it missed fire while its muzzle was presented to the breast of a savage. The warrior with his lifted hatchet and a tremendous war whoop, compelled him to surrender, and then bound him to a tree. In the course of the action the parties changed their position, so as to bring this tree directly between them. The balls flew by him incessantly many struck the tree, and some passed through his clothes. The enemy now gained possession of the ground, but being afterwards driven from the field, they carried their prisoner with them. At night he was stripped, and a fire was kindled to roast him alive; but a French officer saved him. The next day he arrived at Ticonderoga, and thence he was carried to Montreal. About the year 1759 he was exchanged through the ingenuity of his fellow prisoner, Colonel Schuyler. When peace took place he returned to his farm. He was ploughing in his field in 1775, when he heard the news of the battle of Lexington. He immediately unyoked his team, left his plough on the spot, and without changing his clothes set off for Cambridge. He soon went back to Connecticut, levied a regiment, and repaired again to the camp. In a little time he was promoted to the rank of major general. In the battle of Bunker's hill he exhibited his usual intrepidity. He directed the men to reserve their fire, till the enemy was very near, reminded them of their skill, and told them to take good aim. They did so, and the execution was terrible. After the retreat, he made a stand at Winter hill, and drove back the enemy under cover of their ships. When the army was organized by General Washington at Cambridge, Putnam was appointed to command the reserve. In August, 1776, he was stationed at Brooklyn, on Long Island. After the defeat of our army on the 27th of that month, he went to New York, and was very serviceable in the city and neighborhood. In October or November, he was sent to Philadelphia, to fortify that city. In January, 1777, he was directed to take post at Princeton, where he continued until spring. At this place a sick prisoner, a captain, requested that a friend in the British army at Brunswick might be sent for to assist him in making his will. Putnam was perplexed. He had but fifty men under his command, and he did not wish to have his weakness known; yet he was unwilling to deny the request. He however sent a flag of truce, and directed the officer to be brought in the night. In the evening, lights were placed in all the college windows, and in every apartment of the vacant houses throughout the town. The officer on his return reported that Gen. Putnam's army could not consist of less than four or five thousand men. In the spring, he was appointed to the command of a separate army in the highlands of New York." One Palmer, a lieutenant in the tory new levies, was detected in the camp: Governor Tryon reclaimed him as a British officer, threatening vengeance if he was not restored. Gen. Putnam wrote the following pithy reply Sir-Nathan Palmer, a lieutenant in your king's service, was taken in my camp as a spy; he was tried as a spy; he was condemned as a spy; and he shall be hanged as a spy. P. S. Afternoon. He is hanged.' At the loss of Fort Montgomery, the commander in chief determined to build another fortification, and he directed Putnam to fix upon the spot. To him belongs the praise of having chosen West Point. The campaign of 1779, which was principally spent in strengthening the works at this place, finished the military career of Putnam. A paralytic affection impaired the activity of his body, and he passed the remainder of his days in retirement, retaining his relish for enjoyment, his love of pleasantry, his strength of memory, and all the faculties of his mind."

ASHFORD.

"THE settlement of the lands granted by the royal charter, was an object constantly kept in view by the legislature, and which they were anxiously engaged to effect. They selected convenient tracts of lands, and laid them out in townships, and gave all proper encouragements to adventurers who were willing to encounter the hardships and dangers of new settlements. As there was a good tract of land lying west of Pomfret, and north of Mansfield, adjoining Crystal Pond, they in 1706, granted a township, six (?) miles square, by the name of Ashford. The settlement of the town, however, did not commence till 1710, when two families moved on to the lands. In about four years, the inhabitants were so increased, that upon their petition, in 1714, the Assembly vest

ed them with the privileges of a distinct town. Their first minister was the Rev. James Hale, ordained Nov. 26th, 1718."

Ashford is bounded N. by Union and Woodstock, E. by Pomfret, w. by Willington, and s. by Hampton, Chaplin and Mansfield. The south part of the town is about 9 miles long, and the west part about 8 in width. The surface of the land is hilly and stony, the soil being hard and gravelly, yet considerably fertile, and well adapted to grazing. There are three societies in the town, Ashford, Westford and Eastford; 8 houses for public worship, 3 for Congregationalists, 4 for Baptists, and 1 for Methodists. Agriculture is the principal business of the inhabitants. There are 3 woolen factories and 1 cotton factory in the town.

