USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Concord > The history of Concord, Massachusetts > Part 28
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the Indians were not there, but were, they were told, at a place seven miles distant. The English captains thought it unwise to proceed further, knowing as they did the treach- erous traits of the enemy with which they dealt. Several citizens of Brookfield however who had accompanied them advised an advance, feeling assured from their acquaintance with several of the sachems that no harm would come of it. The Captains acted upon their suggestion and pursued their way till they found themselves on the border of a swamp and in a pathway so narrow as to necessitate their marching in single file. As the mission of the English was a peace- ful one and the Indians had been so informed and their good behavior had been vouched for by the three citizens of Brookfield, perhaps the usual precautions of the Indian fighter were not observed, for after marching quite a dis- tance to a place where there was a hillside on one hand and a swamp on the other, the Indians with a startling sudden- ness poured upon the little company a most murderous discharge of musketry. Eight men were killed and five were wounded, among the latter of whom was Capt. Hutchinson. For a moment all was in confusion ; the savages, having the advantage of concealment and a picked bat- tle ground, offered no visible force for the English to oppose so the main body fell back. Capt. Wheeler find- ing himself unhurt and seeing that none of his men had fallen, wheeled, as he states, upon the enemy and rushed toward them without calling upon his men to follow, but almost immediately he received a severe wound and his horse was struck. Thus disabled and almost alone, the bold captain was left in the midst of the enemy with some of them but a few rods away. When he turned upon the Indians, his men were some distance from him and in an opposite direction, they having been forced back at the first fire. As, however, a kind Providence would have it, Capt. Wheeler's son Thomas, finding that his father was not among the surviving company, and fearing that he was dead or in danger, rushed back single handed, and although
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wounded himself yet upon finding his father and seeing his sore straits, dismouted, and placing him upon his own horse, started him to the rear following on foot as rapidly as possible, receiving as he did so a second wound. As the Indians did not take immediate advantage of the terrible plight into which the English had been thrown nor follow hard upon their precipitous flight, the survivors of Hutchin- son's force soon found themselves emerging from the forest and making their way unmolested towards Brookfield. They kept in the open country not daring to leave it lest they again be beset, and tracing their way as best they could, for they were all strangers to the place, at length found themselves back to Quaboag.
The tidings of what had occured spread through the town like wildfire and from every farm house the occupants fled to the strongest building in the village which was quickly fortified and put in preparation for a stout defense.
Soon after all had entered the house it was surrounded by the savages who by wild ravings and terrible gesticulations sought to intimidate the inmates, and by every art and device known to them sought to batter in or to burn down the building. But the first assault was to no purpose and the Colonists showed by their vigorous defense that the assailants were to pay dear for their victory if they obtained it. After the first onset the Indians settled down for steady work and then and there began that memorable siege of the Brookfield garrison that was for a generation rehearsed at the farmhouse fireside and which has passed into history as one of the most notable events of the period.
CHAPTER XXXVI
Authentic Account of the Hutchinson Expedition to Brookfield by Captain Thomas Wheeler - The Ambuscade - The Attack - The Escape - The Siege of the Garrison House - Ephraim Curtis the Sudbury Scout - The Rescue by Major Simon Wil- lard
A S a detailed account of the Brookfield expedition has been written out by Capt. Thomas Wheeler we believe that it is better to print portions of it in full, than to write it in our own words.
"When we came near the said swampe the way was so very bad that we could march only in a single file, there being a very rocky hill on the right hand and a thick swampe on the left. In which there were many of those cruel, blood- thirsty heathen, who there waylaid us, waiting an oppor- to cut us off: there being also much brush on the side of the said hill, where they lay in ambush to surprise us.
"When we had marched there about sixty or seventy rods, the said perfidious Indians sent out their shot upon us as a showre of haile, they being (as was supposed) about two hundred men or more. We seeing ourselves so beset, and not having room to fight, endeavored to fly for the safety of our lives. In which flight we were in no small danger to be all cut off, there being a very miry swamp before us, into which we could not enter with our horses to go for- ward, and there being no safety in retreating the way we came, because many of our company who lay behind the bushes and had left us pass by them quietly ; when others
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THE OLD BARRET HOUSE.
