"P. S. The Captives informed me that the most part of ye Indians' food, during ye time of ye Siege, was seals, which they caught daily, keeping out a party of men for that purpose. The Garrison at St. George's has expended most of their ammunition during the late siege, and I desire your Excellency to send ye first opportunity, 4 or 5 barrels of gunpowder with ball, swan-shot, and flints, answerable; for the Indians are resolved to take the fort, if possible."*

It will be perceived that no mention is made of any undermining of the fort in order to blow it up, as we learn from tradition and other sources was attempted during this siege, but which was frustrated by heavy rains and a caving in of the earth upon them; neither of the enemy's loss of twenty men, which is well authenticated and mentioned in Waldo's petition of 1731. These omissions were probably made in consequence of Westbrook's brief stay of one and a half hours only, he having hurried away to his sloop and set sail that the Indians should not hear of his visit and get wind of his intended expedition against them up the Penobscot.

This fort having been supported thus far by the Proprietors of the patent at their own expense, it had been proposed by President Leverett, that, as the country was in a state of war and the work needed for the general defence, Massachusetts should make it a public garrison. This was accordingly done; and Capt. Westbrook returned, soon after the siege, with two sloops and a re-inforcement of 45 men.

1723. Westbrook, now Colonel and Commander-inChief in this quarter, in February of this year, made his destructive onslaught upon the Indians at Penobscot, and, having burnt the whole village, returned to the fort here, with the loss of his chaplain, Rev. Benjamin Gibson, and three men, whose bodies on his arrival were buried at the fort. Supposing this blow at the enemy would prove an effectual check, and much sickness prevailing also among the soldiers, the lower House of the General Court, on the 6th of Sept. 1723, voted "that it is not for the service of the Province to support the Block-house at George's River, and that no further pay or subsistence be allowed to the men that are posted there." The Council, not wishing to see this frontier post thus abandoned to the foe, non-concurred; and a spirited controversy sprang up, the House deeming it an assumption of

* Original letter, Secretary's Office, Boston; Pay-roll of the garrison, on which Jos. Hunter, Jos. Mackamog, and James Nigh are marked killed, Aug. 24th.

+ See Journal of House of Representatives under date Jan. 27, 1731–2.

power in the executive to continue in pay a force which had been authorized only till the preceding May session. Various votes were passed and non-concurred in by each house, till at length, on a representation that the Proprietors of the patent were willing, rather than have it abandoned, to maintain the garrison at their own expense, a compromise measure was adopted reducing the force to ten men; and, Dec. 17th, the Lieut, Governor was desired to post 12 men and a sergeant there. This was done, none too soon; for, on Christmas day, 1723, the Indians made an attack upon the fort. Sixty in number, and encouraged by information obtained from two prisoners taken, that the fort was in a defenceless state, they prosecuted the siege for thirty days, with a resolution that well-nigh amounted to madness. They seemed to be flushed with the absolute certainty of compelling a surrender. But Capt. Wm. Kennedy, who was now the commanding officer, being a man of intrepid courage, held out till Col. Westbrook arrived and put the enemy to flight. One of the prisoners spoken of was Jas. McFaden, who was afterwards ransomed for £17.*

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1724. After this, probably more interest was felt in maintaining this post, and in the spring of 1724 the command of it was given to Capt. Josiah Winslow, who graduated at Harvard University in 1721, and was the grandson and greatgrandson, respectively, of the two Governors Winslow of Plymouth. The prestige of his youth, character, and family, raised high hopes of his efficiency here, and added great poignancy to the grief caused by his untimely fate, which is thus related by the celebrated Cotton Mather at the close of a sermon which he preached and printed on the occasion. Being left at George's Fort in command of the garrison there, on the 30th of April, 1724, he went from thence with 17 men in two whale-boats, down to an Island, called The Green Island, some miles below the Fort, hoping to come on some Indians there, inasmuch as there had several times been seen Indians going thither in a Canoe, it being a notable Fowling place. He was observed for diverse Hours before he went upon this action, to retire very Serious and Pensive; and no doubt full of such Thoughts as might have a Tendency to Prepare his young Soul. ... And he let fall Words to the Company which he left, that seemed somewhat Presagious of what he was going to. When they came to the Island, they haled up their Boats among the Bushes, and lay close

*His petition: House Journals.

all the night, and the next day until almost Night. Not seeing any Indians, they then went off the Island in their Boats, when the sun was about two Hours high, (Friday) in the Afternoon. Thus Divine Providence ordered it, that this was what might be called a launching into the Mare mortuum. After their going down to this Island, a great Body of Indians of the Penobscot Tribe (with some others) . . . to the number, as was judged, of 200 or 300 men, came down the River in their Canoes and lodged themselves with their Canoes on both sides of the River betwixt the Island and the Fort. Here they lay undiscovered by ours, as ours were by them, until they (Winslow's party) put off in their boats from the island. After they had come some distance from the Island, Capt. Winslow being in the foremost Boat, and Sergeant Harvey in the other, there came a Flock of Fowl within Shot of Harvy's, at which one of the Men imprudently made a shot, and knocked down a Fowl in the water. Harvey turning to take up the fowl, Capt. Winslow advised him that it was best he should not follow the fowl, but that they should keep together; for, said he, we know not what we may meet with before we reach the Fort. Harvey replied, 'Syr, if you will go easy upon your Oars, I will be presently up with you.' But following the Fowl too long, and going too near one side of the River, the Indians let fly upon Harvy and killed three of his men. Serg. Harvy found himself obliged immediately to land;* where he was quickly killed, and all the men with him except three of our Christian Indians that were with him in this expedition who found their way to escape and got safe into the Fort. Harvy fought with abundance of Courage; and so did the men that were with him. The Wolves found that they had Lyons to engage withal. When the Indians fired upon Harvy, Capt. Winslow, though he had gone slowly on his oars, was got near half a mile ahead; but seeing the Indians fire upon Harvy, his Manly, friendly, ingenuous, and courageous Heart could not bear to leave them in their distress; but immediately put about his boat that he might hasten to their succor. Before he could get near them, he found himself surrounded with between 30 and 40 canoes whereof several had four or six, men apiece aboard, which came off from both sides of the river and attacked him with great fury. They set up hideous Yelling and Howling, expecting thereby to have daunted him, as to have taken our

