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 63
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Meanwhile the armies assembled at Albany and above had done little. Shirley's expedition to Niagara had failed. William Johnson, commander of the Crown Point expedi- tion, built a fort at the great carrying place called Fort Ed- ward, and in August he pushed on and established a camp at the upper end of Lake George, fourteen miles northwest of Fort Edward.
Meanwhile a French army under Baron de Dieskau was marching from Canada up the Sorel and Lake Champlain.
Sept. 7th, Dieskau landed at South Bay, about twenty miles north of Fort Edward and sixteen miles northeast of John- son's Camp, and marched for Fort Edward, with Johnson ly- ing on his right flank. When within four or five miles of the fort he was deceived by false intelligence and turned at a right angle and marched towards Johnson's Camp.
Johnson had early news of the march of his enemy, but in- stead of hurrying out to strike him on the flank he contented himself with sending an express to Fort Edward with notice of the danger. At midnight Johnson had news that Dieskau was near Fort Edward. It seems here was an opportunity of falling on his rear and crushing him between two fires. In- stead of that nothing was done until the morning of Sept. 8th, when he sent Col. Ephraim Williams with his regiment and the Mohawk Sachem Hendrick with two hundred Indi- ans, "to intercept the French in their retreat, either as vic- tors or defeated in their attempt." As we have seen, Dieskau had turned from Fort Edward and the two bodies were ap-
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THE BLOODY MORNING SCOUT.
proaching each other. Dieskau got the first information of this state of affairs and laid an ambush, into which Williams marched. Williams and Hendrick were killed, with many of their men ; the rest fled until they were met by a succoring party, when the fight was renewed. Flushed with his suc- cess, Dieskau pushed his enemy back towards Johnson's camp, upon which he made an assault. After four hours' fighting his army was driven off and he fell, a wounded pris- oner, into the hands of Johnson. Dieskau's wounds were dressed by Dr. Thomas Williams and he lived until 1767, but his wounds never fully healed. Many men from this valley were killed with Col. Williams and his march is known here- abouts as " The Bloody Morning Scout."
Upon the news of the French invasion, new troops were raised, and Sept. 16th, Maj. Elijah Williams reported that he had enlisted from his command Samuel Smith, Daniel Kel- logg, John Eastman, John Clary, Joseph Lyman, Jr., Jona. Bissell, Elisha Hubbard and Charles Wright, and had im- pressed David Smith, Nathaniel Coleman, Ebenezer Marsh, Jr., Jona. Warner, John Miller and Peter Smith. He writes to Col. Israel Williams, Sept. 21st, that " Beside the ammuni- tion for Crown Point there arrived at Sunderland and will be here to-morrow, 200 hatchets, 200 worms & wires, 200 blan- kets, 100 tin kettles, 300 knapsacks and bullet bags. The men in Col. Worthington's Reg. can be supplied here if they wish."
None of the troops from the valley marched to relieve Fort Edward, as far as known. Col. Worthington wrote that from the news he heard he "thought the army would be defeated before succor could reach them, and so did not" make the attempt. His prophecy did not prove exactly true, but with the battle of Lake George, Sept. 8th, active operations ceased on both sides for the year 1755.
Many sick or wounded soldiers from the army or the forts were in charge of Dr. Israel Ashley, at Westfield. On a bill against the Province for this year we find the names of David King, Amos Risley, Joseph Barber; Herbert Miller, son of Jonathan, from whom he "cut out his bullet;" "John Bad- cock, a wounded soldier;" Lt. Clark from Crown Point, Lt. Hale and son, Daniel Granger, Francis Poland, Eph. Noble, Capt. Fellows, Enoch Johnson, Ebenezer Lamb, Danl. Ja-
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THE LAST FRENCH WAR.
quith, Israel Adams and father; Eph. Farnsworth, who died on his hands; Ebenezer Holt, Thomas Johnson, John Hersey, Benj. Thirston, Ebenezer Miller, David King, Lt. Gibbs, Thomas Wilder, Wm. Lane, Richard Woodbury, Wm. Crooks, Ebenezer Morgan ; Lt. Saml. Renolds, “ came down on a horse litter ;" Isaac Wilkins; "Coffee Peacock, Capt. Bullard's ne- gro;" Peter Harmon, James Poor, Benj. Hudson, Solomon Smith. One item was a charge, Aug. 20th, 1755, for "a visit to Poontusuch 40 mild" to see Sergt. Wright, Jabez Hyde and others.
