USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Milton > The history of Milton, Mass., 1640 to 1877 > Part 40
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A few years before the incorporation of Milton the Neponset Indians had been removed from Milton Village to their reserva- tion at Ponkapog. They were under the command of Quarter- master Swift, of Milton, a wise and judicious leader, and by his management were kept from contact with the hostile Indians, and remained friendly during the war. In the fall of 1675 they were sent to Long Island, in Boston Harbor, for safety, and in the following spring were remanded to their planting-grounds, at Brush Hill, as near as possible to the English fort. The con- dition of Milton at this time appears from the following paper found in the State Archives : -
Milton Military Commission.
The Council, taking into their consideration the unsettled and weak state of the Town of Milton, being destitute of a sufficient and full Com- mittee of Militia for the management of affairs in this time of Public Danger. They do order and appoint Captain Samuel Wadsworth Srgt. Robert Badcock and those that are the present Select Men to be a Committee of Militia for that Town, they or any three of them Capt Wadsworth or Sargt. Badcock being one of them, to act with full power in all cases until the Council take farther action.
Dated Boston ye 11th of Feb. 1675 Passed by the Council E. R. S.
This was soon followed by a second order from the Council : - Feb. 21. 1675. In answer to a peticon of generall inhabitants of Milton, it is ordered that all the inhabitants of Milton not in publicque ser- vice be required to attend their duty in that Town, perfecting the fortifica-
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KING PHILIP'S WAR.
tions that are appointed by the Committees of Militia there, & yt no person fitt for the diffence of the place to withdraw themselves wthout liberty from this Court or the Council first obteyned on penalty of such suffering pun- ishment as souldyers are liable unto that wthdraw from their coul's.
HOSTILE DEVELOPMENTS.
In the spring of 1621 a treaty of commerce, friendship, and mutual defence had been made between the English and Massa- soit, the Great Sachem of the Wampanoags. During life he remained a faithful ally of the English. His influence with the Indian tribes kept them peaceful and quiet amid many causes for discontent. But Massasoit had passed away, and his power . was no longer felt; his people grew more and more suspicious and uneasy. The progress of fifty years had wrought a great change in their condition. The new race from over the great water had multiplied, and was usurping their lands, and forcing them away from their homes and the graves of their fathers. Philip, the successor of Massasoit, renouncing the friendly policy of his ancestor, bent all his powers to fan the flame of hostility and excitement. He was a wily and ambitious leader. By secret and adroit management he united most of the New England Indians against the English, and prepared them for that barbarous warfare which for fourteen months spread over the settlements, until there was scarcely a family in the Massa- chusetts or Plymouth colonies but had lost a father, brother, or son.
The sacrifice of property between June, 1675, and September, 1676, has been estimated at not less than $500,000, which, com- pared with the population and wealth of the times, was greater than that in the eight years' struggle for independence.
The inhabitants of Milton capable of bearing arms were actively engaged in this conflict. Some were in the company of Capt. Samuel Wadsworth, of Milton, and others under Capt. Robinson, of Roxbury. But our records are meagre, and centre on those who were conspicuous as leaders or sufferers.
OPENING OF HOSTILITIES.
King Philip's war broke out on the 24th of June, 1675, at Swansey, near Mount Hope, the home of Philip. The people were surprised by an attack from the Indians as they were re- turning from public worship on a day set apart for humiliation and prayer, under the apprehensions of an approaching war.
Thereupon the insidious foe appeared in every quarter, and no one could tell where the tomahawk and scalping-knife would find the next victim. Consternation spread over New England.
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HISTORY OF MILTON.
BROOKFIELD MASSACRE.
Capt. Edward Hutchinson, the eldest son of William Hutch- inson, early proprietor of East Milton, who had a farm and country seat at Marlborough, and was on friendly terms with the Nipmuck Indians, was sent with a detachment of horse to Quaboag, or Brookfield, to negotiate with that tribe, and pre- vent, if possible, their union with the hostile Indians.
