Life of Count Rumford. 139 



occurred there so early in the war, the Island, like 

 New York, remained in the possession of the British 

 forces, naval and military, till the peace. Part of the 

 inhabitants of the Island had begun very vigorously on 

 the popular side, and many of the real patriots had fled 

 to the main. Those who were compelled to remain under 

 a sincere or a forced and unwelcome allegiance to the 

 crown had to meet the usual conditions of the occu- 

 pancy of a spot which was substantially a station and 

 centre of hostile military operations. The Island was 

 the resting-place for the British regiments when not on 

 active duty. They were quartered there for the very 

 great convenience of embarking, when needed, on any 

 expedition, south or north. Colonel Thompson does 

 not appear to have had any special duty assigned to 

 him on the Island, but was merely quartered there from 

 having nothing to do elsewhere. In the winter the 

 troops gave over campaign work, came into winter- 

 quarters on the Island, and built huts and barracks, 

 and excavated the side-hills to get comfortable shelter 

 and sleeping-places. The town of Huntington runs 

 through nearly the centre of the Island, from the sea- 

 coast to opposite the town of Norwalk, Connecticut, 

 on the Sound. At Lloyd's Neck, near Huntington, 

 was a fort to protect the British wood-cutters against 

 the whale-boatmen from the mainland, who came out at 

 night to strip the country. Firewood and boards for 

 huts were very scarce and difficult to obtain. There 

 was constant depredating from across the Sound, and 

 also sharp smuggling between wily Yankees, the sol- 

 diers, and the disaffected islanders. 



The fort that Colonel Thompson built was doubt- 

 less intended chiefly as a winter shelter for his troops ; 



