may efface their
1042 HISTORY OP ANCIENT WOODBURY.
names from tliis monument of stone, but nothing shall ever efface
their memory from the hearts of a grateful posterity. As we
stand surrounded by the dead, impress upon our minds the thought
that we shall soon be of them, and give us grace so to live and so
to die, that to each of us the end of earth shall be the beginning of
Heaven. Bless those who are to take part in the further services
of this occasion. May what they shall speak be for Thy glory
and for our good, and in all the solemnities and services of the
day, may we be accepted through Jesus Christ our strength and
our Redeemer. Atnen.
ADDRESS OF DEDICATION.
BY WILLIAM COTHREN.
Ten years ago, as the curious antiquarian searched with rev-
erent tread among the mossy mounds which surround us, on this
consecrated hill, "beautiful for situation," in this loveliest of val-
leys, parting here and there the lank grass and tanglecl briars, he
would have discovered that little head-stone of native rock, with
its rude inscription, telling us the simple tale, that here rested all
that remained on earth of the first father of the town, " ye faith-
full, worthy, l^eloved Minister of the Gospell, and much lamented
pastor of the Ch'' of Christ." One hundred and sixty times had
the " dark brown years " passed over this consecrated spot, and
this was all that remained to tell the numerous posterity of the
fathers, who had been enriched and blest during all that long
period by his faithful teachings, labors and sufferings — that here
the ever-to-be-revered W-^lker had laid his armor down — that here
he awaited in tranquil rest the final trump of God. Then, as now,
grouped thickly around him, in like noteless graves, his faithful
people were gathered — a hardy, noble race, that has, in the last
two centuries, and especially in the living, whirling present,
brought forth great and abundant fruit. There lies Deacon John
Minor, the tried, the true, and the brave, ancestor, in the maternal
line, of Gen. Grant, President of the United States. Connecticut,
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1043
through her Deacon Grant, of Windsor, and Deacon Minor, of
Woodbury, claims a proud share in the fame of this distinguished
man. Near Deacon Minor reposes all that was mortal of Deacon
John Sherman, ancestor of the General of our armies, and Senator
Sherman, of Ohio. Gen. Sherman's name appears on this monu"
ment as great-grandson of the immortal Stoddard, second pastor
of this ancient church. The Mitchells, the Wheelers, the Cur-
tisses, the Hurds, the Judsons — ministerial race — all the early
revered names lie slumbering near, a goodly company, in their
lonely, neglected graves — alas ! too long neglected by their
numerous descendants. Befbre me stands at this very moment so
great a company of the lineal descendants of the first John Minor,
deacon of the church, captain of the train band, interpreter to the
Indians and justice of the quorum, that by contributing a mere
trifle apiece, a greater and more expensive monument could be
erected than this, which we now dedicate to the memory of the
fathers. I charge you to-day to take immediate measures to erect
a monument fit to commemorate the virtues of one of the most
remarkable men in the early history of the colony. It is the duty
of the hour for you.
'No nobler company of men ever removed in a body into the
solitudes and dangers of the wilderness, than these early fathers,
who left their dwellings by the sea, to dare the perils and priva-
tions of th'e dim woods. They sought to plant here a pure and
sublime faith. They labored to extend the kingdom of God. Is
it wonderful, then, that their descendants should desire to erect
an enduring monument to the sacred memory of such immortal
ancestors, that it may stand forever as a remembrancer to their
children to imitate the virtues and graces of their long buried
sires, who have " entered into the rest that remaineth to the peo-
ple of God ?"
A little farther to the north stands the modest and dilapidated
head-stone of the venerated Anthony Stoddard, second pastor of
the church, who rests in the hope of a bright resurrection amid
the faithful flock to whom hft ministered in "things spiritual " for
the long period of more than sixty years. A step farther, and we
are at the grave of the sainted Benedict. These three, a trio of
worthies, full of prudence, piety and purity unsurpassed, " went
out and in before the people " for the long period of one hundred
and forty-three years. Such were our fathers, and such their
claims on the reverence and the afi'ections of their posterity, and
1044 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
yet no monument had arisen to perpetuate a remembrance of their
virtues — ten years ago !
But the filial heart of the people could not endure a farther
neglect of the reverence due the names of their sacred dead.
Measures were taken for erecting a fitting monument to their
memory. Starting with the theory that no material could be
more fitting than the rugged native boulders from their oxon lands^
among which they had wandered in life, the work went on with
zeal. Good progress had been made, when the war of the re-
bellion broke out, and for more than seven dark, gloomy and
bloody years, the work was suspended. In 1868, noble men came
forward with their contributions, at home and abroad, and the
work was commenced again with renewed vigor, and pushed to
successful completion. It now stands before you, a rugged struc-
ture, 33 feet in height. It is like the character of our fathers, not
artistically beautiful, but massive and immovable. It was erected
at an expense of moi-e than $1,500 — and more than one-third of
that amount was contributed by one individual.
A single duty yet remains, and we are here to perform it. We
are here, a filial band, to dedicate it to the memory of the fathers.
We come to this pleasing duty amid the joyous exercises of our
bi-centennial jubilee, and in the two hundred and fiftieth year of
Congregationalism in this country. The time is propitious. The
skies are bright above us. The awakening vigor of Spring is
apparent on every side. It is the fourth jubilee of our church,
and the fifth of our order. And now, in such an auspicious hour,
when our hearts are filled with joy and congratulations, we dedi-
cate this monument to the memory of the fathers — to the memory
of the noble men and women who lie sleeping in the moss-grown
graves beneath our feet, resting sweetly and securely in the hope
of a blessed immortality in the beautiful land beyond the far
etherial blue, " where the wicked cease from troubling, and the
weary are at rest." We dedicate it to the memory of that pilgrim
company, who left the father-land for the enjoyment of a purer
gospel — who chose to endure all the privations of a pioneer life
amid the perils of the wilderness, to establish freedom of thought
for themselves and their children. We dedicate it to the heroic
men, who could sing " amidst the storm,"
" And whom the stars heard and the sea!
While the sounding aisles of the dim woods rang
To the anthems of the free ! "
HISTORT OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1045
We cheerfully dedicate it to the fathers who chose this beautiful
resting-place, so like that of the Pilgrim Fathers at Plymouth
Rock, pioneers and partakers in a like faith, and a like appreciation
of the beautiful in nature. We dedicate it to those lion-hearted
men, who have left us a glorious inheritance — who, while
" The heavy night hung dark
The woods and waters o'er,"
and often over their dearest hopes, still sang the songs of Zion,
And prayed in their Bethel, the shade of the Rock.
We dedicate it with full souls on this
" Holy ground,
The spot where first they trod!
They have left unstained what here they found,
Freedom to worship God."
We dedicate it to them for their toils and labors for the estab-
lishment of "the faith once delivered to the saints," for their pure
lives, for their earnest zeal, for their pious teachings, for their
shining examples. We dedicate it as a sacred memento of them —
as a solemn duty to ourselves. We dedicate it, that our children
and children's children ruay learn to follow in the way of the holy
dead. We dedicate it, that it may be'* a rule unto ourselves,"
inviting us to pursue " the things that make for peace," and pleas-
antness, so that when we shall have entered into our rest, and
another century shall have rolled its ceaseless round, our descend-
ants may revere our memory as we do that of the fathers so long
ago translated.
Spirits of our fathers, long since ascended unto glory at the
right hand of God ! Spirits of the just made perfect ! Do you
hear us in your blest abodes on high ? Do you note our filial
aspirations to-day ? Are you hovering over us as our guardian
angels ? Tell us not that when good men carried your bodies to
the burial, and wept over these graves, you knew not, heeded
not — the tears of affection ! Are yoii pleased with our tribute of
love? Are you not smiling upon us this very hour, soothing our
spirits, as we offer to you this memorial our hands have made, and
lift to you our filial hearts ? Were you ever, while here below,
afflicted with trivial contests and bitter recriminations — or, rather
did not your great hearts always glow with love and kindness to
1046 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
all? Do you look in pity upon us, when discord arises, and
brethren disagree ? Do you love us in your far-away paradise ?
Oh! we believe, yes — we believe in the beautiful doctrine of
guardian angels! "In heaven their angels do always behold the
face of my Father ? "
" You're with us yet, ye holy dead !
By a thousand signs we know !
You're keeping e'er a spirit watch
O'er those we love below !
Next followed the Dedicatory Poem, of which the following is
a copy, with slight omissions :
THE EARLY VILLAGE FATHERS.
As I sat in my study one eve, grim and gru m,
Came a rap at the door :
" Is the poet at home ? "
•' Well sir, what is wanted? "
"Why, one Cothren is here,
And says he wants brains."
" Ah, how doth that appear ?
That a lawyer lacks brains, is what often may be,
Though I had not supposed that such lawyer was he."
"Nay, 'tis your brains he wants."
" Ah, that alters the case — "
Hence I stand here to-day in this reverend place,
Ah, Home, search the world round, go east and go west,
Take all that is purest and sweetest and best ;
Take the world's wealth, its grandeur, it's strength, and it's fame,
And, if other good is, fling in all ye can name ;
For one hour in that spot, one glad thrill of the boy,
We would willingly give all the world calls it's joy.
********
" What shadows we are, and what shadows pursue,"
Just go back forty years, let them pass in review ;
Scarce one family's head, that stood here in its worth,
But the last forty years have consigned to the earth ;
Our homes have changed owners, our farms too, till now
Scarce one gray head ye meet of that brief long ago.
FATHERS' MONUMENT, WOODBURY, CONN.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1047
Take one fact to this point. Just go bacli eighty years,
What a power was that name which the singer now bears ?
What a wealth of wide acres '? What strange business skill ?
Each thing that he touched, changed to gold at his will ;
'T would take ten modern men to make up his one mind,
Half the wealth of the town was in his name combined.
— Scarce two years since this hand signed the deed that conveyed
The last foot of land that great name once obeyed.
Yes, what shadows we are, and what shadows pursue.
We stand here to-day with the fathers in view —
The far-away fathers, and pastors, who led
Their flocks round these hills, on these pastures to feed ;
Guarded well each approach, kept the fold from all harms,
A.nd, like Christ of old time, "bore the lambs in their arms."
We stand on their ashes ! methinks as we gaze,
That they rise up ! — confront us! — and ask of our ways !
There was Walkek, the gentle and meek — yet the shrewd.
There was Stoddard, the austere and plain — yet the good ;
There was Benedict, solemn and slow, with an eye
That looked out like a star from its cavernous eky ;
And a crowd of bright worthies, hover thick in their rear,
And all gaze, with bowed forms, on this pageantry here !
Is it nothing to stand on the graves of such men !
Come no thoughts up? no pictures of scenes stirring then?
Come no voices, loud ringing in every ear,
To tell us of life, throbbing life that was here ?
Come no shadows, that fall down on every path
God appoints for each soul, in his love, or his wrath ?
Aye, and fancy finds pastime in scenes such as these,
And weaves into voice what she hears, or she sees.
'Tis a beautiful part, as we stand here to-day.
And our thoughts travel off to that dim far away.
To call up that scene, and those forms, and those eyes,
That once looked around here on this new Paradise !
There was reverend age with its locks white and thin,
There was beautiful childhood, unsullied by sin,
There was vigorous manhood so stalwart and bold.
There were beautiful maidens so sweet to behold ;
And they had all those cares, and those dreams, too, perchance,
That light up the world with the hues of romance.
1048 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURT.
There were some sad eyes there, that the hot tears had burned,
There were pale, gentle faces, whose hearts were in-urned
There were souls with dead hopes, that, still withering cling
Round the heart they had broke, and then left with their sting ;
And other eyes there, with no smile any more,
Unless faith brought it down from that sunnier shore.
Yet a beautiful faith, that they brought here that day,
They came not for gold, let men say what they may ;
They came not for power for no power was there here,
Save the power of meek patience, that dwells in a tear ;
But they came with their souls, to this far-away wood,
To work out an approach to the all-perfect Good !
Have we, their descendants, departed from them ?
Can we now, as they could, the world's currents stem ?
Can we, as could they, break off that bond and this,
And alone rest the heart where its true treasure is ?
As we stand on their dust, let our hearts go once more,
To that far away land, to that far away shore ;
Let us try to draw down into each throbbing breast,
One tithe of that worth that the fathers possessed ;
And transmit to our children, till earth cease to move,
Their courage, their patience, their sweetness, their love!
Then followed the
DEDICATION HYMN.
BY WILLIAM COTHREN.
Air — Tenting on the old Camp Ground.
We're standing to-day on the holy sod —
With reverence draw near —
Whence our fathers' souls ascended to God —
Their sacred dust lies here.
Chorus — Many are the years since ye hasted away,
Eager for the golden strand ;
Many are the voices calling you to-day
To hear our filial Band.
Hear as alway, hear us alway,
Hear us in your happy land.
HISTOKY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1049
Ye are happy to-day in your home above,
Your hearts are all aglow;
Ye are smiling now with a look of love,
On us who toil below.
Chorus —
We greet you to-day, ye sturdy old stock.
Who rest from your labors here —
From your prayers and praise at the Bethel Rock,
To shine in a brighter sphere.
Chords —
This hymn was sung as a quartette by Messrs. William Cothren,
James H. Linsley, William A. Gordon, and William B. Walker,
in a most elfective and beautiful manner.
The exercises closed with a Benediction by Rev. Austin Isham,
of Roxbury.
At a quarter to 2 P. M., the bell called to the afternoon exer-
cises. These were of a social character. Hon. N. B. Smith,
grandson of the third pastor, the Rev. Noah Benedict, who had
presided at the monument, also presided here, ably aided by the
pastor, and Deacon Trowbridge, Chairman of the General Com-
mittee, acting as Vice-Presidents.
After singing, the Opening Prayer was made by Rev. Austin
Isham : —
Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, halloM^ed be Thy name, Thy
Kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is done in Heaven.
We hear Thy voice speaking to us on this deeply interesting
occasion, saying " Seek ye My face." May all our hearts respond,
" Thy face, Lord, will we seek."
We would approach Thy throne of grace with profound rever-
ence and deep humility. When we consider the greatness of Thy
majesty, and our own exceeding great vileness and unworthiness,
we are led to exclaim " What is man that Thou art mindful of him,
or the son of man, that Thou visitest him ? "
We feel that we have forfeited every claim to Thy favor and
justly merit Thy displeasure. And yet, Thou hast not dealt with
us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniqui-
ties ; but as high as the Heavens are above the earth, so great has
been Thy mercy toward us. We humbly thank Thee for all Thou
1050 ■ HISTORY OF ATSrCIEXT WOOBBURY.
hast done for our guilty and ruined race ; especially that Thou
didst so love the world, as to give thine own and well-beloved
Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have
everlasting life. We thank Thee for the many blessings, tem-
poral and spiritual, which Thou hast conferred upon us. The lines
have indeed fallen to us in pleasant places, yea, we have a goodly
heritage. We feel that it is a goodly land which the Lord our
God hath given us. We bless Thee for a godly ancestry, whose
steps Thou didst guide to these beautiful hills and valleys, and that
here, by Thy blessing, they planted those institutions, civil and
religious, which we to-day enjoy.
We render thanks to Thee for extending Thy fostering care to
the churches our fathers planted ; that Thou didst greatly increase
the number and moral power and strength of these churches ; thus
showing to us how precious in Thy sight is Zion, dear as the apple
of Thine eye, and graven on the palms of Thy hands. O Thou
great head of the Church, we pray for Thy blessing still. God
of our fathers, we beseech Thee never to leave nor forsake these
churches. Be as a wall of fire round about them and a glory in
the midst of them. Pour out Thy spirit upon them ; may they be
udeed the light of the world and the salt of the earth. Give
them pastors after thine own heart.
Bless the churches throughout the land and throughout the
world.
Finally, we invoke Thy blessing upon all the exercises now
before us. In all that may be said or done, may Thy glory and
our spiritual good be promoted. We ask and offer all in the name
and for the sake of Christ, to whom, with the Father and Holy
Spirit, be rendered ceaseless praises. Amen.
By special invitation. Rev. Horace Winslow, of Willimantic
Conn., the last preceding pastor of the church, next gave the ad-
dress of greeting to the assembled churches, and continued during
the afternoon to read the sentiments addressed to the churches,
which had been prepared by Bro. William Cothren, and to intro
duce the speakers in response thereto, in an exce edingly happy
entertaining and eloquent manner:
HISTORY OF ANCIENT W00DI5URY. 1051
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen ;
lu the name of this Church, I am requested to welcome with
joyful greebing, her Daughters, with their Grand-mother, (who is
fresh and fair, as one who has not passed the marketable age of
twenty-five), to a home gathering here to-day.
To these many children, with their children's children, I may
say : Your Mother is not young, and still those who do not know
her age might think so, for she is hale and hearty, elastic of step,
and buoyant of heart, as a girl of sixteen. If you would observe,
you can see that her eye is not dim, nor her natural force
abated; that in her voice, dress, and bearing, she has all the
appearance of youth — and yet she is two hundred years old to-
day. Indeed, a simple consideration of the fact of her numerous
family, would suggest the thought that she does not belong to the
present generation. I may not be able to state just what it is
which has kept her so fresh and fair, for she has not been sleeping
for two centuries, nor half of them. She has been a personal
actor in all the great and interesting events which have transpired
in our country during this long period. She was in the field*
boldly defending the frontier, in King Philip's war, giving her
sons full to the quota all through the French and Indian war, and
she was among the foremost of the forward in the grand struggle
which achieved the American nationality. The sons of Woodbury
marched to glory and to victory under the leadership of Wolfe,
Putnam and Washington. And the fact that there is an occasion
for it, and that there is a will to erect here a monument to the
memory of the heroes who fell in the national defense and the
crushing out of the great rebellion, is proof that your Mother has
not been asleep for these years, but awake, and loyal to all the
great interests of humanity.
She has also kept up with the times. She is as much at home
in the progress of the age, as any of her children's children. She
holds to those fun4amental truths which made her grand old
Puritan ancestry illustrious, and their fame immortal, but she
believes in progress. She knows that the world moves, and she
moves with it, without the help of a railroad.
It is because of this hearty sympathy with the present, not
mourning over the dead past, but rejoicing in the grand march of
to-day, that she takes a peculiar pleasure in this family gathering.
She is rejoiced to meet her children, who have long been of ao-e,
14
1062 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUKY.
and have made their mark in the field of thought and action, and
with reminiscenses of the past, talk over the affairs of to-day.
We stand in a grand period of the world's history. We behold
here a nation grown to vigorous manhood, — developed in all noble
qualities, — at once respected and feared by the governments of
the world, and loved by -all peoples whose hearts are in accord
with the interests of humanity. We see here the fruits of those
vital principles of Christianity and rights of man, which our Puritan
ancestors held and taught, and to realize which, in a social state,
they left their pleasant homes in the old world, and began in this
wilderness of the west, to build, from the foundations, a free
church and a free state.
For these noble deeds we honor those men. But we stand in
no stagnant past. We look forward and upward, and are particu-
larly joyful to-day in the wasting away of hoary wrongs, — in the
advance upon public opinion of broad Christian doctrines of human
equality and human rights, and in the hold which the Gospel has
upon all earnest minds of our day.
Thus chei'ishing, with you, a common sympathy with these vital
interests, the church here delights to honor her Bi-Centennial
Anniversary by this gathering. It is with hearty good will that
she welcomes you to your birth-place — your early pleasant home
in this green valley. And it is a special occasion of joy to us all
that w^' can have with us the venerated Grand-mother. She is
very old, and yet we should know it only by her title. Her resi-
dence is on the sea shore, and in former years, fishing, I conclude,
was an occupation with her. However, judging from her present
elegant homes, surrounded with the adornments which wealth and
art furnish, that business must be given up, but by way of amuse-
ment she now and then puts her hand in, and takes a good Hall,
as you will see in the reply to the sentiment which I will read ;
Stratford! — Mother revered! thou that dwellest by the sea!
Called in a green old age to celebrate the birth-day of this, thy
first born daughter, with filial reverence and' great joy, we greet
thee, and welcome thee to the goodly heritage which the Lord
our God has given us !
Response by Rev. Wm K. Hall, of Stratford.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODEUKY 1053
Mk. Chairman and Friends :
Such a venerable parent, with such a numerous and honored
posterity, would seem to demand a more venerable person than
myself to represent her upon this occasion. The incongruity was
certainly apparent, even before those humorous references with
which my friend has been pleased to introduce me, were made.
Appreciating the difficulty of performing such a role, I have been -
endeavoring, as best I could, to accumulate and appropriate to
myself such a stock of the past, as at least to feel old. I have
been attempting, under the influence of these suggestive emblems
and insignia, with which these walls and panels are decorated, to
forget the present, and to throw myself back into the past. This,
however, were comparatively easy to the task of arousing those
feelings of sell-pride and self exaltation, which they are expected
to have, and which they are wont to have, who are privileged in
their green old age to celebrate the birth-day of their first born
daughter, honored and blessed, and surrounded by a happy family
of her own. This eflbrt to feel like a dear old grandma, whose
heart swells with joyous pride, and overflows v/ith gratitude, and
whose tongue is garrulous, as she recounts the virtues and honors
of the family, is altogether too much for me. Just this, however,
the sentiment proposed expects of me. Even your Committee of
Arrangements, kindly considering the failings of old dames thu^
happily, and taking for gx-anted that my own pleasure upon this
occasion would be found largely in exercising the right to be
loquacious, accorded me the privilege of occupying all the time I
might desire, not limiting me, as in the case of the children, to ten
minutes.
But I promise not to go beyond the stated limit, if in your
indulgence you will pardon me if I do not succeed in toning up
my youthful feelings to the high pitch of this poetic sentiment.
The historical sermon and address, to which we have with so
much pleasure listened, have given us what are supposed to be
the facts concerning the birth of this daughter. Some of you are
aware that a slight variance of views exists, relative to the causes
which led to the formation of this Church, and the colonization ot
this town of Woodbury. Not particularly interested myself in
antiquarian pursuits, I have never been disposed to make a critical
investigation of the subject. But if the family record is corrc
1054 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
that, I mean, which we keep at home — there is a somewhat different
explanation to be given, from that which we have heard to-day.
It appears that the daughter, dissatisfied with the way affairs were
conducted in the household, determined to have them according
to her mind. The mother did not propose to yield to the revolu-
tionary spirit of her rebellious child. And as the child inherited
the disposition of the mother, each persistent and unyielding in
her own views of what was right and best, the prospects of an
amicable life together beneath the same old roof seemed exceed-
ingly doubtful. At this juncture a young man appeared, who
succeeded in winning the heart, and as a natural consequence
sought to possess the hand of this daughter. Matters became
complicated. Councils of friends were summoned to give advice.
Even the interference of the civil authorities was invoked. These
were warm times. But what was to be done ? The troubles
came to an end in this way : the young man, whom the mother
could not and would not abide, succeeded in obtaining the hand
of the daughter, and then, as we might suppose from his very
name, if for no other reason, vmlhed off with her. This play upon
the name WalJxer recalls a story that is still current in the old
home, and I may be permitted to drop, for a moment, the thread
of my story, to repeat it, after the habit of loquacious old ladies.
Those old controversies were carried on, not without consid-
erable bitterness. The General Court had interfered to adjust the
Matters in dispute between the two Church parties. It decided
that the Walker party should have the use of the Meeting-House
a part of the Lord's Day. Upon one occasion, Mr. Walker had in
a sermon made some declaration which Dr. Chauncy had con-
strued as unjust, and as reflecting upon himself. In the afternoon,
or upon the next Sabbath, Dr. Chauncy took for his text this
passage : "Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil,
as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."
His first point was, " You see, my Brethren, that the devil is a
great walker.''''
How much of this is fact, and how much merely legend, or the
gossip of the period handed down, much exaggerated, to the
present, I cannot say, but it may serve to remind us, what his-
torical facts amply teach, that the ecclesiastical disputes of those
days engendered warm party feelings, and rendered absolutely
necessary an entire separation.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUKY. 1055
The daughter, with her chosen spiritual leader and guide, left
the old homestead, and in choosing her new home wisely turned
northward, preferring the clear, bracing air of the north to the
damp and fog and malaria of the shore lands. The record of
these two hundred years, and these festivities to-day, testify to
the wisdom of that separation and of that choice.
That setting forth from the old home was under circumstances,
and amid scenes, which, if we could reproduce them in our imagi-
nation to-day, would aid us in rising to the full significance of this
occasion. The Plantation was only thirty years old. These years
had been years of toil, of hard work in subduing the wilderness,
and in making for themselves comfortable homes. They had been
spent in almost constant fear of the depredations and attacks of
the Indians. One generation was about passing away, and a new
generation had already begun to take up and carry on the ever
unfinished work. They were just beginning to enjoy the fruits of
their hard pioneer toil, were just beginning to realize the benefits
of a social life, well ordered, properly systematized as to govern-
ment, adequately equipped and adjusted by the experiences of
those thirty years. Those years had been years chiefly of prepa-
ration. The settlement Avas now assuming the appearance and the
character of a thrifty agricultural town. It must have required
a resoluteness of purpose, backed by a firm, conscientious regard
for duty, for that little band to go forth at such a time, and strike
out an entirely new path for themselves, to begin over again that
same laborious work of making new homes in these wild ^vood-
lands of the north. The prime motives that led them to take that
step were wholly of a religious nature. Their rights as church
members they would maintain. Spiritual interests must be held
paramount. They felt that they could not remain in the old
church home, though it was large enough to contain them, if the
course they deemed right and scriptural was not pursued ; so they
left it. They had pluck, nerve and energy — stood their ground
firmly until they were convinced that it was for the good of both
parties that they should secede. I apprehend that at the last, the
spirit that prevailed was not far diflerent from that exhibited in
the Patriarch brother, after variances had arisen in the family :
" Let there be no strife, I pray, between me and thee, and between
my herdsmen and thy herdsmen ; for we be brethren. Is not the
whole land before thee ; separate thyself I pray thee from me.
1056 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
If thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right, and if
thou depart to the right hand then I will go to the left."
Fortunately there was land enough, and that too not far distant
from the old home. Could those bold spirits who planned and
achieved that work of settlement, whose names shine out upon
these tablets before us to-day, see what we of this generation see,
could look upon these well tilled, well fenced farms, this attractive
thoroughfare, bordered by this cordon of cottage and homestead,
indicative all of such comfort, and plenty, and taste, could behold
what would be to them of by far greater value, and in their
estimate the largest proofs of their success, and the highest earthly
reward of their sacrifices and toil, these marks of church life and
church progress which have been commensurate with the growth
of the outreaching population, they might well believe that the
Lord went up with them and before them, and marked out for
them the goodly heritage which was to be theirs, and their
children's.
All honor and praise from us be to that devoted band. The un-
flinching fidelity to honest convictions, the uncompromising spirit
of attachment to what was to them the truth of God, which they
exhibited at the sacrifice of so much they held dear, were the
rightful issue of the Puritan blood that flowed in their veins. Let
us emulate their spirit, and prove ourselves worthy of such a
godly ancestry.
The old mother church, whom you have so cordially welcomed
to your feast of remembrances and rejoicings to-day, most heartily
enters into your spirit of devotion to the fathers, and would, even
as yourselves, seek to be animated anew for the work of the
Divine Master, for the glory of the Redeemer's kingdom in the
earth. May the blessing of the Great Head of the Church rest
upon all these Churches represented here, endowing them with a
larger measure of the Divine Spirit, whereby they may be more
thoroughly consecrated to God and His service.
SouTHBURY ! — First pledge of our afiections, and offspring of
our heart of hearts, dweller in the fertile plains beside the beauti-
ful river, the Jordan of our ancient inheritance, with maternal joy
we greet thee I
Response by Rev. A. B, Smith.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT W O O D 15 IT II Y. 1057
Mb, Chairman : — In responding to the aftectionate maternal
greeting of this church, we, the eldest offspring, rejoice in being
thus welcomed to the home of our childhood on this interesting
and joyous occasion, and with true filial affection in connection
with our younger sisters, we would to-day seek to gladden .the
heart of her from whom we had our origin. Venerable in her age,
on this two hundredth anniversary of her existence, we would
render to her all due respect and honor.
It is a joyful occasion where all the scattered children, after
years of separation, gather together at the old family home. Such
is the occasion we enjoy to-day, and few in these degenerate times
can boast a like numerous family. It reminds us of the olden
time, when a numerous offspring was counted a blessing, and it
was really felt, that " happy is the man who hath his quiver full of
them." I doubt not the joy to-day is in proportion to the number
of " olive plants " gathered around the parental table.
But when the scattered members of the family, after long ab-
sence, gather at the old home, it is natural that they should review
the past, and talk of their varied experiences. The mother is sure
to rejoice in the prosperity of all her children, and to grieve over
and sympathize with them in all their adversities.
As the oldest of this goodly family, having now attained to the
respectable age of 138 years, we have, as has been here hinted,
received the fairest natural inheritance of the whole ancestral
domain. Our lot has been cast on " the fertile plains, beside the
beautiful river, the Jordan of our " venerable mother's " ancient
inheritance " — a land in which Lot himself might have looked
with eager, wishful eyes, and chosen in preference to the hill
<;ountry. But the fertile river bottoms always possess their tempt-
ations and their dangers. Though they give promise of an imme-
diate prosperity, and for this reason are often chosen in preference
to the hill country, yet they are liable to foster luxury, ease, and
consequent idleness, with all their attendant evils, and so tend ulti-
mately to degeneracy. Such locations, therefore, are not usually
the most favorable to the progress of true religion, and tlie
spiritual prosperity of the church. As the vine flourishes the
most luxuriantly in the rocky glens and on the sunny slopes of
the hill country, so the church, the vine of God's own planting ,
has usually found its greatest prosperity in the rural districts, and
among the hills, where there were few temptations to luxury, ease
and indolence. Consequently, our younger sisters among the hills
1058 PIISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
have far outstripped us in numbers, and we have become the
smallest and weakest of them all, already showing signs of decrepi-
tude and decay. But as God has hitherto had " a seed to serve
Him " in this church of the valley, and many have been trained
up under its nurture for a heavenly inheritance, we trust that it
will continue to be so in all time to come. The ministry com-
menced by Graham, the learned Scotch divine of noble birth, and
continued by Wildman, the compeer of Bellamy, and by Daniel
A. Clark, the great sermonizer, though better preacher than pas-
tor, has been sustained with occasional interruptions to the present
time, though latterly on a less settled and permanent foundation.
We hope that on a field where so much good seed has been sown,,
and watered by the tears and prayers of rich, eminent men, a
brighter day will ere long dawn, when a new impulse shall be
given to everything good in this beautiful valley — where these
tendencies to decay shall be arrested, and enterprise, and virtue,
and true piety shall be on the increase, and the church shall arise
with renewed strength and vigor, and " put on her beautiful gar-
ments," and " look forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as
the sun, and terrible " to her enemies " as an army with banners."
Bethlehem! — Thou "house of bread," situate like the Bethle-
hem in the Holy Land, about six miles from thy Jerusalem — nur-
tured, enriched and adorned by Bellamy and Backus — we greet
thee, second child of our love !
Response by Rev. Geo. W. Banks.
Mr. Chairman : — It is exceedingly unfortunate for me that I
am not a believer in the doctrine of apostolic succession, for it
would be comfortable, to say the least, to have a consciousness of
some mysterious power or grace descending to me from my pre-
decessors, which would enable me to do justice to the sentiment
and the greeting which have just been offered. But lacking all
such power or grace, I must express, as best I am able to you, sir,
and through you, to our venerable and venerated mother, the con-
gratulations of the second daughter, the church in Bethlehem.
Though more than a century and a quarter have passed since she
left the parental roof, yet I trust that the home instinct is not
dead, but that she cherishes and would have expressed to-day, a
warm affection for the mother church.
The church in Bethlehem is one hundred and thirty years old
HISTORY OF ANCIENT \\' O O I) B U K Y . 1 059
to-day. Its beginnings were weak in material things, but strong
in faith. Fourteen families living on the hill-tops in " the East
part of the North Purchase of Woodbury," finding their six miles'
walk to their ancient Jerusalem through winter's storm and sum-
mer's heat, inconvenient, determined to have a Mt. Zion of their
own, and with a faith and self-sacrifice that we cannot too much
admire, this handful of poor but heroic settlers, organized them-
selves into a church of Christ, and made provision for the perma-
nent support of the gospel ministry among them. When a daugh-
ter makes an advantageous settlement in life, the mother's heart
is made glad. So, when this daughter on the hills gave her heart
to a young man by the name of Joseph Bellamy, tlie mother
church in the valley no doubt rejoiced. Under Dr. Bellamy's min-
istry of half a century, " the handful of corn on the top of the
mountains began to shake like Lebanon." Its name proved to be
no misnomer, for if ever a church received abundance of spiritual
food, the church in Bethlehem did, from its first pastor.
Of one, concerning whom so much has been written and so well,
it Avould be impossible for me to speak with justice in the few mo-
ments allotted me at this time. I may however briefly allude to
the affection he bore to the church over which he was placed. It
may serve to set in strong contrast the lack of interest with
which the pastoral relation is now viewed by many, and the ease
with which it is broken. When Dr. Bellamy was at the zenith of
his power as a preacher, being regarded as second only to Jona-
than Edwards, and by some of his cotemporaries as superior to
him in many respects ; when his fame had spread all over the
country, and even to England, he received a flattering invitation
to become the pastor of the 1st Presbyterian Church in New York
City. To the Consociation called to advise upon the subject, he
addressed the following characteristic letter :
" Bethlehem, Jan. 25th, 1754.
" Reverend Gentlemen : — My people give me salary enough ;
are very kind, too ; I love them, and if it be the will of God I
should love to live and die with them. There are many diflicul-
ties in the way of my going to New York, They are a diflUcult
people; don't like my terms of communion, and some of their
great men are against ray coming ; I am not polite enough for
them ! I may possibly do to be minister out in the woods, but am
not fit for a city. I may die with the small-pox, and leave a widow
1060 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
and fatherless children in a helpless condition. My people Avill be
in danger of ruin. It breaks iny heart to think that the interests
of religion must sink among my people, and the youth run riot,
and the little children be left without an instructor. I humbly de-
sire, therefore, nothing may be done without the utmost delibera-
tion ; and that whatever advice you shall see fit to give me, you will
let me and my people know what grounds you go upon. Behold
my life and all the comforts of my life, and my usefulness in the
world, and the temporal and eternal interests of my people lie at
stake ; and you, reverend gentlemen, must answer it to God, if you
should give me any wrong advice for want of a thorough and
most solemn and impartial weighing ot the affair. May the in-
finitely wise God direct you. I pray you to consider me as one of
your unworthy brethren, almost overwhelmed with concern, and
just ready to sink under the weight of this afiJ'air, and quite broken-
hearted for my kind and dear people. Joseph Bellamy."
There exists in his handwriting a memorandum of an imaginary
dialogue on the subject of his "declaring" as it was technically
called, i. e. saying that he felt it his duty to go to New York.
Coming at length to the supposition that he has " declared," he
writes :
"The news flies through the country, and through all New
England, and spreads far and wide ; and every one has his say —
nor are they silent in hell ! "
" Carnal People — Aha ! Aha ! Here comes the man that pre-
tended to so much religion! They are all alike — a pack of
rogues ! "
" Godly People — Alas ! Alas ! What has he done ? A dread-
ful aftair ! We must give him up, without pretending to vindi-
cate his conduct ! Alas for him that was once our guide and
friend ! "
'• JVeio York — Aha ! Aha ! He cares not for his people, nor is
moved by iheir tears, nor touched by their cries and pleadings !
He has torn away ! Right or wrong, he's resolved to come though
his church is ruined ! Aha ! Aha ! Dollars ! dollars ! dollars !"
'■'■The Devil — Hurrah! I'm right glad ! Now the old fellow
will never do much more hurt to my kingdom!"
" All Hell—B.m-vsih ! hurrah ! "
HISTORY OF ANCIENT W O O I) B U U Y . 1061
It is needless to state that Dr. Bellamy retnained " in the woods "
with the church of his first love, and "his sepulchre is witli us
to this day." Of his scarcely less illustrious successor, Dr, Backus,
time forbids me to speak. The ministry of these two men of God
reached over a period of 70 years, more than half the history of
the church. Under Dr. Bellamy, nearly two hundred and fifty
united with the church, and under Dr. Backus, one hundred and
forty-eight. Then followed the shorter ministries of Mr. Langdon
of nine years, who received one hundred and three into the
church; Mr. Stanton of four years, who received twenty-two, and
Mr. Couch of five years, who received fifty-two.
These were sound, godly men, whose labors resulted in much
good. The church received as its next pastor, from a sister church
(Roxbury,) Mr. Hari'ison, whose ministry^'was long, peaceful and
prosperous. He received into membershij) one hundred and nine
persons. Of the two later pastors — known to you all — still labor-
ing in other fields, I may not speak. Mr. Loomis received seven-
ty-three into the church; Mr. Wright, fourteen. Under the pres-
ent pastorate, fifty-seven have united with the church.
Favored with such a ministry in the past, this daughter has been
sound in the faith, a spiritual-minded church, and often refreshed
with heavenly blessings. In such a family gathering as this, it
may not be immodest for her briefly to state some facts in her
history of which she feels justly proud. She was among the first
churches in the land to see the folly and abandon the practice of the
" half-way covenant." She is a temperance society by a vote of the
church. She has never indulged in what has come to be a mod-
ern luxury to most churches — a stated supply. She believes in the
holy ordinance of ecclesiastical marriage. In all her history there
have been but four years in which she has been without a pastor.
Finally, she claims to have the oldest Sabbath School (in the
modern form of that institution) in the country, if not in the
world. Forty years before Robert Raikes ever thought of such
a thing, the first pastor of this church, with his deacons, was wont
to gather on Sabbath noon, the youth of the congregation into
classes for instruction from the Bible and the Catechism. That
Sabbath School has maintained an unbroken organization down to
this day. The daughter on the hills has never been and probably
never will be a large church. She is located in a sparsely settled
agricultural community, whose high hills and deep vales no railroad
will dare look in the face. Emigration constantly drains oflT her
1062 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
young people. Two churches of other denominations have grown
up by her side, and to a great extent out of her materia!. But
she trusts that she has a mission in the future as she has had in
the past. That mission will be to endeavor to sanctify the stream
of young life that flows out from her as natui'ally as the waters
run from her hills, that it may prove a blessing to the church of
Christ and to the world. If slie shall send forth in the future any
" streams that shall make glad the city of our God," she will not
live in vain, even though she continue to be " among the least of
Princes of Judea." May the daughter on the hills never be
mothertheless, and may the mother in the valley never mourn the
loss of her daughter, until we are all taken to our Father's home
in the church triumphant.
Judea ! — Thou " praise of the Lord," seated on thy hill like the
ancient hill of Zion ; beautiful for situation, fit place for a new
temple ; " Unanymously and Lovingly Agreed upon," third pledge
of our afiections, we greet thee !
Response by Rev, W. S. Colton.
Mr. President : — I should almost have imagined, but for the
address of the last speaker, (Rev. G. W. Banks), that I was in a
Woman's Rights Convention, so much has been said about Grand-
niother^ and Mother, and Daughters, in the remarks already made.
But as I looked around me, and caught sight of various beards
and mustaches, and other evidences of the presence of the mas-
culine persuasion in the audience generally, and remembered that
we had just been attending the dedication of the Fathers' Monu-
ment, and saw from the programme that the speaking on this
occasion was to be by nien^ I felt reassured of the character of the
event which has convened us here.
I ought, in passing, to notice the observations of my good
brother from Southbury, (Rev. Mr. Smith), who has informed us
in glowing terras how delightfully his Church is situated on " the
Jordan," and has dilated on the pleasantness of the region there-
aboiit, in language highly wrought and very jubilant. But ac-
cording to my studies in Sacred Geography, the Jordan runs
through Judea, and I feel quite disposed to claim a part of that
same river and the lovely valley adjacent, for that third daughter,
which I represent, in my response to-day. I have also read in an
old prophet, words like these: "Thou Bethlehem in the land of
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY, 1063
Judah {Judea ?) art not the least among the thousands of Israel,"
— so I think we on the hills may fairly share in the honors as well
as territory of some of our neighbors.
Speaking of Bethlehem, sir, reminds me of the story Dr.
Taylor used to tell of Drs. Bellamy and Backus, the famous j)as-
tors of that Church, foi'raerly. Some one asked an old negro, who
had sat for many years under their preaching, which of the two
he liked the best ? " Massa Bellamy, sir." " Why so. Sambo ? "
" 'Cause, Massa Backus make God big — but Massa Bellamy make
God bigger! "
May it be the aim and lot of him, the now pastor of this
Church, so to magnify God to the people by his preaching, that
some witness will in future time testify of him, that he also " made
God bigger ! "
Now, as to the occasion that has called us together, I have to
observe, that whenever the children are invited home to Thanks-
giving, the first thing they wish to find is, that the old lady, their
mother, is toell. If they discover her eye undimmed, her cheek
still unfaded, and the old vigor in her step, then are they glad.
The times of yore seem to come back. And this is what we
discover about our mother here to-day. Certainly, no signs of
decrepitude or decay are visible in her appearance. I remember
once taking tea with an old lady of nearly one hundred years of
age ; and, on asking the honor of escorting her to the table, and
remarking admiringly how nimble was her step, and vigoi'ous her
appetite, she observed, as she was helped to biscuit and cake, and
other things : " Old folks like good things as well as young folks ! "
She had, as I said, a good appetite, but she died about a week or
two afterwards !
And so our old lady here in Woodbury, two hundred years old,
has a quick step, and looks well, and for aught I have observed to
the contrary, has shown as hearty an appetite in the town hall at
the table to-day, as any of her daughters. Certainly she has
shown the old hospitality.
Another thing children want to know when they come back to
Thanksgiving, is, xohether their mother is keeping house in the
same old place. If they found her in a boarding-house or hotel,
how difierently they would feel ! The old feeling of the fireside
and the table would be gone, and they, would not, as of old, seem
to be at home.
Now we are happy to find that our venerable mother here is still
1064 II ] ST OK Y OF ANCIENT WOODBU-RY.
housekeeping. This goodly house, especially fair internally, gives
satisfactory evidence of her good condition, and of her future
prospects as well, and we are quite comforted on that score.
And. then again, since this is a Thanksgiving Jubilee, the
children are always eager to know if theii- old mother^ s love for
them still remains.
Should there be any falling ofl" of afl'ection, how grieved they
would be! The home would seem home no more, if the mother,
as well as father, should be found to be changed in the quality of
their feeling for their children.
We are happy to find no such change of affection in the hearty
welcome we have all received here to-day. The mother church
keeps the old love alive, and for that we thank God and are
grateful.
One thing more the children want to know when they come
back, as we now do, to the ancient homestead, and that is, if the
old mother keejys the flame of piety alive a?id ptire, as in the days
of their youth. Is the Bible still in the same familiar place, and
well worn, and loved, and reverenced, as of old ?
We are glad to find evidence that such is the fact with our dear
and venerated mother here, and rejoice that God, in His great
goodness, has continued so spiritually to bless her in all these
years, down to this hour.
In behalf of the church in Judea, therefore, 1, .congratulate our
mother church on her past and present prosperity. This third
daughter on the hills, of which 1 am pastor, has outgrown her
sister churches, and is the only one of them, also, that has ever
outgrown in numbers the mother herself, having now over 240
members, more than 60 having been admitted by profession within
the four years of my ministry, while the Sabbath School embraces
375 scholars and teachers.
May these sister churches strive in all the coming times to be
faithful to God, that, at last, their work on earth being done, all
the members of the same may hear the voice of the final Judge
saying : " Well done, good and faithful servants ; ye have been
faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many
things ; enter ye into the joy of your Lord."
RoxBUEY ! — Dweller in the " hill country," and along the river
of the hills, brave witness for the truth, and companion of the
HISTOKY OF ANCIENT WOODBUKY. 1065
faithful, fourth blessing from a Bountiful Hand, we welcome thee
to the old fireside !
Response by Rev. A. Goodenough.
Mk. Chairman : — Since this occasion naturally invites our
attention to the past, I feel that it would be more appropriate could
Roxbury be represented by one who has shared more fully than
myself in her past history — yet I flatter myself that in one pai--
ticular I may have my fitness as a representative. More than any
other community in which it has been my fortune to live, ours is
deficient in the gift which finds public expression in words — not
of course from lack of thought or ability, (which we would not
for a moment concede), but, as I take it, from excessive diffidence.
If this brevity should be the soul of my wit, I shall have no doubt
of the fitness of it, and hope it may be accounted wisdom.
As has been suggested, we also belong to the " hill country,"
and I think it might truly be said of '(;< as of the chosen nation in
the older time. " The Lord our God hath brought us into a good
land ; a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that
spring out of valleys and hills ; a land wherein we shall eat bread
without scarceness ; we shall not lack any good thing in it, a land
whose stones are iron." A land of hills and valleys, and that
drinketh water of the rain of heaven ; a land which the Lord our
God careth for ; the eyes of the Lord our God are upon it from
the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year."
Perhaps also, so far as it is the home of our choice, we may take
some credit to ourselves — for, in the prophecy of Agur, the conies
— a feeble folk — are pronounced " exceeding wise " because they
make their dwelling among the rocks.
There is the less need that I should speak in detail concerning
the history of our church, because we claim a share in. the glory of
that common history which has been already brought before us.
Though we claim to be the " heirs of all the ages," we especially
cherish the heritage which has come down to us through the faith
and faithfulness of those earnest men and women who first planted
the Gospel of Christ among these hills. We reverence the
memory of those who before our time bravely witnessed for the
truth, and through severe labors and discouragements kept their
faith to the end, and it is our cherished ambition to hand down to
our children untarnished the blessed inheritance we ourselves have
1066 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUEY.
received from ouv fathers. The hearts of many children are turn-
ing toward the Father to-day, inquiring for the old paths, and
desiring to walk in them. (Indeed, I sometimes think that not
only does our reverence extend to the old^j>a/As, but that we are
occasionally proud to stick in the same old ruts, which were worn
by the ancient cart wheels).
We delight to gather to-day around the old fireside, rejoicing in
the past, yet thankfully recognizing the larger growth of the
present, and looking forward with joyful confidence to the days
yet to come, in which the perfect harvest of good shall be gai-nered
from the sown seed of the past.
Though allusions to a lady's age are not always welcome, they
seem to be the fashion to-day, and since our Mother Church seems
proud of her natural position, and herself invites us to celebrate
her birthday, we join in congratulating her on bearing her years
so well, and sincerely hope that she may live long in the land —
vigorous in perpetual youth, sti'engthening her children by her
sympathy, and guiding them by her example to the perfection of
righteousness and faith.
South Britain! — Dweller in the Southwest, along the banks
of the " Great River," "beyond the mountains," fifth pledge of
faith, hope and charity, right heartily do we welcome thee to the
old family gathering !
Response by Rev, H. S. Newcomb.
Venerable mother in Israel, gladly at thy bidding we have come
around " the mountains " and up the little river towards its source,
here to receive thy greeting and to offer thee our warm congratu-
lations at this happy family gathering. Had the pioneers who
came before thee, mother, come by the path we came, they would
not have been under the necessity of clambering over those west'
ern rocks and hills to obtain their first view of this beautiful
valley. But it is well for us that they missed their direction, and
passed by tbe mouth of the little Pomperaug, seeking in vain
farther up the " Great River " a more promising branch that
should lead them to their future home ; else this happy gathering
would not now be enjoying the blessings of Heaven resulting
from the prayer of the sainted Deacon John Minor, on Good Hill,
where, after their weary climbing, they first cast eyes on their
land of promise.
HISTORY OF A If CI E NT WOODBURY. 106Y
We feel somewhat abashed in view of the peculiar relations in
which we stand to this family here gathered. We are thine only
grand-daughter, ancient mother, the sole offspring of thine eldest
daughter. We are aware, too, that there is here a more venerable
pi'esence, thine honored mother, making thy daughters grand-
daughters also ; but at the same time making us the only little
great-grand-daughter present. So, though our youth makes us
bashful, we presume a little on thy tender regard and kind con-
sideration.
We lead a pleasant life over there by the " Great River." But
we would not have thee think that we are come from the ends of
the earth, for we have heard that there are still higher mountains
and greater rivers beyond ; and some of our young people have
even seen them.
We are enjoying a pleasant and prosperous life over there. We
ourselves feel somewhat old, mother, having entered one year into
the second century which thou art just leaving. But years do
not weaken us. We have renewed our age, having put on the
habiliments of youth, and we are looking for a prosperous future.
We think we have kept the pledge. We " hold fast the pro-
fession of _our faith." We earnestly "contend for the faith which
was once delivered unto the saints." We have that hope, which is
" as an anchor to the soul ; " we put on that " charity which is the
bond of perfectness." We are looking forward to a larger, hap-
pier, more glorious family gathering than this ; where " they shall
come from the east and from the west, and from the north and
from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God." We
hope to meet thee and thy daughters there ; and to furnish a list
of honored names written in the " Book of Life ; " and to add
to the royal diadem of our King a cluster of stars that have shone
with greater or less lustre here, and will shine still brighter there ;
among them, first and foremost, Tyler, champion of the faith ;
Smith, early called to his reward, and Butterfield, embalmed in
in the memory of many still living. May we all meet there,
where the distinctions of age shall be done away ; where Christ
shall be our elder brother, and we, all brethren.
Woodbury North! — Latest and nearest, the child of our old
age, co-dweller in this beautiful land of promise, and co-laborer in
every good word and work in the Loi*d, with motherly pride and
affection we welcome you to this our glad jubilee !
Response by Rev. John Churchill.
15
1068 HISTORY OF ANCIEN^T WOODBUET.
Mr. President : — In responding in behalf of the North Church,
to the cordial invitation and Avelcome which you have extended
to us, I beg leave to say that we are exceedingly happy to be
present, and to be made welcome to participate with you in the
Christian associations of this most interesting occasion. The
emotions of the hour rise altogether too high for utterance, and I
am not able to speak with that calmness and considerateness that
would seem to be most becoming.
It is proper, perhaps, that the confession should here be publicly
made, that as jealousies and disagreements sometime arise among
the members of the same fliraily, Avho dwell upon the same old
homestead, so there have been some discord and want of good
fellowship between us ; yet I am happy to say, that at no time has
there been any total disruption of Christian confidence and fellow-
shi]), and that whatever may have existed, of an un])]easant
nature, at any time, has passed away, and is among the buried
debris of the Past, and that to-day our fellowship and concord are
without any barriers or embarrassments. Let us praise God to-
o-ether to-day, that churches that might seem to have local rival
interests, are able, through His grace, to maintain the peace and
" fellowship of the saints."
I had supposed, sir, that it would be expected on this occasion^
as the daughters return to their ancestral home, that they would
relate their experiences, and tell their motl)er and their sisters
what had been the dealings of a kind Providence with them since
their separation.
We are here, Mr. President, to commemorate the Christian
resiilts of the planting of this church in the wilderness two hun-
dred years ago, and we have come by your invitation, not only to
join in your rejoicings, and to make our courtesy, but to tell you
how we have prospered in our respective households. I hope I
may be indulged, therefore, in a brief statement concerning the
history of your youngest daughter.
The North Church in Woodbury was organized by a colony
from this church, in the year of our Lord 1816, on the 25th of
December. The colony consisted of eleven males and twenty
females, only tw^o of whom are now living. These, I see, are
present here to-day.
The church remained without a pastor until the following July,
when, on the 2 7th of that month, Rev, Grove L. Brownell was
ordained and installed the pastor. Judging from the results of
HISTORY OF A X C I E X T WOODBURY. 1069
his labors, it must be allowed that he was a very capable and
faithful minister of the Gospel. During- the first year of his min-
istry, fifteen were added to the church by profession ; the next
year, ten ; during the next three years, thirty-six ; during the next
three years, thirty-nine were added ; the next three years, sixty-
three ; and so on at this ratio for the whole period of his ministry,
which continued for about twenty-three years. The whole number
received by profession during his ministry is two hundred and
thirty-eight — a little more than an average of ten pei'sons for each
year. Forty were of the church when he entered on his ministry,
and fifty-eight were added by letters from other churches, so that
there were three hundred and seventy-five persons connected with
the cliurch during the first pastorate.
It is due to the men who constitated the church fifty-four years
ago, nearly all of whom have passed away, to say that they were
earnest, resolute, capable, Christian men, who shrank not from
responsibility, who feared not hardship, and who made great per-
sonal sacrifices to build a church, and sustain the public iusti.
tutions of religion. They present a noble example of Christian
enterprise, which it woidd be equally noble and Christian, in their
children and successors, to emulate. Possibly they constitute a
portion of that "cloud of witnesses," holding in view the doings
of those who succeed them.
Under the ministry of Mr. BrownelPs successor, which began
in April, 1840, in less than a year after his dismission, and which
continued for a period of twenty-seven and a half years, there
were gathered into the church by profession, one hundred and
ninety-seven. Almost the entire congregation, at the close of
that ministry, on the last Sabbath in September, 1867, were mem-
bers of the church. Since then, for a period of two and a half
years, the church has been without a pastor.
Such, briefly, Mr, President, has been the success of your young-
est daughter, the North Church in Woodbury, "Hitherto the
Lord hath helped us," Our course has been one of uniform pros-
perity, and we are grateful that we can bring to-day, such a
record of His goodness and mercy, to the honor not only of the
Great Head of the Church, but of our venerable mother, as well.
I beg leave now, Mr. President, to give way, and introduce to
the audience the Rev, Mr, Shipman, of Jewett City, who, for
a considerable number of years, was pastor of the Church in
Southburv,
lOTO HISTORY OF ANCIENT AVOODBUEY.
Rev. Thomas L. Shipraan responded as follows :
The privilege is accorded me of recalling the name, and lingering
a moment on the memory of one of your deceased pastors, Rev,
Mr. Andrews. I made his acquaintance soon after I came into
the vicinity. He impressed me, upon my first introduction, as a
man of singular purity, an impression which all my future inter-
course served only to confirm. He was a man of the nicest sensi-
bilities ; the cords of his heart vibrated to the slightest touch ;
his tender sensibilities often filled his eyes with tears. He had a
look which none who knew him can forget, and which it would be
vain for any one to imitate. There was that in his tone, when his
soul was stirred to its depths, which strangely penetrated your
heart. I remember at the meeting of the Consociation in Har-
winton, in the summer of 1831 — that year so remarkable for tlie
outpo rings of the Spirit — he was called to officiate at the admin-
istration of the Lord's Supper. As he rose, and cast a look over
the assembly, every heart seemed to be moved, and before he
closed the first sentence, the house became a perfect Bochim. It
was not so much what he said, as his manner of saying it. " We
are about to approach the foot of the Eternal throne, and how can
we come ?" I was present at the ordination of his son-in-law, Rev.
