Connecticut Archives - Chris Carosa

Washington’s Gamble – The Sullivan–Clinton Campaign

By Chris Carosa on May 19, 2026

Washington’s Gamble began when frontier war threatened the survival of the Revolution itself. The growing violence on the western frontiers of Pennsylvania and New York left him little choice. It was one he had hoped to avoid. But it was the response demanded by Congress. The steady stream of reports from the frontier forced them to act.

Zebulon Butler, who led the defense (and retreat) during the Wyoming Massacre, attested to continued incursions. In a letter to General Hand on March 23, 1779, the Pennsylvanian wrote, “…after severe skirmishing for two hours and a half, the enemy carried off sixty head of horned cattle, 20 horses, and shot my riding horse, which they could not catch, and burnt five barns that were partly full of grain and hay, and 10 houses, which the inhabitants had deserted. They shot a number of hogs and sheep, that they left lying.” He asked that the information be relayed to General Washington.¹

Even before Butler’s letter to Hand, Congress had received letters from the governors of Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and New York. On February 25, 1779, they appointed their Commander-in-Chief to raise five companies of rangers. The resolution directed Washington to Continue Reading “Washington’s Gamble – The Sullivan–Clinton Campaign”

Posted in History, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Allegana, America250, Battle of Newtown, British, Canada, chain of forts, Cherry Valley, Congress, Connecticut, Continental Army, Continental Congress, Denonville, Elmira, Erie, Fort Niagara, France, French, French and Indian War, Frontier, General Hand, Geneseo, George Washington, Greater Western New York, Hudson Valley, Iroquois, Iroquois Confederacy, John Butler, Joseph Brant, Major General John Sullivan, Mohawk, New York, New York City, Newtown, Pennsylvania, Revolutionary War, Seneca, Sullivan's Expedition, Susquehanna River, Thomas Boyd, Walter Butler, Wyoming Massacre, Zebulon Butler

The British–Iroquois Alliance and the Fractured Confederacy

By Chris Carosa on April 21, 2026

$Iroquois Confederacy fracture$

Portrait of Samuel Kirkland by Augustus Rockwell

Internal disputes weren’t limited to the Green Mountains on the Province of New York’s eastern edge. But what unfolded there would pale in comparison to what was about to erupt on the western frontier.

Here, in the wild, untamed forests, far beyond the reach of authority, conflict took on a different character. Courts gave way to violence. Diplomacy gave way to force. Far from the centers of power, restraint disappeared. Local actors dictated events, and alliances, long maintained, began to crack.

The conflict did not simply reach the frontier. It entered the Confederacy itself.

Once inside, it would tear it apart.

Samuel Kirkland became that inside man. Ironically, long-time British Superintendent of Indian Continue Reading “The British–Iroquois Alliance and the Fractured Confederacy”

Posted in History, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Battle of Oriskany, British, Cayuga, College of New Jersey, Colony, Connecticut, Council Fire, Dartmouth, Eleazar Wheelock, Fort Stanwix Treaty, Guy Johnson, Iroquois Confederacy, Joseph Brant, Mohawk, Moor’s Charity School, New Hampshire, New York, Oneida, Oneida Castle, Onondaga, Patriot, Princeton University, Province, Red Jacket, Revolutionary, Samuel Kirkland, Seneca, Sir William Johnson, Six Nations, Tuscarora, Tyerhansera

The Shot Not Heard ’Round the World: Vermont’s First Taste of Independence

By Chris Carosa on April 14, 2026

High above the Connecticut River sits a mile-long shelf comfortably nestled within the broad curve of the oxbowing waterway in the fertile eastern valley beneath the rolling foothills of the Green Mountains. It had long attracted inhabitants, but the vagaries of violence had repeatedly forced them out.

The land lies dormant. But enticing. Open. Exposed. Its potential untapped.

Beyond the mountains, out of sight, Albany holds court, too distant to exercise its authority over the outer reaches of its boundary. Closer, on the opposite shore of the river, New Hampshire saw it as an avenue of expansion.

Both colonies claimed it. Neither controlled it.

Yet, into that void, settlers arrived.

