CHAPTER V.

CONNECTICUT

Hon. Calvin Goddard's Testimony - Captain Humphreys' Colored Company - Fac Simile of General Washington's Certificate - Hamet, General Washington's Servant - Poor Jack - Ebenezer Hills - Latham and Freeman - Franchise of Colored Citizens - David Ruggles - Progress.
pp. 132 - 144

     HON. CALVIN GODDARD, of Connecticut, states that in the little circle of his residence, he was instrumental in securing, under the Act of 1818, the pensions of nineteen colored soldiers.  "I cannot," he says, "refrain from mentioning one black man, PRIMUS BABCOCK, who proudly presented to me an honorable discharge from service during the war, dated, at the close of it, wholly in the handwriting of George Washington.  Nor can I forget the expression of his feelings, when informed, after his discharge had been sent to the War Department, that it could not be returned.  At his request, it was written for, as he seemed inclined to spurn the pension and reclaim the discharge."
     There is a touching anecdote related to Baron Steuben, on the occasion of the disbandment of the American army.  A black soldier, with his wounds unhealed, utterly destitute, stood on the wharf, just as a vessel bound for his dis-  

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tant home was getting under weigh.  The poor fellow gazed at the vessel with tears in his eyes, and gave himself up to despair.  The warm-hearted foreigner witnessed his emotion, and, inquiring into the cause of it, took his last dollar from his purse, and gave it to him, while tears of sympathy tricked down his cheeks.  Overwhelmed with gratitude, the poor wounded soldier hailed the sloop, and was received on board.  As it moved out from the wharf, he cried back to his noble friend on shore, "God Almighty bless you, master Baron!"
     During the Revolutionary War, and after the sufferings of a protracted contest had rendered it difficult to procure recruits for the army, the Colony of Connecticut adopted the expedient of forming a corps of colored soldiers.  A battalion of blacks was soon enlisted, and, throughout the war, conducted themselves with fidelity and efficiency.  The late General Humphreys, then a Captain, commanded a company of this corps.  It is said that some objections were made, on the part of officers, to accepting the command of the colored troops.  In this exigency, Capt. Humphreys, who was attached to the family of Gen. Washington, volunteered his services.  His patriotism was rewarded, and his fellow officers were afterwards as desirous to obtain appointments in that corps as they had previously been to avoid them.
     The following extract from the pay roll of the second company, fourth regiment, of the Connecticut line of the

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Revolutionary army, may rescue many gallant names from oblivion: -

Captain,
DAVID HUMPHREYS.

Privates,

     The Hartford Reveiw for Sept., 1839, gives the following account of a colored man by the name of HAMET, then living in Middletown, who was formerly owned by Washington: - "Hamet is, according to his own account, nearly

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     *See the annexed fac simile of the original certificate of BAKER's discharge.

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one hundred years old.  He draws a pension for his services in the Revolutionary War, and manufactures toy drums for his support.  He has a white wife and one child.  His hair is white with age, and hangs matted together in masses over his shoulders.  His height is about four feet six inches.  He retains a perfect recollection of his massa and missus Washington, and has several remembrances of them.  Among these, there is a lock of the General's hair, and his (the General's) service sword.  He converses in three or four different languages, - the French, Spanish and German, besides his native African tongue."
     A clergyman in Connecticut, during the Revolutionary War, manifested, on all occasions, his zeal in the cause of freedom and his country, but, at the same time, held in bondage a colored man named Jack.  To contend for liberty, and hold the poor African in slavery, was, according to Jack's conception of right and wrong, a manifest inconsistency.   Under this impression, and anxious to obtain that liberty which is the inherent and natural right of man, Jack went to his master one day, and addressed him in the following language: - "Master, I observe you alway keep preaching about liberty and praying for liberty, and I love to hear you, sir, for liberty be a good thing  You preach well and you pray well; but one thing.  You preach well and you pray well; but one thing you remember, master, - Poor Jack is not free yet."  Struck with the propriety and force of Jack's admonition, the clergyman, after a momentary pause, told Jack if he would behave well in his service for one year longer, he should be free.

