246 590 111. 101 [margin: PARIS] November 5. Thaddeus Bell, of Darien, aged 89. "I was taken off from Middlesex Church by Captain Frost and confined in the Provost (New Jail) for four or five months. Frost landed on the Point on the east side of the Scotch Cove, and so marched up through the woods, lying concealed in a swamp about fifty rods from the church till afternoon, when they captured and took us through the woods down to an island where the two vessels that landed them were waiting near at hand. The island or two islands lie south of the point which is east a little of Scotch Cove. The Cove is half a mile wide measuring from the point to Long Neck which lies on the west side of it. The inner island consists of mostly of a clump of rocks covered at high tide by the water except the rocks themselves. The outer

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249 591 112 102 [margin: LOUIES] outer island was the larger consisting of meadows, and dry at all times. The islands are south of the Point, and the outer south of the inner island. They took us immediately to the outer island - part of the Refugees remaining at the inner island to defend the party. They took the horses close to the outer island. Our folks assembled in the afternoon under Major Davenport when the sun was about two hours high and attacked the Refugees who at one time left the inner island in consequence of the briskness of the attack, but soon returned rallying the men and manning the Isle of Rocks again. They fired upon Davenport from behind the rocks and sand bank and kept him off. Davenport thought it best to wait for some reinforcements on the way, and soon after the two armed vessels, a brig and a sloop got far enough up to fire when their guns commanded

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250 592 113. 103 [margin: PARIS] the bar between the island and the main, and no further attack could be made. Captain Frost was originally a Danbury man but married at Darien where he had relatives settled, before he married. He returned after the war on a visit, but left in haste hearing they were going to tar and feather him. He was a shoemaker. Joseph Hoyt, the Refugee who fought with Captain Hoyt, was son of Colonel Joseph Hoyt of Stamford, a Colonel in the Revolutionary war, and a Captain in the old French war. Captain Charles Thomas was said to have been from New Haven, and a hard, rough, man. I saw Brom. Barrett hanged at Titus's Bridge upon an apple tree on the side hill. He had been a cow boy and placed in custody of a guard, but Fade Donaldson and others overpower

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253 593 114 104 [margin: LOUIES] the guard who resisted them, knocked a man down who wanted to preserve Barrett's life and hanged him. His feet just touched the ground, and Donaldson then pulled him down and killed him. Colonel Mead took up all concerned in the murder (Fade Donaldson and his sons and others), except Lockwood; but Lockwood and others interfered and they were set at liberty. One Charles McKenzie was with the British, but got offended about a vessel he had taken which was given up to the owners. He then came to Stamford and white was in the Whale boat service on the American side. He was a very resolute man. I was with him one cruise. Brewster and Hoyt clenched each other, and Brewster wrenched Hoyt's sword out of his hand. He was as surly as a bull after he was taken.

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254 594 115. 105 [margin: PARIS] Raymond Silleck was from Long Neck in Middlesex and went to the British, but returned, and after remaining about here, considering his youth, both overlooked his flight to the enemy, but some months afterwards he went to the British again. He was soon after with a party of Refugees that took a small vessel at the eastward, and put the Refugees Silleck and White Raymond on board the prize to take her into Long Island, having on board one Talcott who was part owner. Raymond and Silleck went below to see what was on board, &c. Talcott drew out the tiller and attempted to close the hatch way upon them. They resisted. He offered quarters and liberty if they would let the hatchway be closed till he got into Connecticut. They refused and in attempting to force their way up, Talcott knocked Raymond down and killed Silleck. Raymond afterwards went to Nova Scotia.

