USA > Massachusetts > Franklin County > Deerfield > History of Deerfield, Massachusetts: the times when the people by whom it was settled, unsettled and resettled, vol 1 > Part 38
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The town also agreed and uoted to giue all ye pine trees which jos petty and ye trees yt Sam'll ffield and the trees Joseph Allicksander cut for turpentine the Last sumer unto Edward Allen, Sam'll ffield
378
QUEEN ANNE'S WAR-1702-1713.
and jos Allicksander to each and aighter of them an eaquall sheare. Dan'l Belden, Sam'll Allyn, Nath Brooks refus to giue thair right.
It does not appear what the individual rights of the three last named men were, or what was the result of their protest.
The whole matter continued under the direct control of the town, and the policy of restricted use of the pines was continued until March, 1715 ; when "the town then voated y' from this time forward no person whome soveer shall cut a tree for turpentine within ye Bounds of ye township of d'fd."
In connection with the abundant town legislation for the protection of the wood lands, there is also found frequent mention of the woods being " burned over," under the direc- tion of committees chosen for that purpose ; but no definite information is to be obtained on that point.
On the whole, patient search concerning the extent and character of the forests here at the first settlement, their con- dition later under the policy of the town, and the real object of the many town regulations, only develops numerous rid- dles, which I have been obliged to "give up," no solution be- ing found to the apparent inconsistencies in statement and action.
1711. This year another attempt was made to subdue Can- ada. Fifteen men of war and forty transports sailed from Boston, July 30th, for Quebec. Ten transports and a thou- sand men were lost by shipwreck in the St. Lawence August 21st, and the rest turned back. Another army of 4000 men was collected on the old ground above Albany under Gen. Nicholson, but nothing was accomplished against Canada. Rev. John Williams was chaplain on this expedition. The campaign was a total failure except so far as it kept the enemy away from our frontiers. The only loss in the valley was at Northampton, August 10th or 11th, when Samuel Strong was killed and his father Samuel wounded and taken captive.
December was a cold month ; the snow was deep, the rivers and lakes were frozen very hard, and an expedition from Canada was feared. December 27th, Connecticut voted that " a small scout of ten or twelve men be posted about thirty or forty miles above Deerfield upon some eminence for the dis- covery of the enemy until such time as the approach of spring renders it impractical for them to come in a body."
379
SCOUTING ON SNOW SHOES.
1712. As additional security, Col. Partridge sent a large force up here January 9th, provided with snow shoes, and prepared for a winter's campaign. Two companies of snow- shoe men were sent from the Bay, to be employed by Col. Partridge for the defense of Hampshire county, "particular- ly by posting some of them in conjunction with such as Col. Partridge shall joyn with them, in some convenient place or places, above the scout now stated 30 miles above Deerfield, to discover the approach of the enemy."
March 12th, Lieut. William Crocker was directed to raise a party of English and Indian volunteers to join the scout that Partridge was fitting out, to send "up to Coaset to meet the Indian enemy hunting in these parts." No further account of this most remarkable winter's campaign has been found. No details of the endurance, bravery and heroism of those men who spent the dead of winter in tramping through the forests and camping on the mountains of Southern Vermont ; waiting and watching the approach of the subtle foe, while their lives depended on their ability to outmatch in strategy an enemy with a life-long training in the arts of wood-craft. The number of men engaged is not known, but in the spring, Col. Partridge was allowed seven shillings each for 468 pairs of snow shoes and moccasins furnished to that number of men.
Sometime in April Lieut. Thomas Baker left Deerfield with thirty men on a scout to the north. Ebenezer Grant writes concerning it as follows :-
CAPT. THOMAS BAKER'S* SCOUT.
Another story related to me by Livet Childs Concerning Capt. Baker & his Company, and what happened to them in their march is as follows :
April the Beginning Capt Baker, Lieut S.um" Williams Lieut Mar- tin Kellogg with 28 men set out from Deerfield up Connect River Designing for Cowass on purpose to Destroy a family or two of In- dians that they heard was there. But when arrived found no signs of any enemy there. Then afterwards we took our journey for mer-
* Capt., then Lieut. Thomas Baker of Northampton. He was born about 1683, he died in 1753. He was one of the captives taken at Deerfield. Feb. 29th, 1704, and one of four who escaped and reached home in June, 1705. In 1714, he led the party which escorted John Stoddard and Rev. John Williams to Canada, as Massachusetts Commissioners to treat for the return of prisoners ; while there, occurred the romantic episode of his marriage to Madam Le Beau, nee Margaret Otis, which is so fully and so well treated by Miss C. Alice Baker, in her paper before the P. V. M. Association, upon Christina Otis.
