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gardens, and out houses; to conceal themselves behind their fences, and lie in wait for them on the roads and in their fields. Sometimes they concealed themselves before their very doors.. No sooner did they open them, in the morning, than they were instantly shot dead. From almost every quarter, they were ready to rise upon them. At midnight, in the morning, or whenever they could obtain an advantage, they were ready to attack them. While the English were hunting them in one place, they would be slaying the inhabitants, and plundering and burning in another. In a short time, they would plunder and burn a town, kill and captivate the inhabitants, and retire into swamps and fastnesses, where it was dangerous to pursue, difficult to discover, and impossible to attack them, but at the greatest disadvantage.

Notwithstanding every precaution and exertion of the colonies, they continued plundering, burning, killing, and captivating, in one place and another, and kept the whole country in continual fear and alarm. There was no safety to man, woman, nor child; to him who went out, nor to him who came in. Whether they were asleep or awake-whether they journeyed, laboured, or worshipped, they were in continual jeopardy. The inhabitants of Massachusetts, Plymouth, and Rhode-Island, especially, were killed, plundered, and their towns and buildings burned, in a most distressing and terrible manner.

Beside other damages, not so considerable, captain Hutchinson, who had been sent with a party of horse, to treat with the Nipmuck Indians, was drawn into an ambush August 2d, near Brookfield, and mortally wounded. Sixteen of his company were killed. The enemy then rushed in upon the town, and burnt all the dwelling-houses, except one, which was defended by the garrison, until it was reinforced, two days after, by major Willard. The enemy then drew off, having burned twenty dwelling-houses, with all the barns and out houses, and killed all the cattle and horses which they could find. In September, Hadley, Deerfield, and Northfield, on Connecticut river, were attacked, and numbers of the inhabitants killed and wounded. Most of the buildings in Deerfield were burnt, and Northfield was soon after abandoned to the enemy. There were a number of skirmishes, about the same time, in that part of the country, in which the English, on the whole, were losers.

Captain Beers was surprised near Northfield, September 12th, by a large body of the enemy, and he and twenty of his party were killed.

The officers who commanded in that quarter, finding that, by sending out parties, they sustained continual loss and disappointment, and effected nothing of importance, determined to collect a magazine at Hadley, and garrison the town. At Deerfield, there were about three thousand bushels of wheat in stack. It was

resolved to thresh this out, and bring it down to Hadley. On September 18th, while captain Lothrop, with a chosen corps of young men, the flower of the county of Essex, was guarding the teams employed in this service, seven or eight hundred Indians suddenly attacked him. Though he fought with great bravery, yet he fell, with nearly his whole party. Many of the teamsters were also cut off. Ninety or an hundred men were killed on the spot. Captain Mosely, who was stationed at Deerfield, marched to reinforce captain Lothrop, but he arrived too late for his assistance. Captain Mosely was then obliged to fight the whole body of the enemy, for several hours, until the brave major Treat, of Connecticut, with about a hundred and sixty Englishmen and Moheagan Indians, marched up to his assistance, and put the enemy to flight.1 The fall of captain Lothrop, and such a fine body of men, was a heavy loss to the country; especially to the county of Essex, filling it with great and universal lamentation.

During the term of about forty years, the Indians in the vicinity of Springfield had lived in the greatest harmony with the English, and still made the strongest professions of friendship; yet, about this time, they conspired with Philip's warriors for the destruction of that town. At the distance of about a mile from it they had a fort. The evening before they made their assault, they received into it about three hundred of Philip's warriors. The same evening, one Toto, a Windsor Indian, discovered the plot, and dispatches were immediately sent off, from Windsor to Springfield, and to major Treat, who lay at Westfield, with the Connecticut troops, to apprise them of the danger. But the people at Springfield were so strongly persuaded of the friendship of those Indians, that they would not credit the report. One lieutenant Cooper, who commanded there, was so infatuated, that, as soon as the morning appeared, instead of collecting his men and preparing for the defence of the town, he, with another bold man, rode out, with a design to go to the fort, and discover how the matter was. He soon met the enemy, who killed his companion, by his side, and shot several balls through his body. As he was a man of great strength and courage, he kept his horse, though mortally wounded, until he reached the first garrisoned house, and gave the alarm. The enemy immediately commenced a furious attack upon the town, and began to set fire to the buildings. The inhabitants were in the utmost consternation. They had none to command them, and must soon have all fallen a bloody sacrifice to a merciless foe, had not major Treat appeared for their relief.

The commissioners, about the middle of September, ordered 1000 men to be raised for the general defence. Of these 500 were to be dragoons, with long arms. Connecticut was required to raise 315 men, for her proportion. A considerable part of this force was employed by Connecticut, under major Treat, for the defence of the upper towns. Captain Watts had been sent with a company to Deerfield, some time before.

Upon receiving intelligence of the designs of the enemy, he marched, without loss of time; but meeting with considerable hindrance in crossing the river, for want of boats, his arrival was not in such season as to prevent the attack. He soon drove off the enemy, saved the inhabitants, and a considerable part of the town. Great damage, however, was done in a very short time. Thirty dwelling houses, besides barns and out houses, were burned. Major Pyncheon and Mr. Purchas sustained each the loss of a thousand pounds.1 Mr. Pelatiah Glover, minister of the town, lost his house, with a large and excellent library.

In this stage of the war, the General Assembly of Connecticut convened, October 14th. The court, sensible of the good conduct of major Treat, in defending the colony, and the towns on LongIsland against the Dutch, and in relieving captain Mosely and Springfield, returned him public thanks, appointed him to the command of all the troops to be raised in the colony, to act against the enemy, and desired his acceptance of the service.

