One bitterly cold winter night in Milford Harbor unseen events would soon change the lives of many Milford residents forever a very sorrowful story till this present day was unfolding. Last Wednesday, a flag of truce vessel arrived at Milford from New York, after a tedious passage of several days, having on board upward of 200 American prisoners, whose rueful countenances too well discover the ill treatment they received while prisoners in New York. On that cold bitter December night, in 1776, Captain Isaac Miles and retired, Captain Stephen Stow heard strange, unidentifiable sounds outside their homes. For what he found early morning was devastating to the entire colony. Two hundred men desperately clinging to life, after being held captive in filthy conditions were found wandering inland from the mouth of the harbor.
Some accounts say that a ship was seen in the harbor but it quickly disappeared into the fog.
Captain Stow and Captain Miles would soon open their kitchen doors to 200 nearly frozen, starving and dying men. In acts of mercy, citizens of Milford welcomed these sickly soldiers into their homes, without ever knowing that an epidemic of small pox would soon bring illness and death to many colonial residents. Dr. Elias Carrington offered to inoculate those who were willing to help. But in spite of the precautions, many Milford residents were stricken and great numbers of them died in the resulting small pox epidemic. But Stephen Stow, became a self evident hero, when after making his will, an act which gives evidence that he realized the uncertainty of his return, he turned his face on all that was dear to him, home, friends, and wife, and taking his life in his hands, ministered day and night to those sick and dying men, until at last, worn out by constant attendance, he too succumbed to the dread disease.