The first colonists to settle what would become Westminster, Vermont, came from Continue Reading “The Shot Not Heard ’Round the World: Vermont’s First Taste of Independence”

Posted in History, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Albany, Albany County, Asa Averill, Azariah Wright, Benning Wentworth, Bennington, Cadwalladar Colden, Colony, Connecticut, Connecticut River, Cumberland, Ethan Allen, French, French and Indian War, Gloucester, Governor Clinton, Green Mountain Boys, Green Mountains, Indian, John Averill, King George, King George's War, Liberty Men, Massachusetts, Massachusetts Bay Colony, New Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Hampshire Grants, New Taunton, New York, New York Patents, Outlawry Act, Pennsylvania, Province, Robert Cockran, Rockingham Company, Seth Warner, Township Number One, Vermont, Westminster, Westminster Massacre, William French

A Royal Mess Of Competing Colonial Charters

By Chris Carosa on April 7, 2026

By the eve of the Revolutionary War, with the French out of the way, Great Britain held dominant power in eastern North America—especially our region.

Or so it would appear.

Greater Western New York had been claimed many times before it was ever governed. European powers declared it theirs, and when Britain removed its rivals, the claims didn’t disappear—they multiplied. Now they came from within, as competing colonial charters layered atop one another. At one point, no fewer than five colonies claimed the region.

Yet, not one ever truly governed it.

Authority did not collapse at the forest’s edge. It contradicted itself at the source.

Long before a single settler felled a tree in Western New York, the kings of England were Continue Reading “A Royal Mess Of Competing Colonial Charters”

Posted in History, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged 42nd parallel, 43rd parallel, Atlantic Ocean, Batavia, British, Buffalo, Canandaigua, Charter for the Province of Pennsylvania, Charter of Connecticut, Charter of Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut, Connecticut Charter, Connecticut River, Duke of York, Dutch, French, Great Britain, Green Mountains, King Charles II, King James I, Massachusetts, Massachusetts Bay Colony, New England, New Hampshire, New York, New York Patent, Pacific Ocean, Pennsylvania, Rochester, Sea to Sea, Second Charter of Virginia, South Sea, Treaty of Paris, Virginia, Virginia Company of London, Western New York, William Penn

A European Tug Of War

By Chris Carosa on March 3, 2026

Long before a single settler felled a tree in Western New York, kings in Europe were dividing it with ink. There were claims or assertions. They could be real or imagined. They were put on parchment, whether it be maps, treaties, or edicts. Rarely, however, were they enforced. After all, you can’t police a territory where you have no police.

Why, then, would the powers of the day go through all the trouble of pretense?

Well, first, it was all pretend. Europeans did come to this New World. Some explored. Some conquered. Many settled. Still, their activities covered only a small fraction of their claims.

But it was the claim itself that rendered prestige. It was a symbol of potency, a symbol of Continue Reading “A European Tug Of War”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged 1493, 1523, Acadia, African Coast, Age of Discovery, Age of Exploration, Albany, Algonquin, and Gold, Atlantic, Azores, British, Canada, Canary Islands, Canceau, Cape Fear, Cape Verde Islands, Castle Island, Christopher Columbus, Connecticut, Dutch, Dutch East India Company, English, Europe, Fort Detroit, Fort Duquesne, Fort Frontenac, Fort Nassau, Fort Niagara, Fort Orange, France, French Line, fur trade, Gaspe Peninsula, Giovanni da Verrazzano, Glory, God, Great Britain, Great Lakes, Henry Hudson, Huron, Iroquois, Jacques Cartier, Jesuit Relations, King Francis I, Kingston, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi River, New Brunswick, New England, New France, New World, Newfoundland, North America, North Carolina, Nova Gallia, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Pacific Ocean, papal bull, Pilgrims, Pittsburgh, Pope Alexander VI, Portugal, pre-Columbian, Quebec, Reuben Gold Thwaites, Samuel de Champlain, San Salvador, Spain, St. Lawrence River, Treaty of Tordesillas, Treay of Alcacovas, Virginia, Western New York

Jasper Parrish And The Terror At Civilization’s Edge

By Chris Carosa on February 10, 2026

Massacre of Wyoming (Pennsylvania), 1858, by Alonzo Chappel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Captain Zebulon Parish saw the man hurry out of the dense woods into the field. The smell of burning wood wafted through the air around him. In the distance, black smoke rose above the treetops. He thought he heard muffled screams, but it might have been the wind whipping through the forest.

