Recollections of a Lifetime, by Samuel Griswold Goodrich (New York & Auburn: Miller, Orton & Mulligan, 1856)
Notes for earlier part of volume
* Cotton appears to have been used in India for making cloths as early as 440 B. C., and probably long before that time, yet here the art remained isolated for ages. The Arabians at length brought India cotton to Adula, on the Red Sea, whence it was introduced into Europe. The cotton manufacture was brought there by the Moors of Spain in the ninth century. Raw cotton was first introduced into England from the Levant, chiefly for candlewicks. The cotton manufacture was brought hither by the refugees from the Low Countries in the time of Queen Elizabeth. For a long time, the fabrics produced were coarse; the finer cotton goods--muslins, calicoes, chintzes, being largely supplied from India. In 1730, Mr. Wyatt first began to spin cotton by machinery. In 1742, the first cotton-spinning mill was built at Manchester, the motive-power being mules and horses. The entire value of the cotton manufacture of England in 1760 was a million of dollars: now it is probably two hundred millions of dollars.
In 1790, Mr, Slater put up at Pawtucket, R. I., the first cotton-mill in
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America. In 1802, the first cotton factory was erected in New Hampshire. In 1804, the first power-loom was introduced at Waltham; in 1822, the first cotton factory was built at Lowell. The cotton manufactures of the United States now amount to sixty-five millions of dollars a year!
In 1789, about one million pounds of cotton were produced in the United States; in 1792, Whitney perfected his gin for cleaning cotton; in 1810, the United States produced eighty-five millions pounds of cotton; in 1820, one hundred and sixty millions; in 1830, three hundred and fifty millions; in 1855, probably fourteen hundred millions. The United States are now the chief cotton producers for the world.
* Eli Whitney was born at Westborough, Mass., in 1765, of parents in the middle ranks of life. He showed an early propensity to mechanics, first making a very good fiddle, and then mending fiddles for ths neighborhood. He once got his father's watch, and slily took it to pieces, but contrived to put it together again, so as not to be detected. At the age of thirteen he made a table-knife to match the set, one of which had been broken. During the Revolutionary war he took to nail-making, nails being very scarce, and made a profitable business of it. He then made long pins for ladies' bonnets, walking-canes, &c. At the age of nineteen he began to think of college, and surmounting various obstacles, entered Yale in 1789, having been fitted in part by Dr. Goodrich, of Durham. In college he displayed great vividness of imagination in his compositions, with striking mechanical talent--mending, on a certain occasion, some philosophical apparatus, greatly to the satisfaction and surprise of the Faculty.
In 1792 he went to Georgia, as teacher in the family of Mr. B.... On his arrival, he found that the place was supplied; happily he fell under the kind care and patronage of Mrs. Greene, widow of Gen. G. Hearing the planters lament that there was no way of separating cotton from the seed but by hand, and that it look a slave a whole day to clean a pound, he set privately to work, and after a time produced his gin, which was to make such a revolution in the world. In this process, he was obliged to make his own wire. On disclosing his discovery, the planters saw at once the vast field of enterprise open to them. Whitney took immediate steps to secure a patent, and made arrangements to manufacture gins, but a series of misfortunes and discouragements defeated him. The history of his career at this period is a melancholy story of efforts baffled, hopes disappointed, and engagements violated, disclosing the most shameful wrongs and outrages on the part of individ-
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uals, and even of courts and legislatures. He instituted sixty suits in Georgia for violations of his rights, and was not able to get a single decision until thirteen years from the commencement! Thus, in fact, the great benefactor of the cotton interest of the South, only derived years of misery and vexation from his invention.
In 1798, through the influence of Oliver Wolcott, Secretary of the Treasury, he obtained a contract for the manufacture of arms for the United States, and then established his factory at Whitneyville. He was eight years in producing ten thousand pieces. At length, however, his measures being completed, his establishment was one of the most perfect in the world, and the arms he provided were probably the best then made in any country.
In 1822, he applied for a renewal of his patent for the cotton-gin. It was estimated that the value of one hundred millions of dollars had then been added to the lands of the South by this invention, while he had reaped only sorrow and embarrassment; yet he failed, most of the southern members of Congress opposing his request!
In 1817, he married a daughter of the celebrated Pierpont Edwards, Judge of the District Court for the State of Connecticut. In 1822, he was attacked with disease, which terminated his career in 1825. His character, like his life, was remarkable: though a refined scholar, he was a skillful mechanic--no man in his shop being able to handle tools more dexterously than himself: though possessing a fine imagination, and a keen inventive faculty, he had a perseverance in pursuing his plans to completion, that nothing could arrest. He was at once energetic and systematic; dignified, yet courteous; large in his views, yet
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precise in detail; a profound thinker, and scrutinizing nature and its phenomena with amazing depth of thought, yet coming at last with the docility of a child to the Christian's confession--"I am a sinner, may God have mercy upon me!"
* Whoever would understand the true history of Connecticut, should not confine his reading to general works on this subject, but should look into the local histories and genealogical memoranda of towns and villages, of which there are now a great number. A good collection may be found in the Library of the Hartford Atheneum. If anyone desires to know the annals of Durham, let him read the sermon delivered by Professor W. O. Fowler at that place, Dec. 29, 1847, and printed at Amherst, Mass., 1848. The notes will prove a revelation, not of history only, but of something like romance. The number of great men proceeding from this small town, in times past, is not only striking but instructive, as it suggests and illustrates the manner in which Connecticut has exerted a powerful influence upon this country--the United States--I might even say upon this continent. Among the families of Durham, noticed by Professor Fowler, are the following:
The Chaunceys,--Nathaniel Chauncey, grandson of President Chauncey, of Harvard College, was born at Hatfield, Mass., 1681, was graduated at Yale in 1702--belonging to the first class that graduated in that college, all of whom became ministers. He was ordained at Durham in 1711, and died there 1756. His son, Elihu Chauncey, lived in Durham, and was a man of high character and large influence. His daughter, Catherine, married Dr. Goodrich, who was my grandfather. His son, Charles Chauncey, settled at New Haven, and was a man of extensive learning and great ability. He became attorney-general of the State and judge of the Superior Court. He received the title of LL. D. from the college at Middlebury; and died 1828. Among his children were Charles Chauncey, LL. D., distinguished as an eminent lawyer and re-
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fined gentleman, settled at Philadelphia, and died 1849; Elihu Chauncey, a distinguished merchant of Philadelphia, died 1847. Many others, descendants of the Durham Chaunceys, attained distinction.
The Wadsworths.--Among the Durham Wadsworths, were the following: Col. James, from Farmington, born 1675, filled various offices, civil and military, and was much honored and respected in his time. General James Wadsworth, grandson of the preceding, became major-general and member of Congress during; the Revolutionary war, died 1817, aged 87. James Wadsworth, nephew of the preceding, born 1763, founded the great Wadsworth estate in western New York, and distinguished himself by his successful labors in behalf of school education: he died 1844. Other members of this branch of the family have reached high and honored celebrity.
The Lymans.--Phineas Lyman, born at Durham, 1716, became major-general; gained the victory at Lake George, in the French and Indian war, for Gen. William Johnson (who received five thousand pounds and a baronetcy therefor), and performed various other military exploits. He projected a settlement in the Southwest, and died in West Florida, 1775. The history of his family is full of tragic interest. Other members of the family were distinguished.
The Goodriches.--See Fowler's notes, above mentioned; also Hollister's History of Connecticut, vol. ii. pp. 684, etc.
The Austins.--For this remarkable family, consult also Fowler's notes.
* About this time, the "spotted fever" appeared along the Connecticut river, and a change in the general character of fevers took place, there being now a tendency to typhoid, instead of inflammatory, symptoms, as had been the case before. These circumstances embarrassed and baffled the profession. In general, however, they followed their proclivities, and either physicked or stimulated, as their doctrines dictated. In point of fact, one practice killed and cured about as well as the other. At all events, the plague raged for some years at certain places and at particular seasons, and thus society was wrought into a state of frenzy upon the two modes of treatment. At a somewhat later date--about 1812--a family that held to brandy, would hardly hold intercourse with another which held to jalap. At Hartford, Doctors Todd and Wells, who stimulated, were looked upon as little better than infidels by those who believed in Dr. Bacon and purgatives. These divisions even caught the hues of political parties, and alcohol became democratic, while depletion was held to be federal. In the end it proved that both systems were right and both wrong--to a certain extent. Experience showed that the true mode of practice was to treat each case according to its symptoms. The fitness of a physician for his profession, was, under these circumstances, manifested by the sagacity with which he found his way out of the woods. Dr. O.... was one of those who, at an early stage of the difficulty, being a doctor himself, that is, being guided by good sense, and not by slavery, to a system--arrived at the true mode of practice.
* John Brown was born at Dunse, Scotland, 1785. He studied medicine with Cullen, then the leading man of the profession in Great Britain. After a time he produced his Elements of Medicine in Latin, designed to overthrow the system which Cullen had produced. Its general doctrine, as stated above, was that life is a forced state, only sustained by the action of external agents operating upon the body, every part of which is furnished with a certain amount of excitability. He discarded all drugs, and confined himself to alcohol--wine, brandy, &c.--for one set of diseases, and opium for the opposite set. The simplicity of the doctrine and the ability with which it was set forth, gave it for a time a fatal currency, not only in Europe but in America. The celebrated Dr. Beddoes, among others, adopted and propagated it. The system, however, after a time, fell into disrepute. Brown died in 1788, a victim of intemperance, probably the result of his medical system.