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QUEEN ANNE'S WAR-1702-1713.
rimack & coming upon it at ye head of the west Branch following of it Down one Day, & then finding two Indian Tracks which went down the river we continuing our Course next Day Down ye river after them, towards night finding the Tracks of 4 more & then en- campt. The officers next morning thought it best to send forth a Small Company of our men to see what they could Discover And in about two hours they returned again & Informed by what they had Discovered that there was a party of Indians not far off. Then the officers took 3 of there Soaldiers to make further Discovery ordering the rest of the Company to Lye still & be very Carefull & make no rout till they returned and in about 3 hours they returned & In- formed their Company that they had discovered some Wigwams. Judging [three ?] of them to be Indians with families, with that ye whole Company moved in about half a mile of them, and then find- ing ye wigmans to be on ve [bank ?] of the river and a swamp Ly- ing upon the back side. And Judging it to be best to Devide ye Company into two parts Livt Williams & Livt Kellogge taking one half & Capt Baker yr other. Agreeing also y' one part should go round ye Swamp up Stream, and the other part Down Stream. Soon after we parted the Company of Capt Baker espied a straggling In- dian Coming directly towards them, with a hatchet Stuck in his Gir- dle & a Stick on his Shouldier, which we judged was a going to peal Bark. Now we knowing that we should be Discovered was obliged to fire him Down & did so, now many guns being Discharged at him, Alarmed ye other Indians & caused the tother part of the men to come back again. After that word was given out to run to the wigwams. After running a Little way Litting of some Indian dogs which we following lead us to the wigwams upon the river Bank & there find- ing 12 Indians Jest entred into their Canoes to Cross the river & Es- pying a number of Squas & Poposes on the other Side running into the woods, but we firing briskly on them that was on ye water, Soon turned the bulk of them out of their Canoas, and the other Jumped out and Swam to the Contrary Shore. So we judged we had killed 8 or 9 and afterwards was informed by Some Easterd Captives y' we did kill 9. After the skirmish was over, we viewed their habitation & judged that they had lived there two or three years, by the quan- tity of Furs we found there. The Place where we Litt of these In- dians, was where the two Branches of the river come together .* Aft- er this we returned to the place where we left our Packs, with a small quantity of plunder and there we packed up and Steared our Course for Dunstable & in Time reached it, from thence we travailed to Chensford, And the People being very kind to us. Our Capt with a Waiting-man, went to Boston to Inform his Excellency Gov Dudley of his good service done the Province, ordering the Lieut to take the men and march to Marlborough & there to wait for him & in a little time he Came and ordered us to march homewards, from thence we marched to brookfield which was a very hard Day's travail by reason of some men being very Lame, from thence we marched to Hadley, from thence to Hatfield, from thence to Deerd wh we first set from. Finis.
One of them since called Baker's river.
CARTEL FOR EXCHANGE OF PRISONERS AT DEERFIELD. 381
On a scrap of paper in the handwriting of Stephen Wil- liams, is found the following :---
Capt. Baker & my Brother's expedition to Cowass & over the Mer- rimack, where they killed my old master Wottanammon in April, 1712.
With the scalp of Wottanammon and others, Baker went down the Merrimac and to Boston, arriving May 8th. The General Court voted his company £30 besides their wages, for scalp money.
There had been no general exchange of prisoners since John Sheldon was in Canada. Individual or special exchanges had been made occasionally, perhaps as the one side or the other took that method of gaining intelligence of their ene- my.
June 16th, a letter was received from De Vaudreuil respect- ing an exchange of prisoners of war. He proposes "that our prisoners from Canada be brought into or near Deerfield, and that the French prisoners be sent home from thence." This proposal was satisfactory to Dudley, and Col. Partridge was ordered to collect the prisoners here and dispatch them home. Partridge set about the mission with zeal and energy, and in about four weeks, a party of French captives, with an English escort, left Deerfield under a flag of truce for Cana- da. The departure had been delayed somewhat by difficulty from an unexpected quarter. Of this the following letter gives a graphic relation :--
HATFIELD, July 1, 1712.
I begg yor Excellencys excuse & tender Resentment.
