In 1777, the Continental Congress established a permanent army assigning each state, based on its size, a quota of regiments.  During the Revolutionary War, 27 infantry regiments were assigned to the “Connecticut Line”.  These “lines” as a body formed the “Continental Line.”  In this new formation, Colonel Heman Swift of Cornwall was given command of the Seventh Regiment. 

Swift fought bravely throughout the war and was made a Brigadier-General on September 30, 1783, the year he retired from the military. At the Battle of Brandywine, Swift removed his sash to wrap it around the waist of a wounded General Lafayette.  Lafayette had received a wound to his calf and used his own sash to staunch the flow of blood. 
Lafayette was so touched by Swift’s gesture that at the end of the war he presented to Swift his epaulets, chapeau, sword, and sash.  Swift fought at Germantown and wintered at Valley Forge.

For more information on Colonel Heman Swift, the Historical Society has for sale the booklet below. Click here to order.