So worn down and exhausted had the people become with constant service, that the authorities of the town had the greatest difficulty in filling the required quota from this date till the close of the war. Large bounties were offered for recruits, and heavy taxes laid to pay the expenses thus incurred. This will be seen by the following town action :

"At A Meeting of the Inhabitants of the Town of Woodbury, June the 26th, 1780.

"Daniel Sherman Esqr was Chosen Moderator for this Meeting.

"Voated, that Each Able Bodyed Effective Man, Who shall Inlist into the Continental Army for three years shall Receive as A Bounty from this Town over and above the States' Bounty £45 Lawful Money in silver at 6/8 p ounce, or Currency Equivilent, to be paid on his Inlistment & being Mustered into service the sum of £20: and on the Commencement of the second year £15: more, and on the Commencement of ye 3d year the other £10: provided he Continues in the serviss. And such Able Bodyd Men Who shall Inlist During the War shall Receive the same Bounty, and Also £15: on the Commencement of the 4th year, Provided they Continue in the service, provided also that such Inlisted Soldiers shall be accounted a part of the Quoto of this town; Providd they be not Inlisted to the 20/ P Month heretofore Granted to Soldiers in this Town, the Comition Officers of Each Military Company for the time being are Appointed a Committee for the time being."

To meet the payment of these large bounties, a tax of four pence on the pound was laid on the property of the inhabitants. In November, a tax of two pence on the pound was laid for the same purpose, and the selectmen were made a committee to "find out the Defitionces in the Continental Army, and make report to the next meeting." In December, Aaron Hinman, William Preston, Sheldon Clark, Capt. Elijah Hinman, Lieut. Samuel Curtiss, and Capt. David Leavenworth were chosen a committee to hire soldiers. On the fifteenth of January following, fifteen others were appointed a committee to assist the former committee in the performance of their duties.

The army this year were again in the greatest want of the necessaries of life, clothing in particular. In this emergency, Woodbury "Sent to the Connecticut Line by Mr. Hubbard, Nov 7th 1780, 1788 p' stockings, 1582 pr Woolen Overalls, 379 Shirts, 570 vests, 1937 p' of Shoes, and 650 Blankets." This was a pretty liberal amount to be sent by one exhausted town.

In August, 1780, Washington conceived the plan of taking New York from the enemy, and consequently desired a force that would not be constantly leaving him by the expiration of the time of their enlistment. He therefore suggested to his general officers the policy of enlisting" volunteers till New York should be taken." General

Parsons communicated the plan to the captains under his command, in the following letter:

"Sir

"His Excellency General Washington informs me, that in Case the States furnish their Quota of Money and Supplies, he designs New York for the object of his Operations this Campaign, and desires me to Encourage Volunteer Companies to Inlist on the following Terms, viz. That they sign their Names to A written Ingagement to abide with the Army, subject to the Orders & Regulations by which they are Governd untill the City of New York is taken, or the seige Raisd, unless they are sooner dischargd, and that the persons thus Ingaging hold themselves in Readiness to march whenever the General calls for them; for the express purpose of attacking New York, & for no other purpose. Every 56 Rank & File are entitled to have 1 Capt, 1 Lt, & 1 Ensign, & 3 Serjeants, to be Elected by themselves, and so in proportion for a less number. Under these Circumstances I have to request you to Confer with the Gentlemen in your Vicinity, & Endeavour to procure A Company to be engagd for this purpose. I would thank you to acquaint me as soon as you can of your pros pects in this Matter. Pay and Rations Commence from the Time of their taking the Field 21st August, 1780.

"I am, Sir, yr obedt Servt

"To Capt. David Leavenworth and Capt. Jona Brown.

Sam H. Parsons.

"We whose Names are hereunto Subscribed do Voluntarily Inlist & Engage ourselves to serve in A Company of Volunteers to be raisd in pursuance of his Excellency General Washington's Requisition to General Parsons, and to abide by and Conform ourselves in every respect agreeable to the within Mentiond plan exhibited for this purpose.

