Previously to their march, they fired several houses situated upon the most elevated ground about the village, for the purpose, as was supposed, of giving the fleet a signal of their locality. No material oppo-sition was made for several hours and they approached Wil-ton without molestation. About a quarter of a mile north from where the Congregational church has since been erected, they wheeled to the left and leaving the Ridgefield road, crossed the fields until they reached a smooth piece of ele-vated ground near the Norwalk and Danbury road; about half a mile north of the place where St. Matthew's church now stands. Here they halted and took breakfast. At about nine o'clock in the forenoon, they resumed their retreat along the highway, last mentioned. When the royal forces drew near the bridge that crosses the west branch of Norwalk river, they entered a house

114 THE MCDONALD PAPERS

that contained a great quantity of merchandise, which they began to destroy. Being informed by Mrs. Belden the wife of the proprietor, that these goods were the private property of a person then absent from home they at once desisted. Near by, stood a large barn which contained military stores, such as tents, field forges, and chests of arms and ammuni-tion. These they immediately set on fire. One of their flank guards, scoured some contiguous fields and woods on the west and found a great quantity of rum and other articles belonging to Congress. These they proceeded to destroy with all possible dispatch, as they were now annoyed, and fired upon by small parties of the pursuing militia which con-tinued to harass them in flank or rear, during the residue of the retreat. At Lambert House, nine miles from Ridgefield, they took the road to Saugatuck. While traversing the eastern part of Wilton, as they were engaged in destroying some provisions belonging to the public, they were attacked by Colonel Hunt-ington.