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Jack fulfilled the condition, obtained his freedom, and became a man of some property and respectability. *

     EBENEZER HILLS died at Vienna, New York, August, 1849, aged one hundred and ten.  He was born a slave, in Stonington, Connecticut, and became free when twenty-eight years of age.  He served through the Revolutionary War, and was at the battles of SAratoga and Stillwater, and was present at the surrender of Burgoyne.
     In a letter to the author, Parker Pillsbury, of New Hampshire, says: - "The names of the two brave men of color, who fell with Ledyard, at the storming of Fort Griswold, were LAMBO LATHAM and JORDAN FREEMAN.  All the names of the slain, at that time, are inscribed on a marble tablet, wrought into the monument - the names of the colored soldiers last, - and not only last, but a blank space is left between them and the whites; in genuine keeping with the "Negro Pew" distinction - setting them not only below all others, but by themselves, even after that.  And it is difficult to say why.  They were not last in the fight.  When Major Montgomery, one of the leaders in the expedition against the Americans, was lifted upon the walls of the fort by his soldiers, flourishing his sword and calling on them to follow him, JORDAN FREEMAN, received him on the point of a pike, and pinned him dead to the earth.  [Vide Hist. Collections of Connecticut.]  And the name of JORDAN FREEMAN stands away down, last on the list of heroes, - perhaps the greatest hero of them all."

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     *Book of American Anecdotes.

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     The seventy-second anniversary of the memorable tragedy at Groton Heights, in 1781, was celebrated by the people of New London and vicinity, on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 1853.  Of the address of Hon. Robert C. Wintrhop on that occasion, the New York Express says: -

     "it was beautifully eloquent and appropriate.  His father was born in New London, and his ancestors for a century and a half had lived there.  The very name of Groton came from Groton Manor in England, an estate once owned by the Wintrhops.  The names of New London and the Thames originated in a natural love for the great metropolis of the old world and the river which passed by, for these were once in the neighborhood of the homes of those who planted some of the earliest colonies in America.  Mr. W. pictured the events of the 6th of September, the bravery of the volunteers, the shocking murders, the dead and surviving, the sufferings of Ledyard, the revolutionary struggle, and all in letters of gold.  His address charmed alike the lettered and unlettered among his hearers, and that is the test of true eloquence."

     The orator's omission to make a brief allusion, even, to the two colored soldiers, called out the following tribute from William Anderson, of New London,  Connecticut: -
     "I stood," he says, "on the heights of Groton, a few days since, listening to the praises of the white heroes, from the lips of Hon. R. C. Winthrop, W. I. Hammersley, Esq., Gov. Seymour, and others.  I saw there, on the battle-ground, the descendants of the gallant Ledyard, (or, rather, the connections,) with those of the Averys, the Lathams, the Perkinses, the Baileys, and others, in the

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full enjoyment of that liberty so dearly bought by their ancestors.  I was glad that they were free, and living out their God-given rights.  My mind became excited with the scene; but, on reflection, my excitement was calmed down by the sober thought of an unpleasant reality, and you will ask, why was I sad?  Well, as Shakspeare says, 'I will to you a tale unfold'; and, while you bear with me in the recital, I know your sympathies will attend me in the sequel.
     "September 6th, 1781, New London was taken by the British, under the command of that traitor, Arnold.  The small band composing the garrison retreated to the fort opposite, in the town of Groton, and there resolved either to gain a victory or die for their country.  The latter pledge was faithfully redeemed, and by none more gallantly than the two colored men; and, if the survivors of that day's carnage tell truly, they fought like tigers, and were butchered after the gates were burst open.  One of these men was the brother of my grandmother, by the name of Lambert, but called Lambo - since chiselled on the marble monument by the American classic appellation of "Sambo.'  The name of the other man was Jordan Freeman.  Lambert was living with a gentleman in Groton, by the name of Latham, so, of course, he was called Lambert Latham.  Mr. Latham and Lambert, on the day of the massacre, were at work in a field, at a distance from the house.  On hearing the alarm upon the approach of the enemy, Mr. Latham started for home, leaving Lambert to drive the team up to the house.  On arriving at the house, Lambert was told

