Hometown Heroes
George Dunworth – Revolutionary War sailor, soldier
By Michael Rocchetti
George Dunworth (1758-1842) was born October 26, 1758 in Jacksonboro, S.C. At the age of three he was orphaned and placed in the care of friends, who then moved to Charleston, S.C. At a suitable age he was apprenticed to a carpenter with whom he lived three years. He then worked as a journeyman on the public barracks under the well-known Captain Daniel Cannon who superintended the defensive works.
At the age of 18, he decided to serve his country, and since there were a number of vessels fitted out in Charleston, he enlisted on September 1, 1777, to serve as a seaman aboard a Privateer vessel – a schooner with 12 guns called the “Volunteer,” commanded by Captain Eliphalet Smith, with a crew of 63 men and boys. On the 19th of September, their ship was engaged in a naval battle with a British ship, a 32-gun frigate called the HMS Brune, part of a detached squadron under the command of Captain James Ferguson. During the battle, Captain Smith was killed by a musket shot, and the Volunteer was sunk. George Dunworth survived, and was taken prisoner and transported to British-occupied New York City, where he was held on the infamous prison ship “Prince of Wales” until about December of 1777.
Emaciated and ill, he was transferred to British-occupied Newport, R.I., where as part of a prisoner exchange, he was transferred to a smaller cartel ship, which then sailed to Providence on January 1, 1778. He was then hospitalized with smallpox, and was quarantined at a “pestilence house” about two miles from Providence. Later, when he was no longer contagious, he was carried back to the hospital. In a weakened and emaciated state, he was released on his own, hungry and destitute.
He then set out for Plainfield, Conn. With the kindness and charity of strangers who fed and sheltered him along the way, he arrived in Plainfield after walking for three days from Providence. In Plainfield he convalesced at the home of Mr. Isaac Morgan (1739-1796), who was a regional commissary, providing supplies to the Army. He stayed there until he fully regained his strength. Later in the year 1778, he joined a local militia company from Plainfield, and served two months along the Connecticut shoreline, three miles from Fort Griswold in Groton, as a substitute for a man named Morgan, in a Company commanded by Captain Joshua Dunlap, of Colonel Obadiah Johnson’s Regiment.
In 1779 he served three months as a substitute in place of a man who had been drafted – his name was David Allerton. This was in a Troop of Horse, (a company of Dragoons) commanded by Captain Sam Hall (of Plainfield) of Colonel Elisha Sheldon’s Regiment of Light Horse in the Continental Army. At that time the Regiment lay at New Canaan near Long Island Sound.
In 1781, in the fall, he served 2 months at Fort Griswold, shortly after the storming of that fort and the burning of New London by the British, under the command of the infamous traitor Benedict Arnold. He then served as a substitute for Isaac Morgan in Captain Robben’s Company. (Note: Isaac Morgan was captured by the British and carried off as a prisoner at the Battle of Fort Griswold, on September 6, 1781.)
In 1782 he was drafted for two months service in New London – but he hired a substitute.
In 1785, he married Lucretia Tracy (1750-1820) of Plainfield and they moved to Hampton. After her death, he married Abigail Whiton (1789-1855) of Ashford; they had one daughter, Matilda (1822-1830). He died in Ashford March 13, 1842 at the age of 84.
His certificate of pension was issued to his widow on June 22, 1853, at $23.33 per year ($981 in 2025 dollars). She died two years later in 1855.
Hometown Heroes is a series published in the Putnam Town Crier & Northeast Ledger with this mission: We owe it to our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines to make sure that they are never forgotten, and that the memory of their service and sacrifice will forever live on in the hearts and minds of the grateful people of Putnam.
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First Snow!
If it stays cold we can squint and have a white Christmas. Linda Lemmon photo.
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PSA Mustangs
#1 in U.S.
STOUGHTON, Mass. — The #1 team in the country was front and center on Court 3 at the Zero Gravity Prep Classic. They did not disappoint, cruising to a 125-79 win over Crestwood Prep. Jalen Taggart once again had himself a night capturing a 28 point, 11 rebound double-double. He also dished out 5 assists. Jordan Skyers also eclipsed the 25-point mark, with 27. Skyers also had 5 rebounds and 5 assists in the win. Adama Tambedou was the second Mustang to record a double-double.