1756. Petitions for aid were early sent to the Governor from Charlemont, Colrain, Northfield, Hinsdale and No. 4, with general and particular representations of distress and fear of the enemy, and that without guards the cultivation of their fields would be at the instant peril of their lives, and their homes must be abandoned. Plucky Lieut. Ebenezer Sheldon of Fall Town sends a petition of a different charac- ter. He is not blindly ignorant; he has been for years a captive among the Indians. He says his,-
Is the only garrison in the place. The enemy were here several times last Summer & Repulsed. His son was killed. He has ex- pended £300, O. T., in rebuilding and picketing his fort, which is a place of security for himself and neighbors. This your petitioner has done, being determined not to flee before the enemy if he can possibly help it. But his circumstances are such that he is unable to bear so great a charge.
He asks pecuniary aid in the matter of repairing the fort.
March 23d, Col. Williams puts Lieut. John Hawks in com- inand of the line of forts from Northfield to Hoosac moun- tain. He is instructed that "the duty of his men posted at Charlemont, Fall-town & Colrain is marching," although the men in South Fort, Lucas's, and the ministers' fort in Colrain, may guard the people at labor when marching service does not demand them, "provided they will work together in com- panies & submit to your direction in that article."
The duty of the garrisons at Greenfield and Northfield he says are to guard the laborers, "provided they desire it & will work together as you judge reasonable, to afford them a guard. Put the men in Greenfield in Corse's garrison there to watch and ward." The people at Greenfield, Colrain and Northfield are expected also to watch and ward. His ser- geants were directed "to keep an exact journal of their daily
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GARRISON DUTY.
service and performances by their men, & transmit the same to you every 14 days, or oftener if need be." These, with a journal of his own service Hawks was to send to Col. Wil- liams " as often as I require it." "I expect you and the offi- cers to attend to your duty at your respective posts & govern the men well, but the men have reasonable furlows, which I hereby empower you to grant 'em."
Hawks's headquarters were at Morrison's. The other men of his command were :-
Sergt. Oliver Avery and 5 men at South fort.
Sergt. John Taylor and 5 men at McDowell's fort.
Corp. Abner Peck and 5 men at Fort Lucas.
Sergt. Joseph Allen and 12 men at Northfield.
Sergt. James Rider and 8 men at Greenfield.
Sergt. Othniel Taylor and II men at Taylor's fort, Charle- mont.
Sergt. Gershom Hawks and II men at Hawks's fort, Char- lemont.
Sergt. Ebenezer Sheldon, Jr., and 7 men at Sheldon's fort, Fall-town.
Sergt. Remembrance Sheldon and 7 men at Burke's fort, Fall-town.
March 27th, Col. Williams writes Shirley that,-
Huntstown people quitted their place last summer for want of pro- tection, but several families returned and lived there thro' the win- ter & others will join them if they can have help. Encouraged by what they heard from you by their messenger they have begun to fortifie & in a few days will have a garrison completed-Before the war they had fitted a large area of land for tillage & raised consid- erable provisions. That is gone & they know not where to look for their bread, or what method to take for their support, & unless something can be done for them they must again leave the place- With a guard of 10 or 12 men they think they may work upon their land with tolerable safety.
Williams recommends putting part of the men under pay to guard the rest. July 8th, he is directed to send a guard to Huntstown.
