CONNECTICUT. OUTLINE HISTORY. THE precise time when the country now comprising Connecticut was first visited by Europeans, cannot now be ascertained. It is probable, however, it was first visited by the Dutch, soon after they began their settlement at New Amsterdam, now New-York, in 1615. Whether the Dutch at New Netherlands, or the people at New Plymouth, first discovered the river Connecticut, it is not now known. Both the Dutch and English claimed to be the first discoverers, and both purchased and made a settlement of the lands upon it nearly at the same time. In 1633, William Holmes and others of the Plymouth colonists, having prepared the frame and other materials for erecting a house, put them on board a vessel and sailed for Connecticut. When he came into the river, he found that the Dutch had got in before him, proceeded up the river, made a light fort, and planted two pieces of cannon on Dutch Point in Hartford. Although the Dutch threatened to fire upon him, Holmes proceeded up the river, landed on the west side of the Connecticut, near the mouth of the little river in Windsor. Here he erected his house, and fortified it, being it is said the first house erected in Connecticut. In 1635, a number of people from Massachusetts came into Connecticut, and made preparations for settlements at Windsor, Hartford, and Wethersfield. In October of the same year, about sixty men, women and children, came through the wilderness from Massachusetts to Connecticut river, and arrived at the places of their destination on the 9th of November,t after a journey of fourteen days. In November, Mr. John Winthrop, who had a commission from Lord Say and Seal, Lord Brook and others, sent a party of twenty men, in a small vessel of about 30 tons, from Massachusetts, took possession of the mouth of the Connecticut, and thus prevented the Dutch from ascending the river. The first court in Connecticut was holden at Hartford, April 26th, 1636. It consisted of Roger Ludlow, Esq., Mr. John Steel, Mr. Wm. * Connecticut derives its name from the river by which it is intersected, called by the natives Quonektacut; (Hoyt's Indian Wars, &c, p. 37.) This word, according to some, signifies the long river; it has, however been stated by others, that the meaning of the word is, River of Pines, in allusion to the forests of pines that formerly stood on its banks. + Dr. Hawes' Centennial Address, 1835. Swaim, Mr. Wm. Phelps, Mr. Wm. Westwood, and Mr. Andrew Ward. Mr. Ludlow had, in 1631, been chosen lieutenant governor of Massachusetts colony. The Connecticut planters at first settled under the general government of Massachusetts, but they held courts of their own, which consisted of two principal men from each town. On great occasions, these were joined with committees, (as they were called,) consisting of three men from each town. These courts had the power of transacting the common affairs of the colony; they also had the power of making war and peace, and forming alliances with the natives within the colony.* There were three courts held in 1636; the principal business done in them related principally to their military affairs, "as their circumstances were such, that it was judged necessary for every man to be a soldier." The first court was held in Hartford, as has been related; the second was holden at Windsor, June 7th; the third at Wethersfield, on the 1st of September. In the month of June, 1636, Messrs. Hooker and Stone, with their company, came through the wilderness to Hartford. There was at the close of this year, says Dr. Trumbull, about two hundred and fifty men in the three towns on the river, and there were twenty men in the garrison at the entrance of it, under the command of Lieut. Gardiner. The whole consisted, probably, of about 800 persons, or of one hundred and sixty or seventy families. The year 1637 is memorable in the history of Connecticut, on account of the Pequot war and the destruction of that warlike tribe. In the year 1634 a number of Indians, in confederacy with the Pequots, murdered Capt. Stone and Capt. Norton, with the whole of their crew, consisting of eight men, and plundered and sunk the vessel. Captain Stone was from the West Indies, and came into Connecticut river with a view of trading at the Dutch House. In 1636, Capt. Oldham was killed at Block Island, where he went to trade; several of the mur derers fled to the Pequots and were protected by them, and they were therefore considered as the abettors of the murder. The murder of Capt. Oldham induced Massachusetts to send ninety men, under Capt. Endicott, to reduce the Indians on Block Island, and then to demand of the Pequots the murderers of Capt. Stone and his crew, and a thousand fathoms of wampum for damages, and a number of their children as hostages. Capt. Endicott sailed from Boston Aug. 25th, and landed on the island, but the Indians secreted themselves in swamps and other places, where they could not be found. He however destroyed about sixty wigwams, and about 200 acres of corn. The party then sailed to Pequot, now New London harbor, and demanded satisfaction for the murders they had committed. In a few hours, nearly three hundred Pequots collected upon the shore, but after having fully learned the object of the visit they withdrew, and instead of treating with the English, they shot their arrows at them. He landed his men on both sides of the harbor, burnt their wigwams, * Dr. Trumbull. and killed one or two Indians. This expedition gave great dissatisfaction to the Connecticut settlers, as nothing had been done to subdue, but enough to exasperate, a haughty and warlike enemy. The Pequot prince Sassacus and his captains were men of haughty and independent spirits: they had conquered and governed the Indian tribes around them without control. They viewed the English as intruders, and they were determined to extirpate, or drive them from the country. For this purpose they endeavoured to unite the Indians against them: they spared no pains to make peace with the Narragansetts, and to engage them against the English. The governor of Massachusetts, to prevent a union between these tribes, sent for Miantonimoh, their chief sachem, with some other chief men of the nation, who came to Boston, and made a treaty of peace with the English. The Pequots continued hostile during the year 1636, and killed a number of persons in various places, and during a greater part of the winter following kept the fort at Saybrook in a state of siege. When the spring came on, they became still more troublesome. They waylaid the roads and fields, and kept the whole colony in a state of alarm. The settlers could neither hunt, fish or cultivate