William Cullen was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, 1712, and having studied medicine, he practiced with credit at Glasgow. In 1756, he became Professor of Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh, where he greatly distinguished himself. In 1763, he succeeded Dr. Alston as Professor of Medicine. As a teacher, his popularity was unbounded. His personal character was distinguished for amiableness and purity: his medical works for a time exercised a powerful influence, and he is still regarded as having greatly advanced the science of medicine, though some of his theories have been modified and others rejected.
* The street of Woodbury continues to that of Southbury, the two united being three miles in length. These are decorated by a double line of sugar-maples--certainly one of the most beautiful exhibitions of the kind I have ever seen.
† Woodbury is alike historical and legendary ground. Its names trace out its story. Quassapaug Lake, Shepaug River, Quanopaug Falls, Nonnewaug Falls, tell us of its original proprietors: Rattlesnake Rock, and White Deer Hills, bespeak the ancient inhabitants of the forest: Bethel Rock, Carmel Hill, and Tophet Hollow, announce the arrival here of the Pilgrim settlers from New Haven: Hall's Rock, Good Hill, Lighting's Playground, Scuppo, Hazel Plain, Moose Horn Hill, Ash Swamp, all in Woodbury or the vicinity, indicate alike certain traits of scenery, with the final settlement of the country by the English. The remarkable men that have originated in this town within the last century, present a marvellous record of ability, patriotism, and piety. My imagination was greatly excited by the legends I heard when I first visited Woodbury, and some years after (1828) I wrote and published in the
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Legendary at Boston, the following story, which has now become almost historical;
THE LEGEND OF BETHEL ROCK.
"In the picturesque state of Connecticut, there is not a spot more beautiful than the village of Pomperaug. It is situated not very far from the western border of the state, and derives its name from a tribe of Indians, who once inhabited it. It presents a small, but level valley, surrounded by hills, with a bright stream rippling through its meadows. The tops of the high grounds which skirt the valley, are covered with forests, but the slopes are smooth with cultivation, nearly to their summits. In the time of verdure, the plain displays a vividness of green like that of velvet, while the forests are dark with the rich, hues supposed to be peculiar to the climate of England.
"The village of Pomperaug consists now of about two hundred houses, with three white churches, arranged on a street which passes along the eastern margin of the valley. At the distance of about twenty rods from this street, and running parallel to it for nearly a mile, is a rock, or ledge of rocks, of considerable elevation. From this, a distinct survey of the place may be had, almost at a glance. Beginning at the village, the spectator may count every house, and measure every garden; he may compare the three churches, which now seem drawn close together; he may trace the winding path of the river by the trees which bend over its waters; he may enumerate the white farm-houses which dot the surface of the valley; he may repose his eye on the checkered carpet which lies unrolled before him, or it may climb to the horizon over the dark blue hills which form the border of this enchanting picture.
"The spot which we have thus described did not long lie concealed from the prying sagacity of the first settlers of the colony of New Haven. Though occupied by a tribe of savages, as before intimated, it was very early surveyed by more than one of the emigrants. In the general rising of the Indiana in Philip's war, this tribe took part with the Pequods, and a large portion of them shared in their destruction. The chief himself was killed. His son, still a boy, with a remnant of his father's people, who had been driven into exile, returned to their
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native valley, and lived for a time on terms, of apparent submission to the English.
"The period had now arrived when the young chief had reached the age of manhood. He took, as was the custom with his fathers, the name of his tribe, and was accordingly called Pomperaug. He was tall, finely formed, with an eye that gleamed like the flashes of a diamond. He was such a one as the savage would look upon with idolatry. His foot was swift as that of the deer; his arrow was sure as the pursuit of the eagle; his sagacity penetrating as the light of the sun. Such was Pomperaug. But his nation was passing away; scarce fifty of his own tribe now dwelt in the valley in which his fathers had hunted for ages. The day of their dominion had gone. There was a spell over the Dark Warrior. The Great Spirit had sealed his doom. So thought the remaining Indians in the valley of Pomperaug, and they sullenly submitted to a fate which they could not avert.
"It was therefore without resistance, and, indeed, with expressions of amity, that they received a small company of English settlers into the valley. This company consisted of about thirty persons, from the New Haven colony, under the spiritual charge of the Rev. Noah Benison. He was a man of great age, but still of uncommon mental and bodily vigor. His years had passed the bourne of threescore and ten, and his hair was white as snow. But his tall and broad form was yet erect, and his cane of smooth hickory, with a golden head, was evidently a thing more of ornament than use.'
"Mr. Benison had brought with him the last remnant of his family. She was the daughter of his only son, who, with his wife, had slept many years in the tomb. Her name was Mary, and well might she be the object of all the earthly affections which still beat in the bosom of one whom death had made acquainted with sorrow, and who but for her had been left alone.
"Mary Benison was now seventeen years of age. She had received her education in England, and had been but a few months in America. She was tall and slender, with a dark eye, full of soul and sincerity. Her hair was of a glossy black, parted upon a forehead of ample and expressive beauty. When at rest, her appearance was not striking;
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but if she spoke or moved, she fixed the attention of every beholder by the dignity of her air, blent with a tone of tender, yet serious sentiment.
"The settlers had been in the valley but a few months, when some matter of business relative to a purchase of land, brought Pomperaug to the hut of Mr. Benison. It was a bright morning in autumn, and while he was talking with the old gentleman at the door, Mary, who had been gathering flowers in the woods, passed by them and entered the place. The eye of the young Indian followed her with a gaze of enhancement. His face gleamed as if he had seen a vision of more than earthly beauty. But this emotion was visible only for a moment. With the habitual self-command of a savage, he turned again to Mr. Benison, and calmly pursued the subject which occasioned their meeting.
"Pomperaug went away, but he carried the image of Mary with him. He retired to his wigwam, but it did not please him. He ascended to the top of the rock, at the foot of which his wigwam was situated, and which now goes under the name of Pomperaug's Castle, and looked down upon the river, which was flashing in the slant rays of the morning. He turned away, and sent his long gaze over the checkered leaves of the wood, which, like a sea, spread over the valley. He was still dissatisfied. With a single leap he sprang from the rock, and, alighting on his feet, snatched his bow and took the path which led into the forest. In a few moments he came back, and, seating himself on the rock, brooded for some hours in silence.
"The next morning Pomperaug repaired to the house of Mr. Benison to finish the business of the preceding day. He had before signified an inclination to accede to the terms proposed by Mr. Benison, but he now started unexpected difficulties. On being asked the reason, he answered as follows:
"'Listen, father--hear a Red Man speak! Look into the air, and you see the eagle. The sky is his home, and doth the eagle love his home? Will he barter it for the sea? Look into the river, and ask the fish that is there, if he will sell it? Go to the dark-skinned hunter, and demand of him if he will part with his forests? Yet, father, I will part with my forests, if you will give me the singing bird that is in thy nest.'
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"'Savage,' said the pilgrim, with a mingled look of disgust and indignation, 'will the lamb lie down in the den of the wolf? Never! Dream not of it--I would sooner see her die! Name it not.' As he spoke he struck his cane forcibly on the ground, and his broad figure seemed to expand and grow taller, while his eye gleamed, and the muscles of his brow contracted with a lowering and angry expression. The change of the old man's appearance was sudden and striking. The air and manner of the Indian, too, was changed. There was now a kindled fire in his eye, a proud dignity in his manner, which a moment before was not there; but these had stolen upon him, with that imperceptible progress by which the dull colors of the serpent, when he becomes enraged, are succeeded by the glowing hues of the rainbow.
"The two now parted, and Pomperaug would not again enter into any negotiations for a sale of his lands. He kept himself, indeed, aloof from the English, and cultivated rather a hostile spirit in his people toward them.
"As might have been expected, difficulties soon grew up between the two parties, and violent feelings were shortly excited on both sides. This broke out into open quarrels, and one of the white men was shot by a savage lurking in the woods. This determined the settlers to seek instant revenge, and accordingly they followed the Indians into the broken and rocky districts which lie east of the valley, whither, expecting pursuit, they had retreated.
"It was about an hour before sunset, when the English, consisting of twenty well-armed men, led by their reverend pastor, were marching through a deep ravine, about two miles east of the town. The rocks on either side were lofty, and so narrow was the dell, that the shadows of night had already gathered over it. The pursuers had sought their enemy the whole day in vain; and having lost all trace of them, they were now returning to their homes. Suddenly a wild yell burst from the rocks at their feet, and twenty savages sprang up before them. An arrow pierced the breast of the pilgrim leader, and he fell. Two Indians were shot, and the remainder fled. Several of the English were wounded, but none mortally, save the aged pastor.
"With mournful silence they bore back the body of their father. He
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was buried in a sequestered nook of the forest, and with a desolate and breaking heart the orphan Mary turned away from his grave, to be for the first time alone in their humble house in tho wilderness.
* * * * *
"A year passed. The savages had disappeared, and the rock on which the pilgrim met his death had been consecrated by many prayers. His blood was still visible on the spot, and his people often came with reverence to kneel there and offer up their petitions. The place they called Bethel Rock, and piously they deemed that their hearts were visited here with the richest gifts of heavenly grace.