Upon intelligence from the Rev. Mr. Fitch, that a large body of the enemy were approaching the town of Norwich, major Treat was directed to march forthwith, for the defence of that part of the colony. But soon after, his orders were countermanded, and he marched for Northampton. Here he arrived in season to render his country another piece of important service. The enemy had been so elated with their various successes, that, having collected about eight hundred of their warriors, they made a furious attack upon Hadley, October 19th. Almost every part of the town was assaulted at the same instant. But the town was defended by officers and men of vigilance and spirit, so that the enemy every where met with a warm reception. Several parties of the Massachusetts troops, who were in the neighboring garrisons, flew to their assistance, and major Treat, advancing with his usual dispatch from Northampton, soon attacked them, with his whole force, and they were put to a total flight. They sustained such. loss, and were so disheartened, that, from this time, the main body of them left that part of the country, and held their general rendezvous in Narraganset. Small numbers, however, remained, doing damage as they had opportunity, and keeping the people in constant fear and alarm.

From the intelligence communicated to the general assembly of Connecticut, during the October session, it appeared that the enemy had designs upon almost all the frontier towns in the colony. Each county was therefore required to raise sixty dragoons, complete in arms, horses, and ammunition, for the immediate defence of the colony, wherever their services might be necessary.

1 Major Pyncheon was at Hadley, but did not come down, with the troops there, in season to prevent this great damage. He had, until this time, the chief command in that part of the country, but he soon after resigned it, that he might take care of his own affairs,

Captain Avery was appointed to the command of forty Englishmen from the towns of New-London, Stonington, and Lyme, with such a number of Pequots as he should judge expedient, for the defence of that part of the country, and the annoyance of the enemy, as occasion should present. Captain John Mason was appointed to command another party of twenty Englishmen, and the Moheagan Indians. These parties were ordered to post themselves in the best manner to guard the eastern towns, and to act conjointly or separately, as emergencies should require. An army of one hundred and twenty dragoons was appointed to act against the enemy, under the command of major Treat. It was ordered that all the towns should be fortified, and that every town should provide the best places of defence of which it was capable, for the security of the women and children, who were directed to repair to them upon the first intimations of danger. The inhabitants of the towns on the frontiers, who were few in number, and most exposed, were advised to remove their best effects, and people unable to defend themselves, to retire into the more populous parts of the colony, where they would be in a more probable state of safety.

The Narragansets, in direct violation of the treaty, which they had made with the colonies, gave a friendly reception to Philip's men and other hostile Indians. The commissioners of the united colonies were satisfied, that some of them had been in actual service, in the assaults which had been made upon the English. Their young men had returned wounded to Narraganset. It was supposed, that the Narraganset sachems could muster two thousand warriors, and that they had a thousand muskets. It was judged that, if they should all engage, in the spring, in open hostilities, and scatter, as they might, into all parts of the country, all the force, which the colonies could bring into the field, would not be sufficient to defend the plantations against the united exertions of the enemy. In the summer and fall past, one company of brave men after another had been cut off, and future prospects were not more favorable. The commissioners of the united colonies therefore resolved, that an army of a thousand men should be raised, for a winter campaign, to attack the enemy at their head quarters, in the Narraganset country. The colony of Massachusetts furnished a corps of five hundred and twenty seven men, consisting of six companies of foot and a troop of horse, commanded by major Appleton. Plymouth furnished one hundred and fifty-eight men, consisting of two companies, under the command of major Bradford and captain Gorham. The proportion of Connecticut was three hundred and fifteen men, but they sent into the field three hundred English men and 150 Moheagans and Pequot Indians. These were divided into five companies, commanded by captains Seely, Gallup, Mason, Watts, and Marshall. This corps

was commanded by major Treat. The honorable Josiah Winslow, Esq. governor of New-Plymouth, was appointed commander in chief. The orders of the commissioners to Connecticut were issued at Boston, the 12th of November. They required, that the best officers and firmest men should be appointed, and armed and clothed in the best manner. It was required, that the troops should rendezvous at New-London, Norwich, and Stonington, by the 10th of December, ready to receive orders from the commander in chief.

The commissioners were sensible, that an expedition, at this season, would be most distressful and hazardous. Such is the extremity of the weather, in this climate, that they were not without apprehensions; the whole army might perish, should the troops be obliged to lie uncovered a single night in the open field. It did not escape their deliberations, that the snow often fell so deep, that it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to send any succours to the army, in case of any misfortune; but they considered this as the only probable expedient of defeating the enemy, and preventing the desolating of the country. They observed, "It was a humbling providence of God, that put his poor people to be meditating a matter of war at such a season." They appointed the second of December to be observed as a solemn fast, to seek the divine aid.1

The Connecticut troops arrived at Pettyquamscot, on the 17th of December. Here had been a number of buildings, in which the troops expected to have been covered and kindly entertained; but the enemy, a day or two before, had killed ten men and five women and children, and burned all the houses and barns. The next day, they formed a junction with the Massachusetts and Plymouth forces. Though the evening was cold and stormy, the troops were obliged to remain uncovered in the open field. The next morning, at the dawning of the day, they commenced their march towards the enemy, who were in a swamp at about fifteen miles distance. The troops from Massachusetts, headed by captains Mosely and Davenport, led the van; their rear was brought up by major Appleton and captain Oliver. General Winslow, with the Plymouth companies, formed in the centre; and the troops of Connecticut formed in the rear of the whole, brought up by major Treat. This was the line of march.2

The troops proceeded with great spirit, wading through the snow, in a severe season, until nearly one o'clock, without fire to warm or food to refresh them, except what had been taken on the way. At this time, they had arrived just upon the seat of the enemy. This was upon a rising ground, in the centre of It was fortified with palisades, and compassed

a large swamp.

1 Letters of the commissioners to Connecticut.

' Hubbard's Narrative, p. 104.

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