Off our repeated demur & delay of moveing towards Canada by the Frentchmen & or Messengers, which is wholie by the indisposi- tion of the Frentchmen, Especially two of them, who will not be prsuaded to go, neither by prsuasions, nor force, except they be car- ried, viz., Cossett & La ffever. the Capt. hath used all means with them, especially Cosset, in so much that I believe if they go into woods together, they will murder one another before they get to Can- ada. Cosset positively refusing to go, chuseing rather to Remayen a prison' all his days, as he saith, rather than go with him. The Captaine vehemently mad with him, as he saith, will kill him, & its thought by their violent treatm' one towards another, that murder had been done if or men had not pevented itt They cannot speak to- gether, but some fall to blows, whoever is pesent. La ffever has been oposite of goeing all a Long, & now it comes too positively op- poses it, except he be forct. Yesterday I went up to Derefd & two of the Frentchmen ordert him & the Frenchman to attend me in order to their goeing immediately away, Haveing all things ready
382
QUEEN ANNE'S WAR-1702-1713.
there but am demured, as aforesd, & knowing the sending of but two with or Messenges, would not comport with y'r Excellency's de- sign in this motion, I chose rather to delay two or 3 days more to waite for yor further direction. I have with much ado, caused the two Frentchmen that are willing to go, to abide at Derefd til further order: he, viz., the Capt., proposes that two others of his men be sent immediately to go, saying he knows they will go without trouble if yrself see meet yet to proceed in this motion, though rather chuses to come back to Boston with hopes to get home by water, but he is stayd as aforesd. In the enclosed paper he gives ye names of ye men &c.
As to o' Messengers, severall offer themselves to go, viz., Ltt. Baker, Ltt. Williams, Ltt. Wells & Sergt. Taylor; & for men with either of them, Jonathan Wells, Jno. Nims, (an absolute pilot) Eleazer [ Ebenezer ? | Warner, Thomas Frentch &c., but insist upon 4 to goe, &c.
We had pitcht upon Ltt. Williams, with the consent of his ffather, who hath the Frentch tongue, Jonath. Wells, Jno. Nims, & Eliezer [Ebenezer? ] Warner. but haveing in yor last letter a forbidd to any of Baker's company we pitcht on Lt. Wells, Sergt. Taylor, John Nims & Thos. Frentch, who also hath the Frentch tongue, but think the former most apt for ye designe, &c.
I have had no sınall fategue in this matter, but ye disappointment hath been on the Frentchman's pt as aforesaid. I am verry sorry there is no better attendence to y'r Excellencys commands, wel I desire to be sencere in attending, to the utmost of my power at all tymes.
Humbly desiring further directions in this matter, with my Hum- ble service pesented to yor Excellency, Madam Dudley & whole fan- ily. Rendering myself much obliged in obeydience & yor Verry Humble serv't.
SAMUI PARTRIDGE.
P. S. Our scouts can discover verry little appearance of ye ene- my at the Lake; doubtless more might be discovered & ye enemy more forct to a retirement.
The following was endorsed on the above letter :-
Co'll. Patridg :- Honn'd Sr, I have all along been much against re- turning home: to Canada: but am now come to a Resolution that I will not go, except the Governor with yourself, doe compell me to returne; which I hope you will not do; I have an Affection for the people and Countery; and therefore do not intend to lieue it untill thare be a Peace; and then only for to give my Parents a vissitt and Returne againe.
from your humble ser'vt to command: this is La ffeveres words.
Dudley writes Partridge, Sept. 26th, "Cosset stays with you ; they have abandoned him as a protestant."
The party for Canada left Deerfield July 10th, with Lieut. Samuel Williams finally at the head. This is shown by the following extract from a letter written July 21st, 1712, by Elisha Williams, at Hatfield, to his cousin Stephen Williams, at Roxbury :-
383
SCHUYLER'S WARNING COMES TOO LATE.
"Cousin Samuel & 3 others from Deerfield, set out for Canada the last Thursday was a seven-night. No news but that we are not, & have not been molested by the enemy."
The "three others" were Jonathan Wells, John Nims and Eleazer, or Ebenezer Warner. Lieut. Williams reached Bos- ton on his return September 24th, bringing nine English prisoners. He was allowed for his services thirty shillings per week. Lieut. Williams, son of the minister, was but twenty-three years old. In March, 1713, he was chosen town clerk, and died in June following.