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had shot they came out and stopt our way back so that we were forced as we could to get up the steep and rocky hill ; but the greater our danger was the greater was God's mercy in the preservation of so many of us from sudden destruc- tion. Myself being gone up part of the hill without any hurt, and perceiving some of my men to be fallen by the enemies' shot, I wheeled about upon the Indians, not cal- ling on my men who were left to accompany me, which they in all probability would have done, had they known of my return upon the enemy. They firing violently out of the swamp and from behind the bushes on the hillside wounded me sorely and shot my horse under me, so that he faltering and falling I was forced to leave him, divers of the Indians being then but a few rods distant from me. My son, Thomas Wheeler, flying with the rest of the com- pany, missed me amongst them, and fearing that I was either shot or endangered, returned toward the swampe again, though he had then received a dangerous wound in the reins, where he saw me in the danger aforesaid. Where- upon he endeavored to rescue me, showing himself therein a loving and dutiful son, he adventuring himself into great peril of his life to help me in that distress, there being many of the enemies about me. My son set me on his own horse and so escaped, awhile on foot himself, until he caught an horse whose rider was slain, on which he mounted, and so through God's great mercy we both escaped. But in this attempt for my deliverance he received another dangerous arm wound, by their shot, in his left. There were then slain, to our great grief, eight men, viz : Zachariah Philips of Bos- ton, Timothy Farlow of Billerica, Edward Coleborn of Chelmsford, Samuel Smedley of Concord, Sydrach Hop- good of Sudbury, Sergeant Eyres, Sergeant Pritchard, Cor- poral Coy, the inhabitants of Brookfield, aforesaid. It being the good pleasure of God that they should all these fall by their hands, of whose good intentions they were so confi- dent and whom they so little mistrusted. There were also then five pesons wounded , viz : Captain Hutchinson,
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myself, and my son Thomas, as aforesaid, Corporal French of Billerica, who having killed an Indian was (as he was taking up his gun) shot and part of one of his thumbs taken off, and also dangerously wounded through the body, near the shoulder. The fifth was John Waldo, of Chelmsford, who was not so dangerously wounded as the rest. They also then killed five of our horses and wounded some more which soon died after they came to Brookfield. Upon this sudden and unexpected blow given us (wherein we desire to look higher than man the instrument) we returned to the town as fast as the badness of the way and the weakness of our wounded men would permit, we being then ten miles from it. All the while we were going, we durst not stay to staunch the bleeding of our wounded men for fear the enemy should have surprised us again, which they attempted to do, and had in all probability done, but that we per- ceiving which way they went wheeled off to the other hand and so by God's good providence towards us they missed us, and we all came readily upon the town, though none of us knew the way to it, those of the place being slain as aforesaid, and we avoiding any thick woods and riding in open places to prevent danger by them. Being got to the town we speedily betook ourselves to one of the largest and strongest houses therein, where we fortified ourselves in the best manner we could in such straits of time, and there resolved to keep garrison, though we were but few and meanly fitted to make resistance against such furious ene- mies. The news of the Indian's treacherous dealing with us, and the loss of so many of our company thereby, did so amaze the inhabitants of the town that they being informed by us, presently left their houses, divers of them carrying very little away with them, they being afraid of the Indians suddenly coming upon them, and so came to the house we were entered into, very meanly provided of cloth- ing or furnished with provisions.
"I perceiving myself to be disenabled for the discharge the duties of my place by reason of the wound I had
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recieved, and apprehending that the enemy would soon come to spoyle our town and assault us in the house, I appointed Simon Davis, of Concord, James Richardson and John Fiske, of Chelmsford, to manage affairs for our safety with those few men whom God hath left us, and were fit for any service, and the inhabitants of the said town ; who did well and commendably perform the duties of the trust committed to them with much courage and resolu- tion, through the assistance of our gracious God who did not leave us in our low and distressed State but did merci- fully appear for us in our greatest need, as in the sequel will clearly be manifested.