"It was a sweet evening in summer, when Mary Benison, for the last time, went to spend an hour at this holy spot. Long had she knelt, and most fervently had she prayed. Oh! who can tell the bliss of that heavenly communion to which a pure heart is admitted in the hours of solitude and silence! The sun went down, and as the vail of evening fell, the full moon climbed over the eastern ledge, pouring its silver light into the valley, and Mary was still kneeling, still communing with Him who seeth in secret.
"At length a slight noise, like the crushing of a leaf, woke her from her trance, and with quickness and agitation she set out on her return. Alarmed at her distance from home at such an hour, she proceeded with great rapidity. She was obliged to climb up the face of the rocks with care, as the darkness rendered it a critical and dangerous task. At length she reached the top. Standing upon the verge of the cliff, she then turned a moment to look back upon the valley. The moon was shining full upon the vale, and she gazed with a mixture of awe and delight upon the sea of silvery leaves which slept in deathlike repose beneath her. She then turned to pursue her path homeward, but what was her amazement to see before her, in the full moonlight, the tall form of Pomperaug! She shrieked, and, swift as his own arrow, she sprang over the dizzy cliff. The Indian listened--there was a moment of silence--then a heavy sound--and the dell was still as the tomb.
"The fate of Mary was known only to Pomperaug. He buried her with a lover's care amid the rocks of the glen. Then, bidding adieu to
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his native valley, he joined his people, who had retired to the banks of the Housatonic.
* * * * *
"More than half a century subsequent to this event, a rumor ran through the village of Pomperaug, that some Indians were seen at night, bearing a heavy burden along the margin of the river, which swept the base of Pomporang's Castle. In the morning a spot was found near by, on a gentle hill, where the fresh earth showed that the ground had been recently broken. A low heap of stones on the place revealed the secret. They remain there to this day, and the little mound is shown by the villagers as Pomperaug's grave."
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Such is the legend as I wrote it. The reader will find in Cothren'a History of Ancient Woodbury, the exact version of the story, as authentic chroniclers have now established it. The true name of the place is Woodbury, instead of Pomperaug: the Indian hero must be called Waramaukeag, not Pomperaug: the aged minister is to be called Walker, in lieu of Benison; and the heroine, his niece, must bear the same name, with the baptismal title of Sarah. With these emendations, popular faith has sanctioned the general outlines of my invention. Thus, it seems, a romance requires about thirty years to crystallize into veritable history!
The name of Bethel Bock is, however, strictly historical; here the ancient settlers actually assembled for worship; and in commemoration of this fact, a few years since, Dr. Beecher, then settled at Litchfield, with several other clergymen of the vicinity, came hither and united in prayer. The records of Woodbury, as given us by the historian already alluded to, show its chronicles to be almost as full of incident, legend, and adventure, as the Highlands of Scotland. All that is wanted to render them as deeply interesting, is the inspiration of the poet to sing and set them to music. Mr. Cothren has made a good beginning, for his history breathes of romance without impeaching its truthfulness, as is evinced by the titles of some of his topics, like the following: Legend
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of Squaw Rock: the Belt of Wampum: Mr. Boardman's Praying Match: Watchbrok's Disclosure, &c., &c.
* All American woodsmen will know that I here speak of the ruffed grouse, which in the autumn makes the forest echo by rapidly beating some old decayed trunk of a fallen tree with its wings. To a sportsman, it is a sound of lively interest--for it seems to be a sort of challenge to the sport.
† Rev. Noah Benedict was a native of Danbury, and graduated at Nassau Hall in 1757. He received the degree of Master of Arts, ad eundem, from Yale College, in 1750, and was a fellow of that institution from 1801 to 1812. He was a man of sound piety, and of great dignity and amiability of temper. He held an honored place in the affections of his people. He was successful as a spiritual teacher, and was followed to the tomb by his parishioners with hearts throbbing with grief. His church has been noted for the length of time it has enjoyed the services of its ministers. There is perhaps no other instance in the country where a church has been presided over by three pastors, as has been the case with this, for the long period of one hundred and forty-three years.
Mr. Benedict was spoken of, during his life, and is still so remembered, as one of the fairest specimens of the good clergymen of Connecticut. Constitutionally, he had a well-balanced mind; singularly discreet and exemplary in his every-day deportment and in all the relations of life; as a preacher and counselor, he held a high rank. His temper was even, and his condition was placid and easy. Temptations, he was cautious, and even zealous to put, if possible, out of his way. He once had a favorite horse--young, sound, gentle, active, and graceful; the animal was admired by his rider's parishioners. But Mr. Benedict, to the surprise of all, sold the horse. A neighbor expressed his astonishment at the event, and inquired the reason of it. "He was growing unruly," was the grave pastor's reply. "But I thought," said the man, "that he was a very orderly horse." "No," was the rejoinder; "he was growing
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quite unruly: he once got into the pulpit, and I thought it was time to part with him."
This minister was blessed in his family, and honored in the alliances of his children by marriage, and by their eminent usefulness and the distinctions to which they attained in public offices and employments. His people never desired his separation: death effected it in the year 1818, at the age of seventy-six. He lives in the sweet and grateful remembrance of the aged in his parish and out of it; and the present generation of Woodbury have heard from the reverential and affectionate, the story of his goodness.--Cothren's History of Ancient Woodbury.
I, p. 389: difficulties and obstacles
* Cothren's History of Ancient Woodbury, p. 398.
I, p. 392: imparting instruction
* The family of Judge Smith has been marked with great vigor of mind and character. He assisted his brother Nathan--who had shared in his early poverty and depression--to fit himself for the bar, and he finally rose to great eminence--professional and political. He died at Washington--being then a Senator of the United States--Dec. 6, 1835, aged 65.
Truman Smith, nephew of Judge Smith, settled at Litchfield, and became a leading member of the bar. In 1848, he was elected to the Senate of the United States, and was distinguished for those masculine powers of oratory, combined with practical good sense, which marked his eminent relatives, just named. Though elected for a second term, he resigned his seat in 1854.
Nathaniel B. Smith, only child of the judge, inherited his farm, and
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his love of agriculture, which he has pursued with great science and success. He has filled various public offices, but probably values among his highest honors, his medals for the best examples of stock and tillage, awarded him, on various occasions, by the Connecticut State Agricultural Society. He is now president of that institution (1856).
* This was, I think, in 1809, though it might have been a year later.
* Danbury is one of the semi-capitals of Fairfield county, the courts being held here and at Fairfield, alternately. The main street is nearly two miles in length, and presents many handsome residences. The society is marked by more than ordinary intelligence and refinement. The Indian name of the place was Pah-qui-o-que, and it was first settled by the English in 1684. It has been prolific in distinguished men: the names of its early founders having been spread far and wide, and many
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of them being yet preserved in the present residents of the place. Among these, the names of Wildam, Mygatt, Hoyt, Beebe, Benedict, White, Stair, Knapp, &c., are conspicuous.
* This monument stands on a solid platform, about twenty feet square, at the corners of which are massive stone posts, which support an iron railing. The plinth is richly moulded, and the name of Wooster appears in bold raised letters, upon the front or south side. The General is represented, in a beautifully sculptured relief, in the act of falling from his horse, at the moment he received the fatal ball. Above this, appears a delineation of the State arms; and higher still, the main shaft is ornamented with a trophy, consisting of a sash, sword, and epaulettes. On two opposite sides are various appropriate masonic and military emblems. The whole is surmounted with a globe, on which stands the American Eagle, bearing in his beak the wreath of victory. This fine column was consecrated by imposing ceremonies on the 27th April, 1854, at which the Governor of the State, with many distinguished citizens, deputations from various lodges, and a large concourse of people, assisted. The oration, by Hon. H. C. Deming, was deeply interesting, as well on account of its eloquence as its historical reminiscences.
I, p. 400: These customs remain
* A friend writes me (1856) that the Sandimanian church at Danbury now numbers three male and fifteen female members. The congregation comprises about thirty persons.
* The Merino sheep appears to be a breed which originated in the mountain districts of Estremadura, in Spain, in the time of the Roman dominion, from the careful mixture of celebrated European and Asiatic breeds. In the time of Tiberius, a ram of this stock was sold for a thousand dollars, an enormous price, if we consider the value of money at that period. The more tender breeds of sheep became extinct in Italy and Greece during the invasions of the northern barbarians, but the hardy Merinoes, having thriven in the mountains, survived, and have come down to modern times. All the European breeds, now celebrated for the fineness of their wool, are crosses of the Merino.
The first Merinoes brought into the United States were imported by Chancellor Robert E. Livingston--a pair of each sex--in 1802. M. Delessert sent a few others, soon after. Little attention, however, was paid to the subject, and it seems that about 1805, half-breeds were sold at a price below that of common sheep. Afterward, a larger importation was made by Col. Humphries, who had been our Minister to Spain, and our Consul, Jarvis: these were three hundred in number, and arrived in 1810. Humphries tells us that he had turned his thoughts to this subject before he left Spain, and as be seems to have consulted his muse in every thing that interested him, he had there written a poem, the burden of which is found in the following stanzas:
"Oh might my guidance from the downs of Spain, Lead a white flock across the western main; Famed like the bark that bore the Argonaut Should be the vessel with the burden fraught! Clad in the raiment my Merinoes yield; Like Cincinnatus, fed from my own field; Far from ambition, grandeur, care, and strife, In sweet fruition of domestic life;
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There would I pass with friends, beneath my trees, What rests from public life, in letter'd ease."