The above is a southwestern view of the Congregational church, academy, and the two public houses, in the central part of Ashford. This place is 31 miles from Hartford, 39 from Providence, and 65 from Boston. The ancient Congregational church stood nearly on the spot where the church seen in the engraving is situated.

The following tradition has been handed down from father to son in Ashford it is said to have taken place on this spot, and is illustrative of the manners and customs of ancient times :

"A concourse of people were assembled on the hill in front of the meeting house, to witness the punishment of a man who had been convicted of neglecting to go to meeting on the Sabbath for a period of three months. According to the existing law for such delinquency, the culprit was to be publicly whipped at the post. Just as the whip was about to be applied, a stranger on horseback appeared, rode up to the crowd of spectators, and inquired for what purpose they were assembled. Being informed of the state of the case, the strange gentleman rose upright in his stirrups, and with emphasis addressed the astonished multitude as follows: 'You men of Ashford, serve God as if the D...]

grace

of Goa to men?

was in you! Do you think can whip the you Christ will have none but volunteers.' The people stared, while the speaker, probably not caring to be arraigned for contempt of court, put spurs to his horse, and was soon out of sight; nor was he ever more seen or heard of by the good people of Ashford."

The following, which is descriptive of the scenery, &c, of Ashford, is furnished by a native of the place :

"The traveller, on arriving at Ashford, is greeted by no imposing spectacle. From the distant hill, as he approaches, he sees no ancient towers, nor, as he enters the centre of the old town, does he meet with walled environs and a grated entry. Even in Spartan days, or in feudal times, the virtue and the hospitality which characterize such inhabitants, would have dispensed with walls and bulwarks. The simple view of a meeting house, an academy, two taverns, a cluster of neat dwellings, and surrounding scenery not particularly attractive, leaves no enduring impression upon the mind of the indifferent sojourner, who, after a night's repose, or a well prepared meal, tenders a sincere farewell to his obliging host, and resumes his seat in the post coach. But he who would enjoy the native attractions of the place, must be at leisure, and not wholly disinterested. Some strong tie, like that of consanguinity, should be thrown around him. In fine, he must be a good pedestrian. If he have these prerequisites, he may leave the turnpike and traverse a northern section of the township, where he shall find a region worthy to have been the nursery of the eagle spirit of a KNOWLTON. He shall stroll complacently among the pines which embower the rocky upland, and his eye shall dilate upon the landscape, as viewed from the topmost shelf of the storm-beaten crag. He shall turn from this species of scenery, to another not less enchanting. He shall leave the mountain for the plain, and make his way through the thickly wooded valley, where also wanders the murmuring rivulet, which is destined, ere its waters reach the sea, to bea a navy upon its bosom. Among these solitudes, he may perchance identify the banks and braes' among which, while a stripling, he angled for dace and trout. And here, where the shade of the overspreading beach falls upon the stream, if a corresponding shade of melancholy fall upon his heart, as memory recurs to his early friends and associates, that shade shall be but momentary. For when he shall arrive at the skirt of the wood, he may hear the careless whistle of the industrious farmer, and be cheered by the smile and merry song of his more than Roman daughters."

Col. Thomas Knowlton, who fell in the battle near Haerlem Heights, in September, 1776, was a native of this town. He was an intrepid soldier, a true patriot, and a worthy citizen. He was among the first who rallied around the standard of independence. He distinguished himself at the battle of Bunker Hill. The day after the retreat of the Americans from Long Island, being followed by the enemy, Gen. Washington detached a force under Col. Knowlton to oppose them, who charged them with great intrepidity, gained considerable advantage, and raised the depressed spirits of the army. He fell mortally wounded, at the head of his men, during the heat of the action. Gen. Washington, in his orders the day after he fell, styled him "the gallant and brave Colonel Knowlton, who would have been an honor to any country."

The following inscriptions are from monuments in the yard on the north side of the church represented in the engraving:

ISAIAH, lv. 3.

Memento Mori.-Here lies the remains of ye Rev. Mr. James Hale, the first Pastor of ye Church of Christ in Ashford, and husband of Madam Sarah Hale. He left Earth for Heaven, as we trust, in ye 58th year of his age, November ye 22, 1742.

[On the foot stone.]

Here lies a Friend of Christ and of his People's... ye Rev. Mr. James Hale. Let all that loved the man these lines present, Follow his Faith in Christ and of all sin repent.

