spring, and being wholly unfit for a life of such warfare, as he wonld have experienced at Black Point, he is said to have removed to Plymouth Colony where there was less danger of a second captivity.* From the following letter to Capt. Scottow written about two months before the surrender of the Black Point garrison, it appears that Jocelyn was only temporarily in command, and that he found some difficulty in filling the Captain's place. This explains in some degree the hasty retreat of the inhabitants, who being hardly peaceable under Scottow, with the authority of Massachusetts to support him, were less so when left with Jocelyn and Gendal. "Capt' Joshua Scottow Wee underwritten being of ye Committee of ye Mellicia wth Serjeant Tippen, and both of you now being absent, shall desire you to acquaint ye Governor & Councill of ye averseness of the generality of ye Inhabitants to obey military orders: yt they would be pleased to direct some especial order to such in this Town as may bring ye Inhabitants to ye obedience of ye Mili tary Laws of the Government, yt we may be in some capacity to defend ourselves against ye common enemy: and we shall remain, Black point yr friends to serve you HENRY JOCELYN The surrender of this strong fortification was the most important advantage gained here by the Indians during Philip's War. As we should imagine, Mugg was higly pleased with his success here and elsewhere in the Province. With his other boastings, he is said to have declared to some of his prisoners that he would kill all the English, take their fishing vessels, is-lands, and the whole country! It was certainly fortunate for the English that Mugg was less formidable in deeds than in words. *There is no evidence to the contrary of this report concerning Jocelyn, nor is there much to support it. After this event at Black Point he disappears, nor can we find any record of the time, place or manner of his death, i Massachusetts files. The names of the occupants of Jocelyn's garrison at the time of the surrender, and of those living in the neighborhood, are preserved in the following interesting document entitled, "A list of the Inhabitants at Black Point Garrison Oct. 12, 1676. Edward ffairfield "In ye Garison Daniel Moore John Tenny Nathaniell Willett Charles Browne Robert Tydey Richard Moore Rrd Bassen Ro'rt Elliot ffrancis White Richard Honeywell John Howell Hampton & Salisbury In ye hutts wth out ye Garrison but ffrancis Sholet Anthony Roe Thomas Bickford Goodman Luscome Tymothy Collins Andrew Browne sen. Andrew Browne Joseph Browne Tho. Cuming Sam'l Oakman sen. John Elson Peter Hinkson Ried Willin John Symson John Cocke R❜rd Burroughs A list of ye names of those yt ware prest by vertue of Capt. Hartherne's order to be for ye service of ye Garri son of ye inhabitants aforesaid. John Cocke Daniel Moore Dunken Chessom Many of the persons whose names are here given have been noticed in a former chapter, of others we can only say that they were inhabitants of the town. The Indians remained in the neighborhood of Black Point but a short time, the English had entirely abandoned the town. *This valuable paper was copied for Willis' Portland by John Farmer Esq. the well-known antiquary. By comparing the names in this list with those collected from other sources, we are enabled to identify them as inhabitants. The time of their departure, and of the reoccupation of Black Point by the townsmen, is nearly ascertained from Hubbard's account of Anthony Brackett, who was taken prisoner at Casco and afterwards escaped from captivity with his wife, child, and a negro servant, and who, (says Hubbard) "came safely to the flat at Black Point sometime in November"—" and the Indians that had been about Black Point were newly gone." In December one Francis Card, and another young man, (who had been captured by the savages in their attack upon the Kennebec settlements,) made their escape from captivity and "in two or three days recovered the Fort and Garrison at Black Point from whence they were soon conveyed to Boston."* We infer from this last extract that the Indians did not burn the garrison house at Black Point, as they were wont to burn thos falling into their hands. Early in the next year we find the inhabitants mostly returned to Black Point. Soon after the surrender of the garrison the same party of Indians captured a vessel, lying near Richmond's Island, with eleven persons, amongst whom was Capt. Gendall, whose captivity, as, will hereafter be seen, proved a source of more trouble to him after it had ceased than while it lasted. The Indian Chiefs, having in their possession about sixty captives, whose ransom promised to be more profitable to them than the continuance of the war through the coming winter, now sent Mugg to treat for peace with the Massachusetts Government. While on his way to Boston, he was seized at Piscataqua and carried to the end of his journey as prisoner. By this event Mugg was constrained to make a treaty on terms less advantageous to the Indians than he had anticipated. It was for this reason, undoubtedly, that the savages were so generally dissatisfied with the treaty, and paid so little regard to it after they had redeemed their favorite leader from the hands of the English. Mugg signed an * Hubbard. agreement, and consented to remain as a pledge of its fulfilment, until the English prisoners were restored. But once out of the hands of the English, he was as willing and ready to violate the treaty, by which he had recovered his freedom, as he had been to make it. Peace was now declared, and the inhabitants again set themselves to the work of providing food for their households; but it proved to be only a rumor of peace. The fortification at Black Point was now entrusted to the command of Lieut. Tippen,* an officer noted for his courage, and for his skilful management against the Indians. On the 13th of May, 1677, a body of Indians, headed by Mugg, appeared before the garrison, and commenced an assault upon it, but soon discovered the disagreeable difference between parleying with Jocelyn, and fighting with Tippen. For three successive days the Indians continued to beseige the garrison, and at the end of the third day had succeeded in killing but three men, and taking one prisoner. The event which decided the contest is thus narrated by an early historian of New England: "On the 16th, Lieut. Tippen made a successful shot upon an Indian that was observed to be very busy and bold in the assault, who at that time was deemed to be Symon, the arch-villian and incendiary of all the Eastern Indians, but proved to be one almost as good as himself, who was called Mugg." There were few events of the war which afforded the English more relief than the death of Mugg, their dreaded foe. His previous acquaitance with the persons and habits of the English, gave him an advantage as their enemy, which no other of the Indians possessed, excepting perhaps Simon the "arch-villain," who was with him at the time of his death. The fall of their leader was the signal for a general retreat of the Indians, who * Variously written-Tippin, Tipping, and Tappen. He was sent from Boston with a party of soldiers for the defence of Black Point. ↑ Hubbard. took to their canoes, and sailed away towards York, seeking by the way a favorable opportunity to revenge themselves upon the English. After this fortunate issue of the seige the inhabitants were favored with a short season of peace, if that may be called peace, which was only the absence of an enemy daily expected. In June the Government sent two hundred friendly Indians, and forty English soldiers, under the command of Capt. Benjamin Swett and Lieut. Richardson, on an expedition against the savages around the Kennebec. The vessels containing this force came to anchor off Black Point; and Capt. Swett having been informed that Indians had just been seen in the vicinity of the settlement, he came on shore with a detachment of his men, intending to pursue the savages. "They were joined by some of the inhabitants so as to make ninety in all. The next morning, June 29th, the enemy shewed themselves on a plain* in three parties. A large decoy, supposed to be the main body of the Indians, feigned a retreat, and were pursued a distance of two miles from the fort, when the English found themselves in a most exposed situation, between a thicket and a swamp, upon the declivity of a hill, and instantly from an ambush on each side great numbers of Indians, rising with a war whoop, fired at once upon the two divisions, and turning so violently and suddenly upon them, threw the young and undisciplined soldiers into confusion. Swett with a few of the more resolute, fought bravely on the retreat, till he came near the fort, when he was killed; sixty more were left dead or wounded, and the rest got into the fort."+ "Swett fought the enemy hand to hand; displaying upon the spot and in a retreat of two miles, great presence of mind as well as personal courage, in repeated * Situated a little to the east of the Ferry. † Mementos of the Swett Family, by J. W. Thornton, Esq, |