"Within two hours after our coming to the said house or less, the said Capt. Hutchinson and myself posted away Ephraim Curtis, of Sudbury, and Henry Young, of Con- cord, to go to the Honoured Council at Boston, to give them an account of the Lord's dealing with us in our pres- ent condition. When they came to the further end of the town they saw the enemy rifling of houses which the inhab- itants had forsaken. The post fired upon them and imme- diately returned to us again, they discerning no safety in going forward, and being desirous to inform us of the ene- my's actings that we might more prepare for a sudden assault by them, which indeed presently followed, for as soon as the said post was come back to us, the barbarous heathen pressed upon us in the house with great violence, sending in their shot amongst us like haile through the walls and shouting as if they would have swallowed us up alive, but our God wrought wonderfully for us so that there was but one man wounded within the house, viz - the said Henry Young who looking out of the garret-window that evening was mortally wounded by a shot, of which wound he died within two days after. There was the same day another man slain, but not in the house, a son of Ser- jeant Pritchard's, adventuring out of the house wherein we were to his Father's house not far from it, to fetch more goods out of it, was caught by those cruel enemies as they
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were coming towards us, who cut off his head, kicking it about like a football, and then putting it upon a pole they set it up before the door of his Father's house in our sight.
"The night following the said blow they did roar against us like so many wild bulls, sending in their shot amongst us till towards the moon rising which was about three of the clock, at which time they attempted to fire our house by hay and other combustible matter which they brought to one corner of the house and set it on fire. Whereupon some of our company were necessitated to expose them- selves to very great danger to put it out. Simon Davis, one of the three appointed by my self as Captain to supply my place by reason of my wounds as aforesaid, he being of a lively spirit encouraged the soldiers within to fire upon the Indians ; and also those that adventured out to put out the fire (which began to rage and kindle upon the house side) with these and the like words, that God is with us, and fights for us and will deliver us out of the hands of these heathen, which expressions of his the Indians hearing they shouted and scoffed, saying, now see how your God delivers you or will deliver you, sending in many shots whilst our men were putting out the fire. But the Lord of Hosts wrought very graciously for us in preserving our bodies both within and without the house from their shots and our house from being consumed by fire, we had but two men wounded in that attempt of theirs, but we apprehended that we killed divers of our enemies.
"I being desirous to hasten intelligence to the Honoured Council, of our present great distress, we being so remote from any succour (it being between sixty and seventy miles from us to Boston, where the Council useth to sit), and fear- ing our ammunition would not last long to withstand them if they continued to assault us, I spake to Ephraim Curtis to adventure forth again on that service, and to attempt it on foot, as the way wherein there was most hope of getting away undiscovered ; he readily assented and accordingly went out but there were so many Indians everywhere there-
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abouts, that he could not pass without apparent hazard of life, so he came back again ; but towards morning, the said Ephraim adventured forth a third time and was fain to creep on his hands and knees for some space of ground, that he might not be discerned by the enemy, who waited to pre- vent our sending, if they could have hindered it. But through God's mercy, he escaped their hands and got safely to Marlborough, though very much spent and ready to faint by want of sleep before he went from us, and his sore travel night and day in that hot season till he got thither, from whence he went to Boston; yet before the said Eph- raim got to Marlborough, there was intelligence brought thither of the burning of some houses and killing some cat- tel at Quaboag by some who were going to Connecticut, but they, seeing what was done at the end of the town, and hearing several guns shot off further within the town, they durst proceed no further, but immediately returned to Marlborough, though they knew not what had befallen Capt. Hutchinson and myself and company, nor of our being there, but that timely intelligence they gave before Eph- raim Curtis his coming to Marlborough occasioned the Hon- oured Major Willard's turning his march towards Quaboag for their relief, who were in no small danger every hour of being destroyed, the said Major being, when he had that intelligence, upon his march another way as he was ordered by the Honoured Council as is afterwards more fully expressed.
