The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-01-30
AN UNRECORDED BIT OF HISTORY.
Benedict Arnold's Narrow Escape from
Death ut the Hands OF Woman.
Ney York Times.

1
The recent death of Mrs. Ann Hinman
Kellogg, of Fairfield, Connecticut, in the
ninety-third year of her age, recalls an
unrecorded incident of the war of Che
revolution. Mrs. Kellogg was the daugh-
ter of Captain Elisha Hinman, of the
United States navy, and her mother was
the only American who remained in
New London when the town was de-
stroyed by the traitor Benedict Arnold,
in 1881. At that time Captain Humans
ship was hourly expected to arrive at
New London, and it was hoped that he
might come in time to save the town.
Mrs. Hinman was we'll acquainted with
Arnold, as he had often dined at her
house, and had been friend of her hus-
band. Induced by anxiety for her hus-
bands safety, she remained after all
others had fed, and watched the entry
of the British from the doorway of her
house. As Arnold rode up he saw and
saluted her, and said that if she would
point out her own property it should be
spared. She pointed out the houses of
several of her neighbors as her own, and
thus saved them from destruction. Ar
mold remained on horseback near her
house nearly all day, noting the battle
that was raging st Fort Griswold, on the
Groton side of the river, where the tall
monument commemorating the event
now stands.
Three times were the British driven
down the hill by the deadly fire from the
fort. Then the ammunition of its de-
tenders became exhausted, and they were
obliged to surrender. The British officer
in command of the storming party was
so enraged at the desperate defense of the
fort that, as he entered it, he asked I:
"Who commands herea" Col. Ledyard
replied: ~ did, but you do now," at the
same time surrendering his sword. The
officer received the sword and instantly
plunged it into the heart of the gallant
colonel. An American officer, standing
beside his colonel, snatched his own sword
from its scabbard, and, in moment, the
cowardly Briton lay dead beside his vic.
tim. An indiscriminate massacre of all
within the fort followed, and thirty of the
wounded Americans were piled into q
wagon, that was rolled down steep hill
side to the bottom, where it was dashed
in pieces against tree. Then hurried
PREPARATIONS were made to evacuate their
position by the British, Arnold having
learned of the expected arrival of Capt.
Hinman.
Mrs. Hinman, having witnessed these
outrages from her housetop, became so
incensed against the traitor that she hur-
riedly descended from the roof, took a
musket from the closet, where it had been
left the day before by an American SOL
dier, and leveled it at Arnold as he sat
on his horse in front of the house. TAX
ing long, steady aim, she pulled the
trigger, but the piece missed fire. Hear
ing the snap of the lock, Arnold turned
and asked her what that noise was. With
great presence of mind, she had dropped
the gun so that he did not see it, and she
answered that it was the breaking of q
chair.
This incident formed the subject of a
painting by Huntington, the artist, whose
wife is grand niece of Mrs. Hinman.
This painting is now in the possession Of
Mr.. Thomas Day, of Bergen Point, N. J..
In it Mrs. Hinman is represented as lev
cling q musket at Arnold from window
in her house, and the burning town is
seen in the background. The remains of
both Captain and Mrs. Hinman now lie
in the Cedar Grove cemetry at New Lon
don, where their monument is one of the
finest to be seen.