War of 1812 in Clinton

War of 18 12 in Clinton. . , Clinton's Defense Against the British , During the War of 18 12, Clinton, then called Killingworth, was under the threat of attack from the British. There were shipyards located on both the Indian River and in the harbor, and the British had their sights on destroying American ships. To combat this threat, a militia, commanded by Benjamin Hurd, was established. For the first ten days the men were paid, but from thereafter it became strictly volunteer. Militia posts outfitted with cannons were created to defend the town. One of these posts was located at Hammock Point, which was about a half mile to your left. Two brass, six-pound field guns on wheeled carriages were placed at this post. A second post was located on Cedar Island, then called Sandy Point, which was positioned across from you where houses are now. The cannon placed on the Liberty Green is said to have been the cannon used on Cedar Island. When British ships were sighted near the harbor, bells at the Congregational Church were rung, prompting men to their posts. Many men walked on the beach path that is in front of you now to defend our town., Gideon Kelsey , The story of Gideon Kelsey of Waterside Lane, then called South Street, is a perfect example to illustrate the bravery and boldness of some to defend Clinton from British forces. It was said that one day at his home, Kelsey saw a British ship nearing the harbor and instead of alerting the town, he took matters into his own hands. He grabbed his gun and brought his neighbors, Silas and William Wilcox, along, telling them, "Let us go down and get a shot at them; it is a British boat full of men." Kelsey fired on the ship from Hammock Point and eventually the ship retreated back into the Sound, away from the harbor., Clinton Under Attack , Clinton came under attack several times over the course of the War of 18 12. Listed here are just a few of the many attacks made in the course of a year's time., The first instance was on July 8, 1813 when British boats rowed towards an aground ship in the harbor. The bells tolled, men went to their posts, and shots were fired at the British. The British retreated and Clinton was successful in their first defense., The next attack would come only a few days later on July 14. A blockade was formed around Clinton Harbor and shots were fired for about an hour. Ramillies, a British 74-gun flagship, then anchored nearby, prompting Benjamin Hurd to nervously call in for reinforcements from Old Saybrook. There was a standoff and militiamen kept a watchful eye through all hours of the day until July 16 when the British blockade retreated., On September 27, a schooner from Haddam was chased into Clinton Harbor by the British on Atalante. The schooner ran aground and Atalante sent four boats out. Both posts on Hammock Point and Cedar Island fired, and the British retreated., On November 24, a schooner from Haddam named Experiment was chased by two British ships, Atalante and Borer, into Clinton Harbor. As British boats advanced towards Experiment, the two brass six-pound field guns at Hammock Point opened up on the British. Sixty or more rounds were shot back at our men, luckily causing no injury. As for the British, our men killed one man on Borer and injured around three or four more, while Experiment remained unharmed., On December 8, a sloop from Lyme named Tyre, captained by John Ely, was given chase by Borer. Ely attempted to reach safety by sailing towards a nearby beat-up ship he assumed was American, but as the unidentified ship tacked, revealed alongside her was a British boat with guns pointed and ready. Trapped, Tyre sought refuge in Clinton Harbor. Even with townsmen firing on them, the British continued their chase and attacked Tyre, ripping holes in her sails with grapeshot. Soon after, Tyre ran aground, stopping her dead in her tracks. Captain Ely and his men then took small boats to shore, leaving their sinking Tyre to Borer and the accompanying British ship. Tyre was pillaged and set on fire before their retreat. Ely and his men returned to extinguish the flames and plug the hole from further flooding. It is worthy to note that Borer was one of the ships that contributed in burning over twenty-seven American ships in Essex Harbor on April 8, 1814. This attack on Essex was the worst attack of the war., The last known attack occurred on July 9, 1814. Thomas Cowdery's merchant vessel, Telegraph, was chased by the British frigate, Maidstone. Telegraph ran aground and Maidstone advanced. The militia posts fired on the British and shortly after, Cowdery was granted permission by the British to row ashore. This left Maidstone to take off with eight barrels of molasses and two of Telegraph's men as hostage. Before leaving, Telegraph was set on fire., Research and illustrations by Victor Mays, Written by Matthew Beauvais - Troop 55 Eagle Scout Project - 2017