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that Mr. Latham had gone up to the fort.  Lambert took the cattle from the team, and, making all secure, started for the point of defence, where he arrived before the British began the attack.  And here let me say, my dear friend, that there was not any negro pew in that fort, although there was some praying as well as fighting.  But there they stood, side by side, and shoulder to shoulder, and, after a few rounds of firing, each man's visage was so blackened by the smoke of powder, that Lambert and Jordan had but little to boast of on the score of color.
     "The assault on the part of the British was a deadly one, and manfully resisted by the Americans, even to the clubbing of their muskets after their ammunition was expended; but finally, the little garrison was overcome, and, on the entrance of the enemy, the British officer inquired, "Who commands this fort?"  The gallant Ledyard replied, "I once did; you do now," - at the same time handing his sword, which was immediately run through his body to the hilt by the officer.  This was the commencement of an unparalleled slaughter.  Lambert, being near Col. Ledyard when he was slain, retaliated upon the officer by thrusting his bayonet through his body.  Lambert, in return, received from the enemy thirty-three bayonet wounds, and thus fell, nobly avenging the death of his commander.
     "These facts were given me on the spot, at the time of the laying of the corner-stone, by two veterans who were present at the battle.  And now I would ask, has Connecticut done her duty towards us, while she permits foreigners to

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exercise the right of suffrage, - yes, even those who were fighting against us in the last war, - while we, "native, and to the manner born," are not allowed to peep into the ballot-box?  Among the many great orators at Groton Heights, this last 6th of September, I heard not the first word spoken of our forefathers' valor, or of our present disfranchisement.
     "My dear friend, I well remember the last war between this country and Great Britain.  I was then a mere school-boy.  The school where I went was also attended by several hundred boys; and, one day, we were all marshalled out, and under drum and fife, marched down to help construct a battery, near the water's edge, below the mouth of the harbor; and proudly did we feel, that we little fellows could do something for our country, if nothing more than lugging a small turf, or carrying wooden pins for securing the turf.  I have often thought of that day's work and of its close, as being so truly in keeping with pat and present usage.  At the close of the day, we returned to town, treading time to the music, with the promise that we should receive some food - of which we had not tasted any since morning.  But, alas!  the proverb was verified in that case, "that the last should be first," - for, on arriving at the house, the order was given to open ranks, and those in the rear, being the men, passed up the ranks, filling the house, to the exclusion of the boys, who returned home to a late supper, thinking of ardor, patriotism, and hunger; but nevertheless, ready for another tramp, if called on."
     The colored inhabitants of Connecticut assembled in Con-

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vention, in 1849, to devise means to secure the elective franchise, denied to seven thousand of their number.  A gentleman present gives the following incident: - "A young man, Mr. WEST, of Bridgeport, spoke with a great deal of energy, and with a clear and pleasant tone of voice, which many a lawyer, statesman, or clergyman, might covet, nobly vindicating the rights of the brethren.  He said that the bones of the colored man had bleached on every battle-field where American valor had contended for national independence.  Side by side with the white man, the black man stood and struggled to the last for the inheritance which the white men now enjoy, but deny to us.  His father was a soldier slave, and his master said to him, when the liberty of the country was achieved, 'Stephen, we will do something for you.'  But what have they ever done for Stephen, or for Stephen's posterity?  This orator is evidently a young man of high promise, and better capable of voting intelligently than half of the white men who would deny him a freeman's privilege."
     At the Troy Convention, held October, 1847, Rev. Amos G. Beman gave vent to his feelings in a most eloquent speech on the pro-slavery results of the colored suffrage question, in his native State, Connecticut, remarking that nine-tenths of the Irish residents of Connecticut voted against the colored American; and, though he had loved Ireland, revered her great men, sympathized with her present and post afflictions, and some of her blood flowed in his veins, he could not forego administering the burning rebuke which he believed.

