thought, of a disturbance of "the vast trade between the Dutch and Indians." Yet under all these discouragements, when Vaudreuil, apprehensive, perhaps, that the fickle Iroquois might be brought into closer relations with the English, proposed a peace,' the General Court advised the Governor against the measure. 1705. Nov. 30. When the English undertook to conduct the war on a system better according with their own position, it was still generally with more courage than good management, and rarely with good success. It was rightly thought that to attack the Indians, and yet more rightly that to attack the French, in their strongholds, was the true way to obtain tranquillity. But some fatality seemed to attend the conduct of expeditions of this sort. Ineffective of Major Church. 1704. The spirited veteran, Major Church, not thought to be yet too old for effective service, was placed in command of an expedition expected to operate vigor- expedition ously in the eastern country. Three ships of war convoyed thirty-six whale-boats, besides fourteen transports, which conveyed five hundred and fifty men. John Gorham, son of the officer of the same name who led one of the two Plymouth companies in Philip's war, was second in command, and had charge of the whale-boats. May. Church, with abilities not equal to his self-confidence, accomplished but little towards the main object of the 1 A paper in the British Colonial Office, dated at Quebec, Oct. 20, 1705, bears the title " Proposals of a Treaty to be made between the two Colonies of New France and New England, according to proposals made by Mr. Veech [Vetch?] in behalf of Mr. Dudley, General-Governor of New England, to M. de Vaudreuil, General-Governor of New France." The terms of pacification proposed by the French Governor are so moderate as to make it seem probable that he distrusted his ability to maintain himself. He proposed that he and Dudley should reciprocally bind themselves to "hinder all acts of hostility" on the part of the savages as well as of their own countrymen ; to allow and promote commerce between their respective governments; to surrender all prisoners "taken as well by sea as land;" and "to do all that is possible to get" prisoners."out of the hands of the savages, and afterwards to send them to their countries." June 20. war. He landed on the banks of the Penobscot and of Passamaquoddy Bay; but the natives kept out of his way, and he only took some prisoners, and brought away a quantity of "goods and stores," burning what he had not the means to carry off. Next he crossed the Bay of Fundy, and destroyed a little town called Menis, ** near Port Royal, in Nova Scotia. He had wished to attack Port Royal; but the Governor, to whom before leaving Boston he had proposed that step, had forbidden it, on the ground that it was under consideration in England, and had not as yet been authorized. Church, however, submitted it to the consideration of a council of war, who determined that the country had been so widely alarmed that it could not be attempted with a prospect of success. The expensive expedition had no important consequence. The people of Massachusetts were disappointed and angry. Dudley was suspected of having played false. Church's reception at home was cold, though, both to save appearances to the public, and avoid mortifying a well-intentioned and on the whole well-deserving man, the General Court judged it expedient to gratify him by a formal vote of thanks and approbation.1 July 4. Not so soon as might have been expected, offensive operations were resumed. The government of Massachusetts resolved to make a descent on Nova Scotia, and ' Penhallow, 16-19; Niles, in Hist. Soc. Col., XXVI. 253, 255-257; Church, Entertaining Passages, 99120. In January, 1707, under Dudley's orders, Colonel Hilton conducted a second expedition, of two hundred and fifty men, to Norridgewock. It had no further success than the killing of sixteen Indians. On this occasion one of those marvels is related to have occurred which have occasionally found a place in other histories. This happened at break 66 of day on the 21st of January, and case. Fruitless expedition Port Royal. 1707. May 13. May 26. They May 29. solicited help from the other Colonies for that purpose.1 New Hampshire 2 and Rhode Island engaged in the enterprise, in the measure of their small ability. Connecticut, little annoyed by the continuance of the existing state of things, did not see reason to against take a part.3 Under the convoy of a frigate of the royal navy, and an armed vessel belonging to the Province, a thousand men commanded by Colonel March sailed from Boston and landed before Port Royal. After a skirmish, the French shut themselves up in their fort, which was well provided. kept up a constant fire upon the besiegers, who were at the same time attacked on the other side by a force of Indians from the interior. The English made regular investments and approaches, and feebly attempted an assault. But, except personal courage and some experience in a small way, March appears to have had no qualification for command. He became bewildered, and his troops fell into discouragement and disorder. A council of war resolved "that the enemy's well-disciplined garrison in a strong fort was more than a match for our raw, undisciplined army," and, in less than two weeks June 6, 7. from the time of landing, the troops were reembarked on board the transports. The fleet came to Casco Bay, whence a message was sent to Boston for further orders. Boston was thrown into a rage, in which the characters of the commanders received ungentle treatment. Dudley, reluctant to acquiesce in so discreditable a 1 General Court Records, for mander of the British frigate. Hutchinson (II. 169 et seq.), from March 10-22, 1706. 