Jacob Perkins, Simeon Tracy, Jr., Benjamin Huntington, Elisha Lathrop, Christopher Leffingwell, Samuel Tracy, Rufus Lathrop, Nehemiah Huntington, Nathaniel Backus, Daniel Bishop, Wm. Witter, Benjamin Coit, Sam'l. Mott, Robert Crary, John Tyler, Joseph Dennison, John Williams, Charles Phelps, Paul Wheeler, Nathaniel Miner, Stephen Babcock, Joseph Palmer, Luke Perkins, Wm. Williams, Nathan Smith, Benadam Gallop, William Avery, Robert Geer, Ebenezer Ledyard, Thomas Mumford, Wm. Morgan, Benjamin Lee, John Lay, 2d, Samuel Ely, Samuel Holden Parsons, Eleazer Mather Noyes, Hezekiah Whittlesey, John Shipman, Justus Buck, Benjamin Williams, Wm. Worthington, Elnathan Stephens, Aaron Elliott, John Pierson, Theophilus Morgan, David Avery, Ezra Selden, Samuel Leffingwell, Jr., Richard Wait, Samuel Field, and Roger Strong, Esq'rs.

Justices for the County of Fairfield. John Brooks, Daniel Judson, Ichabod Lewiss, David Wilcoxson, Daniel Fairchild, James Walker, Philip Nichols, Samuel Odell, Ebenezer Silliman, Gold S. Silliman, Nathan Bulkley, Jonathan Sturgess, Samuel Bradley, Ebenezer Banks, Abraham Andrews, David Cooley, Samuel Wakeman, Thomas Belding, Thomas Fitch, Samuel Fitch, Elias Betts, Theophilus Fitch, Thomas Youngs, Charles Webb, David Waterbury, Jr., Benjamin Weed, Messenger Palmer, Peter Mead, John Mead, Amos Mead, Samuel Olmsted, Philip Burr Bradley, Daniel Cooley, Thomas Benedict, Samuel Taylor, Daniel Taylor, Thaddeus Benedict, Ephraim Hubbell, Thomas Brush, Nehemiah Beardslee, Alexander Stewart, Zechariah Towner, Richard Fairman, John Chandler, John Read, Lemuel Sanford, Jr., David Wood of Greenwich, Joseph Bradley of Fairfield, and Wm. Hawley of Redding, Esq'rs.

Justices for the County of Windham. Samuel Gray, Jedediah Elderkin, Nathaniel Wales, Jr., Jacob Simons, Hezekiah Manning, Ebenezer Devotion, Benajah Bill, John Clark, Joseph Storrs, John Salter, Elijah Dyer, E. Adams, Elijah Wheaton, Benjamin Sumner, Nathaniel Child, Samuel Child, Jr., Jedediah Morse, Charles Church Chandler, John Grosvenor, Thomas Williams, Samuel Craft, Nathan Frink, Isaac Coit, James Bradford, Jacob Dresser, Thomas Moffatt, Bryant Brown, Wm. Danielson, Thomas Strong, Ephraim Root, Abraham Burnap, Jeremiah Keeney, Robert Dixon, Samuel Stewart, Abner Sessions, and Solomon Wales, Esq'rs.

Justices for the County of Litchfield. Jacob Woodruff, Isaac Baldwin, David Welch, Reuben Smith, Andrew Adams, Daniel Everit, Benjamin Hinman, Gideon Walker, Thomas Warner, Joseph Pierce, Paul Welch, Samuel Bostwick, Samuel Canfield, Joseph Ruggles, William Cogswell, John Ransom, Daniel Lee, Nathaniel Eliott, Ephraim Hubbell, Jr., Daniel Griswold, John Canfield, Joseph Lord, James Landon, John Hutchinson, Charles Burrall, Elisha Baker, Samuel Forbes, Thomas Russell, Heman Swift, Thomas Porter, Samuel Nash, Ebenezer Norton, John Cook, Epaphras Sheldon, Abijah Catlin, Daniel Catlin, Matthew Gillett, Zebulon Merrell, Michael Humphrey, Giles Pettibone, Nehemiah Andrews, Zebulon Butler, Nathaniel Dennison, Silas Park, Edward Hinman, John Vensent, Wm. Judd, and Bezaleel Tyler, Esq'rs.

Joseph Sherman, Esq. of *Westmoreland, was appointed a Judge of Probate, and a Justice of the Peace for the county of Litchfield.

The capture of Ticonderoga,†t one of the most brilliant exploits of the revolutionary war, was a Connecticut measure.

