USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Concord > The history of Concord, Massachusetts > Part 32
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After the withdrawal of the expedition to Wickford it rested till after the last of January. The snow storm that was raging at the time of the battle lasted several days and was followed by a sudden thaw which swelled the streams and softened the ways making marching difficult.
After the first of February however, the forces broke camp and then and there began the forward movement
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which for generations was designated as the "Long March" or "Hungry March." The objective point was the Nip- muck Country. The course to it was long and circuitous. The provisions gave out and the little army was forced to kill some of its horses to sustain life. The foe harrassed their flank and rear, and after a long and fruitless attempt to bring him to an open engagement they arrived worn and weary at the region of the Connecticut river, and General Appleton seeing that the Expedition could accomplish no further purpose, came from Marlborough to Boston, reaching there about the first of February.
As Concord was creditably represented both as to the town's soldiers who took part in the Swamp fight and the position which they occupied, it may be appropriate to pub- lish the following account of the engagement as it is given in a letter from Capt. James Oliver who commanded the third company. The letter is taken from Hutchinson's History of Massachusetts, Vol. I page 272 third edition. In this work the authorship of the letter which is without a signature is attributed to Major Bradford, but it has been asserted by Mr. Drake author of "Book of the Indians" who had seen the original, to have been signed by Capt. Oliver.
" Narraganset 26th IIth month 1675.
After a tedious march in a bitter cold night that followed Dec. 12th we hoped our pilot would have led us to Pom- ham by break of day, but so it came to pass we were mis- led and so missed a good oportunity. Dec. 13th, we came to Mr. Smith's, and that day took 35 prisoners. Dec. 14th, our General went out with horse and foot, I with my com- pany was left to keep garrison. I sent out 30 of my men to scout abroad, who killed two Indians and brought in 4 prisoners, one of which was beheaded. Our Army came home at night, killed 7 and brought in 9 more, young and old. Dec. 15th, came in John, a rogue, with pretence of peace, and was dismissed with this errand, that we might speak with Sachems. That evening, he not being gone a
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quarter of an hour, his company that lay behind a hill killed two Salem men within a mile of our quarters, and wounded a third that he is dead. And at a house three miles off where I had 10 men, they killed 2 of them. Instantly, Capt. Mosely, myself and Capt. Gardner were sent to fetch in Major Appleton's company that was kept 3 miles and an half off, and coming they lay behind a stone wall and fired upon us in sight of the garrison. We killed the captain that killed one of the Salem men, and had his cap on. That night they burned Jerry Bull's house, and killed 17. Dec. 16th came that news. Dec. 17th came news that the Con- necticut forces were at Petasquamscot, and had killed 4 Indians and took 6 prisoners. That day we sold Capt. Dav- enport 47 Indians, young and old for 8ol. in money. Dec. 17 th we marched to Petasquamscot with all our forces, only a garrison left ; that night was very stormy ; we lay, one thousand strong, in the open field that long night. In the morning, Dec. 19th, Lord's day, at five o'clock we marched. Between 12 and I we came up with the enemy, and had a sore fight three hours. We lost, that are now dead, about 68, and had 150 wounded, many of which are recovered. That long snowy cold night we had about 18 miles to our quarters, with about 210 dead and wounded. We left 8 dead in the fort. We had but 12 dead when we came from the swamp, besides the three we left. Many died by the way, and soon as they were brought in, so that Dec. 20th we buried in a grave 34, next day 4, next day 2, and none since here. Eight died at Rhode Island, one at Petasquam- scot, 2 lost in the woods and killed Dec. 20, as we heard since; some say two more died. By the best intelligence we killed 300 fighting men; prisoners we took, say 350, and above 300 women and children. We burnt above 500 houses, left but 9, burnt all their corn, that was in baskets, great store. One signal mercy that night, not to be forgot- ten, viz : that when we drew off, with so many dead and wounded, they did not pursue us, which the young men would have done, but the sachems would not consent ; they
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had but 10 pounds of powder left. Our General, with about 40, lost our way and wandered till 7 o'clock in the morn- ing before we came to our quarters. We thought we were within 2 miles of the enemy again, but God kept us; to him be the glory. We have killed now and then I since, and burnt 200 wigwams more ; we killed 9 last Tuesday. We fetch in their corn daily and that undoes them. This is, as nearly as I can, a true relation. I read the narrative to my officers in my tent, who all assent to the truth of it. Monhegins and Pequods proved very false, fired into the air, and sent word before they came they would so, but got much plunder, guns and kettles. A great part of what is already written was attested by Joshua Teffe, who married an Indian woman a Wampanoag. He shot 20 times at us in the swamp, was taken at Providence Jan'y 14, brought to us the 16th, and executed the 18th. A sad wretch, he, never heard a sermon but once these 14 years. His father going to recall him lost his head and lies unburied."
