time, won the admiration and favor of Washington and the American people. He fell, in an evil hour, from his high pedestal of fame, and, like the ruined arch-angel, forever lost the glory that might have been his; but when we, in these later days read his history dispassionately, let us at least do him the justice to read it from the beginning, and not commence at 1780. He was born in Norwich, and Norwich is not especially proud of that fact; but she has had sons who have honored the place of their nativity.

As the spires of Norwich fade from our view, our eyes are attracted by the wonderful beauty of the Thames, that river whose thirteen miles of length, from the junction of the Shetucket and Yantic to New London, present one continual panorama of loveliness, whose counterpart one may go far to find. It winds through the verdant Connecticut hills in an ever widening stream, with a grace and charm peculiarly its own, affording at every turn new and delightful vistas to attract the eye.

We are now passing through the Mohegan country, once thickly peopled by the red men, but now the abode of only a few feeble remnants of that race. The days of their glory are forever past, and the white man's iron horse thunders along the valley where of old they wandered, and wakes the Mohegan echoes with shrieks that would have put their ancient war-whoops as far in the shade as the roar of Niagara might surpass that of the Falls of the little Yantic.

Our train draws near its goal. Yonder, across the river, rise New London's spires, and we have passed the town of Ledyard, the birthplace and early home of the worthy Chairman of our Excursion Committee, and are now within the limits of Groton, from which town Ledyard was originally taken, it being formerly known as North Groton. Groton is a town of stirring memories. It has witnessed heroic deeds, and produced great men. Among

them was John Ledyard, the celebrated traveller, whose name is known the world over for his intrepid explorations of hitherto unknown lands. The river is here nearly half a mile wide, and after passing the United States Navy Yard, located in the limits of the town of Ledyard, the train slackens its speed and cautiously moves over the long bridge which spans the tide, looking very frail in the distance, but showing its great strength as we pass over it.

We arrived in New London at 9.55 A. M., and were welcomed by the committees from the New London County Historical Society and the New London Board of Trade, among them being Hon. George F. Tinker, Chairman of the Committee of Arrangements, Mr. Frederic Bill, of Groton, and Mr. Frederic S. Newcomb.

Soon after our arrival we were escorted to the ferryboat "Col. Ledyard," on which we made the passage back to the Groton side. The view down the harbor and up the river from the boat was very enjoyable, but was only a foretaste of what was to follow. The rain of the early morning had ceased, and the sun, which had come out as we passed Norwich, now occasionally lighted up the scene, and continued to do so during most of our visit. The weather was delightfully cool, and on our arrival in Groton, we found little difficulty in surmounting the famous Heights, which were the scene of one of the bloodiest battles of the Revolution. Carriages had been provided for all who desired to ride, but the larger part of our party preferred the exercise of walking, and soon made the ascent.

We were welcomed to Groton by the officers and representatives of the Anna Warner Bailey Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and were entertained by them with suitable refreshments.

As one approaches Groton, the most prominent object on the Heights is the Groton Monument, rising aloft in simple grandeur, like that more lofty shaft on Bunker

Hill,-fitting memorials, both of them, of great events and noble men. It is not the province of this report to recall in detail the history of New London or Groton, and we shall simply quote the inscription on the monument itself, which tells the story briefly and well:

THIS MONUMENT

WAS ERECTED UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT, A. D. 1830, AND IN THE 55TH YEAR OF THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE U. S. A.

IN MEMORY OF THE BRAVE PATRIOTS

WHO FELL IN THE MASSACRE OF FORT GRISWOLD NEAR THIS SPOT
ON THE 6TH of September, A. D. 1781,

WHEN THE BRITISH UNDER THE COMMAND OF

THE TRAITOR BENEDICT ARNOLD,

BURNT THE TOWNS OF NEW LONDON & GROTON, AND SPREAD
DESOLATION AND WOE THROUGHOUT THIS REGION.

In that battle a force of about 1600 of the enemy landed, one-half, under the immediate command of Arnold, coming up the New London side of the river and burning the larger portion of that town, while the other division, under command of Lieut.-Col. Eyre, landed at Groton Point on the east side of the harbor and attacked Fort Griswold on Groton Heights, a small, but fairly strong fortress, defended by about one hundred and fifty brave men, only a small portion of whom were trained soldiers, the remainder being men and boys, who, at the sound of the alarm, flocked in from the farms and hamlets roundabout, but who knew little of the art of war or of how to handle cannon. As a result, they were finally overpowered by four or five times their numbers of trained British soldiers, and forced to surrender. The story of the massacre that followed has been told again and again, but it will bear repeating, now that we stand on Groton Heights.

The British columns had suffered severely in their assaults upon the fort, and were doubtless greatly exasperated by the loss of their commander, Lieut.-Col. Eyre, and his successor, Major Montgomery. It is said that the dying words of the latter were, "Put every man to death!"