USA > Connecticut > Tercentenary pamphlet series, v. 1 Connecticut and the British Government > Part 9
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It ordered Hartford to send fourteen men in armor, and Windsor six; required that a hogshead of good beer should be provided for the captain and gentlemen and sick men, in case there were only three or four gallons of strong water and two gallons of sack. It also ordered provisions in detail, Windsor to provide sixty bushels of corn, Hart- ford eighty-four bushels, and Wethersfield thirty-six bushels. Of these amounts one half was to be baked into biscuit, if it could be done, and the rest to be furnished as ground meal. Wethersfield was allowed ten bushels on
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account. In addition Hartford was to provide three fir- kins of suet, two firkins of butter at the river's mouth; four bushels of oatmeal, two bushels of pease, five hundred of fish, two bushels of salt; Wethersfield one bushel of Indian beans; Windsor fifty pieces of pork, thirty pounds of rice, and four cheeses. Furthermore it ordered every soldier to carry one pound of powder, four pounds of shot, twenty bullets; and required that one barrel of powder be taken from the river's mouth and a light gun if possible. Finally it ordered that Mr. Pynchon's shallop be em- ployed in the design.
The names of the men who sat in this historic first "General Court" were, as magistrates-Mr. Ludlow, Mr. Wells, Mr. Swaine, Mr. Steele, Mr. Phelps, and Mr. Ward. As committees or representatives, three from each town -Mr. Whiting, Mr. Webster, Mr. Williams, Mr. Hull, Mr. Chaplin, Mr. Talcott, Mr. Hosford, Mr. Mitchell, and Mr. Sherman.
To no one did the decision of the court have more vital importance than to Uncas, chief of the Mohegans. He was a man of outstanding physique and of overwhelming ambition. He had been a member of the Pequot tribe, had rebelled more than once, and at last had withdrawn from the tribe and made himself head of the Mohegans with his home to the northwest of the Pequots. He aspired to supplant Sassacus, chief of the Pequots, and even to overthrow the more powerful Miantonomo, chief of the Narragansetts. He saw that it might be possible to accom- plish his ends by aid of the English, provided the English had the stamina to stand firm. To no one, therefore, was the decision of the court more gratifying. He recognized in its action a courage and spirit which matched his own, and offered to assist John Mason with himself and eighty men. No offer could have been more welcome or more em-
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barrassing. Just as the Indians excused their offenses by claiming they could not distinguish between Dutch and English, so the English might truly claim they could not distinguish between Pequot and Mohegan-between friend and foe. There were those who strongly advised Mason to decline the offer. They fanned his latent doubts by saying that here was an instance of Indian shrewd- ness and treachery. Uncas knew the land, the English did not; he knew how and where to set traps not only for the Pequots, but also for the English. "How can you tell until too late whether he is to be trusted"? they ques- tioned. Mason accepted the offer.
About the fifteenth of May the little party shipped from Hartford "in one pink, one pinnace, and one shallop." With them were Uncas and his band of friendly Indians. It was a new and difficult experience for both. Among the white men were still doubts and suspicions of their allies, while among the Indians there was an increasing won- derment that the boats should again and again be stuck in the shallow river. Their own canoes went swiftly and they chafed at the delay. As they whispered among them- selves voicing their impatience, the suspicions of the Eng- lish were still more deeply aroused. Uncas gave the ex- planation to Mason and asked permission for the Indians to disembark and go on foot to Saybrook, where they would meet the oncoming vessels. Mason granted their request, and the two parties went each its own way.
The Indians reached Saybrook first and told the astute Gardiner that they were a part of Mason's forces on their way to attack the Pequots. Gardiner shared the natural suspicions of the English, and at once put Uncas to a practical test. Into a near-by stream he said six Pequots had gone in their canoes the previous night. "Send twen- ty men," he told Uncas, "fetch them now dead or alive
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and then you shall go with Maj. Mason, else not." The men accepted the challenge; killed five Pequots; brought one alive, and reported that one had escaped. The sus- picion of their loyalty was thus removed, and the Indians were rewarded with fifteen yards of trading cloth to be divided among them according to desert. Underhill left the fort in a small boat to go upstream, carrying the good news to Mason's party on its way down.
