USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Fairfield > The history of Fairfield, Fairfield County, Connecticut, from the settlement of the town in 1639 to 1818. Vol. I > Part 2
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The little army arrived at Narragansett bay on Saturday towards evening, where they kept the Sabbath. On account of the wind they were not able to go on shore till sunset on Tuesday, when Capt. Mason landed and went to the chief sachem's residence, and desired a free passage through his country, which was granted. The next day, Wednesday, they arrived at a place called Nayantic, eighteen or twenty miles distant, where resided another Narragansett sachem, who lived in a fort. As they would not suffer any of the English to go into their fort, Capt. Mason set a guard around it, and would not suffer any of the Indians to go out and give information to the Pequots of their approach.
On Thursday, about eight of the clock in the morning, we marched thence towards Pequot, with about five hundred Indians ; but through the heat of the weather and want of provisions, some of our men fainted, and after having marched about twelve miles, we came to Pawcatuck river, at a Ford where our Indians told us the Pequots did usually fish; there making an Alta, we stayed some small time ; the Narragansett Indians mani- festing great fear, in so much that many of them returned, although they had frequently despised us, saying, That we durst not look upon a Pequot, but themselves would perform great things; though we had often told them that we came on purpose, and were resolved, God assisting, to see the Pequots, and to fight with them before we returned, though we perished. I then enquired of Onkos, (Uncas,) what he thought the Indians would do ? who said the Narragansetts would all leave us, but as for himself, he would never leave us ; and so it proved; for which expression, and some other speeches of his, I shall never forget him. Indeed he was a great friend, and did great service.
And after we had refreshed ourselves with our mean commons, we marched about three miles, and came to a field which had lately been planted with Indian corn : there we made another Alt, and called our council, supposing we drew near to the enemy ; and being informed by the Indians that the enemy had two forts almost impregnable ; but we were not at all discouraged, but rather animated, insomuch that we were resolved to assault both their forts at once. But understanding that one of them was so remote that we could not come up with it before midnight, though we marched hard : whereat we were much grieved, chiefly because the greatest and bloodiest sachem there resided, whose name was Sassacous : We were then constrained, being exceedingly spent in our march with extreme heat and want of necessaries, to accept the nearest."
" We then marching on in a silent manner, the Indians that remained fell all into the rear, who formerly kept the van, (being possessed with great fear;) we continued our
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march till about one hour in the night : and coming to a little swamp between two hills, we pitched our little camp ; much wearied with hard travel, keeping great silence, sup- posing we were very near the fort, as our Indians informed us, which proved otherwise. The rocks were our pillows ; yet rest was pleasant. The night proved comfortable, being clear and moonlight. We appointed our guards, and placed our sentinels at some dis- tance, who heard the enemy singing at the fort, who continued their strain till midnight, with great exulting and rejoicing as we were afterwards informed. They, seeing our pinnaces sail by them some days before, concluded we were afraid of them, and durst not come near them, the burthen of their song tending to that purpose.
In the morning (Friday, 26th of May) we awaking and seeing it very light, supposing it had been day, and so we might have lost our opportunity, having purposed to make our assault before day, roused the men with all expedition, and briefly commended our- selves and design to God, thinking immediately to go to the assault.
The Indians showed us a path, and told us that it led directly to the fort. We held on our march about two miles, wondering that we came not to the fort, and fearing we might be deluded ; but seeing corn newly planted at the foot of a great hill, supposing the fort was not far off, a champion country being round about us ; then making a stand, gave the word for some of the Indians to come up ; at length Onkos and one Wequash * appeared. We demanded of them, Where was the fort ! They answered, On the top of that hill. Then we demanded, Where were the rest of the Indians. They answered, Behind, exceedingly afraid. We wished them to tell the rest of their fellows that they should by no means fly, but stand at what distance they pleased, and see whether English- men would now fight or not. Then Captain Underhill came up, who marched in the rear ; and commending ourselves to God, we divided our men, there being two entrances in the fort, intending to enter both at once .- Captain Mason leading up to that on the northeast side, who approached within one rod, heard a dog bark; and an Indian cry Owanux! Owanux ! which is Englishmen ! Englishmen ! We called up our forces with all expedition, gave fire upon them through the pallisado, the Indians being in a dead, indeed their last sleep. Then we wheeling off, fell upon the main entrance, which was blocked up with bushes about breast high, over which the Captain passed, intending to make good the entrance, encouraging the rest to follow. Lieutenant Seely endeavored to enter, but being somewhat cumbered, stepped back & pulled out the bushes, & so entered, & with him about sixteen men. We had formerly concluded to destroy them by the sword, & save the plunder.
