In 1777 he is listed as one who took the oath of fidelity to the Patriot cause in Derby.
    While Mansfield's contribution to the war effort, in terms of time, was small, it cannot be discounted, for it marked him as one of the first to take an active part in the American cause. The services rendered were more of the nature of a volunteer than the professional soldiering which was performed by Riggs and Griffin. A great deal of the strength of the Colonial effort and the ability to maintain warfare on a prolonged basis sprang from the willingness of the ordinary citizen to appear and support the Colonial cause when needed, even though much of these were for a limited time period. The Connecticut legislature thought so highly of the services of these volunteers that they were awarded pensions the same as the regular soldiers, and Mansfield is listed as a pensioner living in New Haven County in 1832.
    In 1796, Mansfield was listed as one of three committee members for the Great Hill School District. He married Miss Annie Tomlinson of Great Hill, and several of his daughters married into well-known families of that area. His daughter Betsy married Anson Gillette, first class leader of Great Hill Methodist Church; another daughter, Sally, married Cyrus Holbrook.

LOCAL MEN ILLUSTRATE THREE GROUPS

    These three men illustrate the degrees of participation in the American Revolution. Each of them was active in his community or neighborhood affairs, either as a public servant or businessman and farmer. Their participation in the American Revolution, in spite of their later affiliation with the Episcopal Church, shows a strong loyalty to the Colonies, as well as a tie to the English based church.
    The three men were not the only American Revolution veterans who were listed on the original warrant for the formation of Trinity Church, but they were representative of three different groups who contributed significantly to the American military effort.
    John Griffin illustrates the military man who served first in the French and Indian Wars under the British troops and later became active in the Continental Armies, fighting against former allies. It may be safely assumed that these men made a very valuable contribution to the Colonial cause