Norwich bulletin., 1917-04-28
THE COUNCIL OF SAFETY

man, once Secretary of State. in his War of the. Revolution" compiled from state records and archives, notes that the Council held over 1,zoo ses- sions; an dhe sivee the minutes o1 from June 1th. ITS to May 6th, ITS. the first three years only of the war
 which show that ConnecticufB statesmen were attending to the sf-
 voted fidelity. about that dmel
 Of these early sessions, 555-about 96 per cent Of ati-were held at Leb- New Haven and Norwich.
 If the same proportion of theso 6it- tings was held at Lebanon during the
 war, 1t is more than probable that there were about 1,145 sessions of what Hine calls, "Tnis great. import ant. and illustrous council. held un. der the humble roof-tree Of that old War Office. still standing among us; covers if. on all sides, from roof-tree
 to sill, radiant in memory with the glorious light of our morning of hb- erty.''
 The threshoid ef that humble buiid-
 ing has thrilled to the tread of Wash
 ington. Of Lafayette. of Count Koch
 Baron de Montesauieu. Due de Lau- gun. Admiral Tiernay. of Generals
 Sullivan. Knox, Putnam. Parsons,
 Spencer: Of the fiery Samuel Adams, of John Adams. of John Jay. of
 Thomas Jefferson. and of Benjamin
 Franklin. whose recreant son. William.
 the Tory governor OF New Jersey was also here-but as a prisoner) and host of other high worthies and patri- ots. bearing messages of fate and des- tiny-and taking high council together.
 There is stands" writes Hine.
 and there let is stand!-preseryed forever aeH saso set apart from n n aIi ignobie or common uses. consecrated memor- ial!"
 Since the time when this fervid tribute was written, the famous War Omce has become. not alone museum for the preservation of price less curios of early times in Lebanon, but the location of its public library as well.
 The house ,of Governor Trumbun stood originally, and until 1924, on the north corner of Town street and the
 Colchester road. on the site of the
 was west of and near it, on the Col
 chester road. Tn the winter of 1e2s-4, Solomon Gilbert, wlao in 1921 had bought the premises from John Champion. moved both the house and the office a few rods further north. and added the DOT tico to the front of the office.
 The Governors house still remains there, in a very good state of preser- vation; but the War Office veas again
 moved, in 1S44, few rods further north, where it now stands
 1t was in this office that the Gov
 ernor conducted his great commercial business. Through the Revolution, 1t became by force of circumstances not
 only the military, but also the naval headquarters of all the land and l marine forces of the Colony; for Gov ernor Trumbufl was by virtue of his office commander-in-chie of the land forces, and by special act of the Legislature, in 1775, he was also made 1 of the Colony. with power to issue commissions, grant letters Of n1arqae and reprisal, and to estaiN;sh prize courts.
 This War Office was also one of the chief ccnters of communication be- tween New England and the Southern colonies. and especially between the northern and southern armies. l t The territory which now constitutes l the wonderful old town of Lebanon was called by the Indians as to its ' main part -Po-qu -chan-neeg" and
 qa;o WaS originslly nhst claimed IaL bg the great 1 belonged to the Pequot tribe, which l had it's seat fin the present town of ] Stonfngton, near the village of Mys- i tic. Uncas was of the royal family l and had married a princess of the ceded from the tribe and with a feE i adherents. withdrew across the Pe- quot-now the Thames River-es.ab- 1 fishing himself on lands which are | tribe. in Mohegan, in the present town of Montville.
 l He set up his claim to a territory | p miles wide, bounded on the east by l the Thames River. and on the west ! by the Connecticut, extending from ! the Sound shore north indefinitely. l embracing large portions of the pres 1 ham counties. This included the tract
 which forms the town of Lebanon. | After the destruction in 1887. Of the i fort of the Pequos tribe at Mystic, by Major Mason. ore of the founders of Norwich. Uncas became impressed 1 with the bravery and power of the ] white settlers, realizing that If he had by them against almost any enemy. The historian states that for these I req sons he ceded from .;rae to time either to his friends among :7ae whites. or to the colony of Connecticut. all
 his lands and possessions reserving to himself certain rights and privileges l This claim, however, is bitterly de nied by the present remnant of the Mohegan tribe. the members of which | declare that their great ancestor was
 cheated out of his possessions by Nhe willy whites. and. when brought uf- der the influence of the deadly fire ] water. was induced to sign away his
 this is true. that a few years ago ] they brought suit against the town of Norwich to recover some of the choicest real estate in the residential monument in the ancient burial ground and for years they retained q New York attorney to light for their rights in the national contest of the Indians for their alleged ancestral | THE DrCTACNAPH.