Chapter Four- Preparing for the Winter Encampments-
I awoke to light rain on November 14th, it was Tuesday, I had school down in the Center mid-morning so I could have slept a bit more if I wanted but the fall forage had gotten me into the habit of getting up early; I was up and that was that. I sat with my tea cupped in one hand thumbing through my journal with the other, it had been just over two months since Stephen had seen the soldiers over at Read's old wood lot, and as I skimmed over my entries, I was amazed by how much had happened here in Redding over that short stretch of time.
Soon after Stephen's sighting we learned that Colonel Aaron Burr, one of General Putnam's aides and a frequent visitor to Redding, was the one that had advised General Putnam to ride through and consider our township for encampments following his visit with General Heath's Brigade in July. Heath's troops were stationed near the supply depots just North of Redding (in the town of Danbury) which explained all the soldiers we had frequenting Redding back then.
General Putnam liked what he saw in Redding, and with George Washington's approval three Redding camp locations were selected. Our saw mills bordered two of the three encampment sites and initially the Army proposed that roof slabs and door boards would be cut here and taken to the camps by teamsters. My Father asked them to reconsider because the work to provide the roof slabs and door boards required would bring his regular business to a halt. He showed the Army engineers his saw pits when they visited our mills in October and explained how easy it would be to replicate them at the encampments. They agreed and with Father and Uncle Ephraim's help each camp will be outfitted with saw pits prior to the troops arrival.
We expect the troops here soon, last week the Quartermaster's troops began laying out the encampments and staking the locations where each hut should go. Stephen and me counted the stakes over at the east camp yesterday and there were 116! Most of these huts are going to house twelve men each, at least that is what we were told; which seems unbelievable. If that's really true, there could be over 1,200 soldiers at the first camp alone, that number pretty much equals the number of people living in Redding right now which has caused a great deal of excitement (both good and bad) locally. Some people, like Mr. Lyon feel the troops will be a burden. Others, like Widow Sanford, are thrilled and making preparations to support the troops when they arrive.
As kids, the dangers and hardships of War are of little concern, all we know is that there will be excitement and activity, and so we are all very much looking forward to having the troops here this Winter. It's pretty much all we talk about.
"The second camp looks different than the first one." said Elijah Pruitt as we made our way to the Center.
"How so?" I asked.
"Well, you know how the first camp has all the rows laid out?"
"Yeah..." I said.
"The second camp doesn't have as many rows and some stakes are located along the hillside." Elijah explained.
"Hmmmph, I wonder if that's for a reason." I wondered out loud.
"Did you see any signs of activity while you were there?" I asked.
"No, just the stakes."
"How many?"
"Don't know, I didn't count them." said Elijah.
"Some spy you are!" I laughed.
"Hey! I think I'd make a very good spy." Elijah protested loudly.
By then we were just about to the Center, across the parade grounds is Mr. Adams' house, and we could see him on the front step ringing his school bell and waving for us to hurry. Mr. Adams is our schoolmaster and a deacon at our church. For a long time I wasn't too excited about school days but since Mr. Adams came to town last February, he's really made learning a lot of fun. It's not the same old boring stuff over and over like it was before, Mr. Adams adds in new material like ciphering, debating and surveying along with our regular lessons which we all very much enjoy.
"Come on boys! Hurry! We have a guest lecturer today." Mr. Adams called out to us, which got us into a trot and we weren't disappointed when we got there. It was Squire Heron, a local legend in the flesh. I could barely stammer out my hello.
"Ha-ha-hello Mist-mister Ha-ha-ha-Heron."
"HELLO!" He boomed in return.
I was startled, but happy and smiling as I quickly scurried to my seat.
Mr. Heron's not very tall and he's what Stephen describes as "pudgy," but he has a strong presence. I can't quite explain it but, he has this air of self-confidence that commands your attention and obedience.
He lives just south of the Anglican Church on Redding Ridge, he moved there just after the War began. It's believed that he taught at the Academy in Greenfield Hill before coming to Redding, and prior to that had helped survey the old stage route from New York to Boston; but no one knows for sure. He never really speaks of his past except to say that he was born in Cork, Ireland, and attended Trinity College in Dublin. Then, there's that rumor that he's a spy, which makes him the ultimate man of mystery here in Redding, but...
"OKAY!" boomed Mr. Heron, jarring me from my thoughts.