"The next day being August 3d, they continued shoot- ing and shouting and proceeded in their former wickedness blaspheming the name of the Lord and reproaching us his afflicted servants, scoffing at our prayers as they were send- ing in their shot from all quarters of the house, and many of them going to the town's meeting-house (which was within twenty rods of the house in which we were), who mocked, saying, come and pray and sing psalms, and in contempt made an hideous noise somewhat resembling sing- ing. But we to our power did endeavour our own defence,
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sending our shot amongst them, the Lord giving us cour- age to resist them and preserving us from the destruction they sought to bring upon us. On the evening following we saw our enemies carrying several of their dead or wounded men on their backs, who proceeded that night to send in their shot as they had done the night before, and also shouted as if the day had been certainly theirs, and they should without fail have prevailed against us which they might have the more hopes of in regard that we dis- cerned the coming of new companies to them to assist and strengthen them, and the unliklihood of any coming to our help.
"They also used several stratagems to fire us, namely, by wild fire in cotton and linen rags with brimstone in them, which rags they tied to the piles of their arrows sharp for the purpose and shot them to the roof of our house after they had set them on fire, which would have much endan- gered the burning thereof, had we not used means by cutting holes through the roof and otherwise to beat the said arrows down, and God being pleased to prosper our endeavours therein. They carried more combustible matter as flax and hay to the sides of the house and set it on fire and then flocked apace towards the door of the house either to pre- vent our going forth to quench the fire as we had done before or to kill our men on their attempt to go forth or else to break into the house by the door, whereupon we were forced to break down the wall of the house against the fire to put it out. They also shot a ball of wild-fire into the garret of the house which fell amongst a great heap of flax or tow therein, which one of our soldiers, through God's good Providence soon espyed, and having water ready presently quenched it, and so we were preserved by the keeper of Israel both our bodies from their shot which they sent thick against us and the house from being con- sumed to ashes, although we were but weak to defend our- selves, we being not above twenty and six men with those of that small town who were able for any service, and our
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enemies as I judged them about (if not above) three hundred. I speak of the least, for many there present did guess them to be four or five hundred. It is the more to be observed that so little hurt should be done by the ene- mies shot it commonly piercing the walls of the house and flying amongst the people, and there being in the house fifty women and children besides the men before mentioned. But abroad in the yard one Thomas Wilson, of that town, being sent to fetch water for our help in further need (that which we had being spent in putting out the fire) was shot by the enemy in the upper jaw and in the neck, the anguish of which wound was at the first that he cried out with a great noise by reason whereof the Indians hearing him rejoyced and triumphed at it, but his wound was healed in a short time praised be God.
"On Wednesday, August 4th, the Indians fortifyed them- selves and the barns belonging to our house, which they fortified, both at the great doors and at both ends, with posts, boards, rails and hay, to save themselves from our shot. They also devised other stratagems to fire our house on the night following, namely, they took a cart and filled it with flax, hay and candlewood and other combustible matter, and set up planks fastened to the cart to save them- selves from the danger of our shot. Another invention they had to make the more sure work in burning the house : they got many poles of a considerable length and bigness, and spliced them together at the ends one of another, and made a carriage of them about fourteen rods long, setting the poles in two rows with peils laid cross them over at the front end, and dividing said poles about three feet asunder, and in the said front end of this, their carriage, they set a barrel, having made a hole through both heads, and put an axle-tree through them, to which they fastened the said poles, and under evey joynt of the poles where they were spliced, they set up a pair of truckle wheels to bear up the carriages, and they loaded the front or fore end thereof with matter fit for firing, as hay and flax and chips, ctc.
