To the Honourable Jonathan Trumbull Esqr Capt Genl & Governor of the American Colony of Connecticut &ca

Sir Being on the 5th of This Instant January Desired & Directed by Your Honour & Council of Safety, To View the Works Erected & Propos'd for Defence at New London Groton & Stonington & Report my Opinion in The Premises &ca

In Pursuance thereof I have Attended at The Places above mentioned & have found that there is at New London a Work Newly Erected at the Edge of the Town by the Water, where the old Fort or Battery Stood, which on some Accounts Appear Neat, well made, & in Good Order, But By reason of the Bad Situation of the Place, on Acct That In Case of an Attack from the Enemy, it will have a Tendency to Draw the Enemys Shot in the most Dangerous Direction on the Body of The Town, & by reason of the Ill Construction of the Embrazures &ca That it Cannot Defend from those Parts of the Harbour where an Enemys Ships of War might, & Doubtless would, Lye for Action, & by reason that In Case the Enemy should set fire to any of the Nearest Buildings it would Be very Difficult to Support & Occupy the Work, & the Danger that The men in the work must undergo from those in the Tops of the Enemys Vessels, Render it in my Opinion [blurred] Not a Suitable Place to Defend the Town & Harbour, & Altogether Insufficient for that Purpose, & Likewise That In Case of an Attack from the Enemy the Guns & stores in said Work would be in Great Danger of falling an Easy Prey to the Enemy ー

I find also Ajacent to the Town on a Place Call'd Winthrops Neck a New Work Erected for Defence, which in my Opinion so far As it is Done may be of Good Service in Assisting to Defend the Place, But the Situation of the Place will not admit of its being A Sufficient Defence ー I also Viewed Shaw's Point Com[mon]ly Called Mamacock, which in my Opinion is Capable of being fortified to very Good Purpose, The Guns would Lye 50, or, 60 feet above the Surface of The Water & only about 190 rods from the Opposite side of the Channel. It has a very Good & Safe Communication with the Country but no works Are yet Erected here. I have also Viewed the East shore Of New London Harbour on Groton Side & find a new Work Erected Within Reach of the whole Channel of the Harbour, which work so far as it is Carried I very much Approve of, & think that with finishing what is begun & making some small Addition it will be Capable of making a very Good Defence. ー The Guns on this work I imagine To be about 100 feet above the Surface of the Water, a Little Back of this Work. Next the Country is a very Commanding Eminence (Likewise in Pretty Good Shot of the Harbour) , which if well fortified might Contain Barracks & a Bomb-proof Sufficient to Contain its own stores & those of the Other work & would Secure a Safe & Easy Communication with the Country, & Would if Skilfully Erected, in a Great Measure Defend the Harbour & be Almost Inaccessible to An Enemy. On the whole it is my Opinion that somewhere Between 10 & 15 hundred pounds well Laid out in fortifying the Above Mentioned parts of Groton & on Mamacock & Winthrops Point or Neck is all That is Necessary for Defending that Important Harbour & The Town, & Properly Mann'd would Prevent any the Most Potent Enemy from Either Holding Possession of the Harbour or Annoying the Town, an Addition of heavy Cannon to make what they now have to the Number of About 40 would be Sufficient to Man all these works.

I have Likewise Viewed the works Lately Executed at stonington and find Them so far as Executed in my Opinion well Situated, strong built, & Being Compleated, with a very Little Alteration (which I have pointed out to Majr Smith) Sufficient with 100 Battallion men & 30 Artillery men to Defend against any ships of War &ca that will Likely Penetrate that Harbour, unless the Enemy shou[l]d Land A body of Troops, in which Case the Above Number of men might hold Out until the Country Came to Their Assistance, all which is Submitted to Your Honr by your Honours [&c.]

Preston 16th January 1776

N.B. if the Works at the Above Places should be Prosecuted it will Be Necessary To provide About 12 new Spades 5 falling Axes & 2 Broad Axes & some Iron Crows for the Works & a Number of Tools for New London & Groton