He then removed the cover from his Globe, placed his finger on the Atlantic Ocean and said:
"Boys, today we are going to explore the topic of Supply and Demand. Does anyone know what goods our State produces?"
Lazarus Gray raised his hand. "Flour."
"Yes, that's correct. Our grist mills grind both corn meal and wheat flour. What else?"
"Fish?" Elijah answered hesitantly.
"Yes. Fish is one of our top exports, as is our pork and beef." said Mr. Heron agreeably.
"What else?"
"Lumber." I said hopefully.
"Yes." said Mr. Heron
"But, not in the form that you would imagine. Does anyone know what I mean?"
He stood with his hands on his hips scanning the room with his eyes.
No one raised their hand.
"Is anyone familiar with charcoal?" he asked and hands shot up throughout the room.
Mr. Heron smiled and said:
"Charcoal is a very important good, especially right now. Charcoal and lime are being combined with ore to produce the iron that will become cannons and cannon balls for our Army and Navy. And that is happening right now here in our State."
He swung the globe around and placed his finger on Connecticut and then he said:
"Right now in the Northwestern hills of our State there is a fine example of supply and demand going on. That is what trade is about boys, trade is all about fulfilling the needs of others and the iron furnaces up there in Connecticut's top left corner are doing just that- They are the Arsenal of the Revolution. Their profit, however, depends on the outcome of the War. Under normal circumstances, providing goods and services that fulfill people's needs will make you very wealthy, but the way this War is being financed has altered that and I think it is important that you understand what we may see here this Winter should the Army's provisions run low."
"What we'll see with the soldiers arriving here shortly will be needs that are very basic- the soldiers will need wood for their shelters and fires; they will need food and drink; they will need a water source; some will need clothes, blankets and shoes.
Whether or not all of these needs can be and will be fulfilled is uncertain. There should be enough wood for them and water sources are not a problem, however, food, drink, clothes, blankets, shoes and other goods may not be readily available when they need them. And should things get desperate, unfortunately, money will not be exchanged with the locals to obtain these necessities. The soldiers do not have any money and their officers pay locals for their needs in promissory notes that are for the most part "I owe you's."
Stephen raised his hand.
"Yes Stephen." said Mr. Heron
"So, my Father will not be paid if he grinds flour and corn for the soldiers?" asked Stephen.
"Unfortunately, it's not likely. If this winter is anything like last year in Valley Forge, army procurement officers will be employing an impressment policy, which means they will take whatever they need. In past encampments, locals have dismantled their wagons, hid their horses, and driven their livestock hundreds of miles away to avoid having it all confiscated in forced sales to procurement officers."
I raised my hand and Mr. Heron nodded for me to speak.
"Why are they stealing from the people who support them?" I asked.
"It's not because they want to." Mr. Heron said frankly. "And the procurement officers leave the owner with a certificate promising future payment. So technically, they are not stealing, but they are taking supplies without proper payment because they have no choice, they need supplies and there is no other way to get them."
That confused me. "If we don't have the supplies to support the troops, then why are they coming to Redding?"
"It's a strategic move." He answered.
"Has Mr. Adams taught you what a crescent shape looks like?" Mr. Heron asked the classroom openly.
"Yes," said Stephen "it's like a half circle."
"That's correct." Said Mr. Heron.
"Following the action at Monmouth, New Jersey this Summer, the British troops took up residence in New York City and have been there ever since. General Washington wishes to keep them there as long as he can and has configured a crescent shaped arrangement of encampments from New Jersey to the Hudson River to Long Island Sound to do so. If they wish to move North, they will have to fight their way through the encampments. Redding's position is appealing in this strategy because it has plenty of open land and timber for the soldier's shelters, and it's accessible to supply teams via roads that also make troop movement convenient in all four directions."
I raised my hand again, "Are there supplies in Danbury?"
"Yes," said Mr. Heron "there are supplies and there will be more coming now that we have France's support in this War. However, we still must be aware of the potential problems the troops may face. The supply depots are in Danbury, not Redding, so if the weather is as bad this year as it was last year it will be difficult for the teamsters to get the troops the supplies they need."
I understood what he meant and nodded to let him know.
"Are you happy about the War coming to Redding Mr. Heron?" Elijah asked.
Mr. Heron paused for a long moment.
"I have concerns," he said thoughtfully. "I have concerns because as I just was explaining- with War comes uncertainty. The outcome you expect is rarely the one you get. And we will have a very large and diverse group of people here. If there is any trouble it will have to be handled swiftly and with force by the Generals or the safety of both the army and our citizens will be at risk."