OLD MIDDLESEX HOTEL.
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CHAPTER XL.
The Advance of the English to the Nipmuck Country - Movements of Canonchet - Indian Depredations in the Spring of 1675-6 - Their Descent upon Con- cord Village - Isaac and Jacob Shepard Slain - Mary Shepard made Captive - Place of the Trag- edy - Description of the Event - The Escape of Mary Shepard-The Removal of the Nashoba Indians from Concord - Sketch of Capt. Samuel Mosely - His Antecedents -Character of His Sol- diers.
O N Feb. 12, 1675, occurred the "Nashoba incident" or the massacre at "Concord Village" as the Con- cord "new grant" was sometimes called.
After the desertion of their fort and perhaps while the wigwams with their charred corn heaps were still smouldering, Canonchet and the remnant of his warriors who with some of the families had escaped while the burn- ing was yet going on returned to their ruined homes to gather it may be what little remained of their rude imple- ments for cooking, or any unburnt provision which for the time being they might subsist upon. They buried their dead, cared for the wounded, and after sending their women and children who survived the fight and flames to a place of safety, sullenly and with a savage determination started on the track of their destroyers as they marched forth from Wickford. At every step they harried them till they reached the Connecticut valley where Canonchet formed an alliance with the Nipmucks at their old headquarters at Meminisset near Brookfield.
At this time it is supposed that Canonchet rather than
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King Philip was the real leader of the great horde of con- federated but unorganized Indians, which it is believed at this stage of the war had planned to drive the English from the Nipmuck country. But Canonchet soon went on an errand to the southward where things went adversely to him and he was captured and shot. A little later, Philip went west- ward, perhaps seeking new alliances in New York, even visiting, it may be, the Maquas or Mohawks.
In the meantime, during the closing months of the year 1675, for the year at that time by the reckoning called "Old Style" ended in March, the Indians were more or less broken up into small marauding parties or squads, which scattered over the country disturbed the inhabitants and every now and then pounced upon the defenseless homesteads. On Febru- ary Ist, one of these squads made a descent upon the home of Thomas Eames situated upon the southerly side of Mt. Waite near the present South Framingham, and burned the buildings after killing or taking captive his fam- ily of ten persons while Mr. Eames was absent at Boston to obtain a stock of ammuunition with which to defend them.
Feb. 10, Lancaster was burned, the Rowlinson garrison captured, and the wife of Rev. Joseph Rowlinson the min- ister was carried away captive. On the 12th, the Indians made a raid on Concord village, now a part of Littleton, and killed two men and captured a girl.
The place of the tragedy was on the south side of Qua- gana Hill, and the persons slain and captured were children of Ralfe and Thanklord Shepard who went from Malden near a place since called Bell Rock to Concord village, where he bought of Lieut. Joseph Wheeler of Concord 610 acres lying in the form of a triangle between the Indian plantation of Nashoba and that part of Chelmsford which is now Westford; Nagog pond forming the base of the tri- angle, the apex being two miles one-quarter and sixty rods north from the southwest end of Nagog pond,
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The names of the persons slain and captured were Isaac, Jacob, and Mary.
Isaac was born June 20, 1639, and married Mary Smed- ley, 1667. Jacob was born in 1653, and Mary the young- est of the family was born in 1660 or 1662.
When the Indians swooped down upon the Shepard homestead the ground was covered with snow to such a depth that snow shoes were used. The event happened on Saturday, and Isaac and Jacob were threshing in the barn. Being aware of the perilous times, they had set their sister on the summit of a hill to watch for Indians; but the sav- ages eluded her vigilance and before she was aware of their presence she was captured and her brothers were slain.