2 N. H. Provincial Papers, II. authentic sources, supplies many in497, 498. 3 Conn. Col. Rec., V. 17. Penhallow (42, 43) and Niles (Hist. Soc. Col., XXXV. 313, 314) tell this mortifying story very briefly. They lay the blame on the com teresting facts. -"Three transport ships, five brigantines, and fifteen sloops, with whale-boats answerable," were employed. (Penhallow, 42; comp. N. H. Provincial Papers, II. 501-513.) termination of his undertaking, sent a message to March to await further orders where he was. To supersede him by a superior officer would have been imprudent, for he was a favorite with the soldiers, and, if he had not acquitted himself well in this instance, there was no reason to suppose that he had failed to do his best. Three members of the Council were despatched, July. with a reinforcement of a hundred men, and with authority to represent the Governor. After acquainting themselves with the state of things in the camp, they wrote back that they only persisted because such were the Governor's positive commands. They reported that the force in officers and soldiers did not amount to so many as seven hundred and fifty, "sick and well," and that these were "so extremely dispirited" as not to be "equal to three hundred effective men." Before the expedition returned to Port Royal, there was a mutiny which had to be quelled. March was no longer himself, and at his instance the command was transferred to Wainwright, who was next to him in rank. Aug. 14. Wainwright, though "much disordered in health by a great cold," tried "to keep up a good heart," but there was nothing to inspirit him. His troops were ailing and demoralized. What with dysentery and "mighty swellings in their throats," they were, he wrote from before Port Royal, "filled with terror at the consideration of a fatal event of the expedition, concluding that, in a short time, there would not be enough to carry off the sick." The enemy were receiving "additional strength every day." They had with diligence and skill been strengthening their fortifications, and were becoming more aggressive, so that it was now "unsafe to proceed on any service without a company of at least one hundred men." Wainwright was uneasy about his Indian auxiliaries, who were intractable and insolent. The captain of the English man-of-war attached to the expedition had been relied upon for the help of a hundred men, but he had made up his mind that it would be exposing them for no use, and had withdrawn them. "In fine," Wainwright writes, "most of the forces are in a distressed state, some in body and some in mind; and the longer they are kept here on the cold ground, the longer it will grow upon them, and, I fear, the further we proceed the worse the event. God help us." Within a week the camp was broken up. The troops were attacked while getting on board the transports, and were only too happy to effect the embarkation without much loss. The miscarriage, and all its circumstances, were deeply mortifying. A court-martial was ordered, but was never held, perhaps because too great numbers would have come under its scrutiny, and forgetfulness, as speedy as could be had, was better than punishment or amnesty, and better than any attempt at discrimination.' 2 Aug. 20. Dudley's chagrin must have been bitter. But he was not a man to increase his humiliation by avowing it. He met his enraged General Court with no expression of a discomposed mind. "Though," he said, "we have not obtained all that we desired against the enemy, yet we are to acknowledge the favor of God in preserving our forces in the expedition, and prospering them so far as the destruction of the French settlements and estates in and about Port Royal, to a great value, which must needs distress the enemy to a very great degree." While the expedition which thus disastrously failed was in progress, the savages were more than ever at liberty to 1 General Court Journal for Oct. 29. When the Governor had ordered a court-martial, officers enough to compose it were not to be found. The Representatives had desired Dudley to demolish the fort at Port Royal if it should be taken. (Comp. Char VOL. IV. 18 levoix, II. 314-321; Haliburton, Account of Nova Scotia, I. 84.) 2 Hutchinson, II. 169. - Dudley told the Representatives (General Court Record for August 13) “the forces left Port Royal without any direction from me." |