The quiet noted by both writers above was soon to be broken. July 13th, twenty Indians in two parties left Cana- da for our frontiers; twelve under the noted Gray Lock .* The news of this movement reached Col. Schuyler July 28th. He sent a post in hot haste to warn Col. Partridge ; but it was too late. Partridge writes the Governor August 4th :-
HATFIELD Aug 4, 1712
May it please yor Excellency
On Wednesday the 30 July past in ye forenoone came too me a Messengr enforming of a young man taken by a ptie of the Enemy at Springfield in the afternoone a massenger from Derefd that or west- ern scout from thence was attaqued by the enemy & sd ther were most of them taken & killed, but upon a more full acct there is one man killed & two taken of them, at Night a Messenger from or East- ern scouts gave news of the discovery of a ptie of 8 or 9 seen & they made shot at ym but the enemy soon ran out of reach towards Brookfd We immeadiately sent a post to Brookfd to enforme them, who im- meadiately sent out to all there work folks abroad & in there way see 6 or 8 Indians-Alarmed the ye said workers & disappointed the En- emy who were about Secretly to way lay them, but run for it-by all this it plainly appears the Enemy are on every hand of us-Laying waite for to accomplish their bloody designes-the same night a post from Albany came with the Enclosed, The lettr doth not speak of it, but the Missingrs say ye Govr of Canada Looks for a speedy Peace, but will do as much spoyle as he can before it comes.
I have Given Notice to Capt How of the Enemys Appearance here wch may soone come over to y™
Major Stoddard & myself are Secureing all pts by scouts & guards as much as we can to prvent the Sudden surprizes of the Enemy who doubtless will do all the mischeef they can before they go off with my Humble Service prsented to yor Excellency & whole family Ren- dering my Self yor Obeydient & very Humble Servt
SAMHI PARTRIDGE.
Yor Excellency's directions is at
all tymes advantageous to us
* For an account of Gray Lock see History of Northfield.
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QUEEN ANNE'S WAR-1702 -- 1713.
The "man taken at Springfield " was Benjamin Wright of "Skipmuck," and he was probably killed soon after. He was eighteen years old. The man killed on the western scout was Samuel Andrews of Hartford; the captured men, Ben- jamin Barrett of Deerfield and Sunderland, and William San- ford, a Connecticut soldier. The party was under the charge of Sergt. Samuel Taylor of Deerfield, who did not keep them under sufficient restraint. They were " very careless & noisy as they traveled," says Stephen Williams. Lieut. Samuel Williams was in Canada when the two captives were brought in. Both were recovered by him, and brought back in Sep- tember.
This was the last raid on this valley during Queen Anne's War. The messenger who brought Schuyler's dispatch to Partridge July 31st, said the Governor of Canada expected a speedy peace, but would do as much spoil as he could before it came. It was in continuance of this characteristic and infamous method of carrying on the war, that De Vau- dreuil, to make the most of the time, sent a large force against the eastern towns in September.
A proclamation for the cessation of hostilities was promul- gated at Boston Oct. 29th, 1712, and Queen Anne's War was closed by the Treaty of Utrecht, March 30th, 1713.
In this war Deerfield lost sixty-one killed, nine wounded and one hundred and twelve captured. The valley below lost fifty-eight killed, sixteen wounded and thirteen captured. Total in Hampshire county, one hundred and nineteen killed, twenty-five wounded, one hundred and twenty-five captured.
CHAPTER XII.
INTERVAL OF UNQUIET PEACE.
Within a few months after the Peace of Utrecht, signed March 30th, 1713, it became apparent that Deerfield was no longer to be the forlorn hope of civilization in the Connecti- cut Valley-the extreme point of that wedge of settlements which was being driven northwards to. split the wilderness asunder. February, 1714, the General Court appointed a Committee to superintend the settlement at Swampfield. Four years later it dismissed the Committee with thanks, and gave the plantation a charter and the name of Sunderland. Thus the wedge became thickened hereabouts, and in 1714 Northfield was resettled, and that became the entering edge -the post of danger and honor.
The war cloud had hardly rolled away before the Indians from every quarter, under one pretext or another, were free- ly mingling with the English. In May, 1714, Upehonedie was here with a party of Iroquois ; with a pass from Col. Par- tridge they went to Boston, and appeared before the Gov- ernor and Council to express their friendship for our people. The Eastern Indians were anxious for a new treaty ; the Pen- nicooks came also to make complaint of encroachment on their lands. All along our frontiers the Indian hunters who had been at arms against us came to sell their furs, the prod- uct of the last winter's hunt. When under the influence of fire-water these Indians would boast of their murderous ex- ploits during the war, making a merit of them as praise- worthy actions of brave warriors. This would rouse the ire of the English, altercations would follow, and sometimes, ac- cording to tradition. a swift and secret revenge. At any rate there must have been great provocation to retaliation on the part of the whites, whose friends had been the victims of their barbarity, and the objects of their boasts, which would have led to reprisals, and brought on a general conflict. There was all the while a profound distrust of the Indians,
38€
INTERVAL OF UNQUIET PEACE.