William Aitchison, who gave himself to Christ aud to China.
"My son," was uttered with a tone and a look which thrilled at
least one heart. His prudence was memorable. At one time the
regiment of which I was then chaplain met at Woodbury. Mr.
Andrew was invited to dine with us. He sat^at my side, and
opposite to us sat a member of the society committee of a neigh-
boring parish. " Mr. Andrew," said the gentleman, " do you know
why Mr. was dismissed from ?" He waited a
moment ; I rather guess he shut his eyes. " I do not think I am
sufficiently acquainted with the facts to state them correctly."
Had he replied, " there was some disaflfection toward him among
his people," the report would have gone over the hills, gaining as
it traveled : " Rev. Mr. Andrew, of Woodbury, says there was
great disaffiection at ." He was a man of much culture ;
he held a polished pen. He often wrote for the Quarterly Christian
Spectator, and his articles are among the choicest contributions to
that periodical. I would particularly direct attention to the
article in the December No. for 1833, entitled, "What is the real
difference between the New Haven Divines and those who oppose
HISTOKY OF ANCIENT WOODBUKY. 1071
them ?" The paper was read at the minister's meeting in South-
bury, and published at the request of the brethren. The contro-
versy was at that time very earnest, not to say sometimes bitter.
Whatever was then thought, or whatever may be still thought of
the " New Haven Divines," all will agree that Mr. Andrew stated
their position with great calmness and clearness. His article in
the No. for September, 1830, entitled, "Review of Advice to a
Young Christian," and the article ,in the March No. for 1832, en-
titled, " Assurance of their piety peculiarl}' the duty of Christians
at the present day," are papers of great excellence. Mi'. Andrew
was one whom all who knew love to think of when alone. It
makes us better at least for the moment only to think of him, and
we love to talk of him when we meet, and one of our most cher-
ished anticipations is, renewing our acquaintance with him in our
Father's kingdom.
Rev. Austin Isham was next called up by the chairman, and
gave some very interesting reminisceuses, a copy of which the
editor has been unable to obtain.
The following letters vrere then read by the pastor: ^
Letter of Rev. Charles E. Robinson, of Troy, JSF. Y.
Dear Brother Linsley : — I vrould greatly like to be with you
at the celebration of the bi-centennial anniversary of your dear
old church. I have an interest in, and love for that field which
can never die. The fresh dewy morning of my ministry dawned
there. There are souls there either brought to Jesus under vay
Ministry, or through the goodness of God quickened by it, whose
Christian lives, characteristics and graces, stand out with crys-
taline distinctness. There are certain hours and days, which, amid
the long procession of indistinguishable days, are radiant with
sacred memories. There are some of those precious Tuesday
evening Cottage prayer meetings, where the jjosition of indi-
viduals at the meeting, the expression of their faces, the words
spoken, and the songs we sang, are as clearly before me as if no
time had elapsed.
Faces which we shall see no more. Blessed ones anticipating us
in the joys of Heaven.
There are fields over which I strayed, bridges, leaning from
which, I quieted my disturbed soul in the sweet murmuring of the
1072 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
stream. There are certain points on the summit of those Orenaug-
rocks, from which I took in the unsurpassed loveliness of the
Woodbury valley, all of which are now, by the power of memory^
a part of my life, and which I would not willingly forget.
There was an impression made upon me in my pastorate there,
growing out of the old associations which enfolded rae, which, I
cannot help feeling, must be valuable to any laborer in that field*
Those three graves of Walker, Stoddard and Benedict, with their
flocks all folded about them, (for I think that I laid away to her
last resting place, the last member of the church under Pastor
Benedict), all seemed to tell me to be faithful. I could not help
the feeling that those old fathers were looking down with interest
upon the thread of their work which they had let drop, at death,
and which, in God's providence, after passing through various
faithful hands, I had taken up.
May God continue to bless that old First Church through all
the years until the bridegroom comes !
Present to the friends gathered there ray fraternal greetings^
and my sincere regrets, that in this case, I cannot be in two places
at once.
Believe me, my dear Brother, to be your attached friend now, a&
I was formerly your Pastor.
OHARLES E. ROBINSON.
Troy, N. Y., April 20th, 1870.
P. S. — Please send rae, if convenient, some account of your
gathering.
Letter o/Rev. Charles Little, of NebrasJca.
Lincoln, Nebraska, April 13th, 1870.
P. M. Trowbridge, Esq., Chairman of Co7nmittee.
Dear Brother : — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt
of your note of the 4th inst., inviting me to participate in the pro-
posed observance of the two hundredth anniversary of your church-
It would give me vei'y great pleasure to be present on that
occasion, there to renew the friendships of the past. Of the places
on earth, not few nor very many, to which memory delights to
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1073
return and to recall the sacred associations there formed, one of
the freshest and most cherished is Woodbury.
The parsonage, the office-study, the church, the lecture-room,
the domestic circles, the familiar fiices, the cemeteries, the hills
and valleys — these all come before me with dear remembrances.
Though my stay with you was short, yet I expect to enjoy the
fruits of it throughout eternity.
That old church — it ought to be greatly profitable for you to
rehearse its history for two hundred years.
The good which it has accomplished — there are many in heaven
who know more fully what that is than the Orators who will
address you.
That invisible company — those gone before ; I see no reason
why God may not commission them to be present ; how much
more deeply interesting will they "appear to those permitted to
behold them, than the crowds which in bodily presence will honor
the occasion.
Most gladly would I be with you then and there, but to go and
return would require a journey of three thousand miles, which is
more than I can perform at present.
Please present ray love and best wishes to all my friends, and
accept the assurance of ray earnest desire for the future prosperity
of the church.
I remain yours, in the bonds of the Gospel,
CHARLES LITTLE.
Letter of Rev. Philo Juuson, of Rocky Hill.
[Mr. Judsou was born in this church, and baptized tlie " eighth
day." He graduated in 1809; became a successful minister, and
it is said more than 1600 persons have been gatliered into the
churches in which he has labored, through his instrumentality.
He is now 90 years old.]
Rocky Hill, May 2d.
Br. Trowbridge :
Dear Sir : — O, I thank you for your very interesting and talented
letter. I am feeble, not able to go out ; been confined all winter ;
1074 HISTORY OE ASrCIENT WOODBURY.
do not go out now. I should be glad to be there ; it would do
my soul good. I hope I may have health to call on you at Wood-
bury. Your letter did my soul good. Head is much affected ;
severe cough.
Your letter took deep hold of my feelings. The Lord bless you.
Pray for me. Yours truly,
PHILO JUDSON.
\E':ii:tract from a recent letter loritten by Miss Charlotte R.
Andrew, daughter of the late Rev. Samuel R. Andrew of
JVew Haven.]
You ask for the date of my blessed father's death, and his age.
He was seventy-one, and died May 26, 1858. If it ever be per-
mitted the sj)irits of the departed to revisit their dear old homes
on earth, will it not be permitted him to unite on that anniversary
day with his beloved church in their service of praise and thanks-
giving to God '? I am almost sure he will be invisibly present.
At the close of reading the letters, a pleasing incident occurred.
During the collation at the Town Hall, a large and beautiful loaf
of cake, made by Mrs. Judson, wife of Deacon Truman Judsonj
bearing a miniature flag, labeled " Stratford," surrounded by
seven smaller loaves, bearing the names of the other churches
represented on the occasion, occupied the place af honor at the
principal table. This loaf was, at this point, presented by Rev.
Mr. Churchill, with appropriate remarks, to Rev. Mr. Hall, the
representative of the mother church, as a token of filial regard
from her daughter. Mr. Hall received the gift with some playful
and fitting remarks, and promised to be " faithful to his charge."
The closing prayer of the day was then made by the pastor :
And now, Gracious God, our Heavenly Father, from whom
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1075
Cometh every good and perfect gift, we bless Thee for casting our
lot in this land of civil and religious freedom, and for crowning
our lives with such signal tokens of Thy goodness. We praise
Thee for wise, virtuous, heroic Christian ancestors, and beseech
Thee that we may copy their example, and carry forward their
work. May we remember the word of our Puritan leader across
the sea, that more light is yet to break forth from Thy book.
May we realize that for us, greater achievements over self and the
world are possible — that higher goals of duty may be reached, and
richer trophies won for Christ. Therefore, forgetting the things
behind, and reaching forth unto those before, may we press toward
the mark of our high calling of God in Christ Jesus. May we
seek to be enrobed in all the virtues and graces of the Spirit, so as
to shed the purest light and exert the most benign influence upon
the world. May we all love and serve Thee, rememberiug that Ave
must soon stand before Thee, since we are strangers and sojourners
here, as were all our fathers. We thank Thee, O Lord, for this
bright and genial day, and for the interest and harmony attending
these exercises. May they conduce to the highest good of all, and
the glory of Thy name. And when one after another we are
called away from earth, may we come at last to the general assem-
bly and church of the fii'st-boru, which are written in Ileaven.
And to Thy great name, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, shall be all
the praise and glory forever. Amen.
At the close of the prayer, the benediction was pronounced, and
the delighted audience separated for their homes among the hills
and valleys, never again to meet in this old church on a like mem-
orable occasion.
We remark, in conclusion, that the results of a celebration
such as we have recorded, cannot but be vastly beneficial to the
Church whose history it celebrates, and the community in which
it is located. It recalls to the attention of all how taithful
in His promises to Plis chosen people is the Great Head of the
1076
HISTOEY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
Church. Few churches in the land can claim so remarable a
fulfillment of these " promises " as this revered old church. A
review of all these wonderful works for the long period of two
hundred years, brings forcibly to the mind, that we are a " cove-
nant people," and in the kind care of a " covenant-keeping God."
CHAPTER VI.
WOODBURY IN THE GREAT REBELLION OF 1861.
Causes of the "War; Events of 1860; Events of 1861; Events of 1862;
Events of 1863; Events of 1864; Events of 1865; The Return of
Peace; Reception of the returning braves; Their eagee return to the
pursuit of the peaceful occupations of private life ; Decoration day ;
Beautiful Ceremonies; Reflections.
" Ah never shall the land forget
How gushed the life-blood of her brave —
Gushed warm with hope and courage yet
Upon the soil they fought to save;
On fame's eternal camping ground
Their silent tents are spread,
And glory guards with solemn round
The bivouac of the dead."
/MILINGLY arose the sun of 1860 over
the ever increasing borders of this fair
land. For two hundred and forty years
from its first sad beginning amid the De-
cember bLists of a drear and deadly win-
ter, at Plymouth Rock, on the sterile
New England coasts, emerging soon to
light and prosperity, it had seemed to be the favored of heaven —
the hope of the world ! From a feeble band of adventurers, nur-
tured amid great vicissitudes, it had become a strong nation of
about thirty millions of souls. From a few hardy colonists, strag-
gling and scattered along a boundless ocean, it had become the
equal of the proudest nations in the world, occupying a continent
of limitless resources. Trade flourished, the busy hum of ma-
chinery was every where heard, agriculture gave rich rewards to
the toil of the husbandman, the arts and sciences had reached a
high perfection, and yielded rich fruits to the explorations of the
learned, while the proud sail of commerce whitened every sea,
1078 HISTOEY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
and gladdened every port in the most distant climes. We were
at peace with all the world, and were honored and respected in
all lands. At that date, this nation presented a spectacle, never
before attained, in the lapse of all the ages, in the knowledge and
intelligence of its people, the respect of the world for its power
and achievraents, and in all the elements that go to make up a
prosperous and glorious national life.
But to this lair picture of peace and prosperity, there was a re-
verse side. A foul blot stained our fair escutcheon — a festering
and deadly sore existed on the otherwise healthy surface of the
body politic. A curse, a blight, unmitigated and cancerous, forced
upon the feeble colonists by the guilty greed of the mother coun-
try, while the new land was in its infancy, with ever increasing
fatality and doom, Avas eating out the national life ; and so dark-
ening the face of high heaven, that scarcely the prayer of faith
could pierce the ever deepening gloom, or the pure incense of con-
trite devotion reach the veiled throne of the Great Disposer of all
the affairs of men. The curse of Slavery had settled down upon
the land, and obscured every rational hope of removal, while its
insidious fangs reached out in the darkness, withering every noble
hope, and every aspiration after the true, and the beautiful, in all
our moral heavens. Society succumbed to iffs deadly blast, politi-
cal parties bent the subservient, suppliant knee, and there was no
healthy vitality in the churches, erected to the service of the
Most High God, to prevent their rending asunder, before the all-
consuming -wrath of the slave-breeder, the slave-trader, and that
most cruel fiend, who dared to consign his own flesh and blood to
wicked, damnable bondage, more ghastly and deplorable than
death itself. So thoroughly had this withering curse poisoned the
life-blood of the nation, that the whole body politic stood, trem-
bling in awe before a few thousand slave-holders, so far sunk in
bestiality, that they could place the beautiful daughter of their
wicked and unbridled passions, in disgraceful nudity, upon the
auction block, to be sold into a slavery of soul and body, a thou-
sand fold more hopeless and loathsome than the condition of
the field hand, and this, too, almost in sight of her sisters, born
in lawful wedlock- The good, the true, the beautiful, the wise, as
well as the wicked and vile, yielded a forced submission to the be-
hests of this remorseless demon. They yielded to a system con-
demned by the early fathers of the republic — an institution, the
contemplation of which had wrung from the slave-holding Jefier-
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY 1079
son the heart-felt exclamation! "I tremble for my country, when
I remember that God is justn Well might he, or any other
thoughtful observer, tremble ; for the whole country since his day
has trembled, and been shaken, from center to circumference.
What was this fell institution of slavery ? It was the " old,
old story" of oppression and wrong, — of a privileged class, and a
servile class. It was the old struggle between aristocrat privilege
on the one side, and democratic freedom on the other. Our fa-
thers had crossed an ocean three thousand miles wide, abandoning
homes and possessions, exiling themselves to the wilderness of a
new world, struggling with famine, savage foes, and hardships
of every kind, to found a republic in which all men under the
nsgis of the law, should be free and equal. They resolved there
should be no privileged class. Education was to be diftused
among all alike. The poor and the rich were to be alike eligible
to all offices of trust, honor and emolument.
" Our Constitution, in its spirit and legitimate utterance, is
doubtless the noblest document which ever emanated from the
mind of man. It contains not one word hostile to liberty. Even
now, with the light of three-fourths of a century shed upon its
practical workings, it requires not the change of a paragraph to
make it true to humanity.
"But yet ingloriously, guiltily, under sore temptation, we con-
sented to use one phrase susceptible of double meaning, " held to
labor." These honest words, at the North mean a hired man, an
apprentice. At the South they mean a slave, feudal bondage. So
small, apparently so insignificant, were those seeds sown in our
Constitution which have resulted in such a harvest of misery. A
privileged class at the South assumed that by these words the
Constitution recognized domestic slavery, and the right of prop-
erty in man. With persistence never surpassed, the Slaveholders
of the South endeavored to strengthen and extend their aristo-
cratic institution, which was dooming ever increasing millions to
life-long servitude and degradation. All wealth was rapidly be-
ing accumulated in the hands of the privileged few, who owned
their fellow men as property. The poor whites, destitute of em-
ployment, unable to purchase negroes, and regarding labor, which
was mostly performed by slaves, in their region, as degrading,
were fast sinking into a state of almost bestail misery.
" The sparse population which Slavery allowed, excluded church-
es, schools and villages. Immense plantations of many thousand
1080 HISTORY OF ANCIEJ^T WOODBURY.
acres, tilled sometimes by a thousand slaves, driven to their toil
by a few overseers, consigned the whole land to apparent solitude.
The log hut of the overseer was surrounded by the miserable cab-
ins of the negroes, and in the workshops of the North all the rude
implements of their toil were manufactured. The region of the
Southern country generally presented an aspect of desolation
which Christendom could no where else parallel. The Slavehold-
ers, ever acting as one man, claimed the right of extending this
institution over all the free territories of the United States. Free
labor and Slave labor can not exist together. The New England
farmer can not work with his sons in fields surrounded by negro
bands, where labor is considered degrading, where his wife and
daughters find no genial society, no education, none of the insti-
tutions of religion, none of the appliances and resources of high
civilization which freedom secures. The admission of slavery to
the Territories effectually excluded freemen from them. The in-
troduction to those vast realms of a privileged class, who were to
live in luxury i;pon the unpaid labor of the masses, rendered it
impossible that men cherishing the sentiment of republican equal-
ity should settle there. Our whole theory of the emigration and
settlement in this country was, that the humblest should be as free
as the highest. That the poor man should be as much entitled to
the just rewards of his daily toil, as the senator to draw his sal-
ary for holding a seat in Congress, or the President to draw his
pay for presiding over the destinies of the nation.
" How just this democratic principle, over arching, as with a
sunny sky, all humanity ! This was the contemplated corner stone
of our Hepublic. This was the democracy, sacred, heaven-born,
which Jesus taught, and over which our national banner, of the
Stars and Stripes, was intended to be unfurled. But Satan sent
the serpent of aristocratic usurpation into our Eden, to wilt its
flowers and poison its fruit. The execrable spirit, in the most
malignant form it had ever developed, came over here, demanding-
that the rich should live in splendor at the expense of the poor.
The rich man's boots were to be polished, as in old baronial Eu-
rope, and the poor boy who blacked them was to have no pay.
The rich man's coach was to roll luxuriously through the streets,
and his linen to be washed, and his fields to be tilled, while the
coachman, the laborer and the washerwoman, were to be defraud-
ed of their wages.
" The daughter of the rich man, with cultured mind and pol
H I S T O K Y OF A X C I E N T W O O D B U K Y . 1081
ished address, was to move through saloons of magnificence, robed
in fabrics of almost celestial texture, while the daughter of the
poor man, dirty and ragged, .and almost naked, with one single
garment scarce covering her person, w^as to toil in the field from
morning till night, and from youth till old age and death, that her
aristocratic sister, very probably in blood relationship) her half-
sister, the child of the same father, might thus cultivate her mind
and decorate her person.^
" This is a very attractive state of affairs to the aristocrat, tread-
ing velvet carpets, beneath gilded ceilings, and drinking priceless
wines. But it dooms such farmer's boys as Daniel Webster, Henry
Clay, Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln, to spend their lives
in digging in the ditch, when God has endowed them with ener-
gies to guide the destinies of nations. And they will not consent
to tliis philosopliy."
In discussing this question during the first year of the war, be-
fore the abolition of slavery, an eloquent writer says '}
I was once walking through the magnificent saloons of Ver-
sailles, the most gorgeous ol all earthly palaces, with an American
lady by my side. As we passed through the brilliant suite of
apartments, three hundred in number, with fresco, and gilding,
and gorgeous paintings; — as we stepped out upon the parterre,
and drove through the graveled walks of the park, originally
S])reading over thirty thousand acres, with groves, lawns, foun-
tains, lakes, brooks, artificial crags, jets d'eaux, and a wilderness
of statuary, my young lady friend said :
" Oh ! I wish we had an aristocracy, and a king, and a court."
*' Silly girll Had she lived in the days of Louis XV., when a
nation was robbed to minister to the voluptuousness of the aris-
tocracy, she would have been a poor peasant girl, barefooted
and bareheaded, in linsey woolsey fi'ock, toiling with the hoe in
the field. Her father was a poor farmer's boy, who left the plow
and went to the city, and there, through the influence of the law
of equal rights for all, acquired that wealth and position, which
enabled his daughter, refined in manners and cultivated in mind,
to take the tour of Europe.
" This question of a privileged class has nothing to do with
color. The slavery of the Bible, whatever its character, was not
Negro slavery. The slaves were, almost without exception, white
men. The slavery, which it is said our Saviour did not condemn
1 Abbott's History of the Civil War in America.
1082 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
in the New Testament, was not Negro slavery. The slaves of the
Roman empire were almost universally whites, prisoners of war.
If the New Testament sanctions this slavery, then would it be
right to sell into bondage every Southern prisoner taken in this
war. Many a Southern gentlemen might find himself scouring
knives in a Northern kitchen, with some devout clergyman preach-
ing to him affectionately the doctrine, " Slave, obey your master.'^
This was Roman slavery. Julius Caesar himself was at one time
a captive and a slave, and was compelled to purchase his freedom.
"The slavery of this country is not Negro slavery. A large
number of the slaves, both men and women, can with difficulty be
distinguished from white persons. The process of amalgamation
has, for a long time, been going on so rapidly in the South, that,
over large extents of country, the great majority of the slaves
have more Caucasian than Ethiopic blood in their veins. Thou-
sands of boys and girls, toiling in cotton-fields of the South, are
the sons and daughters of Southern gentlemen of high position.
Many a young lady has been the belle of the evening at Newport
or Saratoga, whose half-sister, the daughter by the same father,
has earned her laces and brocade, by toiling from dawn to eve in
the Negro gang. Many of the most beautiful women at the
South are these unfortunate daughters of aristocratic sires, in
whose veins lingers but that slight trace of Ethiopic blood, which
gives a golden richness to the hue. There is nothing but slavery
which will so debauch the conscience, that a father will sell his
own daughter, as a " fancy girl," to the highest bidder.
" The great question which has culminated in this desperate
war, has been simply this : " Shall there be, in the United States,,
an aristocratic class, maintained by the Constitution, who are to
enjoy exclusive privileges, living upon the proceeds of the toil of
others, while there is a defrauded class of laborers, excluded from
education, and doomed to perpetual poverty ?"
This is, in a single sentence, a clear statement of the sole cause
of the late unhappy and disastrous civil war. The volume.-^ that
have been written by clergy and laity, and the oceans of argu-
ment that have been expended upon this subject, have never given
a clearer idea of all this great woe — this unlimited amount of hu-
man suffering and wanton waste of the late extended and bloody
conflict. The people of the south hugged the monster evil in a
loving embrace. Conscientious people at the north loathed the
institution, but it was, as they thought, protected by the clause
HISTORY OF ANCIBNT WOODBURY. 1083
in the Constitution to which allusion has been made, and being
lovers of that great charter of their liberties, they yielded to it a
wilding obedience, even with this most distasteful and contradic-
tory interpretation. There were none in the north to suggest in-
terference with the hated institution where it existed, save a small
band of abolitionists. But there was violent opposition, and in-
superabla repugnance to extending slavery into the free territories
of the Union. Occasional struggles on the subject of extension,
and a trial of the power of the respective theories, had been car-
ried on with great bitterness for many years. The slave propa-
gandists had long been quietly feeling their way, laying all their
plans with one intent, and waiting only opportunity and sufficient
strength to burst forth with irresistible fury, and establish a
great slave empire in the face, and to the astonishment of, the
civilized world.
" This is what the slaveholders have demanded. They said that
the Constitution favored freedom, — free speech, a free press, free
labor, free soil, and free men, and demanded that the Constitution
should be changed, to maintain the exclusive claims of an aristo-
cratic class, and to strengthen their hold upon their slaves. The
one incessant cry has been, ' Abjure your democratic constitution,
which favors equal rights for all men, and give us, in its place, an
aristocratic constitution, which will secure the rights of a priv-
ileged class.' They insisted that the domestic slave trade should
be nurtured, and the foreign slave trade opened ; saying, in the
coarse and vulgar language of one of the most earnest advocates
of slavery, * the North can import jackasses from Malta ; let the
South then import Niggers from Africa.' They demanded the
right to extend slavery over all the Territories of the United
States, the right to hold their slaves in all States of the Union
temporarily ; that speaking or writing against slavery in any State
in the Union should be a penal offense ; that the North should
catch their fugitive slaves, and send them back to bondage ; and
that the Administration of the General Government should be
placed in the hands of those only whom the South could trust, as
the pledged enemies of republican equality, and the friends of
slavery.'
" The reply of the overwhelming majority of the people of the
United States was decisive. ' We will not,' they said, ' thus change
the Constitution of our fathers. We will abide by it as it is.'
" ' Then,' replied the slaveholders, * we will dash this Union to
16
1084 HISTORY OF ANCIENT -WOODBURY.
pieces. From its fragments we will construct another, whose cor-
ner-stone shall be slavery.' "
"It will be difficult for future generations to credit the barbar-
ism into which slavery degraded the human heart in the South.
In several of the Southern States, laws were enacted declaring
that all the free colored people who did not leave the State within
a given time, should be sold into slavery. And how are these
poor creatures, from Mississippi or Louisiana, to escape their aw-
ful doom, the most awful that can befall a mortal, — slavery for
themselves and their offspring, forever ? Here is a little family,
perhaps a Christian family, with but a slight admixture of African
blood in their veins. They are poor, friendless, uninstructed.
They must run the gauntlet of the Slave States, Alabama, Geor-
gia, the Carolinas, Virginia, where they are evet-y moment liable
to be arrested as fugitives, thrown into prison, and after being
kept there for a few months, and no one appearing to claim them,
they are to be sold as slaves, the proceeds of the sale to be cast
into the public treasury. Can tyranny perpetrate a more atrocious
crime? And what is the excuse for this outrage so unparalleled
in the legislation of Christendom ? It is simply that the enslaving
of the free is necessary to enable the slaveholders to keep in sub-
jection those already in bondage. In view of this execrable sys-
tem of despotism, Thomas Jefferson says, —
"What an incomprehensible machine is man! who can endure
toil, famine, stripes, imprisonment, and death itself in vindication
of his own liberty; and the next moment be deaf to all those mo-
tives whose power supported him through his trial, and inflict on-
his fellow man a bondage, one hour of which is fraught with more
misery than ages of that which he rose in rebellion to oppose."
In order to secure a full equality, or balance of power, for the
handful of slaveholders in the United States, Senator Hunter of
Virginia demanded that there should be " two Pre'^'idents chosen,
one by the slaveholding South, and the other by the Xorth, and
that no act should be valid unless approved by both Presidents.
The number of slaveholders in the United States did not exceed
three hundred thousand. The whole population of the country
was about thirty millions. The whole population of the South
was but about eight millions. Vast multitudes of these were poor
whites, who could neither read nor Avrite, and were in beggarly
poverty. These ignorant creatures were almOst entirely at the
beck of the slaveholders. Thus this amendment to the constitu-
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1085
tion was designed to give three hundred thousand slaveholders a
veto upon all the acts of the General Government. In the further
carrying out of this plan, he demanded that the United States
Supreme Court should consist of ten members, five to be chosen
by the little band of slaveholders, and the other half by the mill-
ions of freemen."
The slaveholders also demanded that their slaves, who, feeling
the inate desire for freedom planted in the human breast, escaped
to the free air of the colder North, should be seized by the citi-
zens of the Xorth, who abhorred the institution, and returiicd to
eternal bondage, a thousand times worse than death. They were
to pursue them with the whole community, if necessary, that they
might thus be returned to torture. Many sad instances of this
occurred, harrowing the conscientious mind of the whole north.
In the entire South no man with Northern thoughts of freedom,
was safe for a moment, in life, or property. There was nothing
so sacred that a slaveholder was bound to regard, if a fellow-
citizen thought, in his inmost heart a word against the mon-
strous demands of slavery. Stripes, lynching and death were the
only reward for a free thought, in this regard.
" Future ages will find it almost impossible to believe that any
enlightened man could be found, in America, to defend a system
inevitably involving such atrocities. And yet it is a marvelous
fact, that slavery found no more determined supporters than
fimong the so-callod Christian ministers of the South ; and the
women surpassed the men in the bitter and unrelenting spirit with
which they clung to the institution. Those facts which harrowed
the soul of the North, seena to have excited not an emotion in the
heart of the slaveholding Sputh. These Christian ministers took
the ground, that Slavery was a divine institution. The Rev. Dr.
Palmer, of New Orleans, one of the most distinguished of the
Presbyterian clergymen of the South, declared it to be the espe-
cial mission of the Southern churches, ' to preserve and transmit
our existing' system of domestic servitude, with the right, unchal-
lenged by man, to go and root itself wherever Providence and na-
ture may carry it.'
"The professedly Christian minister who uttered these senti-
ments, was familiar with all the atrocities of slavery. The slave
shambles, where men,' women and children were sold at auction,
were ever open," almost' beneath the* shadow of his church spire.
Maidens, who had professed the name of Christ, and whose mark-
1086 HISTORY OF ANCIBNT WOODBURY.
et value depended upon their beauty, were sold to the highest
bidder within sound of his church choir. Families were sold in
the slave market of New Orleans, parents and children, husbands
and wives separated, just as mercilessly as if they were sheep or
or cows. And yet the Christianity of the South had become so
degenerate, through the influence of slavery, that a Presbyterian
minister, and sustained apparently by his whole church, represents
the institution as one of divine approval, and one which it is the
principal mission of the Southern church to maintain and extend.'*
The Hon. A. H. Stevens, of Georgia, vice-President of the Con-
federacy, said, in a speech made at Savannah, March, 1861 : —
"The prevailing ideas entertained by Jefferson, and most of the
leading Statesmen, at the time of the formation of the old Con-
stitution, were, that the enslavement of the African was in viola-
tion of the laws of nature : that it was wrong in principle, socially,
morally, and politically. Those ideas were, however, fundamen-
tally wrong. Our new government is founded on exactly the op-
posite idea. Its foundations are laid, its corner-stone rests upon
the great truth, that the Negro is not equal to the white man ;
that slavery, subordination to the superior race, is his natural con-
dition. Our Confederacy is founded upon principles in strict con-
formity with these laws. This stone, which was rejected by the
first builders, ' is become the chief-stone of the corner in our new
edifice.' "
Such is a very imperfect statement of some of the prominent
aspects and demands of the wicked institution of slavery. It
poisoned the life blood of its supporters, and eradicated from their
hearts every vestige of morality and religion. It not only did
this for its advocates, but it demanded that the pure and untainted,
the legions of the free North, should become the lovers and de-
fenders of the hateful and baleful institution, and become more
meanly the slaves of the aristocrats of this " curse of God," than
the ignorant, ** dirt-eating poor whites," and the chattels over
whom they held supreme sway. Of course, educated, intelligent,
conscientious men would not submit to this, and hence arose the
inevitable conflict.
The celebrated writer. Rev. John S. C. Abbott, in discussing
this subject, has so tersely summed up the remaining causes which
made the rebellion inevitable, in his admirable " History of the
Civil War in America," that it is here inserted, as being better
HISTORY OF AN'OIENT WOODBURY. 108*7
than any account the author can furnish within the limits of this
work : —
" By one of the compromises of the Constitution which slavery
had exacted, and which, instead of being a compromise, was a
bald concession, the slaves of the South, though deemed there
merely as property, were allowed to be counted in the Congres-
sional representation, five slaves being equivalent to three white
men. Thus, John Jacob Astor, with a property of twenty mil-
lions at the North, had but one vote. But the Southern phnter
had his property represented in Congress. The slaveholder, with
800 slaves, valued at less than one million, was equal in his repre-
sentation in Congress to 480 free Northernei's. He held in his
own hand the votes of these 480 men, who, in his own view, and
so far as the rights of freemen are concerned, were no more men
than the horses and the oxen in Northern barns.
"The North felt the humiliation of this arrangement, and yet
were not at all disposed to disturb it. They would abide by the
Constitution. But the) were unalterably resolved that such an
arrangement should not extend any further. The practical opera-
tion of this "compromise" was this. The six slaveholding Gulf
States, by the census of 1860, contained 2,311,260 free white citi-
zens. The single Free State of Ohio contained 2,339,599 citizens.
And yet Ohio could send but eighteen representatives to Con-
gress, while the slaveholders could send twenty-eight. In addi-
tion to all this, the slaveholders of these States were represented
by twelve Senators, while the free citizens of Ohio were repre-
sented but by two. And yet the energies of freedom so infinitely
surpass those of slavery, that the free North was perfectly willing
to abide by these "compromises" of the Constitution, being fully
conscious that, even with all these advantages in favor of slavery,
freedom would eventually win the day.
" The slaveholders were equally conscious of the fact. They saw
the tide of free emigration rolling rapidly over the prairies of the
West, and new States carved our with almost miraculous rapidity.
It was evident that, under the natural workings of the Constitu-
tion, the votes of freemen would soon entirely outnumber those
of a privileged and aristocratic class, and therefore they resolved
to dissolve the Union, break up the Constitution, and reconstruct
the Government upon a basis which should continue the power
they had so long exercised, in their own hands.
1088 HISTORY OF ANOIEXr WOODBURY.
"By the same census of 1860, the total population of the Free
States and Territories was 21,816,952. The free white population
of the eleven States which soon raised the standard of rebellion,
was 5,581,630. This was the trouble. Slavery had drifted into
the minority. It was circumscribed and prohibited expansion by
the votes of freemen. Under these circumstances the South
would listen to no "compromise," which was not capitulation.
They demanded the reorganization of the Government, upon a
basis which would give slavery the preponderating power.
" Neither was it possible to permit them to depart. Five millions
demanded that twenty-one millions should surrender to them the
Capital at Washington, with all its historic associations and treas-
ures. They demanded the mouths of the Mississippi, which the
nation had purchased at a vast expense, that the boundless regions
of the North West, where hundreds of millions must eventually
dwell, might have free access to the ocean. They demanded all
the forts on the Southern Atlantic coast, &nd in the Gulf of Mex-
ico, forts essential to the protection of the ever increasing com-
merce of the North. They demanded permission to drive, with
the energies of fire and sword, all loyal men out of the border
States of Maryland, Kentucky, Missouri, and out of Western Vir-
ginia, that those States might be forced to unite themselves with
the Southern Confederacy. They demanded that slavery should
be considered an equal partner with freedom, and that the Terri-
tories of the United States, and the Navy, and the Treasury,
should be divided equally between them. They demanded a
treaty, by which we should return every slave who should escape
to our free land. They avowed their intention of establishing free
trade with foreign nations, by which they could draw all importa-
tion to their ports, flood the land with goods smuggled across a
frontier fifteen hundred miles in length, and render it almost im-
possible to protect any domestic manufactures, or to collect by
customs our national revenue.
" Never before in the history of this world, were demands made
so exorbitant and so insolent. The slaveholder, accustomed to
plantation manners, and regarding himself as the representative of
chivalry, ever assumed on the floor of Congress the airs of a master,
greatly to the disgust of all well-bred men.
"It was impossible to yield to either of his demands. More than
twenty millions of people could not, at the dictation of five mil-
lions, trample their free Constitution in the dust, and accept, in its
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1089
Stead, one framed by the slaveholder, based on the corner-stone
of human bondage. Neither could such a nation, without self-
degradation, without meriting the scorn of the world, surrender
its Capital, half of its Territories, half of its iSTavy, its most im-
portant harbors and fortifications, the mouths of its most majestic
stream, which, with its tributaries, drains millions of square miles
of free soil, and surrender hundreds of thousands of loyal citizens
in the border States to pillage, violence, and exile. The demands
of the slaveholders rendered peace impossible, upon any other
terms than the unconditional capitulation of freedom to slavery.
" Let us, for a moment, contemplate more fully this demand of
the slaveholders, that the United States should recognize them as
a foreign power, and surrender to them the mouths of the Missis-
sippi, that wonderful river, which, with its numberless tributaries,
makes the great central basin of our continent the most attractive
spot upon the globe. In 1763, the ancient province, called Loui-
siana, was sold by France to Spain. Even then the sparse popu-
lation of our great Xorth West were intensely excited in view of
the possibility of a foreign power being able to close the mouths
of their noble river, and thus cut them off from all access to the
sea.
"Napoleon, with the wonderful foi'esight which marked his gen-
ius, seeking to establish colonies which would enable France to
compete with her rival, England, in commercial greatness, pur-
chased the regal colony in the year 1800. Immediately the enei'-
gies of the Napoleonic empire were developed upon these shores.
This greatly increased the alarm of the thousands of settlers who
were reai-ing their cabins upon the banks of those tributaries,
whose only outlet was by the channel at New Orleans. The
power of Napoleon was such, that no force America could use
would avail to wrest these provii]ces from his grasp. His politi-
cal wisdom and energy were such, that a vigorous empire would
surely soon rise, spreading over all those fertile plains, extending
from the right of the Mississippi to the ancient halls of the Mou-
tezumas. And thus the boundless North West could only gain
access to the commerce of the world, by bowing its flag suppli-
catingly to a foreign power.
" In this crisis, when the fate of America was trembling in the
balance, Providence interposed in our behalf England, jealous of
the greatness to which the arts of j^eace were elevating France,
rudely broke the piece of Amiens, and renewed the war to crush
1090 HISTOKT OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
Napoleon. England, with her Navy, omnipotent at sea, would
have immediately seized upon this magnificent territory. To pro-
tect it from the grasp of England, and to aid in building up a
maratime power in the West, which might eventually prove a
check upon the British fleet, Napoleon opened negotiations with
America, for the sale of the whole province of Louisiana, with
boundaries then quite indefinitely settled. Mr. Monroe was sent
to France, to conduct the negotiation in association with Chancel-
lor Livingston, then our resident minister at the court of the Tu-
illeries. The population of the United States was then but
5,000,000. And yet eagerly we made the purchase at $15,000,000,
representing a burden upon the population equal to $90,000,000, at
the present day.
"Thus we obtained, half a century ago, this majestic territory,
equal in size to one half of Europe. Many States and Territories
have already been carved from the acquisition. The tide of emi-
gration is constantly and rapidly pouring into those fertile plains,
washed by the upper tributaries of the Mississippi and the Mis-
souri, and already there is a population there of 10,000,000. Be-
fore the close of this century, this population will be doubled,
probably trebled. The whole region between the Alleghanies and
the Rocky mountains, that almost boundless valley, soon to teem
with hundreds of millions, finds its only outlet to the sea through
the mouths of the Mississippi, by the gates of New Orleans.
" And yet the slaveholders of the comparatively insignificant
State of Louisiana, with a free white population of but 3*76,913,
scarcely a third of that of the City of New York alone, and 70,000
of whose adults can neither read nor write, had the audacity to
claim the right to secede from the Union, establish themselves as
a foreign nation, and unfurl over the forts at the mouths of the
Mississippi a foreign banner; which the millions dwelling in the
great Mississippi bas in could only pass by the consent of her guns.
The United States could, by no possibility, stoop to such dishonor.
The Hon. Edward Everett, in the following words, has very for-
cibly presented this question in its true light : —
" Louisiana, a fragment of this colonial empire, detached from
its main portion, and first organized as a State, undertakes to se-
cede from the LTiiion, and thinks by so doing, she will be allowed,
by the Government and people of the United States, to revoke
this imperial transfer, to disregard this possession and occupation
of sixty years, to repeal this law of nature and of God ; and she
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1091
fondly believes, that ten millions of the Free people of the Union
will allow her and her seceding brethren to open and shut the
portals of this mighty region at their pleasure. They may do so,
and the swarming millions, which throng the course of these noble
streams and their tributaries, may consent to exchange the char-
ter, which they hold from the God of Heaven, for a bit of parch-
ment signed at Montgomery or Richmond — but it will be when
the Alleghanies and the Rocky Mountains, which form the eastern
and western walls of the imperial valley, shall sink to the level of
of the sea, and the Mississippi and the Missouri flow back to their
fountains."
Senator Douglas presented the folly of this pretended right of
secession in a very forcible light, and with logic which no honest
mind can resist.
"The President," said he, '' has recommended that we should
purchase Cuba. According to this doctrine of the right of seces-
sion, we might pay $300,000,000 for Cuba, and then, the next day,
Cuba might secede, and reiinnex herself to Spain !" Volumes
could not more conclusively show the absurdity of such a notion.
The Presidential election drew nigh, when the question was to
be decided, whether the Government of the United States was to
be administered upon the principle of rendering all possible sup-
port to the maintenance and extension of slavery, or whether the
energies of the Government should lend all its constitutional sup-
port to foster freedom. There were four candidates in the field.
Mr. Lincoln, the republican candidate, was openly pledged to re-
sist the extension of slavery. In emphatic utterance, which ex-
ceedingly exasperated the slaveholders, he said : —
" The central idea in our political system at the beginning was,
and until recently continued to be, the equality of men. In what
I have done, I can not claim to have acted from any peculiar con-
sideration for the colored people, as a separate and distinct class
in the community, but from the simple conviction, that all the in-
dividuals of that class are members of the community, and, in
virtue of their manhood, entitled to every original right enjoyed
by any other member. We feel, therefore, that all legal distinc-
tions between individuals of the same community, founded in any
such circumstances as color, origin, and the like, are hostile to the
genius of our institutions, and incompatible with the true history
of American liberty. Slavery and oppression must cease, or
American liberty must perish. True democracy makes no inquiry
1092 HISTORY OF ANCIEiSTT WOODBURY.
about t^e color of the skin, or place of nativity, or any other sim-
ilar circumstance of condition. I regard, therefore, the exclusion
of the colored people, as a body, from the eleclive franchise, as
incompatible with the true democratic principle."
While stating these as his political principles, he at the same
time avowed that Congress had no constitutional right to inter-
fere with slavery in those States where it existed, but that it was
both the right and the duty of Congress to prohibit slavei'y in all
the United States Territories.
John C. Breckenridge was the candidate of the slaveholders,
pledged to administer the Government, in the most effectual way,
to nurture and to give increasing political power to the institu-
tion of slavery. There were two other candidates, Stephen A.
Douglas, and John Bell, who were supported by those who wish-
ed to effect some compromise, and who were ready, for the sake
of avoiding civil war, to make very great concessions to the South.
" The Presidential election took place on the same day, the 6th
of November, 1860, throughout all the United States. The polls
were closed at sundown. The votes were counted by midnight ;
and in seven hours, through the marvels of the Telegraph, the
eventful result was flashed through the whole breadth of the land,
excepting California, embracing points more than three thousand
miles apart. The ^iopular vote for Electors stood, 1,857,610 for
Lincoln; 1,365,976 for Douglas; 847,953 for Breckenridge, and
591,613 for Bell. This vote, according to the Constitution, gave
seventeen States out of thirty-three for Lincoln ; eleven for Breck-
inridge : three for Bell ; and one, Missouri, with three-sevenths of
New Jersey, for Douglass. Though Mr. Douglas had so many
votes scattered throughout the United States, as in but one State
he had a majority, they availed him nothing.
"The Electoral vote of each State, carefully sealed, is conveyed
to Washington, and there, in the Hall of the House of Represent-
atives, the members of the Senate being present, the votes are
counted, and the remit announced. At 10 o'clock in the morning
of the 15th of February, 1861, Pennsylvania Avenue was throng-
ed with crowds pressing towards the Capitol. It was a season of
great excitement, for the day after the election it was perfectly
known what the announcement would be ; and the slaveholders,
molding the passions of the masses of the South at their will, had
uttered many threats, that the announcement should not be made^
and that the Government should be broken up in a row. Wash-
H 1 S T O K Y OF ANCIENT A^' O O D B U K Y 1093
ington was a slaveholdi ng city, in the midst of a slaveholdiiig re-
gion, and any number of desperadoes could be summoned there,
at a few hours' notice, from Maryland and Virginia.
" James Buchanan, an intimidated old man, was then in the Pres-
idential chair, having been placed there as the candidate of the
slaveholders, and the nation could place but little reliance, in that
crisis, upon his efficiency and reposed but little confidence in his
patriotism. But, providentially, General Winfield Scott, the vet-
eran and universally revered head of the American army, had
drawn to the Capital the batteries which won the field at Buena
Vista. Their frowning guns, ready to sweep the streets, overawed
the conspirators. At 12 o'clock, Mr. Pennington, Speaker of the
House, called the House to order, when the Chaplain, Rev. Thomas
Stockton, ofl:ered an impressive prayer, closing with the following
words : —
"Bless the outgoing Administration. May it close its labors in
peace, without further violence, and without any stain of blood.
And we pray for the incoming Administration ; that thy blessing
may rest on the President elect, in his journey hitherward ; that
thy good Providence may be around him day and night, guarding
and guiding him at every step ; and we pray, that he may be
peacefully and happily inaugarated, and afterwards, by pure, wise,
and prudent counsels, that he may administer the Government in
such a manner, as that thy name may be glorified, and the welfare
of the people, in all their relations, be advanced, and that our ex-
ample of civil and religious liberty may be followed in all the
world."
" A message was then sent, informing the Senate that the House
was waiting to receive them, in order that, in joint body, the Elec-
toral votes might be opened and counted. As the Senate entered
the Hall of Representatives, the House rose, and remained stand-
ing until the Senators took their seats in a semi-circular range
before the Speaker' s desk. Vice-President Breckinridge, who
was one of the candidates for the Presidency, and who, by virtue
of the office he held, presided over the Senate, took his seat at the
right of the Speaker. As soon as order was restored, Vice-Pres-
ident Breckinridge rose, and said : —
" We have assembled, pursuant to the Constitution, in order
that the electoral votes may be counted, and the result declared
for President and Vice-President, for the term commencing on
the 4th of March, 1861 ; and it is made my duty, under the Con-
1094 HISTORT OF ANCIENT WOODBURT.
stitution, to open the certificates of election in the presence of
the two Houses, and I now proceed to the performance of that
duty." He then took the package of each State, one after the
other, broke the seal, and handed it to the Tellers to be counted.
"The scene then and there presented, was one which has never
been paralleled in the United States. The galleries were crowded
with the most distinguished personages in the land, who had been
drawn, by the momentous occasion, to the city. Some looked
cheerful and hopeful ; some, with compressed lips, were pale and
anxious ; while many notorious conspirators were seen in groups,
gloomy and threatening. There was deathly silence as the result
was announced, which was as follows : One hundred and eighty
votes were cast for Abraham Lincoln. Seventy-two for John C.
Breckinridge. Thirty-nine for John Bell. Twelve for Stephen
A. Douglas. This gave Abraham Lincoln a majority of fifty-
seven over all the other candidates. Whereupon the Vice-Presi-
dent, rising, said : —
" Abraham Lincoln, of Illinois, having received a majority of
the whole number of Electoral votes, is duly elected President of
the United States, for the four years commencing on the 4th of
March, 1861. And Hannibal Hamlin, of Maine, having received
a majority of the whole number of Electoral votes, is duly elected
Vice-President for the same term."
" He then announced, that the business being completed, for
which the two Houses had assembled, the Senate would return to
their own chamber. The members of the House rose, and re-
mained standing until the Senators had left the Hall. The five
thousand spectators crowding the galleries silently retired, and
Abraham Lincoln stood forth before the world, the constitution-
ally elected President of the United States.
By means of the telegraph, it was known throughout the Union,
on the 7th of November, 1860, the day after the election, that
Abraham Lincoln had been elected President of the United States.
This result had been perfectly foreseen and foretold, ever since the
several presidential nominations. The slaveholders had insisted
on such a platform and presidential candidate, that no political
party could yield to their demands, and live as a party, for a mo-
ment. They deliberately drove the democratic party to a double
nomination, Douglass and Breckenridge. for the avowed purpose
of electing the Northern candidate, who was especially nominated
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY 1096
on the platform of freedom, which at that time contemplated
nothing further than to prevent the extension of slavery into ter-
ritory then free. The slaveholders, for a long series of years, had
laid all their plans, and used their best endeavors to bring about
a crisis, such as had now arrived, unless they could, inside of the
general government, mould it to its own views, and make it the
perpetual defender of the institution of slavery. Yet these un-
scrupulous upholders of this most inhumanly vile institution, made
the fact of the election of a Northern man as President, the pre-
text for secession and the disruption of the government, and for
commencing the most causeless and cruel civil war, that ever
afflcted any civilized nation.
Lincoln was elected in November, but he could not enter upon
the execution of the duties of his office till the 4th of March fol-
lowing. In the mean time, the General Government was thor-
oughly in the hands of the slaveholders. They had still four
months, in which they could make all their preparations, and
launch their daring conspiracy upon the startled country. Never
did villains work with greater zeal, or more effectually. James
Buchanan, the President of the United States, had been elected
to office on a platform dictated by the slaveholders, pledging him
to pursue the general policy required by them. He was surround-
ed by men of far greater ability than himself, and he dared not
assert his independence, and stand by the flag of his country. He
was like a babe, in the fatal embrace of the conspirators.
The majority of his cabinet were unscrupulous and arrant reb-
els and knaves. In their hands he was *' like a reed shaken in the
wind." In his feebleness and vacilation of mind, he was, " as
clay in the hands of the potter" — they moulded him at will.
Howell Cobb, a slaveholder of Georgia, was Secretary of the
Treasury. Wien he entered upon his office, the treasury was full,
to overflowing, and the nation was in the full tide of prosperity.
It was very necessary, to the full success of the conspirators, that
it should be depleted — that the incoming administration should
find the treasury beggared, and thus it would be without pecun-
iary means to resist a rebellion. This was accomplished in an in-
credibly short space of time. When the new administration came
into power, it found an empty chest. More than six millions of
dollars were stolen, and no doubt went into the treasury of the
rebels. The Treasury being thus rendered harmless to the rebel-
lion, Mr. Cobb resigned his office, and hastened to take office un-
der the conspirators.
1096 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY,
Jacob Thompson, a slaveholder from Mississippi, was Secretary
of the Interior. It was his role in the great conspiracy to pre-
vent the reenforceraent of the fortresses of the nation. If the
forts should be reenforced, they could protect themselves from
surprise or capture by the rebels, and could control the commerce
of the ports, and hermetically seal them, if necessary. Eftectu-
ally did he perform this ignoble and wicked work. After much
.consultation, the Star of the West was privately sent with sup-
plies for the garrison in Fort Sumter, which was on the verge
of starvation. Mr. Thompson, aware of the fact by virtue of his
office, immediately notified the armed conspirators in Charleston,
and this steamer, which was without arms, was driven back by
the rebel batteries. In a speech which he subsequently made to
the rebels in Oxford, Miss., he boasted of this abominable act of
treachery, in the following words: —
" I sent a dispatch to Judge Longstreet, that the Star of the
West was coming with reenforcements. The troops were then
put on their guard, and when the Star of the West arrived, she
received a warm welcome from booming caimon, and soon beat a
retreat."
" We have here the unblushing avowal of a member of the
Cabinet, that he betrayed, to those who under arms were seeking
to destroy his country, information derived from his official posi-
tion. In consequence, that frail vessel was met by hostile batte-
ries, the lives of two hundred and fifty men, in the service of the
Government, were imperiled, and the heroic little garrison of
seventy-five men in Fort Sumter were abandoned to their fate.
Secretary Thompson, having accomplished this feat, resigned his
office, and joined the rebels, where he was received with open
arms.
" The subsequently notorious John B. Floyd, a slave master of
Virginia, was Secretary of War. It was the well-matured plan
of some of the conspirators, to assassinate , President Lincoln on
his journey to Washington to be inaugurated. They designed, in
the panic which would ensue, to pour in troops from the adjacent
Slave States of Maryland and Virginia, and seize upon Washing-
ton, with all its treasures, that it might become the capital of their
new Confederacy. In the accomplishnient of this plan, it was im-
portant that the army of the United States, but a few thousand
in number, should be so dispersed, that they could not be rallied
for the defense of the Government ; and that the arsenals at the
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 109Y
North should be so despoiled, that the free eitizens could find no
weapons to grasp, by which they might rusk to the rescue. John
B. Floyd, Secretary of War, did this work eftectually. The army
was so scattered in remote fortresses in the far West, as to leave
all the forts in the slaveholding States defenseless. Thus fortifi-
cations containing twelve hundred cannon, and which cost over
six millions of dollars, were seized and garrisoned by the rebels.
" At the same time Secretary Floyd, by virtue of that power
which his oftice gave him, and in infamous violation of his oath,
disarmed as far as possible the Free States, by emptying their ar-
senals, and sending their guns to the Slave States, where bands of
rebels were already organized and drilling, prepared to receive
them. One hundred and fifteen thousand arms, of the most ap-
proved pattern, were transferred from Springfield, Mass., and from
Watervliet, N. Y., to arsenals throughout the Slave States. In
addition to this, he sold to diflferent Slave States, United States
muskets, worth |12 each, for $2.50. A vast amount of cannon,
mortar, balls, powder and shells, wern also forwarded to the reb-
els. Having accomplished all tliis, Floyd sent in his resignation as
Secretary of War, and, joining the rebels, received the appoint-
ment of general in their army. Thus General Scott, when the
hour of trial came, and Washington was threatened with assault
by a sudden rusli from the slaveholding States, found it difiicult
to concentrate even a thousand troops for the defense of the Cap-
ital. Washington was saved from capture only by the almost mi-
raculous interposition of God.
" Isaac Toucey, of Connecticut, was Secretary of the Navy.
Our fleet then consisted of ninety vessels, of all classes, carrying
about 2,415 guns; and was manned by a complement of about
7,600 men, exclusive of officers and marines. It was a matter of
the utmost moment, at this critical hour, that this fleet should be
in our own waters to aid the Government. It was a matter of
the utmost moment to the traitors, that this fleet should be dis-
persed, where it could do them no harm. It was accordingly dis-
persed. Five of these vessels were sent to the East Indies, three
to Brazil, seven to the Pacific Ocean, three to the Mediterranean,
seven to the coast of Africa, and so on, leaving, of our whole
squadron, but two vessels, carrying twenty-seven guns and two
hundred and eighty men, in Northern ports.*
"On the 21st of February, 1861, a select committee of five, ap-
■■^ Report of Secretary of the Navy, July 4, 1861.
1098 HISTORY OP ANCIENT WOODBURY.
pointed by the House of Representatives, in a report upon the
conduct of the Secretary of the Navy, spoke as follows : —
" From this statement it will appear, that the entire naval force
available for the defense of the whole Atlantic coast, at the time
of the appointment of this committee, consisted of the steamer
Brooklyn, 26 guns, and the storeship Relief, 2 guns ; while the
former was of too great draft to permit her to enter Charleston
harbor with safety, except at spring tide, and the latter was under
orders to the coast of Africa, with stores for the African squadron.
Thus the whole Atlantic sea-board has been, to all intents and
purposes, without defense, during all the period of civil commo-
tion and lawless violence, to which the President (Buchanan) has
called our attention, as ' of uttch vast and alarming proportions,
as to be heyond his power to check or controV
" The Committee can not fail to call attention to this extraor-
diniary disposition of the entire naval force of the country, and
especially in connection with the present no less extraordinary
and critical juncture of political affairs. They can not tall to
mind any period in the past history of the country, of such pro-
found peace and internal repose, as would justify so entire an
abandonment of the coast of the country to the chance of for-
tune. Certainly, since the nation possessed a navy, it has not be-
fore sent its entire available force into distant seas, and exposed
its immense interests at home, of which it is the special guardian,
to the dangers from which, even in times of the utmost quiet, pru-
dence and forecast do always shelter them.
" To the Committee, this disposition of the naval force, at this
most critical period, seems extraordinary. The permitting of ves-
sels to depart for distant seas, after these unhappy difficulties had
broken out at home, the omission to put in repair and commission,
ready for orders, a single one of the twenty-eight ships dismant-
led and unfit for service, in our ports, and that, too, while $64«-
639.70 of the appropriation for repairs of the navy, the present
year, remain unexpended, were, in the opinions of your Commit-
tee, grave errors — without justification or excuse."
