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 55
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CHAPTER XVIII.
RAIMBAULT OR SIMBLIN-THE PLAIN FACTS OF A ROMANTIC STORY. HAWKS'S JOURNAL. MELVIN'S SCOUT. HOBBS'S
FIGHT. TAYLOR'S SURPRISE. AARON BELDEN KILLED. LIST OF SOLDIERS.
Although at this period France had adopted the New Style, in this narrative, all dates will be given in Old Style, unless otherwise noted. To correct the date of events occurring in Canada, eleven days must be added to those here given.
Oct. 16th, 1747, Col. Josiah Willard, Capt. Ebenezer Alex- ander, and one Dr. Hall left Fort Dummer on horseback for Northfield. Just within the borders of Winchester, Capt. Alexander, who was foremost, saw a man in French uniform in the road before him. The latter spied the captain at the same time and dodged behind a tree, but not in season to prevent a bullet from Alexander's gun striking him in the breast. The wounded man came forward to surrender. He was a cadet in command of forty Indians who had left Cana- da for this valley, September 16th, and was then guarding their packs, while they had gone to kill some cattle in the neighborhood. As he approached the English he fainted and fell; they, supposing him to be dying, and knowing that the report of the gun would bring an unknown number of the en- emy to the rendezvous, prudently hurried on to Northfield. It does not appear that this adventure was pushed any fur- ther, which argues a very demoralized condition of affairs among the people at Northfield. When the marauders heard the report of Alexander's musket, they returned to find their leader wounded ; and after carrying him a short distance, the cowards basely deserted him as an incumbrance, for fear of pursuit, and hurried homewards.
News of the return of this party reached Quebec, Nov. 3d. They reported finding their commander, Sieur Simblin, in a dying condition ; that he only lived long enough to tell them he had been "shot by a party of twenty horsemen." But the
555
ROMANCE IN REAL LIFE.
poor wounded Frenchman, although deserted by both ene- mies and friends, did not die. He made a fight for life, bound up his wounds, lived on what the woods afforded. Oct. 20th, four days after the event, he appeared at Northfield, and made a signal of surrender to the first man he saw, who, oddly enough, chanced to be Capt. Alexander himself. The pris- oner was kindly received and put under the care of Rev. Ben- jamin Doolittle, who, like most of the clergy of the period, had a good knowledge of medicine and surgery.
Nov. 14th, Chevalier de Longueuil, with forty Canadian In- dians, surprised twelve men near No. 4, killing Nathaniel Gould and Thomas Goodale, wounding Oliver Avery, and taking John Anderson captive. Longueuil learned from the prisoner that the French officer was alive and had been sent to Boston. This news was reported to the Governor at Que- bec, Dec. 3d. By this it appears that the young man was so far cured of his wound in four weeks, as to be able to take a journey of one hundred miles.
The captive was well treated by Gov. Shirley, and the Mar- quis de la Galissoniere, in a letter to him, by Sergt. Hawks, makes an acknowledgment for this courtesy. It is said the prisoner made quite a sensation among the women in Boston. His commission to lead the expedition in which he was so un- fortunate, taken from his person by Capt. Alexander, is still in the hands of his descendants. The following is a literal translation.
Orders Sire Raimbault, cadet in the troops, to go at the head of forty savages, upon the cities of the government of Orange in order to there make war upon our enemies of whatever nations are armed as warriors, upon him enjoining to prevent as much as he can the savages from using their tortures customary against the prisoners which they shall make. BONBERTHELAT.
Montreal the 27, [16, O. S.] September, 1747
In this paper the officer is called Raimbault and in all Eng- lish accounts of this affair he is called by this name, or varia- tions of it, as Rambout, Rainbou, or Rainboe. There is no room to doubt the identity of the person, but this confusion of names has been a stumbling-block to historians of the pe- riod. O'Callaghan speaks of the French account of Simblin, and the English account of Raimbault, but "cannot deter- mine what connection there is between the two." Drake
556
RAIMBAULT OR SIMBLIN.
thinks his true name was Simblin, but that "he passed him- self off with the English under under the assumed name " of Raimbault ; but he does not attempt to account for that name being in his commission. The historians of Northfield could see no way to solve the conundrum, and gave it up.
Further research has established the fact, that the name of this young cadet was Pierre Raimbault St. Blein. He was grandson to M. Raimbault, Governor-General of Montreal. He had two brothers, Sieur Duverger de St. Blein and Cadet Groschene St. Blein, both active partisan officers and both led parties of Indians against the English. Sieur Louis Simblin, another leader of savages against our frontier, may have been the father of the wounded captive.
