 Morris 's tenure as an instructor in Litchfield was cut short when , within months of arriving , he received an unsolicited ensign 's commission in the Connecticut militia , which he accepted . While in the service of the Connecticut militia Morris saw his first action , fighting battles in both Long Island and White Plains . In his memoirs , Morris wrote of this time , stating that " The soldiers universally manifested a great respect for me , for my care of the sick and my attention to their wants , and for my sympathies in their distresses . " 