"Adam Hurlbut, Lovewell Hurd, John C. Case, Ezra Lacey, Moses Hurd, Aaron Hall, David Leavenworth, Edward Lake, Wm. Torrance, Samuel Hurd, Ebenezer Lacey, Abijah Brunson, Issacher Norton, John Mallory, Eben Thomas, Curtis Hurd, David Booth, John Baker, Thomas Torrance, George Norton, Nathan Rumsey, Eldad Baker."

Scarcely any thing could show the indomitable spirit of the people better than this inlistment out of a single company, under the circumstances in which it was made. It was but a few days previous, that Col. Moseley had been ordered by Gen. Parsons to make a very heavy detachment, as will appear by Col. Moseley's letter to the general:

66 Hond Sir

"Woodbury August 26th, 1750.

"I Received your Orders of the 20th. Instant, & have given out Orders accordingly; with directions to the Detaching-Officers to deliver their draughted Men, to such Officer & Lieut. Col. Wells should appoint to receive them; at Col. Canfield's in New Milford on the 25th. Instant; and have Wrote to Col. Wells, Informing him of the time & place. This draught compleats 440 Men that

have been call'd for from this Regt, since May last-The last Return of men fit for duty under fifty years of Age could not exceed 450--There has been a considerable number who have mov'd away since last Return; so that some of the Officers say that they can not find Enough to compleat their Details without taking such as have been out the last two Months: but I hope they will make out some how. Capt. Hine of New Milford inform'd me to day, that there is a difficulty attends getting the Men in that Town: which is, that in Consequence of an Order or Recommendation, sent by Genl. Parsons to the Minister of that Town, to raise a Company of Volunteers, a great part of the Men there, have Inlisted for that purpose; & have proceeded so far as to Nominate their Capt. &c. in full expectation of soon compleating a full Company in that Quarter: and that the Officers there could not make the last draught without taking the Men out of those Inlisted Volunteers; which they apprehend would frustrate the whole plan of raising such a Company; It being a favourite plan among them, which they are Zealously pursuing; they desired Capt. Hine to come to me & see if they could not be indulged the favour not to make the draught. I told Capt. Hine, that I was much in favour of having Volunteer Companies; but as our Minister had not yet Received any orders on that subject, I was unacquainted with the General Plan; therefore could not relinquish any part of the draughting Orders; but told him I would Represent the matter to your Hon. and if any allowance could be made on account of Volunteers, you would doubtless grant it. I understand that similar Orders are sent to the Ministers of Kent & Litchfield; and that it Originated from a Requisition from his Excelly Genl. Washington for that purpose: but have seen nothing of the kind in this Town and Hardly know what to depend on about it.

"I am &c.

"I. Moseley."

By this letter it can be seen, in a vivid light, how much the regiment had become reduced in point of numbers, more than two years before the close of the war.

1781. In May of this year, the Assembly, upon the representation of Gen. Washington, that there was a pressing necessity of having fifteen hundred men ready to march on the shortest notice, to be held in service three months after joining the army, and also of raising a number of men equal to one-sixth part of this state's quota in the continental army, to supply deficiencies which had taken place from the various casualties incident to an army, resolved to raise by voluntary inlistment, 2,100 men, by the 1st of July following, and if the number was not filled by that time, to complete it by peremptory detachment from those towns which had not raised their full quota of The larger part of the men raised in this regiment was sent to Horseneck. In the early part of January, a committee of seventeen were appointed to hire soldiers for that post. In July, another town meeting was held, in which it was voted,

men.

"That the 18 Men to fill up our Quota of the Continental Army & Likewise

the 11 Men for the State Guards at Horse Neck be hird by a Committee as heretofore for that Purpose.".

