skirmish took place. The enemy had passed a small hill in the road, which obstructed them temporarily from the view of the militia. General Wooster, ever ardent, took this opportunity to encourage forward his inexperienced troops, and to repeat their charge. While he was thus engaged in impelling forward his men, and using every effort to animate them, the British rear guard were discharging their artillery and musquetry upon them. It was here that he received his fatal wound. Amidst the repeated discharges of artillery, while in the van of his troops, he exclaimed but a moment before he fell from his horse, "Come on, my boys! Never mind such random shot." Entirely regardless of his personal safety, he was leading on his men, exposed to a fire which intimidated his troops, when he received a grape shot in his side that instantly disabled him, and in a few days terminated his existence. His troops, which were militia, were then compelled. to give way. General Arnold, who, by forced marches, had crossed the country to Ridgefield, arrived there about eleven o'clock A. M. Here he erected a barricade of carts, logs, and earth, at the northern extremity of the main street, and awaited the arrival of the British. This was a well chosen piece of ground; the road was narrow, his right flank was covered by a house and barn, and his left by a ledge of rocks. The enemy upon discovering him there prepared, drew up and advanced in a heavy column, but afterwards extended themselves, in order to outflank and surround him. They marched up and received several fires, which they briskly returned. For ten minutes the action was very warm. But they succeeded in gaining the rocks, after which the Americans retreated. After they had gained this eminence, a whole platoon of the British soldiery levelled and fired at General Arnold, who was not more than thirty yards distant from them. But he remained unhurt by this discharge. His horse was killed and fell. Upon perceiving a soldier advancing with his bayonet to run him through, the General kept upon his saddle, deliberately drew his pistol from his holster, shot his adversary, and then retired. Such an instance of cool courage would have added additional laurels to the fame of Marius the Great, or Marshal Ney, in the most flattering periods of their lives. Every enterprise of General Arnold in his country's service proved him to be a most brave, skilful and useful officer. Had he died here, his country would have owed his memory many returns of gratitude. But his life and activity were prolonged, that he might bless that country with other honorable services, and lastly stain his own name with eternal infamy, by an act of the blackest treason in the most eventful period of the struggle for independence. Some valuable lives were lost during this conflict." Among them was General Gould, a militia officer of Fairfield, Connecticut. After being thus repulsed by a superiority of force, Arnold retreated before the enemy. The British halted all night at Ridgefield. A few Americans kept up a scattering fire during the night, and attempted to burn the church, in which was a considerable quantity of pork and wheat, but the fire was extinguished without any material damage. Four private houses were consumed here; and some other private property was destroyed. The next morning about daylight, Monday, April 28th, they resumed their march. They proceeded through Wilton, and finding that General Arnold was on the road which branches to Saugatuck, five miles north of Norwalk, instead of following the direct road' to Saugatuck, they filed off to the east, and pursued that course until they reached Saugatuck creek, which they forded considerably above the bridge. The Americans overtook them, but they kept on the west side of the creek near a half mile from them--each cannonading the other, at times very warmly. About three o'clock, P. M. Colonel Deming and a party of continentals forded the river to their middle, undiscovered by the enemy, and falling on their rear, galled them exceedingly and returned without loss. The Americans marched on till five o'clock, when they arrived at Saugatuck bridge, (not Paugatuck, which is the name of a river in the eastern part of the state,) about two miles from Compo, and four east of Norwalk. : Both parties being now upon high ground, on opposite sides of the river, a furious cannonading ensued for about fifteen minutes, without much effect. The bridge which the enemy possessed themselves of soon after landing, they now relinquished, and pushed on with a view to reach their shipping. Arnold with a division pursued closely on, and by a quick march gained an eminence on the right flank of the enemy's rear. An incessant fire of field-pieces and small arms followed, for a short time, with little or no execution. But the British were excessively fatigued, and were hard pressed by the Americans. Some think they would not have escaped from complete destruction, had it not been for the adoption of the following expedient, said to have been proposed by Sir William Erskine. They landed a body of marines, and moving them into the van of the army, charged the Americans with so much vigor, that they were driven from the ground. The British then embarked in their boats with the utmost expedition, and reached their ships in safety, but so fatigued with the march, that it is said many of the soldiers fell upon the decks of the vessels and there lay for a considerable time, worn out with fatigue. The Americans also were many of them exceedingly weary. The marines being fresh, took the place of their exhausted countrymen, and were an over-match for the fatigued Americans. But while our field-pieces were plying on their boats, Colonel Lamb of New York advanced with two hundred men, within one hundred yards of the enemy, on the Compo hill, and galled them from behind a stone wall. The marines in about ten minutes sent a party from their right to flank the Americans, and advanced another party from their front, who came running down the hill with great fury. Notwithstanding the spirited exertions