Page:Scenes in my Native Land.pdf/97

Rh of September, 1781, forms a conspicuous ornament of this height. It is built of hewn stone, taken from a quarry not far distant. It is 125 feet high, and the hill on which it stands 129 feet above the level of the ocean. The ascent is by 168 stone steps, rising spirally on the inside. But the prospect amply repays all the toil of the ascent. The landscape, though not so rich and luxuriant as many others, is perhaps as varied and interesting as any in New England. On the south, you have the Sound with its winding shores, its gliding sails and lovely islands, and on the north, the river Thames, retiring behind the hills towards Norwich. Those hills themselves, once the residence of the Mohegan tribe of Indians, suggest numerous associations connected with that fast-decaying tribe; and their highest summit is crowned with a small white picturesque church, erected some few years since for their benefit. On the west, and apparently beneath your feet, lies New London with its streets and dwellings conspicuously displayed, its spires and masts, its rising forts, and its spacious and well-defined harbor.

On the south front of the monument, a marble entablature is fitted into the walls, containing the names of the eighty-one persons who perished in the fort. Only a few of these fell at the taking of the fort. By far the greater part were slain after the surrender with the sword and bayonet, when they had thrown down their arms and were supplicating mercy. The British landed in two divisions. That which assailed the fort,