*' Thus the Government was despoiled by its own imbecile or
traitorous officials. Enemies within, opened the door of the for-
tress for the entrance of the beleaguering foe. The President,
overawed and nerveless, was a silent observer of the march of the
conspirators. At last, however, he summoned courage to say to
Congress, in tones alike of weakness and despair, that the rebell-
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1099
ion liad attained such " vast and alarming proportions, as to place
the subject entirely above and beyond Executive control." Nay
more, instead of hurling the thunderbolts he might have wielded,
into the ranks of the rebels, he acquiesced in their movements,
and couki hardly be forced to adopt any Hieasure which did not
meet with their approval.
"It is difficult to find in all the annals of the past, an example
of exectxtive power bowing the neck so meekly beneath the heel
of traitorous arrogance, lli-s Cabinet was mostly filled with slave-
holding conspirators, who first endeavored to betray their coun-
try by the most insane measures, and then disclosed to their con-
federate traitors all that transpired in the Executive counsels.
President Buchanan was anxious for peace. His political sympa-
thies were, however, with the conspirators, and bitterly hostile to
those who were the foes of human bondage. As the storm of
passion increased in violence, the only measure he could suggest
was unconditional surrender of the Government to the wishes of
the slaveholders. This was called a comproinise. The North,
on its part, was to surrender everything. The South, on its part,
would consent to accept the surrender.
" Speaking of this rebelliou and the plan to conciliate the rebels,
by surrendering to slavery all the United States territory south
of 36'-'' 30', a concession which the rebels would not accept, Mr.
Lovejoy, in the House of Representatives, uttered the memora-
ble words :
"There never was a more causeless revolt since Lucifer led his
cohorts of apostate angels against the throne of God ; but I never
heard that the Almighty proposed to compromise the matter, by
allowing the rebels to kindle the fires of hell south of the celes-
tial meridian of thirty-six thirty."
Mr. Vvigfall, Senator fiom Texas, exclaimed, in one of his char-
acteristic outbursts, "It is tlie merest balderdasli — that is wiiat it
is — it is the most unmitigated fudge for any one to get up here,
and tell men who have sense and who have brains, that there is
any prospect of two-thirds of this Congress passing any proposi-
tions as an amendment to the Constitution, that any man who is
white, twenty-one years old, and whose hair is straight, living-
south of Mason and Dixon's line, will be content with."
"One of the most marvelous revelations of history is the phe-
nomenon, that the most majestic of national movements may of-
ten be controlled by very small minorities. Brissot de Warville
17
1100 HISTORY or ANCIENT WOODBUET.
says, that tlie French Revolution was caiTied by not move than
twenty men. The whole number of slaveholders in the South
did not exceed three hundred thousand. Not more than a hund-
red thousand of these possessed any larqe amount of this species
of property. And yet this petty oligarchy, entirely subordinate
to a few leading minds, organized the most gigantic rebellion
which ever shook this globe. " The future historian," says the
Hon. Charles Sumner, 'will record, that the present rebellion, not-
withstanding its protracted oi'igin,-the multitudes it has enlisted,
and its extensive sweep, was at last precipitated by fewer than
twenty men ; Mr. Everett says, by as few as ten. It is certain
that thus far it has been the triumph of a minority — but of a mi-
nority inspired, combined, and aggrandized by slavery."
" While Congress w\as discussing measures of compromise, the
South was marshaling her hosts for battle. When the news of
Lincoln's election reached Charleston, S. C, tumultuous throngs
in the streets received the tidings with long continued cheering
for a Southern Confederacy. In Washington, many of the people
boldly assumed the secession cockade, knowing that the insulted,
humiliated Government of the United States, in the hands of Pres-
icent Buchanan, was impotent to harm them. The Palmetto flag
was hoisted and saluted; "minute men" were organized. All
through the cotton and slaveholding States, the excitement was
intense, the secessionists striving to overawe the friends of the
Union, and preparing for the arbitrament of the sword, in the
success of which arbitrament, they, in tbeir ignorance and self-
confidence, cherished not a doubt. They had been accustomed to
regard all men who labored as degraded, as on a footing with their
slaves. The Northerners they stigmatized as " greasy mechanics,"
and " mudsills," any five of whom could be instantly put to flight
by one chivalrous Southron." '
We have said that the election of Abraham Lincoln was not
the cause, but only tlie pretext for the rebellion. It was a cry by
which the leading rebels and life-long conspirators against the in-
stitutions of the country sought, " to fire the Southern heart,"
and forever destroy our free constitution. It turned out to be an
admirable expedient for the purpose intended, among the igno-
rant masses of the South. A single example will show this: —
The Hon, A. H. Stephens, long a member of the United States
' Abbott's History of the Civil War in America.
HISTORY »F ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1101
House of Representatives from Georo;ia, and one of the most in-
fluential and able nv^n in that State, addressed an immense assem-
blage of his constituents, in the Hall of the House of Represent-
atives, at Milledgeville, Ga., November 14, 1860. He then said:
"The first question that presents itself is, Shall the people of
the South secede from the Union in consequence of the election
of Ml-. Lincoln to the Presidency of the United States V My coun-
trymen, I tell you frankly, candidly, and earnestly, tluat I do not
think they ought. In my judgment, the election of no man, con-
stitutionally chosen to that high office, is sufficient cause for any
State to separate from the Union. It ought to stand by and aid
still in maintaining the Constitution of the country. To make a
point of resistance to the Government, to withdi'aw from it, be-
cause a man has been constitutionally elected, puts us in the wrong.
We are pledged to maintain the Constitution. Many of us have
sworn to support it. Can we, therefore, for the mere election of
a man to the Presidency, and that, too, in accordance with the
prescribed forms of the Constitution, make a point of resistance
to the Government, without becoming tiie breakers of that sacred
instrument ourselves ?
" I look upon this country, with our Institutions, as the Eden
of the world — the paradise of the Universe. It ?»«y be, that out
of it v^e may become greater and more prosperous ; but I am can-
did and sincere in telling you that I fear, if we rashly evince pas-
sion, and, without sufficient cause, shall take that step, that, in-
stead of becomiiig greater or more peaceful, prosperous, and hap-
py, instead of becoming gods, we will become demons, and, at no
distant day, commence cutting one another's throats."
But the words of the wisest statesmen of the South were not
to be heeded. All union opposition to secession was overborne.
Even Stephens himself, a few days after making the speech, of
which the above is an extract, took back his own brave and honest
words, and made a ranting speech on the other side of the ques-
tion, and a little later, accepted the Vice-Presidency of the slave-
holders' confederacy. Several of the Southern States, almost im-
mediately began to make warlike prejiarations and appropriations,
and the whole Southern community was in a blaze of excitement.
On the 20th day of December, 1860, South Carolina seceded,
or, in the polite phrase of the time, withdrew its original con-
sent to the Constitution of the United States, and resumed its
condition as a sovereign State! The news of this action, which
1102 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
was unanimous, was hailed with entliusiasra throughout the South-
ern States. On the 9th of January, 1861, the Mississippi Conven-
tion passed an ordinance of secession. Florida followed suit on
the 10th, and Alabama the next day Georgia seceded on the
19th, and Louisiana on the 26th. The Texas convention passed a
secession ordinance, Feb. 1st, 1S61, subject to a vote of the peo"
pie, and on the 4th, declared the State out of the union ! Vir-
ginia passed an ordinance of secession the l7th of April, Arkan-
sas, May 6ih, and North Carolina, May 29th.
Meanwhile, the rebels were rapidly seizing the forts, arsenals,
navyyards and mints, within the limits of the seceded States,
while Gen Twiggs, in Texas, traitorously surrendered the greater
portion of the little array of the United States, it having been
placed there for this purpose by the Secretary of War.
But still the meek Buchnnan did nothing but appoint a day for
fasting and prayer throughout the nation, on the 4th of January,
1861, which was gencr.iUy observed at the North, and as generally
disregarded at the South, and to send a messenger or two to the
South, to beg of them, in piteous terms, to do nothing rash during
the brief remainder of his official term. His action disgusted his
political friends in the North, not less than all other parties.
It was on the occasion of this fast that Woodbury took its frst
part in the stirring events of the times. Thoroughly law abiding,
as its citizens always had been, for two hundred years, always at-
tentive to the suggestion of rulers, they generally attended,
on this occasion, at their several places of Avorship, to supplicate
the Lord of Hosts, that the evils which threatened the na-
tion, and which the governmett seemed utterly unable to success-
fully 0])pose, might be averted. It was on this occasion that the
late Rev. Noah Coe, who was then supplying the pulpit of the
First Congregational church, and who, not being the settled pas-
tor of the church, and, on account of the (emper of the tinio'^, was
not afraid of being accused of " preaching politics," uttered his
memorable prayer, a passage of which follows: —
"Oh! Lord, we have assembled in Thy presence, in response to
the call, in his feebleness, of the President of the United Stales. We
thank Thee that he has becTi brought to see the need of fasting
and prayer, an«l that he has felt the necessity of asking the pray-
ers of Thy people. Oh ! Lord, Thou knowest that his sins are
manifold in Thy sight, and that he greatly needs them. Let him
still further see the error of hi? ways, and apply his heart unto
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1103
wisdom, that Thou canst see it possible to save him. Oh God,
Thou knowest he 1ms done evil enough. He has multiplied his
wickedness. But save him out of Tliine abundant mercy. Oh
Lord, we thank Thee that his time is short. That he can
not do much more evil in the land. And we do greatly tha?ik
Thee, that Abraham Lincoln, that great and good man, a man af-
ter Thine own heart, is so soon to succeed him, when we devoutly
hope we shall see a ruler in the land full of riglitcousness, who
will carry out Thy will, and show forth Thy praise."
In the sadness, uncertainty and general apprehension of the
time, this bold, blunt prayer, had a marked effect upon the hearers.
Tfiough unusual in its terms, and plainness of speech, it was
deemed to be appropriate to the situation of the country at that
perilous period. There is but one prayer on record, which has
ever come to tlie writer's notice, similar lo it. And that was, the
prayer of Parson Champion, of Litchfield, a red-hot patriot in the
days of the Revolutionary War.'
1861. As we have seen, the Great Rebellion of the slavehold-
ers, foreshadowed, threatened, and foreordained, for many years,
came into active existence immediately upon the announcement
that Abraham Lincoln had been elected President of the United
States. The earliest, most earnest and effective efforts at i'el)ell-
ion -were made in South Carolina. The election of Lincoln was
but the merest pretext, but the leaders knew best with what ma-
terial to "fire the Southern heart." One after another, as soon as
the several Southern States seceded, or, as they gingerly termed
* When the whole counti'y was in a state of akrm at tlie intelligence that
Lord Cornwallis, with a large fleet and armament, was approching the American
coast. Col. Tallmagc happened to pass through Litchfield with a regiment of cav-
alry. While there, he attended public worship, with his troops, on Sunday, at the
old meeting-house, that stood upon the village green. The occasiou was deeply
interesting and exciting. The Rev. Judah Champion, then the settled minister of
the place— a man of great eloquence, and of a high order of intellectual endow-
ment — in view of the alarming crisis, thus invoked the sanction of Heaven : —
"Oh, Lord ! we view with terror the approach of the enemies of Thy holy re-*
ligion. Wilt thou send storm and tempest, to toss them upon the sea, and to
overwhelm iheni upon the mighty deep, or to scatter them to the uttermost parts
of the earth.- But, peradvenlure, should any escape Thy vengeance, collect them
together again. Oh Lord! as in the hollow of Thy hand, and let thy lightnings
play i.poK them" An invocation for the safety and suoces.s of Col. Tallmage's
command then followed.
Hollister's Hist, of Conn., — 2 vol. pp. 390, 391.
1104 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
it, withdrew their former assent to the Constittition of the
United States, and resumed their original powers as sove-
reign, free and independent States, and notice of the ordinances
of secession was received, their senators and representatives with-
drew from Congress, with insulting denunciations and threats
towards the remaining loyal States of the Union. Better speci"
mens of insolence, braggadocio, and intolerable, foundationless,
arrogance, was never expressed in any language, than by these
retiring braggarts, and crime-steeped despots. They had been
guilty of the meanness, as well as disloyalty of retaining their
seats as long as possible, to act as spies on the efforts of the gov-
ernment for its safety, and to thwart every well-directed effort for
the salvation of the country No such unparalleled conduct was
ever before witnessed in the transactions of all the former traitors
of the world. Treason, long projected, and secretly working to
accomplish its purpose, was rampant everywhere — in the cabinet,
in the Supreme Court, in both Houses of Congress, in the Array,
in the Navy — everywliere. Never had traitors less cause for their
crime. They had the full control ot every department, and could
carry their plans without '' let or hindrance " No considerable
party in the union claimed the right, or even desired to interfere
with their cherished institution of slaveiy in the States where it
then existed. It had however become repugnant to the great na-
tional heart, that that accursed institution should be extended into
territory then free. The free legions of the North were fully de-
termined to resist its further extension. This was the sole sub-
ject of dispute.
Immediately, on the assembling of Congress at its Session in
Dec. 1860, numerous efforts and plans of compromise were brought
forward by a large number of Senators and Representatives, and
the subject of pacification was almost the sole theme of earnest
discussion during the whole of the Session of 1860-61, and quite
up to the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln as President, on the
4th of March. 1861. Committees of thirteen and thirty-three
were appointed, for the express ])urpose of devising some rational
means of reconciliation ; but all to no purpose It had been pre-
determined, on the part of the slave interest, that there should be
no reconciliation. The slaveholding leaders thought their ])laiis
were so well laid, that they could disrupt the union, erect a slave
confederncy, the corner-stone of which should be human bondage,
foi-m a new constitution, to which the free North would beg ad"
HISTORY OP ANCIENT WOODBURY 1105
mission, except, perhaps, New England, which was to be " uncer-
emoniously left out in the cold," and Washington was still to be
the capital, but it was to be the capital, not of the nation of the
stars and stripes, but of a new confederacy, governed by a slave-
holding aristocracy.
During these months, there was great excitement throughout
the South, and seven States had seceded from the union before
the inauguration of Lincoln. Forts, arsenals, post-offices, custom-
houses and sub-treasuries were seized, the Indian Fund, of some
six millions of dollars, was stolen, all the public property in the
seceded States was confiscated, the traitor. Gen. Twigs, delivered
up in Texas, the major part of our whole little army, and the
Northern arsenals were emptied of hundreds of thousands of arms
by the traitor cabinet officer having them in charge, who caused
them to be sent South. In every way, the loyal men of the nation
were crippled, while a well-arranged plan for the captui'e of Wash-
ington, before the inauguration of the new President, seemed only
to have been prevented by the special interposition of God. Well-
raatured plans for the assassination of the President-elect, as he
should pass through Baltimore on his way to the capital, came
near a bloody consumation. By a secret and skillful manoever
only, executed by night, was it possible to avoid the bloody death,
which came to that patriotic and glorious man a little more than
four years later. Meanwhile the servile Buchanan looked on in
helpless imbecility. He wrote a piteous message to Congress, in
which he argued, that while the States had no right to secede, the
government, under the Constitution, had no right to prevent them
by force. And thus the tide of treason rolled resistlessly on.
" While the excitement was thus rapidly deepening and extend-
ing, the 4th of March drew nigh, when the President elect was to
be inaugurated in Washington. Rumors filled the air, that he
was to be assassinated on his passage through the Slave State of
Maryland. Great anxiety was felt for his safety, as the desperate
character of a portion of the populace in Baltimore, through which
city he would naturally pass, was well known. On the 11th of
February, he left his home in Sjiringfield, Illinois, intending to
make a brief visit in the leading cities on his route. In the fol-
lowing touching address he took leave of his fellow-citizens at the
railroad depot :
"My friends! No one, not in my position, can appreciate the
sadness that I feel at this parting. To this people I owe all that
1106 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY,
I am. Here I have lived more than a quarter of a century. Here
ray children were born, and liere one of them lies buried. I know
not how soon I shall see you again. A duty devolves upon me
which is perhaps greater than that which has devolved upon any
other man since the days of Washington. He never would have
succeeded, expept for the aid of Divine Providence, upon which
he, at all times, relied. I feel that I can not succeed without the
same Divine aid which sustained him. In the same Almighty Being
I place my reliance for support, and I hope you, ray friends, will all
pray that I may receive that Divine assistance, without which I
can not succeed, but with which, success is certain. Again I bid
you all an aifectionate farewell." »
Mr. Lincoln received an enthusiastic ovation from all, without
distinction of party, in all the cities and towns at which he stop-
ped on his way to Washington.
At Philadelphia, Mr. Lincoln's reception was as enthusiastic as
in New York. He there attended upon the ceremony of raising
the United States flag over the Old Hall of Independence. After
appropriate ceremonies, the President raised, hand over hand, the
glorious banner to the sixmmit of the staff. On this occasion he
uttered the following memorable and heartfull words ;
"I have often inquired of myself what great principle or idea
it was that kept this Confederacy so long together. It was not
the mere matter of the separation of the Colonies from the mother
land ; hut that sentiment in the Declaration of Inclejyenclence which
gave liberty, not alone to the people of this country, hut I hope to-
the world, for all future time. It was that which gave promise,
that, in due time, the weight would be lifted fi-om the shoulders
of all men. This was a sentiment embodied in the Declaration
of Independence. Now, my friends, can this country be saved
on this basis ? If it can, I shall consider myself one of the hap-
piest men in the world, if I can help save it. If it can not be
saved on that principle, it will be truly awful. But if this country
can not be saved without giving up that principle, I was about to
say, I would rather be assassinated on this spot than surrender it.
Now, in my view of the present aspect of affairs, there need be
no bloodshed or war. There is no necessity for it. I am not in
favor of such a course, and I may say in advance, that there will
be no bloodshed, unless it be forced upon the Government, and
then it will be compelled to act in self-defense.
Abbott's Hist, of the Civil War in America."
HISTORY OP ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1107
"My friends, this is wholly an unexpected speech. I did not
expect to be called upon to say a word when I catne here. I sup-
posed that it was merely to do something toward raising the flag-
I may, therefore, have said something indiscreet. I have said
nothing but what I am ready to live by, and, if it be the pleasure
of Almighty God, to die by."
"In Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania, the same enthusiasm
greeted the President which had thus far accompanied him through
every stage of his journey. Again the President nttered those
conciliatory and peaceful sentiments which constituted so essen-
tial a part of his generous nature. He was conducted to the hotel
in a barouche di'awn by six white horses, and accompanied by a
very imposing military array. In response to the address of wel-
come, he said :
"I recur, for a moment, to the words uttered about the military
support, which the General Government may expect from the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in a proper emergency. To
guard against any possible mistake, do I recur to this. It is not
with any pleasure, that I contemplate the possibility tliat a neces-
sity may arise, in this country, for the use of the military arm.
While I am exceedingly gratified to see the manifestation upon
your steets of the military force here, and exceedingly gratified
at your promise here to use that force upon a proper emergency,
I desire to repeat, to preclude any possible misconstruction, that I
do most sincerely hope that we shall have no use for them; that
it will never become their duty to shed blood, and most especially
never to shed fraternal blood. I promise that, so far as I may
have wisdom to direct, if so painful a result shall in any wise be
brought about, it shall be through no fault of mine."
" To go from Harrisburg to Washington, it was necessary to pass
through the slaveholding State of Maryland, and through the
City of Baltimore, where the spirit of secession had manifested
itself in its most envenomed type. The loyal citizens of Balti-
more were preparing to give the president a courteous recei)tion.
The partisans of the slaveholders had formed a conspiracy for his
assassination. The plan was discovered by the police. It consist-
ed in getting up a riot, very easily accom])lished in Baltimore, at
the depot, during which the unarmed and unprotected President
was to be stabbed or shot. The detectives who ferreted out the
plot, assumed to be secessionists from Louisiana. The conspira-
tors were to mingle with the crowd, pretending to be friends of
1108 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
the President, when, at a given signal, a great tumult was to
be raised, and some were to shoot at him with their pistols, and
others to throw hand grenades into his carriage. In the inevitable
confusion the assassins expected to escape to a vessel waiting for
them in the harbor, which would convey them to Mobile, in Ala-
bama, where they would be safe from all harm. General Scott
and Senator Seward had been apprised, by the police, of this dan
'ger, and immediately dispatched Mr. Frederick W. Seward, a son
of the Senator, to Philadelphia, to inform Mr. Lincoln of his peril.
After consultation with friends, it was deemed advisable, in the
then excited state of the country, when even a slight disturbance
would plunge the country into all the horrors of civil war, that
Mr. Lincoln should frustrate the plans of the conspirators, by
taking an earlier express train, and passing through Baltimore
incognito, as an ordinary traveler. The wisdom of this decis-
ion ^Qw now, upon reflection, will dispute. Mr. Lincoln receiv-
ed this information at Philadelphia, but, according to his plan,
proceeded to Harrisburg.
"After the public reception at Harrisburg, the President, with a
few of his confidential friends, retired to his private apartments,
in the Jones House, at six o'clock in the evening. As he was
known to be weary with the toils of the day, he was exposed to
no interruptions. As soon as it was dark, he, in company with
Col. Lamon, unobserved, entered a hack, and drove to the Pennsyl-
vania railroad, where a special train was waiting for him. The tel-
egraph wires were in the mean time cut, so that the knowledge of
his departure, if discovered or suspected, could not be sent abroad-
The train reached Philadelphia at 10|^ o'clock that night. They
drove immediately across the city to the Baltimore and Washing-
ton depot. The regular night ti'ain was just leaving, at \ past 11.
The party took berths in a sleeping car, and, without any change,
passed directly through Baltimore to Washington, where they ar-
rived safely, and all unexpected, at ^ past 6 o'clock in the morn-
ing, Mr. Lincoln did not find it necessary to assume any disguise,
but journeyed in his ordinary traveling dress.
" The Hon. Mr. Washburn, of Illinois, who had been privately
informed of the arrangement, was at the station to receive the
.President. They drove directly to Willard's Hotel, where they
were met by Mr. Seward, The active agents in this infamous
plot were of course well known by the detectives; but it was
deemed, at that time, desirable to avoid everything which could
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1109
add to the excitement of the public mind, ah-eady so sorely agi-
tated. The President-elect thus silently entered Washington,
Saturday morning, February 23. The news of his arrival was
immediately flashed over the land, and the next day his family
entered the city by the special train designed for the Presidential
party." •
"By this time it had become quite evident, that the secession-
ists wished for no compromise. They felt strong, sure of success,
and with unflinching determination advanced in their measures to
break up the Union, form a Confederacy of the Cotton States,
on a thoroughly pro-slavery Constitution ; then draw in the bor-
der States, which without any doubt would be eager to follow them,
and then, through their partisans in the Middle and North Western
States, draw those States in, and thus thoroughly reconstruct and
reunite the country, leaving New England out, in a cold corner,
to be attached to Canada, or, if independent, to be so weak as to
be quite at the disposal of the great pro-slavery republic, which,
grasping Cuba and Mexico, would overshadow the whole land.
The plot of the secessionists to seize defenseless Washington was
so palpable, and manifestly so feasible, surrounded as it was by
slaveholding Virginia and Maryland, that even President Buchan-
an became alarmed. General Scott was there urging him to de-
cisive measures. During the first week in January, General Scott
had succeeded, with some difficulty, in collecting about three
hundred troops in the vicinity of Washington. President Bu-
chan was excessively averse to any show of power, lest it might
be reo-arded as a menace, by a foe whom he dreaded, and who
had gained almost entire dominion over his mind.
" On the 4th of February, forty-two of the secessionists met in
Montgomery, Alabama, representing the States of Alabama, Flor-
ida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and North
Carolina. They proceeded immediately to organize a new nation,
the Southern Confederacy, to consist of the above-mentioned seven
Slates, and such others as might subesequently be added. And
then these forty two men chose Jefferson Davis, President, and
Alexander H. Stephens, Vice President of the Southern Confede-
racy. In all the Southern States there were large numbers op-
posed to all these measures of revolt, and in some of the States
there were, undoubtedly, a decided m^'ority ; but the leading
t Abbott's Hist, of the Civil War, p. 64.
1110 H I S T O K Y O F A N°C lENT WOODBUKY.
slaveholders had got the power entirely in their hand.'*, and all op-
position was overawed. On the 18th, Jefterson Davis was inau-
gurated Piesident, at Montgomery.
"These forty two delegates, without the slightest misgivings,
undertook to revolutionize a nation of thirty millions. They
deemed themselves umpires from whom there was no appeal. They
framed a Constitution, adopted articles of Confederation, chose a
President and Vice-President, confirmed Cabinet and Ministerial
appointments, and set in operation all the machinery of what they
believed would prove a powerful and perpetual government.
History affords no parallel to such an audacious usurpation. The
people had no voice in the organization of the government. And
yet so sagaciously was the whole thing managed, that the igno-
rant masses at the South were led as obediently as slaves on the
plantations. Those who ventured to utter the slightest murmurs
were instantly silenced with the most inexorable cruelty.
''No American can write such nan atives about his own coun-
trymen without extreme reluctance. But these facts must be
known, or one can not understand how every voice of opposition
was silenced at the South. The ap])arent unanimity at the South,
was simply the silence enforced by the bludgeon, the lash, the hal-
ter, and the stake. Hume has remarked upon the barbarizing in-
fluence of slavery in ancient Rome. Its influence has been equally
debasing in our own land. Its influence upon woman's character
has been still more mai'ked than upon the character of men. That
there are noble men, and lovely and lovable women at the South,
all must gladly aflirm. The writer knows many such, whose mem-
ory he must ever cherish with affection. But this rebellion has
proved beyond all dispute, that such aie the exceptions. It is the
unanimous declaration of our army, that the venom exhibited by
the secession females of the South was amazing and very general.
Ladies, so called, would spit upon our soldiers in the streets of
Baltimore. One clergyman testifies that a woman, a member of
his church, whom he had always considered a worthy member,
said to him, that "she would be perfectly willing to go to hell, if
she could but shoot a Yankee first." Another /wf^y said, to a gen-
tleman who related it to the writer, that she hoped yet 'to sleep
under a blanket made of the scalps of Noithei'ners.' "
While such outrageous proceedings were carried on by active,
malignant traitors, the })coj)le of the free States were waiting
quietly, but with intense latent emotion, for the inauguration of
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1111
Abraliam Lincoln as President, Nothing could be hoped for while
Mr.;Buchanan remained in the Presidential chair. He, himself;
Avas probably tlie most impatient man in the United States for the
hour to arrive in which he could retire. But, the secessionists
had no idea of allowing President Lincoln to be inaugurated. To
be sure, they had tailed in their plans to assassinate him on his
journey to the capital. But they were still quite confident of their
ability to seize Washington, and make it the capital of their new
confederacy, and they were fully determined to carry out their
wicked designs. Mr. Abbott, in his history of the Civil War has
so admirnbly described the state of affairs at the date of the inau-
guration, that it is thought well to give the account of it in sub-
stantially his woixls.
"The week preceding the 4th of March, when Mr. Lincoln was
to be inaugurated, was one of intense solicitude and excitement.
The air w\as filled with rumors of conspiracies, to prevent the in-
auguration by a bloody tumult, and by seizing the Capital. Wash-
ington was thronged with stranu;ers, many from the South, armed
with bowie-knives and revolvers. Apparently there would have
been but little difficulty in a few thousand men, at a concerted
signal, making a rush which would sweep all opposition before
them. Gen. Scott and Secretary Holt were in the meantime ma-
king quiet, bnt effectual preparations, to meet any emergency. An
important military escort was provided to conduct the President
to the Capitol, and back again, after the inauguration, to the
W hite House.
"The eventful morning dawned propitiously. At an early hour,
Pennsylvania Avenue was thronged, the center of attraction being
Willard's Hotel, where, thus far, the President elect had occupied
apartments. The procession began to form about 9 o'clock. It
was very brilliant and imposing. One very striking feature was,
a large triumphnl car, the Constitution, bearing thirty-four very
beautiful girls, robed in white, as representatives of the several
States. It was thus manifest that the government had no idea of
recognizing the Union as dissolved. Mr. Buchanan and Mr, Lin-
coln sat, side by side, in the carriage. They ascended the steps
of the Capitol arm in arm. It was noticed tliat Mr. Buchanan
looked pale, sad, and nervous ; he sighed audibly and frequently.
Mr. Lincoln's face was slightly flushed, and his lips compressed,
with an expression of much gravity and firmness."
The President elect took his stand upon the platform of the
1112 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUEY.
portico of the Capitol. Tlie Supreme Court, the Senate, the House
of Representatives, the Foreign Ministers, and a vast crowd of
privileged persons, soon occupied every seat. A countless throng
filled the grounds below, a surging mass of friends and foes. There
were exasperated secessionists, watching for a chance to strike a
blow, and pure patriots ready to repel that blow, at any hazard of
life. Senator Baker, of Oregon, introduced the President to the
people. Mr. Lincoln then, with strength of voice which arrested
every ear, delivered his inaugural address. Speaking of secession,
he said :
" Phj^sically speaking, we cannot separate, — we can not remove
our respective sections from each other, nor build an impassable
wall between them. A husband and wife may be divorced, and
go out of the presence and beyond the reach of each other ; but
the different parts of our cour.try can not do this. They can not
but remain face to face; and intercourse, either amiable or hostile,
must continue between them. Is it possible, then, to make that
intercourse more advantageous or more satisfactory after separa-
tion than before? Can aliens make treaties easier tlian
friends can make laws? Can treaties be more faithfully en-
forced between aliens than laws can among friends ? Suppose you
go to war; you can not fight always, and when, after much loss
on both sides, and no gain on either, you cease fighting, the iden-
tical questions, as to terms of intei course, are again upon you."
In reference to the policy to be pursued, he said :
" To the extent of my ability I shall take care, as the Constitution
itself expressly enjoins upon me, that the laws of the Union be
faithfully execrated in all the States. Doing this I deem to be
only a simple duty on my i)art. I shall perfectly perform it, so far
as is practicable, unless my rightful masters, the American people,
shall withhold the requisition, or, in some authoritative manner,
direct the contrary. I trust this will not be regarded as a menace,
but only as the declared purpose of the Union, that it will consti-
tutionally defend and maintain itself. In doing this, there need
be no bloodshed or violence, and there shall be none, unless it is
forced upon the national authority. The power confided in me
will be used to hold, occupy, and possess the property and places
belonging to the government, and collect the duties and imposts;
but l)eyond what may be necessary for these objects, there will be
no invasion, — no using of force against or among the people any-
where."
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY 1113
Mr. Lincolji closed his noble inaugural with the following words,
alike firm and conciliatory :
"In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow-countrymen, and not in
mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. The government will
not a sail you. You can have no conflict witliout being yourselves
the aggressors. You have no oath registered in heaven to destroy
the government; while I shall have the most solemn one to ' pre-
serve, protect, and defend it.' I am loth to close. We are not
enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion
may liave strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The
mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battle-field and
patriot grave, to every living heart and hearth-stone, all over this
broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again
touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our na-
ture."
The oath of office was then administered by Chief Justice Ta-
ney; the procession was again formed, and Mr. Lincoln was es-
corted to the White House.
For several weeks preceding the inauguration, that grand old
patriot and war-worn hero, Lieut. Gen. Scott, had been quietly
collecting the scattered fragments of our little regular army, and
transporting them to Washington. By the 4th of March, he had
in this way gathei'ed about a thousand effective and reliable men,
and a few pieces of artillery, for the defense of Washington and
the peaceable inauguration of the new President. During the
ceremonies, he was standing by one of the guns, which were
]>lanted in such a way as to do fearful execution, in case of any
attempt at violence on the pait of the secessionists, ready to give
directions in any emergency that might arise. When those glo-
rious, patriotic and immortal words of the new President rang
out upon the clear, still air, in thfe ears of the breathlessly listening
thousands, and were reported to the old veteran, as he stood firm-
ly, though anxiously at his post of duty : — " You have no oath
reglstereil in Heaven to destroy the government^ while I shall have
the most solemn one to '• preserve, protect and defend it,'' "— in spite
of military rule, he could not help exclaiming: — 'Thank God!
AT LAST WE HAVE A PrESIDKNT !
To the surprise and disgust of the rebels, the President had
been peacefully inaugurated, they had not been able to seize
Washington, and many of their fondest calculations had not been
realized. Thejr remaining plans were, therefore, more desperately
1114 H I S T O K Y OF ANCIENT ^^" O O D B U R Y .
carried on all over the South. It was not possible, with their views,
for the secessionists, after all their long years of preparation, and
after all their insolent bluster, to come back, and ask for terms of
arrangement. Nor would it do to delay. Every moment passed
in inaction was a moment lost to the cause of the rebels. Their
blows must be sudden and decisive, to avail them anything. Ac-
cordingly, at half-past four, on the morning of the 14th of April,
1861, fourteen batteries in Charleston harbor, manned and sustain-
ed by ten thousand men, opened fire upon Fort Sumter, and the
flag of the United States, thus inaugurating civil war in all its hor-
rors, with tremendous energy. This formidable array was op-
posed by about eighty soldiers of the United States, shut up with-
in the fort, too few to man a tithe of its guns effectively. After
a fierce bombardment of about 36 hours, and throwing against
the beleaguered fort 2,361 solid shot, and 980 shells, it was agreed
that the gallant little garrison should surrender the fort, on being
allowed to take away all their individual and company property,
their side arms, and their war-scathed flag, which they were to
salute with a hundred guns before they hauled it down. Such
were the terms demanded by Major Anderson, and accorded to
him — after he was compelled to surrender.
"The battle now ceased. The fire was ere long extinguished,
having destroyed nearly everything combustible, and the wearied
men had a night of such rest as could be found in the midst of the
ruins which surrounded them. About half-past 9 o'clock on Sun-
day morning, the evacuation commenced. The booniing of can-
non echoed over the bay, as the heroic and indomitable band sa-
luted the Flag, sinking from its staff, and then, as with the proud
step of victors, the band playing '' Yankee Doodle" and "Hail
Columbia," they marched oiit of the main gate, with the Stars and
the Stripes waving over them, and entered the transport Isabel,
which conveyed them to the United States Ship Ilaltic, in the
offing, by which they were carried in trium{)h to New York.
" Fort Sumter was the Bunker Hill of this Civil War. In both
cases, a proud aristocracy were determined to subject this country
to its sway. In both cases, the defeat was a glorious victory.
This little band of heroes withstood the attack of an army, pro-
vided with ihe heaviest batteries which Europe and America
could aftbrd. For thirty-six hours they contined the unequal con-
flict. And then, when they had not another cartridge to fiie, and
not anotlier biscuit to divide, they evacuated the ruins, the Stars
HISTORY OF ANCIENT M^OOPBURT. 1115
and Stripes still waving over theni, and they stepping proudly to
the air of "Hail Columbia." The nation regarded it as a victory,
and welcomed them as heroes. And the people of the United
States will never cease to regard each member of the intrepid gar-
rison of Fort Sumter with admiration and homage.
" The avowed object of the rebels, in their attack upon Sumter,
was to cross the Rubicon in the actual inauguration of civil war,
and thus to "fire the heart of the South." It was supposed that
the South, being thus committed, M'ould be compelled, by pride,
to continue the conflict, for southern pride would scorn to enter"
tain the thought of apology and submission. This outrage upon
our country's flag, this inauguration of civil war, which was to
cost near half a million lives, to impoverish countless families, and
to imperil our national existence, was received throughout the re-
bellious cities, with all the demonstrations of pride and joy. Those
who still loved their country did not dare to utter a remonstrating
word, for an iron tyranny crushed them.
"But the uprising in the North was such as the world never
witnessed before. The slaveholders at the South had so long been
threatening blood and ruin, that the North had quite ceased to
regard their menaces. There was hardly a man to be found in all
the North, who had any idea that the Southern rebels would ven-
ture to commence civil war. The bombardment of Sumter created
universal amazement and indignation. As the news of the insult
to the national flag, of the battle, and of the capture of the fort
by the rebels, was flashed along the wires, excitement, perhaps
unparalleled in the history of the world, pervaded every city and
hamlet, and almost every heart. All party distinctions seemed to
be forgotten. There were henceforth but two parties in the land,
— the rebels with their sympathizers, and the friends of the Union.
" On the next day, Monday, April 15, the President issued a call
for three months' service of 75.000 volunteers, and summoned an
extra session of Congress to meet on the 4th of July. The re-
sponse of the loyal States to this call for troops was prompt aiid
cordial in the highest possible degree. Never perhaps were a
people found less prepared for war, than were the people of the
Northern States. Accustomed only to peace, and not anticipating
any foe, many of tlie States had not even the form of a military
organization. All the energies of tjie people were consecrated to
the arts of industry, not to those of destruction. We had neither
soldiers nor officers. The men who had received military educa-
18
IIIG HISTOEY OF ANCIEIS'T WOODBURY.
tioii at West Point, weary of bavins: absolutely notbing to do,
but to wear away tbe irksome bours, in some fort on tbe sbore or
in the wilderness, bad generally engaged in otber pursuits. Tbey
had become civil engineers, railroad superintendents, instructors
in scientific schools, and thus had become in reality merely civil-
ians who had studied tbe science and theory of war, but with no
practical acquaintance with the duties of tbe field.
" Tl)is was not our shame, but our glory. We were men of peace
and industy, and of great prosperity. We had not dreamed that
traitors would rise to plunge this happ\ land into anarchy, and to
destroy this best government, — best, notwitstanding all its imper^
factions, — earth has ever known. Floyd had emptied the arsenals,
and placed tbe guns in the bands of the rebels. Our little stand-
ing army, consisting of but 10,755 men, officers and jn-ivates all
told, he bad scattered at almost illimitable distances over our vast
frontier. Mr. Buchanan's Secretary of the Navy bad equally dis
persed tbe fleet; in fact, our neglected navy had fallen almost into
decay. And more than all this, the majority of the officers in the
army and in the navy, were men of slavebolding connect'ons,
many of whom openly avowed their sympathy with the rebellion,
and they bad become so lost to all sense of honor, that tbe betray-
al of the Flag which they bad sworn to protect, — a deed which all
tbe rest of the world called infamous, they deemiid chivalrous.
Such was the condition of the North, when the war commenced "
Mr. Cameron thus describes the condition of the War Depart-
ment, as he entered upon its duties :
" Upon my appointment to tbe position, I found the department
destitute of all the means of defense; without guns, and with lit-
tle prospect of purchasing \\\e materiel oi war. I found the nation
without an army, and I found scarcely a man throughout tbe whole
War Department in whom I could put my trust. The Adjutant
General deserted. The Quartermaster Genei-al ran off. The Com-
missary General was on his death-bed. More than half the cleiks
were disloyal. I remember that upon one occasion General Scott
came to me, apparently in great mental tribulation. Said he, 'I
have spent the most miserable day in my life ; a friend of my boy-
hood has just told me I am disgiacing myself by staying here, and
serving this fragment of tbe government, in place of going to
Virginia, and serving under ^the banner of my native State; and
I am j)ained to death.' But the old hero was patriotic, loyal, and
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUEY. llH
wise enough to say that his friend was wrong, and he was riglit
in remaining where he was."
" The unanimity with which the whole Nortli arose, in this cri"
sis, all party differences being merged in enthusiastic devotion to
the Union, is one of the most extraordinary events of history.
Men who but a few days before had been bitterly hostile, were at
once standing side by side, upon the same platform, in earnest co-
operation to resist the audacious rebellion. Senator Douglas, one
of the candidates for the Presidency, at this crisis, came forward
with zeal and power, which will forever entitle him to the grati-
tude of his countrymen. The overflowing mnjority of his party
followed their illnstrious leader in the magnanimity of his patriot-
ism. On the 1st of May, Senator Douglas reached Chicago, Illi-
nois, on his return from Washiugton. He was met at the depot,
by an immense assemblage of citizens, who conducted him in a
triumphal procession to the great " Wigwam," where ten thousand
persons, of all parties, were seated, awaiting him. The Senator
'addressed them in the following strain, which thrilled the heart
of the nation, and which will give him ever-duriug and gr-nelul
remembrance.
"'I beg you to believe that I will not do you or myself the in-
justice to think that this magnificent ovation is personal to myself.
I rejoice to know that it expresses youi devotion to the Constitu-
tion, the Union and the flag of our country. I will not conceal
gratification at the uncontrovertible test this vast audience pre-
sents — that, what political diflferences or party questions may have
divided us, yet you all had a conviction that, when the country
should be in danger, my loyalty could be relied on. That the
present danger is imminent, no man can conceal. If war must
come — if the bayonet must be used to maintain the Constitution —
I say before God, my conscience is clean. I have struggled long
for a peaceful solution of the difticulty. I have not only tendered
those States what was theirs of riglit, but I have gone to the very
extreme of magnanimity.
"The return we receive is war, armies marched upon our Cap-
itol, obstructions and dangers to our navigation, letters of marque
to invite pirates to prey upon our commerce, a concerted move-
ment to blot out the United States ot America from the map of
the globe. The question is. Are we to maintain the country of our
fathers, or allow it to be stricken down by those who, when they
can no longer govern, threaten to destroy ?
1118 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUKY.
" What cause, what excuse do disunionists give us, for break-
ing up the best Government, on which the sun of heaven ever
shed its rays? They are dissatisfied with the result of the Presi-
dential election. Did they never get beaten before? Are we to
resort to the sword when we get defeated at the ballot box f I
understand it that the voice of the people expressed in the mode
Appointed by the Constitution, mast command the obedience of
every citizen. They assume, on the election of a particular can-
didate, that their rights are not safe in the Union. What evidence
do they present of this? I defy any man to show any act on
which it is based. What act has been omitted to be done? I ap-
peal to these assembled thousands, that so far as the constitutional
rights of slaveholders are concerned, nothing has been done, and
nothing omitted, of which they can complain.
"There has never been a time, from the day that Washington
was inaugurated first President of these United States, when the
rights of the Southern States stood firmer under the laws of the
land than they do now ; there never was a time when they had
not as good cause for disunion as they have to-day. What good
cause have they now that has not existed under every Adminis-
tration ?
" If they say the territorial question — now, for the first time,
there is no act of Congress prohibiting slavery anywhere. If it
be the non-enforcement of the laws, the only complaints that I
have heard, have been of the vigorous and faithful fulfillment of
the Fugitive Slave Law. Then what reason have they ?
" The Slavery question is a mere excuse. The election of Lin-
coln is a mere pretext. The present secession movement is the
result of an enormous conspiracy formed more than a year since,
formed by leaders in the Southern Confederacy more than twelve
months ago.
"But this is no time for the detail of causes. The conspiracy
is now known. Armies have been raised, war is levied to accom-
plish it. There are only two sides to the question. Every man
must be for the United States or against it. There can be no neu-
trals in this war ; only patriots — or traitors.
"Thank God, Illinois is not divided on this question. I know
they expected to present a united South against a divided North.
They hoped, in the Northern States, party questions would bring
civil war between Democrats and Republicans, when the South
would step in, with her cohorts, aid one party to conquer the oth-
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1119
er, and then make easy prey of the victors. Their scheme was
carnage and civil war in the North.
"There is but one way to defeat this. In Illinois it is being so
defeated by closing up the ranks. War will thus be prevented on
our own soil. While there was a hope of peace, I was ready for
any reasonable sacrifice or compromise to maintain it. But when
the question comes of war in the cotton-fields of the South, or the
corn-lields of Illinois, I say the farther off the better.
" I have said more than I intended to say. It is a sad task to
discuss questions so fearful as civil war ; but sad as it is, bloody
and disastrous as I expect it will be, I express it as my conviction
before God, that it is the duty of every American citizen to rally
around the flag of his country.
" I thank you again for this magnificent demonstration. By it
you show you have laid aside party strife. Illinois has a proud
position — united, firm, determined never to permit the Govern-
m'ent to be destroyed."
Such is a brief account of the origin and successive events in
the opening of our great civil war. It remains for us to recount,
in the succeeding pages, the part which Ancient Woodbury took
in the Great Rebellion, giving the names and deeds of the heroic
men who went forth to battle from our midst, at the call of our
imperiled country, some of whom lie peacefully sleeping on many
a glorious battle-field, all over our union, or within the honored
and sacred enclosures of our beautiful National Cemeteries.
In the very opening of this foithful record of Woodbury's pat-
riotic doings, in the great war of the ages for the immortal prin-
ciples of liberty, the author has the happiness to say, that this
ancient town, which has been true and faithful in all the confiicts
which have arisen since 1(370, in maintenance of the true princi-
ples of a free government, wei'e, in this final conflict of ideas,
with some few solitary exceptions, in the cases of men with minds
diseased, — an unit in defense of the glorious old flag, and the con-
stitution of our fathers. This is well to be said by tlie author,
who, from the first liour of the conflict, felt the great issues of the
hour in the marrow of his bones, and was sensitively jealous of
every exhibition of weakness, of faltering, or the slightest taint
of treachery, under any circumstances, to the flag of the free.
As soon as the news arrived in town, that the rebels had opened
fire upon Fort Sumter, and thus inaugurated a war against the
honor and integrity of the Union, a patriotic ardor and wild en-
1120 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUKT.
thusiasni seized every heart. At the suggestion of leading citi-
zens, the town eoraraittees of" the Republican and Democratic par-
ties issued a joint call for a mass meeting of all citizens, irrespec-
tive of party, to take counsel in regard to the perils of the hour,
and the proper measures of defense to be taken in common with
the patriotic citizens throughout the land.
The following brief account of this meeting is taken from the
Litchfield Enquirer, printed at the time, and shows the unanimity
that prevailed among us.
" Union Meeting. — The crisis in our national affiiirs, caused j
the citizens of Woodbury to assemble en masse, on Tuesday eve- ■
ning, the 2.Sd instant. Hon. N. B. Smith was called to preside^
assisted by C. H. Webb, M. D., C. W. Kirtland, Lewis Judd'
Henry Minor, William Cothren, James Huntington, Nathaniel
Smith and G. H. Peck, Esquires. Vice-Presidents; R. J. Allen and |
G. P. Allen, Esquires, were appointed Secretaries. |
" A committee, consisting of Wm. Cothren, James Himtington ]
and C. H. Webb, was appointed to prepare resolutions for the
consideration of the meeting, and, during their absence, A. N.
Lewis, Esq., sung " The Star Spangled Banner," with thrilling ef- |
feet; and Nathaniel Smith, Esq., with his usual eloquence — in a
stirring speech — caused the cord of patriotism to vibrate with un-
wonted vigor. The Committee on Resolutions reported the fol- ■
lowing : — 1
"■ JResolved, That this meeting, assembled irrespective of party
affiliations, under a deep sense of our duties as citizens of a common
country, do hereby declare that we have a deep and abiding trust
in the jirinciples of our fathers, in the constitution and laws of the
United States, and the benign influence of our institutions.
" Besolved. That the present is not the time f<>r political discus-
sion or abstractions ; for our country is in danger, to perpet-
uate and sustain it is the duty of every good citizen ; and to up-
hold and support the President in his patriotic endeavors, no man,
who is not an alien to all that makes our government dear to us,
will hesitate to pledge his life, his fortune, and his sacred honor in
this our greatest peril.
'■' JResolved, That, as we have prospered under the old flag of
the Union, ive cannot and will not desert it now, but that we are
ready, if need be, to lay down our Ywes in its defence.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1121
"These Resolutions, after a full and truly patriotic discussion,
iu which Messrs. W. T. Bacon, Jas. Huntington, Wm. Cotlircn,
A. N. Lewis, C. H. Webb and Lewis Judd, paiticipated, were —
with the enthusiasm which now marks New England — unani-
mously adopted.
" Wm. Cothren, Jas, Huntington, Charles S. Dayton, Sidney
Hurd and William C. Beecher, were chosen a committee to solicit
volunteers for the defence of our National Flag.
"G. P. Allen, Nathaniel Smith and R. I. Tolles were designated
a committee to solicit aid for the families of the volunteers. A sub-
scription paper was immediately circulated, but when our repoiuer
saw it, only two names appeared on it, namely, Wm Co;liren and
Daniel Curtiss, each having subscribed $500. Mr. Cothren, in ad-
dition to his subscription, pledged the nett income of his business
during the war. '
" The volunteers were organized on Saturday, the 2'7th inst.,
and the following officers were appointed : —
" Captain^ — Josiah G. Beckwith, Jr.
'•^'ist Lieut^ — Wilson Bryant.
" 2cl Lieut.,— Gao. E. Harris.
" Orderly Sergeant, -Heni'y M. Dutton.
" Sergeants, — DeGrasse Fowler, Wm. H, McKay, Chas. N, New-
ton, Richard Spring.
" Corporals, — Burton Downs, Calvin A. Hubbard, Albert Win-
ton, Geo. A, Chatfield.
"Tlie name taken by the Company is the ' Woodbury Rifle Co.' "
Before this meeting closed, thirty-two young men had volun-
teered for the defence of the country. Woodbury was in advance
of the neighboring towns in its patriotic outburst, and men in
the latter, impatient to obey, with alacrity, the call of duty,
came in from all quarters, to join our brave volunteers.
The subscription paper, alluded to in the foregoing report, was
as follows, being drawn amid the excitemevit and noise of a crowd-
ed public meeting. It shows the forethought, as well as the pat-
riotism of the citizens: —
" We, the subscribers, agree to pay the sums set against our
I'espective names, to Thomas Bull, Esq., from time to time, as they
shall be called for, for the purpose of fitting out one hundred sol-
diers fioni this town, for the LTnited States' service ; and more par-
' This promise was carried out to the letter.
^ 1122 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUEY.
ticularly, for the purpose of supporting the families of the soldiers
who shall enlist, during their absence in the service of the United
States. If one hundred soldiers volunteer, then we are to pay the
whole of the following sums:— if a smaller number, then we are
to pay pro rata, according to the number who shall enlist.
Woodbury, April 23, 1861.
NAMES.
William Cothren, .... $50000
Daniel Curtiss, ..... 500,00
— and a multitude of others.
Within a few days, by the judicious efforts of the enlistment
committee, a company was gathered to go to the succor of imper-
illed Washington. But such was the ardent uprising in the
State, that the three Regiments called for by the Governor, were
much more than filled before notice of our patriotic contribution
was received. These three regiments were enlisted, as was our
company, for three months. Immediately, there was a call for
men to enlist for three years, or during the war, and our noble
company, which had enlisted only for the former term, with undi-
minished ardor, signed enlistment papers for three years. They
were to join Colt's Revolving Rifle Regiment, but as that organ-
ization was afterwards given up, they finally became Co. E. of the
5th Regiment Conn. Vols., under Col. O. S. Ferry. This change
gave the volunteers time to drill here for a time, instead of
marching at once, without drill, or experience. They drilled here
several weeks, and became quite proficient for raw recruits, and
finally were ordered to Hartford.
Daring these hurried days, it wais gratifying to see with what
zeal all the inhabitants entered into the spirit of preparation, and
hastened on the glorious volunteers. Contributions, in various
sums, came in from all sides; alike, from the humblest and from
the highest. All, priest and people, entered into the great work.
As an example, the Committee, while urging on their work of re-
cruiting and collecting supplies for the soldiers and their families,
(there were no bounties, then, family, or other bounty,) received
the following letter from Rev. Charles E. Robinson, D. D., now
pastor of a church in Troy, N. Y. : —
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1123
" Hon. William Cothren, Dr. C. H. Webb, and others of the Com.
mittee for recruiting in the town of Woodbury : —
Gent: — Enclosed you will find |30, which I desire you to use
for the best interests of our volunteers^ with the most earnest
prayers, and sincere, good wishes of their friend, and yours, —
Charles E. IIobinson."
During the five weeks succeeding the patriotic meeting referred
to, the volunteers were busy drilling, the Committee in recruiting,
and the citizens, particularly the ladies, in soliciting contributions
of every thing useful for the soldiers, who were to go in haste to
the front. Havelocks for the head, needle-books, towels, clothes,
shoes, and red-flannel shirts, were prepared and distributed to the
brave boys, who exhibited in turn a grateful recognition of their
zeal and kindness. At length, the company was called to go to
Hartford, to join Colt's Regiment, as they supposed. On Satur-
day, the 18th day of May, the company, which had, from the color
of the flannel the ladies had given them, gained the sobriquet of
the " Woodbury Reds," but who called themselves the Woodbury
Valley Rifle Company, "fell in," and after marching through the
principal streets of the village, partook of refreshments in the
grounds of the writer, where a large portion of the inhabitants
of the town had assembled, to cheer them, on their departure for
the unknown results of their patriotic .venture. They were es"
corted, by some of the leading citizens, to Hartford, preceded by
the Woodbury Drum Corps. The streets were crowded with cit-
izens, who made themselves hoarse with enthusiastic cheering.
Flngs floated everywhere, while every window was crowded with
patriotic ladies, waving handkerchiefs, and in every way manifest-
ing their respect and approval of the departing braves. At Water-
town, the reception was no less enthusiastic, and as to the recep-
tion in Waterbury, the following is taken from the American of
that date : —
"The Woodbury Troops. — The Woodbury Valley Company
C. in Colt's Revolving Rifle Regiment, left Woodbury for Hart-
ford on Saturday last, accompanied by some of the principal citi-
zens of that place. At Waterbury, the Co. was received by Mayor
Bradley, and was escorted by the Union Spear Co. and a large
body of citizens, to Brown's Hotel, where refreshments were serv-
ed. The Co. was then escorted to the depot, where eloquent and
1124 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
pitriotic addresses were made by Mayor Bradley, H. B. Graves,
S. W. Kellogg, and Win. Colhren, Esqrs., and by Dr. J. G. Beck-
with, of Litchfield, who furnishes two sous for the Company, one
of whom is the Captain.
"The Company arrived at Hartford about 5^ o'clock P. M.. and
after marching through the principal streets, went to their quar-
ters in Colt's sleambo it depot, a commodious and excellent place.
The Company was highly complimented by the citizens and sol-
diers in Hartford, and were pronounced to be one of the finest
companies that had yet arrived, in drill, appearance, and good be-
havior. They will give a good account of themselves.
"Previous to their departure for Hartford they passed the fol-
lowing resolutions : —
'•'•Resolved^ That our best thanks are due to, and are hereby ten-
dered to the ladies of Woodbury for their indefatigable labors in
fitting out our soldiers for the service of the United States in Col.
Colt's Revolving Rifle Regiment.
'■^ liesolved, That onr thanks are hereby tendered to those of
Woodbury who have aided in fitting us out for said service, and
we are determined to do them honor under the flag of our
country.
" Resolved, That we are under especial obligations to William
Cothren, Esq, who has been untiring in his efforts to promote our
welfare, and has shown himself to be an honest man, a most libe-
ral friend, and a patriot in the highest sense."
