On the morning of the 5th of December, 1782, Brew- -ster espied two British whaleboats off the Norwalk Islands and made for them. The British Captain was Joseph Hoyt, and another whose name might have been Johnson, but I think not. I believe Johnson commanded another whale boat with Hoyt and made his escape. Val. Ryder was with Brewster and killed two negroes in the boat to which he was opposed which then surrendered. Ryder then bore down to assist Brewster and Hoyt surrendered. Hoyt told me that he would have taken Brewster, if
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Ryder had not come up - that he had the advantage of him, and was on the point of capturing his boat, but when Ryder approached he found it necessary to surrender. Almost every man of two hostile boats was wounded. Brewster was badly wounded in the breast. The boats lay side by side, and fought with their breaches of their muskets, with cutlasses, &c. Hoyt and Brewster fought hand to hand, clenched each other &c. They were both very athle- -tic men. After the fight they went into Norwalk. The crews of Brewster's and Hoyt's boats were both very select and powerful men. Ten, and sometimes twelve whale boats went out of Stamford. They didn't all belong there, but made Stamford their Headquarters. Capt. Samuel Hawley, of Bridgeport was sometimes at Stamford with his boat - also the whale boat - Capt. John Scranton of New London, &c.
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