Groton's most celebrated heroine is Mother Bailey, whose famous flannel petticoat
rocketed her to fame
in 1813, making her the toast of the nation.
Born Anna Warner on October 11, 1758, in Groton, she was
orphaned at an early age and went to live with kind grandmother Mills on a
farm at Candlewood Hill, where she helped her uncle, Edward Mills, with
the crops and animals. She was unusually tall and strong for a
girl. When the Revolution began, she longed to fight the despised
Tories.
On September 6, 1781, when the British attacked Fort
Griswold, her uncle Edward, a corporal in the militia, hurried to the
fort, leaving behind his wife, a young son, and a very new baby. All
day the sound of cannons reached Candlewood Hill and smoke rose from the
battle and burning town. By night the guns were silent, but Edward
did not return, and there was no news. At dawn Anna rose, milked the
cows, and without breakfast, began the three-mile hike to find her uncle. She hurried barefoot down the lane to the highway (now Route
184) already crowded with worried relatives. She found Edward lying
mortally wounded in the Avery house, weak from the loss of blood and
sinking fast. He longed to see his family and begged his niece to
bring them to him. Anna hurried back to the farm, saddled the old
horse, helped up the young wife and older child, and carrying the baby
herself, returned to place the infant in the arms of the dying man.
After this, Anna Warner hated the British more than ever.
She married veteran soldier Elijah Bailey in
1783. About 1800 they went to inn-keeping on Thames Street below the
fort where Mrs. Baileys' hearty manner and outspoken ways made the tavern
popular from the start. The house still stands at the southwest
corner of Thames and Broad street.
When (President) Madison declared war on England in
1812, she thought it was second only to July 4, 1776. Her vigorous
denunciation of the British attracted many in her inn. When
Decatur's Fleet scuttled into New London harbor in June 1813, everyone
believed the British would attack again. The people fled to the back
country. Mrs. Bailey sent away her household goods and prepared to
follow.
Major Simeon Smith hastily manned Fort Griswold with
his militia. In need of cartridges and flannel for wadding, he sent
a messenger down the hill for flannel, but the village was deserted.
The discouraged messenger met Mrs. Bailey and told her
of his need. In a moment, she loosened her long flannel petticoat,
stepped out of it, and presented it with a loud wish that the wadding
would do its work well. Amused, bystanders saluted the daring
gesture, for in 1813 ladies did not admit to wearing petticoats, much less
remove them publicly. The messenger carried his prize to the fort,
where it was received with cheers.
Though the British did not attack, word of Mother
Bailey's impulsive gift spread over the country. Newspapers hailed
her as the war's greatest female patriot. Later, a stream of
celebrities knocked at her Groton door - President Monroe in 1817,
Lafayette in 1824, and in 1833, President Andrew Jackson and Martin Van
Buren. As her fame increased, visitors flocked to the tavern to hear
the lively tale told from her own lips. She was as good as a floor
show, dancing about the room, singing patriotic tunes and railing the
British.
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On January 19, 1851, as Mother Bailey snoozed in an
armchair near an open hearth, her clothes caught fire and she died within
an hour at age 93. Her only survivors were cousins, for her title of
mother was purely honorary. However, her name is remembered by the
Anna Warner Bailey Chapter, NSDAR. In their monument house museum,
is her portrait (above), showing a stern elderly lady wearing a demure
white cap and collar. But isn't there a gleam in her eye?
To the Right: Anna Warner Bailey's tombstone
in Starr Cemetery, Groton, CT. |
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Please Note: Carol Kimball kindly gave
her permission to publish this article on the Internet. Not only is
she an active member of the Anna Warner Bailey Chapter, NSDAR, she also serves as the Groton
Historian.
