Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1846-06-11

war. transported to Litchfield and there cas
into bullets for the use of our armv. r. 49,,
imported from London. George C. Woodruff
Esq.,. In his History of Litchield. gives man,
interesting facts relative to this Statue: anc
among other items presents US with the fol
lowing account current which is preserved
among the papers of the late Gov. Oliver VOL
colt. 1t is statement of the number of car.
trldges made from the materials of the statue
by the ladies Of Litchfield:-
M MIS- MARVIN 1856 cart'gs
Mrs. Marvin, on former account 1902 g.
d., ,r - 605s
Ruth Marvin on former account. 62O4
MOI sent to court house 449 packs, 1898
Laura, on former account, 1850
NOT sent'o court house 344packs 4l2s
Mary Ann, on former account, 57G2
MOT sent TO court house ll9 packs,
out Of which let COL Perley Howe
have 3packs, 5o2s
r, -l0,790
Not sent to court house l9 packs, 22S
NJ 1884
WIS. Dedcn TWO &C counts. 20)2
Made bv sundry persons, 2is2
Gave Litchfield militia, on alarm. 90
Let Col. Wiggesworth's regiment have 800
cartridges, No. 422ss
Overcharged in Mrs. Beach's acct 900
42,o3s
Mr.. Woodruff adds
The original account is in General VOL
colts hand writing and is endorsed an &C
count of the number of cartridges made.'
There is no date to it, nor is there mention
made by him of the fact of their being
made from the statue, but memorandum
added by his son, the last Governor Wolcot,
explains it as follows:-- -...
{ N. B. An equestrian statue of George
the Third of Great Britain. was erected in
materials were lead, but richly gilded to re-
semble gold. At the beginning of the revo-
luton this statue was overthroWn, Lead
being then scarce and dear, the statue was
broken in pieces, and the metal transported
to Litchfeld as place Of safety. The la
dies Of this village converted the lead into
cartridges, of which the preceding is an
account. o. w.
The Mrs and Miss. Marvin and Mrs.
Beach, mentioned in the paper, belonged to
families who yet reside in Litchfeld; the
other persons named were the two daughters
and the youngest son of General Wolcolt.
Litchfeld, it may be noticed, was, during
the war, place of great importance as a
military depot. After the capture of New
York by the British in l776, all communi
cation between New England and Pennsyl
vania was turned to the westward of thu
Highlands on the Hudson, and the troop
were usually passed through that village a
POINT on the most convenient route 10 thu
posts on the River yet in possession of tn
Americans. General Wolcott, who was ;
member of the Continental Congress, livet
there, and during the intervals of his con
gressional attendance, was constantly &C
cnpied in raising troops TO supply the re
QUESTIONS of Washington, Putnam ant
Gates. 1t appears from his letters that h
returned to Connecticut shortly after III
adoption of the Declaration of Indepcn
dence, of which he was one of the signer>
and it is probable that the statue was trans
ported there at his instance, immediatel
after its destruction. OF its identity a
the material for the cartridges above men
toned, there can he no doubt. The lat
Governor Wolcott, on graduating fiom Yal
College in ITS, was appointed to an olfic
in the quartermaster's department, unde
General Greene, and was posted at Litch
field, in charge of the stores there. Hi
opportunity for knowing the fact, as men
toned in his note, was therefore certain
The late Hon. Judge Wolcott, moreover
who figures in the account as Frederick
and who was boy at that time, informe
me few years ago that he well remember
ed the circumstance of the statue being sen
there, and that shed was erected for tn
occasion in an apple orchard adjoining III
house, where his father chopped it up wit
the wood axe, aud the girls had frolic i
running the bullets and making them up in
TO cartridges. / suppose the alarm of tn
militia, on which some were distributed. wa
TryCn's INVASION in l777, when Danbur
was burnt. On this occasion fourteen mer
the last in Litchfed capable of bearin
arms, were started at midnight to aid in re
pulsing the enemy. .... ...
The estimation in which lead was held i
J thos days may be imagined from the faC
that the above account of cartridges is file
carefully among returns Of troops, account