By Scot Nolan
Boston and Philadelphia are commonly thought of as the centers of activity during the American Revolution. But what is surprising is that one of the most prominent hot-beds of activity in the American Revolution was not in a large and influential city, but in the small town of Lebanon. It is there that a small store housed the backbone of Connecticut's defense. This small store, which became a constant source of supplies for the Continental army and even the site of one of the colony's first foreign political endeavors, is known as Governor Jonathan Trumbull's War Office.
Jonathan Trumbull of Lebanon was elected governor of Connecticut in 1769. Unlike most governors of the time, many of whom were appointed to office by the British crown, Trumbull stood firmly against the British. This was a bold stand at a time, considering the amount of tension between Great Britain and the colonies. A full five years before war broke out, Trumbull wrote that "It is hard to break connections with the Mother Country; but when she tries to enslave us, and turn all our labors barely to her own emolument, without considering us her sons and free-born fellow subjects, the strictest union must be dissolved." Trumbull swiftly acted upon his stance and denied British soldiers the right to search and seize without a warrant or to call upon citizens to assist in any given duty, rights that Parliament's Writs of Assistance allowed their troops. And when the "shot heard round the world" rang out, Governor Trumbull was ready and immediately sent a prepared militia up to Boston to partake in the battle of Bunker Hill.
In 1775, Trumbull organized the Council for Safety. This special war-time council was charged to "assist the Governor when the Assembly is not sitting, to order and direct the marches and stations of the inhabitants enlisted and assembled for the special defense of the colony, or any part or parts of them, as they shall judge necessary, and to give order from time to time furnishing and supplying said inhabitants with every manner and thing that may be needful to render the defense of the colony effectual."
Fearing that British forces would make meeting in Hartford difficult (to say the least), the newly formed Council for Safety needed an alternative meeting place. Lebanon was centrally located for all of the council members, so Trumbull set up headquarters in his family store. The humble little gambrel-roofed building had been built in 1727 for his father, Captain Trumbull, to set up a mercantile business. When Captain Trumbull passed away in 1732, Jonathan Trumbull took over the family business and had maintained it as governor. This is the building that would soon be known as Trumbull's War Office.
The Council for Safety met almost 1200 times during the years of 1775 and 1784. In those meetings, the council planned ways and means to get supplies to the colony. The council also played a large role in securing munitions and supplies for the Continental army. But the council's greatest concern was Connecticut's shoreline. There were two main reasons why the Council for Safety was so concern with the shore: the first was the simple need to keep the fearsome British navy from raiding and plundering Connecticut's wide and vulnerable coast, and the second was to attempt to cut off British supply lines, for any small success in doing so would benefit the Continental army.
To achieve both ends, 13 ships were serviced into the Connecticut navy and two frigates, the Trumbull and Confederacy were constructed. These ships patrolled the coast, helped in the arresting of illicit trade, and were responsible for taking out 41 British ships. Trumbull was able to add an unconventional element to the navy in November of 1775 when the General Assembly gave him permission to, "commission private ships of war." With the promise of splitting prize money, 203 privateers, many of which were no more than fishing boats with small guns, took out almost 500 British ships. It was also in 1775 when David Bushnell of Saybrook invented and constructed an oaken submarine. Despite the fact that the sub failed in its three attempts to sink British ships, Bushnell is still considered the father of the submarine.
Lebanon's War Office grew quite a reputation during the Revolutionary War, and virtually every influential figure came through its door, including Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, Thomas Jefferson, John Jay, and Marquis de Lafayette. General Washington himself made numerous trips to the War Office, and was in almost constant communication with Governor Trumbull. Washington grew to depend heavily on Trumbull during the war, and the two became so close that Washington refers to the governor as "Brother John" in a number of his correspondences. This may be the reason why Lebanon and it's War Office were chosen to host French troops from November of 1780 until June of 1781. During that time, the War Office, Trumbull's own house and a number of other private homes were used to host French officers, and the town green became the site of the French camp. It is still a wonder to this day how the worldly, numerous French troops and small-town locals of Lebanon got along so well, for there was not one dispute between the two.
Even after the Council for Safety stopped meeting in 1784 and Governor Trumbull passed away on August 17, 1785, the role that the War Office played in the Revolutionary War was not forgotten. The building was completely restored in 1891: decaying partitions, doors, and window sills were replaced, the roof and sides were reshingled, and the building was given a new stone foundation and chimney. During the restoration, many original documents, letters and even a full copy of Freedman's Journal dated April 25, 1781, were recovered.
On June 16, 1891, the building was rededicated and presented to the Sons of the American Revolution. The Norwich Bulletin reported that it was a very colorful affair highlighted with an address by General Joseph Hawley and a formal presentation on the Green. The War Office, and the people who worked in it, can be best remembered with the words that closed that ceremony: "This office withstood the storms of the Revolution; it was the birth of a nation;... let it stand as a memorial of the past and an educator for the present and future generations, teaching them that the wise and good may die, but they are not forgotten."
Sources:
Armstrong, Rev. Robert G. Historic Lebanon: Highlights of a Historic Town. Published by the First Congregational Church, Lebanon, CT, 1950.
Milne, George McLean. Lebanon. Phoenix Publishing, Canaan, NH, 1986.
Trumbull, Jonathan, ed. The Lebanon War Office. CT Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, 1891.