November 4th Henry Chichester of Old Well. * Captain Uriah Raymond of the militia commanded the Old Well Company that Seth Seymour belonged to. The Coast Guard at Norwalk was commanded by Captain Samuel Keeler, and under him was Daniel Jackson, a lieutenant, who also commanded sometimes. Colonel St. John had the general command, and Keeler was the principal acting man under him. The Coast Guards were State troops, and enlisted for periods of one, two and three months at a time. They were called State guards. Captain Thomas commanded the Sloop that landed Saunders and his party when they captured Colonel St. John. This S. was the Refugee Lieut. Saunders and he might have commanded the party. [See N.B. 3. p. ] I was taken at the Norwalk Islands returning from a whale boat cruise. Captain James Quinbard commanded our boat. Some [margin: It would appear from certain testimony that it was Captain Hubbell who commanded the party that captured St. John. Information received from one Saunders, a loyalist. See p. 109 of original, and p. 108 of copy. J.E.] [page break] tory had probably informed of us, for on passing a narrow passage called Comstock Island Gut, we found a whale boat on each side and both fired mortally wounding one of our crew named Conklin. We then surrendered and were taken to Loyds Neck and to New York, and put on board the old Jersey Prison Ship, from which I afterwards escaped. It was the Sugar House in Liberty St. adjacent to the Mid. Dutch Church where Paulding and I were confined in 1780. He escaped with my assistance. I at his request attracted the attention of the sentry pointing with my father down the street while Paulding climbed up on a pile of boards which just enabled him to reach the fence between the Sugar House and the Church. The Guard House was on the front of the yard on Liberty Street. We were allowed the liberty of this yard. The sentries – two – one on each side – paced the yard from north to south. Paulding [page break] jumped into the Street, or the Dutch church yard and so escaped. Brewsters fight with the Hoyt was off the Norwalk Islands, in the middle of the Sound. Brewsters was an eight oared boat and Ryders a ten oared. Hoyts was eight oared and his partners a five oared. They carried two in addition to the oarsmen – vizt: one at the helm, and one at the bow. Ryder carried a swivel in the bow. I don’t know whether the others carried swivels. Ryder engaged the five oared boat, took her, took out her sails and oars, and bore down to Brewster’s assistance who was about equally matched with Hoyt. They had boarded each other several times and been beaten off. Brewster was wounded and probably would not have taken Hoyt but for Ryder’s help. They clenched each other and fought with the breach of their muskets, bayonets, swords. &c Brewster and Hoyt were bitterly hostile. Ryder came down and fired his swivel at [page break] Hoyt’s boat which killed two of his men and decided the engagement. Brewster had ordered the swivel to be fired when they came near, and called to the bow man to know why he did’nt discharge. It is no – is’nt – my – my right,” said the bowman “and then fired the decisive shot. The bowman had an impediment in his speech and stuttered very much. The whale boats carried three men besides the oarsmen – that is, a helmsman and a bowman. The crews were generally ten or twelve in number. We, with four whale boats attacked three vessels, one large and two smaller. The large one had 25 marines concealed on board, and as we came up fired upon our leading boat and killed or wounded all on board but the helmsman and bowman. Six were killed and wounded.(?) This didn’t deter us, but we went on with the attack, &c – ran the [margin: 3 sec. p. 87. original.] [page break] (brig?) armed vessel on shore, and took the two (sloops?) others into Norwalk. We landed on Long Island, and the militia turned out and attacked; but we got safely in. Ebenezer Jones commanded us – see Mem. Book for 1846.

Novr 5th Isaac Quintard, of Greenwich, aged 84: I was private in a company raised by Jabez Fitch of Horse =neck. These were state troops. Fitch was commissioned by Governor Trumbull as Captain, Joseph Hull of Derby (father of Commodore Hull) as Lieutenant, and Andrew Mead of Horseneck as Ensign. This company was raised in the beginning of 1781, to serve both on land and water.