" The King of England's Arms have been burned in Philada. & his Statue here has been pulled down to make Musket Ball of, so that his Troops will probably have melted Majesty fired at them."
Ebenezer Hazard to Horatio Gates, New York, July 12, 1776
New York Historical Society, Gates Papers

Oliver Wolcott recounted the destruction of the statue and its subsequent fate: "N.B. An Equestrian Statue of George the Third of Great Britain, was erected in the City of New York on the Bowling Green, at the lower End of Broad Way. most of the materials were lead. but richly Guilded to resemble Gold. At the beginning of the Revolution, this Statue was overthrown; Lead being then Scarce & dear, the Statue was broken in pieces & the metal transported to Litchfield as a place of Safety:_ The Ladies of this Village converted the Lead into Cartridges for the Army..." Connecticut Historical Society Museum, Oliver Wolcott Papers

Bullet Mold found in the orchard of the Wolcott House 1984-06-1 German Lithograph 1995-06-3

The account Wolcott made this note on lists the participants and how many bullets were made by each. A reproduction is included in the exhibition.

While word of the event quickly spread across the world and provided inspiration for lithographs like the one above, those responsible for the destruction did not gain universal approval. George Washington wrote in his general orders of July 10,1776,
"Tho the General doubts not the persons, who pulled down and mutilated the Statue, in the Broadway, last night, were actuated by Zeal in the public cause; yet it has so much the appearance of riot, and want of order, in the Army, that he disapproves the manner, and directs that in future these things shall be avoided by the Soldiery, and left to be executed by proper authority."
George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress, 1741-1799: Series 3g Varick Transcripts

The story of the bullet melting has a tradition of being a local favorite. Henry Guy Gould recounted the incident in 1872, saying, "The lead was a true satire on the dull heavy old King George-Indeed, I wonder that a proud English nation should condescend to make a statue of their honored King of lead."
Litchfield Historical Society, Woodruff Collection, Henry Guy Gould, October 20, 1872

More recently, reenactments of the incident in 1936 for the state's tercentenary celebration and in 1976 for the country's bicentennial demonstrate that it continues to capture the imagination of the local community.