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due for their recreancy to the cause of human rights, and to the men who had never done harm to them.  He alluded to the conversion of Judge Daggett, which has been graphically delineated by another writer, as follows: -
     "While the black laws of Connecticut were in force, Chief Justice Daggett decided that we were not citizens of the United States, and that the colored people there had no claims to the privileges of American citizens.  But time rolled on; he had become acquainted with the intelligent and enterprising colored citizens of that State; he had finished his term and retired.  But a few years ago, when the question was before the people of Connecticut - Shall the colored people of the State have the right to vote? - while his fellow-citizens were voting, three to one, in the negative, the old gentleman, from his retirement, stepped forth, in his white-topped boots, with his silver locks of eighty winters flowing beneath his venerable brim; leaning upon his staff, he walked to the polls, amid popular excitement, and voted in the affirmative."  Not a few great men, on the bench, at the bar, or in the pulpit, have undergone similar changes.  These changes will multiply, under the influence of the praiseworthy exertions of her gallant, but proscribed, colored citizens, encouraged by the good and true around them.  In the struggle for enfranchisement, victory, at no distant day, is destined to perch upon their banners.
     In addition to what Mr. Phillips has said of DAVID RUGGLES, in earlier pages of this book, the following reminiscences of that gifted son of Connecticut are worthy to be recorded here.

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     August 1st, 1841, a complimentary soire was given to Mr. Ruggles in Boston, at which he made a speech, in the course of which he said: -
     "I have had the pleasure of helping six hundred person in their flight from bonds.  In this, I have tried to do my duty, and mean still to persevere, until the last fetter shall be broken, and the last sigh heard from the lips of a slave.  But give the praise to Him who sustains us all, who holds up the heart of the laborer in the rice swamp, and cheers him when, by the twinkling of the North Star, he finds his way to liberty.  Six hundred in three years I have saved; had it been in one year, I should have been nearer my duty, nearer the duty of every American, when he reflects that it was the blood of colored men, as well as whites, which crimsoned the battle-fields of Bunker Hill and the rest, in the struggle to sustain the principles embodied in our Declaration of Independence."
     Mr. Ruggles, for a brief period, successfully edited the Mirror of Liberty.  He died in 1849, and highly eulogistic notices of him appeared in the Boston Liberator and the Chronotype, the editors of these papers having long been conversant with the trials, perseverance and martyrdom of this "brave soldier in the battle of life."
     Rev. J. C. BEMAN gives the following account of the origin of his name.  He says that when his father was presented with manumission papers, he was asked what name he had selected, and replied that he had always loathed slavery, and wanted to be a man; hence he adopted the name, Be-man.

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     At the Colored Men's Convention held at Hartford, in October, 1854, Rev. A. G. BEMAN, of New Haven, made a report on the condition and prospects of the colored people of that city and county.  He contrasted their present position with what it was twenty years ago.  Then, not a man of them could enter his habitation and say, "This is mine"; not a single church, nor the shadow of any school or other place for the education of their children, was in existence or prospect.  To have looked for the strictly temperate, moral and religious, had been as fruitless as to search for hailstones in boiling water.  Now, there are about two hundred thousand dollars' worth of real estate, besides bank and railroad stock, four Methodist churches, one Congregational, one Episcopal, and one Baptist, and a Literary Society with a Circulating Library, in possession of the colored people of New Haven city.  There are four schools in full and prosperous operation.  How can any man, said Mr. B., who has lived in the midst of the one thousand and upwards colored people of New Haven, and witnessed the progress they have made in spite of almost every obstacle, publicly say, as the Hon. H. Olmstead has done, in his report on Colonization to the Legislature of 1851, that "the colored men in this State are dying out, their hopes crushed, their manhood gone"?

EPITAPH FROM THE LIBERTY STREET BURIAL GROUND, MIDDLETOWN.

In Memory of
JENNY,
Servant to the Rev. Enoch Huntington, and wife of Mark Winthrop,
Who died April 28,1784.
The day of her death she was Mr. Huntington's Property.
 

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