On Aug. 9, 1814,
Sir Thomas Hardy appeared off
Stonington, Conn., with a squadron consisting of the
Ramillies, seventy-four guns (flag-ship);
Pactolus, forty-four guns; bomb-ship
Terror; brig
Despatch, twenty-two guns; and barges and launches.
He anchored his little squadron within 2 miles of the town, and proceeded reluctantly to the execution of an order of
Admiral Cochrane “to destroy the coast-towns and ravage the country.”
The depth of the water before
Stonington would not allow the flag-ship to approach nearer the town than a mile and a half.
Hardy sent a flag of truce ashore, with the following message to the selectmen, dated 5 P. M.: “Not wishing to destroy the unoffending inhabitants residing in the town of
Stonington, one hour is granted them, from the receipt of this, to remove out of the town.”
“Will a flag be received from us in return?”
inquired the magistrate of the bearer.
“No arrangements can be made,” he answered; and it was declared that it was the intention of the commodore to destroy the town totally.
The magistrate
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then said: “
We will defend the place to the last extremity; should it be destroyed, we will perish in its ruins.”
Nearly all the inhabitants incapable of bearing arms left the place, and that evening the bombship
Terror and some launches rained shells and rockets upon the village without doing serious damage.
During that bombardment some brave men in
Stonington cast up a sort of redoubt on the extremity of the peninsula on which the city now stands, and placed upon it a
battery of two cannon—a 6-pounder and an 18-pounder — and from these they hurled solid balls upon the assailants with so much effect that the bomb-ship and her consorts withdrew to the larger vessels.
Some men gathered at
Stonington the next day, but they were of little service; but a few from
Mystic, not far away, led by
Capt. Jeremiah Holmes, flew to the aid of their neighbors, and did gallant service at the redoubt.
Captain Holmes was a good gunner, and he took charge of the 18-pounder.
With that piece he fought the British ships until his ammunition was spent, and no more could then be found.
The borough seemed to be at the mercy of the invaders, and some timid citizens proposed to the captain to haul down the flag that floated over the battery and surrender.
“No!”
shouted the captain, “that flag shall never come down while I am alive!”
When the wind died away, and the flag hung drooping by the side of the staff, the brave captain held it out at the point of a bayonet, that the
British might see it. Several shots passed through it while it was in that position.
To prevent some coward from hauling it down, the captain nailed the flag to the staff.
But the old piece was not long silent.
Some concealed powder was found.
Double-shotting his cannon, the captain kept the
British at bay until a competent force of militia, under
General Isham, arrived to prevent the landing of the invaders.
On the 12th, after a sharp bombardment, the discomfited squadron withdrew.
Not a single life in the village had been lost, and only one person mortally wounded.
Between fifty and sixty were slightly wounded, forty buildings were more or less injured, and two or three were nearly ruined.