The Rev. Enoch Pond, and Mrs. Peggy Pond his wife. Mr. Pond died Aug. 6th, 1807, E. 50. Mrs. Pond died Jan. 24th, 1800, E. 40.-Generous in temper, correct in science, and liberal in sentiment, the Gentleman, the Scholar, and the Minister of the Sanctuary, appeared with advantage in Mr. Pond. The Church and first society in Ashford were favored with his Gospel Ministry 18 years.

In yonder sacred house he spent his breath,
Now silent, senseless, here he lies in death.
Those lips again shall speak, and then declare
A dread AMEN to truths they published there.

Amiable in manners, kind in affection, and devout in Religion, Mrs. Pond enjoyed the friendship and confidence of a numerous acquaintance.

She lived a life of usefulness below,

She lives we trust a life of glory now.

CANTERBURY.

CANTERBURY originally belonged to Windham, afterwards to Plainfield. The General Assembly, in 1703, enacted that the town of Plainfield should be divided, and that the inhabitants on the west side of the river should be a distinct town by the name of Canterbury. "It seems, that the settlement of this tract commenced about the year 1690. The principal settlers from Connecticut, were Major James Fitch and Mr. Solomon Tracy, from Norwich; Mr. Tixhall Ellsworth and Mr. Samuel Ashley, from Hartford; but much the greatest number were from Newtown, Woburn, Dorchester, Barnstable and Medfield, in Massachusetts. Among these were John, Richard, and Joseph Woodward, William, Obadiah, and Joseph Johnson, Josiah and Samuel Cleveland, Elisha Pain, Paul Davenport, and Henry Adams."*

Canterbury is bounded N. by Brooklyn, w. by Windham, E. by Plainfield, and s. by Lisbon and Plainfield. It is eight miles long, and about four and a half broad. The surface of the town is uneven, though it can scarcely be called hilly, and some sections are level. The soil is a gravelly loam, and generally fertile and productive. The town is watered by the Quinnebaug, which is here a large and beautiful stream. It annually overflows its banks, and fertilizes the fine tract of alluvial soil upon its borders. These natural meadows are very fertile, and afford the largest crops, and at the same time are cultivated with the greatest facility. The town is divided into two societies, Canterbury, and Westminster, which embraces the western section of the town. În each society there is a Congregational church: there is also a Baptist church in the north part of the town. There are three cotton factories, two of which are in Packersville, a small manufacturing village, partly in the limits of this town, and partly in the limits of Plainfield, near the eastern bank of the Quinnebaug.

The principal village in Canterbury is pleasantly situated, on elevated ground, about half a mile west of the Quinnebaug. The engraving shows a south view of the Congregational church, the green, and some of the houses in the vicinity; from this spot the ground descends

* Dr. Trumbull.

on every side except to the west. This place is 15 miles from Norwich, 6 south of Brooklyn, 33 from Providence, and 40 from Hartford. On the left of the engraving is seen the house formerly occupied as a school by Miss Prudence Crandall, for colored girls, which at the time it was kept caused considerable excitement in this vicinity.

66

In November, 1831, Miss Crandall, who had gained a high reputation as a female instructress, proposed to some of the leading individuals in Canterbury, to open a boarding school" in their village, for the education of young ladies. Her proposal was very favorably received, and by the patronage of the inhabitants the school was immediately opened, and continued rising in respectability.

In September, 1832, a respectable pious colored girl, a resident in Canterbury, and a member of the Congregational church, wishing to qualify herself to become a teacher among persons of her own color, requested admission into Miss Crandall's school. Miss C. at first hesitated, but at length, on a repetition of the request, urged with more earnestness than before, "she was admitted as one of her pupils." It was, however, soon intimated to Miss C. that unless she removed this scholar, the school would be greatly injured. Miss Crandall, who appears to have been governed in this affair by what she conceived to be her religious duty, in opposition to "public opinion," retained her colored pupil. In her view it appeared unjust and oppressive to expel a worthy scholar, who was guilty of no crime, merely on account of color. According to her view, the precepts of Christianity inculcated the duties of justice and benevolence to all, without respect to persons, and a spirit ready to make sacrifices for the good of others. After consulting with a number of people in different places, who professed to be friends of the improvement and education of colored persons, and also considering the deep prejudices existing against an unfortunate and in