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"Two of these instruements they prepared that they might convey fire to the house with the more safety to themselves, they standing at a distance from our shot whilst they wheeled them to the house. Great store of arrows they had also prepared to shoot fire upon the house that night, which we found after they were gone, they having left them there. But the Lord, who is a present help in times of trouble, and is pleased to make his people's extrem- ity his opportunity, did graciously prevent them of effect- ing what they hoped they would have done by the aforesaid devices, partly by sending a shower of rain in season, whereby the matter prepared, being wett, would not so eas- ily take fire as it otherwise would have done, and partly by aide coming to our help. For our danger would have been very great that night had not the only wise God (blessed for ever !) been pleased to send to us about an hour within night the worshipful Major Willard, with Captain Parker, of Groaton, and forty-six men more, with five Indians, to relieve us in the low estate into which we were brought.
"We continued there both well and wounded towards a fortnight, and August the thirteenth Capt. Hutchinson and my self, with the most of those that had escaped without hurt, and also some of the wounded came from thence, my son Thomas and some other wounded men came not from thence, being not then able to endure travel so farr as we were from the next town till about a fortnight after. We came to Marlborough on August the fourteenth, where Capt. Hutchinson, being not recovered of his wound before his coming from Brookfield, and overtyred with his long journey by reason of his weakness, quickly after grew worse and more dangerously ill, and on the nineteenth day of the said month dyed, and was there the day after buried, the Lord being pleased to deny him a return to his own habitation and his near relation at Boston, though he was come the greatest part of his journey thitherward. The inhabitants of the town also not long after men, women and children removed safely with what they had left to sev-
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eral places, either where they had lived before their plant- ing or settling down there, or where they had relations to receive and entertain them.
"I tarried at Marlborough with Capt. Hutchinson until his death, and came home to Concord August the 21 (though not thoroughly recovered of my wound), and so did others who went with me. But since I am reasonably well, though I have not the use of my hand and arm as before. My son Thomas, though in great hazard of life for some time after his return to Concord, yet is now very well cured and his strength well restored. Oh, that we could praise the Lord for his great goodness towards us. Praised be his name, that though he took away some of us, yet was pleased to spare so many of us and adde to our days; he help us whose souls he hath delivered from death, and eyes from tears, and feet from falling to walk before him in the land of the living till our great change come, and to sanctifie his name in all his ways about us, that both our afflictions and our mercies may quicken us to live more to his glory all our dayes."
CHAPTER XXXVII
Devout Nature of the "Narrative" by Captain Thomas Wheeler - Religious Character of the Colonial Soldiers - Instances of Alleged Divine Interpretation - Original Title of the Wheeler Document - Pacific Object of the Hutchinson Expe- dition - Preparatory Work by the Sudbury Scout - Salutary Effect of the Disaster - Biographical Sketches of Captain Thomas Wheeler, Simon Davis, and Ephraim Curtis - Names of Soldiers Credited for Services about Brookfield
In this wonderful narrative which has been repeatedly referred to as the epic of Colonial times, Capt. Wheeler has not only given to posterity a noble example of heroic con- duct and unflinching fidelity to duty when the well being of his fellow men was at issue, but he has also exhibited a wonderful reliance upon a protecting Providence to render help in time of need, and the passages in this paper which set forth his trust are no less remarkable than those that indicate a courage and composure that was undaunted by any circumstance of battle. And what he says of himself will apply equally to Simon Davis, and presumably to those who were with them.
Everything in this document savors of sincerity which was begotten of an experience that was most serious ; and written as it was after the noise and smoke of battle had subsided, it shows that its pious author was not forgetful of the Power that preserved him and his command in their dire straits, but who the rather made haste to render Him a reverential recognition when a place of safety had been reached.
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THE MAIN STREET BURYING-GROUND.
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In short the history of this event as written out by one of its principal actors shows that Capts. Wheeler and Davis and their men believed in a prayer answering Provi- dence and that it is the province of Christianity to sustain the human soul in the dark hour of earthly abandonment. With much propriety the Hon. John S. Keyes in referring to Capt. Wheeler's wonderful paper has stated in his sketch of Concord History concerning the matter as follows,
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