This poetic aspiration became history: in 1809, when Madison was inaugurated, his coat was made of Merino cloth from a manufactory established by Humphries, and his small-clothes from one founded by Chancellor Livingston. See Cyclopedia of Amer. L[i]terature, vol. i. p. 376.
* The following obituary notice, abridged from the Connecticut Courant of May 14, 1844, is worthy of insertion, as well for its just picture of a good man's life, as for the facts of general interest which it presents.
"Mr. George Goodwin, whose death was yesterday announced, was born in this city (Hartford) on the 7th day of January, 1757, and died the 13th day of May, 1844, being the oldest man in the town. He was descended from one of those ancient families who made their way from Newtown, Mass., through the wilderness, to find a new home on too banks of the Connecticut river.
"At the age of nine years he was placed as an apprentice in a printing-office, where was published a small weekly print, called the Connecticut Courant, the first paper printed in this town, and for many years the only one upon this river--the history of which is so intimately connected with that of the deceased as to demand notice. The first number was published hy Thomas Green, October 29, 1764. In April, 1768, Mr. Green associated with him in this enterprise, Mr. Ebenezer Watson, and retired from it in December, 1770, leaving it in the hands of Mr. Watson, alone. In September, 1777, Mr. Watson died, and Mr, Goodwin, a young man of but twenty years of age, was left to conduct it. In January, 1778, he became a partner with the widow of Mr. Watson in the establishment, and so continued, until her marriage with Mr. Hudson, in March, 1779, when he formed a partnership with that gentleman, which continued nearly forty years, or until 1815. Mr. Goodwin, after the dissolution of the concern, continued to superintend the paper until the year 1836, when he relinquished it to the present proprietor. But it can hardly be said that his connection with this paper ended at that time, for such were his habits of industry, and so fixed were his associations, and so long had he been identified with this establishment, that he made it one of the stipulations of his contract, that he should have a right to work in the office as formerly, when he
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was so disposed--and for several years after did he avail himself of this privilege. Probably no man in this country, perhaps no man in the world, had pursued this business for so long a time--that is, for nearly eighty years. While under his auspices, this paper gained a circulation almost unknown to country papers, and for a long-course of years gave a tone to the morals and policy of the State.
"He was always found on the side of religion and morals, nor was ha ashamed to profess Christ before men: his great grief was that he had not done it earlier. He was a special friend of temperance, and imputed his good health and success in life largely, to a rigid abstinence from intoxicating drinks.
"His politics were learned in the school of the American Revolution. In his opinions he was firm and decided, but modest and unassuming. Without any advantages of education beyond that of a common school, he became a highly useful and intelligent editor, and one whose influence was extensively felt in this community. His mind was active and sprightly. He was frank and pleasant in his manners; he had a good share of wit and humor, and in his younger days, was the life of the circle into which he entered. He was one of the last of the old-school gentlemen among us, and he certainly was a good representative of that interesting class.
"It is hardly necessary to say how well he discharged all the duties of private life; how kind and beneficent he was to the poor, or how dear to his friends. Happy in his family circle, he passed those years, which are ordinarily years 'of labor and sorrow,' in cheerful gratitude to God, and humble hope in Christ, with few of the pains and sorrows of old age--until, after a sickness of a few days, he fell like a shock of corn fully ripe in the hope of a glorious immortality beyond the grave."
The following lines by Mrs. Sigourney are a worthy and pleasing tribute to this good man's memory:
OUR OLDEST MAN.
Meek patriarch of our city! art thou dead?
The just, the saintly, and the full of days,
The crown of ripen'd wisdom on thy head,
The poor man's blessing, and the good man's praise?
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Would that our sons, who saw thee onward move
With step so vigorous and serenely sage,
Of thee might learn to practice, and to love
The hardy virtues of an earlier age.
For more than fourscore winters had not chill'd
The glow of healthful years, on lip, or cheek,
Nor in thy breast the warm pulsation still'd,
That moves with upright zeal to act and speak.
Ne'er from the righteous cause withheld by fear,
Of honest toil ashamed, nor proud of wealth,
But train'd in habits simple and sincere,
From whence republics draw their vital health.
To every kind affection gently true,
The husband and the father and the friend,
Thy children's children still delighted drew
Around the honor'd grandsire's chair to bend.
But now thy mansion hath its master lost,
Wrapp'd in its pleasant green, with trees o'erspread,
And we, a patriot sire, who knew the cost
Of blood-bought freedom, in the day of dread.
We mourn thee, Father! On thy staff, no more
Thy cheerful smile shall greet us, day by day,
Nor the far memories of thy treasured lore,
Withhold the joyous listeners from their play.
Where stood that ancient race we fear to stand,
In foremost watch on life's beleaguer'd wall,
To bide the battle with a feebler hand,
Perchance to falter, and perchance to fall.
O God of Strength!--who takest from our head,
Our white-hair'd patriarchs, firm in faith and truth,
Grant us thy grace, to follow where they led,
A pure example to observant youth;
That though the sea of time should fiercely roll,
We so its billows and its waves may stem,
As not to lose the sunshine of the soul,
Nor our eternal rest in Heaven, with them.
* When I wrote this letter, I was living at Courbevoie, near Paris. About that time, a gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Gilman), whom I had accidentally met in Paris, and of whom I had made some inquiries respecting certain eminent men of that State, came to visit me, and brought me several pamphlets, and among them a catalogue of Yale College, intimating that he supposed I must take an interest in the latter, as I was one of its graduates. I told him this must be a mistake, but he took the book and showed me that I was made an honorary A. M. by that institution in 1848! This, however, was the first time I ever heard of it. Thus, after all, though I never went to college, I got into the catalogue, but nearly forty years after these my youthful aspirations. I was a long time in passing my examination, and getting my degree; and if the learned gentlemen, who bestowed upon me this act of grace, had known how little of their sort of learning I really possessed, I doubt if they had ever granted to me so high a rank. Several years before, some-
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body addressed me an official letter, informing me that a similar honor had been bestowed upon me by the college at Williamstown, but I never liked to inquire about it, for fear it should turn out to be a joke. What, indeed, have my attainments to do with college honors?
* The Declaration of War was ratified by the President on the 18th of June, and the proclamation was issued the next day. The principal grounds, assigned by the President for this act, were the impressment of seamen by Great Britain, her paper blockades, unsupported by an adequate force, and various Orders in Council. Let it be remembered that peace was made by our government in 1814, without saying a word about impressment--the main ground of the war--and that the Orders in Council were repealed within four days after our declaration of
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war, and before a gun had been fired in the conflict! For what, then did we spend one hundred millions of dollars and thirty thousand lives?
I, p. 440: hostility to Great Britain
* John Randolph complained that almost every leading press in favor of the war, was conducted by men who had but recently escaped from the tyranny or the justice of the British government. He gave as instances the Aurora and the Democratic Press, of Philadelphia, one edited by Duane and the other by Binns; the Whig at Baltimore, edited by Baptiste Irving; and the Intelligencer at Washington, by Gales. Foster, the British Minister at Washington when the war was declared,
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stated soon after in the British House of Commons, that, among the members of Congress who voted for the war, there were no less than six late members of the Society of United Irishmen! Randolph, in allusion to the spirit of menace and intolerance which was manifested in Congress by the war party, sarcastically suggested, more than once, that he felt himself in danger of being tarred and feathered, for expressing his honest convictions. See Hildreth's History, second series, vol. iii, 317.
I, p. 446: Embargo, Non-importation
* The series of acts here alluded to, and called the "Restrictive Measures" originated in the various decrees of France and England, then engaged in deadly hostilities with each other. These decrees consisted of the British Orders in Council, 16th May, 1806, declaring the ports and rivers of France, from Brest to the Elbe, in a state of blockade, and condemning to seizure and confiscation such vessels as violated this decree.
November 21, following, Bonaparte issued his famous Berlin Decree, declaring the British Islands in a state of blockade.
January 6, 1807, the British government retaliated, prohibiting the entire coasting trade with France, November 11, following, came the British, Orders in Council, prohibiting all neutral nations from trading with France or her allies, except upon the payment of tribute.
December 17, Bonaparte retaliated by his Milan Decree, confiscating every vessel found in any of his ports which had allowed herself to be searched, or had paid the tribute demanded by England.
Thus American commerce, between these two wrestling giants, was seriously embarrassed, though, as it appears, it was not greatly diminished. The carrying trade was extensive, and our country grew rich and prosperous. Our exports were a hundred millions of dollars: our shipping a million and a half of tons. (See Lloyd's Speech in the Senate of the United States, November 21, 1808.) In this state of things, Mr. Jefferson astounded the country by proposing an embargo upon all shipping within the United States--the avowed object being to protect our commerce from the European belligerents. No measure could have been more objectionable to the ship-owners, in whose behalf it was ostensibly proposed. It passed into a law December 22d, 1807. This was hailed as a "magnanimous measure" by France; at first it was received with alarm by England, against whom it was really leveled. Mr. Jefferson believed that it would withhold from England our produce, and starve her into submission; at the same time, he no doubt desired to benefit France, by thus inflicting a heavy blow upon her adversary. That such was one design of the embargo was proved by supplementary acts, forbidding intercourse between the United States and the contiguous British Provinces. "How," it was asked, "can a law which
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forbids a Vermont farmer from going into Canada to sell potash, protect our shipping from being seized by the European belligerents?"