Tradition does not inform us just where the girl was taken to; some think it was in the neighborhood of Lan- caster, others that it was as far off as Brookfield, but wher- ever it was she soon escaped and returned home.
Hubbard in his narrative of the Indian wars says of Mary Shepard that "she strangely escaped away upon a horse that the Indians had taken from Lancaster a little while before." Tradition asserts that she escaped during the night follow- ing the day of her capture and arrived home the next morning.
Rev. Edmund Foster a former minister of Littleton in a "Century Sermon" preached in the year 1815, stated concerning the event that tradition says the girl was carried by the savages to Nashawa, now called Lancaster, or to some place in the neighborhood of it.
Samuel Gardner Drake in his notes on the "Old Indian Chronicle" says that the leader of the band who slew the Shepard brothers is supposed to have been Netus, the same who attacked the Eames family, and who was sometimes called the Nipmuck Captain. Netus was slain the 22nd of March following, by a company of men from Sudbury, who with some soldiers from Marlboro found him asleep with a company of Indians around their campfire. Foster says that in the dead of night as related by tradition, Mary
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Shepard took a saddle from under the head of her Indian keeper when sunk in sleep increased by the fumes of ardent spirit, put the saddle on a horse, mounted him, swam him across Nashawa river, and so escaped the hands of her captors and arrived safe to her relatives and friends.
Mrs. Rowlinson says that the only time she ever saw any Indian intoxicated during her captivity was just before her release when John Hoar had given her master some liquor as part of her ransom and he got drunk on it.
THE REMOVAL OF THE NASHOBA INDIANS FROM CONCORD
TO DEER ISLAND.
Soon after the massacre at Quagana hill a movement was made to remove the Nashobas from the care of their friend John Hoar to Deer Island, Boston Harbor.
As we have in an early chapter of this work referred briefly to this event giving some account of it, we will here only supplement it with such additional statements as were not there brought out, and properly belong to the period upon which we are writing.
During the stay of these Indians at Concord under the charge of John Hoar they were given employment, and are represented as being contented; but there were intermed- dlers in their affairs; and a part of the Concord people allowed their dislike of all Indians to take such acute form as to send for the savage adventurer, Capt. Samuel Mosely to take them away.
And here it is important to pause in our narration suffi- ciently long to set forth some facts connected with the life and character of Samuel Mosely, whose name and fame in King Philip's war were both savory and unsavory.
Samuel Mosely was the son of Henry Maudsley who came from England to Massachusetts in 1685 in the ship Hopewell. The family was of Lancashire, England, and the name was there spelled Maudesley. Henry lived at Braintree where Samuel was born June 14, 1641. Samuel spelled his name Mosley ; he married Ann Addington. In 1688 he was one of a commission sent to treat with the
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Narragansett Indians, and in connection with this service is called "Captain."
In a work entitled "The Present State of New England," it is said of him "This Captain Mosley has been a Priva- teer at Jamaica, an excellent soldier and an undaunted spirit ; one whose memory will be honored in New England, for his many eminent services he hath done the Public."
That Samuel Mosely had been somewhat of an adven- turer upon the high seas is probably true. One writer says of him that "he had visited Jamaica in the way of trade, and the adventurous spirit had been excited and schooled per- haps by Sir Henry Morgan and his associate buccaneers ; the result of which was the bringing home to Boston the prizes from some unmentioned enemy."
A part of the experience of Capt. Mosely as a quasi mariner was obtained by acting on a permit from the Court to take reprisals from the Dutch, who in several instances had captured vessels belonging to the English.
In 1674 and 5, he was given the command of an expedi- tion for this purpose which was fitted out by some mer- chants in Boston whose commerce had been molested, and succeeded in taking three vessels-the "Edward and Thomas" whose captain was Peter Roderigo, the "Penob- scot Shallopp" Cornelius Anderson, Captain, and the "Shal- lopp called Philipp."
The crews who manned these vessels were brought into Boston April 2' 1675 and imprisoned to wait their trial for piracy the following May.