"...our citizens will be at risk?" My mind began to race again.
And it wasn't just me, I think it made all of us a little uneasy and Mr. Adams must have noticed because he stepped in at that point to explain.
"What Mr. Heron means is that because three camps have been selected it will bring close to 3,000 soldiers to Redding and no one is sure if that will quiet or rile the locals who would rather see the British win this war."
"That's right." Said Mr. Heron.
"There are many loyal to Crown of England here in Redding, and some may attempt to assist the British by spying on the encampments and sharing what they see. That has been a problem in every Winter encampment thus far and I know that General Putnam is keen on putting an end to it this Winter. Another problem has been desertion by the troops themselves. To solve the soldiers deserting camps and spies infiltrating camps issue, General Putnam has warned that the next offender of either sort (deserter or spy) captured will suffer death as an example."
Again Mr. Adams stepped in- "What Mr. Heron is saying and the reason I asked him to speak to you today is: Change is coming to our town. The troops will only be here for the Winter but the impact of their time here may have an impact that will last a lifetime for many of you. What's to come is largely unknown, but I wanted you to know both the reasons behind the encampments and the dangers the encampments might bring. I wanted you all to be aware of this prior to the soldiers arrival because I know (as Squire Heron has mentioned) with War comes uncertainty. This Winter may be uneventful and perhaps even boring, but I wish to prepare you for events rather than explain why events have occurred to you later."
Over the course of the next two hours, Mr. Heron continued to share his knowledge and answer our questions; we had a lot of questions. There was so much that we hadn't considered. It was a lot to take in for one school day and our walk home was silent.
Well, mainly silent, as we got closer and closer to Colonel Read's we could hear lots of activity- pounding, chopping, crashing, oxen mooing and men barking out orders.
When we got to the corner of Read's property we discovered why- road work. Every Fall many of the men in our area tend to the roadways in preparation for Winter. We live on what's called a "Cross Highway" that runs east and west past Read's Manor. Normally this stretch of road doesn't get all that much traffic, mainly people visiting my Father's mills or the Limekilns down by Elijah's house. Most of the year it's a decent road, but come Spring it's a different story, it gets swampy, especially in front of Colonel Read's after the snow melts and travel can be difficult.
My Father was shoveling dirt on top of the logs on the far west end of the area they were working when we got there.
"Hi Dad!" I said cheerfully.
"Hey Jonas! How was school today?"
I told him there was a lot to tell and asked if we could discuss that at supper. He agreed and I asked him what they were doing with all the logs. I hadn't seen them do this type of road work before.
"With the troops coming, we are trying to ensure passage for not only the troops but also their supply teams throughout the winter and into spring. This will be a well-traveled roadway while the troops are here and we need to firm up the swampy areas. Placing the trees across the road and covering them with dirt allows carts and wagons coming through here to cross without getting caught up in the mud. It makes for a bumpy ride, but it's effective."
"Neat!" I said.
"Jonas," my Father said as he scooped up another shovelful of dirt. "I have to keep working if we're going to get this done today.
I'll see at home, okay?"
"Sure Dad. I'll see you tonight." I said as we turned to leave.
I had work to do too.
Why I'm writing this novel:
The
purpose of my novel is to bring attention to more Revolutionary War
topics than simply battles and timelines with the hope that it will fuel
future study of these topics in local schools and help students become
more aware of the history that surrounds them and push them to explore
interests of their own.
In this novel I pick up where My Brother
Sam is Dead left off and tell you the story of what it was like to live
in Redding in the Winter of 1778-79. Your narrator is Jonas Fairchild.
Jonas is 13 years old and lives within walking distance to the middle
encampment. His friend and mentor is a Native American Indian named Tom
Warrups. Tom is in his 30's and lives just up the hill from Jonas and
his family. Through Tom, Jonas learns about Indian culture and their way
of life.
Jonas' father owns and operates two saw mills in town
with his brothers. When the army decides on Redding for its winter
encampment, the Fairchild family agrees to help the soldiers more
efficiently cut their hut lumber by showing them how to make saw pits at
each encampment. Little do they know they will be helping the soldiers
in many more ways than this as the story unfolds.
More will be
shared as I edit my chapters so stay tuned for updates about this very
insightful first person narrative of what happened when 3,000+ soldiers
and their camp followers arrived to co-exist amongst the Redding
residents in the winter of 1779.
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