There was, perhaps, never an act of greater despotism than that of the embargo. It was not limited in time or space: it seemed universal and perpetual. It consigned to ruin and bankruptcy thousands of our citizens; it spread gloom and despair in our seaports; it left our ships rotting at the wharves; it drove our seamen into foreign service. It not only inflicted these evils upon our own country, but in some respects it benefited Great Britain, against whom it was leveled. It stimulated the British West Indians to vary their crops, and make themselves independent of our products; it enriched Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick by turning into their hands the supplying of bread-stuffs and naval stores; it built up their navigation at the expense of ours; it gave to other nations the rich carrying trade of the world.
Thus this measure proved to be, in practice, as destructive as it was erroneous in principle. What would the world think of a universal and perpetual embargo on our shipping now? And it was almost as absurd in 1807 as it would be in 1856. It was, in fact, sinister as to its origin, absurd as a measure of policy, wrong in principle, and abortive in its effects. It was, nevertheless, continued in force until March, 1809, a period of nearly fifteen months, having spread poverty and ruin over great part of New England. As a substitute for this measure, a non-importation act was passed, prohibiting, for one year, all commercial intercourse with both France and England.
On the 1st of May, 1810, Congress passed an act excluding all British and French armed vessels from entering the waters of the United States; but providing, also, that if either of these nations should modify its decrees before the 3d of March, 1811, intercourse with it should be renewed. This condition was apparently complied with by Franca (though it afterward appeared to be otherwise), and in November it was announced by the President's proclamation. The difficulties with Great Britain, as to her blockade and Orders in Council, however, continued, and constituted one of the principal grounds of the war, as set forth in the Declaration. A few days after this declaration, however, news arrived that these acts had been repealed, on the 22d of June,
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and hence it was urged that the war should cease, as one of its principal causes was withdrawn. Such, however, was not the view of our government.
I, p. 448: intrigue for the presidency
* "That domination over public opinion which the war party so long manifested, &c., have conspired to shield Madison from the obloquy which must ever rest upon this part of his conduct--that of having been driven by intimidation, and seduced by personal interest and ambition, into a course of public conduct, in his own judgment improvident, if not highly dangerous."
"The same convictions were fully shared by Gallatin, and probably also by Monroe, the President's two principal cabinet officers."--Hildreth's United States, second series, vol. iii, p. 334.
* General Bradley was so dissatisfied with the war, that soon after, he withdrew altogether from public life.
* Hildreth's History of the United States is a strong book--vigorous in its style and manly in its spirit. Its sketch of the war of 1812 is a mere outline, but so far as it goes it seems to me calculated to satisfy the reader who wishes to obtain an impartial and true view of events, and of the men that participated in them.
I, p. 459: unfit for the places given to them
* This was certainly the case in New England, and I know of no circumstance in the whole conduct of the war, that operated so powerfully as this, to destroy the confidence of the people in the government, and to exasperate them against it. Many of the officers, especially those of the lower grade, had no qualifications for the places they filled but their democracy. This was pointed out to the President: he was advised that if he would commission certain persons of the federal party, who were conspicuous for their military qualifications, and who were also willing to receive commissions, that it would do more than any thing else to break the opposition to the war. This he declined, saying that the offices belonged of right to those who supported his administration, and besides, that he should disgust his own party by such a course.
I, p. 460: there was no hesitation
* Party vehemence has represented that the New England States, at this period, not only opposed the war by words but by deeds; that in fact they were prepared to go over to the enemy. Nothing could be more untrue. Whatever might be the political opinions of the federalists, when the war was declared, Great Britain was regarded as an enemy. I can affirm, that, although I was in the very midst of the " old federalists" of Connecticut, I never heard a word fall from the lips of any one of them, expressive of an opposite sentiment. I no doubt caught the feelings of those around me, and I am conscious of having always felt, through the war, that the British were our national enemies. The records of Connecticut prove, conclusively, that this idea was as strongly entertained by the government of that State as by the general government itself. The following are extracts from the doings of the legislature, in their extra session, called in August, 1818, in consequence of the declaration of war; and the conduct of the State was in accordance with these views.
"War, always calamitous, in this case portentous of great evils, enacted against a nation powerful in her armies, and without a rival on the ocean, can not be viewed by us but with the deepest regret. A nation
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without fleets, without armies, with an impoverished treasury, with a frontier by sea and land extending many hundred miles, feebly defended--waging a war, hath not first 'counted the cost.'
"By the Constitution of the United States, the power of declaring war is vested in Congress. They have declared war against Great Britain. However much this measure is regretted, the General Assembly, ever regardful of their duty to the general government, will perform all those obligations resulting from this act. With this view, they have at this session provided for the more effectual organization of the military force of the State, and a supply of the munitions of war. These will be employed, should the public exigencies require it, in defense of this State, and of our sister States, in compliance with the Constitution; and it is not to be doubted, hut that the citizens of this State will he found, at the constitutional call of their country, among the foremost in its defense."
* Roger Griswold was Governor at the time the war was declared, but in October, 1812, during the session of the legislature, he died at his residence in Norwich. John Cotton Smith, then Lieutenant-governor, became acting governor, and the next April was elected Governor of the State. Roger Griswold was born at Lyme in 1762: having graduated at Yale College, he devoted himself to the law, and soon rose to eminence. In 1794 he was elected to Congress, where he continued for many years, being a leader of the federal party. Mr. Webster once told me that he considered him one of the most accomplished parliamentary debaters our country has produced. During his time there was an Irishman in Congress from Vermont, named Matthew Lyon, of whom the poet Honeywood thus sings:
"I'm rugged Mat,
The Democrat--
Berate me as you please, sir:
True Paddy-whack,
Ne'er turn'd his back,
Nor bow'd his head to Cæsar."
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This man, one day, spit in Griswold's face in the Representatives' Hall, and as the democratic majority refused to punish him, Griswold gave him a severe beating with his cane. This was the first of those indecent brawls which have disgraced our national assembly.
* "Dr. John Ely, of Lyme (1776), performed a tour of duty here as captain and major, and also as physician and surgeon. In July he was sent to visit the northern army, and employ his skill in arresting the small-pox, which, was then raging in the camp with great virulence."-- Caulkin's History of New London, p. 521. Colonels Latimer, Ely, &c., performed tours of duty, with their respective regiments, at New London and Groton, 1777.--Ibid. p. 526.
* Long Island Sound, and its shores on both sides, were the scenes of active and stirring events during the Revolutionary war. This sheet of water, as well as Long Island itself, and the city of New York at its western extremity, were for a long time in the possession of the enemy. Large British fleets were often seen sweeping through the Sound, and always carried terror into the towns and villages of Connecticut along the northern shore. On the 5th of September, 1781, a fleet of thirty-two vessels, of all classes, conveyed to New London a force of about two thousand men. These were landed the nest day, and marched upon the town. All was panic and confusion among the inhabitants. Colonel Ledyard, with such means as could be mastered, took his station at Fort Griswold. A force of twenty-three men at Fort Trumbull--which was only a battery for defense toward the water, and open behind--on the approach of the enemy, fired a volley, and crossed the river to Fort Griswold. Arnold, amid random shots which did some execution, entered the town. The work of destruction then commenced. The torch was applied, and a long line of fire soon enveloped the place. Shops, stores, houses, vessels, wharves, boats, rigging, were enveloped in smoke and flame. Hogsheads of sugar and rum, and tubs of butter were knocked in, and the flames, seizing upon the alcohol and grease, ran
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in rivers of fire along the gutters of the streets. Arnold was born near this place, and was well acquainted with it. He used his information to effect the destruction of the best parts of the city, and nearly all its stores of merchandise, &c.
On the other side of the river a deeper tragedy was being enacted. Colonel Eyre had been dispatched against Fort Griswold with two British regiments. The fort itself was an oblong square, with bastions at opposite angles--its long side fronting the river. Its defenders, under Colonel Ledyard, were but one hundred and fifty men. About noon the enemy made their attack in solid column. They were at first received with a few deadly volleys, and then by a quick, steady, destructive fire. Both attack and defense were firm and determined. The men within seemed each a hero. The two British commanders fell. But the enemy at last conquered by numbers. They marched in, and Col. Ledyard ordered his men to throw down their arras. A few, however, in one of the bastions still resisted. This irritated the British, and they continued their deadly fire from the parapets, even upon the surrendered Americans.
At last, the British major, Bromfield, on whom the command had devolved, entered, and demanded, "Who commands this fort?" "I did," said Col. Ledyard, "but you do now." At the same time, he presented his sword, in token of submission. The ferocious commander took the weapon and plunged it in the owner's bosom! At the same moment the attendants rushed upon the prostrate and bleeding victim, and dispatched him with their bayonets. The work of butchery then went on against the survivors. At last the enemy departed, leaving eighty-five Americans dead, and about thirty-five regarded as mortally wounded--having first stripped them, and then leaving them exposed to the broiling sun. More than half this butchery took place after the surrender. A small number, who survived, were taken away as prisoners. Such was the desolating expedition of the traitor, Benedict Arnold,
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against New London. It adds to the horror, inspired by such details, to know that he was accompanied by a large number of Americans, who, however, had joined the British, and thus came to aid in the work of death, ruin, and despair. Such is war. The next day, the ships, having received the troops, departed, leaving a dreadful scene of havoc and desolation behind them. Hew London was, indeed, little better than a ruin.