The gathering, subsisting during the weeks of drill, and fitting
out of this first com]iany furnished by the town, though there
were no bounties in this early stage of the war, cost not less than
a thousand dollars. It is only by considering these ever-accruing
small items of expenditure of the war, in every town and hamlet
in the entire North, that we ai-e able at last to grasp an idea of
the vast total that the late rebellion cost our government and
people.
This " first offering " of our old town, as they marched away
from their homes in our beautiful borders, officers and men, were
as follows : —
Captain, — Josiah G. Beck with, Jr.
\xt iiew.^.,y- Wilson Wyant.
Id Lieut., — George E Harris.
Orderly Sergeant, — Henry M. Dutton.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1125
Sergeants, — DeGrasse Fowler, William H. McKay, Richard H.
Spring, and Charles N, Newton.
Corporals, — Burton Downs, Calvin A. Hubbard, Albert Win-
ton and George A. Chatfield.
Privates.
Philip H. Wells, Joseph Marshal!,
Wm. II. Cone, James L. Warner,
John Ledger, Frank Martin,
Purnet Bronson, Franklin Newton,
Gardner Stockman, George S. Beck with,
Seth M. Reynolds, Wilhelmo Sommers,
George McCan, Philo A. Hamlin,
DeWitt C. Curtiss, Arnold Haymaker,
Dodge, Andrew Budge,
John M. Quinn, Ransom P. Tomlinson,
Trueworthy IMunger, William Barton,
Robertson, Edward Knickerbocker,
Edward A. Root, Joel F. Sellick,
Wm. C. Barry, Myron G. Bishop,
Edwin D. Bishop, Wm. Kensilor,
Henry Booth, Charles A. Squire,
John Gordon, Richard Condon,
Hugh S. Gosley, Charles Gosley.
Henry M. Dawson,
After the arrival of the Company at Hartford, it was recruited
to the full standard, and Col. Colt's organization having been given
up, it joined the 5th Regiment, under Col. Ferry, and was after-
wards known as Co. E. of that organization. As such it partici-
pated in all tlie arduous campaigns in which that Regiment was
engaged, crowning its glorious record by participating in Gen.
Sherman's grand march to the sea!
Subsequently to the disastrous battle of Bull Run, and others in
the spriiig of 1861, there was a lull, and an apparent unwilling-
ness on both sides of the fight to risk more than was necessary in
actual conflict, while they both were leisurely engaged in collec-
ting, arming and drilling their numerous legions. Col. Ferry was
ordered, with his Regiment, in July, to guard the Upper Poto-
mac in Maryland. This was a dry, distasteful, dull duty, quite
ditferent fi'om the stirring scenes which the soldiers expected,
when they " left for the front." When the "Woodbury Reds"
left Woodbury, it was still judged injudicious to march our
1126 ' HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
troops through Baltimore, but tliey were sent round by An-
napolis. Not yet had Gen. Butler taken possession of that rebell-
ious city, which had massacred some soldiers of the glorious Mas-
sachusetts sixth, as it was hastening to the rescue of the capitol
of the Nation. The writer will ever have a vivid remembrance
of that foul deed, as a near relative was among those who shed
this first blood to preserve the integrity of the Union. Wood-
bury, too, has an abiding interest in this first glorious act of Gen.
Butler, in silencing the traitorous city, and opening the way to
Washington for the passage of the loyal troops of the North to
the capital of their country ; for he is of Woodbury origin. His
grandfather, Capt. Zephaniah Butler, who fought under Wolflfat
Quebec, was a native of Woodbury.
At the Waterbury ovation to our Woodbury Boys, on their
way to join their Regiment at Hartford, frequent allusion was
made by the speakers to their "marching through Baltimore,"
and at every such mention, the air rung with their cheers, and
with the stern avowal, that they would " march through Balti-
more," and they did, — thanks to the Avise and vigorous action of
Gen. Butler. Being assigned to patrol duty, it was not much to
their liking, and they pined for more active duty. In their rough,
soldier way of expressing it, they were "spoiling for a fight," and
the squelching of the rebellion. Their letters from camp at this
time, to friends at home, were full of this complaint about their
enforced inactivity. A few extracts fiom letters received by the
author at this time, will show this more fully. They will also
show how the soldiers felt in regard to that small number of per-
sons, who somewhat faintl} clamored for peace. It is these out-
pourings of the heart, written on the spot, and with all the feel-
ings of the supreme hour, that give us the clearest pictures of the
soldier-hearts, that were in the great contest.
The first letter is from Capt. Robert G. Williams, of Co. G., 4th
Conn. Vols, afterwards the 1st Conri. Heavy Artillery. He was
the last pastor of the 1st Congregational Church in Woodbury,
and the people had a great interest in his movements, when it was
known that an irresihtible, conscientious impulse compelled him to
enlist in the armies of the Union.
" Camp Abercrombie, )
Hagebstown, Md., July 31st, 1861. )
"William Cothren, Esq — My Dear Friend, — Yours of the
6th of July was received by due course of mail. I was very soon
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 112V
detailed, with a portion of my Company, to do escort duty for a
train of baggage wagons to Martin-^burg, which occupied two
days. The next day after my return I was taken sick, and re-
mained so for two weeks, and have not yet fully recovered.
"On the 4th of July, the left wing of the Regiment was ordered
to Williamsport, to protect stores and provisions there, the Divis-
ion under Gen. Patterson having been ordered forward. The day
was very hot, we marched slowly for us, and only reached Camp
at dark. We bivouaced. T ate my supper just at 12 P. M. At
2 A. M., an alarm raised us all, but it was only an alarm. In the
morning we moved Camp and remained there more than a fort-
night, expecting to move every day. We had orders to hold our-
selves in readiness to march at a moment's notice. Detachments
of our Companies were continually sent over to Virginia, and
made several captures from the rebels, of various value. One
party wont ten miles and back, during the darkness of one night,
and took a rebel Captain (Mr. Geary) whom they found hid be-
tween two feather beds.
" On Saturday last, I was ordered to report, with my whole
Company, at this place in the A. M. — We left the camp at Wil-
liamsport at 5 A. M., and reached this place at 6-20 A, M., a dist-
ance of six miles. I was obliged to ride, and the Company came
on under the 1st Lieut., who remained in the rear, and allowed
the men to come as they pleased. I overtook the Company just
as it reached here. We are highly complimented for cur march
it being really before breakfast.
" I advised the men to stop at a spring about half way, and eat
the breakfast they brought with them. They had their knap-
saks, haversacks, canteens and arms. I am happy to report, that
Company G. is at the head of the Regiment for discipline and
drill. Some of the rest do not like it very well, but such was my
aim and purpose.
"I am writing now in front o^ my tent, and also witnessing
their gymnastics. They are forming a pyramid, five men at the
base, four in the next tier, three in the next, and one or two in the
next. With the tiers they easily march around the street. Often,
one take.^ another on his shoulders and marches all around the
Camp. Many of them turn somersets, handsprings, &c , and with
the musket are equally ready.
" Our Regiment is doing nothing but guard duty, which is not
so actively military as we had hoped, but we have obtained a good
1128 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
reputation among the people of Ilagerstown and Willianispovt,
who have sent a petition to Head Quarters, asking that we be de-
tailed to remain at these two places in preference to any other
Regiment. Some of the Pennsylvania and Maryland Regiments
have behaved rudely, and even cruelly to the inhabitants.
"Two of my Company have been discharged. I wish you to
say to Perry Lake and Walter Wliitcock, that I have places for
them. I wish they would wi'itc to me.
Very truly yours,
R G. Williams."
" Camp Wooster,
Hancock, Maryland, Aug. 13, I861-
Dear Cothren :
I have just received your welcome letter. I sincerely thank
you for your interest in oui- " Woodbury Boys," and in return will
write you as often as I have an opportunity. There is but little
news here at present. We expect marching orders every day.
Our boys are all eager for fight, but I do not think we shall have
much of it to do at present. I thiidv we shall be called to Point
of Rocks, about eight miles northeast of this place, soon. The
rebels are trying to cross the river at that ])lace, but we do not in-
tend to let them do it. Leave tliat to the Connfcticut boys.
Never fear but I shall do my duty. I shall never flinch in the
hour of battle. Never will I cease to fight against the traitors,
that would destroy our beloved Union, and that Constitutional
liberty which Washington and our forefathers fought and bled for.
I do not wish to return home till truth and justice triumph over
cruelty and oppression, and not till the name of every lead-
ing traitor shall be blotted from every page of decent history, to
be enrolled on the roll of iufmiy.
'■ Yesterday, six of us went out on a scouting expedition, and we
captured an old man and his son— both rebels. The son has for
the past two weeks been acting as a spy.
"I read your letter to the " boys" in my tent, and at its close
they gave three cheers for " old Woodbury " and three more for
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY 1129
you. You see we do not forget old friends. The "boys" often
speak of you, I wish you were here with us.
"We hear there are some secess;ionists and "peace men" in
Connecticut. We cannot understand this. How there can be
traitors in our good old State we cannot conceive. It strikes with
a deadening force our brave and enthusiastic soldiers. They
ought to have our experience with the rebels for a little while.
Notliing can so much injure the success of our army as to have
the impression prevail among the men that their toils and dangers
are ill-appreciated at home, or that there is any considerable party
there which would glory in our defeat.
''Jack Ledger and James Warner are both with our Company,
and are doing well. Capt. Wyant is well and thanks you for the
interest you take in his men. Military life suits me exactly. Our
men are improving in drill every day. I will inform you of all
our movements.
Youi's ever for the Union,
William H, McKay."
"Hagarstown. Maryland,
Aug. 16th, 1861.
Dear Friend: — I thank you for your very excellent letter,
which came to hand evening before last. It was filled with more
news tiian any I have had since I left Connecticut, and contained
what I wanted to know — the common incidents of Woodbury
life. It brought up the pt ople before me as in review, and their
familiar faces passed before me with all the distinctness of former
years. With the names came also old recollections ; scenes, as
you say, very different from my present surroundings. But &uch
is life! change is written on the whole of it. I have for years
feared civil war would overtake this country, but did not expect
it so soon. I supposed my course would surprise my fi-iends, es-
pecially as few of them knew the steps by which I was led to take
it. My blood almost boUed when reading the accounts of South-
ern treason, and 1 felt a growing desire to do something myself
to punish it. It was very easy to read and cry — " Wliy do not
they rise and put it down ? " — I could not satisfactorily answer the
1130 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
question — "Why do not I join the rising hosts?" Passing
through New Haven, to and from Berlin, where I supplied the
pulpit six Sabbaths, and seeing the troops there marshalling to
defend the best government the world has known, and finding
among them many old friends and companions-in-arms, of my early
days, I could no longer restrain myself. I supposed all that I
could do would be to go as Chaplain, and made application accord-
ingly. But no Chaplains were to be appointed, at least then. And
when the students from Middletown came to me and said they
wanted me to go with them as Captain, and chose me partly be-
cause I was a Minister, and when for weeks every former and re-
cent acquaintance (besides my wife and children) said I ought to
go, I could not refuse. And so here I am. I have thrown myself
into the service of my country. If my life is the price of her sal-
vation, I freely offer it. It is too good a country, too good a gov-
ernment, to be allowed to be overthrown without the must despe-
rate efforts to maintain it.
All the troops of our regiment leave for Frederick, Md., this
P. M. You will, therefore, please direct to that place. We have
made a long stay here, and the people are very unwilling that we
should go. They say the place has .not been so quiet and orderly
for fifteen years, as since we have been here, and they have twice
sent in petitions to have us remain, but we obey orders and leave.
" I should like to close this as Paul does some of his epistles, es-
pecially to the Romans, requesting yon to salute all my friends
by name, but I have not time. Please give ray kindest regards
to all my friends and all the patriots of Woodbury. I give you a
special commission to do this to our very kind friends, Mrs. Whit-
lock and family. I expect Walter to come on and join my Com-
pany soon. — I would like to have two or three more from Wood-
bury — true men and faithful — come into my Company, as I have
a few vacancies.
" Last, but not least, I send my best regards to your good wife,
and again to all, and remain.
Yours most truly,
R. G. Williams."
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUKY. 1131
'* Sandy Hook, Maryland, [
Aug. 16th, 1861. i
" Dear Friend , — I received your letter in due course. The
war news here is favorable for our side. We have gained a sub-
stantial victory in Missouri, though we have had the misfortune
to lose General Lyon. Old Connecticut may be proud of the
early distinguished martyrs she has furnished in this war. Ells-
worth, Ward, Farnham and Lyon, constitute a company of distin-
guished names not to be excelled by those of any State, who have
in this war yielded up life for the principles of freedom.
" Since I wrote you, I have been out scouting, with some men
from our Company, and we were quite successful. We wished to
capture a spy living three miles over the mountain. We went
well armed with our rifles. I had also a revolver which our Cap-
tain lent me. This, with our sabres, made us hard fellows to fight
against. We had arrived within half a mile of the place when
we met an elderly man. We questioned him closely, and as his
answers did not prove to be satisfactory, we tied his hands and
took him along with us. We had proceeded but a short distance,
when we discovered the trail of a horse. We followed it, and
soon found both horse and rider. I ordered him to "halt," or I
would shoot him. Thi^ had the desired effect; he evidently did
not like our looks. We found him to be the old man's son, and
the spy we were after. After looking around for others, we start-
ed for camp with our prisoners, proud of capturing two armed
men. We delivered them over to our oflicers, and they will be
tried as traitors on the 16th inst. So, you see, we are making a
small beginning in executing the duties we came here to perform.
Yours truly,
• Wm. H. McKay.
" Harper's Ferry, Aug. 24, 1861.
" Dear Friend : — We arrived safely at Harper's Ferry after
many delays. We could not go by the direct rouie, because the
rebels had destroyed all the bridges. We went from New York
to Elizabethport, and thence to Baltimore. At Baltimore we were
19
1132 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
received very cordially. A large number of the citizens of both
sexes congregated at the Depot, and about the cars, and greeted
us with cheers, assuring us that their sympathies were enlisted in
our behalf. I received many little tokens from the ladies of Bal-
timore — some of which I mean to send you.
"All we at present have to do, is to go on picket duty, and on
guard. I think we shall go out scouting in a few days. We have
already taken four of the enemy. All that we have seen have
proved to be very cowardly. The reports about the battle of Bull
Run arQ very much exaggerated. I have seen quite a number of
men that were in the battle, and our loss was comparatively small
to that of the rebels. As to our position here, we are so strongly
fortified, that it would be impossible for the whole Southern force
to take us. There are thirty Regiments encamped within one
mile of us — in fact, all of our best troops, under Gen. Banks, are
here. Regiments are coming in daily. We are in possession of
all the batteries this side of the river as far as you can see. Four
of them I can see as I write, I have, this morning, a fine view of
Maryland Heights, where one of our strongest batteries is located.
These batteries are so located, that they can sweep the river as far
as one can see. The woods are full of game of all kinds. We
have plenty of good spring water here close by our camp-ground.
We have a plenty of tents, but I prefer, in this hot climate,
sleeping on the ground, my rubber blanket under me, and
my woolen one over me, with my knapsack for a pillow.
"There is no chance for a fight, and I think it is the intention
of General Scott to concentrate as large a force as possible, and
wait until cooler weather before he gives the rebels battle. If he
should do this, you may expect me home in the spring.
Yours truly,
William H. McKay."
"Frederick, Md., Sept., 1861.
"Dear Friend Cothren: — Your favor of the 30th ult. came
to hand yesterday. I will write a letter soon for the public, giving
my views of " peace '' meetings. It will make war for our people
at home to cry iox peace till treason is punished and rebellion sub,
dued. I came to save our country from a Cataline conspiracy,
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1133
whicli aimed to destroy our liberties, and the best government the
world has ever known. And now, for timid do-nothings and dol-
lar-lovers to crouch around the kitchen corners and cry — " Don't !
— let them alone ; war will ruin us ; better give up," will make
the war closer home, for I cannot see how a true patriot can allow
the country any other basis than that upon which our fathers
planted it. And I hope there are patriots enough left to fight all
traitors, even if near neighbors and own relations. If the wiping-
out process must begin in New England, so be it. If this gov-
ernment is overthrown, the light of the world is extinguished, and
human liberty is put back into the dark ages. Self-government
will be proven impossible, might Avill make right, and the weaker
everywhere must serve the stronger.
" I should like to hear some of those " peace meeting " speeches,
and I should like to have the privilege of answering them. The
makers and approvers ought to be consigned at once to the posi-
tion and service of the slaves whose chains they would forever
rivet, and whose bondage they are perpetuating, as well as extend-
ing the area of slavery.
"These States can never be occupied by two governments.
One or many will be the governments of this country. If niany^
how long will peace exist between them? With custom-houses
and police at every State boundary, traveling will be delightful,
and commerce, now the life-blood of nations, will gradually dry
up, and the petty Republics of the United States will be in one
constant ague of fear of the power of all their neighbors.
" What do these *' j^eace men" propose? Submission to Jeff.
Davis? Let them go and wear his collar a little where he now
rules. He has driven off a sister of mine and her husband from
the home where they have always lived, and from the chui'ch and
congragation to which he has preacliedfor txoenty years ?^\\^ more,
because he loves the government Jeff. Davis once and again swore
to sustain.
*' Will they divide the country with him ? Show me the farmer
who says yes, and I will go and squat on his farm, and if he ob-
jects, I will cry — " All I want is to be let alone," and if he wants
peace I will divide his farm with him, and be very peaceful till I
become strong enough to take the whole.
'"Perhaps you have thought me too phletmatic to become much
excited, but my blood fairly boils when I think of this rebellion,
and the ends sought by its authors, and I cannot think o'l peace
1134 HISTORY OF ANCIENT W O O D B U R T .
till they who have disturbed our peace are so punished that they,
nor any one else, will attempt to do it again while the earth re-
volves.
Truly yours,
R. G. Williams."
" Camp Sherman, Frederick, Md.,
Auff. 29, 1861.
" Dear Cothren : — I will improve the few moments I have to
spare in giving you a little history of what we are doing at pres-
ent. How long we shall remain here I cannot tell. The whole of
Gen. Banks' Division has removed from Harper's Ferry, and at
present we are but a few miles from Frederick city, near a little
village called Hyatville. — Why we have removed here I cannot
tell, unless the locality is better for sending the troops to any place
where they may be wanted, at the shortest possible notice. We
can send men to Washington or Harper's Ferry in a few hours.
We are thirty miles from Washington ; twenty eight from Balti-
more ; and thirty-one from Harper's Ferry. So you see our posi-
tion is a good one. There must be as many as 40,000 men here
under Banks, and we are so concealed by being encamped in the
woods, that the enemy, or a stranger, would not suppose we had
more than three or four regiments. We are encamped about sixty
rods from the main road to Washington, and at the least alarm,
could call together a sufficient force to destroy any force the reb-
els could send against us.
*' I see by some of the northern newspapers, that there are men
who talk about a compromise with the South. Such a comprom-
ise 1 sincerely hope the North will never make, till the rebels lay
down their arms and cry for " peace " themselves. They neither
offer or desire any peace, I say for one — "no coniprom,ise with
traitors ! '''' I know it may cost the lives of many, but it is far
better to sacrifice the lives of thousands of our men, and crush
rebellion at once and forever, than to compromise with traitors,
who, as soon as they could regain their strength, would renew
their attempt more successfully than ever to destroy our beloved
Union. I see some think this war will be a long one, but I do not.
The government is prepared indeed for a long struggle, but what
is to be done will be done speedily. The little reverses we have
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1135
received at the commencement of the war have been a good lesson
to us, for they have caused a reorganization of the whole Northern
army on diiferent principles. Johnson with his army is in a des-
perate condition. He is nearly surrounded by McClellan on one
side and Banks on the other, ready to follow up any advantage
that may be found. We feel sure of him. We may have march-
ing orders at any moment. — The health of our Regiment is good.
— only seven in the hospital. Tell our friends we will do our best
for the honor of " Old Woodbury."
Truly yours,
R. G. Williams.
"Camp Muddy Branch, )
Oct. 28th, 1861. \
"Dear Cothren; — I received yours this morning. Our regi-
ment returned here last night, after a hard day's march. Gen.
Bank's division was ordered to Edward's Ferry, where some of
the Union troops were engaged with the enemy. We immedi-
ately struck our tents and commenced our march. On arriving at
the scene of action, we learned that the 15th and 21st Massachu-
setts Regiments, under Col. Baker, had crossed the river and at-
tacked the rebels. Before the arrival of our troops the rebels re-
treated back towards Leesburgh, which is considered one of their
strongholds. Our troops re-crossed the river and pitched their
tents along the banks, and erected our batteries. I suppose this
was done in order to have the rebels advance upon us. Gen. Mc-
Clellan was here and had an interview with Gen. Banks. We re-
mained here the whole of the next day and night, and on the
next morning were ordered to march to our present camping
ground. Gen. Williams is here, the commander of our brigade.
What the object of our leaders is I do not know, but I think the
fight at Edward's Ferry, and the large force we had occupying the
position they did, was a ruse to mislead the rebels and have them
withdraw their forces from some other position to defend this.
It is evident they expected a hard fight, for they brought in their
reinforements all night on the cars. It is reported here that we
have gained a victory at Springfield. Whether this is so or not I
do not know, but it is evident that some general movement is to
1136 HISTORY OF AKCIBNT WOODBURY,
be made soon. Gen. McClellan has so arranged his plans that the
Generals under him can act in concert with him. To-day our com-
pany are out on picket duty. We are placed along the lines of
the Potomac for miles, and are within hailing distance of each
other. We shall return to our camp to-morrow, when we are in
hopes that we shall soon he called to join the whole Northern force
in one glorious struggle for the Union.
" When I was in Connecticut, I heard many say that when they
were needed they would enlist (to all such I say come, we want
you). If they could be with us and see the bodies of their dead
comrades, and see how terribly their bodies were mutilated by
Southern rebel cowai-ds, it would fan the little spark of patriot-
ism within their breasts into a flame, and they would come out
nobly and boldly unite with us in putting down one of the most
accursed of rebellions the world has ever known. As we daily
see more and more of the rebels, and witness their bitter hatred
towards us, and their barbarous mode of warfare, which they
manifest in thrusting the bayonet into the bodies of our wounded
and dead, that fall into their hands, it destroys the feeling of sym-
pathy that we have always shown, even to an enemy. I sincerely
wish that every Northern man capable of bearing arms would
unite, heart and hand, with us in putting this rebellion down, and
restoring our beloved country to its former happy and prosperous
condition.
*' The Woodbury Valley Rifle Company all send their regards to
you and to our other friends.
From your friend,
William H. McKay."
"Camp Lyon, Bank's Division, Sept, 1861.
" Friend CoTHREN : — I have just received your letter. We
left Frederick, Md., on Saturday last, at short notice, at daylight,
knowing only that we were going towards Washington. We
marched about thirteen miles over a rough Maryland road, and
halted in an open lot at the foot of "Sugar Loaf Mountain," on
which Gen Bauks has his observatory. We arrived here about
dark, built some fires, and as we had no flag in sight, we were
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1137
taken for a rebel Regiment. I was on gnard that night, as I al-
ways happen to be when we are on a march. Signals were sent
np for two or three hours, when, I believe, General Banks recol-
lected there was a Fourth Connecticut Regiment coming down to
join his Division, which saved us from an attack from our friends.
On Sunday we marched thirteen miles more, over the roughest
and poorest land in Maryland. We continued our march next
day, and here we are now, nineteen miles from Washington. I
think we are on the eve of a great battle. For two days past,
there has been a constant stream of army wagons passing towards
Washington, with provisions, clothing, &c. 1 am told 1,700 teams
have passed in two days.
" We have become well drilled, and are still drilling five hours
per day. We think ourselves fully equal to any Regiment in
these regions. A beautiful flag has been presented to our Regi.
ment by Connecticut citizens of California, as being the first Con-
necticut Regiment for three years in the war. I have a good deal
of interest in this flag, as our Company is the flag Company of
the Regiment. We shall, therefore, probably have a chance, par-
ticularly, to defend this flag, and no rebel band will ever take it,
as long as one man in our Company is left to defend it.
" I should like to be in old Woodbury for half a day, but do
not know as I shall ever see the town again, though I hear that
General Banks thinks it will be but a short war. We are one mile
from the Potomac. Johnson's army is on the other side of the
river, a little below. We can see a plenty of the rebel Cavalry,
and Avill have a brush with them if they cross the river. Let them
come, if they think they have any business here — they will have
a warm reception. Write often. It relieves the tedium of camp
life to hear from friends.
Yours very truly,
William H. Proctor,"
"Camp Near Darnestown, Oct. 1861.
Dear American. — I have been waiting for some new move-
ment in our Brigade, or I should have written you before. There
has been no new movement yet, though the various regiments
have been concentrating near each other. The object of Gen-
1138 HISTORY OF ANCIENT W O O D B U E T .
Banks is to have the men under him in the right place at the right
time. The great trouble with most of our leaders has been, their
men have been so scattered they could not be brought as reinforce-
ments in time to be of any use. Our loss at the battle of Lex-
ington does not discourage us. It is thought by all of us soldiers
that Gen. Fremont will retrieve the loss, by re-taking all we have
surrendered to the enemy. I sincerely hope it will prove in the
end to our advantage.
" All the men place great confidence in Gen. Banks. The strict
discipline which he enforces in his Brigade only increases our con-
fidence in him as an able leader. I think this month will make a
great change in the aifairs of our government. We are thorough-
ly prepared for battle, and ready to strike a blow at any moment.
I think the people of good old Connecticut will soon hear news
that will rejoice their hearts. I see that Connecticut is doing no-
bly in raising troops for this war. Let all those who wish to take
a part in the defence of our country, enlist immediately, and unite
with us, who have preceded them in this most righteous contest.
To the patriotic citizens of Woodbury, who have sent their sons,
and used their money and influence for this war, to our friend,
Mr. Cothren, the father of our Company, we send our sincere
thanks, and hope in the day of battle to prove ourselves worthy
of their kindness.
Yours, ever,
Wm. H. McKay."
" Camp Ellswoth, Md., Sept. 14th, 1861,
" Friend Cothren : — I have to plead guilty for not writing
you, our best friend, before this time. You will have to pass sen-
tence upon me for the utmost the law will allow, as I have no ex.
cuse except the exigencies of the service in defence of our com-
mon country.
Almost all the men of Company E are well — there are a few
cases of measles. The Woodbury Company has made great im-
provement in drill since it left Hartford. It cannot be beat by
any Company in the 5th Regiment. The whole Regiment is ready
for a fight, or for any duty. They hold themselves ready to march
at a moment's notice, night or day. We will, in any event give
HISTORY OF ANCI E NT WO ODBUR Y 1139
a good account of ourselves. We should be glad to have you
give us a call at camp at any time. You would receive a warm
reception from your Woodbury Company. — We have had several
false alarms. I think that the great battle will be fought at the
Chain Bridge, and if so, you will hear a good account from Coth-
ren's Woodbury Rifles.
Very truly yours, ^
Wilson Wyant, Captain Co. E.,
Fifth Regiment, C. V."
"Camp Ellsworth, Md., Sept. 16, 1867.
" Dear Cothren : — I have received some papers from you to-
day, and by them I see that old Connecticut is not thoroughly
purged from traitors yet, but the promptness with which all such
sentiments are put down, shows that the people of Connecticut
are true in their love for the Union. I can not but compare re-
bellion at the North with that of the South. Rebellion at the
North and South should be placed on a par. The strength and
baseness of the one equals that of the other. — Every day we see
the weakness of the South in her struggle with the North. Every
day the South diminishes in strength in the same ratio that the
North gains. Rebellion has been at its height — its end is near.
The war news at present is not very exciting. In my last I told
you we were expecting a battle every minute. We were told
that the rebels, in considerable force, were making an attempt to
cross the Potomac. The captains of each Company immediately
gave their men 70 rounds of ammunition, and in a short time we
were ready for battle. We soon found the report untrue, and all
the men were disappointed in not having a chance at the rebels.
We expect marching orders every day. I will write you as soon
as we make another move, which we hope will be soon. Tell all
the " Woodbury Boys " to hurry up, if they expect to take part
in this struggle.
Yours very truly,
William H. McKay."
'B&'
1140 history of ancient woodbury.
"United States Ship Savannah,
Newport News, Virginia.
Dear Friend: — I thought you might like to hear from the
seat of war on the water, I have addressed several letters to my
friends, but have received no reply. I am now hard at work pre-
paring mess for eleven men, but that is not half they require of
us. They wish us to do about six things at once; so I mast write
in a hurry. I even sleep so fast, that I have no time to dream.
"When we are at sea, the sleeping is done with our eyes open, ac-
companied with pulling ropes at all hours of the day and night, in
all kinds of weather. In the forenoon, at 10 A. M., our officer
drills us, and you had better understand he drills us, too. After
that we drill at the big guns. This ship carries twenty-five large
guns, and two small Dahlgren guns. We have often been as far
as Cape Hatteras, on the North Carolina shore, chasing Privateers,
but, so far, they have proved too fast for us. We stopped a
schooner on Sunday night, which claimed to be from Ireland.
Our Captain let it pass, but a few days after, one of our Steam
Frigates overhauled the same craft, and she proved to be a Pri-
vateer, valued at $98,000, — too had for us to lose her. We might
have had so valuable a prize if our officers had been a little
sharper.
I will now tell you about our first fight with a Rebel steamer.
She came down about midnight from Norfolk, and gave us a fair
challenge to fight by raising a red flag. She fired two shots at us
before we could get our guns to bear on her. I am 2d Captain of
the after pivot one inch gun. We put in a ten second shell, but
it fell short of her, bursting in the air. We then used fifteen
second shells, and those came near striking her. She was nearly
four miles distant from us. You Avill think this a great distance
to be fighting with an enemy, but great as it is, the Privateer
made the best shots. She had a rifled canon, and fired nineteen
shots, ten of which whistled through our mizzen rigging, directly
over our heads. One ball struck the mainmast about forty feet
from deck, cutting away the iron band and about one-third of the
mast. I tell you the boys began to look wild as the splinters flew
about their ears. At every shot we fell flat on our faces, and held
our breath as the balls struck on the other side of the ship. Ev-
ery moment we expected the balls to crash through the bulwarks,
and send us to the other world. One shell exploded under our
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1141
ship, and it made everything tremble. As soon as the men could
get the ship around broadside, we opened our port battery upon
them, throwing shot and shell in quick succession. The Union
troops on shore fired their rifled cannon, and it soon became so
hot that the rebels left. The next day a flag of truce came down
from Norfolk, sending a dispatch to our Captain, asking him how
he liked their shots, and saying, that they would take or 8i!)k all
the ships we could bring here, as they were coming down with
three steamers to take us to Norfolk in less than three days. Our
ships here are the Yorktown, Germantown and . We have
not seen their ships yet. We doubt very much whether they can
do that little job! Our Captain sent back word to them, that he
had the best men that had ever shipped on board ship. He said,
before they took the Savannah, there would not be enough left of
it to carry ofi".
" We hold ourselves ready for instant action, sleeping on our
arms ; our guns are sighted and primed, and ready for any ship that
approaches us. I shall ever try to do my duty in the great cause
in which I have enlisted, hoping to see you again when " war's
dread blast is over.
From your friend,
James H. Manville."
" Camp on the Potomac, near Muddy Branch, )
Sunday, Nov. iVth, 1861. )
"Friend Cothren; — Sunday in New England and Sunday in
Maryland ; in one the deep toned bells are calling its quiet, church-
going inhabitants to their accustomed places of worship ; rough
visages are clean shaved, dirty ones are washed, clean collars?
clothes-brushes, boot-blacking, &c., are in great demand. In the
other, rattling drums are furiously sounding the hour of inspec-
tion, knapsacks are being packed, ramrods are continually jingling
in burnished guns, careless fellows, who never know where their
accoutrements are, are rummaging around for haversacks, cart-
ridge-boxes, canteens, &c. Orderlies are loudly calling for their
respective Companies to " fall in ; " lazy ones, at the eleventh hour,
are hurriedly rubbing a rusty gun, or scouring a corroded belt-
plate ; regimental bands are roaring Yankee Doodle or Hail Co-
1142 HISTORY OF ANCIENT W O O D B II K Y .
lumbia, the signal for guard mounting ; such is Sunday on the
Potomac. — Company A, returned from picket on the river late
last night. We slept none during our twenty-four hours' picket
duty, and consequently myself as well as the rest do not feel very
wide-awake to-day. But your letter of Nov. 11th is by me un-
answered. McKay is unable to write you, and it devolves upon
my dull comprehensiveness to keep you posted. There is not
much news outside of our own camp.
"The favorable accounts of our naval expedition spreads a
gleam of satisfaction on almost every countenance, and furnishes
a theme of conversation and speculations as to what will be done
next, to occupy our minds during leisure moments.
" Col. Ferry has returned to us safe and sound. He appeared
quite suddenly among us last Thursday afternoon. He came in
wrapped up in a large rubber overcoat, but despite his disguise he
was recognized, and cheer upon cheer rent the air, greeting him
with the warm welcome of soldiers who love and respect their
commander. But the enthusiasm with which he was received was
redoubled when it became known that he brought the paymaster
with him. And to crown all, in the wake of the paymaster fol-
lowed the sutler's wagon, returning from Washington, laden with
cakes, candies, oysters, and all the available good things he could
lay hands on in Washington.
" We received our two months' pay, 126.00, with an additional
belief in the unbounded i-esources of Uncle Sam's pocket. We
have got an eye open for Col. Irish, who promised to visit us in
November. He will find the 5th as eager to do business with him
as they ever were.
" But among all that is pleasant, I must also write the reverse.
Friend McKay is seriously ill. He has a severe attack of neural-
gia and rheumatism combined. He is now in Captain Wyant's
tent, where everything for his comfort is done. I see him three
or four times a day. To-day he is a little better. Should any
change for the worse take place, I will immediately write you.
" Hoping this will find you in as good health and spirits as my-
self, I remain,
Yours truly,
Gardiner Stockman."
history of ancient woodbury. 1143
" Camp Trumbull, Nov. 18, 1861.
"Friend Cothren; — Yours of the 12th came duly to hand
and I was glad to hear from you. The 6th Regiment boys are
making good progress in their drill. We expect that we shall go
into winter quarters in a few days at Rockville, Md. It is getting
rather cold here to stay in our tents much longer. Our Colonel
has recovered from his sickness and rejoined his Regiment. The
5th has received its two months pay, and our boys will send home
to their friends some eight thousand dollars, which speaks well
for the 5th Regiment. Your friend McKay is some better ; I took
him to my tent and am doing all I can for bira. My duty, or the
duty of the Regiment, is mostly picket guard duty on the Potomac
river. We guard some six miles of the river. I had the pleasure
of being a witness to some fighting or skirmishing on the Virginia
side of the river at Edward's Ferry. I think if the 5th Regiment
has a chance, it will give a good accout of itself. We should like
to see the light of your face down here. William sends you his
best respects. I don't think that the 5th Regiment can be beat
by any volunteers that have been in the field no longer than it has
been. Spring, Dawson, Raymaker, Root, and all the Cothren Ri-
fles are doing well except McKay, and he will soon get well. I
have a stove in my tent. So you see that McKay will be taken care
of. I shall do all I can for him, not only on your, but on his own
account, for William is a good boy. Please to write often. The
" boys " all like to hear from you, for you are a good friend to the
" boys," and we all thank you for what you have done for us.
Yours truly,
Wilson Wyant,
Capt. Co. E., 5th Regiment."
*' Camp Burnside, Annapolis, Md., )
Dec, 26tb, 1861. )
" Friend Cothren : — I promised to write you often, and I have
waited a long time, hoping to have something important to write
you, or, at least, to inform you we had arrived at some important
place, and were ready to serve our country effectively. It has
1144 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
seemed as though we should never be ready to start, but it is most
probable that we shall go in Gen. Burnside's expedition, some-
where, the first or second week in January. There are some
twenty-five or thirty transports here to take us off. A new dock
is being built to facilitate the loading of military storesr It has
been a very poor place for landing.
The city is a very old looking phice. The houses are poor and
look deserted. We see now and then a white person, and plenty
of pretty good looking " darkies," but we have no intercourse
with the people here.
" The Woodbury boys in Capt. Smith's Company are all very,
well, fat and hearty, with enough to eat and that which is good.
We like Uncle Sam's business first-rate, and are ready at all times
(as are all of Capt. Smith's company) for a fight. In fact, " we
are " t-;piling for a fight," and we hope to arrive at the lower end
of Dixie pretty soon. We drill 4|^ hours each day, and are as well
drilled as any regiment in the field. When it comes to fighting,
give us the Woodbury and Waterbury boys, say we. We have
had three or four division reviews. There are twelve Regiments
of infantry, one of cavalry, and one of artillery already here in
readiness for the expedition. The 11th Regiment, C. V., arrived
here last Friday, and i,d:.id were we to see some more of the Con-
necticut boys. Roderick Freeman and Daniel Taber came amongst
the rest. Rod, though he is colored and cannot go in the ranks,
chooses to go with the Woodbury boys, as cook and waiter.
"We have lost one man in our Company and there is another
man out of A. dead at the hospital. Our Regiment is pretty
healthy — only fifteen or twenty in the hospital.
" The news has just come into camp that England is going to
help tlie rebels. Let her come on. The North is ready for her.
I am ready and willing to spill my blood, if necessary, to help
teach her to mind her own business, and such is the determination
of all the boys/
" Our division, which is the largtst yet organized, is all eu
camped in sight. The transports are being loaded rapidly, and
we shall soon be off to some important point, when you may ex-
pect to hear a good account of us.
Yours truly,
John E. Tuttle."
* This brave young soldier fell at the Battle of Antietatn, pierced by a bullet
through the heart — a modest but noble sacrifice for the salvation of his country.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1145
Hancock, McL, Jan. 21, 1862.
" Dear American : — It is a long time sinae I have heard from
the vicinity of home, or seen a copy of your paper, so I write you
a few lines in this time of general army inaction. The 5th Kegi-
ment is encamped at Hancock, some sixty miles north of Frede-
rick City, Maryland. The rebel general, Jackson, is about six
miles from our lines, and has under his command some fourteen
thousand men. Our third brigade, with that of Gen. Kelly, num-
bers about fifteen thousand men, and as soon as the Potomac shall
fall so that our men can get across, I think we shall give him bat-
tle. The Potomac has risen some twenty five or thirty feet during
the late rains, and it is impossible to cross at present.
" The cry of both men and officers is ' over to Dixie's land.'
V\ e are all tired of inactive camp life. We had much rather en-
ter on active duties, finish up the business, and come home, than
to be loitering here. For some months, we have not understood
why we did not fight, and whip out the rebels, but suppose it is
all right, and that there is some good reason, though we 'do not
see it.' The duty of the soldier is to obey, and we do that cheer-
fully.
"The most of the 'Cothren Rifles,' Company E., are in good
health and spirits ; Raymaker, Root, McKay, Spring, Dawson, the
brothers Bishop, and rdl the rest send their kind regards, I have
been sick of late, and am boarding with a private family till I am
better. Am improving slowly, and hope Lo be 'all right' soon.
"Our Regiment has just been paid its two months' wages, and
a large part of the whole is being sent to friends at home.
"About the first of the montli-, we heard our fiiend and father
of our Company, Mr. Cothren, of Woodbury, was on his way to
visit us, and were very much disappointed when he failed to reach
us. Our regret was greatly increased when we learned that he
was unaV)le to continue his journey to us from Washington on ac-
count of his illness. We greatly hope he will ' try again ' to see
us, soon.
Yours truly,
Wilson Wyant,
Capt. Co. E., 5th Reg't C. V." '
This letter was written to the editor of the " Waterbury American."
1146 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
The foregoing letters, written in the spirit of the hour, while
the influence of the vast conflict which had been inaugurated was
strong upon the hearts of all, have been introduced to show how
the enthusiasm of the time transformed the humblest in our com-
munities into heroes, and how those who had received only a com-
mon school education, and had perhaps never been called to write
a specimen of English composition in their lives, were enabled?
under the inspiration of patriotic fervor, correctly to appreciate
the great principles involved in the contest, and to correctly, elo-
quently and forcibly express them in these communications to
friends. Not one of the writers of the preceding letters had re-
ceived any thing but the advantages of our common country
schools, except the Rev. Mr. Williams, and it is submitted that
these productions compare favorably with those of men who have
received the honors of our Universities. They show, too, how the
events transpiring at the North struck these brave young hearts.
The President and the entire North, loving their country, and lov-
ing the arts of peace, hesitated long in this first unlucky year of
the war of the rebellion, to strike at and extirpate the great root
of all this evil — the omnipotent curse of slavery. The all-perva-
ding wish was to see how peace could be restored, and slavery
remain unscathed. All possible devices to this end were entered
upon, but without satisfactory result. And thus the year of 1861
came gloomily to a close.
1862. The year 1861 had closed, while the affairs of the nation
were enveloped in gloom. The results of the year, so far as the
union arras were concerned, had not been, on the whole, a success.
Great preparations had been made, and great expectations had
been raised, but there had been but a moderate share of success,
and a plentiful harvest of disaster. Many a devout Christian
somewhat irreverently began to think that *' the Devil reigned,"
or perhaps it is more charitable to suppose, that they merely
thought the time spoken of in Revelations, when Satan was to be
" loosed for a season," had arrived. But the time for inaction
seemed, with the opening of the year, almost to have passed away.
Vast movements were on foot, and the war appeared to be taking
a decisive turn.
"On the 11th of January, 1862, a strange and heterogeneous
assemblage of vessels filled Hampton Roads. Gen. Bui*nside had
been ordered to fit out an expedition to proceed against a certain
point on the Southern coast — but where that point was it was re-
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1147
served for time and events to announce. Accordingly, by dint of
unwearied exertion, Gen. Burnside had collected this mass of one
hundred and twenty-five water-craft. Utterly regardless of the
appearance of this fleet, and with a single eye to utility, he drew
upon all the resources of the steam merchant service, from the
Kennebec to the Chesapeake.
" The land forces, under the command of General Burnside,
amounted to sixteen thousand men, with an ample supply of field-
pieces and batteries, and all the material of war. T e troops
were divided into three brigades, under the command of Generals
Foster, Reno and Parke, all experienced and able officers of the
regular army."
Burnside's expedition, after experiencing all the perils of furi-
ous storms, arrived near the island of Roanoke, on the early days
of February, 1862, and on the 7th the fleet opened its heavy guns
upon the rebel fortifications on the island. The bombardment by
the fleet continued all day with unabated fury.
" It was just three o'clock in the afternoon when the Uniic-d
States flag was raised at Ashley's Harbor. The cannonade was
still raging at the battery. It continued unabated all day, and as
the night was clear and the range was perfect, it did not cease
with the going down of the sun. Nothing can be imagined more
sublime than a bombardment by night. The glare of the guns,
so passionate and spiteful in expression ; the roar of the explo-
sions ; the shrieks of the shells, as if demons were howling through
the air; the explosion of the shells, with meteoric brilliance and
thunder peal ; the volumes of smoke rising into the darkened sky
— all these, blended with the gloom of night, present a scene,
which, once witnessed, can never be forgotten. About one hour
after dark the fleet drew off, and was silent and motionless for the
remainder of the night. The land forces had indeed a cheerless
prospect before them. Thoroughly dienched and chilled by tlie
cold winti-y waves, they were compelled to bivouac on the shel-
terless shore, without tents, exposed to a cold north wind, and a
heavy rain. Their discomfort, through the night, was extreme.
Still they were in good spirits. A landing in force had been ef-
fected with the loss of but four men killed and eight wounded.
The fleet had been severely handled, by the heavy shot of the bat-
teries and the rebel gun-boats. Round shot and shell passed
through several of the National ships, killing and wounding a
few of their crews. Still no damage was done to interfere with
20
1148 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
the efficient action of the fleet, and all on the island and in the
ships waited impatiently, cheered with hope, for the opening of
another day."
The morning of Thursday, the 8th, came. It was still cold and
dismal, but the loyal troops pressed bravely on, fought a desperate
battle, and were successful beyond the expectation of the most
hopeful.
"A victory had been won, second to none since the national
forces took the field. It was a victory to thrill every loyal heart
throughout the land with joy. As the sun went down on that
SiUurday evening, Feb. 8, it closed a week of glorious work for
God and humanity. Even with a spy-glass, ffom the central bas-
tions of Roanoke, no rebel flag could be seen. The national ban-
ner floated everywhere. Nothing now remained to be done, but
to pursue the rebel steamers to their lurking-places, and to re-
establish the national authority in all the important towns, washed
by the two Sounds and their tributary rivers. Six forts, 2,500
prisoners, forty-two heavy guns, with a large number of smaller
arms and mubitions of war, fell into the hands of the victors.
The Union loss consisted of 40 killed and 200 wounded. Among
the killed was Col. Russell, of the Connecticut 10th, a gallant
officer, a genial, generous man, a fearless soldier, a warm-hearted
Christian. He died universally lamented."
Gen. Burnside was not the man to delay, and with commenda-
ble promptness he inaugurated the Battle of Newberne, March
14th, 1862. The gallantry of the Connecticut troops was con-
spicuous in this battle — Col. Rodman's charge was highly com-
mended.
" This charge by Col. Rodman, leading the 4th Rhode Island
Regiment, was one of the most heroic deeds of the day. They
were in front of a battery of five guns ; while there was another
battery close by its side of nine guns, protected by rifle-pits. At
the double-quick they ran upon the muzzles of these five guns,
pouring in a volley of bullets as they ran, rushed through the
parapet, and instantly, with the precision of veterans, forming in
line of battle, with a bristling array of bayonets bore down upon
the other guns, thus capturing both batteries with two flags. The
8lh and 11th Connecticut and the 5th Rhode Island, followed
closely in their tracks, to support them. The enemy fled precip-
itately, and the stars and stripes floated proudly over this small
portion of the enemy's extended line. A grand charge was now
HISTORY ©P ANCIENT WOODBURY.
1149
made upon the enemy's left, aided by the troops who were already
established within the ramparts. The enemy could stand it no
longer, and in great confusion they fled. With exultations and
shoutings which none can appreciate but thoee who have passed
through such terrible scenes — perhaps the most ecstatic joy of Mi-
en humanity — the National troops clambered over the ramparts,
discharging their guns at the retiring foe, and with huzzas re-
peated again and again and again, raised the glorious old bann.er
of National integrity over all the bastions which had just been
degraded by the flaunting flag of rebellion. It was a hard fought
fight and a glorious victory. Every regiment and almost every
man behaved heroically. The olst New York performed deeds
of valor, which will induce every man of the regiment to look
back upon that day with pride, so long as he shall live."
The colored population were rejoiced beyond measure at the
triumph of the North. The slaves throughout the south, univer-
sally, regarded the coming of the Northern armies as the signal
for their patriotic deliverance. No language can express the sat-
isfaction with which they received the loyal troops, and the eager
willingness they manifested to serve them. " They could hardly
believe the evidence of their senses, and
could not possibly restrain their delight,
when they saw their afiirighted masters
running before our troops. They had nev-
er before dreamed that there could be any
earthly power superior to that which their
dreaded masters wielded. A slaveholder,
breathless with terror, spurred his horse
to his utmost speed, by his own d©or, not
venturing to stop. Just then a shell, with
its terrific, unearthly shriek, rushed through
the air, over his head. A poor slave, a
man of unfeigned piety and fervent prayer,
In uncontrollable emotions of joy, ran into
his humble cabin, shouting, " Wife ; he is running ; he is running,
and the wrath of God is after him.^'
Another devout old negro fell on his knees and prayed, saying
"God bless these d — d Yankees." It was the only name he had,
ever heard his master give them.
On the 17th of September, 1862, Gen. McClellan fought the
desperate battle of Antietam, sometimes called the battle of Sharps-
1150 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUKT.
burg, as it was fought on the Antietam-creek, over against the
village of Sharpsburg. This was the bloodiest day, perhaps, that
America had ever seen, and yet the battle closed indecisively. The
blood of some of Woodbury's bravest boys saturated the soil of
those hotly contested fields. The next great battle in which the
Woodbury soldiers received a bloody baptism, was the battle of
Fredericksburg, which was fought on the 13th of December, 1862.
Our limits do not allow a general description of the battle. A
few passages from Greeley's "American Conflict," follow :
" Braver men never smiled at death than those who climbed
Marye's Hill that fatal day ; their ranks were plowed through and
torn to pieces by rebel batteries, even in the process of formation;
and when at heavy cost they had reached the foot of the hill, they
were confronted by a solid stone wall, four feet high, from behind
which a Confederate brigade of infantry mowed them down like
grass, exposing but their heads to our bullets, and these only
while themselves firing. Never did men fight better, or die, alas !
more fuitlessly, than did most of Hancock's corps, especially
Meagher's Irish brigade, composed of the 63d, 69th, and 88th New
York, the 28th Massachusetts, and the 116th Pennsylvania, which
dashed itself repeatedly against those impregnable heights, until
two-thirds of its number strewed the ground ; when the remnant
fell back to a position of comparative safety, and were succeeded
as they had been supported, by other brigades and divisions ; each
to be exposed in its turn to like pitiless, useless, hopeless slaugh-
ter. Thus Hancock's and French's corps were successively sent up
against those slippery heights, girdled with batteries, rising, tier
above tier, to its crest, all carefully trained upon the approaches
from Fredericksburg; while that fatal stone wall — so strong that
even artillery could make no impression on it — completely shel-
tering Baiksdale's brigade, which, so soon as our charging col-
umns came Vv'itlii!i rifle-shot, poured into tlielr faces tlie deadliest
storm of musketry. Howard's division supported the two in ad-
vance ; while one division of Wilcox's (9th, late Burnside's) corps
was detached to maintain communication with Franklin, on our
left.
"Hooker's grand division was divided, and in good part sent to
reenforce Franklin ; while Hooker himself, believing the attack
hopeless, required repeated and imperative orders from Burnside
to induce him to order an advance ; but Humphrey's division was
at length thrown out from Fredericksburg, and bore its full part
HISTORT OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1151
in the front attack, losing heavily. And thus the fight was main-
tained till after dark — assault after assault being delivered by di-
visions advancing against twice their numbers, on ground where
treble the force was required for the attack that sufiiced for the
defense ; while a hundred rebel cannon, posted on heights which
our few guns on that side of the river could scarcely reach, and
could not effectually batter, swept our men down from tlie mo-
ment that they began to advance, and while they could do nothing
but charge, and fall, and die. And when night at length merci.
fully arrested this fruitless massacre, though the terraces and
slopes leading up to the rebel works were piled with our dead and
our disabled, there was no pretense that the rebel front had been
advanced one foot from the ground held by it in the morning.
We had reason enough for sorrow, but none for shame.
" Thus closed what the exulting correspondent at Lee's head-
quarters of The Times (London) calls ' a memorable day to the
historian of the Decline and Fall of the American Republic' Not
so, O owl-eyed scribe ! but rather one of those days of bloody
baptism, from whose regenerating flood that Republic was divinely
appointed to rise to a purer life, a nobler spirit, a grander, more
benignant destiny ! "
A considerable number of Woodbury soldiers were engaged in
all these great battles, scattered through all the Connecticut regi-
ments engaged in them. A local historian, confined to [)rescribed
limits, cannot give a connected history of the war. He can only
be expected to allude to the prominent events in which the people
of the town took a commendable part. It is, therefore, thought
best to introduce here letters from the soldiers of Woodbury, de-
scribing the part they took, in all these events, and in the several
battles, and, it is believed, that it must be far more interesting to
our people, coming from their own sons, written on the spot, when
the "inspiration was on," and when there could be no temptation
to misstatement, than anything that the general historian could
write, who is forced to condense all the incidents of a battle into
a single statement, showing only general results. In these indi-
vidual statements, we feel the pulse-beats of the heart. Besides,
it is of absorbing interest to know what share our immediate
neighbors had in achieving the glorious results described. The
account given in these letters will be all that our space will allow
for an account of several of the battles.
1152 HI STORY 'of ancient WOODBUBY.
" Headquarters Provost Guard, )
Martinsburg, Ya., March 7th, 1862. )
" Friend Cothren : — When I last wrote you, my determina-
tion was (as I then intimated) not to write you again until I could
date my letter from Virginia. And now, embracing the first op-
portunity after arriving here, I appropriate some " secesh " pen,
ink and paper, left in the hurried departure of the owners from
this place, on Saturday last, to the laudable purpose of informing
as worthy a person as yourself in regard to the appearance of the
recent home of the rebels.
"Gen. Williams left Hancock, with his brigade, on Saturday
morning of last week. He reached Williamsport that night, and
Sunday and Monday were occupied in transporting the brigade
across the river. The 5th Connecticut crossed about 9 o'clock on
Monday morning, and with a good road before them, and pleasant
anticipations of soon having a fight, they gladly hailed the order,
*' Column, forward ! " in the well-known thunder tones of Col.
Ferry. By 3 o'clock they were quartered in the churches and
public buildings of Martinsburg, and the curious ones having de-
posited their knapsacks and accoutrements, were making tours
through the town, and picking up little mementoes to send home
and to keep as relics of the capture of Martinsburg.
"Being detached from the regiment to serve in the office of
the Provost Marshal, it was necessary for me to remain in Wil-
liamsport until the Provost Guard crossed the river, which did not
take place until about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. No sooner had
we stepped from the ferry-boat on to the Virginia lauding, than
the sky, which for some hours had been growing dark and omi-
nous with black, watery-looking clouds, began to let fall copious
doses of the Hydropathic remedy. I was soon tired with the
slow traveling of the guard and prisoners, and with a friend start-
ed on ahead. We reached Martinsburg about 8 o'clock, com-
pletely drenched. We found the town jammed full of soldiers.
The houses were crowded with men and the streets with wagons,
mules, gun-carriages and horses. After considerable hunting,
blundering and stumbling around, we found a hotel, the landlord
of which, with abundant excuses for his poor accommodations, as
he termed them, said he could provide for us through the night-
Over a hearty supper of warm biscuit, ham and secesh cofiee (bar-
ley), our host gave us a history of the state of affairs which had
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY 1158
existed since the blockade. A man could not get a file to sharpen
a saw ; a piece of" calico large enough to make a child an apron ;
tea, salt — scarcely any sugar —and spices of all kinds were not to
be had ; coffee was sometimes obtainable at $1.50 per pound. Such
were some of the deprivations rehearsed to us, that the people of
the South are obliged to undergo.