The future Maryland Terrapin went for 16 points and 11 rebounds. Brayson Green filled the stat sheet with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 rebounds. David Gaymon was the third and final Mustang with a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds and chipped in 8 assists. Favour Egbuna went for 9 points and 6 rebounds. Fellow big man Joseph Adebayo had 8 points and 7 rebounds. Marc Etienne had a nice game with 6 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks. Owen Crowley added 5 points and 3 assists.
Head Coach Tom Espinosa said the fast pace on both offense and defense that caused the Mustangs’ uncharacteristic start. “I felt like we were running around with our heads cut off,” he said. “We slowed down and we matched up better, we defended with our principals in the line up the line.” Digging in on the defensive end enabled the Mustangs to play their brand of basketball. Relentless defense allowing them to break the game open the rest of the way. They did, winning by 46 points, to get to 13-0 on the season. The Mustangs extended their winning streak to 46 games in a row.
Men’s Prep
STOUGHTON, Mass. — Another game, another win for the #1 ranked Putnam Science Academy men’s prep basketball team. 116-67 was the final score against the Overtime Elite Diamond Doves. The win pushes the team record to 14-0 and makes it 47 straight. Jalen Taggart led all Mustangs scorers with 21 points, while grabbing 7 rebounds. Jordan Skyers put in 20 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Adama Tambedou scored 16 points along with 5 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block. Brayson Green also scored in double figures with his 13-point, 7 rebound, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block performance. David Gaymon scored 9 points with 5 rebounds and 3 assists. After missing the first 13 games of the season, Parrish Edmond was back on the court scoring 8 points while hauling 3 rebounds and also dishing out 1 assist.
Edmond returning to court “felt amazing, I haven’t played in a little over three months. Now getting back with the guys, competing, winning. It was an amazing feeling just to be back. I missed it.”
Favour Egbuns scored 6 points while grabbing 3 rebounds. Owen Crowley, Joseph Adebayo and Kamai Samuels each scored 5 points. Crowley also had 3 rebounds with 1 steal and 1 assist. Samuels dished out an impressive 11 assists along with 4 rebounds.
Men’s Prep
BRONX, NY- The #1 ranked team in the country, the Putnam Science Academy Mustangs picked up a colossal win against Jelly Fam (OTE), 84-80. Jordan Skyers, going up against his former team, scored a team-high 20 points. Skyers also had 7 rebounds and 3 steals. Kamai Samuels grabbed 9 rebounds while scoring 17 points and dishing out 5 assists. Sharpshooter Jalen Taggart went for 16 points along with 2 rebounds. Adama Tambedou had a 14 point-10 rebound double-double in the win. Tambedou also had 2 assists and 3 steals. David Gaymon had 7 points with 6 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. Brayson Green had 5 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. In his second game back this season Parrish Edmond went for 4 points, 3 rebounds, a steal and an assist. The Mustangs showed resilience, being down 9 points in the second half, and as many as 18 points. They were able to stampede toward victory. Putnam Science is now 15-0 on the season, extending its winning streak to 48 games. The team travels down to IMG Academy in Florida to take part in the Sunshine Prep Classic. The Mustangs went 4-0 against Overtime Elite teams this year.
PSA Varsity
NEW LEBANON, N.Y. — The Putnam Science Academy Varsity Boys traveled to the Darrow School to take on the Ducks. Darrow came away with the 57-26 win over the Mustangs who dropped to 3-3 on the season. Kenzo Wright scored 5 points while grabbing 2 rebounds to go along with 3 assists. Chris Maplanka scored 4 points along with 5 rebounds and 4 steals. Angel Seinturier added 5 points and 7 rebounds.
PSA Elite
STOUGHTON, Mass. — The PSA Men’s Elite Basketball team got its 5th win of the season 91-77 behind Vadim Brezillion’s 31-points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Ethan Mvurdura had a 15 point, 10 rebound double-double in the win as the Mustangs improved to 5-2 on the season. Amayas Hall-Chiari also went for 15 points along with 3 rebounds and 2 assists. Ethan Graham was another double-digit scorer contributing 10 points and 4 rebounds with 2 steals. Sterling Manigault had 4 points and 6 rebounds.
