THE TOWN OF BEDFORD. 7 1 



to dampen his military ambition, and returned to his farm. In the 

 spring of 1778, he was arrested by order of the committee of public 

 safety, and conveyed to Bedford. 



He subsequently accepted the appointment of Lieut. Colonel of the 

 corps of West Chester County Refugees, in the British service ; in this 

 corps he remained till the end of the war. Colonel James Holmes died 

 at New Haven, July, 1824, leaving issue by his wife Tamar, two daugh- 

 ters • Tamar, who married James Ronalds, father of William R. Ronalds, 

 Esq., of New York; and Sally, the wife of Jeremiah Lounsberry of this 

 town. 



The village of Bedford was burnt July 2d, 1779, during the Revolu- 

 tionary war by a party of British Light Horse under the command of 

 Lieut. Col. Banastre Tarleton" on their route to Fairfield, Conn., and 

 much valuable property destroyed in its immediate vicinity. But the in- 

 habitants remained firmly attached to the interests of their country. 

 Mrs. Nancy Sarles testified Oct. 12th, 1846 that, in the Revolutionary 

 war, her father lived in Bedford a mile and a half from the village on 

 the road to White Plains. His name was Samuel Lyon and he was 

 an active Whig and Committee man. When the British burnt Bed- 

 ford they advanced by the upper or West road and entered after 

 daylight. The party consisted of several hundred composed of leather- 

 caps and refugees all of whom were mounted. The refugees did all 

 the mischief, plundering and burning, while the leather-caps kept guard, 

 then finally retreated by the White Plains road. The militia were all out in 

 the direction of Stamford except a picket guard which the enemy at^ 

 tacked and dispersed killing one man. When they arrived at our house 

 they were constantly asking for bread and we gave them all we had, they 

 then set fire to the house and retreated. The cry was " Fire the house 

 boys and be off." I endeavored to extinguish the fire, but it had made 

 too much headway — just then a party of American militia came to our 

 assistance and helped to save some things that were in the house. Th^> 

 leather caps, or regulars (who I think were Hessians) came here in ortfer; 

 to support the refugees. Col. Holmes' house, occupied by Benjamin 

 Hayes, was also burnt on this occasion. 6 Capt. David Miller of Bedford 

 aged eighty, Oct. 31st, 1846, says, " My father, when Bedford was burnt, 

 was a militia captain and lay with his company east of the village — he • 

 had occupied a house on the Stamford road a little south of Mr, Jonathan 



a Col. Tarleton, afterwards General Sir Banastre Tarleton, Bart, born in Liverpool, Aug. 

 21st, 1754 was intended for ye law, commanded ye advanced guard of the patrols which made 

 General Lee prisoner. Stirring activity made him popular and he was M. P for Liverpool 22 

 years— was married but died childless Jan'y 23d, 1833. Gents Mag. Part I. p 273. 



6 Extracts from " Life of James Holmes, Esq.," printed in 1815. 