To say nothing of squads of the semi-barbarous rebel Boldiery-
who intrude into every household which rumor breathes conserva,
tism or a particle of Union sympathy of, and who order the in-
mates to set a table, partake of a repast, and walking out, w'iih
oaths and insult, tell them to c'^arge it to Jeff. Davis, I never shall
forget the scene which met my eyes on looking out at the window
the next morning. The place where we stopped was close by the
railroad, and directly opposite was the raih'oad depot and engine-
house, both once large and fine-looking edifices, now partially de-
molished. — The broad surface in front and around them, interlaced
with its labyrinth of tracks and switches, as you always find in
connection with a railroad stopping-place of any importance, w^as
covered with crisped, rugged fragments of broken-down locomo-
tives. In one place I should think there were at least forty pon-
derous locomotives piled one on the other, some on their side,
some bottom up, and others standing on end. It looked as if two
or three score of railroads were laid down so as to cross each other
at the center, and from the outside of the wheel-like concern a lo-
comotive was started with full steam on, one on each track, and
all had met in the center. Certainly, if such was the case, a more
promiscuous confusion could not have been produced. A high
bridge over a small stream was loaded with all the engines that
could be crowded on it, and then set on fire. Among the stone
pillars, which are all that is left of the bridge, lay the ruins of the
wantonly destroyed engines.
"The town itself presents rather a dreary, exhausted appear-
ance. Many of the houses are deserted ; the stores are empty,
their show-windows and cases presenting tobacco cut and twisted
in every conceivable shape, to supply the want of anything else to
make them attractive. I am informed that the population of Mar-
tinsburg ranged from 3,000 to 4,000, in times of peace, and before
these troublous times it was a thriving, growing village.
Gen. Williams' Brigade left here Wednesday morning, and pro-
ceeded as far as Bunker Hill, a small place ten miles from here, on
the Winchester road, where they still remain. Gen. Banks was
1154 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
at Charleston yesterday. Col. Sullivan arrived here last night,
with the advance of the late Gen. Lander's forces, 7,000 strong.
The main body, about 15,000 of them, are expected to-night. A
concentration of the forces under Banks, Williams, and Gen.
Shields, who succeeds Lander, appears to be the object in view
now. When this is done, then Winchester look out.
" The boys all wish to be rem embered to you. Hoping to hear
from you soon, I am
Sincerely yours,
Gardner Stockman,"
"Friend Cothren: — The old political motto, to the "victors
belong the spoils," is a favorite one with you of the legal profes-
sion. Believing you are not an exception to th6 general rule, I
take the liberty of sending you this addition to your stock of legal
text-books. The volume is one provided by the late State of Vir-
ginia, for the benefit of the Circuit Court of Berkley County, and
was left behind in the hurried evacuation of the Town and Court
House by the rebels, on the approach of the troops a few nights
ago.
" Although it may never be of practical use in any cases in which
you may be employed, I thought, perhaps, you might value it as a
relic of the once proud State, whose enactments the highest in
the land were bound to respect — but now brought so low,
that " none are so poor as to do it reverence." Although a
" dead letter'''' now, I know you will unite with me in hoping, that
the day is not far distant, when the letter of the law will assume
the dignity to which it is entitled ; — and then^ perhaps, the book
may be useful for reference.
Gardner Stockman.
Court House, Berkley County,
Martinsburg, Va.,
March 8, 1862.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1155
" Edinburgh, Virginia, April 8, 1862.
" Friend Cothren : — As the rain, which is driving so monoto-
nous a tune on the roof of the tent, precludes the possibility of a
drill this forenoon, I propose to devote the leisure drill hour to
the troubling you again with our little troubles.
" The first grievance of which we have to complain is this : A
certain few of us (Woodbury boys), upon discovering among the
local items of Woodbury, in a Litchfield Enquirer, lately sent us
a brief mention of Wm. Cothren's illumination (the only one in
the place), on the night of the anniversary of Washington's birth-
day, electrified the entire camp by three such rousing cheers, that,
some one, who thought that such a noise could not be made on
any ocoasion of less importance, speedily set afloat the report that
Kichraond was in possession of Burnside, the stars and stripes
were waiving over New Orleans, the whole South were throwing
down their arms, and the paymaster had come — all this, of course,
elevating the spirit-^ of the regiment only to let them fall again,
and vent their disappointment in wrath upon our innocent heads,
for making such a hooting, over some Woodbury celebration way
up in Connecticut, as they termed it.
" We are to soon lose our much loved and respected Colonel.
He leaves us this week for Washington. It is hard for us not
to express a little selfishness by saying that we hope he will not
go. But Col. Ferry merits his promotion. The country needs
him to act in a more extended field than his lot has hitherto fur-
nished him. We must part with him and allow the future of the
regiment to look dark — why, you shall know in good time. I am
not at liberty to say just now.
" Since I last wrote you, which I think was from Martinsburg,
we have advanced by easy marches some fifty-five miles towards
the interior of the State, and probably as soon as the bridge over
the north branch of the Shenandoah, which the rebel Jackson
burned in his retreat, is rebuilt, we shall continue our onward
movement — that is if Jackson has no objections. — He will be
obliged to bring forward some very forcible arguments in order
to prove to our satisfaction that it is not advisable for us to pro-
ceed on our Southern tour, for we are full of the spirit of the en-
terprise. We have started, and would be very much disappointed
should we 1 e obliged to retrace our steps, or even to remain where
we are.
1166 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
" Since we have passed the Rubicon Potomac, and been travel-
ing in the land of ' Dixie,' the favorite pastime of jayhawking
(you being of the legal persuasion of course understand the im-
port of the term,) has been extensively indulged in. You would
enjoy it with us could you form one in our battalion of jayhavvk-
ers, as we fall in with the estate of some F. F. V., ingloriously de-
serted upon our approach. — Quickly deploying, what thorough
searches are instituted for bee-hives of honey, chickens, turkies,
geese, &c. Smoke-house doors are battered in with musket butts,
and from them emerge whole sides of bacon, sausages, beef and
hams, which seem to have suddenly caught the evacuation spirit
so lately prevalent in this vicinity. While through the lofty, de-
serted halls of the proud old mansion rings the muffled footfall of
grim visaged warriors, crowding to the " banquet hall " to search
in its cupboards and closets for jars of jelly, pickles, butter, &g.
Secesh emblems, and everything of curiosity or utility to a soldier,
are teken care of, and in time many center-tables and mantel-pieces
of Connecticut will receive additions to their stock of curiosities,
mementoes and relics.
" One little incident I must relate to you. The orders against
pillaging or jayhawking are very stringent. All who are detected
in it are most severely punished. On the day after our entrance
into Martinsburg, Col. Knipe, of the 46th Penn. Vols., met one of
the members o his regiment, of Hibernian origin and wit, who
was carrying a fine, large goose towards camp, whose head, by
being turned around two or three times, was *' hanging perfectly
loose," as the boys say. The fellow knew the penalty attached to
his offense. He also knew that his Colonel was aware that the
paymaster had not been seen for a long time — so any story about
purchasing the goose would not be swallowed by Col. Knipe,
" ' Where did you get that goose, sir ? ' was the Colonel's first
question.
" * Back on the road a bit, your honor.'
"' Well, sir, you know what the consequences are — you have
disobeyed orders. What is your name, and what company do you
belong to ? '
" ' Arrah now, Colonel, be aisy till I tell me story to you. Yer
see. Colonel, as we marched up the town, yesterday, with our gal-
lint flag a stramin, out comes a party of dirty, blackguarding, se-
cesh geese, and hissed at the flag, yer honor. It made the blood
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1157
of me bile, sir, to see the dirty oraythcrs hissing at the flag we're
all fightin for, and I marked the foremost one, sir — I marked him
till I'd know him agin, it being against orders to lave the ranks.
And to-day I went back and hunted him, and broke his head off
for him, the same as I would any secesher that would hiss down
me country's stars and stripes. And I thought, yer honor, it was
a sin to cast him away when he was killed, so I brought him
along.' "
" Col. Knipe could not refrain from indulging in a hearty laugh
at the fellow's wit. So telling him to let things alone that did
not belong to him, in future, the Colonel sent him along to roast
his goose, and think, while eating it, of his narrow escape from
the clutches of the court martial.
" The paymaster arrived at headquarters yesterday. We are
all happy to see him, having heard nothing from him since the 1st
of January.
" The country here is full of shin-plasters, from three cents up-
wards. They pass quite readily between our soldiers and the cit"
izens, but our sutlers, who procure their goods from the North'
' can't see it ' if we offer it to them.
" From the Potomac to way south of Winchester, the country
is now well supplied with coffee, salt, sugar, and in fact all groce-
ries, as well as cotton and woollen goods, which one month ago
the inhab'tants were suffering for. All the necessaries and luxu-
ries of life are pouring, like a fast-rising tide, into the western
portion of the State, following up the line of blockade, as it moves
steadily and surely onward to meet its counterpart extended along
the gulf.
1158 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
"The weather for the past week has been quite mild and pleas-
ant. The peach and appletrees are budded, the meadows look
fresh and green, and the lazy languor with which we lounge
around, in the warm, sunny days, under the trees and along the
grassy banks of the winding Shenandoah, makes us feel that Spring
has really come again. Our thoughts wander back to where we
were a year ago. How much we would have then given to have
known where we were to be this Spring. And Oh ! how we
would like to know beside what streams we shall I'oam a year from
now. A waggish tent-mate, peering over my shoulder at what I
am writing, suggests that very likely some of us will be going up
Salt River. — Shouldn't wonder a bit if we were.
" We expect that in a day or two, " Head of column, forward ! ''
will rouse us from our listless life in camp, to again resume, for
the weary march, our knapsacks and three days' rations, which
last, with a poor fellow who is gifted with a good appetite, is no
small consideration in way of freight.
" Ashby, with his rebel cavalry and some light batteries of ar-
tillery, is continually showing himself along our advanced lines.
More than once have our workmen on the bridge been surprised
by a shower of bullets whistling among them from a heavily-
wooded knoll, just a good rifle shot in front of them. Fre-
quently are they startled by the demon screech of a spherical
shell, drawing most uncomfortably near, from some flying battery
which our wiley foe has stealthily drawn up and opened upon
them. Fortunately, scarcely any of the secesh shells burst — not
more than one in a dozen. — They are some purchased from English
agents, so I am informed. I guess that shells are not the only
English things that the C. S. A. are taken in on.
" There goes the dinner signal, and as I am habitually prompt
in responding to all noises of the kind, and as I have some scru-
ples in regard to being late to dinner, I must close by remember-
ing all the boys to you, and hoping you will not forget your inten-
tion of visiting us.
Truly yours,
G. Stockman.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1159
" Camp at Williamsport, Maryland, )
May 29th, 1862. )
"Friend Cothren: — I suppose you are anxiously waiting for
a word from us, to learn what part your Valley Rifles bore in the
stirring incidents which have transpired in this department during
the past few days. In the first place let me dispel any concern
you may have for our welfare. I am happy to be able to state
that out of the eighty men lost from the regiment by the battle
and retreat from Winchester, none of the Woodbury boys are
numbered, With the more general details of the battle you are
undoubtedly well acquainted, through the official reports which
have been published ; but believing that a short chapter of par-
ticulars will not be uninteresting, I will describe a few scenes in
which the 5th bore a part.
"Saturday morning, May 24th, at daybreak, the bustle and
stir of bi'eaking up camp was over, and the reduced but gallant
body of troops under the immediate command of Gen. Banks,
were on the road towards Winchester. The efforts made to hurry
us up, the anxious appearing countenances of Gen Banks and staflT,
as they dashed by us on to the head of the column, and the sad
fate of the First Maryland Regiment, one of the four composing
our brigade, caused a depression to hang over our sj^irits, ominous
of we knew not what. One thing was evident — the rebel Gen,
Ewell, after utterly annihilating the force at Fort Royal, was
making his way, fast as possible, to reach Winchester before
Banks, thereby cutting off" our retreat.
" It was, therefore, a race for life — our legs were our only sal-
vation. Fortunately we were a little in advance, and about 8
o'clock in the evening we arrived at Winchester. Our brigade
was stationed that night about a half a mile outside the city, on
the Front Royal road. — Gordon's brigade took up a position in
line of battle horizontal to the road leading to Strasburg. Our
regiment filed into a clover field — we stacked our arms, and with
the rest, wearied out, I lay down, and praying, as I heard the rat-
tling musketry of the distant pickets, and gave one last glance at
the Southern sky, all aglow with the blazing camp-fires of the
enemy, that we might not be called up before morning. With
the whole earth for a bed, and the star-studded heavens for a cov-
ering, I fell into the welcome sleep that ever awaits the tired
soldier.
1160 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUBY.
" Sunday morning dawned serenely bright and beautiful, seem-
ing to invite man, by its calm peacefulness, to partake of its spirit
and^desist from making it a day of blood. I was startled from
my slumber, under the lea of a stonewall, by the terrific screech
of a shell as it passed over my head and burst a rod or two from
me, in the center of the field in which we were bivouaced. Not
half the regiment were awake, but this early intruder, and his
dozen quick successors that followed, plunging into the ground all
around and among us, making the dirt and stones fly in clouds'
started them, and such a getting up never was beat. Our battery
had opened its return fire, from a hill just in our rear, and the
whizzing, banging, and thundering going on over and around us,
was truly terrific ; added to all this was the terror in hearing from
one to another the repoit that the enemy were advancing up the
other side of the hill, in line of battle — rather trying circum-
stances for a regiment that had never been under fire to get into
line under. But we did it, just did it, when Major stone shouted
— " Look out, boys — look out here — they are right on to us! " I
just had time to glance up (we Avere just under the brow of a hill,)
and see the top of the hill swarming with the devils coming on a
"double-quick." The order was given to lie down. Down we
went into the high grass, just in time to escape a few scattering
shots that were sent for us.
"The 46th Pennsylvania, which was posted on our right, on a
higher piece of ground, drew their fire and promptly returned it,
but did not check them. A moment more and they would have
been on top of us, when Major Stone jumped up and shouted —
" NoWgis your time, boys ! Up and give it to them ! " Up sprang
every man, with his rifle leveled — along our line blazed a sheet of
flame, and down like ten-pins went the front ranks of the rebels. —
They returned our volley with fearful efiect, particularly on the
right of our regiment, which was nearei to them than the left.
Our lire was rapid and steady — theirs slackened not — and for a
moment or two it was doubtful which would whip, the 25th North
Carolina or the 6th Connecticut. But our boys, true to their
Northern natures, were growing cool, and many, realizing the
value of every shot, were stepping to the front to take more de-
liberate aim and obtain better shots. All of a sudden the rebels
turned and broke for a stonewall about a rod in their rear. Our
boys, wide awake to seize every advantage, held their fire for an
instant, until the rebels were on the wall. Many of them went
I
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBTJRY. 1161
over that wall with the impetus of a bullet in the rear. The sur.
vivors left for down the hill, and we fell back behind a stonewall,
where we waited fifteen minutes for another regiment to try us.
But the intention seemed to be to shell us out, for we were under-
going a regular bombardment. Gen, Williams, who was watching
us, said — " Look at that 5th Connecticut — they are the boys to
fight ! " Since the fight I have heard many speak of the gallantry
of our regiment.
'• We now heard along our right wing a furious cheering — not
the three distinct hearty cheers of our Northern boys, but a con-
fused mingle of hoots and yells, which was all we wanted to in.
form us that the enemy had succeeded in forcing back our right
wing. And according to instructions we withdrew from the field
and commenced our retreat, passing in good order through the
town, though a murderous fire was kept up upon us from doors,
windows, and behind corners and fences, by the citizens, and in
many cases women were seen shooting down our wounded as they
staggered out of the ranks. It was hard treatment to receive at
the hands of those we had tried so hard to please. We shall re-
member you, Winchester. Our retreat was well conducted — Gor-
don's Brigade crossing the river at Williamsport and Donnelly's
at Dam No. 4, six miles below. The march was a tough one —
over forty mil(>s — but we are now recruited and ready for another,
" Hoping that the next time we are in the field we may have an
enemy only twice our own number.
I remain as ever yours,
Gardner Stockman."
"Newbern, N. C, March 18, 1862.
" My Dear Friend : — I wrote you hastily just before we left
Roanoke, that our regiment was to accompany the next expedi-
tion. Since then stirring events have taken place about us. I
have but little time at present, and can give you but a brief ac-
count of what has transpired during the interval. The fleet set
sail on the morning of the 11th, I think. Our steamer, the Loui-
siana, got aground, through the carelessness of her Captain. He
has previously caused a great deal of trouble, both at Old Point
1162 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
and Hatteras, and, at the latter place, his steamer was aground for
a long time. He is strongly suspected of disloyalty. It took as
many as a half dozen small steamers to pull it off. General Burn-
side came alongside on the Alice Price, and ordered him in irons.
Once afloat, and our voyage was delightful ; it seemed more like
a pleasure excursion than a military expedition. We came to an-
chor on the 12th inst., several miles below Newbern. The next
morning, the troops began to land, many of them in small boats.
The morning was beautiful, and the sight was most magnificent.
It reminded me of pictures of the evacuation of Boston by the
British The gun-boats began shelling the woods along the shores
of the Neuse, early in the morning. The last of our regiment land-
ed about the middle of the afternoon, and before we slept, we
had marched a distance of thirteen miles. The roads were in an
exceedingly bad state ; in some places the mud was almost knee-
deep. The first object of interest we passed was some rebel bar-
racks, but recently deserted by a company of Cavalry. We reach-
ed the railroad about dark. Here the rebels had erected extensive
earthworks. They were incomplete, however, and if occupied at
all, were soon abandoned, on our approach. During the after-
noon, the weather had become damp, and it was now raining, but
on we went, with commendable zeal and good spirits, little dream-
ing of the joxirney we were performing. Quite late in the eve-
ning, we came up with the main body of troops, and bivouaced
in a piece of wood only a mile and a half from the battle-ground.
I am told that a company of cavalry lay within a few hundred
yards of us all night. I eat a cracker and an orange ; then, lame
wet and exhausted, folded myself in a blanket, and slept until
morning. We were ordered to fall in, early next morning, and
relieve the 51st Pennsylvania, in dragging howitzers. Our men
took hold of it with a hearty good will. Soon after we started
the iii'ing commenced — .it first, by only driving in the enemy's
picket, but soon after, the roar and boom of musketry and artil-
lery, which indicated that the action had commenced in good ear-
nest. By the time' we a^-rived, the firing had become terrific. The
right wing advanced with the howitzers, and planted them to
bear upon the enemy, iinder the direction of the marines, who
worked the guns. Then, by order of Gen. Parke, the companies
joined the 24th Massachusetts and other regiments, which were
then under heavy fire, but soon after joined the rest of us. Theleit
wing filed to the left, into a piece of woods directly in front of
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1163
the enemies' works. As we were advancing, a canon ball struck
just ahead of our company, taking off a man's head — a second af-
ter, one struck a few feet behind us, and took off a man's leg.
Shortly after, Capt. Lee, Co. T>, was killed, and several of his men
wounded, by a shell. The firing countinued about four or five
hours — only one of our company was wounded. The stars and
stripes were planted on the enemies' breastwork about 11|^ o'clock
And then. Oh ! such cheering and shouting! I shall never forget
it. It must have penetrated even further than the roar and din of
battle had, but a few moments before. The rebels fled in great
confusion and haste ; in some of their camps food was still cook-
ing, or spread upon the tables. They burnt the bridge command-
ing the approach to Newbern, and set the city on fire. Their
force must have been about 12.000 men. All their camp equipage
baggage, &c., &c., was left. Their works about Newbern are im-
mense. They have been worked upon for twelve months. In
point of numbers engaged on our side, and the position of the en-
emy, I consider this battle second ouIt/ to Donaldson, in the glo.
rious achievements of the war. Our killed and wounded were as
follows : — 91 killed, 463 wounded. Of the wounded, some twenty
are mortally so. I know nothing of the loss of the enemy; pre.
sume it was equally as heavy. We have taken quite a number of
prisoners ; among them are some important persons. The rank
and file are the most wretched looking set of men I ever saw —
regular tar burners — their clothes were very ragged, and of all
the colors and styles you can imagine. Some carried old bits of
carpets for blankets. A large number of the rebel killed were
shot through the head — showing the deadly aim of our men. Our
men, with a few individual exceptions, acted nobly in the fight. I
can hardly say enough in praise of the brave men — they lay down
when not firing, otherwise, many would have been killed. I am
told by persons who have been over the ground since the action,
that the trees all around the place we lay are filled full of shot. I
am now enjoying the satisfaction of having done my duty, and
loiped out Bull-Run. The country for miles around us is almost
entirely deserted. The boys were busy for a day or two in secur.
ing prizes, &c , I can assure you. One of our men has a splendid
gold watch and pencil. I have a splendid, genuine secession flag,
which I would not swap for all the rest. I intend to send it to
Norfolk, the first opportunity I have. Won't it excite a sensation
there, though?— The men have been allowed to go out a foraging
21
1164 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
qniie freely. It would amuse you to see them come in. Some
will have a pig or sheep slung over his shoulder, and some come
with a mule or horse loaded down with poultry. Several splendid
horses have been brought in. I w^nt out with a squad, and
brought in quite a fine carriage, a set of silver plated harnesses,
two bushels of sweet potatoes, twenty-five lbs. of honey, a pot of
lard, three hens, and a splendid hair matrass. I took them all
from the house of a secesh Captain, named Netherby, I think.
Among other things which have come into our possession, is a
large number of letters, which have amused us very greatly.
Some of them are love matters, of the most exquisite nature. You
may expect to see some of them in the Connecticut papers.
" The slaves here seem overjoyed at our success, and avow that
they never shall call any man master again. I presume one hund-
red of them have come into our camp. I visited Newborn to-day ;
it is a very pretty place. It looks more like home than anything
I have seen since I left Connecticut. I enclose some C. S. A.
stamps. They may be a curiosity to you. Excuse my envelope;
it is secesh and the only one I have.
Yours affectionately,
Samuel C. Barnum.
To. P. M. Trowbridge, Esq."
*' Head Quarters 5th Conn. Vols., )
Culpepper Court House, Va., Aug. 13th, 1862. )
" Dear Father : — I hasten to improve this, the first opportu-
nity since the excitement and confusion of the battle of Saturday,
to drop you a line, assuring you of my safety, as well as that of
Ames. Poor Alvord is missing. He was in the charge, and was
last seen in the woods, fighting like a good fellow. I think he is
a prisoner — many of our men were taken. I was on the field,
helping take care of the wounded and bury the dead. I looked
along the track of our regiment, but could not find his body.
Our brigade, (Crawford's,) it is conceded by all, made a more
desperate charge than has hitherto been recorded ia the war.
Our regiment is all cut to pieces. Col. Chapman is wounded, and
a prisoner. Major Blake is dead. Adjutant Smith was shot
HISTORY OF ANCIENT W O ODB U RY . 1165
through the head. The Quartermaster is wounded, and a prisoner.
Most all of the line officers are either killed, wounded, or prison-
ers. Lieut. Daniels was shot through the hip, Lieut. Dutton,
old Gov. D.'s son, was killed instantly. Co. A. lost twenty-three
men — went into the battle with forty. I had several very narrow
escapes, A shell burst close beside me, wounding a friend seri-
ously in the head.
Yours aifectionately,
Gardner Stockman"
"Washington, D. C, Sept. 6, 1862.
"Dear Friend; — Our regiment arrived here night before last,
at midnight. We are bivouacing on the very identical spot upon
■which the 2d Conn, were encamped. How curious the coinci-
dence ! and how little I thought when I left it, over one year ago,
to advance into Va., that after a year of marching, voyages, bat-
tles, privations, &c., &c., I should come back to the old camp
ground, to begin anew — for it seems that our forces are but little
advanced, comparatively, of what they were at that time. Still I
have hope that all will yet be well. We evacuated Fredericks-
burg on the 31st of August, burning the bridge behind us. Our
regiment was a part of the rear guard, and did not arrive at Ac-
quia Creek, until the morning of the 3d, We then embarked, and
came to Alexandria, where we arrived the same day. On the 4th,
we marched from Alexandria to this place, arriving here on the
4th, at midnight. The men are all well and in good spirits. Do
not know how long we shall remain here ; probably not long, as
we are under marching orders. I do not know where we are
going. I am still in command of Co, K, alone. Rod Freeman is
my servant, and a most faithful fellow he is, too. He wishes to
be remembered to all the friends in Woodbury. I am rejoiced to
hear that the North are at last wide awake. My love to all.
Please write me soon. Direct to Washington. Excuse blunders.
Yours affectionately,
Samuel C. Barnum.
To P. M. Trowbridge."
1166 HISTORY OP ANCIENT -WOODBURY.
"Frederick City, Md, Dec. 2d, 1862.
'Dear Sir: — On my return from duty at "Monocacy Junc-
tion," where I was sent some d ys ago — and since which time I
have received no mail — I found your kind letter of November
20th, inquiring about the Woodbury boys. It was necessary for
me to make some inquiry in regard to the persons you mentioned,
before I could give you the desired information. I have lost no
time in doing so, and proceed to give you the result.
"Albert Winton, Myron Bishop, Edwin Bishop, Henry M. Daw-
son, Richard Spring, and James Warner, are with the regiment,
and well.
" George McCann was wounded at Cedar Mountain — how se-
verely I do not know. The last time I heard from him, he was in
hospital in Alexandria. I understood, at the time, that his wounds
were in the foot, and not serious — probably his friends have heard
from him before this time.
" John Ledger was detailed on signal service some time since,
and is now, probably, with the advance.
" The complimentary manner in which you speak of our behav-
ior is duly appreciated by all the boys, and we hope still to merit
your approbation. We have tried, so far, to do our duty manfully,
and whether we are permitted to remain in our present compara-
tively comfortable quarters, or are ordered to our old place in the
battle front, Woodbury shall have no occasion to complain of
her boys,
"In regard to your kindly proffer of assistance, I would say,
that a pair or two of woolen socks would not come amiss to any of
the boys, as they are an article not to be obtained here for money,
even if we were supplied with that ; but, owing to the dilatori-
ness of the Paymaster, neither " green-backs " or postage-
stamps are very plentiful just at present.
" In behalf of the boys and myself, I beg you to accept our
heartfelt thanks for the kindly interest manifested in our welfare,
and assure you that it will not be forgotten when we have the op-
portunity to show our appreciation of it. Our regiment is at
present quartered in the city of Frederick, and there is a proba-
bility of our remaining here for some time.
"I am too busy just now to give you further particulars in re-
gard to our situation, but circumstances permitting, (which must
always be a consideration in a soldier's promise,) I will write our
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1167
mutual friend, Cothren, to-morrow, and he will of course give you
the benefit of' any information I may be able to furnish him.
" Hoping that this hurried answer to your kind letter may not
discourage you from writing again, I remain
Yours truly,
Gardner Stockman.
P. M. Trowbridge, Esq., Woodbury, Conn."
" Belle Plain, Dec. 2d, 1862.
"Mr. Trowbridge — Dear Sir: — Your letter of the 18th was re-
ceived one week ago, and, I assure you, I was glad to hear from
you. It was just such a letter as I like to get now — a little sym-
pathy, a little encouragement, and a considerable news. I was
sorry to learn that so many of our Woodbury boys are sick, but
do not think it strange. I saw a man to-day who left the hospital
at Harper's Ferry last Tuesday. He says Seth is doing well — that
my brother-in-law from Waterbury had been to see him. I had
learned from him that he had started to see him, and would try to
procure him a furlough. But, since Seth was at the hospital Fri-
day, I conclude he did not succeed in getting him one. I am
sorry, for I doubt if he will be able to do much duty this winter.
Our brigade was detached from the division the next day after
we arrived opposite Fredericksburg, and sent to this place, which
is on Potomac Creek, a small bay on the Virginia side of the Poto-
mac, and is about six miles from Acquia Creek and twelve from
Fredericksburg. Supplies for the army are landed here, and we
act as guard, and also unload the boats. I think we shall stay
here a while longer, but it is nothing certain. The army at Fred-
ericksburg seems to have come to another stand still, but I hope
Burnside knows what he is about. I have considerable confidence
in him, and presume he has good reasons for delay. He has been
down here several times, and goes away on the boat to Washing-
ton, I think.
Yours truly,
F. J. Percy."
1168 history of ancient woodbtjkt.
" Camp Opposite Fredericksburg, )
Wednesday, Dec. 24th, 1862. [
'• Mr. Trowbridge — Dear Sir : — I have received two very wel-
come letters from you since I wrote you last. One I received on
Monday, and as we were changing our camp that day, and yester-
day we were fixing our tents and on extra duty, I could not find
time to answer it until to day. I was very glad to hear from you,
as I always am, for you write such cheering news, and show such
a spirit of confidence in God to support our arms, that it does me
good, especially after getting defeated, as we did in the battle at
Fredericksburg.
Our army suffered terribly in that battle and did not accomplish
a great deal after all. The papers try to smooth it over now, but
I tell you it was manslaughter in earnest. Our men were mown
down in heaps, and many a home is now left desolate, and many
a heart left broken and sad to mourn for loved ones now moulder-
ing in a soldier's grave.
" Perhaps it was best to attack them here, where they wei'e so
strongly fortified ; God only knows. But all is for the best. Our
regiment was not in immediate action, but we lay under fire, more
or less, for four days and nights. But one has died from wounds,
but some were wounded slightly from stray bullets and shells that
burst in our ranks. I came near losing my head, but God in his
mercy spared me. I wish I could write you a full detail of the
battle, but time will not permit to-day.
" All the boys are well and send their best respects to you. I
appreciate your kindness to me in the past, and I pray God to re-
pay you.
Yours truly,
John B. Bunnell.
"Camp near Falmouth, Va., Dec. 21st, 1862.
" My Dear Friend : — I beg pardon for not writing you sooner
after the battle, as, perhaps, you have been anxious as to my safe-
ty I am well and in good spirits.
" Our regiment crossed the Rappahannoc to Fredericksburg on
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1169
the afternoon of the 12th inst., and that night bivouaced in the
streets of the city. On the morning of the 13th, we were detailed
to support the pickets in front of the 3d division, which were sta-
tioned just beyond the outskirts of the city. Col. Stedraan re-
ported the regiment for that purpose to Col. Donoho, 10th N. H.
Vols., commanding the pickets, at about 9^ o'clock ; up to this
time there had been a desultory firing of pickets, although
Franklin was, at the time, hotly engaged on the left, but it grew
more brisk until at about 10 A. M., the engagement became gene-
ral. The picket headquarters were at a small house on an emi-
nence near the railroad, considerably to our left, and within 800
yards of the rebel breastworks. From this position we could ob-
serve every movement on each side. We were out of the general
range of fire, and comparatively safe, although, if too much ex-
posed, the zip of a bullet from some sharp shooter's rifle was sure
to remind us that, under the circumstances, '* Discretion was the
better part of valor." One poor fellow was hit by one of them,
and lost his leg in consequence. The position of the enemy was
one of great strength, not only by nature, but by all the appli-
ances of military science.
*' The ground in rear of the city forms a plateau, or open plain,
about a third of a mile deep, and then rises in a range of hills,
which abuts at a deep ravine on the left. At the foot of this range
of hills runs a road flanked by a stone wall, behind which the
sharp-shooters and infantry of the enemy were posted. On the
crest of the hill above were heavy intrenchraents, behind which
powerful cannon are planted, in such a manner as to bring an enfi-
lading fire upon our troops, who must advance to the attack over
the open field in front, and still behind these works other lines of
infantry are concealed.
" As soon as our men emerged from the city, they were opened
upon with shell, and as they came nearer, by the infantry. The
first to advance was a portion of Couch's corps, Hancock's divis-
ion, I think. The shell made awful havoc among them. We
could see the men fall, and flags go down and come up again, and
count the dead and wounded behind them, as they swept on, by
dozens. I noticed that the enemy were careful of their ammuni-
tion : they would reserve their fire until our men were within
short range, and then deliver it with terrible effect.
" At about noon, the Irish brigade made an attempt to dislodge
the enemy from their breastworks. It came across the plain in
1170 HISTOBY OF ANCIENT WOODBUEY.
splendid style, and charged upon the works most gallantly ; but,
besides artillery, they were met by two lines of infantry, one
above another, and were repulsed. They fell back in some con-
fusion, but were soon rallied, at a depression in the ground, where
they held their own. The first brigade of our division were en-
gaged about sunset. It was under fire only about half an hour,
and lost 400 killed and wounded. On the 14th, there was no gen-
eral engagement, but picket firing and occasional cannonading
was kept up all day. On the morning of that day it was announ-
ced that the 9th army corps was to charge upon the enemies works
in column by regiments. The 11th was to go in advance of the
column, and do the skirmishing. But Sunday passed, and no fight-
ing took place ; why, I do not know. I believe it would have
been successful, although attended with an immense loss of life.
On the night of the 15th, we recrossed the river, and reached our
old camp, which had been left standing, before midnight.
" I am rejoiced to see that the public do not blame our beloved
General Burnside., for we think that he did everything that lay in
his power, and that too, with a vigilance, piomptness and gallant-
ry, which reflect great honor upon him. It is said that he did not
want to advance at the time he did, and thought that to do so
would result only in slaughter, but was ordered to do so by the
President. The sequel proved his superior wisdom. Oh ! when
will citizens learn to mind their own business and leave military
matters to military men ? This has been a drawback to our cause
ever since the rebellion commenced. I believe we should have
conquered the rebels ere this, if we had had a straight out and out
military dictator. For my part, I am tired of this useless sacri-
fice of life. I feel a strong devotion to my country. I am wil-
ling to undergo any privation or sacrifice, even to that of my life,
to establish its union and maintain its honor, but I do not like to
throw my life away at the caprice of those who do not under-
stand the movements and welfare of any army.
"The right grand division was reviewed by Gen. Sumner this
A M. Our regiment was especially complimented by the Gen.
for its neatness and soldierly appearance.
Yours afiectionately,
Samuel C. Barnum."
To P. M. Trowbridge, Esq."
history of ancient woodbury. 1171
" Camp op 1 1th Conn. Vols. )
Dec. 11th, 1862, 7 o'clock P. M- f
" My Dear Friend : — Just as I predicted last night, we awoke
this morning to the music of cannon. At precisely 5 o'clock A. M*
the sullen boom of a heavy gun sounded out upon the morning
air, and opened the ball.
Our troops are in Fredericksburg, and the city is in ruins and
burning. At an early hour this morning our Engineers commen-
ced throwing a pontoon bridge across the river at a point near the
city, and were fired upon by the rebels from houses and breast-
works. It was found impossible to accomplish the work, as our
men were picked off by sharp-shooters as often as they came in
sight. Consequently, our batteries opened upon the city, to dis-
lodge the rebels, and continued it, with intervals, until sundown.
The cannonading has been the most terrific and rapid I have ever
heard. It seemed to be, sometimes, by volleys, which would jar
the ground for miles. Considerable difiiculty occurred in dislodg-
ing some rebel sharp-shooters from rifle-pits on the opposite side
of the river, as our gunners could not depress their guns enough
to touch them. It was accomplished, however, by a most daring
and heroic exploit of some fifty brave soldiers of the 7th Mich.,
who went across on two pontoons, lying on their backs in the bot-
tom of the boats, and exposing only their hands in rowing, and
who charged upon the pits on reaching the opposite shore. The
last plank of the bridge was laid at about 4 o'clock P. M. I pre-
sume others will soon be laid. Our troops are now passing over.
We have been under orders all day, and are now ordered to be
ready to move early in the morning.
'' This is the first instance of the shelling of a city during the
war. Everybody is pleased with the way in which Burnside con-
ducts affairs. It seems as if war was being waged sternly and in
earnest. I admire him, too, for demanding the removal of Gen.
Meigs. I believe McClellan's failures have been occasioned more
by such blunders, as for instaace the delay of the pontoon, &c.,
and his failure to remedy matters, than his own incompetency.
Yours affectionately,
Samuel C. Baknum.
To P. M. Trowbridge, Esq."
Ill2 HISTORY OF ANCIENT W O O D B U B T .
"Camp 11th Conn. Vols., )
0pp. Fi-edericksbug, Va. )
"My Dear Friend: — Yours of the 28th inst. came to hand
this A. M. I imagine that your mail facilities must be rather
poor, as I have written you at least two letters, and one to Rod.,
since the battle. I am quite well, and very busy, as it is now the
end of the year, and there are several reports to be made out —
which involves a good deal of labor.
" You ask what I think of being whipt. I confess we were.
We TTiust try again ! I am not disheartened, but, on the con-
trary, feel more like fighting and dying than ever. I don't care
to live to see my country succumb to rebels. I amire Gen. Burn-
side most ardently. I love him. I think, with a smaller force, he
would be much more brilliant and successful. With his present
army he nobly coafesses his want of capacity. I am inclined to
the belief that "Little Mac" is the man.
Yours affectionately,
Samuel C. Barnum.
To Philo M. Trowbridge, Esq."
" Camp of 11th Conn. Vols., )
Opposite Fredericksburg, Va., Nov. 27th, 1862. )
My Dear Friend : — It is Thanksgiving in Conn, to-day, and I
have been thinking of you constantly, and I need not say how
often I have wished I were with you to enjoy it. There are so
many pleasing associations clustering about the day, that it has
always seemed to me one of the happiest of the year. Bright
visions of your festivities have flitted before me to-day, until I
have almost imagined myself there in reality. And thus it is I
often derive great satisfaction in the thought of the happiness of
friends at home. You must not imagine, however, that I am want-
ing in the comforts of life ; on the contrary, I have enjoyed a
sumptuous dinner to-day, prepared by the cook of our mess, and
at which Col. Harland (our Brigadier) and Surgeon Warner of the
16th were guests. I enjoyed it, but felt almost guilty at the
thought, that the men of the regiment had nothing but hard crack-
niSTOBY OF ANCIEXT WOODBURY. Il73
ers and " salt junk." The rank and file are the ones who make
the greatest sacrifices, after all.
" Our army has been lying here for more than a week. No one
knows when or where it will move next. The rebels are in con-
siderable force on the other side. Their camps are jilainly visible
from a point near our camp, and the pickets of the two armies
often converse with each other, on the banks of the Rappahannock.
"Poor Rod. has been quite sick with a fever, and has suffered
much. He is now better, and I hope will be well soon. If he is
not, I shall try to send him home to recruit.
"You wish me to tell what position I occupy, &c. I am at
present acting as Adjutant. The Adjutancy is a Staff appoint-
ment, and a very desirable situation. His business is to make all
reports, <fec. of the regiment, write, publish, and copy all orders,
attend to the officers' correspondence, and in the field to form the
regiment and assist in maneuvering it ; also, to mount the guard.
I am entitled to a horse, and many other privileges, which I could
not otherwise have. Besides, I very much enjoy the society with
which it brings me in contact. Col. Stedman has told me that he
should be pleased to have me remain where I am, but, at any time
I wish to go in the line, I can have a captaincy. My present rank
is that of 1st Lieutenant.
Yours affectionately,
Samuel C. Barnum.
To P. M. Trowbridge, Esq."
"Camp of 11th Conn. Vols., Dec. 10th, 1862.
" My Dear Friend : — I received your kind letter of the 4th
inst. last evening. I am surprised to know that you have received
but one letter from me since the battle. I am confident of having
written more.
" I am very sorry that my silence has occasioned you any anxiety
on my account, for, I assure you, my health was never better than
now, and although exposed to the fatigues and exposures of the
march through Virginia, I not only survived it, but really quite
enjoyed it. If a person is in good health, there is always some-
thing to interest one on a march.
1174 niSTOKY OF ANCIENT "WOODBURY.
" I am still with the field and staff, aud enjoy it very much, not
only as it is just in my line of business, (writing,) but it brings
me into a very refined circle ot society, under the influences of
which I feel that I am improving. I can give you no definite direc-
tions about the box of which you write, as it is announced this af-
ternoon that the troops will move to-morrow morning, at daylight.
Stirring scenes are ahead. While I write, the rumbling of wagons,
&c., betokens preparation for the coming contest. We may awake
to-morrow morning to the music of cannon. Pontoon bridges
have, I understand, been thrown across the river at points below
this place, and one is being, or is to be thrown across at a point
near Falmouth. Over these bridges I suppose the troops are to
make a simultaneous attempt to cross. Of course opposition is
expected ; the battle may be severe and critical ; I am inclined to
think it will. The 9th army corps are the first to attempt a cross-
ing at Falmouth.
" This seems to me a critical period. Great events may be
hanging on the issues of the next few days. God grant that our
cause may triumph this time. A good deal of curiosity is felt
here in regard to the destination of Banks. I hope it will be as
you suggest, to operate with us in another direction.
"May be you would like to know what my feelings are in re-
gard to the prospect of a fight. I assure you they are nose of
those ever described as *' spoiling for a fight." I would much
rather the thing be accomplished without the shedding of a single
drop of blood, but if it is to be otherwise, I desire to meet it
squarely, coolly and bravely.
" The experiences of " Newberne," " South Mountain," and
" Antietam," have taught me that there is an awful reality to be
sternly met.
Yours affectionately,
Samuel C. Barnum.
To P. M. Trowbridge, Esq."
A few extracts from the diary of Ammi F. Hall, Co. G., 1st Conn.
Heavy Artillery, are here given, in lieu of a description of the
Seven Days Battles and retreat of Gen. McClellan.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 11'75
"On the 27th of June, at two o'clock in the morning, in a cold
rain storm, we formed a line ; sixty rounds of cartridges were
given to each man, and one days rations. We immediately start-
ed on a forced march to Hanover. We had gone twelve miles,
when we halted long enough for the engineers to build a rough
bridge over a small river. This being accomplished, the order
'Double-quick,' was given, and away we hastened, with our ac-
customed vigor, for the scene of action, which the booming can-
non told us had already commenced. On our approach to the
battle-field, we found a part of Gen, Porter's Division, which had
marched by another road, and was nearly an hour ahead of us,
had engaged the rebels. Our regiment was immediately deployed
to attack the enemy in the woods on the Hanover Court House
Road, but they retired on our approach. Then we gave three
Yankee cheers, and commenced the pursuit on the turnpike to
Hanover, when orders to countermarch were given, in order to
repel an attack of the enemy on our left and rear. The advance
of the brigade was much impeded by the artillery and ambulance
trains, and the column thus became broken. For a few minutes
all was confusion and excitement, and the left became the front.
Our regiment was deployed and entered the woods on the right,
to prolong the attacking line in that direction. At this moment^
Col. Robert Tyler sprang forward and said, ' Now boys, you that are
not afraid of blood, follow me.' Instantly, a line of shining bayo-
nets were leveled, and we charged through the woods like a deadly
avalanch. The enemy were swept from before us, and were ut-
terly routed and dispersed. We took hundreds of prisoners, and
the victory was complete. The red sun sank below the horizon,
retiring from that scene of horror and devastation, as if in sor-
row for the fallen dead. The picture of the cold and lifeless bod-
ies of the slain will ever remain a perpetual vision. The low,
mournful cries of the wounded, and the penitent confessions of
the dying rebels, as they prayed for mercy at the hands of God,
will forever ring in my ears. It was a painful task to labor with
those sufferers, to hear their penitent confessions, and witness
their sad gratitude. But the saddest thought of all was, that af.
ter all their brave fighting, they could not have the consolation of a
heroic death in the defence of the right, but must lie down in a sol-
dier's grave with the brand of traitors upon their memories. Dark-
ness soon covered the field, and the men were so weary that many
sank down on the field, unable to keep their places in the ranks.
1176 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
When the order ' Rest,' was given, each sought his chum, his
dearest friend and comrade, and they together sank down upon
the cold, wet, bloody ground, without food, without covering, and
without other shelter than the broad canopy of Heaven ! Once,
during the night, I awoke, but only to withdraw my feet from a
puddle of water, benumbed, and nearly frozen. In a moment, I
was asleep again, and did not awake the second time, till the sun
had long been looking down upon us,
"Foraging parties were sent out in search of food. They returned
at noon, with several of the enemies' waggons loaded with meal
and bacon, which was equally shared by the whole regiment. In
the afternoon we buried the dead. Twenty-five North Carolina
soldiers we buried in one grave. At three o'clock Gen. McClel-
lan appeared upon the field, and was greeted with great enthu-
siasm.
" On the 29th we went towards Ashland, on a reconnoisance, —
found the enemy in force, and returned to camp at noon. At sun-
down we took up the line of march for camp at Old Church. The
night was very dark, the road rough and muddy, and the regiment
was scattered along a distance of six miles. I reached camp at
one o' clock in the night, and sought my tent for repose.
"On the 31st we started for Cold Harbor, marched five miles,
when the order to countermarch was given. We had nearly
reached Old Church, when the order to countermarch was again
given, and we reached Cold Harbor at twelve o'clock. At one,
the constant roar of cannon, and the fierce rattle of musketry,
told us a terrible battle was in progress. Orders came to 'fall in.'
We stacked arms, and awaited further orders. The battle contin-
ued during the afternoon, and was renewed next day. Still nearer
and nearer sounded the roar of artillery, bringing to our practiced
ears the sad and silent foreboding of defeat. Between us and the
combatants lay a dark, deep, rapidly flowing river. The bridge
had been swept away by the late fresliet. It was madness
to attempt to cross it, and rush to the rescue of our defeat-
ed and retreating army. We did not know, at the time, that this
was the great battle of Fair Oaks, Avhicb, recorded on the page of
history, fills the hearts of loyal people with shame and indigna-
tion. On Monday morning we marched to Banes' Mill, and re-
mained there till the 25th of June, doing picket duty in the Chick-
ahomany swamps. The pickets were in no wise friendly. A con-
tinual fire was kept up on both sides, and not an hour passed, in
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1177
which some of our soldiers did not fall by the enemies bullets.
We were often compelled to stand in water up to our waists, and
behind trees, to avoid the bullets of the hostile riflemen. Al-
though suffering from constant exposures, the bites of musquitoes
and other poisonous insects, in these dismal swamps, still we were
not discouraged, for we well knew the value of every inch of
ground we then occupied.
"On the 1.3tli of June, we had a chase after Stuart's cavalry,
which I shall not soon forget. It was four in the afternoon when
we started, leaving everything behind that would impede a rapid
march. At 11 o'clock we halted at Old Church, where we slept
upon our arms for the night. Early in the morning we were on
their track. Baggage and Sutler's wagons were left smoking all
along our route. At one in the afternoon we reached Tunstall's
station. On our approach the rear guard of the enemy could
easily be seen disappearing over a high hill. The schooners in
the river were all ablaze, and the cars at the station were on fire.
Our cavalry advanced in rapid pursuit, but the enemy succeeded
in safely crossing the Chickahommany, having gone entirely
around McClellan's army, which event caused not a little com-
ment throughout the camps. We returned next day to camp,
nearly starved, and quite disgusted with our long and fruitless
pursuit.
'' On June 25th, we marched to Seven Pines, over the battle-
field of Fair Oaks, which had not lost the traces of the late fierce
conflict. The smell of human blood was sickening in the ex-
treme. Unburied bodies of friend and foe lay in the woods and
swamps around us, and from the long, shallow trenches, where a
portion of the dead were buried, heads, hands, and feet protruded
sad relics of hideous war. We immediately took position in Gen
Hooker's division, with our cannon, 150 yards from the enemy's
picket line. It was evident that more work was near at hand.
Whole brigades and divisions stood in battle array — horses in.
harness, and baggage wagons loaded, ready for pursuit or retreat.
Here we stood by our guns four days. In one day and night, the
enemy, in feeble force, charged ten times upon our battery. At^
night, I stretched myself upon one of the guns, and had a long,
sweet rest. A shell bursting over my heard, brought me to my
feet. This was a signal for a night attack — mest dreaded —
most feared by the soldier. But the rebels were drawn back to
their works, after a short, but fierce conflict. This was, with us.
1178 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
the commencement of the Seven Days Battle. The heavy boom-
ing of cannon on our right told too plainly, that the anticipated
and dreaded hour had arrived.
" Saturday night — and the battle fiercely rages. The soldiers
look around on each other in silence and solicitude. Half an hour
later, we wei'e marching with all our guns and baggage, in the
darkness, and on an unknown route. ' This,' said a comrade jo-
cosely, ' do'nt look much like the road to Richmond,' as we strug-
gled on over stumps and holes, through swamps, and over sleep-
ing comrades by the way, till we halted at Savage Station. We
stretched ourselves upon the ground, and slept, for the remainder
of the night. In the morning, a long, dull, heavy report, brought
us to our feet. Hundreds of tons of ammunition were being de-
stroyed. Everything that would burn was all in flames. Infantry,
cavalry, artillery, ambulances and baggage wagons, were all hur-
rying along at the top of their speed. 'Retreat,' whispers one.
' Retreat,' says another. ' Retreat,' sounded through the faltering
ranks, and at once the horrible truth flashed upon us, that Mc-
Clellan and all his army were in full retreat.
" We marched ten miles that day, and halted at White Oak
swamp, where the various parts of the regiment met together.
We placed our sixty siege heavy guns in line, fearing the pursu-
ing enemy. Then we had a few hours in which to rest our stif"
fened limbs. Most of the men were lying on the ground, sleep-
ing, eating, reading or writing, when the startling cry — ' The reb-
els are coming,' rang through the camp. A wild rush of soldiers
followed, and in twenty minutes the regiment stood by its guns
in battle line- No rebels appeared, however, and the men broke
ranks again.
'' On Monday morning we resumed our march again. But be.
ing somewhat fatigued, and the trains being urged on at an unu-
sual speed, we liad the privilege of riding on the guns. The ex-
citement grew more intense, and soon we found ourselves whirl-
ing through the air for some destination unknown to us, where
we could find protection. At length we emerged from the dark
pine forests, into a large field of wheat. Far off" in the distance
flowed the James, rolling on in all its majesty, and through its
murky waters plowed our gunboats, the terror of the rebel Con-
federacy. Food, water, rest awaited us, as we struggled through
the tangled wheat. The order, ' Halt,' wa^ given, and ' gopher
like,' we made a fierce attack upon the wheat fiell. I filled ray cap
HISTORY OP ANCIENT WOODBUKY. 1179
with wheat, which I boiled, and, in less than twenty minutes, sat
down to a repast, which has seldom if ever, during my soldier ex-
perience, been excelled.
" Next iu the programme of the Great Secession Rebellion, oc-
curred the memorable battle of Malvern Hill. Three hundred
cannon in three lines of battle hurled their deadly missiles through
the mad columns of the advancing foe. The long, fearful, dread-
ed yell, the wild shout, the roar of musketry, and the sharp clash
of glistening steel, as the columns surged to and fro in the bloody
charge, in this battle, can never be appreciated except by those
who heard and saw them. The rebel charge was terrific, but by
the aid of our gun-boats, they were driven back, and we quietly
settled down on the banks of the James. But we were not
to remain here long. A cold, drizzling rain was descending,
when, in silence and thick darkness, we hurried along the river at
twelve o'clock at night, and halted at Harrison's Landing. I was
very weary, and threw myself under a gun, my knapsack for a
pillow, and settled down in the deep mud. The enemy also took
advantage of the darkness, and returned, disappointed and de-
feated, to their capital, leaving a sufficient force to deceive our
array, and compel it to act on the defensive.
" The "Woodbury boys represented in this ' Retreat,' in our re-
giment, were Walter Whitlock, William H. Proctor, Daniel
Banks and myself. William Whitlock and Perry Lake, were in
hospital — elsewhere.' "
Woodbury pluck was well displayed during the battle of Fred-
ericksburg, under Gen. Buruside It became necessary to lay
pontoon bridges across the Rappahannock river, to "reach the city.
The boats had been successfully secured across the river. Volun-
teers were wanted to lay the plank upon them, so that the sol-
diex's could cross, and a hundred volunteers were called for from
the regiment. Rebel sharp-shooters from rifle-pits directly in
front, made it almost certain death for men to engage in this un-
dertaking. But, instantly, upon the call to undertake the hazar-
dous enterprize, four Woodbury men stepped from the ranks to
express their willingness to go, were accepted, and went with the
one hundred, more than half of whom never returned from their
patriotic hazard, but neither of the Woodbury boys were harmed,
though 150 of our cannon, and a greater number of the rebels
were playing over their heads during the time occupied in this
duty, and the bullets of the sharp-shooters fell like rain upon them*
22
1180 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
Several times they were obliged to desist, but they persevered,
laid their bridge, and the union army passed over to deadly com-
bat. A more sublime picture than the heroic undertaking of
these brave men, could not be portrayed to the apprehensions of
the least imaginative. The names of these heroic young men de-
serve an honorable place in history. They were John E. Juttle,
Charles S. Buell, John Bunnell and Charles Cosier.
The soldier's life is one of hardship, suffering, pain and death,
never to be appreciated by the civilian. But it has its bright
spots, its enjoyments, and its ludicrous incidents. The history of
a soldier's experience would not be complete, nor would a history
of the incidents of the war be complete, unless some of these
were recounted, A few specimens, therefore, of this sort of ad-
venture will be inserted here.
Among the early volunteers of 1861, in the Rev. Capt. William's
Co. G. 4th Conn. Volunteers, afterwards the 1st Heavy Artillery,
were Ammi F. Hull and Walter Whitlock. All through their
four years' service, they were the most intimate of friends. They
were always together in camp or in battle. Hull tells the follow-
ing incident in regard to Whitlock, which occurred early in 1862,
— before the regiment had seen much service.
" One night when the enemy were keeping up a continual fire
on us, several of their shell struck in our battery. No one was
seriously injured, but one man, an intimate friend of mine. Corpo-
ral Walter Whitlock, got such a fright as he will never forget.
It was past midnight, cold, and dark, and we were sitting on the
ground, around a large fire, trying to warm our stiffened limbs,
when we were suddenly disturbed by the gruff command — ' Fall
in, G, Co. detail ; Fall in I The Major will come, and find we
have done nothing. Fall in G.' At the last command to fall in,
a large bomb shell came crashing through the woods, and burst
directly over our heads. When all was over, we arose from the
ground, which we had been hugging pretty closely, and looked
around for our worthy corporal. But nothing could be seen of
him except his head, rising above the mud and water in the creek.
We pulled him out, carried him to the fire, and he soon recovered
so that he could recall his last command to fall in. But he never
would confess how he came in the creek. If he willingly chose
that for a hiding place, he would be perfectly secure from harm
— except his head. But we could not with consistency obey his
oora g and Xofall in as he did. A better, or a braver soldier, how-
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. . 1181
ever, never marched in the ranks of the Union Army, In camp,
in sieges, in battles, amid the ocean's terrific storms, on long and
weary marches, he was ever my firm, true and constant friend."
" One night," says Corporal Hull, " we were on picket duty,
and captured a rebel spy. He was on horseback, and attempted
to run by our picket-post. But a bullet whistleing past his ears,
brought him to his senses, and he wisely concluded that ^ discre-
tion was the better part of valor,' and exclaimed — ' Now, Yanks,
you uns won't kill me if 1 halt^ will you ?' At that moment a
bullet in the horse's leg brought horse and rider to the ground —
and there was an end of the parley."
