The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1876-06-01
A Revolutionary Hero.
Incidents in the Life OF Gen. John
Mead and his Family, of Horse
Neck, Conn, During the Revolu-
tionary War.

In Fairfield county, Conn, just
where the State borders on New York,
is situated the beautiful village of
Greenwich, called in eye olden time, -
Horse Neck, taking this name from a
neck of land jutting out into Long
Island sound, on which the Indians pas
tured their horses. Like most New
England towns, Greenwich has a
graphic colonial history of times
when the NIohegans skulked through
the forests, waging unrelenting
wars. And later, during the Revolution,
the town comes into notice rs point OF
Gov. Tryon's attack, and the bold es.
cape OF Putnam down the precipitous
lillian incident which will be remem-
bered to the end of time. From the
top of this hill the view of the scenery
is grand. On the south is the sound,
ever dotted with craft, and Long Islan0
itself in the distance, with its bald sand
banks. The appearance of the village
from the sound is particularly fine, and
always attracts the attention of passen
gers by boats. The first house in the
village, approaching it from the west,
by the old mail route from New York to
Boston, was the house of Col. Richard
was surgeon OF Ye Third Connecticut
, regiment, at Tioonderoga, in 1859, as
his powder horn informs us. A short
distance further on was the residence oi
Gen. John Mead, the subject of this
sketch.
This hero of the Revolutionary wa,
was born i'll Greenwich in the year 1928,
and was the son of John and Elizabeth
LOCKWOOD Mead. In personal appear.
ance he was short of stature and very
fleshy SO much so that the story is tolu
that his tailor, having made vest foI
him, by way of experiment buttoned il
around himself aud four other men. II
character, he was firm and decided,
sometimes looked upon as severe, but
withal extremely just.
Gen. John Mea was a member of the
Connecticut Legislature for nine years
before the Revolutionary war, and after
the war till he died, making in all nine
teen consecutive years. King George
sent him commission as captain, which
he declined. When he entered the
American army he was made major, and
three weeks afterward was promoted to
be lieutenant colonel. Three years be-
fore the war closed he was made gen
eral. At home he also held the office OF
probate judge. His captains commits
sion was at one time found among his
papers, by the British and Tories, when
they surrounded and plundered his
house during the war, and by them car
ried off as evidence against him, should
he, by any chances of war, fall into their
hands.
Af fha h. L. I
command of the American lines at Horse
Neck, and for % long distance either
way. He saw some active service, and
was with the army at New York when
that city was taken by the British, hav-
ing command of the last detachment of
our troops that left the city. The
then Col. Mead, as related above, was
short of stature and very feshy. The
day on which the army evacuated New
York was a remarkably hot one, and our
troops suffered severely from heat and
fatigue during the retreat. At night
so soon as place of safety had been
reached, every one sought rest. The
officers found accommodations on the
floor of the hotel, and everywhere, until
not place remained. Col. Mead came
in last. and carefully sought a place
lying down, he thoughtlessly appropri-
ated an officers feet for pillow. The
officer awoke, and in rough tone de-
manded who was lying on his feet. Col.
Mead politely apologized, but the officer,
recognizing his voice, cried out "Col.
Mead, is. that you? I never expected
to see you again alive, after the dread
full heat and struggle of the day axe
pillow and welcome, if you can find
any rest here.
His farm and residence at Horse
Neck were below the American lines,
which, with his position as officer, made
it a place especially exposed. His house
was repeatedly plundered, his cattle
driven off, and his life and the lives of
his family greatly endangered by the
Tories and Cowboys f; his buildings torn
to pieces, his fences burned. and eventu-
ally he was compelled to remove his
family to the adjoining town of Norwaik,
afterward New Canaan. For his losses
the State afterward gave him large
track of land in Ohio, then considered
of little value, and at his death it was
divided among his children.
General John Mead was married, in
1755, to Mary Brush, daughter of Ben
jamin Brush, of Scotch extraction. By