retreat, which was done with the greatest order, still keeping up our fire for about forty minutes longer, when, on passing a bridge, a large body of them rushed on our front and made them prisoners, while the rest of the enemy, (about five hundred in number,) seized the rear and centre. Some of them were immediately employed in stripping us almost naked, whilst others were tomahawking and scalping my wounded men, some of whom were butchered in my presence. After they had stripped us, and killed as many as they thought proper, we were marched off to the Cedars, the place we were destined to reinforce; which had been given up to them the day before by one Major Butterfield, with near four hundred men, that were ready and willing to fight, together with two field-pieces, and plenty of ammunition. This vile conduct of Major Butterfield was the unhappy cause of my disaster. Being obliged to leave guards on the road as we came from Montreal, with some provisions we had seized, together with some taken sick by the hardships we underwent in getting over the lake, my party was reduced to one hundred men. It is with the greatest pleasure I can say, that I did not see a dejected countenance during the whole conduct. I lost from my small party twenty-eight men killed in action, wounded, killed in cold blood, and carried off by the savages. From the best account I can get, the enemy lost twenty-two killed and wounded, among them a chief of the Seneca tribe, one of the greatest warriors they had. The barbarity with which we were treated by the savages, together with our sufferings for want of provisions and clothes, is beyond anything which can be imagined or described. In this deplorable situation we remained eight days, when we were released by an agreement entered into between General Arnold and Captain Forster, who commanded the King’s troops, about forty in number. I am now on my way to the Congress, by order of General Arnold, to lay before them a state of this unhappy affair.

GOVERNOUR TRUMBULL TO PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.

[Read June 1, 1776.]

Hartford, May 27, 1776.

SIR: On consideration of the advantageous situation and natural provisions and circumstances of the harbour of New-London, to render it a place of safety for the shipping of the Colony, as well as of the Continental fleet, we were induced to set ourselves to fortifying it at Mamacock, Win-throp’s Neck, and on the rock and height on Groton side, places fit for the purpose, and were seeking the cannon necessary. At the time that other help failed, Providence smiled on our endeavours; a supply of cannon and stores was brought into that harbour from New-Providence, by Commodore Hopkins. On receiving your letter of the 17th of April last, enclosing one to the Commodore, after observing the contents, sealing and enclosing it, I transmitted the same to him, and early returned you intelligence of his proceedings relative thereto. In pursuance of the resolve of Congress, I directed twenty-four of the cannon, left at New-London, to be mounted on carriages. This work is accomplished; ten of them are put into their births on Groton rock and height, ready for use; the rest will soon be carried to Mamacock and the places where they are to be used. There are not enough of them yet so as to answer very good purposes, with them that we had before. I thought it my duty and necessary to write to the Commodore concerning the cannon and such other of the stores as are not necessary for the fleet, and were to be landed and left at New-London. To my very great surprise, received for answer the Commodore’s letter of the 21st instant, and an order by Messrs. Hollingsworth and Richardson, to deliver them twenty of the heavy cannon, &c., whereof copies are enclosed. Mr. Huntington, passing through this town from Congress, informed me that the order sent the Commodore by those gentlemen, mentioned twenty of the heaviest cannon he brought from New-Providence to New-London, and had since carried to Newport; and that it was not intended to remove from us any of the cannon left at New-London. An answer is returned by those two gentlemen, with a denial to deliver the cannon on his order, being sensible that the honourable Congress would justify my non-compliance with his order, (not having even a copy of theirs to him,) and that on a candid consideration, he would approve my conduct. I do gratefully acknowledge the goodness of your body in directing me to employ those cannon in the defence of that harbour, and trust the same will not be taken from thence, considering the necessity and the advantage they will be of for the interest and safety of the United Colonies, as well as of this. To secure their fleet, and the navigation of the Sound, are both obvious and important objects.

Colonel Mott, an experienced surveyor and engineer, employed in that service the last war, at St. Johns the last year, and now in erecting the works at New-London, whose skill and integrity may be relied on, hath lately made a map of the harbour, which is enclosed. I flatter myself, on consideration of this harbour, in comparison with others, it will meet the approbation and encouragement of Congress, to be fortified at a general expense.