of Colonel (afterwards General) Lamb, his party instantly retreated in great disorder, and were pursued to the foot of the hill, where, finding themselves unsupported, they were compelled to discontinue the conflict. And the marines soon embarked without further molestation. A great number of Connecticut militia had assembled to witness the battle at Compo, and a few to participate in its dangers. Many of them were without arms, or without ammunition, and could render no assistance. Many who were supplied, refused to submit to any order or discipline, and of such as did, too many behaved in a cowardly man ner. After General McDougall's arrival in the northern part of Bedford, and thence into South Salem, (or, as it was then called, Lower Salem,) upon the 28th, it would, no doubt, have been unwise to have pursued the enemy further, upon receiving intelligence that they had gone from Ridgefield early upon the morning of that day. For small could have been the hope of overtaking them before they would have arrived at their shipping. But why he commenced his march at so late an hour from Peekskill, (improperly written Peckskill,) remains to be explained. The distance from Danbury to that place, is not more than twenty-six miles, and the alarm might have been easily conveyed there early upon the evening of the day, that the enemy arrived in Danbury. It cannot be supposed that such officers as Arnold and Wooster, would for an half hour have neglected this most important part of their duty, of despatching a messenger speedily, after the destination of the enemy was known, especially when it is recollected that Arnold was at that time attached to the army at Peekskill, and then happened to be in the vicinity of Danbury superintending the recruiting service. We cannot well suppose that General McDougall did not receive the intelligence before the morning of the 27th; and if he had set out at that time, he might easily have intercepted the enemy at Ridgefield. With the other assistance which he would have received, the situation of the enemy would not have been merely "critical;" they certainly would have been destroyed, or captured. "The killed, wounded and missing of the enemy, (says Marshall,) amounted to about one hundred and seventy men." Perhaps no other account of this affair, deemed respectable, places their loss in such small numbers as the above. Dr. Dwight says, that the loss of the enemy was estimated by themselves at one hundred and seventy. But it is believed that in this respect, the Doctor was mistaken; for General Washington, states, in his letters, that they only acknowledged forty men lost. Dr. Ramsay observes, that they had two or three hundred men killed, wounded, or taken. Gordon remarks, that there is little reason to doubt that they had four hundred men killed, wounded and taken. The probability is, that the account of Gordon, as here stated, is nearest the truth. We do know that the accounts which were published by the British in New York, were full of misrepresentations and gross falsehoods. When we consider the general skirmishes, in which they were engaged; how often they were annoyed along the roads by the musquetry of the scattered militia; and the feeble resistance which was many times made in consequence of their fatigue, the statement by Gordon probably does not exceed the truth. Governor Tryon himself was among the wounded. The loss of the Americans, in killed, wounded and missing, was probably about one hundred men. At the battle of Compo, Dr. Atwater, a volunteer, a man of considerable influence, was among the slain. Colonel Lamb received a violent contusion from a grape shot, while attempting to rally his men. General Arnold was exposed at the same time; and had his horse wounded in the neck. The loss of Major General DAVID WOOSTER, who, we may remember, received his mortal wound a little above Ridgefield, recalls to mind the most grateful recollections of his character. He was conveyed to Danbury immediately after he was wounded, and there died, on the 2d of May, aged about seventy years. He was buried in Danbury, with the respect due to his rank, and services. But the enquiring traveller will be surprised to find that the grave of WOOSTER cannot at this time be found or designated with absolute certainty. Most of the inhabitants are indifferent about it, and have never troubled themselves to enquire out, and mark the spot. Aged people who have spent their lives in the neighborhood disagree about it. Nay, even those who attended the funeral, describe the place differently. Mr. Joseph F. White, late of this town, a man of accurate observation and retentive memory, who was present at the funeral, is probably very correct in his recollection. He showed me the spot where he supposed the remains of the General were deposited. This was in the middle burial ground, about equidistant from the north and south boundaries of it, in the eastern half. The foot of the grave is about six feet in a north easterly direction from the head stone of the Rev. Robert Sandeman's grave. It will readily be perceived, that there is a grave here, by a cavity in the earth, extending in an easterly and westerly direction. So now the remains of this active patriot, lie in the middle burial ground in Danbury, mixed with his kindred earth, without the humblest stone or symbol being placed to tell the spot where he lies. We read with mingled sentiments. of pity, satisfaction, and respect, that the brave General Fraser lies in the country of his enemies, where he fell, without any monument to be seen over his grave, unless we except a lonesome briar which rural nature has presented to his memory. But the memories of our conscript fathers, and patriots, Washington, Herkimer, Wayne and Wooster, are entitled to be perpetuated upon enduring public monuments; and thereby we shall deeply impress upon the minds of the rising youth of our country sentiments of the noblest virtue, and stimulate men of mature years to constant and meritorious exertions. For it is the remembrance of such worthy men, that keeps alive the sparks of |