Much excitement existed during the trial of these men and some sympathy was expressed for the Dutch prisoners who set up a defense by pretending to produce a commis- sion given by William, Prince of Orange, and the allega- tion of an infringement of the law of nations on the part of the American ships by trading with the French while the Dutch were at war with them. The result of the trial was that five out of nine who were indicted for piracy were con- victed and sentenced to be put to death. It occurred, how
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ever, that on account of the existence of the Indian war an execution of the sentence was deferred, and Roderigo upon his own petition was pardoned ; and Anderson, having been acquitted, both entered the Colonial service as soldiers. When the war broke out by the slaying of Sassamon or Sausamon and the attack upon Swansea which quickly followed, three companies were raised to meet the emergency, one of infantry from Essex county ; one from Suffolk; and a company of horse from the various towns of Middlesex. The Suffolk company was commanded by Samuel Mosely, and is supposed to have been made up in part of some of these adventurers.
That Mosely and some of this element gravitated together as comrades in arms, "doing duty" near Brookfield shortly after the Wheeler disaster is indicated by the following statement preserved among the state archives Vol. 68 page 7.
"Boston, October ye 13, 1675.
To the honored Governor & Councell of the Massathusets Colony in New England.
These are to signyfie that Cornellius [sic] Con- sort the Dutchman was uppon the Contryes Servis Att qua- bage and by the Councle of Warre there was sent out Capt. of the for lorne And Afterward marched to Grot- ton & Chemsfort According to my best Advice continued in the Countryes Servis six weekes Cornellius being Reddy to depart the Country & myself being here att boston the Major Willard being Absent I granted this ticket.
THOMAS WHEELER, Capt.
Cornelius Anderson was sometimes called Cornelius Consort.
So popular was Capt. Mosely that although he was out- side the line of official succession by the stiff rule of colon- ial promotion, so that he could not hold a commission in the regular way, he raised an independent company of 110 volunteers in three hours.
As late as May 5, 1676, Samuel Mosely received a com- mission while connected with the command of Major Sav-
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age and the wages of his soldiers were raised by popular subscription.
Mosely and his men in addition to their wages were to have all the profits accruing from the plunder or sale of Indian captives; and in case these did not prove sufficient the Court was to make up the balance.
"On August 34, 1676 at a great sale of Indian captives he is charged with I boy and girle 6 } ; & 13 squawes & pappooses 20 £."
Savage says that Mosely died Jan. 1680. He died intestate. His administratrix was his widow Ann Mosely and among his assets as inventoried mention is made of an old musket and sword in the "Garret."
That all the men that served under Capt. Mosely were adventurers or were recklessly inconsiderate of the claims of humanity is not to be presumed. For even if at the out- set his men were unlike the average of those who served in other companies, yet regiments and companies were subject to change. As the ranks were thinned by the enemy and the hardships of marches and exposure to extreme weather, they were doubtless replenished with whatever material came to hand. Hence we may perhaps account for the presence of occasional names associated with some of the old towns of Middlesex county. The discovery of the name of Rich- ard Adams of Sudbury who was wounded in the Swamp Fight while serving in Capt. Mosely's company may have led the writer to make the statement in his History of Sud- bury that the quota sent from that town for the Narra- gansett Expedition served in Mosely's company ; whereas the fact is that the men from Sudbury were in the company of Capt. Davenport and served with the soldiers from Con- cord. The name of Richard Adams is found in a list of Mosely's men who mustered at Dedham Dec. 9, 1675 for the Narragansett campaign. Mass. Archives Vol. 167 page 293. In that list are names that are unfamiliar, some of them perhaps being French or Dutch anglicised in spelling. In estimating the character of Capt. Mosely we are not to
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infer simply from the fact that he is accredited with certain Indian captives which were sold to him that he was excep- tionally severe in his dealing with the savages, it being asserted in Capt. Oliver's letter that on a certain day "we sold Capt. Davenport 47 Indians, young and old for 80£ in money." It was the common practice to dispose of Indian prisoners in this way. Even the wife and child of King Philip were sold into West Indian slavery. Mosely's character is to be judged by his own isolated conduct, not by practises that he engaged in in common with others. Neither are we to suppose that he was altogether uncouth in manner, nor wholly lacking in that culture which charac- terized some of the early colonists. He was, we infer from his influence upon and association with the leaders of the times, their peer in matters of petty diplomacy, and even, it may be, partook of the customary reverence for and recognition of things sacred.
CONCORD HIGH SCHOOL.
CHAPTER XLI.