When the Massachusetts 8th Regiment, under command of
General Butler, marched to the defence of Washington, after the
brutality practiced on the 6th Massachusetts, in Baltimore, it will
be remembered it went by water around that city. At this time
a " curious" phenomenon occurred. Some men in the regiment,
who had fine voices, and there were many such, had been singing,
with all that delicious efiect that music at sea produces, several of
the finest psalms in the liturgy. The ocean softens and delicately
repeats sound, and those airs trembled along the almost unrippled
surface of the sea. While they were singing, the moon swung
clear into the air, and round her white disk were seen three cir-
cles, clear and distinct, red, white and blue ! The omen was
caught by common instinct, and a thousand cheers went up to that
heaven that seemed, in its visible signs, to manifest the approval
of the cause in which they who witnessed it were engaged.
For the first year or two of the war, there was a peace party,
so called, in the North, of considerable numbers. An amusing
adaptation of sacred poetry, in this connection, is told of a good
old lady. She had been for sometime listening to a discussion
between two gentlemen on this question of peace. Finally, one of
them, somewhat excitedly, insisted, that the salvation of the
country depended upon the efforts of this small peace party. The
old lady instantly held up both hands, and exclaimed
" Oh Lord! on what a slender thread
Hangs everlasting things I "
While ene of our Woodbury soldiers was serving in Arkansas,
he was one day doing picket duty. While thus engaged, a silver-
haired old man, some eighty-five years of age, addressed him, and
desired to pass his post. The soldier at once asked him where he
1182
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
was going. "I am on ray way to Heaven," solemnly replied the
old man. '' Well," said the soldier, much amused, " If you have
been on your way to Heaven all the
time till you have reached your
])resent age, and have got no fur-
ther on your journey than Arkan-
sas^ yon may pass ; I would not like
to hinder you. But I shall try some
other rovteP''
When the war broke out, our en-
tire people were engaged in the arts
of peace. Though people of all con
l^ ditions rushed into the military ser_
^p=- vice, at the call of their country
they had no knowledge of the arts
of war, nor the demands of military discipline. It took conside-
rable time for the privates to learn that respect for a superior offi-
cer, that the exigencies of the service required. They did not
readily see why their neighbor, who at home was in no wise their
superior, in wealth, social standing, or intellectual acquirements,
should, by merely having a commission, " lord it " over them. An
amusing incident, illustrating this idea, occurred in the service,
which we will relate, omitting names. A Captain, one day, deci-
dedly under the influence of intoxicating liquor, met a private in
the same condition. The captain ordered to him to "halt," and,
endeavoring in vain to assume a firm position on his feet, and to
talk with dignified severity, exclaimed, " Private , I'll giv'
X^'Wfour o'clock to gissober in."
" Cap'n," replied the soldier, " as
you're (hie) a d — d sight drunker 'ni-
am, I'll give you t'll five (hie) o'clock
to gissober in."
Harper's Magazine has a very good
story on the rebel side, which illus-
trates one phase of our human nature.
" A gentleman who was on the
Southern side during our late little
misunderstanding, relates the following : '_' Roe," of our company,
used to stammer fearfully, and while having a judicious admix-
ture of prudence in his valor, was still one of the best and pluck-
iest of all. One of our guns had been captured by the Yankees,
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY,
1183
and the order came down to recapture it if possible. It was a
fearful task ; and as we stood drawn up, awaiting the word to
move forward at the double-quick, we felt instinctively that many
of us would stay around the spot where the lost gun was. It
scarcely seemed worth the price we were about to pay, and " Roe"
seemed to be more thoroughly impressed with this idea than any
one else. Suddenly an idea entered his mind ; stepping out of
the rank^j, he stuttered, wildly, as he always did when excited "I
say, kick-kick-captain, 1-1-1-let us gig-gig-get up a s-s-s-s-subscrip,
tion and pip-pip-pay for the cussed old gun."
Long before the middle of 1862, it had become apparent to both
government and people, that the war would assume enormous pro-
portions, and that preparations for the defence of the country, on
a far larger scale than had heretofore been supposed necessary,
would become imperative. The President made repeated calls
for additional troops, and the "note of preparation," on a grander
scale, was sounded throughout the land. Bounties for enlistments
began to be offered by towns, and other communities, and the
Legislature made ample provision for the families of the soldiers,
who were serving in the Union armies. Each little town and
hamlet seemed as if actuated by one impulse, and steadily the
preparations went on.
On the 24th of July, 1862, Woodbury, in legal town meeting,
first took action in the way of granting bounties to the patriot
volunteers, when the following votes were passed without dissent ;
" Voted^ That pursuant to a statute law of tkis State, the town
of Woodbury will pay to each new recruit from said town, who
shall enlist with our recruiting officers, the sum of one hundred
dollars, as soon as he shall be mustered into the military service
of the United States as a private soldier in the ranks of any Re-
giment of Connecticut Volunteers."^
1184 HISTORY or ANCIENT WOODBURY,
" Voted, That the Treasurer of the town of Woodbury be au-
thorized to borrow, from time to time, such sums of money as
shall be necessary to pay the soldiers who shall be recruited from
this town, to an amount not exceeding, in the whole, the sum of
Three Thousand dollars, and that he be authorized to give a town
note or notes for the sums so borrowed, at the legal rate of inte-
rest."
" Voted, That it shall be the duty of the town Treasurer to pay
said soldiers, so enlisted, said bounty, upon their being mustered
into the service of the United States, and that he shall keep a
true record of all soldiers so paid by him, that the number receiv
ing said bounty may apply on our quota of troops for the service
under the last call of the President of the United States."
" Voted, That the said Town Bounty shall be paid only to the
volunteer, or to his order, and shall not be paid on any factorizing
or other legal pi'ocess."
" Voted, That a committee of five be appointed by this meet-
ing to acquire and keep intelligence of the location of all the sol-
diers that have gone or may go to the war from this town, learn
their wants, and solicit such aid, from time to time, of our citi-
zens, as shall be necessary."
The following named gentlemen were appointed said Committee,
viz : — William Cothren, Philo M. Trowbridge, Calvin H. Downs^
George Saxton and William A. Gordon.
On the 12th of August, 1862, the following votes were in like
manner, passed in legal town meeting ; —
" Voted, That whereas the late appropriation of this town for
the encouragement of enlistments into the United States service
has proved inadequate to pay the volunteers which have been
found necessary to fill our town quota on the President's several
calls, not including the last call for nine month's militia men ; pur-
suant to a statute law of this State, the town of Woodbury will
pay to each new recruit from said town, or who shall enroll him-
self on the quota of said town, both on the deficit in our former
quotas, and in our quota of the three hundred thousand nine
months men last called for, the sum of one hundred dollars, as
soon as he shall be mustered into the military service of the Uni-
ted States, as a private soldier in the ranks of any regiment of
Connecticut volunteers."
" Voted, That an additional bounty of ten dollars shall be paid
to each such recruit, to make him equal with the first thirty re-
HISTORY OP ANCIE NT WOODBURY 1185
cruits from this State, who are to receive said sum as a bounty
from Charles G. Judson, Esq., of New York,"
" Voted, That the thanks of this town be returned to Charles
G. Judson, Esq., of New York, for his very handsome gift of
three hundred dollars to encourage enlistments in his native town,
and that the Town Clerk be instructed to forward a certified copy
of this vote to him, at New York."
" Voted That the Treasurer of the town of Woodbury be au-
thorized to borrow, from time to time, such sums of monev as
shall be necessary to pay the soldiers who shall be recruited to
fill the quota from this town, to an amount in the whole not ex-
ceeding the sum of Five Thousand dollars, in addition to the for-
mer appropriation of Three Thousand dollars, and also be author-
ized to give a town note or notes for the same."
" Voted, That it shall be the duty of the Treasurer to pay said
soldiers said two bounties on their being mustered into the ser-
vice of the United States ; and he shall keep a true record of all
soldiers so paid by him, that the number so paid may apply upon
our several quotas for the service."
" Voted, That the Town Bounties shall be paid only to the vol-
unteer, or to his order, and shall not be paid on any factorizing,
or other legal process, it being intended to put the town bounty
on the same footing as the State bounty."
" Voted, That the committee appointed at the last special toAvn
meeting, be authorized and requested, in addition to their other
duties, to learn from time to time the condition of the families of
our volunteers, and relieve their wants by subscription, as shall to
them seem necessai*y."
'' Voted, That the Treasurer of the town pay the Recruiting
officer, or his assistant, the sum of three dollars for each recruit,
to meet the expenses of transportation and recruiting men for our
quota."
Previous to the 10th of September, 1862, a draft bad been or-
dered, but volunteering had been so active, under the vigorous
action of the recruiting committee, and the earnest patriotism of
the citizens, that on that date, but five recruits were lacking to
fill the town's quota on all the calls to that time. Two more volun-
teered in that meeting, so that it became necessary to draft only
three, and the tow^n voted to pay them, on the spot, a bounty
sufficient, with the State bounty, to make the whole sum three
hundred dollars, as will be seen by the following votes : —
1186 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
" Voted, That whereas on the 10th clay of September, A. D.
1862, there remained five vacancies, necessary to be filled to fill all
the quotas of Woodbury under all the calls of the President of
the United States for military service to that date, and whereas
the said town of Woodbury desires to be generous with its sol-
diers, and whereas, at a large meeting of the inactive militia of
said town, on said 10th day of September, 1862, it was immedi-
ately recommended that the said town of Woodbury pay the sum
of one hundred and sixty-seven 50-100 dollars bounty, in addition
to the present bounty of one hundred and ten dollars, to every
volunteer, and drafted men, who volunteered or was drafted on
said 10th day of September, 1862, or who shall hereafter volun-
teer or be drafted, or become a substitute for any drafted man, to
count on all the quotas yet ordered by the Governor or President
of the United States, up to said 10th day of September, 1862, till
said quotas are full, after all requisitions are made up, making,
with State bounty for nine months, the sum of three hundred dol-
lars to each man who volunteers, or is drafted, sufficient to fill our
quota to said date. And this bounty is given under the conside-
ration, that it shall be paid only to the soldier himself, or to his
order, and shall not be paid or given on any factorizing or other
legal process whatsoever, the intent of this vote, like the prece-
ding bounty votes of this town being, to present the town gift to
the soldier himself, or to whom he shall direct, and to no other
person — placing the town bounty on the same footing as the State
bounties by statute are placed — said bounty to be paid as soon as
the said men shall be mustered into the service of the United
States, and that the drafted men and substitutes be paid three
hundred dollars, instead of the sum herein named."
" Voted, That the Treasurer of the town of Woodbury be au-
thorized to borrow an amount of money sufficient to pay the
bounties under this, the last vote.
At the annual town meeting on the first Monday in October,
the action of the special meeting held in September was ratified,
with additions, as will be seen by the following action : —
" Voted, That it shall be the duty of the Treasurer of this town
to pay the volunteers who have enlisted for nine months, under
the last call of the President of the United States for 300,000
men, and who have been, or shall hereafter be credited to this
HISTORY OF ANCIENT 'WOODBURY. 1187
town's quota of seventy-four men, the sum of one hundred and
ten dollars; when they shall have been mustered into the service
of the United States, as private soldiers."
" Voted, That an additional bounty of one hundred sixty-seven
50-100 dollars be paid by the Treasurer to Elisha Tuttle, who en-
listed on the 10th day of September, 1862, when the aforesaid
bounty of one hundred and ten dollars shall be due him, on bein<v
mustered into the United States service."
" Voted, That the Treasurer be directed to pay the men who
Avere drafted in this town for nine months on the 10th day of Sep-
tember, 1862, or to their substitutes, the sum of three hundred
dollars each, when they shall have been mustered into the service
of the United States."
" Voted, That the above named bounties be paid only to the
volunteers, or drafted men, or to their order, and not on any ftic-
torizing or other legal process, putting this gift on the same foot-
ings as the State and United States bounties."
" Voted, That the Ti-easurer of Woodbury be authorized to
borrow, from time to time, such sums of money as shall be neces-
sary to pay the aforesaid bounties, and to give a town note or
notes therefoi-, at the legal rate of interest."
" Voted, That the record of the last vote, previous to adjourn-
ment, passed at a legal town meeting, Aug. 12th, 1862, be altered
and amended by the Town Clerk, by the insertion of the word
* hereafter,' in the 4th line after the word 'recruit.'"
The various bounty votes were right in themselves, and w^ere
beneficial in their effects. It was right that those who remained at
home should contribute of their substance to assist those who
Avere going to the front. To say nothing of the hazards of the
service, they were doing more, in a ^^ecimiccry Tpo'mt of view even,
than their neighbors at home. For there was scarcely an enlisted
man who was not earning more money at home than the small
wages paid by the government. So that a good share of praise
should be awarded to every faithful volunteer, above any conside-
ration that could be reckoned to the credit of the bounty, however
large, for the patriotic conduct of leaving family and home, and
daring the chances of perilous war.
But the volunteers of 1861 did not much relish the fact, that
the new volunteers were receivimg liberal bounties, and praise on
every hand. The subjoined letter from Lieut. Henry W, Loomis,
1188 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUKY. ]
fovmerly of Woodbury, in one of its passages, gives utterance to
this feeling : —
'"'Fort Scott, Va., Oct. iVth, 1862.
"Friend Cothren; — It has been sometime since I received
your last kind and very welcome letter, and I have often proposed
to myself to answer it, but various causes have hitherto compelled
me to defer it till now. Removed from the active duties of the field,
to the more quiet, though somewhat monotonous routine of gar-
rison life, we have now leisure for correspondence, reading, &c.,
which our boys are not slow to improve.
"The 1st Connecticut occupies the same forts that they did last
winter, (Scott, Richardson and Barnard,) with the addition of
three others. Ward, Worth and Blenker. These are all in excel-
lent condition, and the men prepared by their Peninsular cam-
paign and recent drill, feel competent to defend them against
any attack that may be made upon them. Perhaps it will not be
uninteresting to you to know how we fill out our time here. Well
then, Reveille at 5 A, M., followed immediately by breakfast,
which used to mean, while on the Peninsula, " coffee and hard
bread," unless on the march, when it was oftener poor water with
hard bread if we could get it — now however it means coflTee, soft
bread, and often some substantial dish along with them, while the
boys supply themselves with all the luxuries the Sutler's " Store,''^
or the markets of Alexandria afford. After breakfast we have
Infantry drill from V to 8, then "Guard Mounting" at 9, a good
hearty dinner at 12, Heavy Artillery drill from 2 to 3, Dress Pa-
rade at sundown, preparatory to which, if you should step into
our quarters, you would see a most vigorous polishing of brasses,
shoes, equipments, &c., which has won for our Regiment, the en-
viable position it holds for neatness, and clean guns — in which
respect we are the wonder of all the new regiments, whose con-
stant inquiry how we contrive to keep so clean, meets us on every
side. Roll call again at 8 1-2, followed by ' taps ' a half hour later,
when the lights are put out and all are expected to be still — so
passes day after day, with the usual details necessary to do the
labor, &c., incident to garrison life.
" Many of the men are becoming tired of this sameness, and
long to be led once more to the front, preferring the active duties
of the field, with the consequent excitement, to the easier life we
lead here. And McClellan, God bless him, would not be averse to
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUIJY. 1189
having us again with him in the field. For at the battle of Antie-
tam, when reinforcements were called for, he exclaimed, ' would to
God I had the 1st Connecticut hei-e.'
" There are one or two things, friend Cothren, we should hardly
have heeded while in active service, which now — when we have
so much time for the discussion of the varied scenes of the difier-
ent acts in the drama of the war, rather displease us. First — -The
enormous bounties paid to the new regiments, either to buy them,
or stir up their patriotism — do not know which. Second — That
these same new regiments, after having been dragged into the Held
by love of money or fear of a draft, should be styled the cream of
the State, the best men who have left the State, and other appel-
lations equally flattering to them.
" Now, we cannot see why these new men should receive a
higher rate of compensation for their servic es, than we who have
been out through all the previous campaigns. If the bounties had
been voted to all, old as well as the new, there would have been
some show of fairness about it, since we shall be obliged, those of
us who ever go back, to help pay these same bounties, which seem
to have been given as a reward for holding back till fear that a
draft would compel them to go, Nolens, Volens. This seems to
us a piece of injustice, whether right or not judge you. Again,
as to these new regiments being called the cream of the State, &c-
Now to me, this seems an imfortunate comparison, for I have al-
ways been led to look to the top of milk for the cream, and to the
bottom for the dregs. But if the friends of these new regiments
adapt their comparison to a'diiFerent time, viz: the drawing of the
milk, and claim in their favor the old maxim, the nearer the bot-
tom the richer, I would just suggest that when one is so near the
bottom, the force necessary to extract it would naturally drag in
much of refuse, which would not only be of no use, but a positive
injury to the cream.
Yours as ever,
H. W. LooMis.
While Woodbury furnished volunteers for nearly every Connec-
ticut organization, its particular interest always centered in the
5th Regiment, for which it raised Company E, a history of the
organization of which has already been given, and in the 19th Ke-
giment, afterwards changed to the 2d Connecticut Heavy Artille-
1190 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
ry, to which it contributed Company I, vphich Company was ever
the pet of the town.
The Regiment was a Litchfield County Regiment, and had its
birth in a County Mass Convention, held at Litchfield, July 22,
1862, at which nearly every town was represented, and over which
Hon. Seth P. Beers, a native of Woodbury, presided, and made a
stirring and patriotic speech. Immediately after tlie close of Gen.
McClellan's disastrous Peninsular campaign. President Lincoln
called for 300,000 volunteers. This call was seconded by a stir-
ring proclamation from Gov. Buckingham, dated July 3, 1862'
urging the people of Connecticut to raise six or more regiments
at once. Li response to these proclamations the County meeting-
was held, and a county regiment was resolved on, Woodbury re-
solved to raise one out of the ten companies composing it. The
town, by its bounty votes, had encouraged the undertaking, and
the old war recruiting committee entered into the work with a
vigor never before equaled.
To give added zeal and encouragement to the patriotic under-
taking, Charles G. Judson, Esq., a patriotic merchant of the city
of New York, a native of Woodbur}--, offered an additional bounty
of ten dollars each for the first thirty who should volunteer for
the honor of his native town, in addition to the national, State and
town bounties.
Meanwhile, the citizens generally encouraged and cheered on
the work. Under all these favorable influences, though the pros-
pect "at the front" looked dismal, volunteering proceeded very
rapidly, and sixty-one men, about one twenty-fifth of the entire
population, were enrolled in a very short time. Men of all ages,
from 16 to 61 years of age, volunteered.^
Li the early part of these efforts at enlisting, and preparing sol-
diers for the service, in pursuance of a call issued by Messrs.
Charles H. Webb and Willis A. Strong, Representativs from
Woodbury; Almon B. Downs, Representative from Southbury ;
Henry J. Peck, Representative from Bethlem ; and Truman A.
Warren, Senator from Watertown ; the people of Woodbury and
adjacent towns met at the Town Hall in Woodbury, on Friday
evening, the 17th August, to devise and adopt some plan of con
certed action for raising men and money in this district, for the
war.
^Mr Ira Tho'iias, sixty-one years of age, was seized with the patriotic fire,
dyed his grey whiskeisand enlisted, appearing to be at least twenty years
younger.
HISTORY OF ANCIEN^T WOODBURY. 1191
Tlie attendance was very large, and the meeting enthusiastic. It
was organized by calling Hon. Thomas Bull to the Chair. Robert
Peck and Natlianiel Smith were appointed Secretaries.
Dr. Charles H. Webb, on the part of the members of the
Legislature who had issued the call, then stated that it was de'
sirable that a Committee should be appointed by the citizens of
Woodbury and neighborhood, charged in a special manner with
the duty of enlisting volunteers, raising money, and correspond-
ing with the Slate authorities, and such organizations as are exer-
cising the same functions in other districts. He therefore moved
that a Committee of three be appointed by the chair to confer to-
gether and report to the meeting the nanaes of five oitizens to con-
stitute that committee, which motion, being put, was carried, and
the chair appointed Daniel Curtiss, Henry Dawson and Robert
Peck, as such committee of conference.
Addresses were then made by Abel Benedict, Rev. Charles E.
Robinson, Rev. Mr. Silverthorne, Rev. John Churchill, Messrs. W.
Cothren, James Huntington, Nathaniel Smith and Dr. S. B. Fair-
child, interspersed with songs from Messrs. W. F. and F. A.
Walker, and W. A. Gordon, assisted on the raelodeon by Miss
Cornelia J. Betts, the accomplished organist of St. Paul's.
The committee of conference then reported a list of five names
to constitute a standing committee charged with correspondence,
enlisting and the raising of money for volunteers, which was unan-
imously adopted by the meeting, as follows : — Doct. Chas. H.
Webb, W. Cothren, Esq,, James Huntington, Esq., Nathaniel
Smith, Esq., Reuben J. Allen, Esq.
Whereupon, after voting that a town meeting be held in Wood-
bury to lay a tax to support the families of such as vohmteei" from
the town, the meeting adjourned.
The Litchfield County Regiment was soon nearly full, and our
company was in daily expectation of being called to enter camp
at Litchfield, for instruction in the art of war, and, perhaps, to go
immediately to the front. The ladies of the town therefore de-
cided to give them a farewell banquet before they should be called
away. The following, from the Waterbury American, printed at
the time, gives a brief account of the proceedings on that inter-
esting occasion : —
" Woodbury. — The ladies of Woodbury, with but a few hours
previous notice, gave the volunteers of the town a splendid and
bounteous farewell supper, at the Town Hall, last Thursday eve-
Il92 HISTORY OP ANCIENT WOODBURY.
ning. Three tables, reaching the whole length of the Hall, were
loaded down with edibles, and many bushels more were held in
reserve. A finer collation was never served up in old Woodbury.
The ladies excelled themselves.
" At the request of the ladies, W. Cothren, Esq., presided, and
made a short and touching address to the soldiers, and to the cit.
izens, who were to remain behind and do their duty in caring for
the families of our country's defenders. The crowd was so great
inside and outside of the house, as well as in the second story of the
building, that it became necessary to remove a window, and the
President and Speakers were obliged to speak from the window-
sill. It was estimated that more than half of the adult population
of the town, of both sexes, was present,
"After the President's address, eloquent and patriotic speeches
were made by James Huntington, Esq., Rev. Mr. Silverthorn, Rev,
Mr. Churchill, Deacon T. Minor, and Mr. J. C. PoUey, one of the
volunteers ; who, after alluding playfully to the fact that neither
he nor his friends considered himself a public speaker, nor a 2^oli-
tician, but simply a 2^olley-citizen, made a feeling address to his
comrades, who were going forth to the war with him.
*' The Woodbury Quartette Club and String Band discoursed
eloquent music during the evening, under the direction of Mr.
Wm. Walker. Rev. Mr. Robinson, of the 1st Church, who was
unable to attend on account of illness, sent in a kind note to the
volunteers, enclosing thirty dollars for the war fund. The ladies
offered a series of resolutions, which were unanimously adopted
by the meeting, with ' three cheers and a tiger ' by the volunteers.
Thus passed the largest and most enthusiastic meeting ever held
in Woodbury, composed of its own citizens alone.
" The following Resolutions were offered by the Ladies of
Woodbury, on the occasion : —
" Hesolved, That in this great emergency of our country, our
hearts, hands and voices shall unite in aiding the (700c? cawse for
which our true-hearted men are struggling, and that though our
hearts shall beat turaultuously as we bid our cZear 07ies 'farewell,
(for awhile,) that they shall still beat time to the music of the Un-
ion ; and though our hands do tremble, they shall be firm M^hen
they point to the ' Starry Flag,' and that should our voices be
faint, they shall gather strength as they cry ' God speed and God
bless the volunteers.'
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1193
" Resolved, That while we remember those who are departing,
we will not forget those who remain behind. That the lame, the
halt and the Mind shall be tenderly cared for, and that we pledge
ourselves to do our utmost to check the alarming epidemic which
has invaded these hitherto healthy regions !
Resolved, That to those who, through real inability, or for some
allowable reason, cannot go forth to do battle for their country,
we respectfully suggest that the Lord loveth a free giver, and that
their purses should grow lean in the service of such as are leaving
families, who must depend upon Woodbury for aid. Greatest
favors thankfully received. Postage Stamps a legal tender.
" Resolved, That we form ourselves into a Home Guard, and
that we will frown upon all expressions of /Secession sentiment ;
that we will hold ourselves insulted by a sneer at our Country,
her Flag, or against those who are rising in her defense ; that we
will comfort the afflicted, care for the infirm, clothe the poor, send
our volunteers substantial reminders of home, and, in short, turn
our hands to whatever may be needful ; even to gathering the
crops, foddering the cattle, or protecting ourselves.
" Resolved, That, with a firm faith in God's goodness, and in
the belief that ' He doeth all things well,' we commit to His care
and keeping, our Country, and these her brave defenders who
meet with us to-night ; that our prayers shall ever ascend in
their behalf; and that we will petition that those who wear His
armor may keep it untarnished, and that such as are going forth
without, may, through His grace, receive it ere long, burnished,
and without a flaw.
" Resolved, That to such as are about to leave us in so holy a
cause, we offer our sympathy, respect and thanks, and that our de-
sire is, that in camp or battle-field, when God, their country and
their loved ones are in their thoughts, we, too, the Ladies of Wood-
bury, may find a place amongst the remembered and the loved.''"'
"At 8 A. M., on Sunday, Col. Wessells arrived in town, and or-
dered our volunteers immediately to Camp at Litchfield, pursuant
to an order from the Governor by telegram. In the space of four
hours, the volunteers were gathered from all parts of our valley,
and marched into the grounds of W. Cothren, Esq., where a
bountiful collation was immediately improvised by the Ladies.
After this part of the proceedings was concluded, earnest and ap-
propriate remarks, couched in tender, affectionate and cheering
1194 HISTORY OF ANCIENT W O O D B tJ E Y.
words, were made by Rev. Mr. Robinson, of Woodbury, and Rev.
Mr, Lobdell,of Warren. After prayer by Mr. Robinson, the vol-
unteers filled the carriages provided for thera, and were escorted
by many of our citizens to camp. The sound of the fife and drum,
breaking the stillness of the Sabbath, was a strange sound to the
ears of the present generation, residing in our quiet old valley."
It was indeed a strange scene for old Woodbury, that was be-
held that bright and beautiful Lord's day. Col. Wessells did not
send, but came himself. He had been notified by a telegram from
Gov, Buckingham to gather his regiment together at the earliest
moment, and all supposed that they would be called to the field of
strife immediately. Special prayers were ofiered in all the church-
es for the success of the cause, and the safety of the loved ones
so soon to leave us. In all the churches, also, the afternoon ser-
vice was omitted, and all assembled at the grounds of the writer,
to make arrangements for transporting the men to Litchfield, and
to see in what way they could cheer and speed on the parting
volunteers. It was indeed a strange scene for that peaceful Sab-
bath day — the hurrying to and fro to collect the soldiers, who
were scattered to their homes, not expecting a call so sudden ; the
shrill sound of the fife, and the rattle of the drum, as the sounds
re-echoed over the silent hills, the tears of husbands, wives, child-
ren, now separating to meet they knew not where — all filled the
mind with inexpressible and unwonted emotions. And thus they
parted from our beautiful valley, and followed the path of patri-
otic duty.
This was on the 24th of August, but, contrary to expectation,
they were not called to leave Litchfield for the defenses of Wash-
ington, till Sept. 15th, 1862. While at Litchfield, the regiment
encamped on a hill east of the village, and called their camp But-
ton, in memory of Lieut. Henry M. Dutton, who had marched
with Woodbury's first Company, the Valley Reds, and gave up
his life in the great cause of his country, at Cedar Mountain.
"And so the 19th was encamped. In order to raise it, Litchfield
County had given up the floAver of her youth, the pride and hope
of hundreds of her families ; and they had by no means enlisted
to fight for a superior class of men at home. There was no supe-
rior class at home. In moral qualities, in social worth, in every
civil relation, they were the best that Connecticut had to give.
More ih?Ln fifty of the rank and file of the regiment subsequently
H I S T O K Y OF ANCIENT W O O 1> B U 11 Y . 1195
found their way to commissions, and at least a hundred more
proved themselves not one whit less competent or worthy to wear
sash and saber, if it had been their fortune. It was the intelligent
obedience, the soldierly bearing, the self respect, the faithfulness,
the wounds and blood of the enlisted men of the 19th Infantry,
afterward the 2d Artillery, that averted defeat or secured victory
for the cause of the Union upon more than one desperate field,
and that purchased stars for more than one pair of shoulders.
The raising, fitting out, and marching of the regiments to the
several positions assigned them in the field, were substantially
alike, and the history of one is the history of all. Yet, they
possess a thrilling interest t»j every thoughtful mind in the lan<l.
The writer therefore believes that he cannot devote a few pages
of this work to a better use, than by giving an account of the
march to Washington of our County regiment, containing in its
ranks the last full company raised by the town during the rebel-
lion, substantially as related to him by one of the Field officers
of the regiment. *
"On the 11th Sept., 1862, the 19th Regiment of Volunteers,
containing eight hundred and eighty-nine men, in the undress uni-
fonn of U. S. soldiers, were drawn up by companies, each in its
own street, in Camp Dutton, Litchfield, Conn. Besides these,
many hundred, men, women and children, thronged thither, not
however attracted, as usual, by the stirriiig scenes of military
duty — the flutter of fiags, screaming of fifes, rattle of drums, ring-
ing orders quickly repeated, and the swift evolutions of the drill,
sights and sounds hitherto so unaccustomed to eye and ear in this
peaceful land — but evincing, by the deep solemnity of their de-
meanor, a graver purpose than mere curiosity. The spectators
mostly gather in the vicinity of the Adjutant's tent, on the Field
and Staff street. There, a slight, young West Point officer, wear-
ing the single bars of a 1st Lieutenant, and holding in his hand a
statute-book, stands in the midst of the Regimental officers, closely
watched by all. At a word from the Colonel, an ordei'ly departs
with a message, and a moment after Company A is seen advancing*
At the moment its center is opposite the Lieutenant, it halts, fronts,
dresses, and from a roll in his possession that officer calls the
names on his list. Finding the proper number present for duty.
' Lieut. Colonel Nathaniel Smith, of Woodbury, who went out as Major of the
Regiment.
23
1 1 P6 H I S T O K Y OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
at a given sigual, each man removes his cap, and stands with right
hand uplifted, while the Lieutenant quietly, but distinctly, reads the
<»ath of service for three years, or during the war, and closes the
book. Caps are replaced, hands lowered, the command from the
Captain, Company A, right-face, forward and file left, march. That
is all.
"Yet in this short ceremony, as it continues through company
after company, is that which none can witness without profound
reflection, deep emotion !
"These men were not educated from youth to look on the sol-
diers,' as the only mauly occupation. Yet, what nation of war-
riors, by birth, tradition, occupation, ever dared to trust the fidel-
ity of ranks mustered wit'' such simple forms.
"Among the Romans, not to be a soldier was not to be a man.
Yet the legionary took the vow of fidelity in the presence of bleed-
ing victims, sacrificial incense, and as a part of the solemn wor-
ship of the sacred standard. Even the poor gladiators about to
slaughter each other in the mimic contest of the Arena, or the
lake, first moved by in front of the imperial throne, to receive from
the divinity thereon a consecrating nod in return for their sad
salutation, ' Caesar ! we who are about to die, salute thee.'
"Yet in the Roman ceremonial was involved not one tithe the
change which this short, military form wrought in these citizens
of our land. A moment ago, and these men were protected in life
and limb, as well as restrained from acts involving death, by the
awful sanctions of vigilant laws. The oath is taken, and now the
same government commands and obliges them to sufiier mutilation
and death, or else inflict them. Hitherto, theirs has been unre-
strained liberty to go and come at will. Now, the attempt to do
so would involve imprisonment, or loss of life. They have always
sought happiness in such manner as they preferred. Now at the
the choice of another, weariness, hunger, thirst, disease, discom-
fort, awful labor, scenes of horror untold, must be their experi-
ence. Always, as citizens, they have exercised control in the af-
fairs of the nation, as participants in the sovereign authority. No
one might command more than they. So now, in a moment, this
imperial right is laid aside, and instant obedience, without ques-
tion or hesitation, even to tlie laying down of life, at the orders
of authorities whom they have not chosen, is duty not to be
avoided.
" These are but a few of many changes that might be enume-
HISTORY OF A N ( '. I K X I' \T O O D B l* i: Y . 1197
rated, knowu, foreseen by the men \vlu> came so sadly, company
after company, and took the vow of service, no one shrinking from
the irrevocable step ! Nor does the Government feel that any cere-
mony is necessary to impress on their minds a sense of the sol-
emn duty undertaken. Where hearts are already consecrated,
words are of small m(jment. The work is done in the will. These
nine hundred are here because the Liberty and the land they love
ai'e in danger, and they are impelled by irresistable impulse to fly
to the rescue. Only as soldiers can they help, and the oath which
was made a sacrament to the Roman, that the fear of sacrilesre
might bind him, may safely be a mere uplifting of the liand, when
but a mark of admission to a coveted duty, as in the case of these
nobler hearts and purer souls.
"But, though short and siinjde, considered as the consummating
act of self-dedication to the service of mankind — is thei'e, can there
be — among the vicissitudes of human life, a scene more gloriously
sublime than this ? Surely not, if we except the one where man
proclaims his rei)entance towai'd, and trust in God. And eveir
there we may recall, that the same authoritative voice that said.
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy
soul, with all thy mind and with all thy strength, did not separate
from it the words, ' and thy neighbor as thyself.'
"That day, then, the 11th of Sept., 1862, which witnessed the
mustering of the 19th Connecticut, should it not, as year after
year it recurs, be fragrant with memories of their patriotism and
devotion ? Shall not all generations hold the sod on which the
sons of Litchfield County devoted themselves to Liberty, as con-
secrated ground? And the mighty hill on whose summit, with
uplifted hands they offered the sacrifice of their lives for their
countrymen, shall it not thenceforth and forever be deemed a high
and holy altar?
"Muster over, the four succeeding days (how swiftly they past),
aside from drill, were one continuous bidding good bye. Yet
the morning of the 16th Sept. found thousands gathered in and
around the camp, for a last and then a final, and yet another fare-
well. In the tents and in the streets, v/hat swarming of the lov-
ing that were to remain around the departing loved ones ! I saw
not a few pale faces wearing a forced smile, that promised tears
to come — young hearts beating high with excitement and hope —
grey heads sad with forebodings !
" Suddenly, from the Adjutant's tent comee the signal ot prepa-
1198 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
ration. Ou all sides a hurried parting, last kisses of wives, moth-
ers, sweethearts. The fathers or brothers hands grasped firmly for
an instant, on all sides earnest requests to wi'ite — write as soon as
you get to — write daily — write everything as it happens at home
— don't forget to write. -God bless you — Don't fear for me —
Don't forget me — Be a good boy — Hark I the stern command,
'fall in Co., tfec' — hurriedly the knapsack is thrown on — never
again to be so heavy, especially after musket, bayonet, ammuni-
tion, rations, now wanting, are added — the roll calls resound from
every quarter, as the Adjutant, our active Deming, swiftly moves
down to the parade, accompanied with markers, right and left gen-
eral guides, and band. There is a neighing of horses in the street
beyond the line officers tents, where Field and Staff are mounting.
The markers and guides are set, defining the line, at a signal from
Deming. The music strikes up. From all the company streets is
heard the cautionary command, followed by the emphatic umrch ;
then ten Companies issue simultaneously, swiftly, from the camp,
moving hither and thither, for a moment in seeming, but pictur-
esque confusion. Suddenly, order comes out of chaos, as each one
drops into his place in line ; there are successive orders of right
dress, left dress, front ; then guides, post, and the markers run
the guides and retire to their posts behind the line. The Lieut.
Colonel, who is to command, appears in front, is saluted, salutes
in return, and draws his sword. At a notification from him,
through the Adjutant, a company accompanied by the color ser-
geants, marches to the Colonel's tent, receives the beautiful otate
and U. S. flags, received a few days before from the hands of Hon.
W. Curtiss Noyes, a gift from his beautiful wife. Meantime, the
Adjutant has taken his post on the right, the Major acting as
Lieut. Col., in the rear of the center of the right wing, and a death
like stillness pervades the long, motionless line. What thoughts
are crowding those throbbing veins 'i Softened in the dreamy
haze of a sweet autumnal day, the massive rock-crowned hills and
lovely valleys of the Switzerland of Connecticut, visible for many,
many miles, from this lofty camp ground, seem in harmony with
thoughts of only beauty, peace, repose. Yet who in that silent
battalion does not foreknow full well that to hundreds now stand-
ing there, this must be the laslj earthly view of home and native
land ? Who does not ask himself, 'Is this for me the last? ' But
fife and drum denote the coming of the colors. A murmur of de-
light accompanies them, even now, as they pass, and the multi-
HISTORY Oii* ANOIKNT WOODBURY. 1199
tude notes thfir exquisite beauty. When next, sotnethiug less
t]ian tliree years from to-day, tliey sluill return to Liielifield, they
sliall be blood-stained, and their niatehless embroidery slired<led
and rent by shot and shell. On the lines they mark a thousand
men of Connecticut are hereafter to shed tlieir blood !
"The escort passes in front of the center, and the colors come
forward and halt. The Colonel commands present arms, and
turning about, salutes them. The band executes three rolls, and
then the color-bearers take their place in center and front of the
color-guard. The escorting company moves swiftly and silently
to its vacated place in the line, which it occu))ies The iiJial mo-
ment has come. Col. Kellogg's clarion voice rings (nit, liattalion.
Right F-a-c-e, Major, Adjutant, Sergeant-Major repeating. Hearts
beat high along that line ; each holds his breath in anticipation of
the next order, which is to open the campaign, so momentous to
those who are to obey, pregnant with honor, wounds, with death
to so many in that line. — The drummers hold their sticks suspend-
ed, to strike exactly at the completion of the order. Every ear
listens to catch the executory order, that all may move simultane-
ously. The Colonel rides down to the head of the column, (we
are to move by the right Hank,) and pausing, gives the prelimi-
nary command, ' Column Forward,' repeated as before. Then,
after a (piick glance down the line, to see- that all is ready, snaps
out the 11 A R R, which is military for ' March ' ; instantly, eacli cap-
tain reechoes it with energy, tlie dnnns and fifes strike up — each
left foot moves as though the regiment were obeying a single im-
pulse, and in beautiful order the 19th has entered on that long .
eventful march, whose last step shall be executed by less than
300 of these eight hundred and eighty-nine.
"The march from camp to the depot of the Naugatuck Railroad,
accomi)lished, the horses placed on cars provided for them, the
men seated on the train, and all in readiness, the bell rniig its war-
ning, the whistle gave notice, and amid the cheers of thousands,
the waving of handkerchiefs and roll of drums, our journey tow-
ard Dixie began, as gaily as it drearily ended. Each town, each
village and hamlet, gave us an ovation, dilFering one from another,
not in enthusiasm, but in size only. The whole line of the road
seemed to wave and flutter with Hags. At Waterbury, Bridge-
port, Norwalk and Stamford, thousands assembled to bid us God-
speed. Ladies ])rought refreshments, or threw flowers, or waved
1200 HIBTORY OP ANCIENT WOODBURY.
handkerchiefs. — Truly, this kind of heroism proved quite a pleas-
ant thing.
" But ere we arrived in New York, our eyes were a little open-
ed to the reality of the change in our circumstances. We were
used to riding in first-class carriages, on express trains, if we pre-
ferred it. iV^o?(', however, "'twas little joy, to find " ourselves
treated ^9. freight! To see free people ride gaily by, while we
were switched oflT the track to let them pass — to wait an hour at
an obscure station, expressly to clear the track for an accommoda-
tion train — truly ours were the vexatious cars! Slower and slow-
er we crawled along, seeing the afternoon wear on, the sun go
down, and night shut us in from all gaity, and encouragement,
until, hungry, weary, and cast down, we landed in upper N. Y.
city, late in the night. This kind of heroism proved not quite a
pleasant thing.
" An incident, showing the kind heart of Hon. Wm. Curtiss
Noyes, may not be without interest to some. On the occasion of
the Flag donation at Litchfield, a lady who was asked by him if
there was anything he could do to assist herself or husband on
his way to N. Y., replied, 'Thank you, sir, my husband has his
military outfit complete, but should you happen to see the regi-
ment when it passes through the City, won't you say another
good-by to him for me? ' 'Be assured I shall, madam ! ' Avas his
answer. The regiment had but just descended from the cars, on
its arrival, and in the darkness was slowly falling into line, when
the officer referred to was taken l)y the hand, and the farewell by
proxy, beautifully bidden, as Mr. Noyes had laughingly promised.
"■ From the cars, a slow, long march, thr()ugh obscure streets,
brought us to a steamboat so small that her decks were not only
crowded, but massed, with our met. Soup and coff*ee were pro-
vided, but the first, seeming made of musty beans, salt junk and
salt-pork, salted, and the latter, of dried beans, without sugar or
milk, were scarcely palatable to even our almost famished stom-
achs. Nor could all get even such fare. We were fastened to
the dock in .Jersey City, and the order given to march to the cars,
before much more than half the men could, owing to the crowded
state of the decks, get access to soup or coftee.
" All night long we plodded slowly on. Morning, with the
cheerful sun, and the pleasant fields and orchards of New .Jersey,
brought also a renewal of the greetings, the cheers, and stirring
wayside scenes of our departure from Connecticut. The recent
HISTORY OF ANT TENT WOODBURY 1201
terrible defeats of Pope, opening as they had the way for invasion
from the South, liad excited in these regions, as liahle to suffer in
that case, an interest in each new regiment jounieving toward
Dixie, which we weVe at a loss to understand, till rertection solved
the problem. We received not only the greetings of villages and
towns, but the schools rushed forth to line the track and cheer.
Each isolated house sent its inmates to Mave tlie Hag, while the
childroi climbed the fences to wave their hats and aj)rons.
"Hence we were cheerfully as well as hungrily ready for the
kind welcome of Philadelphia. Well has that city proved lier
right and title to that name. ' Brotlierly Lo\-e.' With one \oice
all of Uncle Sam's boys that, during that period of the war, had
occasion to pass througli that ' Haven of rest and delight' rise up
and |>rononnce her blessed. There was rest foi- the weary. There,
for those who were pressed with fatigue and want of accustomed
sleep, Ave found cool baths prepared. There were exquisite coffee,
delicious tea, and food abundant and substantial. After an hour
or two in that kindly place, the regiment came forth, cheerful^
hopeful, restored. City of IJiotherly Love, thy name is fragrant
in the niemory of a half million of men, who knew from experi-
ence what thou wert in those days of trial !
"After soincwhat of a march, a broad open space was reached,
traversed in all directions by Railroad tracks, with innumerable
switches, affording no shelter from the pelting rays of the
sun, the 'boys ' were halted, and ' rest '-ed, on the unshaded side
of a high, dead wall, belonging to the enclosure of some great
manufactory. Facing away from that, immediately in tlieir front,
was a long line of those unroofed slatted pens, which before the
intro<bictiou of laws against cruelty to animals, were used to
transport cattle and sheep. Scattered in confusion over the floor
f>f each, were a quaiitity of ].lanks. No train of cars for litiman
h<:iii(/x^ no engine, was visible.
" Here we waited and sweltered. At length, a powerful engine
came down the road, and made fast to the cattle train. A con-
d\u'tor a|»proached, and said that the transportation for the regi-
ment was ready. Where? Why this train ! A moments pause.
But must the men stand up ? Oh ! no. There are on the bottom
of each car planks to put across — let the ends rest on the slats !
" As the report passed, from those that heard it, down the line,
there were many red faces. Tt was hard to be treated like, and to
the filth of, the beasts ! But they perish, and so shall we, was the
1 202 HISTORY OF ANCIENT A\'OOI>BURY.
consoling reinaik of one. We shall have a pensive Journei/. Cheer
up said one. He who sjjills through will have an expensive turn
out, said one — and look slatternly, was the reply.
" But the order came that broke each company by the right to
the front, and sent it to occupy its allotted pens. No sooner had
the first step of the march been taken, than, simultaneously, from
front to rear of the battalion, there broke forth a chorus of roaring
bulls, bellowing oxen, squeaking pigs. There were the Ba-a-ah's
of sheep, tlie bleating of calves, and to such like music the 19th
took up their quarters. The fun of the thing almost made them
forget the discomfort, and even made the mortified officials of the
Railroad laugh, in spite of themselves.
" I may here state, that for the rest of the trip to Washington
we had covered cars, with permanent seats, — the worst of our ac-
commodations consisting of freight cars fitted for passengers.
" Philadelphia to Wilmington, Wilmington to Havre-de-Grace,
thence to Baltimore. Slowly, tediously, and in the dark, we com-
menced otir march across this city by the route so sadly known as
the scene of the attack on the 6th Massachusetts — the ' first blood
of the war.' No incident served to recall that day of trouble and
slaughter, save that as we moved silently along, a door was open-
ed, and two pistol shots were fired into the street when we were
passing. As no one was hit, the motive for firing was never in-
quired into. Indeed, so far as the majority of the city was con-
cerned, its active and kindly hospitality rivalled that of Philadel-
phia. There was plenty of food and refreshments, provided by
the city. Nice dishes and tables with white covers, were pro-
vided ; the wide, broad depot, affording shelter, ventilation, and
planks for sleeping quarters.
" But the man who exchanges a soft bed and regular hours for
sleepless nights, and rest on a board, feels the same soreness of
the muscles that schoolboys do after the first winter's skate. He
suffers. He must be pressed by severe hunger before he can eat
with relish the food which active campaigning can alone afford,
and hence is weakened. Thirst, too, torments him, for warm wa-
ter was an emetic, an active one, at home, nnd even coffee and tea
with no sugar or milk, when he can get them, do not seem to his
delicate nerves, quite palatable.
" Hence, those were a weary, and a faint and parched assembly,
that threw themselves on the hard floor of the sheltering depot this
night, and felt that to be ' intolerable and not to be endured,' which
HISTORY OF ANTIENT WOODBURY. 1 203
a month later, they would joyfully have voted to be luxurious in
entertainment, and palatial in accommodation. Now, however,
many eyes were blood-shot and faces pale. In the sequel we shall
see this first journey resulting in ranch serious sickness.
" It had been supposed that New Orleans was to be the scene
of our first soldiering. But, after several hours delay, the) ' chang-
ed all that,' at Washington, whither we were ordered to proceed
and report.
'• Meanwhile, the Major was left in charge of the l!Hh. No
guards had been changed since leaving Camp Dutton. Hence,
Lieut. B( tts (Co. I) and his guard, who,had been on constant duty,
were almost exhausted. Perhaps some sentinel winked, or was
not yet acquainted with all his duty. At any rate, whisky found
its way into the depot, and two men, afterwards well known for
generous and brave soldiers wiien sober, and very devils when
drunk, became raving from its eftects. The Major caused their
arrest by the guard, and after confining them, the whole thing-
was forgotten.
"Judge then the surprise of the 19th, when, a week or two af-
ter, being at Alexandria, papers from home reached them, stating
that telegrams from Baltimore brought intelligence of a formida-
ble mutiny having broken out at that place in said regiment, which
was with difficulty quelled, .after the serious injury of Col. Wes-
sels, and mortally wounding of Capt. Rice. Any officer or man,
who knew what manner of soldiers were called by that name, can
testify that mutiny of a serious character was never a possibility
under these fiags.
" There was a long, tedious delay at Baltimore. Then more trials
of what it was to journey as freight, — which was more tedious
than marching, to limbs unused to plank cushions and cramped
seats. Now and then a halt of .an hour or so at some switch in
the woods, would give the men a chance to learn the task of Chin-
qua pins, to wonder at fiying twigs, and see the strange, uncouth
snails, the 'Soothsayer,' the most uncouth of insects. Then the
train would start, and on, on, on, toiling along, we slowly drew
near to Washington, and entered there at nine at night — over six
liours to gain forty miles.
''Oh! how well all remember the barracks where the regiment
lay down by companies on the fioor, when fatigue would by this
time have brought sleep with it, spite of sore joints, had not tin-
filth made sleep to most impossible. How horrible it was, is sufii-
1'204 HISTORY OF ANCIKNT WOODBURY,
ciently shown by the fact that tlie men, faint from hungci-, after
such long fastings, could not swallow the food provided for them,
from the nauseous stench. A weary night for beginners that, and
homesick feelings began to show themselves, in long faces and
silent broodings.
" With the hot morning, came directions to the regiment to fall
in, which it did, loaded with its cumbersome knapsacks, such as
no old campaigner would think of taking. Some choked down a
lit,tlo food — most were very hungry — all tired. While waiting for
the two Colonels, who were engaged witli the war authorities,
the Surgeon reported over i'orty sick and unable to continue the
march. It was a poor look out to leave sick men l>eliind in such a
place, but it had to be. Sergeant McKinney was detailed to take
charge of them, and do the best he could for them, reporting to the
regiment as soon as his men were declared able to march, or trans-
portation could be found. As an instance of how trying that place
was, Sergt. McK. was, before the next night, left in care of more
than seventy, by commandants of other regiments. No small com-
pliment to his observed efficiency. Several of these men were disa-
bled permanently, and it was three days before the remainder were
brought into camp, looking, with their officer, like ghosts.
" At ten A. M. we took up the line of march, down the road
that leads to Long Bridge — destination, Camp Chase. The
thought of green fields, tents, fresh air, was inspiriting. Down
the dusty road we wound our serpentine length, when, arrived
just where the Arsenal road crossed our route at right angles,
in the very place of all hot Washinton ! most miserably hot of all,
where the air simmered over the unshaded avenue, and the feet sank
above the ankles in burning sand, an aid rode Tip, spoke a word
to Kellogg — now in Command — and battalion halt — rang out from
tlie Lieut. Colonel. We were brought to a rest then and there.
Our destination had been changed! Hour after hour passed on.
Not till late in the afternoon did we resume the march. Scorched
and parched, the weary men, this time, were headed toward the
Arsenal dock, placed on board a government steamer, and just as
the sun was setting, were landed at the coal dock, in Alexandria,
Va.
" Here again, wait, wait, wait. Some commenced writing home.
Some stretched out at full length on the sacred soil, hard as ada-
mant now. Some few tried to amuse themselves by contrabands,
dancing against each other. The genious who could ape Kellogg's
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1 205
voice SO perfectly, several times called out, Attention Battalion I
when a general rush took place for the ranks, but the men, soon
seeing the regiment was in other charge, ceased to be hoaxed.
Darkness came on — dancing and writing ceased — still we waited.
The men were getting a little taste of real soldiering, in a mild
form.
" Finally, when it was too late to see a step, Gen. Slough, Mili-
ta.iy Gov. Alexandria, Va., to whom the Colonels had reported
the regiment, as ordered, for Provost dut} in his dej)artment, de-
cided where they should camp.
"March again, stumbling painfully along, in the pitch darkness,
for a mile or so, till the halt (tame, wlien, being wheeled into col-
umn by companies, ordered to unsling knapsack and rest, the li'th
knew that it was in camp. Tents? None — nothing but bare
ground, Virginia clay, wet by rains a few days ago, trodden w ith
the deeji foot prints of cattle and since baked by the sun bard as
brick. Rations? none. Tliey had to be brought down from
Camp Chase, ten miles.
" There was one thing, very decidedly a wonder even t(» our some-
what accustomed nostrils. Stench! Overpowering perfume! Pah!
whence coming none could know, till morning disclosed a cordon
of dead horses, surrounding us nearly half way, remains of Pope's
disasters, and just ripe for the Turkey-Buzzards. Even those who
had never seen the bird before, had little curiosity to know fur-
ther of them, tliougli the creatures were too stupidly blissful from
gorging, to move more than a step or two when approached !
" Wearily, at length, our active Quartermaster came driving in-
to camp. All night long, with a squad cf men, he had been en-
gaged in the heroic endeavor to harness unbroken mules to our
regimental waggons, and bring the rations down. Patience and
l»er8everance, in which he fortunately excelled, had conquered,
finally, but not, as it was conlidentially whispered by some of his
men, till he had been pnt through a series of somersaults and in-
voluntary antics, too ludicrous for this grave history to note.
" Moving a mile further on, we took up our permanent location
on Shuter's hill, foot of King street, overlooking Alexandria, and
after burying the dead horses and oxen on our plot, commenced
getting ready to clear our camp.
"Thus commenced our stay of nearly two years, tWMi weary
years, in Alexandria, a place poisonous to soul and l)ody. The
1206 HISTORY OP AIsrOIENT WOODBURY.
morals of the regiment, fortunately, suflered little, but in health,
the same could not be said.
" At ten o'clock this morning, lo ! the trains from Camp Chase j
The rations ! and one heavy team after another, each drawn by
four mules, turned out of the highway, and majestically formed
line by the side of our ' camp.' They advanced to the ' music of
the mule,' — Who that has ever heard their ' hvgling,^ so strong, so
melancholy, so energetic, and at the same time so prolonged with
languishing into a steam engine's whisper, can ever once forget it.
FALL IN FOR RATIONS !
"Since twenty-six hours we have had no rations. These were
uneatable. The common remark of the coffee at Washington was.
' slops collected in the street slop barrels.' There was grease float-
ing abundantly on its surface. The interior, those that drank,
looked not at, but tasted less, if they coidd help it ! Food ! there
is but one word for it — it stank. Now here were our ovm rations
and all were greatly relieved.
To expedite matters, the authorities sent down hams packed in
barrels, and already boiled, — })acked full, each barrel — and neatly
headed up. A few boxes of hard-tack were also forth coming —
three crackers to a man.
" So there was a speedy unloading of iiam casks. The hoops
of the heads were knocked upwards, and oft'; when, lo ! the heads
rose up, when no longer held in place by the hoops, of the in selves.
'Jings, an't they full ! ' says a hungry fellow near by, with de-
light.
"A lid is lifted oft", when, as McCauley sings : —
" Was none who would be foremost,
To lead such dire attack V
For those behind pressed forenioat,
And tliose before cried back."
"'Packed in sawdust!' suggests one, mounted on a wheel
overlooking others heads. No ! ' Even measure, full, pressed
down, and rvnning over^ says another — ' Alive again,' said an-
other.
"There were those who were sickened at the endeavor to eat
this. Think of those used to wholesome food but four days be-
fore, becoming so famished as to roll those hams out of their casks,
and dissect the same to secure for their own use such portion as
H I S T O K Y OF ANCIENT W O O 1) B U K Y 1207
was not yet penetrated with the foul vermin, that seemed a seeth-
ing mass.