The committee was appointed, and the desired number raised. In February, it had been voted, to give the State bounty of £30 given to the several towns for each recruit furnished, to each soldier who should enlist and muster into service. This vote materially lightened the labor of procuring enlistments. This will be seen from the fact, that twenty-two were obtained from one company, Capt. Thaddeus Hurd's. The quota for this year was one hundred and six. The number in service in May was eighty-one, and consequently the deficiency was twenty-five. These were hired by the committee appointed for that purpose.

During this year, the French army under Gen. La Fayette, passed through this town on their journey south to join Gen. Washington, in his operations against Cornwallis. This was a pretty direct route from Boston, and it was the general's design to keep at a safe distance from the coasts. They came through White Deer rocks, where they were obliged to cut away trees, and remove stones, in order to transport their heavy baggage through the defile. The army encamped for the night in town, in such companies as suited their convenience, and when they had pitched their tents, they extended all the way from Middle Quarter to White Oak, a distance of nearly three miles. That part which encamped near the house then occupied by David Sherman, and since by the late Gideon Sherman, eat for him, with his consent, twelve bushels of apples, as is related, and drank seven or eight barrels of new cider at his mill. During the evening they had a dance in which some of the Woodbury damsels joined with the polite French officers, in their gay uniforms, while others looked on. Multitudes of the inhabitants pressed about the tents of those patriotic foreigners, who had come so far to fight the battle of freedom for a suffering people, and destined to act so distinguished a part in bringing the long and bloody contest to a close. La Fayette, with his chief officers, lodged at the house of Hon. Dan iel Sherman, and was waited on by all the principal men of the town. The late Mr. Ashbel Moody, and two or three other aged people, who recollected the scene, gave the writer a vivid description of the incidents of the occasion. Fired anew with martial courage by the fine display of the French troops, a considerable number of soldiers volunteered on the spot, and marched with them on the following morning. Among these were Capt. Joseph Walker, Lieut. Nathan Beers, Lieut. John Sherman, Ebenezer Hicock, Wait Hurlbut, and

Enoch Sperry. After the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, the army passed through town again on their return to take ship for their homes. The soldiers encamped on Breakneck Hill in Middlebury, about a mile north of the meeting-house. it derives its name from the circumstance of one of the cattle falling and breaking its neck in descending the hill, while employed in transporting the baggage of the troops. La Fayette and some of his officers lodged in a tavern, in a valley eastward, then kept by Mr. Isaac Bronson. A new house has since been erected on its site by a grandson of the former owner. 1782. The campaign opened early this year, and a meeting of the town was held, Feb. 25th, at which it was

"Voted that the 16 Classes that are already fixed hire, each of said Classes hire one Man to serve in the State Guard, & three soldiers be raised by the Town to Serve in sd State Guard."

The burdens of the war fell very heavily on Connecticut, because that in addition to furnishing its full quota in the continental army, it was obliged to keep many of its soldiers on duty at the several posts in the State for its defense.

On the 18th of December, another town-meeting was held, at which it was

"Voted to fill up our Quota to the Number of 106 Men.

"Voted that the Town Raise 12 Men & that the Select Men Divide the Town into 12 Classes Each Class to Raise one Man on the List of 1781."

This proved to be the last time the town was to be called upon to show its devotion to the interests of the country during the war of independence. It will be seen that the efforts of the town to subserve the good cause, in common with the whole country, had constantly grown weaker and weaker, as the strength of its soldiers wasted away before the pestilence, and the deadly struggle on the field of battle, and its wealth disappeared under the ever fresh levies of supplies for the army, and the support of the troops. It would seem, that overwhelmed with debt as the country then was, it could hardly have held out much longer. But, however that may have been, it seems that a kind Providence had designed, in his wisdom, to spare them the trial. To Him, "who tempers the wind to the shorn lamb," it seemed good to say to pride, power and oppression, "thus far shalt thou go and no farther."

A part of these last levies were present at the ever memorable siege of Yorktown in October, and at the surrender of Cornwallis on the 19th of that month, which virtually closed the war. Abel Wake