and little confidence was felt in their professions of amity. Men like Thomas Baker, Joseph and Martin Kellogg, who had been in captivity among them, and understood their hab- its, were employed to go among them to watch their mo- tions, and interpret the meaning. The government gave watchful heed to the intercourse between the red man and the white and made wholesome regulations in regard to their barter. Nov. 14th, 1715, the Council gave Col. Partridge or- ders to " direct his inspection and care of trade with Indians coming into Deerfield, and other parts within the county of Hampshire, to prevent their being debauched with rum or other spirits or being defrauded and abused in their trade." Perhaps it was owing to his wise management that no out- break occurred.
During the whole of this interval of peace continuous ef- forts were made for the recovery of captives still held by the French and Indians in Canada ; and for the release of Eunice Williams, especially, no possible inducement was left untried. A large sum of money was rejected ; the personal solicitation of the Governor's wife was disregarded. Two captive Indian children offered in exchange for this white girl were refused, but four captive Englishmen were given up for them instead. Even Father Justinian, a French priest captured at Annapo- lis Royal, was brought to Boston, and kept a long time, as an exchange for the captive child ; but all in vain. Col. John Schuyler, however, still had hopes. He writes Dudley April 6th, 1713, that he is going from Albany with some French gentlemen, and that "agreeable to a promise made to Mr. Williams and for Christian considerations, he will endeavour the recovery of his daughter out of the hands of the Indians and doubts not to prevail." The disheartening result we have seen. [See ante, page 349.]
The sorrowing father of Eunice, however, could not yet give up his daughter. We may safely presume that it was through his means that another party was sent for captives the same year. Nov. 5th, 1713, Capt. John Stoddard and Rev. John Williams received their credentials as Commis- sioners, and were fitted out for a journey to Canada. They left Northampton for Albany, November 13th, attended by Capt. Thomas Baker, Martin Kellogg, Eleazer Warner and Jonathan Smith, all on horseback. They reached the Hudson
387
STODDARD AND WILLIAMS IN CANADA.
November 16th. Here they were detained ten long weeks on account of warm weather and broken ice. At length on the 22d of January they set forward, having in the meantime se- cured for a guide Hendrick, a Mohawk chief of the Cahnaing- has, who had great influence over the Caghnawagas, with whom Eunice Williams and the other captives lived. The party arrived at Quebec February 16th, and were well re- ceived by Gov. de Vaudreuil. He assured them that all cap- tives should have free liberty to go home. The Commission- ers set about their business with energy and hopefulness, but they soon found the Governor could not be relied upon for assistance. His doings fell far short of his promises. The wily priests put every possible obstacle in their way, and when complaint was made, De Vaudreuil said he could as "easily change the course of the river as prevent the priest's endeavours." Complications on questions of State coming up, Capt. Baker was sent to Dudley for further instructions. He left April 4th, via Albany, taking with him three re- deemed captives, and a Frenchman to act as guide, and to take back the canoe.
June Sth and again June 11th the Commissioners sent more dispatches to Dudley. Capt. Baker returned to the Commis- sioners by the way of Montreal, where he secured one captive, and reached Quebec July 23d. The papers he brought from Gov. Dudley had no effect on men who had determined be- forehand to keep as many captives from going home as they could by any means in their power.
After six months of difficult and vexatious negotiations, the Commissioners on the 24th of August, embarked on a vessel sent by Dudley to Quebec, with only twenty-six pris- oners, leaving behind more than four times that number. Many of these were children when taken, and had become so attached to savage modes of living, that no persuasions could induce them to give up the free, wild life in the wil- derness. The land of their birth was with many wholly blotted out, or remembered only as a dream, and they had become really the children of Nature.
Mr. Williams could not understand-no Puritan of that period could understand-that this reluctance to go back to New England might be other than the work of the devil, operating through the Popish priests. When at home, the
388
INTERVAL OF UNQUIET PEACE.
word of Mr. Williams was law to young and old, but here, with his own daughter, and the young of his flock living at Caghnawaga, his most earnest prayers and solicitations fell on ears that gave no heed and on hearts that were moved by no emotion. No wonder the broken-hearted minister says he found the captives "rather worse than the Indians." Quite a number who had consented, changed their minds at the last, and refused to go home ; among them " five who pretend- ed to embark just before we sailed."
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