The

Westmoreland (in the State of Pennsylvania, in 1775) belonged to Connecticut, and constituted a part of Litchfield county, and was represented in the General Assembly of this colony, by Capt. Zebulon Butler, and Maj. Ezekiel Pierce, whose names are favorably known in the history of Wyoming.

t In the spring of 1775, a project to capture the British Fort, at Ticonderoga, was concerted in Connecticut. Several gentlemen proceeded from Connecticut to Vermont for that purpose; among whom was Capt. Noah Phelps, of Simsbury: He was selected to proceed to the fort, examine its situation and condition, and make report to his associates. He proceeded from the southern part of Lake Champlain in a boat, and stopped for the night at a tavern near the fort. The officers of the garrison occupied a room, adjoining that in which he slept, for a supper party, and as usual on such occasions protracted their entertainment to a very late hour. They spoke of the commotion in the colonies and the condition of their fort. Very early in the morning, Capt. Phelps gained admission into the fort for the purpose of being shaved. While retiring through it, the commandant walked with him, and conversed about the rebels, their movements and their object. Capt. Phelps seeing a portion of the wall of the fort in a dilapidated condition, remarked that it would afford but a feeble defence against the rebels if they should attack it. The commandant replied, yes, but that is not our greatest misfortune, for all our powder is damaged, and before we can use it, we are obliged to sift and dry it. He left the fort, and soon after proceeded to the lake shore and employed a boatman to transport him in a small boat down the lake. He entered the boat in plain view from the fort and under her guns. He had not proceeded a great distance before he urged the boatman to

projectors of this expedition, were, as has already been stated, several patriotic members of the General Assembly, convened at Hartford, in April, 1775. They obtained the funds from the Colony treasury as a loan, for which their individual receipts, with security, was given. The committee appointed by the originators of the expedition, collected sixteen men in Connecticut, and

exert himself and terminate the voyage as soon as possible. The boatman requested Capt. Phelps to take an oar and assist-this was declined, being in full view of the fort, by replying that he was not a boatman. After rounding a point of land, projecting into the lake and intercepting the view from the fort he proposed taking the oar, and did so. Being a strong and active inan, he excited the surprise of the boatman by the velocity of the boat, who with an oath, replied you have seen a boat before now, sir. This circumstance, at the time, excited the boatman's suspicion that his passenger was not a loyal subject, but fear of superior strength prevented an attempt to carry him back to the fort, as he told Capt. Phelps after the surrender. Capt. Phelps reached his place of destination, met his associates, and told them what he had discovered. The next morning, May 10th, 1775, the fort, upon demand made by Col. Allen, by authority of "the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress" was surrendered. The cannon, small arms and ball contained in it, rendered this achievement more important in the success of the revolutionary war than posterity can appreciate.

After the fort was surrendered to Ethan Allen and his company, of about eighty-three armed men, who had proceeded on the expedition without any authority from Connecticut, who had taken the aforesaid measure so effectually to surprise them, that little or no resistance was made. One corner of the fort having fallen down, and all their powder being wet and unfit for use, the officers and soldiers were obliged to surrender to Col. Allen and his company, having also been overpowered by a superior force. After they were disarmed, they were ordered immediately to be sent to Hartford, in the colony of Connecticut, where they were detained as prisoners of war, consisting of forty-seven private soldiers of his majesty's troops, together with Gov. Skeen, Maj. Skeen, (his son,) Maj. French, Capt. Delaplace, &c., besides women, children and several servants. After the arrival of said prisoners at Hartford, on the 24th of May, 1775, Capt. Wm. Delaplace, commandant of the fort of Ticonderoga, (one of said prisoners,) brought his petition to the Assembly of this State, in which he stated that on the morning of the 10th of May, 1775, the garrison of the fortress of Ticonderoga had been surprised as aforesaid; and stated that neither the officers or soldiers held by this colony had been guilty of any crime, and enquired, why they should be taken and held as prisoners, by Col. Allen and his company; and enquired by what authority he had acted; and asked the protection of said Assembly, and wished to be set at liberty, that they might return to the post from whence they had been taken, and join the 26th regiment to which they belonged-or wished to be informed in what light they were to be regarded, as prisoners of war or not-and if as prisoners, by whom detained, &c. The Legislature had no particular action upon the petition of Capt. Delaplace,

proceeded to Berkshire county, Mass., where they obtained the aid of some influential citizens, and forty or fifty volunteers were added to their small force. The expedition then advanced to Bennington, Vt., where it was joined by Ethan Allen, Seth Warner, and nearly one hundred volunteers. The little army, consisting of about one hundred and fifty men, thus raised,