Whereupon Capt. Mason, seeing no Indians, entered a wigwam, where he was beset with many Indians, waiting all opportunities to lay hands on him, but could not prevail. At length William Heyden, espying the breach in the wigwam, supposing some English might be there, entered ; but in his entrance fell over a dead Indian ; but speedily recover- ing himself, the Indians some fled, others crept under their beds. The Captain going out of the wigwam, saw many Indians in the lane or street ; he making towards them they fled, were pursued to the end of the lane, where they were met by Edward Pattison
* Wequash was a Neantic Sagamore, who revolted from the Pequots. He was greatly affected by the remarkable victory of the English over them. "So great was his conviction of the power & glory of the God of the Englishman, that he went about the colony of Connecticut after the war, with bitter lamentations that he did not know Jesus Christ, until the good people instructed him, when he became an earnest convert to Christianity." He was supposed to have been poisoned by those Indians, who hated him for having embraced Christianity .- Mather's Magnalia.
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& Thomas Barber, with some others, where seven of them were slain, as they said. The Captain facing about, marched a slow pace up the lane ; he came down, perceiving him- self very much out of breath, and coming to the other end, near the place where he first entered, saw two soldiers standing close to the palisado, with their swords pointed to the ground ; the Captain told them that we should never kill them after this manner. The Captain also said, We must burn them, and immediately stepping into the wigwam, where he had been before, brought out a fire brand, and putting it into the mats with which they were covered, set the wigwams on fire. Lieutenant Thomas Bull and Nicholas Olmsted beholding came up ; and when it was thoroughly kindled, the Indians ran as men most dreadfully amazed. And indeed such a dreadful terror did the Almighty let fall upon their spirits, that they would fly from us and run into the very flames, where many of them perished. And when the fort was thoroughly fired, command was given that all should fall off and surround the fort ; which was readily attended by all; only one Arthur Smith, being so wounded that he could not move out of the place, who was happily espied by Lieutenant Bull, and by him rescued. The fire was kinded on the northeast side to the windward; which did swiftly overrun the fort, to the extreme amaze- ment of the enemy, and great rejoicing of ourselves. Some of them climbing to the top of the palisado ; others of them running into the very flames ; many of them gathering to the windward lay pelting at us with their arrows ; and we repaid them with our small shot : others of the stoutest issued forth, as we did guess, to the number of forty, who
perished by the sword. What I have formerly said, is according to my own knowledge, there being sufficient living testimony to every particular. But in reference to Capt. Underhill and his partie's acting in this assault, I can only intimate as we are informed by some of themselves immediately after the fight, that they marched up to the entrance on the southwest side ; there they made some pause ; a valiant, resolute gentle- man, one Mr. Hedge, stepping towards the gate saying, 'If we may not enter, wherefore came we here ? ' and immediately endeavored to enter ; but was opposed by a sturdy Indian, which did impede his entrance ; but the Indian being slain by himself and Sergeant Davis, Mr. Hedge entered the fort with some others ; but the fort being on fire, the smoke and flames were so violent that they were constrained to desert the fort. Thus were they now at their wit's end, who not many hours before exalted themselves in their great pride, threatening and resolving the utter ruin and destruction of all the English, exulting and rejoicing with songs and dances : but God was above them, who laughed his enemies and the enemies of his people to scorn, making them as a fiery oven." " Thus were the stout-hearted spoiled, having slept their last sleep, and none of their men could find their hands. Thus did the Lord judge among the heathen, filling the place with dead bodies ! And here we may see the just judgment of God in sending even the very night before the assault, one hundred and fifty men from the other fort, to join with them of that place, who were designed, as some of themselves reported, to go forth against the English at that very instant when this heavy stroke came upon them, to where they perished with their fellows. So that the mischief they intended to us, came upon their own pate. They were taken in their own snare, and we through mercy escaped. And thus in little more than one hour's space, was their impregnable fort with themselves destroyed, to the number of six or seven hundred, as some of themselves confessed. There were only seven taken captive, and about seven escaped. Of the English there were two slain outright, and about twenty wounded ; some fainted by reason of the sharpness of the weather, it being a cool morning, and the want of such comforts and necessaries as
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are needful in such a case ; especially our Chirurgeon * was much wanting, whom we left with our barks in Narragansett Bay, who had orders to remain until the night before our intended assault. And thereupon grew many difficulties ; our provision and munition near spent ; we in the enemy's country, who did far exceed us in number, being much enraged, all our Indians except Onkos deserting us ; our pinnaces at a great distance from us, and when they would come we were uncertain. But as we were consulting what course to take, it pleased God to discover our vessel to us before a fair gale of wind, sail- ing into Pequot Harbor to our great rejoicing.