Men’s Varsity
ALBANY, N.Y. — The Men’s Varsity basketball team secured its fourth win of the season behind Kenzo Wright’s game-high 16 points. Wright also added 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal. KJ Cyr put in 9 points with 2 assists and 5 steals and Elias Garcia Quesada contributed 6 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals in the win. Chris Maplanka also scored 9 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal as the Mustangs improved to 4-3 on the season.
Elite
ALBANY, NY- Vadim Brezillion (4 rebounds) scored 19 points to lead all Mustangs scorers in the 77-61 road loss to Redemption Christian Academy. Amayas Hall-Chiari poured in 14 points along with 3 assists. Ethan Graham also scored in double figures with 10 points along with 3 rebounds and 2 steals. Max Pires scored 7 points while hauling in 5 rebounds. The team is now 5-3 on the season.
Elite
Ethan Mvundura was the leading for the Mustangs with 18 points in the 72-63 loss to Franklin Pierce. Mvundura also had 4 rebounds and 2 assists. Vadim Brezillion was also a double-digit scorer with 15 points to go along with 3 assists. Amayas Hall-Chiari went for 9 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals. Ethan Graham scored 5 points with 2 steals. The team is now 5-4 on the season.
Women’s Varsity
PLAINFIELD — The Varsity PSA Girls won big on the road 100-38 over Plainfield High School. Valeria Alemany Martinez led the Lady Mustangs with 20 points, going 4 for 5 from the three point line. Sofia Konkova added 18 points and 3 steals and Martyna Cieslar had 15 points in the win. Defne Mumcu chipped in 12 points and 6 rebounds and Aroa Cuadrq Alvarez had 10 points and 3 steals to help PSA move to 2-2 on the season. Elif Goksel (3 assists), Cecile Lufungula (5 rebounds) and Paolla Uwaso (4 rebounds) all scored 8 points each for Putnam Science.
Women’s’ Varsity
WOONSOCKET, R.I. — Sofia Konkova was the leading scorer with 20 points in the Putnam Science Academy Varsity girls’ basketball victory against Mount St. Charles. Aroa Alvarez had 7 points and Maqungqing Liu put in 6 points. The Mustangs are 3-2 on the season.
Women’s Prep
MILTON, Mass. — The PSA Women’s Prep team got its second win of the season against IMG Academy.. Ryanna Roman was the leading scorer for the Mustangs with 13 points. Valentina Vrcan went for 12 points while dishing out 4 assists and hauling in 4 rebounds. Paolla Diouma scored 10 points with 8 rebounds. A trio of Mustangs scored 8 points in the win. Fatima Diouf scored 8 while having 3 assists and 3 steals. Lily Impey also put in 8 points with an impressive 7 defensive rebounds and 4 assists. Nika Milosavljevic was in the 8-point club as well and added 5 rebounds. Varvara Utina had 6 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Adut Tour and Sofia Kankova each scored 4 points. Tour also grabbed 8 rebounds. Elif Goksel got on the scorecard with 2 points. The Mustangs move to 2-6 on the season.
By Ben Heacox
Lady Mustangs
BLAIRSTOWN, N.J. — Paola Kanoute led the way for the Lady Mustangs (2-7) against Blair Academy with 17 points in the 62-46 loss. Kanoute also had 5 rebounds and 2 steals. Lilly Impey scored 9 points while grabbing 2 rebounds. Fatima Diouf and Ryanna Roman each scored 7 points and hauled 2 rebounds each.
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Wreaths: Our gratitude should have no end
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM/POMFRET — A patriotic observance, Wreaths Across America, was held at high-noon Dec. 13 at Putnam’s Veterans Park and in Pomfret and around America.
American Legion Post 13 Commander Michael Rocchetti said the wreaths are placed to “recognize the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who are serving, have served, and those who have departed from our ranks. The watchwords for the Wreaths Across America Observance are: Remember, Honor, and Teach”. We remember the sacrifices made by our veterans, we honor their legacy, and we teach our younger generations the value of freedom”.