but continued to hold them as prisoners of war. Gov. Skeen, Maj. Skeen, and Maj. French, were taken from Hartford to West Hartford, on an order of the Assembly, for their better security-they boarded in the family of widow Hooker in West Hartford about a year, at their own expense. Gov. Skeen had his family with him. They were often insulted by our inhabittants as enemies of the colony, and narrowly escaped tar and feathers by his neighbors at West Hartford, for his insults offered the inhabitants. In May, 1775, the General Assembly directed the committee of the pay table, to give orders on the Treasurer of this colony for the payment of all persons who had actually expended moneys, or given their written obligations therefor, or for personal service in obtaining possession of Ticonderoga and Crown Point; also for men and provisions used in taking and securing said fortresses, by any inhabitants of this colony, or others employed by them for that purpose. Two years after, viz. in May, 1777, Samuel Holden Parsons, Esq., informed by his memorial to the General Assembly of this State, that in April, 1775, himself, together with Col. Samuel Wyllys, Silas Dean, Esq., and others, did undertake surprising and seizing the enemy's fort at Ticonderoga, without the knowledge of said Assem. bly, and for that purpose took a quantity of money from the Treasury, and gave their notes and receipts for said money, all which had been expended in said service; and prayed the Assembly to cancel said notes and receipts so given to the Treasurer, which amounted to the sum of £810. The persons who signed said notes, &c., were said Parsons, Dean, Wyllys, Samuel Bishop, Jr., William Williams, Thomas Mumford, Adam Babcock, Joshua Porter, Jesse Root, Ezekiel Williams, and Charles Webb; which sum was directed to be charged over to the General Government.

At this early period of the war, (May 11, 1776) the Americans were jealous and alarmed at the rustling of every leaf, and watchful of every movement. At this time it was the custom of the blacks, as it had been for years previous, and continued to be, some time after the war closed, for the negroes in Connecticut, in imitation of their masters, to elect a negro for their Governor, who by them, was uniformly treated with great attention, and by their respect for him, he never failed to get his title of Governor when addressed by his colored brethren. Cuff was at this time their Governor, and had held the office for ten years, and on the 11th day of May, aforesaid, he resigned his office to John Anderson, a negro servant of Gov. Skeen, which resignation and appointment were in the words and figures following, viz.:

"Hartford, 11th May, 1776.

"I Governor Cuff of the Niegro's in the province of Connecticut, do Resign my Govermentshipe, to John Anderson Niegor Man to Governor Skene.

marched to Castleton, where a military organization took place and Ethan Allen, a native of Connecticut, was appointed commander, James Easton, of Berkshire, second, and Seth Warner, an officer from Connecticut, third in command. After detaching a small force to take possession of Skeensborough, the remainder marched directly to a point opposite to Ticonderoga,

"And I hope that you will obeye him as you have Done me for this ten year's past, when Colonel Willis' Niegor Dayed I was the next. But being weak and unfit for that office do Resine the said Governmentshipe to John Anderson. "I: John Anderson having the Honour to be apointed Governor over you I will do my utmost endevere to serve you in Every Respect, and I hope you will obey me accordingly.

JOHN ANDERSON Governor

over the Niegors in Connecticut.

Witnesses present,

The late Governor Cuff, Hartford,
Quackow,

Petter Wadsworth,

Titows,

Pomp Willis,

John Jones,

Fraday."

May, 1776. At this appointment the citizens of Hartford became alarmed Gov. Skeen was at once suspected of being concerned in his negro's election with some design upon the citizens of the State. Therefore the Governor and Council of the colony, convened at Hartford, took the subject intò solomn consideration, and appointed a committee to investigate the subject, of which Jesse Root, Esq, was chairman; the committee took with them a constable and immediately repaired to Gov. Skeen's lodgings, found his door locked, and the governor absent. One of the committee remained to guard his room while the others proceeded after him, and found him returning home, and brought him before the committee, and on enquiry whether he had carried on any correspondence with our enemies; he answered he had sacredly kept his engagements in his parole, and had no papers but his own private papers, and offered his keys to the committee to examine his papers. He was asked if he had any previous knowledge of the negroes electing his servant governor of the negroes, or had any hand in effecting said election-which he denied, except a few words that passed between a Mr. Williams and his negro, which he supposed was mere sport, and had no hand in bringing it to pass directly or indirectly. He was enquired of, if he gave his negro money to make a feast for the negroes-he answered that he gave him a half-joe to keep election, but that he knew nothing of the treat at Knox's; that on Friday, he heard his negro was chosen governor, and was fearful it might excite jealousy, and even avoided speaking to him to avoid suspicion, and declared upon his honor, he had no papers about him.

The committee then proceeded to examine the negro governor, who stated