Revolutionary soldiers' stories come alive in Fairfield author's book
The soldiers who served in the early years of the American Revolution played pivotal role in keeping Connecticut safe. Now Fairfield author Laura M. Lugo has made it her mission to have their stories told.
More Stories
Fairfield resident Laura Lugo has spent a lot of time at Greenfield Hill Cemetery on Bronson Road in Fairfield, where about 100 Revolutionary War soldiers are buried.
“Not a lot of people know how pivotal Connecticut was to the war,” Lugo says. “Connecticut was a real thorn in the side of the British—and they hated Connecticut with a vengeance.” She says the men buried here played a critical role in keeping the state safe.
“The Burning of Fairfield, 1779” mural created by renowned artist Harley Bartlett. Photo courtesy of the Fairfield Museum & History Center.
That realization sparked a mission. Lugo set out to tell their stories—many of which had largely been forgotten. “It just struck me… these stories had to be known,” she says. “And it didn’t look like anybody else was stepping up to do it. So I was going to do it.”
She taught herself how to research, then how to write—and eventually how to publish a book.
“This was a labor of love for me,” Lugo says. “This was something I was compelled to do.”
While cemetery charts and records and the research of past historians provided a starting point, Lugo says much of her work is based on pension records, offering firsthand accounts from the soldiers themselves.
“It’s a boon for historians because, in his own words, he says, ‘Yes, I was in such and such a battle. I was wounded…’ or ‘the bullet went right between my legs,’ or ‘my father-in-law got a bullet in the forehead’—all true stories, in their own words,” she explains.
Lugo says the stories—and the sacrifices—are remarkable, and she wants to make sure they are never forgotten. “That’s what I want people to know,” she says. “I want these men not to have those stories forgotten.”
She says it’s one thing to walk through the cemetery and wonder about the names on the headstones—but it's far more powerful to stand at a grave and read each soldier’s story.
Connecticut Revolutionaries of the Greenfield Hill Cemetery took Laura Lugo six years to complete.