On our camp at Shuter's liill was a gently inclined side-liill, rising
sufficiently above the plains of Alexandria, to be free from mala-
rious fogs, and facing the place of duty and drill. The drilling
took place on a wide plain once a meadow, one hundred paces to
our front. In about a month's constant work, it became as good
an exercise ground as need be, in most kinds of weather. No
place trodden, or driven on in that part of Virginia, is other than
intolerably dusty, or equally muddy, as the weather approached
extremes. Almost all the knolls and intervening ravines ' south
of the Potomac,' have clay on the surface varying from eight to
twenty-five feet in depth. Under this lies a bed or strata of vary-
ing thickness, say one foot to 5 feet, of something resembling red
gravel mixed with pebbles, the whole so far fuzed that the gravel
has been 'wholly melted. After this, suppose the pasty result of
the melting process to have been hardened gradually, around and
inclosing the pebbles so slowly as not to crack in the process, and
you have an approach to an idea of what Arlington Heights and
the rear of Alexandria are in respect to soil. Kain caimot pene-
trate the conglomerate, and be carried oft". Consequntly, the
clay above, after long rains, becomes complete mortar, when work-
ed up by any disturbing agency. No ventilation reaches it from
below, therefore when dried it is as hard as abi'ick. When frosts
come on in the fall hard enough to freeze from two to five inches
of surface, the contraction causes the surface to crack, the
crack penetrating below the frozen surface, the vapor rises througli
it, and congeals at the surface, on the lips of the fissure, and, as
the ices form, builds a little, or rather, a thin wall on each side,
exactly paiallel, or coinciding, and some times six to eight inches
high. Sometimes this efflorescence is extremely beautiful — in fact
quite fairy-like, when enclosing, for many acres, little i)atches of
irregular shai)e ; from some little ' keep,' six inches on a side, to
some large fortress, containing four square yards.
"This is a curious instance of nature forming icicles polidbi'j
ivpvxirds.
" It is impossible for those who have seen nothing of this kiiul
to believe how stifling the dust is, even in winter, or how impas-
sable to man or beast, except for the few first passing over a place,
this Virginia soil becomes.
1208 HISTORY OF ANCIBNT WOODBURY.
" Such being the locatiou of the camp aud its soil, it will be
seen that our position as to health, would be very greatly modi-
fied by these several facts.
" It was almost impossible to maintain a camp anywhere
without great labor aud constant, intelligent policeiug. The water
everywhere would be almost surface water, without filtra-
tion through the lower strata. On the plateau back of our camp,
and draining through it, some fifty acres of land were occupied
by the Convalescent Camp, which was without drainage, sinks,
cleanly tents, or orderly arrangements of any kind, but were tilled
with universal filth. Back of our camp, and draining through it,
were scores of disused sinks, which, when it rained, discharged
their overflow through the drains of our streets. The burial
ground of the Convalescent Camp, in which from one to ten were
buried daily, was not more than ten rods from our camp streets,
and sloped into them. Such water, therefore, as could l)e obtained
here, could be but poison. A stream draining a long highway,
both sides of which were strewn with decomposing dead animals,
flowed within a stone's throw of us. Another similar stream
crossed the valley, on the banks of which there were never less than
from 50 to 100 dead horses, and a slaughter-house besides — a mass
of reeking corruption emptying into it. Directly north was ati
immense cattle yard, capable of holding 3,000 head of cattle, and
this drained into that stream. South of Kings street was a like
government slaughter-yard, all the ofifal of which was discharged
into the stream. A small well of water near this stream, aftei- all
its accumulation of filth, furnished the best drink the camp af-
forded.
It is to this day diflicult to see why the government shoulil
send soldiers into such a ' charnel-house of death ' as this, especi-
ally when there were bettei" places but a little way ofl", and the
duty to which they were appointed could be done just as well,
with only a little more marching. It caunot be thought strange
that the men almost immediately began to sicken and die, and the
flower of Litchfield County to be sent back, to be tenderly buried
among their kindred at home. To be sure, if it was necessary
that some should die then and there, that the country might live,
some might think that it was better thus to die by disease, aud be
cared for, and buried in a Christian way, than to die by the bullet
oi' the shell, or the bayonet, amid the din aud smoke of battle, aud
be hastily buried by comrades in the shallow ditch, and in the
HISTORY « V ANCIENT W O O 1> B IT R Y . I'JOO
military dress in which they fought, imcoffined, trusting ojily in a
soldier's God, yet it has always seemed to the heroic soul, in all
ages, which devoted itself to its country, that it was better to die
fighting nobly in the crash of battle, and make return of the do-
ings of a life devoted to duty to the Great Author of all, without
the accompaniraent of funeral rites, and the pageants of magnifi-
cent sorrow.
"'Alexandria, under martial law ever since the l)reakiiig out of
the war, had suffered unspeakable things from the troops on duty
in her streets, or quartered in her environs, and the Alexandrians
had come to regard a soldier as a scoundrel, always and every-
where. But the 19th Connecticut had not been a week in Vir-
ginia before the self-respecting good behavior of its men became
the general theme, and the authorities were petitioned by the cit-
izens — nearly all of whom were rebels — not to remove that regi-
ment from Alexandria.
"On the 22d of September, a detail of live otticei's and seventy-
men relieved the patrol of the 33d Massachusetts in Alexandria,
and the same was dail}' furnished during the remainder of 1862.
It was the duty of the patrol to move about the city in small
s(juads, or stand guard at theatres and certain other places, and
arrest all soldiers who could not produce passes, or who were in
mischief, and bring them to the Provost Marshal's office, whence
they were usually escorted to the ' Slave-Pen ' in Duke Street, — a
horrible den, with the following sign in large letters over the
door: ' Price & Uurch, Dealers in Slaves.'
"From the soft beds and regular habits of Connecticut homes,
to the hard ground, severe duties, irregular sleep, l^ad food and
worse water of a Virginia camp, was a change that could not be
)nade without loss of health and life. ]\Ieasles and Mimi]>s began
to prevail ; Rheumatism made the men lame, Chronic Diarrha-a
weakened them, Typhod Fever fired their blood, and Jaundice
painted their skins and eye-balls yellower than saftron. Two hos-
pital tents were soon filled to overflowing, and an African Church
near by was approi^riated as a Regimental Ilospiial; while the
' Sick Call ' brought to the Surgeon's quarters a daily increasing
crowd, who desired medical treatment or an excuse from duty."
[t was not wonderful that, with the multiplied sickness in camp,
and with the ability which every citizen soldier possessed of wri-
' VailU' Hist, of 2d Conn. H. Art. Volunteers.
1210 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUEY.
ting home his complaints, more or les.s just, that charges should
be made against the officers, — or somebody. Such complaints
Avere made, and by request of Colonel Wessells, Gov. Bucking-
ham appointed a Committee to examine into the condition of the
cam[».
" Six days thereafter, Dr. S. T. Salisbury, of Plymouth, arrived
at regimental headquarters, with credentials from tlie Governor.
Colonel Kellogg requested him to scrutinize closely. ' There are
our jurors,' said he, pointing to the men. 'Enter their quarters
and question them. We will abide by their decision,' Dr. Salis-
bury, upon his return to Connecticut, made a report which exon-
erated the officers from blame. He said tliat no New England
village could surpass the camp in neatness, and that everything
possible was being done for the welfare of the men. He found
the wives of Lieutenant Colonel Kellogg and Major Smith devo-
tedly assisting in the care ol the sick ; and General Slough inform-
ed liim that the 19th Connecticut was the best conducted regiment
in all that region." '
The regiment was now located, for the balance of the year, and
a few incidents of life in camp will be added, mainly, as kindly
furnished the author from the "Diary" kept by the accomplished
wife of Lieut. Col. Smith, then Major of the regiment. Moved
by a patriotic impulse to do what she could to care for the sol-
diers in the hospital, where they so mucli needed the kindly atten-
tions of woman, she had joined lier liusband in camp, early after
the regiment had been permanently located, and her praise was on
the lips of all our sick soldiers,
"Nov. 3d, 1862. Last night we had the first death in the regi-
ment, and it has made us all sad. I have been up to the ten I
where the body lies, previous to embalming. He looks peacefully
at rest, and my tears fall more for his friends than for him. He
was a young Lyman, from Goshen, and only about 18 years of
a"-e. They report another death this morning. We hope Gen.
Slough will see the bad result of giving this regiment such hard
work to perform, and will, in a measure, release the strain ujton
the poor fellows, who have been on duty ten days and nights in
succession.
" This region is furroughed with graves. Fairfax Seminary —
Vaills' Hist.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1211
now a hospital, and a most beautitul building — is just opposite us,
beyond a ravine. Almost everywhere around, a little apart from
the road, I can see the tell-tale mounds, without headmarks, where
some poor fellow has been tucked away. Oh ! horrid, horrid
War ! In the old burial gTounds, in amongst many a family group,
one sees a nameless grave, new made, shallow dug, in which some
Northern soldier has been laid. But how long will his bones re-
main there untouched '? Will they not, at a later day, be rudely
ejected to make room for some returning, rightful owner '? Will
they not be scornfully thrown aside as the remains of a " Cursed
Yankee." I cannot bear to think that the time may come when
unhallowed revenge shall be taken upon the dead, and our best
Northern blood have served only to enrich this vile, Virginia soil.
The first death that occurred in our Woodbury Company I,
was that of Corporal John L. White, on the 13th of November,
1862, and the second, that of James C. PoUey, on the 19th. The
sickness and death of the latter, is thus alluded to in Mrs. Smith's
Diary : —
" Alexandria, Dec. 5, 1 862.
" Two days before I was taken sick, Mr. Policy came to see me.
looking so well ; — but while I was in bed, he sickened, and I found
him, when I got out, in hospital, sick with typhoid fever. He was
very glad to see me. I talked with him awhile, and urged him to
eat. The difficulty with this fever, in the commencement is, the
absolute loathing one has for food. Mr. Policy said he could eat, if
I would make him some chicken tea. So I sent all over town for a
chicken, and finally, the servant returned with a nice, tender one.
I made it into an absolute jelly, thickened it with isinglass, and
took it over just at tea-time. It was early morning when I had
promised it to him, and he had refused all food till I came. Hav-
ing but one hand, I could not feed him, but the nurse did, and he
smacked his lips and said, ' Oh, splendid, I can eat it all.' But he
soon wanted to rest, and then insisted it should be put under his
bed, for fear some one should get it. And so, for several days I
visited him, carrying him almost all he eat, and standing by him.
I counted so many swallows at a time, for he would always eat for
me, and always knew me, till the last. Two days before he died,
I went over to see him, and my heart sunk. There was that fatal
drop of jaw, and that look of the eye, as if it were piercing dist-
24
1212 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
ance. I have learned, alas ! to know the death-mark, unerringly !
It did not seem as if we could let him die — he was so patient —
every one was interested in him. All the officers and men and
nurses, chmg to the idea that he would rally, and so we all hoped.
But he was sinking beyond our reach. I asked him if I should
not write to his family. He said yes. I asked him what I should
write. The fever was very high upon him then, and, as I fanned
the flies off his face and pushed his hair away, he looked up in my
face, wanderingly. It was but for a moment, and then he smiled,
and said : — " Oh, Mrs. Smith, write to my family as you think
best for them and me. Your judgment will judge for me bet-
ter than my judgment could judge." That night I got Mrs Kel-
logg to write to Mrs. Policy, at my dictation, but my letter must
have been preceded by the sad telegram of his death. The niglit
before he died, I took him eggs, beat up in whiskey and sugar>
and though he did not want to take it, he did, when I asked him
to take it for his family. It was very strong, and he looked at
me with a smile, and said, "Is this food?" I took his poor, hot
hand in my cool one, and held it for a few moments, said a few
words of cheer and comfort from a Source which he knew well,
and left him, feeling in my heart, that ere dawn he would be at
rest. About six o'clock, the same morning, he prayed in a strong,
clear voice, so that they heard him all over the iiospital, and in a
few moments, without a struggle, he had gone home ! They sent
me word as soon as I was up, and geting some white chrysanthu-
mous, and beautiful box, from a neighbor, I made a cross and bou-
quet, and when he was ready, they came for me to place them
upon his body. He looked so calm, and so utterly at peace, that,
except for his wife and little children, I had no tears. We placed
the cross in his hands, and the bouquet on his feet, and then he
was slowly borne away to the town, to be embalmed, the Masons
bearing all the expense."
A few days later is recorded the following picture of the Con-
valescent Camp, which was at that time a disgrace to humanity
and a shame to the nation, that was pouring forth its treasures,
like water, to sustain the war !
" It is fearfully cold to-day. We have had quite a heavy fall of
snow, and the wind blows piercingly. It was a bitter night,
though we were perfectly comfortable ; but we lay awake a long
while, thinking of the poor convalescents above us, and of our
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUKY. 1213
ibsave fellows at the frout. There must be a vast amount of suf-
fering among them, for they have nothing but shelter tents and a
blanket to protect them against the blast. There is one poor
cripple in the Convalescent Camp, who comes on crutches up the
hill, and while hanging on one, he works away at the old stumps,
from which he gets a few miserable splinters. Day before yester-
day I saw a thin, shadowy man, with a remnant of an old blanket,
painfully gleaning chips into it, where others stronger, or smarter
than he, had chopped up whole trees. I said to him, ' are you
going to have a good fire ? ' ' Yes 'm,' sdid he, and his teeth chat-
tered. — ' I am so vert/ cold.' A mile, and even two miles out, you
may see exhausted beings staggering home with armsfuU of
twiggs, and this morning the guard found, on the edge of our
camp, above,'a man clinging to a precious faggot, but dead! — fro-
zen to death ! His fire on earth was never lighted. His own
lamp of life went out in the effort. But Heaven grant that that
poor suiferer shall be among the 'comforted ' hereafter. I cannot
■express too strongly ray horror of the institution called the Con-
valescent Camp. Men who have been sent from the hospitals to
join their regiments, have been left to rot in this camp, where
dirt, disease and lice, abound! They are allowed to freeze to
death, while fat secessionists have Union guards to protect their
trees and fences! As I write, the sun is setting, and in the dread
of a long and freezing night, men almost frenzied with cold, are
working away at old roots on the hill. So far they have respect-
ed the wooden head-boards of the grave-yard, but the bits they
are painfully catting are covered with frozen snow, and I have
seen them look longingly at the seasoned pine over the graves. I
have no right to carry them some sticks from here. The whole
Convalescent Camp would be down upon us ; but, as I sit here by
a warm fire, with a heart aching for those poor fellows, that same
heart keeps up a reproachful refrain — ' Inasmuch as ye have not
done it unto others ye have not done it unto me.' — Oh, you at
home with warm houses and bright lights and glowing fires,
think, this fearful weather, of those who have nothing but a frail
canvass between them and the freezing night air."
The following is a graceful tribute to Colonel Kellogg :
" Colonel Kellogg, though very roughs is one of the softest
hearted men I ever saw. He is a great traveler, and a man of
]214
U J S T O li Y OF A N C 1 E >J T M' O O I) K U K Y .
■wonderful information, while his powers of description are rare.
His men are attached to him, and respect
him, and those who see him as I do,,
kind-heai'ted, full of sympathy for the
sick, and with tears in his eyes at the
sight of suftering he cannot alleviate,
know, that in spite of rough words and
looks, he is a good man, as well as a strict
disciplinarian and soldier.
" Again at the hospital. I fear we
have two more doomed ones in there^
One man, who is deranged, requested yesterday, that if he died,,
his body should be sent home. That is the last cry of all these
poor fellows. Send me home ! Don't bury me in this horrid
land of traitors and secession ! Send me home to the old grave-
yard, with its mossy stones and its drooping trees, the resting
place of generations of ancestors and remembered loved ones —
Send rae home ! Send me home ! "
"Dec. 22, 1862. I did not sleep much last night, from some
reason or other. But the nights do not seem long. Every two
hours the relief comes along, and I hear the challenge and the
change of sentinels — then, at midnight, the grand rounds. Then
I can hear variously tuned snores, and oh ! the coughs ! The va-
riety and the number are astonishing. There is the surface rack,
and the cavernous — the throaty gag and the wrenching — the la-
bored and the catarrhal, the near, the distant, and the dreary, dry
cough, which tells that consumption is nigh at hand. Sometimes;,
too, I have heard from the street tents the home-sick out-cry of
some poor fellow, who has been the mother-hoy at home, and bitter
cold nights I could have shed tears, too, for 'those I left behind
me.' Alas ! alas ! for a soldier's life. The old song that it is full
•if joy, may do well enough for the ' piping times of peace,' but
in days of war, and intestine war too, the song is a mocking li«."
The next extract from the ' diary,' which will be given, is the
touching account of the sickness and death of Corporal, or rather
2d Lieut. Krederick Whitlock. Though in chronological order
this would belong in the place allotted to the events of the early
days of 1863, yet in the grouping of incidents, it comes in more
p^'operly here.
HISTORY OF A N C I E X T W O O D B U K Y . 1215
Whitlock was always, though younger in years, one of the au-
thor's most considerate, firm, and faithful friends. Indeed, that
was his nature. He was true, genial and
faithful to all. His countenance and his life
were ever sunny. It is with a full heart
that the writer records his virtues on this
memorial page.
As has been seen, immediately after the
disastrous battles of the "Seven Days in the
Wilderness," under the leadership of Mc-
Clellan, the President called for 300,000 vol-
unteers. As an inducement to earnest recruiting, Gov. Bucking-
ham ordered, that every suitable candidate who should enlist forty
men, should receive a 2d Lieutenant's Commission. Under this
provision, Whitlock procured enlistment papers from the Adjutant
General, and opened a recruiting office in Woodbury. But learn-
ing that Mr. Eli Sperry, who afterwards became Captain of our Co.
I, had also obtained papers for the same purpose of obtaining a
commission, which bore date a day or two earlier, and believing
that it would be highly detrimental to the cause of enlistments, if
two opposing offices should be kept open in our small, rural com-
ruunity, with a most praise worthy patriotism he closed his office,
returned Ids papers, repaired to New Haven, enlisted the 15th of
August, 1862, and was mustered in as a private, in Co. F, of the
20th regiment. He was very soon promoted Corporal and Ser-
geant, for faithful service. But his ambition led him to undertake
to do too much. The 20th regiment was called upon to do heavy
marching, the latter part of the year, and being determined to do
the work of the strongest, he fell sick, and was sent to Trinity
General Hospital, at Washington. The Avriter had l»een in recent
correspondence with him. Whitlock knew that he expected to
visit the camps in a few days, and had arranged for a meeting.
He had important matters which he said he wished to submit to
him, expressing the gi-eatest solicitude to see him. The writer de-
sired, on his part, to see him, and accomplish his wishes, if possible-
He accordingly went to Washington, but on account of a general or"
-der, promulgated the very day of his arrival, he was unable to
get a pass to go any further than the " Defences of Washington aud
Alexandria," Whitlock, meanwhile, was with his regiment at Fair-
fax Coui't-House. It turned out in the sequel, that he was carried
-through Alexandria, sick, to Washington, the very day the writer
1216 1 1 I S T O R A' OF ANCIENT W O O D B U K Y .
was there, seeking a pass to go to him. After a visit to the sol-
diers in the camp, he returned to Washington, and was th'ere
till the day Whitlock died, almost within a stone's throw of him,
but was unaware of his presence in the city, and returned honoe-
in ignorance of it. The writer has never ceased to regret, that
while each sought the other with such perseverance, they could
not have met, and that the poor sufferer's dying hours could not
have been soothed by his life-long friend. It would have been a
great privilege to have been permitted to do something to allevi-
ate the pains of such a friend, while passing " over the dark river."
But the secret he so much desired to impart died with him. We
may fondly hope that so great, so kind, so good a heart, has found
nobler employment beyond the portals of death.
There was another sad circumstance in his death at this time.
He had so well fulfilled his duties as a soldier, that Gov. Bucking-
ham granted him a commission as 2d Lieutenant, and the commis-
sion reached him while in a state of insensibility, too late for him
to know that his ambition had been gratified, and his merit reward-
ed. He died Jan. 24, 1863. His body was embalmed, sent to
New York, and buried in Greenwood Cemetery.
Two extracts from Mrs. Smith's "diary" follow: —
" Fred. Whitlock. — 6th Jan., 186.3. I have been much amused
to-day, by the account that Lieut. Col. Wooster, of the 20th C.
v., has given us of Corporal Whitlock. He says he is all energy
and spunk, determined to keep up with the biggest and burliest
soldiers, and die game, if he dies at all. The regiment has been,
from the outset, exposed to all the inclemency of the weather,,
never having remained stationary in any ony one place long enough
to make themselves comfortable, and unprovided with other than
the shelter tent. They have been continually on long, forced
marches, sometimes for several days together, and Fred, has reso-
lutely kept up with the best of them, refusing to lighten his knap-
sack or even to put his baggage into one 'of the regimental wagons,
as the Colonel told him to do. He seems to be a great favorite
and a good soldier. Colonel Wooster spoke of him with great
friendliness and kindness."
"January 2oth, 1863.
" My heart aches with bitter pain and my eyes overflow. Poor
Fred. Whitlock is dead — dead in the hospital at Washington, and
HISTOKY OP ANCIENT WOODKUKY. 1217
no one to care for his body, or comiumiicate witli his friends but
myself! The last time I saw him, he, my husband and myself ex-
changed good-byes at Southbury ; Fred., full of entlmsiasm and
military zeal. The next I heard of him was through Lieut. Col.
Wooster, of the 20th C. V. Day before yesterday I received a
large envelope, franked by a member of Congress, and addressed
to me at Fort Barnard. The note enclosed proved to be from
Fred., telling me he had been taken to Trinity General Hospital,
at Washington, sick with bilious fever, and asking me to send
word to Walter, (his brother, of the 1st Conn. Heavy Artillery,)
He wrote me that he was in need of clothes, and to ask Walter to
bring some for hira. Fort Barnard, where Walter is, is three
miles from here, and it was impossible to send that night. I sent
for Dr. Lawton, who was previously surgeon of the 20th, and thfe
one who examined and passed Fred., and who, supposing at that
time he should remain in the 20th, could discharge Fred, later, if
he felt unable to continue ! Most fortunately, the doctor was going
to Washington in the morning, (yesterday,) and I gave him Fred's
address, and a note for him, and he promised to go and see him.
The weather was such that I could not get out, as we have no con-
veyance here now, except our feet, or I should have gone with Dr.
Lawton myself, and seen what I could do. Just as we were pre-
paring to send our Orderly to Fort Barnard, Walter came in, and
I told him about Fred., and that he had better return immediately,
and spend the afternoon in getting a pass for Washington — a long
job now, as it has to go through so many hands before completion.
Last evening Dr. Lawton returned, with the most unexpected in-
formation, that he found Fred, in the Dead House! — the poor fel-
low had died that morning! They told the doctor that he had been
brought there on the 18th, and had been unconscious almost ever
since he had been there, only rallying long enough to ask to have
one letter written to a lady. He died easily and unconsciously,
but the doctor tells me he was so emaciated, he should not have
known him. His letter was dated the 19th, and I did not receive
it till the 28d. Had it been simply stamped, I should, probably,
have got it in season to have gone to Washington. I cannot con-
ceive the cause of its delay. At day-light this morning, we sent
an Orderly over to Walter with a note from me, telling him the
sad news, and hurrying him to Washington. Dr. Lawton told
them at the Hospital not to bury poor Fred, today, but to wait
1218 HISTORY OF ANCIENT A^■ O O D B U R Y .
until they heard from nie. I telegraphed to his brother, Duncan,
last night, and have also requested that Fred, be kept above
ground until to-morrow. At eleven this morning, poor Walter,
pale, with his eyes swollen by weeping, came and told me he had
been waiting since early morning to get his pass signed by Gen.
Tyler, who was asleep and no one dared to wake him ! Poor fel-
low ! his spirit seemed utterly broken, and in his utter loneliness
I deeply sympathized with him. The sisterly sympathy did him
good, and he left me feeling a little more courage and sti'ength.
I have written to his sister, Eliza, and told the story as gently as
I could, but I could not modify the dispatch, which stated " Your
brother Fred, is dead. Have ordered embalming — come immedi-
ately." How little did I ever suppose that when the last came, I
should be the means of saving the ' Little Corporal ' from a Hos-
pital grave, and be the only link between him and his friends at
home. Oh ! if I could have received his last letter soon enough
for me to have gone to him, that I might have gathered some final
words for his mother, his sister, and brothers — some last thoughts
for his 'loved ones at home!' When Waiter reached the Hospi-
tal, he found that the body had just been carried away to the ' Sol-
dier Rest,' about five miles from Washington, and the poor fellow
started after it. He reached there just five minutes sooner than
the hearse, and was enabled to take his brother's remains back
with him, and commit them to the care of the embalmer, who
would forward them to New York.
"T4
[aevey H. Fox's Death. — Feb. 1st, 1863. I went over this
morning to the hospital, and was shocked at finding Harvey H.
Fox at death's door. I had seen him on guard two days before,
and spoken to him, and thought then, the man looked miserably.
When he saw me come up to his bedside, he held out his hand,
and the tears rolled down his cheeks. I saw the same fatal symp-
toms that I have learned to know so Avell, and, even then, I felt
that no earthly power could avail anything. Oh ! all of you at
home ! Can you imagine what it is to see so many lying down to
die — to bid so many good-bye !
Feb. 4th.— Poor Fox died this morning. I went over as early
as I could, but he was dead before I reached the Hospital. He
HISTOSjr OF A NCI EXT WOODHUKY. 1219
knew he must die, aud did not murmur, but he did mourn that
his wife could not come to him. He looks very calm, and died
very quietly. The touch of the mighty Angel of Death has mod-
ified aud ameliorated the harsh lines of his face, and his poor, be-
reaved wife aud family will have a last look at his still, manful
countenance, when the bodj', which his company have had embalm-
ed, reaches Woodbury."
These sad recitals gi^ e us mournful, but living pictures of the sad
scenes of sickness aud death, on the malarious " old Camp Ground "
at Alexandria.
On the 28th of December, 1862, the regiment had a specimen of
the e;uotions they woitld experience on their first call to battle,
and tfiat sort of contest most dreaded by soldiers — a night attack,
when one is not sure of distinguishing friend from foe. It is fully
described in the following extract : —
" ALEXANDPaA, Dec. 20, 1862.
" Last evening, about six o'clock, Colonel Kellogg came in to
say that Capt. Rice, who commanded our pickets and patrol in
towii, had sent word that the Stuart cavalry were within seven or
eight miles of us, and evidently about to make a raid into this
immense depot of army stores. If true, the 19th would be called
into action — if not true, it would do no harm to be found watch.
ing. My husband immediately told me that I must go over to the
tavern, and Mrs. Colonel Kellogg received like orders. Without
waiting for any thing but to gather one or two precious objects,
bidding our husbands a God-speed, and a good-night, we left the
camp. We considered the reports exaggerated, and did not feel
very great apprehension of an attack, but sve heard so much worse
things at the secession tavern, that we got thoroughly alarmed.
The family is kind, and likes th« trust-worthy, gentlemanly sol-
diers of the 19tb, aud we knew we M'ere safe enough there for
the present, though had we had time, we should have gone up
to Washington. As it was, however, the Colonel* and Major felt
a sense of comfort in our location, and 'loe were glad to be near
thera. About ten o'clock we retired — five of us in one room — Mrs.
Kellogg's little boy, and the daughters of the house — Union and
rebel — making common cause, and utterly forgetting difierences,
or dislikes. Mrs. Kellogg and I took a bed near a window overlook-
ing the road, and part of our camp, and while we talked, the rest
1220 HISTORY OF A N C I E N T W O O D B U R Y ,
all fell soundly asleep, and absolute stillness came over all sur-
roundings. At»out eleven o'clock, our listening ears were struck
by a stealthy, but steady and stern tramp, and, springing to the
window, we saw the 19th drawing up in battle line just across the
road, to the right ! They were going to tight, then, our brave
boys! Going out under the bright moonlight to risk their lives
for their country ! Marching out to meet an enemy 8,000 strong.
It was to be the same old story of a few sent against the many —
of sacrifice, blood-shed, and, probable defeat. We knew by the
splendid, silent march of oui' men with their glittering muskets,
that the enemy would meet with no timid, or straggling foe, but
as Colonel Kellogg said, that ' the 19th would make some pretty
bad sores before it got through!' Still, our position was one of
agony, for beneath our window stretched that glittering line, and
we could hear the dear, well-known voices of our husbands, ring-
ing their commands through the clear moonlight air. Pruraptly,
silently, grimly did our noble regiment stand ready for whatever
might be its fate, and still the child and the two girls slept placidly
on, and one of the kittens, a favorite of mine, stole up into my
lap, purring cozily. By this time I was up and dressed, and as
the moonlight brightened, and the shadows deepened, every stump
on Shuter's Hill, and every break in the ground filled our straining
eyes with pictures of approaching rebels, or friends and reenforce-
ments. Presently, the 19th marched to the brow of the hill, and
the men lay down upon their arms. Then, later they returned to
camp, and, on their arms again lay down. But not for a long
time. Five mounted soldiers dashed into camp, and in two min-
utes tlie A.djutant's cry of ' Fall in ' was heard, and in a moment
more, the men turned out, formed, and without a word, without
bugle-note or drum-beat, they marched down the road, and we
saw our husbands and our regiment disappear in the moonlit dis-
tance. Then, for a moment — only for a moment — we broke down.
And still the little boy slept peacefully, the girls were quiet, and
pussy purred cosily on my knee.
Then, in the camp of the 15.3d New York, all was stir, bustle,
and confusion. They received notification at the same time our
regiment did, but with their usual green, unsoldierly performances,
they drummed, and tooted, and shouted, and beat the long-roll of
alarm, so familiar to me in the French ' rappel,' of insurrectionary
memory. Four hours later than the 19th, they marched by the
house in full rig — officers all mounted — every one of ours afoot —
1! I S T O K Y OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1221
flags flying, baggage-wagons, with three days rations, two ambu"
lances, the medical staflf, drums, fifes, bugles and all ! Between time's
about 150 men — all that remained of the 1st District of Colum-
bia, the oldest volunteer regiment in the service, had gone quietly
by, and then all settled into loneliness and quiet, only interrupted
by the rapid gallop of an orderly, the low rumble of an ambu-
lance, or the hurry and rush of the loaded trains, conveying all
the rolling stock, and movable government property to Washing-
ton, or the distant cries of vast droves of cattle being driven from
just below our camp over to Long Bridge. Meantime, the forts
kept up vivid signals, and, at times, the glare from Fort Ells-
worth, reddened our faces, and crimsoned the moonlight on the
floor. And the two girls slept, and the child breathed lieavily,
and kitty purred happily, and the two wives listened and waited,
counting hour after hour, rejoicing as each moment paesed,^
that no sound of fight reached us. And all through the night, in
the chill night air, our regiment stood in battle line across the
road, with the 1st Dist. of Columbia on the left, and the 15.3d
New York on the right, the forts but poorly manned, and with na
short-range guns, stretching along towards Washington. The
Rebels came within four miles of them, but the night was so
bright, and their opponents awake, they retired toward Fairfax,,
and the threatened rebel raid was choked off for once.
"The Colonel and Major were delighted with the readiness and'
pluck of the men, and the excitement has done the men good.
They feel a confidence in themselves, and in their ofticers. Not a
man fell back, or faltered. And I must mention, that what with
the sick, the men detained in town, and at Parole Camp, they did
not muster quite 500 strong, but many a complainer, and several
but lately from the Hospital, turned out with the rest, and ran
their chances of life and death. Alexandria rings, to-day, with
praises of the 19th — Union and Rebel alike. For the rebels dread
a raid of their own army, terribly, and pin their faith to the 19th,,
as a protection."
" Alexandria, Va., Jan. 12th, 1863.
" Farewell to the camp on Shuter's Hill ! Good-bye to our old
home, in this pest-house of the ' Sacred soil ! ' The men have suf-
1222 HISTORY OP A X (' I E iV T WOODBURY.
fered and died, and are sickening and dying still, but we hope
change of air will bring them up, and restore to us many who are
now in the hospital. Yet there is a kind of horae-sick feeling
comes across me, as I look over the well-known ground, and see
nothing but the remnants of our various abodes The signal for
striking tents was given at daylight, and at the drum-beat, down,
down went the canvass city, and lay prone upon the ground.
Then the streets, which every day have been military and quiet,
were like suddenly disturbed ant-hills, perfectly swarming with
life and excitement. Then the fun and the frolic began, and the
ladies stood upon the hill-top, and laughed till we were tired, at
the performances of the men. They had rat chases to their hearts
content. Such well-fed fellows as plunged out from beneath tent-
tloors, to meet a sudden deatli, I have seldom had the pleasure of
seeing. Officers and men, darkies and citizens — one and all —
joined in the race, and hundreds of the horrid vermin lie this
morning upon the deserted ground, testifying to their struggles
and death. What a scene the home of the 19th presents! The
neat, well-ordered streets are almost obliterated by rubbish and
remnants. Old boots, cast-oft" caps, raateless stockings, burnt-out
stoves, bristle-less blacking-brushes, old papers, broken boxes
smashed bottles, fag-ends of ropes, bits of leather, rusty iron —
every conceivable thing once useful and desirable, now become, as?
everything else becomes — rubbish. Yesterday, when tiie wagons
were being packed, the camp swarmed with camp-followers, eager-
eyed, and light-fingered, grabbing right and left, and stowing into
dirty bags, everything they could scrape together. They rushed
past sentinels with bayonets, defied captains, insulted guai'ds, and
boldly plied their plundering trade directly under the noses of the
military authorities. Even the officers caught the stealing mania,
and robbed each other, relentlessly. Capt. Williams fought val-
iantly for his dry-goods and groceries, and finally succeeded in re-
taining his bedstead and mess-chest, by setting on the one, and
putting his feet on the other. When he heard us laughing at his
mishaps, he shook a broom at us, and just at that moment the Ad-
jutant rode up, seized it, and made ofi^ with it in triumph. Then
the captain lowered his head o\ er the remnants of his posses-
sions, and — did not weep I
" The regiment moved up the Leesburg Pike, passed Fairfax
Seminary, and encamped among the stumps, a few rods from the
abbatis of Fort Wortlt. The liability of an immediate call to the
HISTOHV OF ANCIENT W O O D B U RT . ] 2'2S
front was now so far diminished that there was a very noticeable
relaxation of military rigor. Dress Parade, Guard Mounting, and
Camp Guard, were for some days the only disciplinary duties re-
quired, and great was the enjoyment afforded by the respite.
Stumps were to be cleared away, and ditching and draining done
for a camp and parade ground ; and the change from constant
duty under arms to chopping, grubbing, and digging fresh earthy
was extremely grateful and beneficial. True, the month of Janu-
ary witnessed a greater mortality than any other of the entire
twenty months passed in the ' defenses ; ' but it was the result of
disease previously contracted.
" Fort Worth was a little earthwork about a quarter of a mile
in rear of Fairfax Seminary, overlooking the broad valley of Hunt-
ing Creek, and the Orange and Alexandria Railway, and mount-
ing some twenty-four guns of all kinds — Rodman, Parrott, Whit-
worth, 8-inch Howitzers, and iron and Coehorn mortars. Here
began our ar t lller i/ sevx'ioe; and for many months the 19th, al-
though an infantry regiment, performed garrison duly in this and
half a dozen other forts and redoubts in the vicinity, — thereby
attaining a proficiency in artillery that eventually won the ' red/
and would doubtless have been effective at the front, if such ser-
vice had ever been required of us. But it was not so to be."
Thus have we gone through with the principal events of the year
in which Woodbury, and its sons had a part, and have shown that
they performed it faithfully and well. We have recounted some
of the events of a year of gigantic preparation, fierce and destruc-
tive battles, of desperate defeats to our arms, and of more glorious
victories to cheer the hearts of the loyal people of the country.
The year 1862 closes with the hope, but not the certainty of a
better record in future.
1863. — Our account of the military events of 1862, in which the
soldiers of Woodbury were interested, closed with the removal of
the camp of the 19th Conn. Vols., from the pestilent locality at
the head of King street, to the heights near Fairfax Seminary.
Here, and in the vicinity, the regiment remained in the defenses,
during this year, and till May, 1864. There is little of incident
to record of this regiment during this time. They simply entered
into the monotony of garrison life.
" During the entire season, the 19th was called upon for nothing
more laborious thnn drilling, target practice, stockade building in
1224 HISTOKV OI^' ANCIENT W O O JL» « U it Y.
Alexandria, pickiug blackberries, drinking a quarter of a gill of
whiskey and quinine at Reveille and Retreat, and drawing pay
from Major Ladd every two months. Yet a good many seemed
to be in all sorts of affliction, and were constantly complaining,
because they could not go to the front, A year later, when the
soldiers of the 19th were staggering along the Pamunkey, with
heavy loads and blistered feet, or throwing up breastworks with
their coffee pots all night, under fire in front of Petersburg, they
looked back to the defenses of Washington as to a lost Elysium,
and fervently longed to regain those blissful seats. Oh Happi-
ness I why is it that men never recognize thy features until thou
art far away ? "
In the early spring, a political incident engaged the earnest at-
tention and discussion of the officers and men of the regiment.
The two political parties had made their nominations, in accord-
ance with their several views, and on account of the indecisive
result of the war as waged in 1862, those who had originally been
" peace men," with considerable accessions, came to the front, and
there was a vigorous campaign.
" On or about the 28th of March, Colonel Aiken, of Connecti-
cut, visited camp, and spent an hour or more with Colonel VVes-
sells and Major Smith, at the quarters of the latter. Shortly after-
ward, it became known that leaves of absence were to be granted
to tea officers, and furloughs to ninety men, for nine days — or un-
til after the Connecticut election ; and each Company commander
was reqested to' select ten from his Company for this purpose, and
to furnish a list of their names, to be forwarded to Washington,
and embodied in an order. Some of the Captains were war dem-
ocrats, some republicans, and some of no politics, — but all of them
professed to select those for furloughs who had the best reasons
for going home, without regard to politics. The order shortly
came, and the ten officers and ninety men left, for Connecticut." '
However it may have been with other companies, the division
was made equal between the two parties in the number furlough-
ed to Woodbury, if we regard party divisions as they existed
when the company marched from our town. But it is the impres-
sion of the writer, that such was the love of Woodbury soldiers
* Vaills' 19th Regiment.
H I S T O K Y OF ANCIENT W O O D 1? U K Y. 1 225
for Governor Buckingham, and such their M'arm approval of hi^
earnest efforts in the behalf of the Union, and such his kind, con-
siderate and paternal care for the interest and welfare of all the
soldiers, that he received their ever}^ vote.
An incident occurred at our election, which occasioned a rao.
mentary ripple upon the usually quiet surface of our society.
When Company I was organized, a desperate shirk, and so far as
he knew how to be, a disloyal man, whose name is withheld for
fear he will attain more notoriety than he deserves, enlisted in the
Company, to claim the bounties. Immediately after arriving in
Virginia, he began to shirk duty, and finally was enabled, by his
representations, to get into the hospital at Alexandria. The Avri-
ter called on him there, as he did on all the Woodbury soldiers,
whereever he could find them, in Jan., 1862. He found him in
bed, partaking of rations, and with a pile big enough for three
men. This man immediately besought him, with tears, to inter-
cede for his release, with the authorities. This was accordingly
done, and when the officer in charge of the hosj^ital was asked
why this sgldier should not be discharged, he instantly replied,
that "there was no reason in the world why he should not be dis-
charged. He was," he said, " a d — d shirk, and knave, who had
enlisted to get the bounties ; that he never had done and never
would do the Government any service, and he would procure his
discharge." He was discharged, and voted at this election. When
the ten soldiers came up to vote, he reviled them, as " Lincoln
hirelings," who had been sent home to vote for Gov. Buckingham.
At the same time apparently suspecting that this insult would be
j'esented, he drew a silver-mounted, six-barreled revolver, which
1226 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
had been loaned him by a peace man, and presented it. Not
knowing with what intent the weapon was drawn, Sergeant M,
D. Smith cried out, " Fall in, Co. I." The '^ Woodbury boy* " as
instantly obeyed, and a " double quick " was made for the revolver.
The coward fired, but Mr. Alexander Gordon, who was standing
near, knocked the muzzle down, and the weapon was discharged
within an ace of his foot. The ''squad" took the weapon, and
Sheriff Minor took the miscreant into custody. When the nine
days furlough expired, the " Woodbury nine " mounted the stage
in front of the Post-office, and departed for the " defenses," ex-
hibiting the revolver, and promising to use the weapon at the front.
And it did do good execution against the rebels at a later day.
Several calls for volunteers and drafts were ordered by the Pres-
ident in 1863. Woodbury, as usual, was in the forefront of re-
cruiting and raising bounties. It passed the following votes : —
*' Resolved, That the sum of six thousand four hundred dollars,
or so much of said sum as may be necessary, be, and the same is
hereby appropriated from the Treasury of this town,, for the fol-
lowing purposes, viz: Tvyo Hundred Dollars thereof to be paid
into the hands of a Committee, to be appointed for that purpose,
for the benefit of each person drafted from this town, who shall
not be exempt under any of the provisions of «aid law, and who
shall be liable to answer to the said draft, under any of the pro-
visions of said law ; said Committee to procure substitutes for
each and all such drafted men ; whenever each one so drafted
shall furnish to said Committee the amount in cash over and above
the $200, necessary to furnish a substitute, not exceeding $300 in
the whole. Provided, that if substitutes cannot be had by said
Committee for a sum not exceeding 1300 each, that in that case
said Committee pay over said $200 furnished by the town to each
of such drafted men as are mustered into the service of the United
States himself, and also to him who has not, and who does not re-
fuse to accept a substitute, when to be had for a sum not exceed-
ing $300.
'' Hesolved, Tho.t the Selectmen of the town be, and they are
hereby authorized to borrow the said sum of $6,400, or such part
thereof as shall from time to time be necessary, and make their
order on the town therefor; and the Selectmen are hereby appointed
to disburse said money or such part thereof to said Committee
as shall be necessary to carry out the foregoing resolution.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1227
^^ Hesolved, That the aforesaid bounties, or monies, in tlie hands
of said Committee, be paid to the drafted man himself, or his sub-
stitute, or their order, who is entitled to the same; and not on
any factorizing or other legal process.
" Voted, That said Committee mentioned in the foregoing res-
olutions to procure substitutes, shaU consist of two, and Daniel
Curtiss and Robert Peck were appointed said Committee."
Dec. I2th, '63, Towji Meeting.
" Voted, That R. B. Martin, recruiting officer of the town, be au-
thorized, at the expense of the town, to em])]oy one or more agents
to assist him in obtaining volunteers to apply on the quota of this
town under the call of the President of the United States for
300,000 men.
" Voted, That the Selectmen of this town be directed to draw
such order or orders on tlie Treasury of this town, to carry out
such provisions of the foregoing vote as shall be allowed by a
Committee hereafter to be appointed.
" Voted, That Daniel Curtiss^ Robert Peck and Truman Minor,
be a Committee to audit the accounts of the recruiting officers and
bequests above named, and to allow such bills, at their discretion,
as they shall judge to be necessary to obtain volunteers to fill our
quota, and deliver all such bills as are allowed by them, to the
Selectmen."
Under these votes, recruiting went on rapidly, as it did under
every other call, and the town nobly fulfilled its duty, under the
constitution and laws.
On the 23d of November, the Govornor called for colored volun-
teers for the 29th Regiment, and the colored men of our town came
forward with great alacrity. More than half of the able-bodied
men, almost immediately enlisted, and did good service. At the
collapse of the Rebellion, two companies of that Regiment which
contained Woodbury colored men, had the honor of being the
first infiintry which entered Richmond.
There was no duty devolved upon the army during the war
sad, brave, or glorious, in which the Woodbury soldiers did not
take a part. One of the saddest duties which a soldier can be
called to perform is, to shoot a comrade. Yet the stern exigen-
cies of the service sometimes required this. A description of a
25
1228 HISTOKT OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
single case of execution in tlie 8th Connecticut, at which some of
our Woodbury boys assisted, will suffice : —
" Camp near Portsmouth, December, 1863.
"Dear Friend and Editor: — Having a few leisure moments,
I propose to give you an outline of an incident which occurred in
our regiment yesterday. You are aware that there has been an
addition made to our regiment in the shape of conscripts. Quite
a number of them have deserted, and it was found necessary to
have an example made of some of them, to put a stop to it*
Therefore, two of them who had deserted twice and were caught
again, were sentenced to be shot, and the sentence was carried out
yesterday. At 9 A, M,, the regiments of this brigade were form-
ed on their respective parade grounds, and marched to an open
field near Fort Reno.
"A hollow square was then formed, and the men rested on
their guns, to await the arrival of the prisoners, with their escort.
At half-past nine the funeral escort started from the brigade head-
quarters, the band playing a dirge. The band was followed by a
detail of eight men, carrying the coffins on stretchers, followed by
a section of the Provost Gnard.
"Next came two carriages containing the prisoners and their spir-
itual advisers. The procession was closed by a section of the Pro-
vost Guard. As the escort entered the square, a solemn silence
prevailed. After the escort had marched around the square, the
prisoners were taken out of the carriages and led up in front of
the detail that were to execute them. After the priests (for they
were Ctholics) had shrived them, they were made to kneel in front
of their coffins, and bandages put over their eyes. Soon the fatal
order was given to fire, and their souls passed into eternity. It
was an impressive scene, and it is to be hoped that it will be a
solemn warning to those th.at would desert their country's cause."
The year of 1863 was a year of substantial victories for the
cause of the Union. Everywhere the men of the North an-
swered the full demands of duty, and our little town was rep-
resented on the greater, glorious battle-fields. Wherever deeds
of valor, or courage were to be done, they were to be found.
Space permits a reference to only one, the sternest of battles,
which saved the nation's life, and in which they participated. It
was the glorious battle of Gettysburg, where Gen. Lee, for once,
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUKY. 1229
ventured to invade our free soil, and tried to bring us to all the
horrors of invasion, which the " sacred soil" had so long suffered,
in the effort of the government to restore its rightful authority-
over the the entire territory of the nation.
" On the morning of the 3d — the last and great day of the bat-
tle, — Gen Geary, who had marched from the center to the right
during the previous night, was attacked by the enemy at early
dawn. However, he soon succeeded in driving him back, and in
ousting him from that part of the field, which he had won the
day before. The battle then surged along this part of the line,
with great fury. The enemy being uniformly repulsed, till 11 A.
M., whea it ceased, and over the whole field everything was omi-
nously silent for two hours. The soldiers ate their dinners and
rested, pondering what the issue might be. At 1 P. M. two sig.
nal guns, from the Rebel line, broke the silence, and were at once
followed by the roar of one hundred and twenty-five cannon,
massed in position against our left center. Our own batteres res-
ponded, and for over two hours there was the grandest artillery
prelude ever heard on this continent. Shot and shell rushed,
whistled, shrieked and moaned, and the very air seemed alive with
the flying projectiles. At length our guns ceased to reply, and
the artillery roar slackened. Then followed the grand assault of
the rebels. In it was one half of their whole army. On they
came, with a heavy line of skirmishers in front, and two complete
lines of battle. They were received principally by the second
corps, which behaved with magnificent courage. Reenforcements
were rapidly sent to its support, and all our available artillery was
converged upon the advancing enemy. Their first line seemed to
sink in the earth, but with the madness of desperation on they
rushed.
" Now they had reached our guns, and were in the act of turn-
ing them against us, when a determined charge recovered them.
For several hours, division after division was hurled against the
firm and solid lines of our army, only to be dashed back with
slaughter and confusion. Finally, the sullen roar of battle rolled
off to the southwest, and the enemy withdrew, repulsed and de-
feated.
"Thus closed the terrible battle of Gettysburgh. The pride
and power of the Rebel invasion were thoroughly broken by
the invincible valor and obstinate bravery of the hard-marched
veterans of the army of the Potomac."
1230 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY,
1864. The year opened with increased preparation and hope.
The idea that this was to be a short war, had long since been
abandoned, and the certainty that it would be a long, costly, and
bloody one, had become a moral certainty. But the intention
of the government to defend itself, and bring the war to a suc-
cessful close, had never been more determined.
The 19th Connecticut was, by an order from the War Depart-
ment, issued on the 23d of November, 1863, changed into the 2d
Connecticut Heavy Artillery, to the general joy of the men, and
they thenceforth added artillery tactics to their course of instruc-
tion. But they were destined never to fight as artillery. The
only benefit to them was, the increase of their number up to
eighteen hundred men, the full complement of an artillery regi-
ment.
In the early spring of 1864, General Grant, who had been sig-
nally successful in the campaigns of the west, was appointed
Lieut. General, and made commander in chief of all the armies of
the United States. He established his head-quarters with the
Army of the Potomac — the army of so many sad disasters. From
the beginning of the war, till now, it had been deemed necessary,
by the successive commanders, to keep a large number of troops
in the defenses of Washington. Grant reversed all this. When
he wanted soldiers for his campaigns, he did not hesitate to take
them from the defenses of the capital, or anywhere else where he
could find them, nor was he particular from which arm of the ser-
vice he took them.
On the 17th of May, 1864, an order arrived for the regiment
to march at once for the head-quarters of the Army of the Poto-
mac, with five days rations. They reached their destination on
the 20th, and were assigned to the 2d Brigade, 1st Divis-
ion, Sixth Corps. Late in the evening of the 21st, ''began that
long and terrible series of marches, which were continued almost
without a breathing spell, until the 1st of June, when the battle
of Cold Harbor began.
On the 27th, Col. Upton called on Col. Kellogg, and said : —
" ' Colonel, let your men know that we are to have a march to-
night, so that they may get as much rest as possible. We shall
probably be within fifteen miles of Richmond to-morrow morning.'
At eight o'clock the column was again in motion, on the road fol-
lowing the left bank of the Pamunkey; and oh ! what language
will convey to those who were not there, the least idea of the
HISTORY OP ANCI E NT W 00 DBUKY 1231
murderous craelty ia that march? We had ah-eady suftered al 1
that flesh and blood seemed able to bear, on the road from Spott-
sylvania to the North Anna, and the future had in store for us
many other marches that were grievous beyond expression ; but I
am persuaded that if all the regiment were to be summoned — the
living and the dead — and notified that all their marches except one
must be performed over again, and that they might choose w/tich
one should be omitted, the almost unanimous cry would be, 'De-
liver us from the accursed night march along the Pamunkey ! ' In
darkness and silence, hour after hour, without a rest of more than
five minutes at a time, the corps was hurled along that sandy road.
There was no danger that the head of the column would lose its
way, for a large body of cavalry had pi'eceded us a day or two
before, and dead horses lined the road throughout, at intervals
averaging not more than a quarter of a mile, sickening all the
motionless air. Ten o'clock, — eleven o'clock, — midnight, — two
o'clock, — four o'clock, — the darkness began to fade before the in-
flowing tides of the morning light, but still the jaded men moved
on. Captain Buruham, with stockings and rags bound upon his
blistered feet like sandals, (his boots having been used up and
thrown away,) hobbled painfully along beside his men, whose feet,
like those of all the rest, were in the same condition."
This regiment had been in service about twenty-two months,
and were now about to receive their first baptism of fire and blood
— an event that was to carry death and decimation into its ranks
with scarcely a parallel during the whole war. The battle receiv-
ed the name of Cold Harbor. And what was this place? — three
or four unpainled houses east of a sparce pine-wood, common in
Virginia. Lieut. Vaill, who was the Adjutant of the regiment,
and present at the battle, has so eloquently described it, that nearly
his whole description is inserted here. '
"Just at the left of the spot where we had stacked our musk-
ets, was a hollow, basin-like spot, containing about an acre of land'
and a few pine and chestnut trees, and well protected on the front
by a curved line of breastworks, whicli were thi-own up during
McClellan's campaign, two years before, or else had been erected
by Sheridan's Cavalry. In this hollow the three battalions of our
regiment were massed, about two or three o'clock, preparatory to
' This battle was fought about ten miles North of Richmond.
1232 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
a charge, which had been ordered by General Meade to take place
at five. By this time the field pieces of the 1st Division had taken
position directly in our rear, while the rebels had batteries directly
in our front ; and for a long time the solid shot flew back and forth
between them, right above our heads, lopping ofi" twigs, limbs«
and even large branches, which came crashing down among the
ranks. Said Colonel Kellogg to the 1st Battalion, ' ISTow, men,
when you have the order to move, go in steady, keep cool, keep
still until I give the order to charge, and then go arras a-port,
with a yell. Don't a man of you fire a shot until we are within
the enemy's breastworks, I shall be with you.' Even all this,
added to a constantly increasing picket fire, and ominous signs on
every hand, could not excite the men to any great degree of inte-
rest in what was going on. Their stupor was of a kind that none
can describe, and none but soldiers can understand. In proof of
this, only one incident need be mentioned. Corporal William A.
Hosford, then of Company E, heard the foregoing instructions
given by Colonel Kellogg, and yet was waked out of a sound sleep
when the moment came to move forward.
"Colonel Upton, the Brigade Commander, was in almost con-
stant, conference with Colonel Kellogg, giving him instructions
how and when to proceed, surveying the ground, and anxiously,
but quietly watching this new regiment, wliich, although it now
constituted more than half his command, he had never seen in ac-
tion. The arrangement of companies and battalions was the same
that had been established in the defenses, upon the change from
Infantry to Artillery. The following diagram will show the for-
mation at Cold Hardor :
FRONT.
EIRST BATTALION — MAJOR HUBBARD.
A B K E
Left. i 11^ II Right.
Wadhams. ^Leicis. Spencer. SJcinner^
SECOND BATTALION MAJOR RICE.
L C H G
Deane. Fenn. Berry. Gold.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUKY. 1233
THIRD BATTALION MAJOR ELLS.
M D I F
Marsh. Hosford. Burnham. Jones.
At five o'clock, — or it might have been somewhat later, -the
three battalions were moved just in front of the curved breast-
work, where they remained for two or three minutes, still closed-
in-mass. Knapsacks were left behind the breatworks. Pine
woods, — or rather a few tall pine trees, not numerous enough to
hide our movements — extended about ten rods to the front, and
then came an open field. Colonel Kellogg, having instructed
Majors Rice and Ells to follow at intervals of one hundred paces
placed himself in front, and gave the command, 'Forward!