Meantime the minds of the English were filled more and more with suspicion and doubt after the departure of the Indians. They could see more and more clearly the possibility of betrayal. They knew that Uncas had once been a Pequot and his loyalty to the English was as yet a matter of words. It was now only too apparent that after they had given him complete information regarding their equipment and plans he and his men should be in a posi- tion to use the knowledge for their destruction. As their boats sailed down the winding river, they began to feel that around any distant point might appear the hostile war canoes of Indians with Uncas as their guide and leader.
In this period of growing doubt they sought assurance from the source to which they were accustomed to ap- peal. Upon the deck of his vessel Chaplain Samuel Stone and his men knelt in prayer, asking God for guidance and a sign to justify their faith in Him. While still pleading, John Underhill stepped aboard and broke the good news of the arrival and test of the Mohegans.
It is Underhill himself who tells the episode in detail; "Myself taking boat, rowed up to meet the rest of the forces. Lying aboard the vessel with my boat, the minis- ter, one Samuel Stone, that was sent to instruct the company, was then in prayer solemnly before God, in the midst of the soldiers; and this passage worthy observa-
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tion I set down, because the providence of God might be taken notice of, and his name glorified, that is so ready for to honor his own ordinance.
"The hearts of all in general being much perplexed, fearing the infidelity of these Indians, having not heard what exploit they had wrought, it pleased God to put in- to the hart of Master Stone this passage in prayer, while myself lay under the vessel and heard it, himself not knowing that God had sent him a messenger to tell him his prayer was granted. 'O Lord God, if it be thy blessed will, vouchsafe so much favor to thy poor dis- tressed servants, as to manifest one pledge of thy love, that may confirm us the fidelity of these Indians towards us, that now pretend friendship and service to us, that our hearts may be encouraged the more in this work of thine.' Immediately myself stepping up, told him that God had answered his desire, and that I had brought him news, that those Indians had brought in five Pequot heads, one prisoner, and wounded one mor- tally; which did much encourage the hearts of all, and replenished them exceedingly, and gave them all occa- sion to rejoice and be thankful to God."
It was on Wednesday when the little party reached Say- brook. A strong wind was blowing from the east which made further progress towards the Pequot country impos- sible, but gave ample opportunity to inspect the men of Mason's party and to discuss plans for the campaign.
Of the Englishmen with Mason, twenty were found to be unfit for so strenuous a campaign and were sent back to Hartford in a shallop, while their places were taken by twenty of Underhill's more seasoned men from Massa- chusetts.
It was perhaps by this returning party that news of the expedition was brought back to Hartford, and gave the
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basis for the illuminating letter which Thomas Hooker wrote to Governor Winthrop at Boston, saying (in modern spelling), "How the Pequots have made an in- road by a sudden surprisal, upon some of our brethern of Watertown (Wethersfield), slaying women and children, who were sent out carelessly, without watch and guard, this bearer will tell you. Though we feel neither the time nor our strength fit for such a service, yet the Indians here, our friends, were so importunate with us to make war presently, that unless we had attempted something we had delivered our persons unto contempt of base fear and cowardice, and caused them to turn against us. Against our minds, being constrained by necessity we have sent out a company, taking some Indians for guides with us. What is done, you will better hear it by report, than I shall relate it by pen, for our men went down as these pinnaces came to us. Only we hear, there is six of the Pequots slain by our Indians, not far from the fort. I hope you see a necessity to hasten execution and not to do this work of the Lord's revenge slackly."
During this delay at the fort, valuable information came to them through the girls who had been released from the Indians by the demands of the Dutch. They re- ported that the Pequots had sixteen guns but little pow- der; that the Indians were disappointed at the inability of the girls to instruct them in its manufacture; that they had been treated well and, most important, that there were many warriors who were on the lookout for the English to land.
This news was both important and discouraging. Mason saw that failure was assured if he attempted to land directly in the Pequot country. On the other hand he had received instructions from the court that such should be his plan of procedure. To follow his orders,
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therefore, would mean calamity, but to disobey them would be quite unthinkable for a trained soldier to whom obedience was the prime virtue.