His eyebrow furled as the curious settlers assembled. He was the captain. They looked to him for guidance.

Zebulon recognized the man. It was Lebbeus Hammond.¹ He didn’t look too good. Out of breath, he huffed and puffed, “We’ve been attacked!”

This is bad, was Zebulon’s immediate conclusion.

His mind raced. They’re probably coming for us next. How long do we have? And should we prepare for defense or run? Continue Reading “Jasper Parrish And The Terror At Civilization’s Edge”

Posted in History, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Algonquin, Aurora, British, Captain Blanchard, Colonel John Butler, common sense, Connecticut, Connecticut Yankee, Continental Army, Delaware, England, Forty fort, Iroquois, Ishmeal Benn, Jasper Parrish, John Trumbull, Joseph Elliot, Lebbeus Hammond, Lenni-Lenape, Massacre, Old King, Pennamite-Yankee Wars, Pennsylvania, Queen Esther's Rock, Reubon Jones, Roswell Franklin, Sakayenguaraghton, Second Pennamite War, Seneca, Squire Whitaker, Stephen Kimble, Stephen Parrish, Susquehannah Company, The Shades of Death, Thomas Paine, Wallenpaupack, Westmoreland, Wilkesbarre, Windham, Wintermoot, Wyoming County, Wyoming fort, Wyoming Massacre, Wyoming Valley, Zebulon Parish

Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: How Commonality Saved Captain Charles Williamson And Western New York

By Chris Carosa on July 9, 2024

Previous: Canandaigua Anxiously Waits Before Jubilation And An Elegant Supper

Captain Charles Williamson was responsible for developing much of the Genesee Country between Preemption Line and the Genesee River. Source: Main, William, Charles Williamson, Cowan & Co., Ltd., Perth, 1899, frontpiece

He was a proud Tory and Captain in the British army who volunteered to fight for King George III against the rebellious colonists. She was a proud Patriot whose father graciously saw in this prisoner of war a common human element.

Before we get into this backstory, let’s review why it’s so important.

In December 1786, the states of New York and Massachusetts agreed to resolve a conflict started by the kings of England. Those monarchs made a royal mess of Western New York, at one time or another granting rights to all or portions of it to no less than five colonies.

By the end of the American Revolution, three states had claims to the Greater Western New York region: New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut (a sliver along the southern tier). With Connecticut quickly quitting its claim, New York and Massachusetts stood nose-to-nose. With the Articles of Confederation dissolving, the two states decided to circumvent that ineffective parchment and meet in neutral territory. Ironically, this meeting took place in the state of Continue Reading “Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: How Commonality Saved Captain Charles Williamson And Western New York”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, History, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Abagail Newell, Articles of Confederation, Bath, Boston, Canada, Charles Williamson, Colonel Hugh Maxwell, Connecticut, Edinburgh Regiment, Genesee Trail, Geneva, George Washington, Iroquois Confederacy, John Graves Simcoe, Joseph Ellicott, King George III, Massachusetts, Nathaniel Gorham, New York, Newburyport, Oliver Phelps, Patrick Colquhoun, Preemption Line, Revolutionary War, Robert Morris, Roger Hale Sheaffe, Route 5 & 20, Sir William Pulteney, Sodus, State Road, The Association, The Gore, Treaty of Hartford, William Hornby

Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: The Making Of The Buffalo And Erie Road

By Chris Carosa on April 30, 2024

Previous: Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: The State Of Greater Western New York In 1825

At the turn of the 19^th century, a dense forest covered the southwest corner of New York State—what is now Chautauqua County. A rough trail that followed the Lake Erie shore represented the only visible evidence of human occupation. Except for what appeared to be remnants of a chimney right on the lake.¹ The trail was brutal. Settlers journeying to Connecticut’s lands in the future state of Ohio preferred to take the water route over Lake Erie from Black Rock, just off Buffalo Creek.²