April 19th, Othniel Taylor reports: "Two of the scouts from Colrain to Charlemont saw two Indians by a log house, one of them very much painted with red * ** ** It was a rainy day & his gun was wet or he mit have done the exe- cution of one of them *
* Will Morris has gone with Rogers."-But a fragment of this report remains.
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THE LAST FRENCH WAR.
June 7th, Seth Field sends Maj. Williams an express from Northfield with news of the capture of Josiah Fisher and family at the Bow. The Major suggests to Col. Williams the sending a scout up West river, above the crotch, to intercept them ; "the woman being weakly & the children small they can't travel fast." For fear the Indians would kill the cap- tives, nothing was done. Col. Hinsdale writes to his brother in Deerfield the same day that he sent out a party to discov- er the marauders, who found two canoes hid at the mouth of West river, and five horses killed and an ox with three bul- lets in it. The same day Capt. Wyman sends word of trouble at Fort Massachusetts. Benjamin King and Wm. Meacham were shot within half a mile of the fort. He sent out Ensign Salah Barnard after the enemy, but he could not overtake them.
June 19th, Col. Hinsdale sends news that Lieut. Moses Willard was that day killed at No. 4, and his son Moses wounded by a spear thrown at him. Five Indians were seen.
July 2d, as a party of men were engaged in haying over at New Fort, the watch discovered and fired upon an Indian who was lurking in the bushes. John Catlin, writing to Col. Williams about the affair, says, "had they all gone to work we have reason to think more or less of them must have fall- en a prey into their hands."
July 9th, Othniel Taylor reports that " this day at 4 o'clock John Stewart went out about 40 rods from the fort to get some bark, heard a noise 5 or 6 rods from him & saw an In- dian making towards him. He shot at him & made for the fort .- A party went out & saw the blood where he fell & a bullet which he dropped out of his mouth."
July 13th, news arrives that Sergt. Chidester and his son James were killed at Hoosac and Capt. Elisha Chapin cap- tured. Lieut. Barnard went out with a party to bury the dead and found where one hundred of the enemy had laid in ambush between the fort and the town. Two days after this affair Frenchmen with laced hats were seen near Fort Mas- sachusetts.
July 20th, John Catlin was made Captain at Hoosac, in place of Chapin ; Salah Barnard lieutenant, and Jonathan Hunt, ensign. Of the two first, Col. Williams writes to the
645
TROUBLE AT NORTHFIELD.
Governor, "I have had a large experience of their courage and good conduct, both in the last and present war."
Aug. 21st, Seth Field of Northfield sends a post to Major Williams here of an attack on two men at Northfield. Maj. Williams expressed the news to Lieut. Hawks at Colrain and Hawks sends the following letter-which tells its own story -to Charlemont, the same day :-
COLRAIN, Aug. 2, 1756.
Sir :- I just now by express from Maj. Williams that at Northfield, informing that is Zeb. Stebbing & Ruben Wright ware Returning from labour sun about half an hour high at night a little below Steb- binses Island ye Indians lay in the Path that they come till within 6 or 7 rods of them they fired at them. Shot Ruben Right through the arm but did not brake the bone tha Both rode back about 60 or 70 rods & stoped the Indians son came up and fird a second gun at them they still Rhode back a little way and stoppd tho tha had but one gun tha saw but 3 or 4 Indians in a minute an Indian come up in the Path after them-Stebbins took Wrights gun shot at him he fell down & cried out then the men made off as fast as they could I remain Yours to Serve JOHN HAWKS
P. S. Ye Col Williams gave orders that Warner [or Warren] mit go to Hawks or your fort if he inclined-Send word to Hawks' as soon as you can-I have no more nus only Cholter [?] has brought forth three living sons. To Sergt Othniel Taylor. J. H.