The memory of this event, and the natural hatred consequently inspired by the British name, still lives here and in the neighborhood. The anniversary of the massacre at Groton fort was long celebrated with sad solemnities. A lofty monument now points to heaven, in protest against the crime it records. Such deeds never die, and the world is dotted all over with them--too many perpetrated by men who bore the British name. Is this the explanation of the general dislike of Great Britain, throughout the civilized world?
* Among the letters alluded to, was the following;
Hartford, June 12, 1813.
My dear Samuel:
I had the pleasure to receive yesterday your letter by Mr. Whiting. I am happy to be informed of your health, and that you have the good fare of a soldier: whatever it may want of the delicacies of the luxurious table of the citizen, will be made up to you in the zest you will have when you return to it. The principal thing you have to attend to is the care of your health, and that also you will best learn, as we do every thing, by experience. Your father will be here to-day. We are all well. Write by every opportunity.
Your affectionate uncle,
Chauncey Goodrich.
I, p. 473: story of the flannel petticoat
* When Decatur took refuge in New London harbor, the inhabitants of Groton were thrown into great alarm. At this moment a messenger was sent to Port Griswold for flannel, to be used for the cannon. Most of the portable goods had been sent away, and the messenger was unsuccessful, until he met Mrs. Anna Bailey, who instantly took off her flannel petticoat and heartily devoted it to the patriotic cause of defense. It was carried to the fortress, and displayed on a pike. The story being told, the garrison cheered, and the "martial petticoat" became almost as celebrated as Mahomet's breeches. The story went over the whole
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country, and when General Jackson (then President) came to New London, be visited this lady. She is said to have given him a very demonstrative reception. She died January 10, 1851, aged 92 years.
* This ship was noted for her beauty: she was in fact the belle of the fleet, and was said to have been built for the Duke of Clarence, who served in the navy till he became admiral, and was afterward King of England, under the title of William IV.
I, p. 485: the land or the water
* This fact has recently been recalled to my mind by the venerable Dr. S. H. P. Lee, now in full practice at New York, at the age of eighty-four 1 His house in New London commanded a view of the harbor and the shipping. He frequently saw blue lights all along the shore, and confirms the fact that it could not be determined, in most cases, whether they came from the sea or the land. They were always attributed to the British. He conceives that the charge of treason, on the part of Decatur, was entirely untrue and in fact absurd.
Dr. Lee informs me, that from their position, the British had no difficulty in knowing every thing that was going on along the shore. There was no rigid police: the British sailors often went ashore among the fishermen, as well on the islands as the main land: the officers not unfrequently went in disguise to New York, and even into the interior. After the peace, a hall was given to Admiral Hotham--then commander of the station--and his officers, at New London. Dr. Lee and his two sons there recognized, among the British officers, two persons, who, during the war, were passing along the street, and at his invitation stepped up into his piazza and took a look at the squadron! Of course every movement of Decatur's was known to the enemy, and as he lay in New London harbor, he was under the eye of their telescopes. They no doubt penetrated his designs, and seeing him about to make an effort to escape, sent
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up their blue-light telegraphs to direct the various ships to be upon the alert. While such an interpretation is probable, to say the least, it is bad logic to impute treason, and at the same time the most absurd acts of contradiction to their own interests, to the people of New London.
I give this testimony of Dr. Lee with the more readiness, as he is historically known for his courageous and beneficent professional conduct, in braving, alone, the horrors of tie yellow fever at New London in 1799--when every other physician, not prostrated by the disease, had fled from it in terror. Surely such evidence should be conclusive.
I, p. 487: the injustice which originated it
* Stephen Decatur was born on the eastern shore of Maryland, Jan. 5, 1779. In 1798, he entered the navy as midshipman: twice he proceeded to the Mediterranean, and in February, 1804, he recaptured and burnt the American frigate Philadelphia, in the harbor of Tripoli, then in the hands of the enemy. This exploit has always been regarded as one of the most successful acts of skill and daring on record. In an attack on Tripoli, the following August, he captured two of the enemy's vessels, performing feats of personal courage and strength, the story of which reminds us of the fabled achievements of knight-errantry. His praise was on the tongue of all his countrymen. He superseded Commodore Barron, in the command of the Chesapeake, after the shameful attack of the Leopard upon that vessel; he then became commander of the frigate United States, and in October, 1812, captured the Macedonian, as elsewhere stated. His squadron remained at New London till the close of tho war, but he was appointed to the command of the President. On attempting to get to sea, in January, 1815, he was captured by two British vessels, and carried into Bermuda. In February, the war being over, he returned to the United States. Being dispatched with a squadron to the Mediterranean, he soon chastised the Algerines, and compelled them (June, 1815) to sign a treaty, abandoning their piracies, and liberating those of our countrymen whom they held in captivity. He was made one of the Navy Commissioners in November, and took up his residence at Washington. In 1819, he had a long correspondence with Commodore Barron, which issued in a challenge by the latter. The meeting took place at Bladensburgh, March 22, 1820. At the first fire Decatur was wounded, and being carried to his house, died that night in the presence of his distracted wife. Deep emotions of admira-
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tion for his character, and horror at the folly of the last act of his life, pervaded the whole community.
Commodore Jacob Jones was born in Delaware, 1770. After a brilliant professional career, he died at Philadelphia, August, 1850.
Commodore James Biddle was born at Philadelphia, 1783. He distinguished himself as a commander, and also in some diplomatic services in Turkey and China. He died in 1848.
I, p. 489: this passage from our national history
* Whoever wishes to see a detail of the facts in this case will find them in Hildreth's United States, second series, page 507. There was
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a feeble attempt at defense, at Bladensburg, five miles from Washington; but the United States troops as well as our militia fled upon the first fire of the enemy. The President and his secretaries dispersed in like manner. This scampering was satirized under the name of the "Bladensburg Races." Madison and his wife found refuge in a Maryland farm-house, where they spent two days and three nights of mortification, alarm, and insult from the irritated inhabitants. After a short time the enemy departed: another party of them, however, had made their way to Alexandria, where they compelled the inhabitants to sacrifice all their merchandise and all their shipping to save the city. Madison returned to Washington, and in order to hide his disgrace, laid all the blame to Armstrong, the Secretary of War. The latter retaliated, asserting that the President yielded to the "humor of a village mob, stimulated by faction and led by folly."
I, p. 490: "Star-Spangled Banner"
* The author of this admired national lyric was Francis Scott Key, of Maryland, born August 1, 1779. He became a lawyer, and was Dis-
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trict Attorney of the city of Washington, where he died, January, 1848. He wrote several songs, though not for publication, as he seems not to have duly appreciated them. To feel the full force of the Star-spangled Banner, it is necessary to know its origin. A gentleman of Baltimore had gone to the British fleet with a flag of truce, in order to get a friend of his released, who had been captured at Marlborough. He was not permitted to return, as he might give information of the intended attack upon Baltimore. While thus on board a British vessel, he witnessed the attack upon Fort McHenry during the whole day. When night set in, the flag, which still floated, was hidden from his view. The bombardment was kept up, and his heart was agitated with the most anxious fears. As the morning rose, he had the unbounded satisfaction of seeing the banner of his country still flying aloft, in evidence of successful defense. The whole story is admirably told in the song.
I, p. 491: treasury of the United States was exhausted
* The state of the treasury, as presented to Congress by Campbell, the Secretary, in Sept. 1814, was deplorable. The last attempt to borrow sis millions had only produced offers for half that amount, and these at the rate of eighty per cent. The credit of the government was indeed almost gone; specie had disappeared; the banks had generally suspended specie payments; the currency consisted of bank-notes, at a large depreciation. The treasury was in fact empty, and large debts and expenses were accumulating and soon to be met. Every kind of scheme was suggested for supplying the exhausted and discredited treasury--new loans, increased taxes, various kinds of government stocks, and finally a national bank. Dallas, Secretary of the Treasury, proposed a non-specie paying bank, and Calhoun a specie-paying bank. Neither of these two plans succeeded. The Bank of the United States, which had so remarkable a career, and was finally extinguished by Gen. Jackson, was chartered April 10th, 1816, the plan having been framed by Secretary Dallas. It was in fact rather a democratic institution; the federalists at that time seeming to foresee the evils which followed, strove earnestly to reduce the capital of thirty-five millions to twenty millions, but without avail.
I, p. 492: throwing up fortifications
* Hildreth, second series, vol. iii. p. 524.
* The New England banks continued to pay specie, but their notes were rare. The "bills of suspended banks of the Middle States and "facilities," constituted the chief money in circulation.
I, p. 496: occupation of the enemy
* Freight from New York to Hartford, now fifty cents a hundred, was then four dollars a hundred.
* Thomas Macdonough was a native of Delaware, and was born in 1784. When the battle of Lake Champlain was fought, he was but twenty-eight years of age. In commemoration of his victory, the citizens of Hartford presented him with a splendid, sword. I recollect the occasion, and the. appearance of the gallant officer. He was nearly six feet high, very broad-shouldered, with a small head, but finely set, so as to give a look of mingled dignity and elegance to his form. His hair was light, almost flaxen, his eye gray, and his countenance mild, but with an expression of firmness. In his personal character, he was marked with gentleness and dignity. His private life was most blameless. He died in 1825.