With a portion of his command he met the chiefs Monday morning, August 2, at the place arranged for a parley, when a body of Indians, concealed near by, fired upon them, killed eight of the company, and burned the village. Capt. Hutchinson, who was wounded, was conveyed to Marlborough, where he died August 19.
This act of treachery decided the character of the war, and thoroughly aroused the people. Just before the outbreak at Swansey, Quartermaster Swift, of Milton, was summoned with his corps of Indians to that place.
BOSTON 29-5-1675
CORPORAL THOMAS SWIFT, Milton.
You are ordered and commanded by the council to take with you ye Indian Soldiers and to convey them with as much expedition as you can to the Commander of the public forces at Swanzy or elsewhere upon the public service. If you meet with any Indians, you are to take them under your command, and if they refuse to submit, or to give you a satisfactory report, you are to sieze and kill and destroy them as public enimies
[State Archives.]
PONKAPOG INDIANS IN MILTON.
It is manifest from various statements that the Ponkapog Indians, during the excitement of the war, were drawn from their quarters at Ponkapog to a position near Brush Hill, within reach of the fortification there. Major Gookin speaks of them as "near Brush Hill in Milton." They were "removed from Long Island to Brush Hill." A document in the State Archives says, "They were embodied together and encamped at Brush Hill, in or near the precincts of Milton." Corporal Swift took his detachment of Indians to Swansey, transferred them "to the commander of the public forces " there, then returned to his charge at Milton, and three months later he is again called upon for Indian troops as follows : -
These for Corporal Swift of Milton.
The Council by their order sent me last night required me to endeavour to raise 100 Indian Soldiers, armed fitted and furnished [though I fear that
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KING PHILIP'S WAR.
number is not to be had] yet I would endeavour to get as many as we can ; to this end I have sent for them to other places where at present they reside. And also have sent these to you desiring & ordering you with the assistance of the provincial Indians to lyst as many as you can of the Pake- mitt Indians yt are under yer carc and order them to be in readiness at an hours warning to march to such place as shall be appointed, to be provided with what is necessary, and so to attend the public service. I know not where they are to go, but I judge to Penakooke or yt way together wh English men as many as they. I pray send me a lyst of ye names & num- bers yt are to be had & also when they come to ye rendervoix &c - I pray fail not in the execution of this matter.
So I remain your loving friend,
20 August 1675. [State Archives.]
DANIEL GOOKIN, Sen.
The above order is thus superscribed : -
These for Corporal Swift of Milton with care & speed.
Hast post - Hast for the service of ye Colony !
To be sent from Constable to Constable, by order DANIEL GOOKIN Sen.
From this time the work of destruction was rapid and direful. One town after another was sacked and burned. In September, Brookfield, Hadley, Northfield, and Deerfield were ravaged, and three of them laid in ashes. October 5th three hundred savages fell upon Springfield, killing and wounding many of the people, and reducing to ashes thirty dwelling-houses and twenty barns.
SWAMP FIGHT.
The progress of desolation was a little checked by the aggres- sive movements of the colonists.
In the early winter of 1675 occurred the celebrated expedition against the Narragansetts, a powerful tribe, whose apparent sympathy with Philip created serious apprehension, notwith- standing a previous treaty of friendship with the English. The United Colonies determined to forestall hostilities from this quarter; and, to make sure work, a corps of a thousand men, the largest army the country had ever seen, was at once raised.
The whole campaign was conducted with the greatest wisdom, energy, and despatch, under the charge of Governor Winslow.