Aug. 23d, Shubal Atherton, Nathaniel Brooks, Benjamin Hastings, Daniel Graves and his son John Graves, went up to the Country Farms to harvest grain. They had no guard and placed their guns together against a stack of flax when they began their labor. A party of Indians on an adjacent hill saw this condition of affairs and creeping down got be- tween the men and their arms. They then rose and fired upon them. None of the men were hit and they all ran for their lives. Hastings and John Graves dashed through Green river, ran across Irish Plain, westward, and came out at the Arms place in safety. Atherton plunged down a ra- vine near the river and lay still. He was seen and shot where he lay. Daniel Graves and Brooks were captured. Brooks was carried to Canada, where he was heard from in 1758, but not afterwards. Graves, fifty-eight years old, was lame, and not being able to travel fast enough, was killed near the foot of Leyden Glen. His son Daniel had been killed the year before on the "Bloody Morning Scout."
Atherton was thirty-six years old. Married at twenty-one,
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THE LAST FRENCH WAR.
he had been the father of eleven children, the youngest now seven weeks old. His father had been wounded while serv- ing in the troop as trumpeter. His grandfather was Rev. Hope Atherton, chaplain under Turner at the Falls fight in 1676. Some particulars of this calamity, which it is thought have never been published, may be found in the following extract from a letter of Major Elijah Williams to Col. Israel Williams, dated at Deerfield, August 23d, 1756. Hoyt erro- neously gives the date of this affair as Aug. 12th :-
I immediately went to the place with as many men as could be soon rallied, when we came there we found Greenfield people who had got there before us gone on the track after the enemy, except one or two who informed us what course they steered, & that they judged they had one or two captives with them. We went in search of one man, who, allowing two to be taken was still missing: after some time we found Shubal Atherton killed & scalped-I judge he jumped down a steep pitch amongst the brush & lay there til he was found and killed for he was shot in his breast & out of his back near his waistband & his breast shot full of powder **
* A lad of Joshua Wells was going to his labor near where the men were & in open sight of them, says when he came to his work he saw the In- dians a Drawing off & that they had two men with white shirts &c -but that he did not then think so much of Indians as to leave his work til people from Greenfield meadows got up-he thinks there were 7 or 8-but by what signs I could discover I judged there was not more than six.
Sept. 6th, Capt. John Catlin returns a list of men he had " impressed for his majesties Service," doubtless for the army under Lord Loudon, near Albany. These men were the real bone and muscle of Deerfield and could not well be spared in her straitened circumstances. Greenfield and Northfield were drained in the same manner of their best material for Loudon's army. They were :-
Sergt. John Sheldon, Sergt. Joseph Smeed, Sergt. David Hoyt, Corp. Nathan Frary; Centinals-Seth Catlin, Samuel Dickinson, Jo- seph Mitchell, John Hinsdale, John Hawks, Jr., David Childs, Ca- leb Allen, Eliakim Arms, Samuel Belden, Moses Nims, Augustus Wells, Jona. Catlin, Soloman Newton, Samuel Hinsdale, Justin Bull, Benjamin Munn, Jr.
Being thus deprived of her living defenders, Deerfield took measures for other modes of defense. At a town meeting, Oct. 13th, 1756 :- " Voted that there shall be forts built at the charge of ye Town." A committee of nine men was chosen "to Consider & Determine in what way & manner to carry
647
THE TOWN TO BE NEWLY FORTIFIED.
on ye forting to Report next Thursday at 5 o'clock after- noon," to which time the meeting adjourned.
After hearing the report of the committee, "Voted that their shall be five Garrisons built in ye Town & one at Wap- ping each to have two mounts & to be boarded around & lined with pallasadoes as high as a man's head." A commit- tee of 15 was chosen " to provide materials & see ye work ef- fected as soon as may be, [a committee also chosen ] to prepare a petition to send to ye Gen1 Court setting forth ye Distressed Condition of this Town & humbly pray for Relief."