Movements of the Indians after the Narragansett Campaign - Expedition into the Nipmuck Country - Dismissal of Soldiers from the Garrison Houses - The Disastrous Results- Advance of the Indians to the Eastward - The Alarm - The Starting of Relief Companies - Soldiers from Boston Watertown and Concord- Capt. Samuel Wads- worth's Command -His Arrival at Marlborough- The Return to Sudbury - The Ambuscade - The Wadsworth Fight at Green Hill -The Forest Fire- The Rout - Escape to the Mill at Hop Brook- Burial of the Slain- The Woodland Grave - Siege of the Haynes House - Attempted Rescue by the Concord Men - Ambuscade of the Concord Soldiers - The Route Taken to Sudbury.
A S before observed, after the Narragansett Swamp Fight and the ending of the "Hungry March," repeated depredations were committed npon the frontier towns from the Connecticut river easterly as far as Concord Village. But these predatory bands were easily concentrated at the call of King Philip who by the departure of Canonchet to Connecticut about this time had become the sole director of the Nipmuck Indians and what few fugitive Narragansett confederates remained with them. Shortly after the middle of February it was reported that there were two large fortified Indian encampments in the central part of Massachusetts, one near the Wachuset hill, the other at Meminesset. To meet the existing con- ditions, the Colonies of Massachusetts and Connecticut pro-
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posed organizing another army consisting of six hundred men. The Massachusetts contingent was placed under com- mand of Major Thomas Savage, and marched to Meminis- set about March Ist. They found that the foe had disap- peared. For some cause the Indians who were gathered about Wachuset, were not attacked and the Council prob- ably considering it inexpedient for the force to remain longer in search of the enemy ordered Major Savage to withdraw his troops and return to Boston. For a time the principal opposing forces were the troops stationed at the central garrison houses and those engaged in the ranging service between them. At some of these central posts the forces were quite efficient and commanded by able captains, as for example, the one at Marlboro, which from about February 5th till into the following April was in charge of Capt. Samuel Brocklebank, who was stationed there after his return from the Narragansett expedition, whither he went with a reen- forcing column after the troops left Wickford.
But the forces at these posts were soon after weakened by an order of the authorities dismissing some of the men ; the council thinking perhaps that the foe was subdued. But the opinion was sadly erroneous, and to some of the soldiers and settlers it was a fatal one. Shortly after the order had been complied with the Indians again became active, and along the frontier there were signs of a renewal of hostilities. The forest rang with their shouts of triumph. The old garrison doors closed; and everywhere the towns were put in a posture of defense. Nor was the preparation premature. Soon reports came of burnings and plunder- ings; and messengers went speeding through the forest to the Council for relief. On Feb. 21st a part of Medfield was burned. On March 13th Groton was destroyed. On the 26th the Indians fell upon Marlboro burning a part of its dwellings, and on the 28th, Rehoboth was assailed. That Philip was present with this large body that was moving eastward, while it may not be absolutely proven, is alto- gether probable. According to Mrs. Rowlandson, who was
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a captive among them, he was in the vicinity of Wachuset about that time with a large force of Indians. It is hardly probable that the wily chieftain, so near a large body of his warriors, would not be present directing their movements on their way easterly.
When the tidings reached the Council at Boston great con- sternation was created. Never before had King Philip with so large a force been as near the metropolis of the Bay Col- ony. Messengers were sent out with the news in every direction, the militia was put in motion and everything pos- ible was done to check the enemy's advance. But there was little need of any extra messengers, the towns of Middlesex were already astir. The signal given from hamlet to hamlet had aroused the watchful inhabitants and whatever forces could be spared were sent at once to the line of dan- ger. A force was despatched from Boston consisting of from fifty to one hundred soldiers. Another was started from Watertown led by Capt. Hugh Mason. Others who hurried to the front were a "ply of horse" from the troop of Capt. Prentice under Corp. Phipps, and Capt. Hunting with forty friendly Indians, also a body of twelve men from Concord.
The company from Concord was made up in part at least and perhaps wholly of the town's citizens, some of whom may have been eligible to impress but not in the service, kept at home it may be for garrison work. History does not inform us of this matter, neither does trad- ition. The record says, "Twelve resolute young men ; " and there is every reason to infer that upon the first indica- tion of the near approach of the foe to their sister town of Sudbury they presented themselves voluntarily, and without being bidden hastened to the rescue.
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