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257 595 116 106 [margin: PARIS] It was Gorham's Mills not Sillecks where the guard was surprised. A party landed and crept up behind a barn yard wall. The American guard of ten or twelve men were sitting down upon some logs - some playing cards, others not. The Refugees fired and killed two. Zaccheus Hoyt and William Trancher. They landed in the west side of Scotch Cove, having crossed over in whale boats. One John Mills was one of the Refugees, but, I think, was not the Commander. The Refugees landed at a spot near where the house of Mills' father stood. The Americans next day found this spot from the marks in the sand, and Captain Nathaniel Slosson the Commander of the Coast guard told old Mills he would give him that day to remove the house, and if he did not in that time he, Slosson, would do it for him. On the 2d of August, 1781, Major Hubbell landed on the point of Photon Neck

117. 107 (east of Rhetan river) marched north and east two or three miles and collected cattle. Lieut. Nathan Rowe of the Coast guard waylaid them on their return at the school house on the Turnpike road. The school house now stands in the same place it did then. Howe took post on the South side of the Post road and just on the east side of the road leading to the point where the Refugees were going.

He had little time to form for the Refugees were coming. He engaged the advanced party returning from above with cattle, &c. Hubbell then came down, also returning from above, and marching in rear of the advance guard for the east. He instantly took post on the American right behind a stone wall which ran north and south, and so raked the Americans killing two, and wounding several of the Americans. If Howe had posted his party on the west side of the road leading to the

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597 261 118 108 Point (where the Refugees were going) it was generally thought afterwards that he would probably have turned the cattle. Howe was a good officer, and was overpowered by numbers. The Refugees were most numerous. The spot where this happened is about three quarters of a mile east of Roton river.

The British landed once at Raymonds Point in 1781, on the east side of Five Mile River and collected cattle &c. They got the cattle on board, but while they were getting up the sever anchor and getting under sail, the Americans had collected and fired from the shore killing eight of the enemy. I was told of this by an English = man while I was in prison at New York. This English man was with the Refugees in voluntarily having come to [Loyds Neck] to claim claim his vessel, just as they were sailing with her on a cruise.

Jesse Bell was Howe's Captain in the coast guard service. He was Captain of the

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262 598 119. 109. Coast Guard in Stamford for many years. Bell or Howe must have generally commanded in their vicinity against the Refugees who landed.

On the 27th of April, 1781, Captain Hubbell and others landed on the west side of Norwalk Harbour, near or at Raymond's or Belden's Neck, and marched up through the woods to the house of one Saunders, a loyalist. Here they got the information they wanted. One of the parties had lived in Col. St. John's house, and knew a door that was not closed at night, so that they got into Col. St. John's bed room without any alarm, and took him, his son, Isaac, Isaac, the father of Benjamin and Charles. [margin: See page 119. P. 26 of original for another version of St. John's capture. JB.]

De Lancey's horse once came within a mile of Stamford village. This was the furthest east they ever were, I believe.

At the time of the Danbury expedition I belonged to Captain Jesse Bell's Coast guards and marched to Ridgefield where on the of April we were posted north of Stebbins

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599 265 120 70 house where the old road turned to go to Danbury (or Reading?). We were posted to take the British in flank, as they came down the Ridgebury road. We were behind the fence, and eight or ten rods north of Stebbins' barn. The Danbury road then after passing Stebbins's house went down a hill and then turned north east. The British advanced with music which we heard a long time before they reached us. When they saw us they fired, but fired too high. This was musketry.

The next day I was at Saugatuck and passed over the Bridge. We attacked the north end of Compo hill, displaying as we advanced. Major Bradley at Stratford, one of General Wooster's aids was along side of us on horse back. We attempted to take the hill, but they fired with cannon and prevented us. A good many of our bucks were killed and [margin: Compo.] wounded at Compo. Genl. Arnold, I believe

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266 600 121 # was on the west side of Compo. Our artillery was on a ridge, but the valley west of Compo and Saugatuck Creek, and fired constantly.

As we passed Saugatuck Bridge, the British fired their field pieces at us from the opposite hill, but the shot mostly passed over us.

In the Middlesex affair they landed some men from the armed vessels to help Frost off. – Smith from New Canaan.