Guide Center ! 3larch ! ' The first battalion, Avith the colors in
the center, moved directly forward through the scattering woods,
crossed tlie open field at a double-quick, and entered another pine-
wood, of younger and thicker growth, where it came upon the
first line of rifie-pits, which was abandoned at its approach. Pas-
sing this line, the battalion moved on over sloping ground until it
reached a small, open hollow, within Jiftteen or twenty yards of
the enemy's main line of breastworks. There had been a thick
growth of pine spixjuts and saplings on this ground, but the I'eb-
els had cut them, probably that very day, and had arranged them
so as to form a very efiective abbatis, — thereby clearing the spot,
and thus enabling them to see our movements. Up to this point
there had been no firing sufticient to confuse or check the battal-
ion ; but here the rebel musketry opened. The commander of the
rebel battalion directly in our front, whoever he was, had his men
under excellent control, and his tire was field until our line had
reached the abbattis, and then systematically delivered — first by
his rear rank, and then by his front rank. A sheet of flame, sud-
den as lightning, red as blood, and so near that it seemed to singe
the men's faces, burst along the rebel breastwork ; and the ground
and trees close behind our line were ploughed and riddled with a
thousand balls that just missed the heads of the men. The bat-
talion dropped flat on the ground, and the second volley, like the
flrst, nearly all went over. Several men were struck, but not a
large number. It is more than probable that if there had been no
other than \jii\% front fire, the rebel breastworks would have been
12.34
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
ours, uotwithstanding the pine boughs. But at that moment a
long line of rebels ou our left, extending all the way to the Rich-
mond road, having nothing in their own front to engage their at-
tention,' and having unobstructed range on the battalion, opened
a fire which no human valor could witstand, and which no pen can
adequately describe.'' The appended list of casualties tells the
story. It was the work of ahno<t a single minute. The air was
filled with sulphurous smoke, and the shrieks and howls of more
than two hundred and fifty mangled men rose above the yells of
triumphant rebels and the roar of their musketry. About Face!
shoutC'l Colonel Kellogg, — but it was his last command. He had
already been struck in the arm, and the words had scarcely passed
his lips, when another shot pierced his head, and he fell dead upon
the interlacing jjine boughs. Wild, and blind with wonnds.
bruises, noise, smoke, and conflicting orders, the men staggered
in every direction, some of them falling upon the very top of the
rebel parapet, where they were complety riddled with bullets, —
others wandering off into the woods on the right and front, to
find their way to death by starvation at Andersonville, or never
to be heard from again. LIE DOWN ! said a voice that rose
above the horrible din. It was the voice of Colonel Upton, whose
large bay horse was dancing with a bullet in his bowels. The
" ' The rest of the brigade, i. e., the One Hundred and. Twenty-first and Sixty-
fifth New York, Ninety fifth Pennsylvania, and Fifth Maine, were formed in
three lines immediately on our left, and advanced when we did. But they re-
ceived a heavy fire and advanced but part of the way. Indeed, the first battal-
ion of our regiment went up to the enemy's breastwork alone. Our right was
nobody's left, and our left nobody's right."
' It has been related to the
writer of this history, that just
before this murderous fire from the
left, a rebel soldier rushed among
our men under pretence of surrender-
ing, and the moment he was within
our lines, he brandished a torch
which disclosed the position of oui
men. Then the murderous fire in
stantly came, and the traitorous spj
was instantly shot by one of our men.
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1235
rebels in front now fired as fast as they could load, and those of
our men who were not wounded, having worked their way back a
few yards into the woods, began to reply with energy. But the
wounds showed that nine-tenths of our casualties were inflicted
by that unopposed fire on the left flank. The second battalion
followed the first, according to instructions, crossed the open field
under a scattering fire, and having moved through the woods un-
til within perhaps seventy-five yards of the first battalion, was
confronted by Colonel Upton with the command Lie dovm! Lie
down! — which was obeyed with the utmost alacrity. Major Ells
was wounded very soon after the third battalion commenced to
follow, and his command devolved upon Captain Jones. Upon
reaching the woods, this battalion also had orders to lie down.
The rebel fire came through the woods from all parts of the line,
and most of the losses in these two battalions occurred while lying
here. ' Put up your saber, said Colonel Upton to a young officer,
'I never draw mine until we get into closer quarters than this.
See the Johnnies ! See the Johnnies ! Boy?, well have these
fellows yet ! ' said he, pointing to the front, where a long string
of them came running through the lines towards us. They were
the very men who had delivered the first two volleys in our front,
and (there being a lull in the firing at the moment) they came
tumbling over thebreatwork in a crowd, within two or three rods
of where Kellogg's body lay. We had too much on hand just
then to run after safely bagged prisoners, and M'hen they got to
the rear of the 3d Division (who, by the way, having at first ad-
vanced on our right, had broken and run to the reai", through our
first battalion as it was charging, and were consequently in a con"
venient position to make the * capture,') put a guard over them
and triumphantly marched them to army headquarters ; and in
due time General Meade issued an order complimenting the Third
Divisio7i of the Sixth Army Cor2)S for having captured between
three and four hundred prisoners, which they never captured at
all. ' The lines now became very much mixed. Those of the
1st battalion who were not killed or wounded, gradually crawled or
" ' Every surviving man of the Second Connecticut Artillery will bear witness
that the Ninth New York Artillery, (which belonged in the the Third Division,)
came pell mell through our regiment toward the rear as we were charging, — and
that the capture of these prisoners was made by our regiment alone. Colonel
Upton, who saw the whole of it, said that the matter should be rectified, and the
credit given to the Second Connecticut. But it never was."
1236 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURT.
worked to the rear; and the woods began to grow dark, either
with night, or smoke, or both. The news of Kellogg's death
quickly found its way every where. The companies were formed
and brought up to the breastwork one by one, and the line ex-
tended toward the left. As Lieut. Cleveland was moving in with
the last company, a squad of rebels rose directly in front, fired a
volley very wildly, and dropped. The fire was vigorously return-
ed, and the enemy soon vacated the breastwork in our immediate
front, and crept ofi" through the darknesss. Thousands and thou-
sands of bullets ^ zippecV back and forth over the bodies of the
slain — now striking the trees, high up, with a 'sjowc?,' and now
piercing the ground under feet. Upton stood behind a tree in
the extreme front, and for a long time fired muskts as fast as the
men could load and hand them to him. Some sudden movement
caused a panic, and they started to flee, when he cried out with a
voice that no man who heard it will ever forget, — 3Ien of Con-
necticut, stand by me ! We MUST hold this line ! ' It brought
them back, and the line was held. Firing was kept up all night
long, by a few men at a time, to let the enemy know that we were
there and awake, and thus to deter them from attempting to re-
take the line, which they could easily have done. Major Hub-
bard sent* word twice to Colonel Upton, that if the enemy should
attempt to return, he could not possibly hold it. Upton's reply
was, * He n%u%t hold it. If they come there, catch them on your
bayonets, and pitch them over your heads.' At the first ray of
dawn it was strengthened and occupied by skirmishers ; and du-
ring our stay at Cold Harbor, which lasted until midnight of
June 12th, it remained our front line; — the rebel front line being
about thirty-five rods distant, and parallel with it.
" On the morning of the 2d, the wounded who still remained
were got ofi" to the rear, and taken to the Division Hospital, some
two miles back. Many of them had lain all night, with shattered
bones, or weak with loss of blood, calling vainly for help, or water,
or death. Some of them lay in positions so exposed to the ene-
my's fire that they could not be reached until the breastworks had
been built up and strengthened at certain points, nor even then
without much ingenuity and much danger ; but at length they
were all removed. When it could be done with safety, the dead
were buried during the day. Most of the bodies, however, could
not be reached until night, and were then gathered and buried
under cover of the darkness.
HISTORY OF AN CI ENT WOOPBUR Y. 1237
"On the morning of the 3d, the regiment was again moved for-
ward, under the personal command of Colonel Upton, from the
same spot whence the fatal charge had been made thirty-six hours
before; bat this time we proceeded by a circuitous route, which
kept us tolerably well protected. Several, however, Avere killed
and wounded during this movement, and after we had taken po-
sition. The line was pushed to the left, considerably nearer the
Richmond road than we had been before, and there speedily cov-
ered by breastworks. This, I presume, was our part of the move-
ment of June 3d, which the larger histories regard as the battle
of Cold Harbor. Perhaps it was. It has always seemed, how-
ever, to the survivors of the 3d Connecticut Heavy Artillery,
(Upton's Brigade, Russell's Division, Wright's Corps,) that the
affair of June 1st was entitled to more than the two or three lines
of bare mention with Avhich it is tossed off in Greeley's American
Conflict, Deming's Life of Grant, and probably every other of the
more important and comprehensive histories of the war."
Capt. Walter Burnham, who was at the date of this battle cap-
tain of our Woodbury Co. I, in a letter to Adjutant Vaill, gives
some additional incidents of it. >
"New Preston, Conn., Aug. 10, 1868.
"Friend Vaill; — In accordance with your request, I will
give you my recollections of Cold Harbor, beginning at the time
when we, (the 3d Battalion,) were ordered to lie down among the
pines.
" Shortly after Colonel Upton left, a young Lieutenant came
into our midst (from what direction I know not,) and shouted-
'Now's the time — I'll lead you,' and I, on the impulse of the mo->
ment jumped up, and shouted 'forward,' when about half of Co. I,
and a few men from H and C Cos., sprang forward and into the
Johnnies' breastworks. The thought that I was a little rash and
fast in giving the order, came too late — and as most of my men
had obeyed the order, I could do no less than follow ; which I
did, and found it to be a safe place, compared with the knoll, al-
though not as comfortable as it might have been under different
circumstances, there being some 12 or 14 inches of water in the
* Capt. Burnham was seriously wounded at Cedar Creek, and did not again re-
join his regiment, but was breveted Major for gallant conduct in battle.
1238 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
ditch from which the Johnnies had taken the dirt to cover their
breastworks, besides a great number of wounded men (Johnnies)
just over the line of works, — some groaning, some crying for
water, otliers calling upon some one to shoot them on the spot
and end their misery- I distinctly recollect one little fellow from
a Georgia Regiment, who was severely wounded, evidently while
attempting to come in a prisoner, as he lay on the north side of
the breastwork. His cries were terrible and heart rending, during
the entire night: ' Why did my parents drive me into this cruel
war? why could not I have staid at home ? Oh ! father, mother,
shall I ever see you again ? water, water, water : will some one
shoot meV kill me quick, I cannot endure this, &c., &c , and even
under this call it was quite late in the night before this young
man was supplied with water, when lying perhaps not more than
twenty feet off, and this to the rear of our line ; but so continu-
ous was the firing, no man dared to leave the protection he then
had. By morning a great number had died, and we supposed a
great many had been removed during the night, as we heard foot-
steps very distinctly during the entire night. Now under this
excitement three-fourths of the men went to sleep and slept as
soundly as would have been possible under far more favorable cir-
cumstances. I myself took my turn with two other men of my
company, to watch what we supposed to be a Johnny with musket
in hand, just over the opposite side of the breastwork, wliom we
thought to be waiting, or rather soliciting an opportunity to pick
some of us off. We watched him till daylight, and found him still
sitting by the side of a tree holding his musket between his knees,
but dead; was severely wounded and died during the night.
Just at the left of this man, we found a Lieut. Colonel severely
wounded, but full of pluck and vim ; wouldn't tell his name, where
he was wounded, what regiment, what he wanted, and when taken
back to the hospital, refused to take water from the nurses ; don't
know whether he lived or died. By the way, shortly after we
had gone into the Johnnies' line of works, the 10th Vermont came
and re-formed directly in rear of where we were, and left the field.
This to me seemed a little strange, as it looked as though we were
to vacate. Shortly after, some one appeared from the swamp in
front of us. We challenged him, and found him to be from the
10th Vermont. He proved to be a Sergeant, a tall, strapping six-
footer, courageous, brave, full of pluck and daring. I felt quite
satisfied to have him remain, as during the heavy firing, occasion-
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1239
ally, some man would show a disposition to make to the rear,
when this fellow's musket would come to a shoulder, with the re-
mark that he would blow the first man's brains out who attempted
to leave that ditch. The result was, most of us staid until morn"
ing. About daylight we missed the Sergeant, and shortly after dis-
covered him rifling the pockets of our own dead men. He was ar"
rested and sent to the Provo's. He was a brave, courageous fel-
low, nevertheless. Vaill, do you recollect the second morning
after the fight, during a season of shelling, the fact of your sitting
at the foot of a chestnut tree and a solid shot or shell going
through the body of the tree a few feet above your head ; also the
shelling we received when we were marching down the ravine, a
little to the right and front of the line. I always supposed I had
a narrow escape. A shell exploded just at the right of the line, as
we were moving by the flank, killed I think a man from D com.
pany, just at our rear. A piece of the same shell struck the top
ear of my canteen, thereby entailing a loss of a canteen of water
— which I had been at some trouble to obtain. You know that
water didn't come by pipe into the back kitchen in those days ;
nevertheless, I did not feel like complaining."
Corporal (afterward Quartermaster Sergeant) Benjamin Well-
roan, of Company I, gives the following history of his experience
at Cold Harbor: —
" I was wounded in the left cheek, the ball passing through un-
der the left ear, while the 3d Battalion was advancing. This
brought me down, and I was soon so weak that I could not get
up. About two hours afterward, while lying here, I was again
struck in the back. Sometime in the night there were two John-
nies came up to me belonging to a North Carolina regiment; one
of them gave me water, and the other said, 'You will be taken
care of soon ; ' — meaning, probably, that I would be taken prison-
er. Soon after this, there were about a hundred came along,
marching in column. Some of them stepped on me. Sometime
afterward, a Colonel of a New York regiment came up and gave
me a little ' Commissary,' which did me a great deal of good. He
said we had taken five hundred prisoners, and told me to keep up
courage. In the morning, I was taken to the field Hospital, and
1240 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
on the third was put into a government wagon, with several oth-
ers, and carried to White House Landing. I returned to the re-
giment on the 26th of December."
The regiment remained at Cold Harbor till the 12th of June,
being almost every moment under fire from the 1st to the 12th,
and men were being constantly picked off. Isaac Briggs, of our
company, was wounded in the foot as he lay in his tent, reading,
of which wound he subsequently died.
At midnight, on the 12th, the regiment started on a rapid march
for Petersburgh, where it arrived on the 19th, and engaged in
digging trenches and skirmishing with the enemy.
"This was" says Yaill, " the most intolerable position the
regiment was ever required to hold. We had seen a deadlier
spot at Cold Harbor, and others awaited us in the future ;
but they were agonies that did not last. Here, however, we
had to stay, — hour after hour, from before dawn until after
dark, and that, too, where we could not move a rod without ex-
treme danger. The enemy's frot line was pai'allel with ours, just
across the wheat field; then they had numerous sharp-shooters,
who were familiar with every acre of ground, perched in tall trees
on both our flanks ; then they had artillery posted everywhere.
No man could cast his eyes over the parapet, or expose himself
ten feet in rear of the trench, without drawing fire. And yet
they c?^f? expose themselves; for where there are even chances of
being missed or hit, soldiers will take the chances rather than lie
still and suffer from thirst, supineness, and want of all things."
The regiment was not to remain here long . Jnbal Early was
now menacing Washington, and the 6th Corps, some 12,000 men,
were ordered to its defense. So our men, on the 19tli of July^
1864, found themselves marching in thick dust, in that direction.
Early had destroyed a portion of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad,
and had marched direct for the capital, which had, at this moment,
but few soldiers to defend it. It Avas none too soon that this
movement to drive him away was made, for while the corps was
steaming down the James, Jubal's infantry was within six miles
of the capital. The regiment marched straight through Wash-
ington, to Tenallytown, on the 12th.
" Early was in front of Fort Stevens when we arrived, and
brisk firing was going on between his pickets and Gen. Augur's
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1241
hastily gathered troopa, which consisted jDartly of hundred-days
men, invalid corps men, citizens, and clerks detailed from the gov-
ernment offices. A skirmish occurred just after dark, which re-
sulted in a loss to our side of two hundred and eighty killed and
Avounded, and a retreat of the enemy, with equal loss. At ten in
the evening the regiment marched two or three miles up the road,
by Fort De Russy, to Fort Kearney, and after much shifting, lay
down on their arms to sleep. In the morning, Companies C and
H were sent to man a battery, but returned in half an hour.
Early had learned of the presence of the Sixth Corps, and also of
the 19th, (Emory's,) which had opportunely arrived from New Or-
leans ; and he concluded not to capture the Capital, and Capitol,
Congress and Archives, Arsenal and Navy' Yard, Lincoln and
Cabinet, until (as Pollard says,) 'auother and uncertain time.'
He had begun his retreat toward Snicker's Gap, and pursuit was
instantly made by the Sixth and a division of the ] 9th Corps,
under command of General Wright. Our brigade moved up the
river at 2:20 P. M., and bivouaced late in the evening near Poto-
mac Cross Roads." ^
The pursuit was continued to Snicker's Gap, and then this much
marched regiment returned, with the 6th, to Washington, almost
upon the double-quick. " Tenallytown was reached on the 23d, by
way of the Chain Bridge, and the stiff, lame, sore, tired, hungry
men, found thirty-six hours rest, new clothing, new shoes, soft
bread, and surreptitious Whisky — for all which they were truly
thankful; also cross-ca7i7ion badges (the emblem of the artillery
service) to adorn their hats, for which they would have been more
thankful, if this badge had not been to them such a bitter mock-
ery
I"
Within forty-eight hours, Early stood upon the banks of the
Potomac, shewing an evident intention of marching into Penn-
sylvania, or anywhere else he could do the most damage. So,
within three days after its return to Washington, the regiment
found itself on the march again, which culminated in the bloody
Shenandoah Valley. Our troops were in pursuit of Gen. Early ^ —
> Vaills' Hist. ' Vaills' 19th
' It was on this march, as the author has been informed, a somewhat zealous
chaplain introduced into his prayer a couplet from a grand old hymn, but made it
have quite a different meaning from the usual one, from hia method of accentua-
tion, thus : —
" Early ! my God! without delay,
We haste to seek thy face I "
1242 HISTORY OP ANCIENT WOODBURY.
From this time till the date of the battle of Winchester, there
was not much of incident that occurred in our regiment. There
was drilling, reorganization, skirmishing, mai'ching and counter-
marching. Gen. Sheridan being now in command, till the 19th of
September, when the bloody battle of Westchester was fought.
Adjutant Vaill's account is given entire: —
"At three o'clock on the morning of tlie 19th of September, the
advance was in motion. Our brigade started from Clifton about
daylight, and having struck the Berryville pike, moved five or six
miles towards Winchester, and halted for an hour about two
miles east of the Opequan, while the 19th Corps was crossing.
The Cavalry had previously moved to secure all the crossings, and
firing was now heard all along the front, and continually increas-
ing. The 6th and 19th Corps, following Wilson's Cavalry, which
fought the way, crossed at and near the pike bridge, our brigade
wading the stream a few rods north of it. West of the creek,
the pike passed through a gorge over a mile long, from which the
rebels had been driven by the cavalry. The 19th Corps and a por-
tion of our own liad moved through and formed a line of battle
some distance beyond, under a heavy artillery fire, when our di-
vision emerged from the gorge and filed to the left into a ravine
that ran aci'oss the pike, where it was held in readiness as a re-
serve. This was about half past nine. The fighting now waxed
hotter, louder, nearer: nevertheless, some of the men found time,
while their muskets were stacked in this ravine, to dig potatoes
from a neighboring field. At length the enemy made a vigorous
charge upon the center of the front line, at the point where the
3d Brigade of the 2d Division joined the left of the 19th Corps.
The line broke, and retreated in complete disorder, each broken
flank doubling and crowding back on itself, and making for the
rear. The enemy pushed his advantage and came rolling into the
breach. It was the critical moment of the day, — for if he had
succeeded in permanently separating the two parts of the line,
there would have been no possible escape from utter defeat for
Sheridan's array. At this juncture Gen. Russell, who was watch-
ing from the rise of ground just in front of the ravine, where his
division lay, exclaimed, 'Look here! it is about time to do some-
thing ! Upton, bi'ing on your brigade.' The brigade was at once
moved out of the ravine, passed through a narrow strip of woods,
crossed the pike, halted for a moment in order to close and dress
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1243
up compactly, then went at a double-quick by tlie riglit flank into
the gap that had been made in the first line, and made a short
lialt, jnst in rear of a piece of woods, out of which the remnants
of the 2d and 3d Divisions were still retreating, and on tlie other
side of which was the advancing line of Rodes' and Gordon's rebel
divisions. The first fire that struck our brigade and regiment
during the day, was while coming to this position. General Rus-
sell was killed by a shell at the same time, having been [previously
wountled .and refused to leave the field. It was this movement of
our brigade that checked the enemy, until the lines were restored
and the two or three thousand fugitives brought back. Some of
our men began to fire, but were quickly ordered to desist. After
a very few minutes the brigade was pushed forward, the lefi half
of it being somewhat covei'ed by woods, from which position it
instantly opened a terrilic fire, while the 2d Connecticut, which
constituted the right half, passed to the riglit of the woods into an
open field of uneven surface, and halted on a spot where the
ground was depressed enough to aflford a little protection, and
o/ili/ a \iu\e ; for sevei-al men were hit while getting thei-e. In
three minutes the regiment again advanced, passed over a knoll,
lost several more men, and halted in another hollow spot sim-
ilar to the first. The enemy's advance had now been pushed well
back, and here a stay was made of perhaps two hours. Colonel
Mackenzie rode slowly back and forth along the rise of ground,
in front of this position, in a very reckless manner, in plain
sight and easy i-ange of the enemy, who kept up a fire from a piece
of woods in front, which elicited from him the remark, 'I guess
these fellows will get tired of firing at me by and by.' But the
ground where the regiment lay was vei'y slightly depressed, and
although the shots missed Mackenzie, they killed and wounded a
large number of both officers and men behind him. Lieut. Candee
merely raised himself from the ground on his elbow to look at his
watch, but it was enough to bring his head in range of a siiai-p.
shooter's ball, and he was instantly killed. About three o'clock,
an advance of the whole line having been ordered by Sheridan,
the regiment charged across the field, Mackenzie riding some ten
rods ahead, hohting his hat aloft on the point of his saboi'. The
distance to the woods was at least a quai'ter of a mile, and was
traversed under a fire tiiat carried off its victims at nearly every
step. The enemy abandoned tlie v,'oods, however, as the regiment
approached, in consequence of which the line obliqued to the left,
26
1244 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
and halted. Companies F and D were here detached and taken
off to the right, on a small reconnoisance, but were soon brought
back, and the regiment pr()ceeded to the riglit of the woods and
partly through them, and advanced to a rail fence which ran along
the side of an extensive field. Here, for the first time during the
whole of this bloody day, did the regiment have orders to fire;
and for ten minutes they had the privilege of pouring an effective
fire into the rebels, who were thick in front. Then a flank move-
ment was made along the fence to the right, followed by a direct
advance of forty rods into the field. Here was the deadliest
spot of the day. The enemy's artillery, on a rise of ground
in front, plowed the field with canister and shells, and tore the
ranks in a frightful manner. Major Rice was struck by a shell,
his left arm torn off, and his body cut almost asunder. Major
Skinnner Avas struck on the top of the head by a shell, knocked
nearly a rod, with his face to the earth, and was carried to the
rear insensible. General Upton liad a good quarter pound of flesh
taken out of his thigh by a shell, and was laid up for some weeks.
Colonel Mackenzie's horse was cut in two by a solid shot, which
just grazed the rider's leg, and let hira down to the ground very
abruptly. Several other officers were also struck: and from these
instances, as well as from the appended list of casualties, some
idea may be gained of the havoc among the enlisted men at this
point. Although the regiment had been under fire and losing con-
tinually, from the middle of the forenoon until now, it was almost
sunset, yet the losses during ten minutes in this last field, were
probably equal to those of all the rest of the day. It was doubt-
less the spot referred to by the rebel historian. Pollard, when he
says, ' Early's artillery was fought to the muzzle of the guns.'
Mackenzie gave the order to move by the left flank, and a start
was made; but there was no enduring such a fire, and the men
ran back and lay down. Another attempt was soon made, and
after passing a large oak tree a sheltered position was secured.
The next move was directly into the enemy's breastwork. They
had just been driven from it by a cavalry charge from the right,
and were in full retreat through the streets of Winchester; and
some of their abandoned art Uery, which had done so much dam-
age, stood yet in position, hissing hot with action, with their mis-
erable, rac-a-bone horses attached. The brigade, numbering
less than half of tlie muskets it had in the morning, was now
got into shape, and after marching to a field in the eastern edge
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOO « BURY, 1245
of the city, bivonaced for the night, while the pursuit voUed miles
away up the valley pike.
Roll call revealed the fact that the regiment had lost one hun-
dred and thirty-six in killed and wounded, — fonitcen of whom
were officers. Company A, out of its entire list of officers and
non-conmissioned officers, had left only 1st Sergeant Henry Wil-
liams, — who had command of the Company during nearly the
whole' of the fight, — and two corporals. Company H had
three noble officers killed, including Captain Frederick M. Berry,
of whom Colonel Kellogg once said, that he was the most perfect
officer, godleman^ and man, all'things considered, in the regiment.
Companies A, B, and E, suffered heavily, C and G still more ; and
D, F, and I, most of all,
" But, unlike Cold Harbor or Petersburg, there \\i\B victory to
show for this fearful outlay. And it was the first cup of palpable,
unquestionable, unmistakable victory that the 2d Conneeticut,
with all its marching and fighting, had ever tasted,"
In summing up his operations in the Valley, Sheridan after-
wards adds : —
" At Winchester, for a moment, the contest was uncertain, but
the gallant attack of General Upton's brigade of the 6th Corps,
restored the line of battle, until the turning column of Crook,, and
Merritt's and Averill's divisions of cavalry, under Torbert, 'sent
the enemy whirling through Winchester.'"
On the morning of the 20th of September, the army moved rap-
idly up the valley in pursuit of the enemy, who had continued his
retreat, during the night, to Fisher's Hill, south of Strasburg,
_which Early considered the very Gibralter of the Valley.
Vaill thus describes the part taken by the 2d Conn. H. A. in
this battle : —
"But Sheridan's report merely considers the affair as a whole;
and it will therefore be necessary for us to review it from a regi-
mental stand-point. The regiment moved from bivouac near
Winchester before diylight on the 20th, and by the midille of the
afternoon, encamped just south of Cedar Creek, remaining until
the afternoon of the next day, when it moved off to the right of
the pike, takin^ a circuitous route through wooded ravines and
over wooded hills, and at length came out upon open fields about
1246 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
a mile and a half west, or southwest of Strasburg. This was on
the evening of the 21st. Here lines of battle were formed, and a
stay was made of about two hours; after which the march was
continued by the right flank, up a steep and winding hill-side, un-
til midnight, when the regiment halted under arms until daylight,
on the very top of a hill fully as high as Fisher's hill and sepa-
i-ated from it by Tumbling River. The enemy's strong hold was
on the top of the opposite hill, directly across the stream. In the
morning, breastworks were commenced, part of the men building,
while the rest remained in line of battle. Lively skirmishing was
going on all day, and once or twice things were hastily put in
readiness to meet an anticipated charge, — which, however, did not
come. About three o'clock in the afternoon, orders were given
to pitch tents, — but while the men were at it, a general advance
was ordered. The regiment had but just commenced to move
directly forward, Avhen the rebels, (who knew every inch of the
ground, and could tell where our lines ought to be, whether visi-
ble or not,) began to drop shells into their new breastworks, and
upon the very spot where they had begun to pitch tents. The
regiment moved down the steep hill, waded the stream, and
moved up the rocky front of the rebel Gibraltar. IIow they ever
got up there is a mystery, — for the ascent of that rocky declivity
would now seem an impossibility to an unburdened traveler, even
though there were no deadly enemy at the top. But up they
went, clinging to rocks and bushes. The main rebel breastwork,
which they were so confident of holding, was about fifteen rods
back from the top of the bluff, with brush piled in front of it.
Just as the top was reached, the 8th Corps struck the enemy on the
right, and their flight was very disordered and precipitate. The
2d Connecticut was the first regiment that reached and planted
colors on the works from the direct front. After firing until the
rebels Avere so far off" that it was a waste of powder, the pursuit
was resumed, and kept up all night; although but little progress
was made, on account of the blockade of the road, both by the
pursuing army, and the property abandoned by the enemy."
It was supposed that this defeat would satisfy the rebel gov-
ernment as to the prospects of success in the Shenandoah Yalley
and the 6th Corps started for Petersburgh again, but were now
ordered to " right about," and encamped along the northern bank
of a tributary of the Shenandoah, called Cedar Creek. Here
HISTORY OF ANCIE1S"T WOODBURY. 124'7
they remained till the surprise and battle of Cedar Creek, which
was, in many of its aspects, the Jiiost remarkable battle of the
war, and in it the 2d C. II. A. was conspicuous, and amono- the
brave men of that decisive day, none were more conspicuous than
the men of Woodbury.
The battle was begun by the rebels, and was to us, in the first
instance, a surprise and a defeat. Pollard, in his " History of the
Lost Cause," says : —
"The surprise was complete. The 8Lh Corps was unable to
form a line of battle, and in five minutes was a herd of fui^i-
tives. Many of the men awoke only to find themselves prisoners.
The 19th Corps were soon involved in the rout. The valorous
Confederates pressed on, driving tlie whole Federal left and cen-
ter, slaying many of the enemy in their camos, capturing eighteen
pieces of artillery, fifteen hundred prisoners, small arms without
number, wagons, camps, everything on the ground.
"The retreat of the army was now a general one, the 6th Corps
doing what it could to cover it. At Middletown an attempt was
made to form a line of battle; but the Confederates threatened a
flank movement, got possession of the town, and put the enemy
on what was supposed to be his final retreat to Winchester."
Greeley, in his "American Conflict," says:
" On our side, all was amazement and confusion ; on theirs,
thorough wakefullness and perfect comprehension. In fifteen min-
utes, the army of West Virginia was a flying mob; one battalion
of its picket-line had lost 100 killed and wounded, and 700 pris-
oners. The enemy, knowing every foot of ground as familiarly as
their own door-yards, never stopped to reconnoiter or consider,
but rushed on with incredible celerity."
An extract from Adjutant Vaill's account of the part taken in this
conflict, which was, in its results, the salvation of Washington,
and perhaps the first turning-point in the war, follows: —
"The 2d Connecticut had its full share of the varied fortunes
of that wondrous day. The number of tlie regiment present can-
not be exactly ascertained, but was probably about "700, ofticers
and men. Our losses in this battle were greater, in proportion to
the number engaged, than in any other fight, not even excepting
Cold Harbor,
1248 HISTOKY OF ANCIENT WOODBUET.
" On the day preceding this battle, by a recent law of Connec-
ticut, the soldiers had received commissioners to take their votes
for President and Vice President of the United States, and had
enjoyed what, under the circumstances, was a great luxury to
them. The Commissioners, enamored of army life, expressed re-
gret that they could net see a battle before they returned to Con-
necticut.
" Most of the regiment were up next morning long before Re-
veille, and many had begun to cook their coffee, on account of
that ominous popping and cracking which had been going on for
half an hour off to the right. They did not exactly suppose it
meant anything, but they had learned wisdom, by many a sudden
march on an empty stomach, and did not propose to be caught
napping. The clatter on the right increased. The musket shots
reverberated through the fog, and at last, 'Whang! ng-ng-ng
went a piece of artillery. And then a smart cannonading, and
more musketry. It began to be the wonder Avhy no orders came.
But suddenly every man seemed to lose interest in the right, and
turned his inquiring eyes and ears to the left. Rapid volleys and
a vague tumult told that there was trouble there. ' Fall in ! ' said
Mackenzie. The 'Commissioners' looked wildly to the right,
then toward the left, then turned pale, and then advanced vigo-
rously toward the rear. Shoulder Arms ! Battalion, left face!
File left! March! Double-Quick ! March!' The brigade
moved briskly on toward the east, crossing the track of other
troops and batteries of artillery, which were hurriedly swinging
into position, while ambulances, orderlies, staff officers, camp fol-
lowers, pack horses, cavalrymen, sutlers' wagons, hospital wagons
and six-mule teams of every description came tumbling and gal-
loping pell-mell toward the right and rear, and making off toward
Winchester* It was not a hundred rods from our own camp
to the place where we went into position, on a road running north.
General Wright, the temporary commander of the army, bare-
headed, and with blood trickling from his beard, sat on his horse
near by, as if bewildered, or in a brown study. The 65th New
York Avas on our left, and then came the 2d Division. The 1st
Brigade, (Penrose's,) was on the right of ours, and then came the
3d Division. The ground was cleared in front of the road, and
sloped off some thirty rods, to a stream, on the opposite side of
which it rose for about an equal distance, to a piece of woods, in
which the advance rebel line bad already taken position. Truly
HISTORY OF ANCIENT "WOODBURY. 1249
does Pollard say that ' a heavy fog favored them ' The newly
risen sun, huge and bloody, was on their side in more senses than
one. Our line faced directly to the east, and we could see nothing
but that enormous disc, rising out of the fog, while they could see
every man in our line, and could take good aim. The battalion
lay down, and part of the men began to fire, — but the shape of
the ground afforded little protection, and large numbers were kil-
led and M'ounded. Four fifths of our loss for the entire day oc-
curred during the time we lay here — which could not have been
over five minutes; — by the end of which time the 2d Connecticut
found itself in an isolated position, not unlike that of Cold Har-
bor. ' Go and ask Penrose where he's going with the Brigade,' —
said Colonel Mackenzie to the writer hereof (The Jerseys had
withdi'awn from our right, and were moving across our rear to
the left, with Penrose on foot, some distance ahead of his line.)
' Colonel Penrose! Mackenzie wants to know where you are go-
ing with that Brigade.' 'I'm not going anywhere. I'm wound-
ed ! ' — was the energetic reply, — which was carried to Colonel
Mackenzie. Just then Lieut. Cleveland rode up on a keen jump,
and said, ' Colonel Mackenzie! General Wheaton wants you to
move directly to the rear by right of companies ! ' Mackenzie re-
plied, SMy God ! I cannot! This line will break if I do.' ' Well,'
said Cleveland, pointing to the left, — ' there goes the 65th, and
the 1st Brigade is gone.' A few seconds later, Mackenzie's horse,
' old Pop,' was struck square in the head, and after spinning around
two or three times on his hind legs, went down — dead as a stone;
and the Colonel, who had previously got a shot through the heel
went off over his head. The fog had now thinned away some-
what, and a firm rebel line, with colors full high advanced, came
rolling over a knoll just in front of our left, nor moi'e than three
hundred yards distant. ' Rise up ! Retreat!' said Mackenzie, —
and the battalion began to move back. For a little distance the
retreat was made in very good order, but it soon degenerated in,
to a rout. Men from a score of regiments were mixed up in flight,
and the whole corps was scattered over acres and acres, with no
more organization than a herd of Buffaloes. Some of the wound-
ed were carried for a distance by their comrades who v/ere at
length compelled to leave them to their fate, in order to escape
being shot.
" About a mile from the place where the retreat commenced,
there was a road running directly across the valley. Here the
1250 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
troops were valliecl, and a slight defence of rails thrown np. The
regimental and brigade flags were set up as beacons, to direct each
man how to steer through the mob, and in a very few minutes
there was an effective line of battle established. A few round
shot ricocheted over head, making about an eighth of a mile at a
jump, — and a few grape were dropped into a ditch just behind our
line, quickly clearing out some soldiers who had crawled in there;
but this was the extent of the pursuit. Mackenzie and Hamblin
now left for the hospital, to have their wounds dressed, and the
whole brigade, (and a very small brigade it was !) was deployed
as skirmishers, under Colonel Olcott, of the 121st New York.
Three lines of skirmishers were formed, and each in turn consti-
tuted the front line, while the other two passed through and halt-
ed ; and so the retreat was continued for about three miles, until
a halt was made upon high ground, from which we could plainly
see the Johnnies sauntering around on the very ground where we
had slept.
" It must have been after noon when we left that position, and
moved eastward through the wood, by Sheridan's order, to join
the 2d Division, and meet the enemy. There has always been so
much dispute as to whether Sheridan really had anything to do
with the afternoon formations, that it is best to give his own tes-
timony in the matter. He says : —
"At about 7 o'clock on the morning of the 19th October, an
officer on picket at Winchester, reported artillery firing, but, sup-
posing it resulted from a reconnoisance which had been ordered
for this morning, I paid no attention to it, and was unconscious of
the true condition of aff"airs until about nine o'clock, when, having
ridden through the town of Winchestei", the sound of the artil-
lery made a battle unmistakable, and on reaching Mill Creek, one-
half a mile south of Winchester, the head of the fugitives appear-
ed in sight, trains and men coming to the rear with appalling
rapidity.
"I immediately gave directions to halt, and park the trains at
Mill Creek, and ordered the biigade at Winchester to stretch
across the country, and stop all stragglers. Taking twenty men
from my escort, I pushed on to the front, leaving the balance, un-
der General Forsyth, and Colonels Thorn and Alexander, to do
what they could in stemming the torrent of fugitives.
"I am hapi^y to say that hundreds of the men, who on reflec-
HISTORY OP ANCIENT WOODBUKY. 1251
tion founJ tliat they had not done themselves justice, came back
with clicers."
From a careful examination of all the accounts of this battle,
the writer is convinced, that to the hurried return to the front,
(after the repulse, and utter defeat of the morning,) and efficient
generalship of Sheridan, was this gloi'ious and decisive visiory
due. And this can be said without detracting from the praise due
the brilliant deeds of the other glorious men who fought that day.
There is an irresistible magnetism and fascination exerted over
the men in the ranks, by tlie bi-avery and skillful daring of a loved,
and trusted, and successful leader. Such is Sheridan.
In the quiet routine of civil life, wo can little imagine what an
electric and irresistible impulse would be given to brave men,
who had voluntaiily ceased to retreat, and were making a noble
stand, to see a beloved leader, whom they suppo.-ed to be tweiity
miles away, riding in mad haste into their naidst, with the cheer-
ing and thrilling words, '* Steady, Boys ! You are going back to
your old Camps! Chaige bayonet! Forward, March ! " Does
any one doubt that some such inspiration as this turned the sad
disaster of the early morning, into the glorious victory that proved
the salvation of Washington ?
''About two o'clock we were posted, in two lines, in the south-
western edge of a piece of woods, in fi'oiit of which was an open,
side hill iield, at the top of which along a stone wall, was the rebel
skirmish line, while the main line was not a greit distance back of
it. Their assault had already been made, and repulsed by the
19th Corps. About three o'clock, we could hear the cheering
to the rigl.t, as Shei'idau rode along the line, — but that personage
did not get within sight of our regiment. By this time ILimblin
and Mackenzie had leturned to take part in the ' left half-wheel,'
which had been ordered. The lints moved forward over the as-
cending ground, under a galling, but not very destructive fire from
the rebel skirmishers, who soon gave up tiie stone wall to us, and
retreated to their main line. A squai'e musketry fight was kept
up for ten minutes, when the enemy left : — not, however, before
inflicting considerable damage on us. Here Colonel Mackenzie
was again struck by a solid shot or shell, which just grazed his
shoulder. A remarkably large number of our officers were wound-
ed at this point, but none fatally, nor even severely. (In the morn-
1252 rilSTOKT OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
ing the casaalties among the officers had been few and severe, —
Hosford being killed, and Fenn and Gregory losing each an arm )
"The enemy attempted to rally behuid another fence, a little
further back, but after a moment or two gave it up, and ' retired,'
Not only in front of our regiment, but all along, as far a^^ the eye
could reach, both to the right and left were ihoy flying over the un-
even country, in precisely the same kind of disorder that we had
exhibited in the morning. The shouts and screams of victory
mingled with the roar of the firing, and never was heard
' So musical a discord, sucli sweet thunder.'
The sight of so many rebel heels made it a very easy thing to be
brave, and the union troops pressed on utterly regardless of the
grape and canister which, to the last moment the enemy flung be-
hind him. It would not have been well for them to have fired too
much, if they had had ever so good a chance, for they would have
been no more likely to hit our men than their own, who were our
prisoners, and scattered in squads of ten, and squads of one^ all
over the vast field. At one time they made a determined stand,
along a ridge in front of our brigade. A breastwork of I'ails was
thrown together, colors planted, a nucleus made, and both flanks
grew longer and longer, with wonderful rapidity. It was evident
that they were driving back their men to this line without regard
to regiment or organization of any kind. This could be plainly
seen from the adjacent and similar ridge over which we were mo-
ving, — the pursuei's being in quite as much disorder (so far as or-
ganizations were concerned,) as the pursued. That growing line
began to look ugly, and somewhat quenched the ardor of the
chase. It began to be a question in many minds whether it would
not be a point of wisdom to 'survey the vantage of the ground,'
before getting much further. But just as we descended into the
intervening hollow, a body of cavalry, not large, but compact,
was seen scouring along the fields to our right and front like a
whirlwind, directly toward the left flank of that formidaMe line
on the hill. When we reached the top there was no enemy there !
They had moved on, and the cavalry after them. Thus the chase
was continued, from position to position, for miles and miles, for
hours and hours, — until darkness closed in, and every regiment
went into camp on the identical ground it had left in such haste
in the morning. Every man tied his shelter tent to the very same
old stakes ; and in half an hour cofl'ee was boiling and salt pork
UISTOET OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1253
sputtering over thousands of carap fires. Civil life may fnrnish
better fare than the army at Cedar Creek had that night, but not
better appetites ; for it must be borne in mind that many had
gone into the fight directly from their beds, and had eaten nothing
for twenty-four hours.
"Late ill the evening, after many were sound asleep, the regi-
ment was ordered to be formed in line without arms. When the
command to 'fall in ' was heard, the general question was, ' Well,
old Jubal liasn't forgotten anything and come back after it, has
he?' The clause, ' without arms,' however, showed that he had
not; althougli the soldiers expressed their perfect willingness to
fight him that way, if lie still found himself unable to restrain
bis pugnacity. The line being formed, Captain Jones — now in
con^raand of the regiment — said, 'Soldiers: — I have received a
despatch from General Sheridan's Head-quarters, which announces
that we have this day taken not less than two thousand prisonersi
forty-seven guns and caissons, a large number of battle-flags, all'
the wagons and supplies taken from us this morning, besides hor-
ses, mules, wagon trains, and material of all kinds in unknown
quantities; and that our victory is complete. I now propose three
cheers for Sheridan, ourselves, our army, and the Union ! ' They
were given with indescribable heartiness, while all the camps, far
and near, joined in full cliorus. The battalion was dismissed, and
thus ended the day that had witnessed a battle which was, in many
respects, without a parallel in ancient or modern history."
Gen. Early and the Confederate government had now liad ex-
perience enough in the Shenandoah Valley. It was certain that
there would be no more fighting in that desolated, but beautiful
region. The regiment, therefore, returned to Petersburg again,
and saw no more pitched battles till the next spring.
While all these stirring events were going on at the front, the
people were making the most strenuous efforts at home to fill the
fearfully depleted ranks of the brave defenders of the union.
Many of these recruits, for whose enlistment enormous bounties
were paid, were of the most worthless trash on the face of the
earth — bounty jumpers, thieves, murderers, prison-birds and vilest
knaves. They took the patriotic monies poured out by the people
like water, and deserted almost e7i masse.
In aid of the good cause, Woodbury passed the following votes
in 1864 :
1254 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
" A.t a town raoetino- of the legal voters of the town of Wood-
bury, holden fit the Town Hall in said town, pursuant to warning,
Jan. 18th, 1864, the following votes were "passed on motion made.
" Voted, To confirm the votes and resolutions passed at a spe-
cial town meeting held on the 13th day of August. 1883, and re-
corded in the records of this town, in the Town Clerk's office.
"This vote was passed by yeas 70, nays, 42.
" At a meeting held 15th February, 1864 : —
'* Voted, That, pursuant to a statute law of this State, approved
Dec. 18th, 18'52, entitled ' An Act to authorize Towns, Cities and
Boroughs to issue Bonds, or other obligations for War Purposes,'
the Town pay to any person, who shall get an accepted recruit to
count on the quota of Woodbury, on the last call of the President
of the United States for 500,000 men, and actually have him sworn
in, to the credit of said town, the sum of seventy-five ($75) Dol-
lars, as recruiting expenses, to be paid to him on presenting vouch-
ers from the proper authorities, of the recruit's muster, till the
town quota is full.
" Voted, That the Selectmen of the town be authorized to issue
orders, or other evidences of indebtedness against said town, to
meet the expenses as authorized in the foresroing vote, and be di-
rected to do so, on presentation of said voucliers.
*' Voted, That each man, who shall recruit a man, or men, to fill
the quota of the town of Woodbury, shall report daily the name
or names of such recruits to the Town Clerk, that it may be de-
termined when the quota is full."
"Meeting held July 30, 1864:
" Voted, That pursuant to a Statute law of this State, approved
Dec. 18th, 1862, entitled * An Act to authorize Towns, Cities and
Boroughs, to issue Bonds or other obligations for War Purposes,'
the town pay to any person who shall ])rocure an accepted recruit,
to count on the quota of the Town of Woodbury on the last call
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1255
of the President of the Uniied States for 500,000 men, and actu-
ally have him sworn into the service of the United States, to the
credit of said Town of Woodbury, the sum of Three Hundred
Dollars, recruiting expenses, to be paid to hitu on presenting
vouchers from the proper authorities of the recruit's muster-in,
until the quota of the town is filled.
" Voted^ That any person who shall furnish a substitute, or rep-
resentative, before the draft, shall receive the same compensation
as other recruiting agents, provided the town of Woodbury shall
have credit for said substitute or representative, on the quota of
the town.
" Voted, That the quota of the tOAvn be deemed to be thirty-
five men.
" Voted, That the Selectmen of the town be authorized to issue
orders or other evidences of indebtedness against said town, to
meet the expenses authorized in the foregoing votes, and be di-
rected to do so on presentation of said vouchers.
" Voted, That each man who shall recruit a man or men to fill
the quota of the town of Woodbury, shall report daily the name
or names of such recruits to the Town Clerk, that it may be de-
termined when the quota is full."
"Special meeting, held Aug. 22, 1864 : —
"Whereas the number of persons on the United States' enroll-
ment list for the town of Woodbury, greatly exceeds tlie number
of men subject to military duty residing therein, by reason of
which the quota of the town under the late call of the President
of the United States for 500,000 men is largely in excess of what
it should be, therefore: —
" Voted, That for the purpose of reducing the quota, the Se-
lectmen of the town are hereby authorized and instructed to pro-
cure the conection of said enrollment list, by the erasure of the
names of such persons thereon as are not subject to military duty ;
and also to have all persons who have entered, or who may enter
the military or naval service of the United States, credited on
said quota, who are entitled by law to be so credited, and who
1256 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
have not been heretofore so credited, and they are liereby author-
ized to pay all needful expenses for these purposes,
" Voted, That pursuant to a Statute Law of the State, approved
December 18th, 1862, entitled 'An Act to authorize Towns, Cities
and Boroughs to issue Bonds or other obligations for War Pur-
poses,' that the additional sum of Fifteen Thousand (15,000) Dol-
lars be appropriated from the Town Treasury, to be used for re-
cruiting purposes only.
" Voted, Daniel Curtiss and liobert Peck, be appointed agents
to fill the quota of the town under the call of the President for
five hundred thousand (500,000) men, to procure volunteers or as-
sist in procuring substitutes for any citizens of Woodbury who
may apply to them for assistance, and said Curtiss and Peck shall
have full power to use or apply any part or all of the sura of fif-
teen thousand (15,000) dollars, heretofore appropriated, if deemed
necessary by them, to fill the quota of the town.
" Voted, That any person who shall fi'-st deposit the sum of
thiee hundred (:^0U) dollars with said agents, shall have the first
substitute procured by them to apply on the quota of the town
and so on, in the regular order cf deposit of said sura of three
hundred dollars, until the quota is filled.
" Voted, That the Selectmen be, and they are hereby authorized
and directed to pay to, or draw their order on, the Town Treas-
urer, for the sum of two hundred (200) dollars, in favor of each
and every person who has, since the 1st day of July, A. D. 1864,
or shall, prior to the draft, furnish an acceptable substitute for the
period of throe years, to apply on the quota of the town, and
shall produce his certificate from the Board of Enrollment, that
such substitute has been furnished, in addition to the three hundred
dollars already appropriated at the special meeting of said town,
holden July 80th, 1864, provided, that no person shall receive a
greater sura than has been paid by him for his substitute, exclu-
sive of the bounty of $300 paid by the State, making the substi-
tute cost the principal $300.
" Voted, That every person who has heretofore procured a substi-
tute under the last call for five hundi-ed thousand men, shall receive
a sura equal to the amount expended by him in procuring said sub-
stitute, provided that the sura of three hundred dollars shall first
be deducted from said expenses, and the sura actually paid for the
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1257
substitute shall be deemed the aniouut expended, making that
each substitute shall cost the principal three hundred dollars, out
of the whole sum the substitute cost.
" Voted, That the appropriation of fifteen thousand (15,000)
dollars shall not atfect any previous vote or votes, or any appro-
priation heretofore made by this town, to encourage enlistments.
" Voted, Tliat the Selectmen of the town be authorized and di-
rected to issue orders, or other evidences of indebtedness against
said town, to meet the expenses as authorized in the foregoing-
votes, and to do so on request of said agents appointed by the
town to fill the quota."
"Military Town Meeting, Dec. 21, 1864:
" Voted, That Daniel Curtiss and Robert Peck be a Committee
to fill the quota of this town in the present, or any future call
made by the President of the Uuited States for volunteers or
drafted men.
" Voted, That said Committee is authorized, at their discretion,
to fill said quota, by procuring substitutes for such persons as will
pay said con\mittee such sum, not exceeding three hundred dollars,
as is necessary to procure such substitutes, or by procuring vol-
unteers, and charge the expense to the town.
" Voted, That the Selectmen be authorized and directed to draw
orders on the Treasury of this town to carry out the foregoing
votes, upon the persons presenting the proper vouchers, that said
substitutes or volunteers are mustered into the United States Ser-
vice, to the credit of tins town.
" Voted, That the Selectmen be authorized and directed to draw
orders on the Treasury of this town for all persons that have put
in substitutes to the credit of this town since the oth of Septem-
ber last, for such amounts as said substitutes have cost tliein, over
and above three hundred dollars, exclusive of State Bounty and
expenses "
In the latter part of the year 1864, permission was granted to
all military subjects to procure, and cause to be mustered into the
United States service, substitutes, which should protect them from
1258 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBUKY.
call on nny future draft for three years. The last vote quoted
above was introduced to assist military subjects to avail them-
selves of this privilege. A large number of our military subjects
availed themselves of this vote, especially, as a draft had been
announced, though no quota for Connecticut had been assigned-
There is, however, a grim joke about the matter. For, at the
vei-y time tliis favor was granted, the quota of Connecticut turned
out to be full on all calls that had been made, with a surplus of
some 7,000 to be applied on some future call, which, however, was
never made, and it also turned out, that Woodbury had contri-
buted quite a number more than its share of this excess. So,
some twenty, or twenty-five persons parted with $300 apiece, and
the town with an average of $'500, or 1*000 apiece for the same
number, while it was unnecessary, for the purpose intended, if
they had had information to instruct them as to passing events.
However, the men were forwarded, and no doubt had their influ-
ence in " closing out " the rebellion.
As a part of the history of the exhausting individual struggles,
which go to make up the record, and the success of the war, two
letters of Comuiissaiy Sergeant Walter S. Orton, are here record-
ed. The last one was written only a brief time before this brave
young man received his own death woimd, at the battle of Win-
chester. They were written to Deacon Philo M. Trowbridge,
who, with the wi'iter, and a few others, particularly identified
themselves, not only in the recruiting and sending of men to the
front, to assist in the national struggles, but mIio also identified
themselves in caring for the dear ones the brave soldiers left be-
hind them, assisting them in their troubles, cheering them in their
sorrows, bearing tenderly to the bereaved the news, that tlieir
chi rished relatives had died in battle, or by fell disease, or by the
inevjtalile accidents incident to the service. This was often a sad
duty, calling for sympathetic teai'S. The general public will never
know how sad were the duties performed by this self-constituted
committee.
The writer speaks of this young soldier as of a very dear friend.
He was true in all the relations of life. He did not enlist for the
poor pittance of llOO oftered by the town, and the patriotic
offer of C. G. Judson of ten dollars more to the volunteei's
of ills native town, made to show his interest in the course of
the town. — No such sordid motive moved him. He had no de-
sire to shed human blood. But he saw the need of more men for
HISTOKY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY. 1259
the service, and determined to leave wife and children, to devote
himself to the defense of his country. Greater should be his
meed of fame, because he enlisted and went into the war with the
sad foreboding that he should not survive it — ihat lie sliould never
reside again in his native town, after he should have marched
with the volunteers for their duties at the front. The writer well
remembers, even through all the multiplied cares of that beautiful
Sabbath day, when there was a hurried gathering of our Wood-
bury company to march to Litchfield, the sad parting of Orton
with his friends, his wife and children, and his parting remark —
"I feel I shall not survive this war. But some must be sacrificed.
Some must give up all for the union. I cannot withhold my ser-
vices for the salvation of the country."
He was permitted to see his native town and loved ones, on
furlough, once and a^rain. But his foreboding became prophecy.
He received a gun-shot wound, quite through his breast, from
right to left, at the battle of Winchester, Singularly enough, he
lived on, wrote cheerlul letters to his wife, but finally died of sec-
ondary hemorrhage, some two weeks after his injury was received^
There is another circumstance connected with this case. Orton
was commissary Sergeant of his company, and was not obliged,
by any rule, to participate with his musket in battle. Pure pat-
riotism, in meeting a desperate encounter, must, therefore, have sent
him to his death. The survivors can but weep in remembrance of
his <]cent!e virtues.
" Camp op the 2d C. V. A.,
Charlestown, Va., Aug. 30th
^ A., )
, '64. j
"Friend Trowbridge: — Your letter was received in due sea-
son, and as I have a little leisure, being on the sick list, I will en.
deavor to give you the details of our movements since May 15th,
1864. I do not know as it will be interesting, as I shall have to
write from memory,
"May 15th. — Had orders to march at 12 o'clock, (noon,) to
garrison Forts Albany, Stevens, Gregg, Whipple, Hagarfcy, Berry
and others. 16th. — Orders to pack up for a forward movement to
the front. Camped near Alexandria. iVtli. — Went aboard trans-
ports for Belle Plain. Landed at 5 o'clock, evening, liained very
hard;, lay in the mud that night; the regiment was paid ofl'.
27
1260 HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY,
18. — Took up the line of march for Fredericksburg, where we en-
camped for the night. 19tli. — Left ^Fredericksburg in the morn-
ing for Spotsilvania, where we were assigned to the 2d Brigade,
Ist Division, 6th Corps, commanded by Major General Wright;
Brigade Commandant, General Upton ; Division Commandant,
Major General Russell, who is a regular old farmer in looks and
dress. The same night, our regiment had to throw up rifle-pits.
Although tired, and on half rations, our boys took hold of the
work with a will. 20th. — Formed in line of battle and awaited
an attack from the Johnnies. They charged our skirmish line,
but were repulsed by our brigade battery. At 9 in the evening
made a flank movement in the direction of Hanover Court House.
The Johnnies charged our empty breastworks the next morning.
We marched until 3 o'clock, the 21st, when we halted at Gunie
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