Your letter, accompanied with commissions for another battalion to be raised in this Colony, for one or two years service, in Continental pay, is received, and now under consideration of our Assembly, and will be forwarded with diligence. Before this, I received letters from General Washington, requesting me to have men in readiness to go to his assistance at New-York when called; and from the Committee of the Assembly of Massachusetts, showing apprehensions of their need of assistance; which were laid before our Assembly, and measures taken for raising some battalions to be in readiness. The proceedings here will be communicated

sitions having been made for that purpose; nor was it certain, considering the difficulty of access to the enemy, that he could have obtained any considerable advantage over them, or if he had, that he could possibly have cut off their retreat.

From a number of persons lately arrived from Canada, the following Account, in addition to what was published in our last, relating to the unfortunate affair at the Cedars, is collected.

That at the small fort called the Cedars, where upwards of four hundred men, under Colonel Bedel, well provided, and having two pieces of cannon, were posted, he received advice that a large body of Canadians, Indians, and some Regulars, the whole under the command of Captain Forster, of the Eighth or King’s Regiment, were on their way to attack the fort. That when they had approached within about seven miles of it, Colonel Bedel, committing the charge of the fort to Major Butterfield, the officer next in command, accompanied by several others, set out for Montreal, or Head-Quarters, to solicit for a reinforcement. That after his departure, the enemy, consisting of about four hundred, approached and invested the fort, which they summoned to surrender, menaced with destruction in case of resistance, and boasted of their ability to take it by storm. That after two days’ inactivity, by which time the enemy had increased their number to about five hundred, Major Butterfield, contrary to the sense of his officers and men, delivered up the fort, surrendering himself and those under his command prisoners of war. That meanwhile, on the representation of Colonel Bedel, Major Sherburne, in order to strengthen the fort, was sent with a detachment of upwards of one hundred men, and was by various accidents retarded in his march till the 20th, when, being about four miles from the fort, and not suspecting it to be in the hands of our enemies, he was fired upon, surrounded on all sides, disarmed, and, after an obstinate engagement of more than an hour and a half, with four to one against him, with all his men made prisoners of war. That upon advice of this double misfortune, General Arnold was detached with about seven or eight hundred men, well provided with cannon, and batteaus for crossing the lake, with his whole body. That the enemy being posted on a point of land at the bottom of a bay, could not have been attacked with a probability of success, without landing at some other point at a distance, and marching round to them; nor in any case was it possible to cut off their retreat. That on the 26th of May, General Arnold, with about five hundred of his men, appeared on the lake, to intimidate the enemy, then amounting to six or seven hundred; but, knowing their situation, had no design to land. That, as he expected, they sent out a flag of truce, and proposed very insolent terms of capitulation, which he rejected with disdain; but being assured by Captain Forster that he had with him only about forty Regulars, and little more than one hundred Canadians, and that the rest were all savages, over whom he had no command, and but little influence; that they being actuated wholly by hopes of plunder, or revenge for some of their countrymen slain in the contest, and having the prisoners all in their power, he could not restrain them; and that the moment General Arnold should begin to attack them, they were determined to murder all the prisoners, and had prepared everything for that purpose,— that compassion to these unhappy victims at last induced him to agree to a suspension of arms for six days, and an equal exchange of prisoners, to be returned without arms, but not to be stripped or abused; and for performance on our part, that four of our Captains should be left as hostages. That accordingly the Captains Sullivan, Bliss, Stephens, and Green, were delivered, when our officers were returned, and the other prisoners, having been much abused, and treated with great barbarity, were left almost starved and entirely naked, on a desolate island, in the middle of the lake; and that the enemy had, in many instances, violated the terms of capitulation, and before the expiration of the six days of suspension, had all dispersed and retired, taking with them the four hostages, to be delivered back on the return of an equal number of prisoners, which was to be within two months. Our prisoners, when brought back, immediately joined the companies to which they belonged.