St. Blein was a person of some consequence, and he did not long 'remain a prisoner. He negotiated an exchange with Gov. Shirley, by which he should be given up for Nathan Blake, who had been captured from Keene, and young Sam- uel Allen, taken at the Bars. Shirley appointed Sergt. John Hawks, the hero of Fort Massachusetts, with Matthew Clesson and Samuel Taylor as assistants, to take the prisoner to Cana- da and bring back Blake and Allen. The story of this jour- ney is well told by John S. Lee, D. D., of Canton, N. Y., in a paper read before the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Associa- tion in 1882, which can be found in the archives of the asso- ciation, and my narrative shall be a bare recital of facts.
Shirley intended that the party should go by the way of Albany, but on account of the weakness of St. Blein a shorter route was taken. The four men being fitted out with stores for the journey, by Col. Wm. Williams, sub-commissary here, left Deerfield, Tuesday, Feb. 8th, 1747-8, on snow shoes, with provision on their backs. They set their faces northward, and reached No. 4 Feb. 10th. The next day they set out to cross the Green Mountains to the lake. All was then wilderness. The towns named are those of to-day. The first day's march was up Black river to Cavendish, where they lodged upon an eminence, now known as Hawks Mountain. According to tradition, a party from No. 4 escorted them on this day's march, one of whom was a young man named John Stark, later the hero of Bennington, but then unknown to fame. This tradition is not verified by any recorded facts. On the contrary, Mr. Doolittle in his journal says that when "the
557
SERGT. HAWKS'S ROUTE.
French prisoner " was at No. 4, some of the garrison told him that "they would gladly accompany him part of the way, but they had neither Indian Shoes or Snow Shoes." He adds " Thus poorly have Garrisons been stored ; whilst many Hundred Pair of Snow Shoes lie on Spoil some where or other, which the Province has paid for." Information of this kind would not be lost on St. Blein. It might be expected, as a matter of course, that he would notify the Canadian authorities of this destitution, which rendered the garrison almost helpless out- side the walls of the fort. Accordingly, on the very day of Hawks's arrival at Montreal, Galissoniere, who had been there about three weeks, sent out a French cadet with seven- teen Indians to our frontiers. March 15th, as eight men were getting wood about sixty rods from the fort, at No. 4, the enemy came upon them. The snow was deep and soft, and without snow-shoes the workmen could only get back by the beaten path. The Indians got into this, and intercepted their retreat, killed Charles Stevens, wounded Nathaniel An- dros and captured Eleazer Priest. Having no fear of pur- suit they went leisurely away, arriving at Montreal, March 29th, with one scalp and one prisoner.
Pursuing his journey, Sergt. Hawks crossed the watershed, in Mount Holly, Feb. 12th, and soon struck a branch of Otter Creek, which he followed to the main stream and down that through Clarendon, Rutland, Pittsford to Brandon, thence westward to the lake opposite Ticonderoga, and down Lake Champlain and the Sorel, reaching Montreal Feb. 27th. It does not appear that any of the enemy were encountered on the way. The envoys were unarmed, but their white flag would have been a sure protection, provided it was seen in season. Hawks stopped on the way, between Montreal and Quebec, to visit the home of the prisoner, who was received with great rejoicing, and the escort most hospitably enter- tained.
Feb. 27th, Count de la Galissoniere, Governor of Canada, makes this record :-
Sieur Simblin, military cadet, who was wounded at the close of October last within four leagues of the fort of Nortfields, and taken to Boston, arrived at Montreal in company with three Englishmen sent with him by Mr. Shirley. We have them well treated and close- ly watched. They ask to take back with them two prisoners, men
558
RAIMBAULT OR SIMBLIN. HAWKS'S JOURNAL.
of family, who are here. We shall see to their departure, if it be proper to release these two men.
In the Hawks family there is a tradition that it was only by the most strenuous efforts that their ancestor achieved the release of Blake ; and similar traditions are current in the Allen family respecting Samuel Allen. The French account of the exchange is given below :-
April 13, 1748, the General [Galissoniere ] sends back from Mon- treal the three persons who came with a cartel on the 27th of Feb- ruary. They were conducted to the frontier by Sieur de Simblin, whom they had brought back. We found no difficulty in surrender- ing to them the two prisoners whom they have asked of us on arriv- ing.
It is said that young Samuel Allen at first refused to speak to Hawks, who was his uncle, and with whom he had been well acquainted, and that it was only by force that he was brought away. He lived to be an old man, always maintain- ing his preference for the Indian mode of life.