We had no sooner discovered our vessels, but immediately came up the enemy from the other fort-three hundred or more as we conceived. The Captain led out a file or two of men to skirmish with them, chiefly to try what temper they were of, who put them to a stand; we being much encouraged thereat, presently prepared to march towards our vessels. „Four or five of our men were so wounded that they must be carried in the arms of twenty more. We also being faint, were constrained to put four to one man, with the arms of the rest that were wounded to others ; so that we had but forty men free. At length we hired several Indians, who eased us of that burthen, in carrying off our wounded men. And marching one quarter of a mile, the enemy coming up to the place where the fort was, and beholding what was done, stamped and tore the hair from their heads ; and after a little space, came mounting down the hill upon us, in a full career, as if they would over-run us : but when they came within shot, the rear faced about, giving fire upon them : some of them being shot, made the rest more wary; yet they held on running to and fro, and shooting their arrows at random. There was at the foot of the hill a small brook, where we rested and refreshed ourselves, having by that time taught them a little more manners than to disturb us. We then marched on towards Pequot Harbor, and fall- ing upon several wigwams burnt them, the enemy still following us in the rear, which was to the windward, though to little purpose ; yet some of them lay in ambush, behind rocks and trees, often shooting at us, yet through mercy touched not one of us ; and as we came to any swamp or thicket, we made some shot to clear the passage. Some of them fell with our shot, and probably more might, but for want of munition: but when any of them fell, our Indians would give a great shout, and then they would take so much courage as to fetch their heads. And thus we continued until we came within two miles of Pequot Harbor ; where the enemy gathered together and left us, we marching to the top of an hill adjoining the harbor, with our colors flying, having left our drum at the place of our rendezvous the night before ; we seeing our vessels there riding at anchor, to our great rejoicing, and came to the water side ; we sat down in quiet.t
Captain Mason sent the wounded by sea to Hartford and led his little army and Indian allies by land to the fort at Saybrook, where they arrived on Saturday evening about sunset. Here, "they were nobly entertained
* Dr. Thomas Pell, a gentleman of good family from London, was sent from the fort at Say- brook, as surgeon of the expedition. He afterward settled at New Haven, from whence he removed to Fairfield, and afterwards to Westchester, N. Y., where he purchased of the natives a large tract of land, which was given the name of Pellham .- Styles' History of Windsor, p. 38.
Mrs. Martha J. Lamb's Hist. of New York I. 171, 257, 381. Bolton's Hist. of Westchester. Dr. Pell's will was probated at Fairfield, and some reliable documents in regard to his nephew John Pell of London, are on file there.
t Mason's Hist. Pequot War.
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by Lieut. Lion Gardiner with many great guns." They remained over Sunday at the fort, spending the day in praise and thanksgiving for their great and wonderful deliverance from their savage foe. Continuing in Mason's words :
"And when we had taken order for the safe conduct of the Narragansett Indians, 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 succeeding our weak endeavors, in crowning us with success, and restoring of us with so little loss. Thus was God seen in the Mount, crushing his proud enemies, and the enemies of his people : they who were erewhile a terror to all that were round about them, who resolved to destroy all the English, and to root their very name out of this country, should by such weak means, even seventy-seven, there being no more at the fort, bring the mischief they plotted, and the violence they offered and exercised, upon their own heads in a moment, burning them up in the fire of his wrath.
