Once Upon a Time in ConnecticutNewton, Caroline Clifford
History
Once Upon a Time in Connecticut
Newton, Caroline Clifford
Connecticut -- History
Bullet-moulds of the time of the Revolution can be seen now in
historical museums. Some of them are shaped like a large pair of
shears. The work of running the bullets that day in Litchfield
was done by women and girls, for the men were away at the war.
The only man who took part in it, besides the general himself,
was Frederick, his ten-year-old son, and he, many years later,
told how he remembered the event, how a shed was built in the
orchard, how his father chopped up the fragments of the statue
with a wood-axe, how gay the girls were, his two sisters a little
older than himself and their friends, and what fun they all had
over the whole affair. A ladle, said to have been used in pouring
the lead into the moulds, is still kept in the Historical Museum
at Litchfield, and among Governor Wolcott's papers is a
memorandum labeled, "Number of cartridges made."
_Cartridges_
Mrs. Marvin, 6,058
Ruth Marvin, 11,592
Laura, 8,378
Mary Ann, 10,790
Frederick, 936
Mrs. Beach, 1,802
Made by sundry persons, 2,182
Gave Litchfield militia on alarm, 50
Let the Regiment of Colonel Wigglesworth have, 300
------
42,088
Mary Ann and Laura were Frederick's sisters, twelve and fourteen
years old. Some of the bullets made, and which were given to the
"Litchfield militia on alarm," were probably used the next year
to repulse a British invasion of Connecticut, so that it was said
then that "His Majesty's statue was returned to His Majesty's
troops with the compliments of the men of Connecticut."
REFERENCES
1. _Proceedings_ of the New York Historical Society.
October, 1844.
2. _Proceedings_ of the Massachusetts Historical Society.
2d Series, vol. 4.
3. Montresor, Captain John. "Journals." _Collections_ of the
New York Historical Society for the year 1881. Printed by the
Society.
4. Kilbourne, Payne Kenyon. _Sketches and Chronicles of the
Town of Litchfield, Conn_. Case, Lockwood & Co. Hartford,
1859.
5. _Wokott Memorial_.
NEWGATE PRISON
"Attend all ye villains that live in the state,
Consider the walls that encircle Newgate."
Newgate is the name of a famous prison in London. It is called
"Newgate" because it was first built, centuries ago, over a new
gate in the wall of the city. Later, when these rooms over the
gate became too crowded, a larger prison was built near by and
called by the same name.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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