It was the middle of April, by our reckoning, and the snow may have lain deep in the Canada woods, when our advent- urers, with the redeemed captives, plunged into the wilder- ness on their return to Deerfield. Here we lose sight of them for eleven days, when they emerge from these shades. Hawks shall tell the rest of the story in his own words.
Some years ago, while mousing amongst the MS. archives of the state, I came across a paper without signature or date, but indexed as of 1725. I was interested enough to copy it, expecting the key to it would turn up sometime. It proved to be a fragment of the journal which Sergt. Hawks kept on this very march. From Gen. Hoyt's account of Hawks's jour- ney, I am confident he had seen the first part of this journal. This part he certainly had not seen. The question is, where is the first part now?
Fragment of John Hawks's Journal-Apr. 25, traveled about 2 m. S-east & then So. till we come to the crotch of the river where is their common road from C. Point to No. 4 and other places. They had informed us that there were but 12 Inds out on our frontier, & when we were come to this path they found the signs of them re- turning with one captive. [Doubtless Sieur Bonut with 3 French and 13 Indians, who reached Montreal April 17 with Daniel Sargeant, taken near Fort Dummer, March 29th. Other parties were out in other directions, but the scene of operations for every party was fixed at Montreal. Bonut was sent out Feb. 24.] Our guard told
559
THE JOYFUL RETURN.
us there was no danger & that they need not come to No. 4, as they had proposed, provided these Indians were not returned, & there- fore they told us they wd travel to the hight of land by black river & wd bid us farewell. We kept on our way & a little before night we saw the track of an Ind just come before us in our path; traveled this day 30 miles camped on the west side of the mountain between black river and otter creek.
Apr. 26. Set out in the mor'g, our guard accompanied us 9 miles to the top of the mountain, when we parted with them, but notwith- standing they assured us there were no Inds out, yet they cautioned us not to keep the plain road. After we had took our leave of them, they set out on their journey while we were tying our packs. They had not been gone many minutes before Mr. Rainbout, turning back, Hallowed to us, to make haste away from that place, & not to go in the com'on road, which, with some other things, made us sup- pose we were attended with more Indians, who designed mischief to us after our guard had left us.
Many of the Gent. in Montreal advised us to bring guns with us, & not come unarmed; the Gov. gave liberty we should purchase some guns & said it was not safe to come without.
We immediately set out on our journey, turning another course from what we had traveled, that if we were pursued they might not know where to follow us. We traveled about 6 miles south, crossed a small river that runs into Black river; tra'ld this day 15 miles; camped near the head of Wms river; we made no fire lest we should be discovered.
Apr. 27. Set out in the morning early, traveled S. E. by south, crossed several branches of Wms river & came to the river; we trav- eled south down the river 9 miles, traveled this day 19 [?] miles.
28. Trav'ld down the riv. S. E. to Con. river; this river comes into Con. river about 2 miles above the Great Falls; tr'ld to the foot of the Falls. Tl'd this day 14 miles; got to the foot of the falls about sunset, where we made a raft, finished it about 10 o'clock in the night & then set sail down the river.
29. About 9 o'lk in the morning we arrived at ft Dummer, re- freshed ourselves, set out on our raft for Northfield, where we Lodged.
April 30. Set out for Deerfield on horses accompanied by many of our friends from North. Half way from North. met Col. Wil- liams with near 20 of our friends from Dfd. We delivered our little traveler to his mother & had the pleasure of seeing a poor, discon- solate mother made joyful beyond expression by the reception of her son from a miserable captivity.
From the moment Sergt. Hawks received the parting charge of Sieur St. Blein, a heavy responsibility weighed up- on him, and for several days the strain must have been in- tense. His task was to cover his trail and baffle his pursuers. He knew that every red winterberry crushed under foot, every bit of bark disturbed on a fallen and rotting log, every, upturned leaf, every dry branch snapped off as they passed,
560
RAIMBAULT OR SIMBLIN. HAWKS'S JOURNAL.
every bruise on the tender sapling, every bent or broken shoot or twig, was to these children of the woods like a guide-board directing the traveler on a broad highway. His familiarity with Indian wiles, and his knowledge of wood- craft gained in his captivity, now stood him in hand. With all his ingenuity and his resources in play, with all his senses on the alert, with the watchful eye and cautious tread, Hawks threaded the valleys, crossed the streams, followed their beds, doubling upon his trail, snatching a little sleep in some deep ravine during the darkest hours. So, he guid- ed his charge in safety. The burst of sentiment in his mat- ter-of-fact journal, when, at length, surrounded by a strong force of friends from home, testifies to the reaction, when this great nervous tension was relaxed, and he "had the pleasure of seeing a poor, disconsolate mother made joyful beyond expression by the reception of her son from a miser- able captivity," and the happy and successful issue of his mission.