Our commons were very short, there being a general scarcity throughout the Colony of all sorts of provisions, it being upon our first arrival at the place. We had but one pint of strong liquor among us in our whole march, but what the wilderness afforded, (the bottle of liquor being in my hand,) and when it was empty the very smelling to the bottle would presently recover such as had fainted away, which happened by the extremity of the heat.
I still remember a speech of Mr. Hooker, at our going abroad, that they should be bread for us.
I shall mention two or three special providences that God was pleased to vouchsafe to particular men, viz. two men, being one man's servants, namely John Dier and Thomas Stiles, were both of them shot in the knots of their handkerchiefs, being about their necks, and received no hurt. Lieutenant Seeley was shot in the eyebrow with a flat headed arrow, the point turning downwards ; I pulled it out myself. Lieutenant Bull had an arrow shot into a hard piece of cheese, having no other defence ; which may verify the old saying, 'A little armor would serve if a 'man knew where to place it.' Many such provi- dences happened ; some respecting myself, but since there is none that witness to them, I shall forbear to mention them. As Captain Mason entered the wigwam from which he seized a burning firebrand to fire the fort, an Indian drew an arrow to its very head, which would have killed him had not one of his sergeants cut the bow just in time to save him."*
This remarkable undertaking scarcely has a parallel in history. "Never," says Palfrey, " was a war so just or so necessary;" and certainly never a victory more signal or more wonderful. For a mere handful of men to attack so powerful a foe in a strange country, surrounded on all sides with hundreds of Indians, seemed presumption itself. But our forefathers relied not on the strength of their own arm ; their trust was in the mighty power of the Most High ; and His providences overshadowed them in an extra- ordinary manner.
In the mean time the Pequots returned to the fort of Sassacus, and
* Hubbard's Narrative of Indian War, p. 38.
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after relating the story of their defeat, and the havoc made by the Eng- lish, they charged all the misfortunes which had befallen them to his haughtiness and misconduct; and threatened him with immediate death. His friends and chief counselors, however, interceded for him, and through their entreaty and protection his life was spared. They revenged them- selves upon Uncas and his followers, by killing all their kinsmen who remained among them, except seven. The latter escaped to the English. They then held a council of war, and regarding their situation as one too hazardous to remain where they were, burned their wigwams, destroyed their fort, and in bands wandered about the country. About forty warriors with a large number of women and children moved a short distance west- ward, where they took refuge in a swamp. Sassacus and Mononotto, with the greater part of their Sagamores, moved further westward. Upon reach- ing the Connecticut, they seized three men in a boat, whom they dis- patched with savage revenge.
When the news of Mason's victory reached Massachusetts, the Governor and Council decided to send Captain Israel Stoughton, Captain William Trask and Lieutenant Richard Davenport with one hundred and sixty men,* to assist Captain Mason in conquering the Pequots, even to the destruction of their name. Like the Israelites of old, they deemed it an act of Christian justice to exterminate these " heathen Amalekites."
On the 2d of June the General Court met again at Hartford. An order was issued that thirty men should be sent out of the " several plantations in this river Connecticut, to set down in the Pequoitt Country & River in place convenient to mainteine o' right y' God by Conquest hath given to us; & Leiftennt Seely shall have the Comande of them. "
Governor John Haynes, who had joined the Hartford settlement during the previous summer, and Roger Ludlow were appointed to go down to the fort at Seabrook, " to treat & Conclude with their friends of the Bay about prosecuting the war against the Pequots,-& to parley with the Bay about setlinge downe in the Pequoett Country."
Captain Stoughton's party, with the famous Rev. John Wilson as chap- lain, arrived at Pequot Harbor the latter part of June. Here Captain Stoughton was guided to a large swamp by some of the Narragansetts, where they surrounded the band before mentioned, who there had sought refuge and took about eighty captives. Thirty men out of this number were killed.+ Two Sachems and the women and children were saved.
* Mass. Hist. Coll. I., 192.
