The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-07-19
SITE OF UNcAs' FORT.


 Mohegan to be Commemorated by Colonial Danes.
 At the semi-annual conference of the Connecticut Society of Colonial Danes at New Haven this spring a meeting was held of the Society of Historic Landmarks and papers were read on various historic spots by members. Mrs Bela P. Learned of Norwich read pa per on her great -great-great- grand father Lieutenant Thomas Lefiingwell and his brave deed in relieving Uncas during the besieging of the fort on Shantok Point in 1645.
 To Mrs. Learned's surprise and grat- ltication the society at once manifested an interest in the site of the fort, and slgnitied an intention of having it suit ably marked. A committee of women visited the ruin of the fortitication near Mohegan, and were charmed by the picturesque beauty of the locality. It was decided to erect a suitable monument on the spot, and plans were made for it's construction. The Nor wich Bulletin says of the location and | the monument:
 Shantok Point is a bold promontory on the west bank of the Thames river | just south of Mohegan station. The bluff rises about 100 feet from the river nearly perpendicularly, and commands a splendid view of the surrounding country On the north one can see nearly to Norwicsh and on the south almost to New London. Just back Of the fort at short distance is the inter esting old Indian burying grounds The locality is rich in historic associations, and 1t is eminently fitting that suita- ble memorial should mark it for the in l struction of future generations. | The monument will be in the form of a cairn built of stones which were for merly part of the fort. On one side will be a granite tablet on which will be inscribed Here stood the old fort of | Uncas sachem of the Mohegan and l friend of the English. Here he was be- sieged in 1645 by the Narragansetts and | relieved by the bravery of Lieutenant Thomas Leffingwell" The design has not been fully decided upon, but the | commission for the work has been giv- en to Charles A. Kuebler of this city
 The tablet will be unveiled in Octo- l Der with appropriate ceremonies, in 1 cluding addresses by one or more speakers of reputation. It is also pro- posed that the Mohegan Indians hold a wigwam at the time. The Society of Colonial Danes has purchased a piece of ground twenty feet square on which the cairn will be placed.
 Storm of the Fort.
 According to Miss F. M, Caulkins, in | yir cf tra n Sat tc invaded the Mohegan country with a large force, committed great devasta- tion and finally drove Uncas to his l strongest fort and besieged him there. According to tradition, this fort was on Shantok Point, rough projection by the side of the Thames, nearly op- I posite Poquetanuck. The English had I assisted Uncas in fortifying this spot The position was easily defended and the Naragansetts had no hope of taking it by assault. Many of the wo- men and children had fled to the other side of the river with a part of the canoes, but of the remainder the Mar ragansetts had taken possession, so as to cut off retreat on the water, and by thus enclosing the Mohegans on this | point of land they hoped to subdue them through famine.
 Invoked Aid of Colonists.
 How long the siege continued is not known, but one night messenger dis patched by Uncas left the fort without being discovered by the besiegers and creeping along the margin of the river very cautiously till without the range of the enemys scouts, he crossed the \ country with Indian speed and arrived | the next day at Saybrook the nearest Indian settlement, where he made known the desperate condition of the Mohegans.
 As Trumbull states it in his history; "Upon this intelligence, one Thomas | Leffingwell, an ensign at Saybrook, ar enterprising, bold man, loaded a canoe with beef, corn and peas, and, under cover of the night, padded from Say brook into the Thames and had the address to get the whole into the I fort"
 The Sachem's Gratitude.
 Uneas, as a token of his gratitude gave Lieutenant Lefflngwell a deed o1 the greater part, if not of the whole, o1 the present part of Norwich.
 Lieutenant Leffingwell was very prominent in the settlement and early history of Norwich, and died abou 1 TIA.
 The connection of this incident witt the settlement and founding of Nor wich makes the marking of the spot ar event of peculiar interest to local resi- dents.