That chimney might well have been the ruins of what Sir William Johnson described as a Continue Reading “Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: The Making Of The Buffalo And Erie Road”

Posted in History, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Allegheny River, Barcelona, Black Rock, Buffalo, Buffalo and Erie Road, Buffalo Creek, Chautauqua County, Chautauqua Creek, Chautauqua Lake, Connecticut, Connecticut Fire Lands, Connecticut Land Company, Connecticut Reserve, Cross Roads, David Ellicott, Edward McHenry, Edward Paine, Ellicott Road, Erie, Erie Road, France, French and Indian War, Genesee County, George Washington, Holland Land Company, Holland Land Purchase, Iroquois Confederacy, James De Lancey, James McMahan, Joseph Badger, Joseph Ellicott, Lafayette, Lake Erie, Main Road, Marquis Duquesne, Mayville, New Connecticut, New England, New France, Niagara County, Ohio River, Old French Road, Ontario County, Paine's Road, Pittsburgh, Portage Escarpment, Portage Road, Portland, Presqu'isle, Route 18, Route 20, Route 5, Samuel Shattuck, Seneca, settlers, Sir William Johnson, Stephen Coffen, Western Reserve, Westfield

The Truth Behind The Mystery Of Weather Forecasting

By Chris Carosa on February 8, 2022

Ah, winter. Remember that? Well, if for some reason you had forgotten, last week certainly provided a useful reminder.

Of course, if you live in New England, you got your reminder a few days earlier with a classic Nor’easter.

Yes, that’s the way the National Weather Service (“NWS”) spells this famous type of storm. These weather events feature notorious low pressure systems that travel up the eastern seaboard. They’re so named because the winds along the coast come from the northeast.

Nor’easters are not limited to the winter. The NWS tells us these storms generally occur in Continue Reading “The Truth Behind The Mystery Of Weather Forecasting”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged American Model, Bill Gutsch, Blizzard of 'yy, Boy Scout, British Model, Canadian Model, Channel 13, Connecticut, European Model, Gettysburg, Good Morning America, Hayden Planetarium, Kevin Williams, lake effect, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, McClennan, National Weather Service, New England, Nor'easter, Pickett's Charge, reverse-psychology, Seminary Ridge, snow, Strasenburgh Planetarium, The European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasts, thunderstorm

Juneteenth Reveals Another Hidden Gem of Greater Western New York

By Chris Carosa on June 22, 2021

The Civil War offers many heroes from Abraham Lincoln to Ulysses S. Grant to William Tecumseh Sherman. (In fairness, the War Between the States provide quite a few villains, too – on both sides – but no need to belabor the half-empty glass.)

We know quite a few of these heroes, like Rochester’s Colonel Patrick H. O’Rorke, who was killed at Gettysburg while leading his men into action on Little Round Top, gave their ultimate in the fight to free the slaves.

Some heroes, whose significance fades with the passage of time, are occasionally rediscovered as changing perspective once again shines light on their distinguished acts of bravery, perseverance, and devotion that sets them apart from their fellow soldiers.

Today’s news has elevated the stature of Gordon Granger, a man who might have single handedly changed the outcome of the Civil War.

If you travel just south of the Village of Sodus in Wayne County, you’ll find County Road Continue Reading “Juneteenth Reveals Another Hidden Gem of Greater Western New York”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Abraham Lincoln, Battle of Chickamauga, Benjamin Joy, Braxton Bragg, Burnside, Catherine Taylor, Chattanooga, Civil War, Connecticut, District of Texas, Elihu Granger, Farragut, Gaius Granger, General Sullivan, George H. Thomas, George S. Patton, Gettysburg, Gordon Granger, John Decker Robinson, Joy, Juneteenth, Knoxville, Launcelot Granger, Massachusetts, Mobile Bay, Nathaniel Gorham, Oliver Phelps, Ontario County, Patrick H. O'Rorke, Phelps, Pierce Granger, Plymouth, Preemption Line, Sally Emery, Sodus, Turkey Hill, Ulysses S. Grant, Wayne County, William Rosencrans, William Tecumseh Sherman