* Viz.:- on the eastern shore, says Westbrook's letter to Governor in Secretary's Office, Boston.

small handful without much resistance. But in this their expectation failed them; for Capt. Winslow and his brave handful notwithstanding the Horror of their approach, and tho' so outnumbered and like to be overpowered by such a multitude of the Dragons of the Wilderness, made ready to give them a warm reception. The Indians enclosing of him with their canoes. . when they were almost aboard him, he fired upon them. Notwithstanding which, they came up to the sides of his Boat where he and his few men defended themselves and beat off the Indians with the Butt-ends of their muskets. Thus they did with such . . resolution, that the Indians . . . fell off and fought at a distance. They were so struck with admiration of young Winslow's courage that they offered him Quarter if he would surrender himself and company; But he refused it, knowing their tender mercies to be cruelties. Thus he kept fighting in his boat until the Dusk of evening, when, the most of his men being slain, he put ashore* with two or three that were left; where, being way-laid by the Indians, they were all cut off. We are told that he being shot down, and having his thigh broken, the Indians when they saw him fall ran towards him; And yet then, he recovered on his other knee and shot down another Indian. How many of the Enemy fell in this engagement we can have yet no certain Accounts. Thus died a Valient, an accomplished, a Good-natured young Gentleman in the twenty-third year of his age. At the same time with him there fell Nathaniel Harvey, Ezra Briggs, John Dennis, John Lee, Joshua Ransome, John Walker, John Allen, and six of our Christian Indians."

One of the three friendly Indians who escaped was Wm. Jeffries of Harwich, who in November, 1724, and again, November, 1725, petitioned the General Court for relief; "being poor and miserable, shot through by the enemys in the left arm near the wrist," in this terrible encounter. Ten pounds were granted him the first year, five the next, and like sums continued many years, probably till the time of his decease.

A remarkable feature of the Indians' warfare this year was the naval force they acquired by seizing upon fishingvessels, boats and shallops to the number of 22 sail, which for a time proved very troublesome. "A part of this fleet," says Williamson in his history of Maine, "proceeded up the

On the west side." Westbrook's letter.

Massachusetts Journals of House of Representatives.

river St. George's once more fully determined to lay the fort in ashes. To effect their purpose, the savage crews filled a couple of their shallops with combustibles, which were set on fire and urged so near the block-house that they would have communicated the flames had not individual exertion prevented. The enemy then offered favorable terms, if the garrison would surrender. But every lisp of the kind was promptly rejected; and as they were utterly unable to take or destroy the fortification, either by force or stratagem, they retired without doing any considerable injury." The fort was now, or not long after, under the command of Capt. Smith, probably Thomas, another of the 20 associated proprietors of the patent.

1725. The Indians becoming tired of the war, proffers of peace began to be made. Yet vengeful feelings were not immediately allayed, on either side. A violent assault by a scout from the garrison here, was made upon a party of Indians bound to the fort under a flag of truce. There was for a few minutes a smart combat, in which one of the scouts was killed and another wounded. Notwithstanding this and other outrages, a disposition for peace was so apparent in the Indians who appeared at the Fort here on the return of a hostage, named Saccaristiss, and held an interview with. Lieut. Joseph Beane, an interpreter, that a conference was agreed upon. This was held at this place, July 2d, by 13 of their chiefs and Messrs. Stoddard and Wainwright, who as commissioners of Massachusetts, were allowed £86, 17s. 3d., expenses hither; but it was adjourned to Boston. There, Nov. 10th, the Indians long insisted that the block-house here and that at Kennebec should be abandoned; but this not being acceded to, a treaty was finally concluded and the Indians pacified by a promise to open a truck or trading-house at the fort in this place, to be constantly supplied with goods to the amount of £700 for their supply in fair and honorable trade. This was done, in part at least; and a Mr. Mountfort acted as truckmaster, or manager of the trade; whilst the command. of the fort and garrison was, Dec. 13th, 1725, committed to Capt. John Gyles, a native of Pemaquid, well fitted for his station by his knowledge of the Indian tongue, acquired at an early age during a nine years' captivity.

1726. At a ratification of this treaty at Falmouth, Aug. 6th, the Indians earnestly desired that no liquor might be sold to their young men, and that the fort here should be abandoned; averring that the Penobscots had never sold any land, Madockawando not being a native of the tribe nor authorized