New Britain herald., 1915-06-15

s.t l X
 soldiers of our later war called our
 President Lincoln Old Abe
 Steuben a Religious Man.
 "In spite of Steuben's gruff man
 ner, and his, picturesque profanity
 under provocation, the religious side
 of his character was markedly pre-
 dominant When in New York he
 was a constant and devout attendant < at old Trinity. When living in his shuTi1ble log cabin in the woods, he snAYers failed to attend divine service
 gnen the opportunity offered The IfoMpEying is perhaps the only authen- tic fHct we have bearing evidence to his Interest in the affairs of the
 church. The Missionary society of Connecticut was organized in 179S,
 but before that time the Congrega-
 tional ministers of the state had sent
 out some of their members to visit
 the settlements along the Mohawk river as far west as Oneida lake. Tn
 the archives of the society at Hart ford, there are many curious reports
 from these missionaries. Among them is a faded and tattered letter ad
 dressed to the general assembly and Congregational clergymen of Connec- ticut. It was written by the inhabi- tants of that little town of Steuben,' N. Y, thanking the good people of Connecticut for their great kindness in sending them good minister to preach the gospel among them. The first signature on that paper was that of the noble old man and heroic sol- dier, Baron Steuben, who died the following year Forty American far mers attended his funeral, and in- tered his remains in the native for est, within a few rods of his humble home.
 When a boy more than fifty years ago, I spent much of my time in the home of my paternal grandmother, who before she married was Ann Ar mold, daughter of Samuel Arnold of the little village of Hockanum, in the town of East Hartford, on the Con- necticut river. In the old farmhouse where she lived, built in the latter part of 1900, in the closet of an up- stairs chamber, I found an old but we'll preserved and serviceabile mus ket which my grandmother told me was the gun which Uncle Jonathan had in the. war
 There seemed to be- something about the history of this Uncle Jon athan of which she was proud, and after attained mans estate, I sought out and verified the truth of the story which she told me as a boy. Jona- than Arnold spent his boyhood in this old house, where his father Ensign John Arnold, and his grandfather, Sergeant John Arnold, lived and died before him.
 "Jonathan's mother was Lucy. laughter of Captain Thomas Wads- worth, who lived on the farm next north of his grandfather, and in this ,ld Wadsworth house still standing, | Jonathan was born, February 27, 1757. i He enlisted for the war when 1it- i le over eighteen years old. taking the ,lace of his father who had served | or several months before him. From | he day he enlisted until after the Lrmy disba'nded at Newburg, Jonathan | lever came home. Others might ask or furlough, but Jonathan remained | t the front He was member of Colonel Sheldon's Light Horse cavalry, nd later of Colonel Huntington's reg ment of infantry, and still later an etached service as a drill sergeant
 Steuben and Jonathan Arnold.
 "At the attempted treason of Ben dict Arnold, a part of the American rmy under command of Steuben, was at Verplanks Point on the hudson river. A roll call on the 1orning following the capture of An re, when the name of Jonathan Ar old was called, the general said Cor oral Arnold three paces to the front teuben was a man of hardly medium ze, and as he dismounted from his orse, and came close up in front of rnold, and looked him over from l cad to foot he found facing him I 1 oung man of about 20 years, standing X foot two inches tall, and said to g able to whip any man in the bril- ade. Even after he was sixty years Id he was noted for his strength, and ghtness of foot. Taking a musket om one of the sergeants Steuben put onathan through the manual from houlder arm to Parade rest and len turning to one of his aides, who as familiar with German. he said, 'ell this man he is a good soldier ( ith bad name, and he must change Arnold asked What name shall ' take, general?' Steuben replied, If t ,u have none better, mine is at your r rvice, and will stand as your god- ] ther.' Arnold's name was imme- s ately changed on the company roll [ Jonathan Steuben, and Jonathan uben he always remained, and after a e close of the war the change eas ( galized by act of the genefal assem- | y of Connecticut. 2 sIn 1790 the state of New York r anted large tract of land, near C here the city of Utica now stands, to c aron Steuben, where he built leg U ,use, which he made his home, with f casional trips to New York and to 2 s old army friends. steuben left '