St. Blein left Hawks's party April 26th, and returned to Canada. May 21st, writes Galissoniere, “ 15 Abenaquis have been fitted out for a war party. They are commanded by Sieur Simblin the Elder, who has only just returned from escorting the English cartels." "Sieur Duplessis Fabert, en- sign of foot, with 15 Canadians & 33 Indians" was also sent out from Montreal by the Governor the same day. June 25th, the Governor records, "The three different war parties,. commanded by Sieurs Duplessis Fabert, Simblin and La- plante, are returned to Montreal. These parties, having united, made an attack on Northfield, brought in 6 English prisoners and 5 scalps."
They had ambushed fourteen men who were going from Hinsdale's fort to Fort Dummer, June 16th. [See Temple and Sheldon's History of Northfield, page 226.] This am- bush was laid within one or two miles of where St. Blein was wounded, and was doubtless arranged by him.
Hawks had but a few days of rest before he was again called into service. May 9th, Noah Pixley was killed at Southampton by a party of the enemy. The same day Sergt. Hawks, with Matthew Clesson as his right hand man, went out in pursuit of the marauders. We can imagine the spirit with which Hawks engaged in this expedition. St. Blein
561
A RECKLESS ACT AND THE CONSEQUENCES.
had told him at the parting of their ways, that no party of Indians were out in this region, and he had reason to believe that these were the fellows that dogged his steps from Cana- da. The Deerfield men under him were "Jona. Wells, Aza- riah [Jeremiah?] Nims, John Cofferin[?], Asa Childs, Jona. Hoyt, Thomas Arms, Phineas Nash, David Childs, Asahel Wright, Thomas Nims, John Saddler, and Cæsar, servant to Mr. Timothy Childs."
The tables were now turned. Hawks was not now a skulk- ing fugitive. With a strong force at his back he plunged boldly into the woods, and soon struck the trail of the enemy going westward, and gave a hot chase; but he failed to come up with them, and turned back after reaching the Dutch set- tlements at Hoosick.
1748. During the spring and summer, inroads on the Con- necticut Valley were incessant. The enemy came in large parties, and were generally successful in surprising the Eng- lish ; and many were killed, wounded and captured. None of the enemy penetrated as far as our town, but Deerfield men were active in the service ; though none were killed this year, unless Asahel Graves, who was killed above Northfield, July 14th, was a son of Abraham of Deerfield.
Capt. Melvin's Scout. May 13th, Capt. Eleazer Melvin, with eighteen men, left Fort Dummer for a scout westward. He reached the lake at a point nearly opposite Fort Frederick, May 25th, when he discovered a party of Indians in canoes. He fired three volleys at one canoe, which was within range. It was probably a company of thirty Indians which had left Canada May Ist, for our frontiers, under the command of Sieur Monet. Upon this mishap they went back again, reporting the loss of one killed and one wounded. The firing was in plain view of the fort, three cannon were discharged to give the alarm and one hundred and fifty men started out in pursuit. Melvin at once made a hurried retreat through the drowned lands and over the mountains to the head of West river. Here, in the town of Londonderry, on the morning of May 31st, he made a halt on the bank of a small river. Having baffled his pursuers he felt himself safe. The men's packs were unslung, and some of them began shooting salmon in the stream for breakfast.
While so engaged, in careless security, a party of two
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MELVIN'S SCOUT. HOBBS'S FIGHT.
Frenchmen and nine Indians, under "Sieur Louis Simblin " (St. Blein?) who had struck their trail and followed it, or who had been attracted by their guns, was cautiously creeping through the underbrush towards them. When within a few rods, they poured a deadly volley upon the amazed English, killing John Howard, Isaac Taylor, John Dodd, Daniel Mann and Samuel Severance, and wounding Joseph Petty. The members of each party were now equal, but the English were surprised and demoralized, and after a slight resistance they scattered and fled for Fort Dummer. The victors, satisfied with the result, did not attempt a pursuit, but hasted away homeward with the five scalps and entered Montreal in tri- umph June 8th.
Petty, the wounded man, soon gave out, and was left at a spring by his companions, who made him a bed and shelter from boughs, left him a cup of water and told him to live if he could until help reached him. Capt. Phineas Stevens led a company to the scene of the disaster and found the five slain soldiers, but failed to find Petty. On his return to Northfield, his townsmen determined to know the fate of Petty. June 5th, sixteen men sallied out and were gone four days. They found his dead body and buried it. Joseph Pet- ty was a son of Joseph and Sarah of Deerfield, who were cap- tured Feb. 29th, 1704; Joseph escaped, [See ante.] his wife was redeemed. They removed to Northfield.