Brian Maynard, in his speech at the Pomfret ceremony, echoed those words, saying: “We’re here today because of a simple but powerful mission: Remember, Honor, and Teach. First, Teach. We have a duty to pass on the real stories of service—especially to our kids. Let me tell you about Lieutenant Andrew Pepin, a U.S. Army officer who fought in the South Pacific in WWII. He went through hell—jungles, constant combat, horrors most of us can’t imagine. He made it home, but like so many of his generation, he carried invisible wounds for the rest of his life. Andrew’s story reminds our young people that freedom has a cost that reaches far beyond the battlefield. It touches families, hometowns, and hearts. Teaching these stories is how we make sure the next generation understands what it truly means to serve.
“Second, Remember. We say their names. We keep their memories alive. Right here in Pomfret, we have one of the great heroes of the American Revolution: Colonel Israel Putnam. (He was a colonel in the Continental Army, later promoted to brigadier general, but he was also known as “Old Put,” the farmer who left his plow in the field the moment he heard about Lexington and Concord.) At Bunker Hill he told his men, words that still ring today, “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes.” (Some say it was Colonel Prescott who gave that order, but either way, Putnam was right there in the fight.) Remembering Israel Putnam means more than repeating dates and battles; it means keeping alive the spirit of a man who helped create the country we’re proud to call home.
“And finally, Honor. We honor every veteran, those still with us and those who have passed, by the simple, powerful act of placing a wreath on their graves. These evergreen circles have no beginning and no end, just like our gratitude should have no end. When we place a wreath and say a veteran’s name out loud, we’re telling them, General Israel Putnam – Lt Andrew Pepin, “Your service mattered. You are not forgotten.” So as we lay these wreaths today, let’s make a promise:
We will teach the stories with honesty and compassion. We will remember the fallen by saying their names and sharing their courage. And we will honor every veteran, past and present, with the deep respect they’ve earned. Every veteran has a story that could be tough, a story that should be remembered and a service that should be honored.”
In his remarks, Rocchetti said: “It was a cold overcast day, kind of dreary, but the winds were calm. As long as there is no precipitation of any sort, it’s a good day for this ceremony.” He related the extraordinary story of George Dunworth – a local Revolutionary War veteran who served as a sailor, a foot soldier, and a cavalryman during the war. “Dunworth, a battle-hardened veteran, survived captivity as a POW and also survived smallpox. His story is amazing.”
The annual “Wreaths Across America” tribute started in 2005, and has grown in popularity. Putnam’s first observance was in 2011, and was a joint effort of the Town of Putnam, The American Legion Post and the VFW Post. The participants in the ceremony included the American Legion Post #13, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #1523, the Putnam Elks #574 Veterans Committee, the Danielson Veteran’s Coffeehouse, and the Town of Putnam. Speakers included Rocchetti, and VFW Post 1523 Post Commander Hans Lowell. The National Anthem was sung by Paul Salisbury from the VFW Auxiliary. Taps was played on the bugle by Rob Challinor. The honor guard consisted of Michael Vassar, Russ Waters, Chris Steinbrick and Jon Drew. The invocation was given by Janet Muscara, and the closing benediction was given by Pierre Desilets. The wreath layers included: David Lavoie, Bill Schmidt, Ron Pariseau, Pat Kelly, and Thomas Lajoie. Hans Lowell placed wreaths at Veterans Park, at three bridges over the Quinebaug River, and at every cemetery in town where veterans are buried.
Commander Rocchetti also had words of praise for the Town of Putnam: “The Parks and Recreation Director Jimmy Callahan did a lot of work behind the scenes to make this happen – and I am very grateful for their support. Also ”Jimbo” Crabtree did a fantastic job setting up the ceremonial site – with chairs, a podium, and a sound system. How lucky we are to live in such a wonderful community!”
Captions:
From left: Pomfret Selectwoman Martha Emillio, Veterans Rep Garry Brown, Rep. Boyd & Guest Speaker Brian Maynard.
Thank you also to Marian Hollowell, the Daughters of the American Revolution
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