He and the other leaders formulated a new plan of sur- prise attack. They determined to sail not into the Pequot country, but to go past it into the land of the Narragan- setts, where they would ask permission from Mianto- nomo, the chief, to pass through his territory and to ap- proach the unsuspecting Pequots by land instead of by sea. This plan also was dangerous. Its success would de- pend not only upon the friendly spirit of Miantonomo but upon their own success in keeping their movements unknown to their watchful enemies.
Mason placed his revised plans before his soldiers, ex- plaining the danger of direct attack. They listened with respect, saw the wisdom of the new plan, but refused to go. They, too, had been trained to obedience, and re- garded as final the orders of the court. The plan was a good one, but to them it had no backing of authority.
Mason understood their attitude, and acted accord- ingly. He sought out the chaplain, Mr. Stone, explained the situation to him, and asked him to pray once more to God for guidance, as he had done on the boat coming down the river. The chaplain did as requested. He with- drew to his vessel, and spent the night alone in prayer, while Mason remained on shore. Early in the morning Stone reported to the captain that his prayers had been answered and the new plan approved.
The men were called together. The chaplain told them of his vigil, that the will of God had been revealed to him, and that the captain's plan had been approved. It was a solemn meeting. Such was the confidence of the men in the sincerity of Samuel Stone that there was no opposition, and they agreed to go. They were aware that
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through him a higher authority than that of the court had spoken.
Early Friday morning the boats set sail. Slowly they moved eastward along the shore until at last they reached the entrance to the Pequot harbor. Here they could see the Indians gathering along the shore and could hear their shouts of defiance.
The Pequots watched the boats eagerly. It was their plan to surround them in their canoes as they neared the shore, to shoot clouds of arrows among them, and to de- stroy them all in the resulting confusion. The boats, however, did not turn into the harbor and there was no effort to land the men. Slowly they sailed past the en- trance and along the coast to the east.
The Indians were astonished and puzzled. There was but one possible explanation-the white men were afraid of the Pequots. The joy of the Indians was unbounded. They shouted, danced, and sang in their triumph. They felt that at last the white men were in their power, and began plans to attack the river towns before the English could return to their homes.
Towards evening on Saturday, Mason and his men reached the Narragansett country. It was too late to act, and the next day was Sunday when nothing could be done. On Monday a great wind blew from the east so that they could not land. It was not till sunset hour of Tues- day that they were able to reach Miantonomo, the great chief of the Narragansetts.
Mason and his men were received as friends. The great chief was pleased that they should fight his enemy the Pequots, and gave his permission willingly for them to cross his country.
He wished them success in the undertaking, but spoke much of the fierceness of the Pequots and warned them
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that they had too few men to meet so powerful a foe. He had little hope of their victory but wished them well.
In spite of discouragement from Miantonomo, Mason was pleased. The first part of his plan had succeeded- they had not been opposed or hindered by the Narra- gansetts. His next difficulty was to move his men across the country so that no spy should detect their presence.
A march of twenty miles next morning brought them to the Niantics, who refused them admission to their fort. "Very well," said Mason, "if you will not let us in, we will not let you out," and a guard was placed to watch all night so that none might leave to bring warn- ing to Sassacus or his men.
Next morning, to the surprise of Mason, a band of Narragansetts came from Miantonomo to join his com- pany. They were full of excitement and boasted how only the Narragansetts could face the terrible Pequot. They told of the destruction they would bring to the Pe- quots, and formed into a ring of fifty, dancing and sing- ing war songs to warm their blood for the fight to come.
Mason gave the order to start. Still boasting and shout- ing, the Narragansetts led the way. Suffering from lack of food and the heat, the little army labored ahead until the waters of the Pequot River glistened in the distance. The blood of the Narragansetts began to cool. Their boasting stopped. Those who had been in front began to drop be- hind, and those who had shouted the loudest became the most silent.
Cautiously the men stole forward until at midnight they lay on the rocks to rest. From the distance they could hear the shouts of the Pequots as they sang their war songs and yelled their scorn of the English.
Mason called for the Indians to come up.
