Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1880-12-28
tSollrrraI arlo Gollrist.
Tuesday Morning, Dec. %. 1880.
Local News.
Long Island Sound.

-AS-A~AANA
Some Interesting "Reminiscences of the
War OF 1s12-The Capture of the Brig
Susanna Parole-Other Naval Events
OF That War an Related TO the sound.
The importance of governmental attention
to the subject of properly terrifying the APP
proaches of Long Island Sound has BEEN as
the public are aware, prominently before the
present Congress, especially as the Sound is
so important an avenue of approach to New
York for vessels of deep draught, and, as the
congressional reports have shown. feeling
was strongly indicated in favor of casting
guns of heavy ca1ibre (Which cannot be made
in day to be stored in our arsenals ready
to be transported to the coast, whenever oc-
casion should demand.
Overhauling some memorand aof reminis-
cences of the war of 1s12-14, Il came upon the
following original paper
Having captured Mr.. Isaac Townsend in the sloop
susan of New Haven with others on the tenth instant
of war, and being willing 30 far to nit
exempt him from personal imprisonment on the ex-
press condition he has this day most solemnly sub
as ~ honest ne and Christian not
to serve against Great Britain her dependencies or
Given under my hand and SeaS on board Of His
Britanic MajestyB ship 'sPomone' of Plumb Island
seventeenth Oct, 1914. Phi. CABFERET,
Captain.
This, of course, was Isaac Townsend's
parole as prisoner of war. His son Isaac
Henry Townsend, afterward a professor Of
law in Yale, then lad of twelve years of age,
| was with his father and they were detained
on board the sPomonen frigate for several
| days and were kindly treated as prisoners of
| war. A few days after the capture, news was
brought, under flag of truce, to New Haven
| that British man of war had arrived off the
| port and that the passengers of the Susan
(there being severaD could be ransomed.
Isaac Townsend and sons ransom was fixed
| at two thousand Spanish milled dollars and
the same night, his eldest son, William Knee
| land Townsend, rode to Milford and there
paid to an officer on the beach this amount
| and returned home next day accompanied by
| his father and brother.
The packet sloop Susan" regular liner
plying between New York and New Haven,
| was commanded by Captain John Miles and
1 sailed from New York for New Haven on the
evening of Oct. 16, 1914. 1t was well known
that several vessels of the British feet then
1
and cruising in the Sound, making the navi-
cation dangerous. but the New Haven packets
would occasionally slip out when the wind
| favored, and as they were more convenient
for the merchants than the post coaches OF
that day they were very popular. Mr.. T. had
gone to New York by land to buy goods (and
taken his son Isaac with him), as it was ex-
| pected that peace would soon be proclaimed
| and the blockade raised, and then would fol
low a revival of business. Having made his
purchases and shipped his goods home by the
Susan. his plans were to leave by the coach
early next morning for home, and as was Gus
| tomary he went to the dock to see the packet
off. AS there was every prospect of a speedy
| run to New Haven, the wind and tide being
fair, he decided, just as the sloop was casting
off from the dock, to go on board. The slooI
made, that night, a good run up the Sound at
far as Norwalk Islands, reaching them about
daylight, the wind being light from the north
ward with smooth sea, the packet hugging
kept for the gun brig Despatch. Soon after
daylight they sighted to the southeastward 6
sloop with deck load of wood, steering west
ward, and as this was usual sight on the
Sound, it was supposed that one of the Con
necticut river or Long Island wood s1oopf
had run the blockade and was going with the
| cargo to New York. It was decided to ru1
down and hail her and find if any of the enc.
my were in the Sound. When within a shor
distance Captain Miles had hardly time tc
give the usual hail, when to the surprise Of
himself, crew ana passengers he saw the
whole deckload of wood dumped overheard
leaving midship gun in full view, at the
same time the Cross of st. George run up tc
the sloops peak, and received reply to hil
hail Grom British naval officer in full uni
form, surrounded by crew of at least TWEEN
ty-fve armed men, commanding the captain
| of the Susan to lower his boat and bring hii
papers on board, as she was a prize to Hii
Britannia Majesty's feet then cruising il
Long Island Sound. The Susan, with all OF
board, was put in charge of prize crew ant
ordered to report to His Britannia Majesty
ship Pomone, off Plumb Island, where sh,
arrived the next day.
The late Capt. Joel Stone, long known az
commander of steamers plying between this
city and New York, gave me Nov. 18th, 1875
the following which may interest: We were
making the passage to this city on the ele
giant floating palace G. H. Northam under
the command of Capt. Downs, whose nanG
has been so long and favorably known il
connection with Sound navigation and who
many years ago was pilot with Capt. Stone
on the aforesaid steamers. Capt. Stone was
seventy-two years of age at the time of thu
conversation, and 1 think born in Guilford
Conn. His father was Capt. Solomon Stone
and his brothers Capt. Frederick and Barton
both for many years connected with naviga
ton by sail and steam on the Sound. Capt
Stone told me that during the war of 1912
IA his father kept the lighthouse on Faulk
ner's Island, and late in the summer of ISL.
there passed up the Sound (eastward) ant
rendezvoused at New London a United State
fleet, under the command of Commodor,
Decatur, consisting of the United State
frigate President of the United States;
bringing the Macedonian" captured by tn
brave Decatur in the frigate United States
Oct. 25th, 1912, off the Canary Islands. Sh
was commanded by Captain Garden, and his
tory tells us 'the engagement continued al
hour and half" The Macedonian" bein,
to windward, had the advantage of choosin,
her own position and distance, which for tn
first half hour was SO great that the carron
AIDES of the American frigate were useless
When the Macedonian came to close &C
ton the rapid and well directed fire of tn
United States frigate proved fatal to he
men, swept her masts and spars and left he
an unmanageable wreck, and the British can
tain reluctantly hauled down his flag. Whel
he offered his sword to Decatur, that officer
with a magnanimity equal to his valor an,
conduct, refused to take it from one VIII
knew so well how to use it." tut asked in
stead to receive the friendly grasp of hi
hand. The loss in killed and wounded on tn
side of the Americans was only twelve, Will
that of the British was one hundred and four
Soon after the American fleet arrived a
New London there appeared off the east ent
of the Sound the British fleet under commap,
of Sir Thomas Hardy. They blockaded close
ly the harbors of Newport, New London an,
New York, bombarded Stonington and AT
tempted to land August 8, 1914, and were re
pulsed by battery of two eighteen-pounder
and small company of militia. Thew theI
brought their guns TO bear on another mar
OF the town and were driven off by wen