+ Cotton Mather states " that at one time some hundreds of them were seized by Captain Stoughton with little opposition, who sending away the females & children as captives, put the
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The Sachems were spared, upon promising that they would conduct Stoughton to Sassacus, the women and children numbering about eighty, thirty of whom were given to the Narragansetts and three to the Massa- chusetts Indians. The remainder were sent to Massachusetts for slaves. About this time Captain Stoughton and his men effected a junction with Captain Mason's army, who were accompanied by Roger Ludlow, and several of the principal gentlemen from the river settlements. After a council of war, it was decided to pursue the Pequots. The captured Sachems refused to tell where they could be found, and in consequence were beheaded at a place near Guilford, afterwards called Sachem's head.
The vessels carrying provisions, etc., sailed along the shore, while the troops marched by land, followed by Uncas and his men, who kept close on the trail of the flying Pequots, expecting to join the English in over- taking them. In three days the army reached Qunnipiack (New Haven), where they saw a great smoke in the woods. Supposing the enemy near at hand, they, without delay, marched upon them, but soon learned that the fire had been kindled by the inhabitants. The troops now embarked on board their vessels, and spent several days at Qunnipiack. Here a Moheagan, named Jack Etow, captured two Pequots in a forest, whom he carried prisoners on board the English vessel. They had loitered behind their clan, and to escape observation had taken refuge in a tree. Life was granted to one of them, if he would search out Sassacus, and kill him or take him prisoner. The treacherous savage set out on his mission, and, joining his countrymen, for several days sought an opportunity to slay his chief. He was, however, soon suspected of his design, and fled to the English by night. He informed Captain Mason of the number of Pequots with Sassacus and Mononotto, and that they were secreted in a swamp to the westward.
The army were at once set in motion, and marched with all possible speed to the place designated.
" As the Souldiers were uppon their march, close by a great thicket, where no eye could penetrate farre, as it often falls out in such wearisom wayes, where neither men nor beast have beaten out a path; some Souldiers lingering behinde their fellowes, two Indians watching their opportunity, much like a hungry hauke, when they supposed the last man was come up, who kept a double double double distance in his march, they sudden & swiftly snatched him up in their tallens, hoisting him upon their shoulders, ran into the swamp with him; the Souldier unwilling to be made a Pope by being borne on mens shoulders, strove with them all he could to free himselfe from their hands; but,
men on board a vessel of one Skipper Gallop, which proved a Charons ferry-boat unto them, for it was found the quickest way to feed the fishes with 'em." Magnalia, I., B. VII., 483. Hubbard's Indian Wars, p. 35.
B
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like a carefull Commander, one Captaine Davenport, then Lieutenant of this company, being diligent in his place to bring up the reare, coming up with them, followed with speed into the swamp after him, having a very severe cutlace tyed to his wrist, & being well able to make it bite sore when he set it on, rezolving to make it fall foul on the Indians bones, he soone overtook them, but was prevented by the buckler they held up from killing them, which was the man they had taken; It was a matter of much wonder to see with what dexterity they hurled the poore Souldier about, as if they had been hand- ling a Lacedaemonian shield, so that the nimble Captaine Davenport could not of a long time, fasten one stroke upon them; yet, at last, dying their tawny skin into a crimson colour, they cast downe their prey, & hasted thorow the thickets for their lives. The Souldier thus redeemed, had no such hard usage, but that he is alive, as I suppose, at this very day." *
After marching about twenty-five miles near the coast, through Cup- head, Pequonnock, and Uncoway, they came upon the swamp at Sasqua (now called Southport), in which the Pequots were secreted. This swamp of water, bogs and mire, thickly wooded with a dense undergrowth, entirely surrounded a cone-shaped hill, about thirty feet in height. It was almost impossible for a stranger to enter it, without sinking above the knees in mire. The English troops drawn up in the regular order of their companies, made an attack. The Indians, in the meantime, skulked up and down shooting their arrows from behind the trees, and then suddenly dropped flat in the water, to defend themselves from the retaliation of the soldiers' muskets. Lieutenant Davenport encouraged his men to follow him into the swamp, where he was sorely wounded, and both he and his men sank so deep in the mire, that but for the timely assistance of their friends, they would all have been killed. Several Indians were slain in the encounter. Find- ing they could not capture the enemy in this way, the English decided to surround the swamp. After some time spent in skirmishing, the native Indians desired a parley. Meanwhile, an Indian had been seen to enter the thicket with a brass kettle on his back, which led to the conclusion that there must be some place of firm land in the centre of the swamp.
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