It was probably in view of the disaster to Capt. Melvin's scout that a fast was appointed at Northfield for June 16th. Our minister, Mr. Ashley, preached the sermon on this occa- sion. It may have been in the midst of this solemn service that the "great gun " at Fort Dummer announced to the startled congregation a new cause for alarm, and a loud call for help. The occasion was the attack on a party going from Ashuelot to Fort Dummer, already noticed. Capt. Ebenezer Alexan- der with fifteen men at once set out from Northfield in re- sponse to the call. They found that a party of fourteen men, marching from Ashuelot to Fort Dummer, had fallen into an ambush of the enemy ; that Joseph Richardson; John Frost, Jonathan French and William Bickford were killed, and six others captured. These were taken to Canada, where they arrived June 25th.
The enemy were Raimbault St. Blein, Sieur Duplessis Fa-
563
DEATH OF COLONEL JOHN STODDARD.
bert and Sieur La Plante, who had combined their forces, doubtless under the direction of St. Blein, who had been wounded within a mile or two of this place.
Rev. Mr. Ashley wrote an account of the affair to Col. Stod- dard at Boston, and to Col. Partridge at Hatfield. His letters were dispatched by Lieut. Sheldon the same day. It is not likely that Stoddard was ever troubled at the bad news, since he died at Boston June 19th. Eleazer Porter, lieutenant-colo- nel, succeeded to the command in the valley. It was said, and generally felt, that Col. Porter " had no genius for war," and Maj. Israel Williams was not satisfied with the state of affairs. He writes to Boston : "When the person can be found to make up the great break upon us, in the death of Col. Stod- dard, I know not. God has pleased to take him who was in a great measure our wisdom, strength and glory. We are now like sheep without a shepherd. Every one will do about as he pleases, till some person have general command." Porter resigned and Maj. Williams was put in command, Novem- ber 16th.
Capt. Hobbs's Fight. June 26th, Capt. Humphrey Hobbs, while leading forty men from No. 4 to Fort Shirley, was at- tacked by a large body of the enemy. After a contest of four hours, the Indians withdrew. Ebenezer Mitchell, son of William of our town, Samuel Gunn and Eli Scott were killed; Samuel Graves, Daniel McKenney, Nathan Walker and Ralph Rice were wounded. For a graphic account of this af- fair see Hoyt's "Antiquarian Researches."
Thomas Taylor Surprised. July 14th, Sergt. Thomas Tay- lor with sixteen men was ambushed above Fort Hinsdale. Asahel Graves, probably son of Abraham of Deerfield, and Henry Church were killed on the spot. Robert Cooper, for- merly of Deerfield, was wounded. Taylor and ten others were captured. Two of them, James Rose and James Bil- lings, being wounded and unable to travel, were soon killed. Temple and Sheldon's History of Northfield gives a minute account of this affair.
July 23d, Aaron Belding was killed in Northfield Street. August 7th, Capt. Ephraim Williams writes Maj. Israel Wil- liams, from Fort Massachusetts, that he,-
Was afraid the party sent to Deerfield for provisions would be way- laid, but to my great joy, yesterday at 2 p. m. Lt. Severance and
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TAYLOR'S SURPRISE. AARON BELDING KILLED.
Hawley arrived safe at the fort and made no discovery of the enemy, but in less than two hours after they arrived, the dogs began to bark & ran back on their track; we all then determined that the enemy had followed them in. This morning at daylight, being out at the gate observing the motions of the dogs, determined there was an ambush about 40 rods from the fort, between the fort & where we cross the river to Deerfield. Concluded to go out & attack then there, the nature of the ground being favorable ; but before we could get ready, one of the Indians fired at our dogs, which I suppose would have seized him immediately had he not. Upon that went a volley of 12 or 15 guns at some men who had gone out unbeknown to me, who returned the fire and stood their ground. We made a rally with 85 men in order to save those that were out & must in a few minutes have fallen into their hands. Engaged the enemy about Io minutes & drove them off the ground, upon which about 50 men (about 10 rods off) arose on our right wing & partly between us & the fort & fired upon us, upon which we were obliged to retreat ; fought upon a retreat until we got into the fort, when they attacked us immediately upon our shutting the gates. Upon this I ordered the men to their posts, (it being our turn now). I played away with our cannon and small arms for an hour & 34 by the glass & then they retreated.
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