News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-08-30
THE BATTLE OF sTONINGTON.
How the American Army was supplied with
solid Shot in 1914.

On the afternoon of Aug. 9, 1914, four
war vessels of the British fleet, which
had been CALAMITY repulsed from the
Groton coast the preceding year by
Mother Bailey" and her flannel ''petti-
coat, were seen to leave their anchor
age and proceed down Fishers Island
Sound. 1t was at first thought that the
object of their attack was to be Newport,
but they came to anchor off StOningtOn
harbor and a boat was sent to theshOre
under a flag of truce. The people were
notified that the place was about to be
shelled The bombardment was delayed
until o'clock in the evening, when a
bomb was sent into the streets. From
that time until midnight the firing was
continued, and was replied to by a small
company of volunteers behind a breast
work on shore, who worked a couple of
1S-pounders for all the cannon were
worth. Next morning the artillery prac-
tice was resumed and continued all day,
except when the bcsiegerS were sending
polite communications to the Warden
and Burgesses, asking pardon for the
impertinence of Smelling them. To these
messages the Warden and Burgesses re-
piled that they appreciated the stern ex-
igencies of the occasion, but insisted
that they continue the commandment,
which had entertained the villagers and
done no damage. The Smelling was ac-
cordingly renewed for a few hours, and
then another boat-load of emissaries
were sent to the Burgesses kindly ask
ing permission to withdraw their vessels
from the harbor. To this request a
rigorous refusal was returned, and the
| bombardment was resumed.
| By this time portions of several vol
unteer regiments had reached StOning-
ton, and polite notice was forwarded
to the Captain of one of the war vessels
| to send a delegation ashore. He coma
| piled with courteous alacrity, while the
volunteers, who had spiked their can
non once and afterward drilled out the
vents, ratified the two 1S-pOunders
through the streets to greet the visitors.
As soon as the approaching boat got
within range it halted till the volunteers
could take steady aim at it. They fired
and missed and the boat obligingly
moved over to another point of the vii
lage, from which it was thought the SOL
diers on land would have better range.
The 1S-pounders were drawn hastily to
the point, and by the careful connivance
of the hostile parties a solid shot was
plunged directly through the middle
of the boat, sinking it. The Stoning-
ton men then went out in boats and
helped save the enemy from a watery
grave.
After this incident the bombardment
was resumed and continued at the rare
intervals when the hostileS were not ex-
changing compliments, until the next
day, when the fleet, contrary to all the
rules of international courtesy, sailed
away without word of explanation to
the Warden and Burgesses. At this
time the village of StOnington consisted
of 600 houses, and 60 tons of metal were
fired into the place; yet so careful and
accurate was the aim of the British gun
ners that they managed to miss all but
three or four dwellings,. The only loss
of life was the killing of a goose and of
a soldier, who was blown up at Westerly
while celebrating the event several weeks
afterward. The goose was a pet and its
owner was highly incensed. He inquired
with pardOnable surprise and profanity:
"What the British Government meant
by sending a squadron 3 ,000miles to kill
his poultrv?" The shot were gathered
up and turned over to the troops.