I, p. 498: message to Congress in September
* "It is not to be disguised," said he, "that the situation of our country calls for its greatest efforts. Our enemy is powerful in men and money, on the land and on the water. Availing himself of fortuitous advantages (the triumph over Napoleon), he is aiming, with his undivided force, a deadly blow at our growing prosperity, perhaps at our national existence." This is from a President who had declared war, a short time before, with the expectation of conquering Canada!
* It is startling to look back at the financial records of the country at this time: the destructive effects of the embargo are abundantly attested by documentary evidence. The exports of the United States in 1807--that is, before the embargo--were $108,343.558; in 1808, under the embargo, they were $8,417,000--a diminution of a hundred millions in a single year! The whole loss to the United States in the destruction of commerce, alone--during the seven years of embargo, non-intercourse, non-importation, and war--all forming one system, under Jefferson and Madison democracy, would show a fearful sum--amounting to hundreds of millions. To this is to be added the war expenses, the depreciation of property, the wide-spread devastation of productive enterprise, &c., &c. Let it be understood that New England, from her position, took more than her relative share of this burden; let it also be understood that she believed all these measures to have had a sinister origin; let it, furthermore, be held in view, that events, thus far, had fulfilled her predictions as to the destructive tendency of this whole policy; and then we may be prepared to ask whether she had not a right to call together her Wise Men, as had been her custom from the foundation of the first settlements, to take into consideration the state of public affairs, and recommend the means of averting the evils which impended over her?
I, p. 506: What saith the record?
* I commend to the reader the following observations from a calm and sober writer:
"An inquiry here naturally suggests itself--as, after the revocation of the British Orders in Council, Impressment was the only grievance to be redressed by war; and as that question was subsequently waived by our government in the negotiation, what was gained by the war? It has been considered as no small point gained, that ample evidence has been given to Great Britain of our capacity successfully to resist her power, especially upon the ocean, where she had long claimed a vast superiority; and that a guarantee had thus been furnished against future aggression. It is questionable, however, if the result could have been known, or if the unbiased counsels of our older statesmen had prevailed, whether war would have been declared. Jefferson, Madison, Gallatin, Macon, and others, were of a pacific disposition. The leading men of the administration were known to have given a reluctant sanction to the war project; but they found themselves under a kind of necessity to yield to the impulsive young politicians--Calhoun, Clay, and a number of others--who, it was suspected, were striving to turn the popular prejudices against Great Britain, to their own political advantage. Whether the nation has ever obtained an equivalent for the thirty thousand lives, and the hundred millions of money expended; for the loss of property and of several years of prosperous commerce; for the depravation of the public morals, and the train of other evils inseparable from a state of war, is a question which at least admits of a reasonable doubt."--Young's American Statesman.
I, p. 508: letter to Lord Ashburton
* This remarkable letter--dated Washington, August 8, 1842--will be found in Mr. Webster's Works, vol. vi. p. 318. Mr. Everett says, in his memoir of Mr. Webster, "The reply of Lord Ashburton must be considered as acquiescence on the part of his government;" that is, acquiescence in the American doctrine of maritime rights--that the flag of a country renders the decks of its ships inviolable against visit or search. The London Times, Standard, &c., about this period, expressed the opinion that this subject was finally put to rest by Mr. Webster's letter. It is understood that Lord Aberdeen said to Mr. Everett, that its argument was unanswerable: it has been effectively answered, however, by quietly yielding to its doctrines.
I, p. 510: certain distinguished examples
* This was an allusion to the Whisky Rebellion in Western Pennsylvania, in 1794, which Albert Gallatin--one of Madison's cabinet, and a prominent supporter of the war--had done much to stimulate. The inhabitants of that quarter were chiefly foreigners. The law--which offended them was passed by Congress in 1791, and laid a tax on distilled spirits--one of their chief products at that time. A considerable army was assembled by the malcontents, and the United States revenue officers were resisted, whipped, tarred and feathered. The insurrection was finally put down by a proclamation issued by the President (Washington), and the marching toward the scene of action of a respectable body of militia, under Gov. Lee, of Maryland.
This resistance, however, was in some degree pardonable, considering the general ignorance and character of those concerned in it, and considering, also, that the general government had just gone into op-
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eration, and called for unaccustomed sacrifices on the part of the people. It was otherwise in the case of South Carolina, when, in the autumn of 1882, she made a general movement to resist the tariff laws of Congress, on the ground that they were unconstitutional. This course had been recommended by a convention and various public meetings, and the legislature of the State, meeting soon after, sanctioned these views. The tariff acts were declared null and void, and in order to resist their execution, active measures wore adopted to arm the citizens. The city of Charleston became at once a great military depot, and the whole State was bristling with bayonets. Col. Hayne, who, a short time before, in the Senate of the United States, had arraigned the members of the Hartford Convention as traitors, now became governor of the State, for the express purpose of directing this formidable treason. Mr. Calhoun resigned the vice-presidency, and accepted a seat in the Senate, for the purpose of there vindicating the conduct of his State. This fearful blow, aimed directly at the Constitution and the Union, was averted by what is called the Compromise of Mr. Clay--which, in point of fact, consisted in forcing the general government to yield to a menace of rebellion. The movement was so far successful, that it cherished the seeds of Nullification, which had been widely sown by Jefferson and his associates in the Southern States; and at the present day, its doctrines may be considered as held by a majority of the democratic party there. Compare all this with the conduct of New England federalism!
I, p. 511: peace to our country
* See the New York Evening Post for July 21, 1812--where this is held to be sound federal doctrine.
I, p. 512: his honest convictions?
* If we admit this doctrine, that opposition to an administration in time of war is treason, then Chatham, who advocated the cause of America in the British Parliament, during the Revolution, was a traitor; Lamartine, Cavaignac, and Victor Hugo, who opposed Louis Napoleon's war for the suppression of the Roman Republic, were traitors; all the friends of liberty, who, from time immemorial, have opposed the wars of their respective governments for the perpetuation of tyranny, are to be inscribed in the list of traitors. Certainly democracy errs in employing despotism and injustice, under the pretense of propagating liberty. There is no surer way to make liberty itself feared and hated.
I, p. 516: felicitous style of writing
* The following letter, addressed to his brother, noted in the history of Connecticut for accepting the office of stamp-master under the obnoxious stamp-set of 1764,
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and furnished to me by Hon. R. I. Ingersoll, of New Haven, will be read with interest:
"Ridgefield, June 9th, A. D. 1758.
"Dear Brother;--Yours from Hartford, the 1st instant, came safe to hand by Mr. Olmstead, for which I am heartily obliged to you. I remarked in particular your observing something of heaviness in my countenance at parting with you at New Haven--upon which I would observe that this bidding farewell is a difficult thing, and tends greatly to move the passions. This sin being a natural infirmity, you will easily overlook. Blessed be God, I am neither disheartened nor elevated, but enjoy a good temper of mind, and can, I think, put my life in tlie hands of God and go forth freely and cheerfully, in so important though dangerous an enterprise. I have this day received a line from Col. Wooster, by which I am informed that I must be at Norwalk to-morrow, in order to embark for Albany. I am ready, and rejoice at the news. He also informs me that you are appointed agent, and have accepted, at which I greatly rejoice, and hope your courage will hold out, and desire that you will be made a blessing to your country and government in this important undertaking. The office is very honorable, and I hope will be profitable to you and the government. By no means refuse, but look upon it as a favor of Providence. To love God with all our heart and our neighbor as ourselves, is the great gospel command. And to be impressed in such an important affair, must be looked upon ass a favor from Heaven; for the voice of the people (to judge rationally) is the voice of God, when they look to him for his influence and direction.
"Your family need you and desire you, and so does mine me; but private matters must submit to the public good. Sister, I hope, will quietly acquiesce--from a view of your usefulness, though it be a piece of great self-denial. I could wish you had had the small-pox--a terror to the world; and perhaps it would be best to go to Doctor Munson, on Long Island, and Inoculate--and was I not going abroad
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as I am, I would go and be with you. With respect to cautious and advice yon give, I accept them well, and would give the same to you. And so, my brother, go in the fear of God--be true to your trust, and farewell. Whether we see each other in this life or not, let us labor to meet in glory.
"I remain your affectionate brother,
"JONATHAN INGERSOLL.
"P. S.--We are all well. Send our compliments, particularly our love, to Dorcas, and tell her to live in the fear of God.
"Jared Ingersol, Esq..,
New Haven."
