Nero Hawley
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Nero Hawley (1742-1817), born into slavery in North Stratford, now Trumbull, Connecticut, enlisted in the Continental Army on April 20, 1777 during the American Revolution and earned his freedom.
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[edit] 2nd Connecticut Regiment
The 2nd Connecticut Regiment was raised in Spring of 1777 for the new army or Continental Line and was made up of men and slaves from throughout the state of Connecticut. Ordered to assemble in Danbury, Connecticut to prepare to take the field, they went into camp in Peekskill, New York soon after. They served during the summer and fall of 1777 along the Hudson River under the command of General Israel Putnam. On November 14, 1777, they were ordered to join General Washington's main army in Pennsylvania where they engaged in the sharp action of the Battle of White Marsh on December 8, 1777. The unit lost a number of officers and men, killed and wounded in the battle.
[edit] Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
Nero Hawley spent the winter of 1777-1778 at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania under the command of General George Washington. He was a Private in Captain James Beebee's Company, Huntington's Brigade of the 2nd Connecticut Regiment, 1st Connecticut Division. On March 12, 1778, the parish of North Stratford, now Trumbull, Connecticut, made donations of provisions for those residents serving in the southern army stationed at Valley Forge. Of the fifteen men serving there from North Stratford, three were Hawley's; Abraham, Nathan and Nero. Nero Hawley answered seven roll calls between December 1777 and June 1778 during the harsh winter encampment.
[edit] Battle at Monmouth, New Jersey
On July 28, 1778 he fought in the Battle of Monmouth, New Jersey. Hawley was assigned to the 2nd Connecticut Brigade commanded by Huntington and camped at White Plains before spending the winter of 1778-1779 with the division at Redding. He served on the east side of the Hudson River in General Heath's wing during operations of 1779 and with the Light Company under Captain Ten Eyck. He was then detached to Meig's Light Regiment and engaged the enemy at the Battle of Stony Point on July 15, 1779. Wintered during 1779-1780, at Morristown, New Jersey, serving on the outposts. In 1780, he served with the main army along the Hudson River and wintered at Camp Connecticut village above the Robinson House during 1780-1781.
[edit] Private Life
Nero Hawley fought in his owner's place during the Revolutionary War to secure his freedom and was discharged on April 12, 1781 after being wounded in battle. His heroic life is featured in the book, From Valley Forge to Freedom, which also notes other areas of Trumbull, Connecticut associated with Hawley's life. On April 7, 1788, Hawley, listed as an invalid, began to receive a nine pound pension for his service in the War for Independence. On March 14, 1791, Hawley, described in the old North Stratford Ecclesiastical Society book as a free Negro man, withdrew with others from the Congregational Society of North Stratford, now Trumbull, and became a member of the Episcopal Church at Ripton, now Huntington. On May 26, 1808, Hawley's pension was increased to $3.33 per month. After the war, Hawley became a brick maker and received a final pension increase to $40 per year in 1813. Nero Hawley died in 1817 at the age of 75, and is buried in the Riverside Cemetery in Trumbull Center.
[edit] References
- E. Merrill Beach, From Valley Forge To Freedom, Trumbull Historical Society, Trumbull, CT, 1976
- Reverend Samuel Orcutt, The History of the Old Towns of Stratford & Bridgeport, Connecticut, Fairfield County Historical Society, 1886
- Robert Mayo and Ferdinand Moulton, Army & Navy Pension Laws, and Bounty Land Laws of the United States Excluding Sundrey Resolutions of Congress, 1776 to 1852, J. T. Towers, Washington, 1852