March 14th, 1757, the Bloody Brook people present a pe- tition to the town which tells its own story :-
Wheras your Petitioners are Settled Remote from the Town, and being Determined to Abide by our Possessions if possible, where we have already been at Considerable Charge to provide for our Secur- ity and Defence, and Expect it will be Expedient to make Still fur- ther Provisions; and proposing if Necessitated to Leave our Inheri- tance, not to Repair to the Town of Deerfield, but Elsewhere: We Apprehend we Shall have no benefit or advantage by the Fortifica- tions proposed to be erected in said Town of Deerfield [after this threat they proceed | we humbly Pray, Gentlemen, Fathers, and Bretheren, that you would Consider our Circumstances, and free us from bearing any proportion of the Charge of Erecting said Fortifi- cations: who by reason of our beginning new Settlements, together with the great Disadvantages arrising from the war, are very unable to Bear the Burden thereof, and in Duty Bound Shall Ever Pray Your Dutiful Children
NATHAN FRARY THOMAS FRENCH JR
NATH1 PARKER THOMAS ARMS
SAMUEL BARNARD
The response to this petition may be found in the vote be- low. The late scare was over. "Mch 14th 1757 Voted that ye Comtee chosen to Fortify ye Town &c be Directed to Desist from any further proceedings about sª Garrisons till further order." It does not appear that "further orders" were ever received. It became evident soon after, that the government had determined that, at whatever cost, Canada should be conquered ; and with the fall of Canada, all danger from In- dian incursions would be at an end.
But the end was not yet. A year of disaster was now to fol- low. This, however, only made this determination stronger, and the necessity of subduing Canada more apparent.
Gov. Shirley had succeeded Gen. Braddock in 1756, as Commander-in-chief of the English forces in America. He
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THE LAST FRENCH WAR.
had planned a vigorous campaign early this year against Ni- agara and Crown Point and was collecting a strong force near Albany ; but he was superseded by the Earl of Loudon. Loudon delayed coming, to engage some German officers of note, and sent General Abercrombie to take command, who arrived at Albany June 25th. He did little but wait for Loudon, who joined him July 29th. While Loudon was cele- brating his arrival at Albany, Montcalm on the 12th of Au- gust, captured Oswego, with twelve hundred men and a large amount of stores, shipping, &c. This was a serious loss to the English, and the season passed without further move- ment on either side.
The men impressed from Greenfield for this campaign were : Isaac Foster, Moses Bascom, Asher Corse, Elijah Wells, Agrippa Wells, George Frost, Joseph King, John Foster, Lemuel Smead and Seth Denio.
Oct. 5th, Benjamin Hastings and others petition the gov- ernment for aid. They have nothing but picketed houses to fly to in times of danger, and they want fortifications built, and to be exempt from general taxes. "Have but 42 men who can be called inhabitants * * * 192 Souls in all * * * but 8 soldiers to guard us, and alarms often call us off our work."
Montcalm writes home, Sept. 22d, that " I will as much as lies in my power, keep up small parties to scatter consterna- tion and the miseries of the war throughout the enemy's country." His success in this laudable undertaking must have been gratifying.
These extracts have been given as the best exposition of the condition of affairs during this war. The man of thought, and even he of the dullest imagination, can picture the daily life of the pioneer far better from such notes than it can be painted by the readiest pen. The parting each morning- which may be the last-as the husbandman, taking his life in his hand, goes forth to sow or to reap, that those depend- ent on him may have bread. A slow death for them by starvation, or the risk of a swift one by the bullet or toma- hawk for him, was the only alternative; for from the bosom of mother earth only could their sustenance be drawn. We picture the heavy hours of torturing anxiety to the wife and mother, till night brought the loved ones home ; the incessant
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CONTINUED DEPREDATIONS.
warding by day and watching by night; their narrow mental as well as physical horizon-away from the world of thought, with the interminable forest with its real dangers and shad- owy horrors shutting them in on every side. We hear with them the startling hoof beats under the galloping post, dis- turbing the midnight stillness or the quiet of the day, as he rides to the corner store, the headquarters of Maj. Williams. We see the people hurrying to learn the tidings he brings- the quick barring of door and shutter by those who remain at home-the asking with white lips whose husband, father or son is this time the victim.