I, p. 518: He died August 13, 1839
* The following-portion of a letter, written to a friend by Gen. King, dated June 19th, 1817, in which he speaks of the capture of Andrá will be found interesting:
"I was the first and only officer who had charge of him whilst at the headquarters of the second regiment light dragoons, which was then at Esq. Gilbert's, South Salem, Westchester county, N. Y. He was brought up by an adjutant and four men belonging to the Connecticut militia, under command of Lieutenant-colonel Jameson. He was on the lines in a character under the disguised name of John Anderson; he looked somewhat like a reduced gentleman; his smallclothes were nankeen, with handsome white-top boots; in part his dress was military, his coat purple, with gold lace, worn somewhat threadbare; he wore a small-brimmed, tarnished beaver on his head; he wore his hair in a queue with a long black band, and his clothes were somewhat dusty. In this garb I took charge of him to breakfast. My barber came in to dress me, after which I requested him to undergo the game operation, which he did. When the ribbon was taken from his hair, I observed a fall of powder; this circumstance, with others that occurred, induced me to believe I had no ordinary person in charge. He requested permission to take to the bed while his shirt and small-clothes could be washed; I told him it was needless, for a change was at his service, which he accepted. We were close pent up in a bedroom, with a sentinel at the door and window; there was a spacious yard before the door, which be desired he might be permitted to walk in with me. I accordingly disposed of my guard in such manner as to prevent an escape, and while walking together he observed that he must make a confidant of somebody, and he knew not a more proper person than myself, as I had offered to befriend a stranger in distress. After settling the point between ourselves, he told me who he was, and gave me a short account of himself from the time he was taken at St. Johns, in 1775, to that time. He requested pen and ink, and wrote immediately to Gen. Washington, declaring who he was. About midnight the
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express returned, with orders from Gen, Washington to Col. Sheldon, to send Major André immediately to head-quarters. I started with him, and before I got to North Salem meeting-house, met another express, with a letter to the officer commanding the party who had Major André in charge; this letter directed a circuitous route to head-quarters, for fear of a recapture--which order was complied with."
* ON THE DEATH OF A MISSIONARY.
The Rev. Stiles Hawley was drowned in crossing the Kaskaskia river, Illinois, January 30th, 1830.
Cold sweep the waters o'er thee!
Thou hast found,
'Mid all the ardor of thy youthful zeal,
And self-devotion to the Saviour's cause,
An unexpected bed. The ice-swoln tides
Of the Kaskaskia, shall no more resound
To the wild struggles of thy failing steed,
In the deep plunge that gave thy soul to God!
Say, in thy journeyings o'er the snow-clad waste
Of yon lone prairie, on that fearful day
When Death strode by thy side, where roamed thy thoughts?
Upon thine angel mission? or the scenes
Of distant home, with all its sheltering trees,
And voice of tuneful waters? Didst thou hope,
When Heaven's pure seed should blossom in the wild
Of the far Illinois, once more to sit
Beside its hearth-stone, and recount thy toils,
Mingling thy prayers with those who fondly nursed
Thy tender infancy?
Now there are tears
In that abode, whene'er thy cherished name
Escapes the trembling lip. Oh, ye who mourn
With heavy temples o'er the smitten son,
Slain in his Saviour's service, know that pain
Shall never vex him more. Peril and change,
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And winter's blast, and summer's sultry heat,
And sinful snare--what are they now to him,
But dim-remembered sounds?
If 'twere so sweet
To have a son on earth, where every ill
Might launch a dart against his breast, and pierce
Your own through his, is it not doubly sweet
To have a son in Heaven?
L. H. Sigourney.
I, p. 523: Elizur Goodrich, D. D.
* When I was in England in 1824, I visited Goodrich Castle, a few miles west of Ross, in the county of Hereford. In looking at the guide-book which I purchased at the place, it appeared that this edifice was of some historical celebrity, it having been founded by Godric, descendant of one of the lauded proprietors recorded ill King William's "Doomsday Book." The name Godric became changed at first to Goderic, then to Goodric, and finally to Goodrich, which it held in the time of Cromwell. The owner at that period, stimulated by the spirit as well as aided by the purse of a Catholic priest of the vicinity, opposed the measures of the usurper in such a manner as to draw upon him his resentment. Cromwell marched in person against the castle, which he attacked, and after an obstinate defense, he having demolished a portion of the northern wall, it surrendered. From that time it had ceased to be inhabited, and I saw it as Cromwell left it, save only the dilapidation of time.
It would appear from the ancient history of the county of Hereford, that the family of Goodrich--variously spelled Godric, Goodric, Goodrich, Goderich--was formerly common in that quarter of England; but at the time I speak of, I was unable to hear of a single person in that region bearing the name. As to my own ancestors, it is believed that they came from Suffolk, perhaps In the vicinity of Bury St. Edwards. There were two brothers, William and John Goodrich, who arrived in New England about 1630, and settled at Watertown, in Massachusetts; but in 1636, they removed to Wethersfield, Connecticut, where they continued to reside. From William Goodrich and his descendants, the name has been extensively spread over New England, and within the last thirty years over the Worth-western States.
One of the New England family removed, probably about a century ago, to Virginia, where be became a wealthy planter. A descendant of his, being a tory at the period of the revolution, went and settled in England. His descendants are now living in the county of Sussex. Other descendants of the New England emigrant to Virginia are still living in that State. The name is sometimes spelled Goodridge in this country; fifty years ago it was pronounced Gutridge.
My paternal grandfather was a descendant of the above-named William Goodrich, his father being David Goodrich of Wethersfield, parish of Rocky Hill. By the gravestone of the latter, it appears that he died in 1702, in his ninety-first year, having been forty-six years a deacon.
In "Goodwin's Genealogical Notes," among other notices of the Goodrich family I find the following:
Elizur Goodrich, D. D.
Elizur Goodrich, D. D., born October 18, 1734, settled in Durham, Connecticut,
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married Katharine, daughter of Hon. Elihu Chauncey, February 1, 1759; she was born April 11, 1741.
Rev. Elizur Goodrich, D. D., died November 21, 1797.
Mrs. Katharine Goodrich, died April 8, 1830.
Children.
1. Chauncey, born October 20, 1759. United States Senator, and Lieutenant-governor of Connecticut. Died August 18, 1815.
2. Elizur, born March 24, 1761.
3. Samuel, born January 12, 1763.
4. Elihu, born September 16, 1764. Died unmarried.
5. Charles Augustus, born March 2, 1768. Died unmarried.
6. Nathan, born August 5, 1770. Died young.
7. Catharine, born December 2, 1775. Married Rev. David Smith, D. D., of Durham, Conn. Died in 1845.
Elizur Goodrich, LL. D.
Hon. Elizur Goodrich, settled at New Haven, married Anne Willard Allen, only daughter of Daniel and Esther Allen, September 1, 1785.
Elizur Goodrich, died at New Haven, Conn., November 1, 1849.
Mrs. Anne Willard Goodrich, died November 17, 1818.
Children.
8. Elizur, born October 3, 1787. Married Eliza, daughter of Gen. Henry Champion, October 25, 1818; residence, Hartford.
9. Chauncey Allen, born October 28, 1790. Married Julia, daughter of Noah Webster, LL. D.
10. Nancy, born January 1, 1798. Married Hon. Henry L. Ellsworth. Died January 15, 1847.
Rev. Samuel Goodrich.
Samuel Goodrich married Elizabeth, daughter of Col. John Ely, July 29, 1784.
Rev. Samuel Goodrich died at Berlin, April 19, 1835.
Mrs. Elizabeth Goodrich died at Berlin, March 3, 1837.
Children.
11. Sarah Worthington, born August 7, 1785. Married, 1st, Amos Cooke; 2d, Hon. Frederick Wolcutt. Died ----.
12. Elizabeth, born April 36, 1787. Married
Rev. Noah Coe.
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13. Abigail, born November 29, 1788. Married Rev. Samuel Whittlesey.
14. Charles Augustus, August 19, 1790. Married Sarah Upson.
15. Catherine, born December 4, 1781. Married Daniel Dunbar, of Berlin.
16. Samuel Griswold, born August 19, 1793. Married, 1st, Adeline Gratia Bradley; 2d, Mary Boott.
17. Elihu Chauncey, born November 18, 1795. Died June 9, 1797.
18. Mary Ann, born May 29, 1799. Married Hon. N. B. Smith, of Woodbury.
19. Emily Chauncey, born November 25, 1801. Died October 22, 1803.
20. Emily Chauncey, born November 13, 1805. Married Rev. Darius Mead, died ----.
I, p. 533: Col. John Ely and Family
* Richard Ely, a widower, the first of the family who came to this country, emigrated from Plymouth, England, about 1660 or 1670, accompanied by his youngest eon Richard, and settled in Lyme, Connecticut, Daniel Ely, father of Col. Ely, was married four times, and had thirteen children, as follows: Mary, who married
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Benj. Lee; Ann, married Benj. Harris; Elizabeth, married Abram Perkins; Daniel, married Abigail Dennison; Sarah, Ruth; Wells, married Elizabeth Williams and Rebecca Selden; John, noticed above; Amy, married Ezra Selden; Lucretia, married Benj. Colt, from whom descended Samuel Colt of Hartford, renowned for the invention of the revolver, and the late Dudley Selden of New York; Christopher, who married successively Eve Marvin, Esther Hunt, and ---- Elliot; and Elisha, married Susanna Bloomer. (See Genealogical Table of the Lee Family, by Rev. W. H. Hill, Albany: Weed, Parsons & Co., Printers.)
* Caulkins' History of New London, p[.] 520.
I, p. 539: Rev. JUSTUS MITCHELL
*The Mitchell family were originally from Scotland, and settled afterward in Yorkshire. Matthew Mitchell, the ancestor of the Mitchells of this county, was born in 1590. He emigrated to America in 1635, and finally settled at Stamford, where he died, 1645. See Cothren's Ancient Woodbury, p. 633.
* Mr. Carter was a native of Leominster, Mass.: born Sept. 7, 1795, graduated at Harvard, settled at Lancaster, and died July 22, 1849.