"Where is the fort"? he asked.
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"Top of that hill," was the answer.
"Where are the other Indians"?
"Behind. Much afraid."
"Tell them not to run," said Mason, "but stand and see whether or not the English fight."
Underhill and Mason brought up their men and di- vided them into two groups. The chaplain said a short prayer, and they stole noiselessly toward the entrance of the silent fort.
All was quiet as death until Mason was within a rod of the gateway, when a dog barked sharply, a fierce voice called "Owanux, Owanux"-"the English, the English" -and the fight for the fort began.
An Indian fort was a simple structure. It consisted of a wall made of logs standing on end close together, surround- ing a row of huts or wigwams. Such was the fort at Mystic. It covered two acres of ground on which were many huts with roofs of straw mats. On opposite sides of the wall were two narrow entrances, filled with brush and branches.
The Pequots had two such forts some miles apart. On the night of attack, Sassacus was at the upper fort with no thought of danger.
The Indian is as suspicious as the deer in the woods, but no deer was ever hunted more successfully than Ma- son had hunted the Pequots. He had succeeded in keeping his movements a secret, and had deceived the clever enemy as to his plans.
Sassacus had sent one hundred warriors to the lower fort to start next day in an attack on the river towns, and it was their shouts of welcome and of preparation that Mason had heard the night before.
The dog's bark and the cry of warning aroused the In- dians and threw them into panic.
A terrible hour followed.
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Mason stationed some of the men outside the wall, sent Underhill to the opposite gate, while he dashed through the nearest entrance followed by a small group of his men.
Boldly he rushed to the nearest wigwam. Some Indians were slain; some fled, or hid under the beds; others he at- tacked fiercely and was attacked in return. His life was saved only by the quick work of one of his men. All the wigwams were in confusion. Some Indians rushed out of them for safety and others rushed into them for the same reason.
Down the roadway between the huts, he drove the In- dians before him, until they were met by those who were driven back by Underhill's men. The Indians were caught like rabbits between the two English forces. They scattered as best they could, dodging into the wigwams or crouching along the wall, attempting to climb over, only to be driven back by Mason's guard which stood outside.
To fight as warriors was impossible. It was impossible to take the fort and hold the Indians as prisoners. Quickly Mason entered one of the wigwams, seized a brand from the fire, held it to the roof of straw, and in a second a sheet of flame was driven across the fort by the wind.
Mason and his men rushed out from the entrance. With the help of the guard only seven Indians escaped from the fort, and within an hour a smoking ruin was all that was left of the Pequot braves and their power.
"Thus did the Lord judge among the heathen, filling the place with dead bodies," said Mason. "The mischief they intended to come upon us, came upon their own heads. They were caught in their own snare and we in mercy escaped."
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The Pequots had been defeated, but the danger to the English was not yet over. Mason and his men were still in the heart of the enemy's country, while Sassacus and three hundred of his warriors still lived and were stirred with rage against him.
Mason had come, had conquered, but must now escape. The Indians, except Uncas and his men, had deserted him; his boats were at a distance; four or five of his sol- diers were so wounded as to need the help of twenty others, so that he had but forty who were free to act.
While consulting as to their plans, they saw their ves- sels far away sailing into the Pequot harbor, and great was their rejoicing. Almost at the same time, however, came word that three hundred Pequots were approaching from the other side.
Much depended upon the attitude of these Indians. Would they fight in desperation or would they turn at the show of force?
There was a simple way to learn the answer to these questions. Mason called a squad of men and led them boldly towards the Indians. In spite of their great num- bers the Pequots did not dare face the little group, and thus the captain knew that fear was in their hearts. Hir- ing some of the Mohegans to carry the weapons of those who aided the wounded, he slowly pressed his way towards the boats.
When the surviving Pequots saw the ruins of the fort, their rage renewed their courage and again they turned upon Mason at full speed as if they would run him down. When within gunshot, his men at the rear turned and fired upon the Indians and they advanced no further. Hiding behind the rocks and trees, they shot their ar- rows as they had a chance, while Mason's men in turn shot into the woods and thickets as they marched. Now
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and again his Indian followers would raise a shout, dash among the trees and return with the head of a fallen Pe- quot.
