River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-10-22
UNRECoRDED HISTORY.
Benedict Arnold's Narrow Escape From
Death at the Hands of Woman.


Death at the Hands of "A Woman.
The death of Mrs. Ann Human
Kellogg, of Fairfield, Conn, in the
ninety-third year of her age, recalled
an unrecorded incident of the war of
the revolution. Mrs. Kellogg was the
daughter of Capt. Elisha Hinman, of
the United States navy, and her mother
was the only American who remained
in New London when the town was
destroyed by the traitor Benedict Ar
mold in 1881. At that time Capt. Hin
mans ship was hourly expected to ar
rive at New London, and it was hoped
that he might come in time to save the
town. Mrs. Human was well a;quaint-
ed with Arnold, as he had often dined
at her house, and had been a friend of
her husband. Induced by anxiety for
her husbands safety, she remained
after all other had fled and watched
the entry of the British from the door
way of her house. AS Arnold rode up
he aw 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. Arnold remained on horse
back near her house nearly all
dav, noting the battle that was
raging at Fort Griswold, on the Groton
side of the river, where the tall monu-
ment concentrating 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 defenders became
exhausted, and they were obliged to
surrender. The British officer in com
mand of the storming party was so en-
ragged at the defense of the fort that, as
he entered it, he asked: ''Who com
mands here?" Col. Ledyard replied:
Il did, but, 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. stand
ing beside his colonel, snatched his
own sword from its scabbard, and in a
moment the cowardly Briton lay dead
beside his victim. An indiscrminate
massacre of all within the fort fol-
lowed, and thirty of the wounded
Americans were piled into wagon,
which was rolled down a steep hillside
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. Human.
Mrs. Human, having Witnessed
these outrages from her housetop, be-
came so incensed against the traitor
that she hurriedly descended from the
roof, took a musket from a Closet,
where it had been left the day before
by an American soldier, and leveled it
at Arnold as he sat on his horse in
front of the house. Taking a long,
steady aim, she pulled the trigger, but
the piece missed fire. Hearing 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 a chair.
This incident formed the subject of
painting by Huntington, the artist,
whose wife is grand-niece of Mrs.
Human. This painting is now in the
possession of Mr.. Thomas Day. of Ber
gen Point, N. j. IN it Mrs. Hinman is
represented as leveling a musket at
Arnold from a window of her house,
and the burning town is seen in the
background. The remains of both
Capt and Mrs. Human now lie in the
Cedar Grove cemetery at New London,
where their monument is one of the
finest to be seen.-NelU York. Times.