But amid all the harrassing distress of this dark period the men and women were not the subjects of abject, helpless fear. They were brave and determined and held their own by sheer force of character-and we must not forget that they were the fathers and mothers of those who fought at Bunker Hill, Saratoga and Yorktown.
1757. This year a large army was in the field under Lord Loudon. Twelve hundred men went against Louisburg, but came back without striking a blow. Gen. Webb commanded seven thousand men collected at Forts Edward and William Henry, but his every movement was attended with disaster. The chief event of this year was the surrender of Fort Wil- liam Henry by Col. Munroe, the barbarous butchery of the prisoners, and the consequent alarm in New England. The line of forts on our borders continued under the command of Col. Israel Williams. He placed the four in Colrain under Lieut. John Hawks and Sergt. John Taylor; Sergt. Remem- brance Sheldon and sixteen men at Fall Town; Sergt. John Brown and fifteen men at Greenfield; Sergt. Ebenezer Beld- ing and nine men at Huntstown; Sergt. Hilkiah Grout and fourteen men at Northfield ; Sergts. Samuel and Othniel Tay- lor and Gershom Hawks with fifty-one men at Charlemont.
April 20th, a party of seventy French and Indians burnt the mill at No. 4 and captured Dea. Thomas Adams, Samson Colefax, the miller, David Farnsworth, George Robbins and Asa Spafford, who were taken to Canada. Lieut. Hawks dis- patched two men on horseback to Fort Massachusetts with the news. The horses were to be left at a certain place on the Hoosac mountain and the men to "go on foot not in the road." In June, Hawks says, one of these horses, worth £8,
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THE LAST FRENCH WAR.
was killed by the Indians. He was allowed £6 for the loss.
May 10th, Col. Williams received orders from the Council to put the frontiers in a posture of defense and prepare for an invasion. The alarm may have been caused by the activ- ity of the French on Lake Champlain and Lake George. " M. de Pegaud de Vaudreuil, brother of the Governor," left Cana- da for Fort William Henry with fifteen hundred French and Indians. The fort was defended, but all the shipping, houses and stores beyond the range of its guns were destroyed.
May 23d, Lieut. Hawks writes Col. Williams from Col- rain :-
Have according to your orders stationed men in all the 3 forts & at the South fort there is no inhabitants gone in to live or lodge. I am forced to send some out of the fort to board. I went to Lt. Ma- gee & Ens. Stuart to know what they wanted soldiers for when the inhabitants lived and lodged 12 a mile distant each way from the fort-They dont think any will go into the fort until further mis- chief-Sergt Avery chose to go to Hawks instead of Lucas's-Paul King 1 have put in Camels place who went to Cold Spring to get his gun & failed to return.
By this letter it appears that the South fort built by the Province was situated like a schoolhouse, in the center of the district, and that the garrison, like the schoolmarm, boarded round-a unique military post. It was probably little more than a stockaded enclosure to which the adjacent inhabitants could flee in case of an alarm. Rev. Mr. McDowell writes Col. Williams that Archibald Lawson, being "more contigu- ous to the South fort," wants to be shifted there-that Lieut. Hawks is willing, "& I am willing he should leave my fort provided no ruffian or otherwise known disorderly person be sent in his room."
John Taylor writes the following letter-doubtless from Morrison's fort-to Sergt. Othniel Taylor at Charlemont :-
COLRAIN June ye 6 1757
Pursuant to Lieut Hawks orders you are required forthwith to send to Huntstown yt ye Indians are Discovered very thick between North River and Deerfield River that they be upon their guard.
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