Davis, Isaac, b.c.1771
John M. McDonald interview — 1849-11-23
Isaac Davis (b.c.1771) recalls a raid led by Loyalist Captain Nathan Frink into Greenwich, Connecticut, that resulted in the capture of a great deal of livestock. Several weeks before this raid, the Refugees had come to Greenwich and captured Gideon Close and Captain Sylvanus Mead. Davis then describes an incident that he witnessed when a man and two yoke of oxen were captured by Refugees near Fort Nonsense in Stamford, Connecticut. He also describes the location of Peck’s Land in Greenwich, and concludes by recollecting the capture of American Colonel Levi Wells at the home of Horton Reynolds in Greenwich.
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Transcription
- Hufeland Index Page 969 -
Novr. 23. Isaac Davis of Horseneck Society, Connecticut, aged 79: “Some time towards the end of the war, Captain Frink at the head of about three hundred Refugees came up the road leading from Horseneck Meeting House by Zaccheus Meads to Round hill, Pecks land and Bedford. They halted at a spot called Clapboard Ridge
- Hufeland Index Page 970 -
where they collected all the horses, cattle, sheep and hogs of the vicinity and drove them down to Morrisania. At Clapboard ridge they had a skirmish with the guard or militia and drove them off. I saw this myself. It must have occurred in July or any rate during the summer season. About six weeks before this happened, a party of about ten Refugees came up to Clapboard ridge where they took off Gideon Close and Captain Sylvanus Mead of the militia with one horse. At both these times the Refugees were all footmen. Not a gun was fired when Mead and Close were captured. Once in July four Refugees came within a few rods of Fort Nonsense when they found a man ploughing in the field with two yoke of oxen. A wood intervened which screened them from observation at the fort. The Refugees took both man and oxen across the fields as far as Peck’s land when they let the man go. I saw this.
- Hufeland Index Page 971 -
We were reaping wheat that day, and the Refugees crossed right through the field of standing grain. Peck’s Land, is east of Byram river, and about two miles west of North Street, and about one and a half or two miles north of Horseneck Meeting House. I remember when Colonel Wells was taken at Horton Reynold’s in North St. nobody was killed, and I know that Colonel Wells went off with one boot on and the other in his hand.”