Thus they continued until within two miles of the har- bor, when the enemy gathered together at the top of a hill, turned, and disappeared.
With colors flying, Mason brought his men to the waterside, where they sat down in quiet, the vessels riding at anchor before them.
Upon the boat Mason found Captain Patrick of Massa- chusetts who had been sent with forty men, planning to rescue him, supposing he had been pursued. As all could not be carried in the boats, once more Mason with twenty men returned to shore, accompanied by Patrick, to make their way on foot to the Connecticut.
The story of the white man's deeds had already spread along the coast, and fear filled the Niantics who fled to the swamps for safety. There was small desire for pur- suit, however, and the little band pushed steadily ahead, reaching the banks of the Connecticut at sunset, where they were welcomed by the great guns from the fort across the river.
On the morrow they were all brought over to Say- brook, where they received many courtesies from Lieu- tenant Gardiner. After arranging for the safe conduct of the Narragansetts who were in the boats, "we repaired to the place of our abode where we were entertained with great triumph and rejoicing and praising God for his goodness to us in crowning us with success and restoring of us with so little loss.
"It was the Lord's doings, and it is marvelous in our eyes."
Stung with rage at the terrible defeat of their tribe,
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the remaining three hundred Pequots turned against their chief. In a body they went to the fort where Sassa- cus resided, charged him with being the cause of all their misfortunes, and threatened to destroy him and all that belonged to him.
Their counsellors pleaded with them, and by their en- treaties the life of the chief was spared. A council was called to discuss plans for the future. They did not dare attack the English, nor did they dare remain and risk a second attack from men who had shown such courage and power. As there was no other choice, they resolved to flee into the western regions, and at once began their flight. A few remained in the neighborhood of their old home, but the largest number of them with women and children set out towards the Hudson.
At the Connecticut River they met a boat with three Englishmen, fell upon it, and after a hard fight captured and killed all three, leaving the bodies of their victims as a parting insult and challenge.
Thus the fleeing Pequots left the country in the same bloody manner in which they had entered it years before.
About a fortnight after the return of Mason's party, news was received that several vessels from Massachu- setts had arrived on the Pequot River with one hundred twenty men under Captain Israel Stoughton as leader.
The General Court met at Hartford and appointed Mr. Haynes and Mr. Ludlow to go with Captain Mason and some forty men to discuss plans with the Massachusetts men.
They met at the Pequot harbor, where they agreed to give chase on land and overtake the fleeing Indians, while their boats sailed along the coast.
The Pequots were obliged to move slowly because of the children, and the need of securing food either
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from the wilderness or by digging clams on the shore.
It was not long, therefore, before the remains of camp fires were found and signs that the Pequots were not far ahead. A Pequot captive named Luz was sent ashore, and brought back news of the panic of fear that filled the fleeing Indians as the English drew nearer. A short quick march brought Mason's men to the top of a hill from which the Pequots could be seen beyond a swamp spreading out between them. The white men ad- vanced, but the Indians quickly disappeared into the thick growth of swampy ground, where it was impossible to follow.
A council was called and the question asked, "How shall we proceed"? Many opinions were given. Captain Patrick advised that the trees should be cut down. Cap- tain Traske agreed with him, but others opposed with vigor. Some advised building a wall about the swamp, which was equally opposed, while others advised forcing the swamp, as it was then but three o'clock. Still others urged that they surround the swamp as closely as possi- ble, fill in the spaces between the men with bushes through which no one could pass, and thus secure the Indians un- til morning when further action might be taken.
While waiting for agreement on a plan of action, Cap- tain Mason ordered that the narrow neck in the swamp should be cut across, to make it easier to surround the hidden Pequots.
For the English to force their way into the swamp and fight among the trees would mean the destruction of many Indian women and children, and to avoid this out- come, Thomas Stanton offered his services to go into the swamp and treat with the Pequots.
It was a brave and daring suggestion, and was opposed as too dangerous a mission for him to undertake. He
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was a man well acquainted with the Indian language and customs, without fear, and in spite of opposition he disappeared through the thick growth of trees and bushes.
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