their fields, but at the peril of their lives, and their prospects were dark and gloomy in the extreme. In this important crisis, a court was summoned at Hartford, on Monday the 1st of May. As they were to deliberate on matters which concerned the very existence of the colony, the towns for the first time sent committees. The magistrates were Roger Ludlow, Esq., Messrs. Wells, Swaim, Steel, Phelps and Ward. The committees were Messrs. Whiting, Webster, Williams, Hull, Chaplin, Talcott, Geffords, Mitchell, and Sherman. The court, considering that the Pequots had killed nearly thirty of the English, determined that offensive war should be immediately carried on against them. For this purpose they voted that 90 men should be raised forthwith; 42 from Hartford, 30 from Windsor, and 18 from Wethersfield. The report of the murders committed by the Pequots, roused the other colonies to spirited exertions against the common enemy. Massachusetts determined to send 200, and Plymouth 40 men, to aid Connecticut in prosecuting the war. Capt. Patrick, with 40 men, was sent forward before the other troops from Massachusetts and Plymouth could be ready to march, in order to make a junction with the soldiers from Connecticut. On Wednesday the 10th of May, 1637, the troops of Connecticut fell down the river to Saybrook, on board a pink, a pinnace, and a shallop. Their force consisted of 90 Englishmen, commanded by Capt. John Mason, and accompanied by the Rev. Mr. Stone as chaplain. They were also accompanied by Uncas, sachem of the Mohegans with about 70 friendly Indians. The troops arrived at Saybrook fort on Monday the 15th. As there was some delay in passing down the river, the Indians desired to be set on shore, promising to join the English at Saybrook. On their way they fell in with about 40 of the enemy, near the fort, killed seven and took one prisoner, whom they put to death in the most barbarous manner. On the 19th of May, Capt. Mason sailed for the Narragansett country, where he arrived the next day. Being joined by 200 Narragansetts, he proceeded to the Pequot country, and on the 26th of May attacked the Pequot fort by surprise. This fort was situated in the present town of Groton. The reader is referred to the history of that town, for an account of the destruction of the fort and the events which followed. The following address to the soldiers who were engaged in the expedition against the Pequots, is generally ascribed to the Rev. Mr. Hooker. Be this as it may, it is a valuable specimen of the eloquence of the times, and worthy of preservation. It is found in the "Wonderworking Providence of Zion's Saviour in New England," printed in London, in 1658: the following is copied from that work, the orthography being retained. The narrator says-" the souldiers arriving in safety at the towne of Hartford, were encouraged by the reverend ministers there with some such speech as followes." "Fellow-souldiers, Country-men, and companions in this wildernesse worke, who are gathered together this day by the inevitable providence of the great Jehovah, not in a tumultuous manner, hurried on by the floating fancy of every high hot-headed braine, whose actions prove abortive, or if any fruit brought forth, it hath beene rape, theft, and murther, things inconsisting with nature's light, then much lesse with a Souldier's valour; but you, my deare hearts, purposely pickt out by the godly grave Fathers of this government, that your prowess may carry on the work, where there justice in her righteous course is obstructed, you need not question your authority to execute those whom God, the righteous judge of all the world, hath condemned for blaspheming his sacred Majesty, and murthering his Servants; every common Souldier among you is now installed a Magistrate; then shew yourselves men of courage: I would not draw low the height of your enemies' hatred against you, and so debase your valour. This you may expect, their swelling pride hath laid the foundation of large conceptions against you and all the people of Christ in this wildernesse, even as wide as Babel's bottome. But, my brave Souldiers, it hath mounted already to the clouds, and therefore it is ripe for confusion; also their crueltie is famously knowne, yet all true bred Souldiers reserve this as a common maxime, cruelty and cowardice are unseparable companions; and in briefe, there is nothing wanting on your enemies' part, that may deprive you of a compleat victory, onely their nimbleness of foot, and the unaccessible swamps and nut tree woods, forth of which your small numbers may intice, and industry compell them. And now to you I put the question, who would not fight in such a cause with an agile spirit, and undaunted boldnesse? Yet if you look for further encouragement, I have it for you; riches and honor are the next to a good cause eyed by every Souldier, to maintain your owne, and spoile your enemies of theirs; although gold and silver be wanting to either of you, yet have you that to maintaine which is farre more precious, the lives, libertyes, and new purchased freedoms, privileges, and immunities of the indeared servants of our Lord Christ Jesus, and of your second selves, even your affectionated bosome mates, together with the chiefe pledges of your love, the comforting contents of harmless pratling and smiling babes; and in a word, all the riches of that goodnesse and mercy that attends the people of God in the injoyment of Christ, in his ordinances, even in this life; and as for honour, David was not to be blamed for enquiring after it, as a due recompence of that true valour the Lord had bestowed on him and now the Lord hath prepared this honour for you, oh you couragious Souldiers of his, to execute vengeance upon the heathen, and correction among the people, to binde their Kings in chaines and Nobles in fetters of Iron, that they may execute upon them the judgments that are written! this honour shall be to all his Saints, but some of you may suppose death's stroke may cut you short of this let every faithful Souldier of Christ Jesus know, that the cause why some of his endeared Servants are taken away by death is a just warre (as this assuredly is) it is not because they should fall short of the honours accompanying such noble designs, but rather because earth's honours are too scant for them, and therefore the everlasting Crown must be set upon their heads forthwith, then march on with a cheerful Christian courage in the strength of the Lord, and the power of his might, who will forthwith inclose your enemies in your hands, make their multitude fall under your warlike weapons, and your feet shall soon be set on their proud necks." |