His army advanced, by rapid marches, straight to the strong- hold of the Indians in the Narragansett country, Rhode Island, and suddenly fell upon the savages with such desperate valor that only a small portion of them escaped. In addition to the carnage caused by musket, bayonet, and sword, the match was applied to the combustible material within the palisade, and a
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HISTORY OF MILTON.
conflagration spread with terrible fury, consuming not only the wigwams, but many of the unfortunate inmates who had escaped the slaughter. It was not unlike the punishment inflicted on the Pequods forty years before by Capt. Mason, of Connecticut. Seven hundred of their fighting men fell on that day. The prestige and power of the Narragansett nation were broken.
In this fight, which occurred December 19 (O. S.), and is known in history as the "Swamp Fight," was the company of Capt. Johnson, of Roxbury, in which many Dorchester men were enrolled, and the following men from Milton : Obadiah Wheaton, Joseph Tucker, John Fenno, and Benjamin Crane. Capt. Johnson was killed, also Thomas Danforth, of Dorchester. Benjamin Crane, was wounded. Nathaniel Davenport, hus- band of Elizabeth, the sister of Rev. Peter Thacher, of Milton, was killed.
The Indians, checked for a time, were soon on the war-path again. In February, 1676, Lancaster, Medfield, and Weymouth were invaded and partly burned; in March, Groton and Marl- borough met the same fate. All the frontier settlements, and inany of the interior towns, were deserted, the inhabitants taking refuge in places less exposed, near Boston. Milton, at this time, received several accessions. Rev. Samuel Man came from Wrentham, Roger Sumner and Ralph Houghton, from Lancas- ter, and Edward Adams, from Medfield. William Pierce, of East Milton, was also driven here by the exigencies of the war. All of these, except Mr. Man, remained as permanent citizens, and their descendants still continue with us. The outlying dis- tricts, even in Milton, were deemed unsafe. William Trescott, who lived on the farm of James M. Robbins, asked for the "abatement of his taxes for the year 1675-76, because of the troubles of the wars, whereby he deserted his place at Brush Hill."
SUDBURY FIGHT.
But the event of this war, which connects it particularly with our own history, is now to be described.
Capt. Samuel Wadsworth, who came to Milton from Dux- bury, in 1656, and took part in the incorporation of the town, in the formation of the church, and in all the arduous duties and labors incident to a new organization, was brought into a conspicuous and highly honorable, as well as sadly eventful, posi- tion in this war. He was captain of a company of infantry, raised in the vicinity of Boston and partly in Milton. His lieutenant was John Sharp, of Brookline, who married Martha, daughter of Robert Vose, of Milton; but of the rank and file I
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KING PHILIP'S WAR.
can discover no list. Capt. Wadsworth had been actively en- gaged in the war from the beginning. He was at Lancaster1 and vicinity through the February preceding, but in March re- turned to Boston to protect the lower towns. After the destruc- tion of Marlborough, which occurred on the 20th of March, the Indians increased greatly in that vicinity, endangering the lives of those who escaped in the former onslaught, and making it needful to strengthen the garrison there. Capt. Wadsworth was ordered to repair to Marlborough for this purpose. He started with a force of fifty men, which was probably increased to sev- enty on the march. The movement was effected with safety, he reaching Marlborough with his command in the night of the 20th or the morning of the 21st of April. On the march through Sudbury the Indians were lying concealed in large numbers, but failed to show themselves until Capt. Wadsworth's company had passed beyond. The next morning they commenced the de- vastation of the village, burning all the houses on the east side of the river. When the news of the attack reached Marlborough, Capt. Wadsworth, though his men were exhausted by the march from Boston, determined to hasten back to the relief of Sud- bury. Reinforced by Capt. Brocklebank, with a portion of his command from the fort, they marched with all possible speed to meet the enemy. On approaching Sudbury, "in the afternoon of Friday the 21st, about 3 o'clock," according to Sewall's Diary, a band of Indians appeared in the distance, who seemed to be flying at their approach and striving to hide themselves ; the English pursued, and were drawn on by the retreating foe into a thickly wooded section, when suddenly five hundred savages sprang up on every side, and with their terrific war-whoop rushed upon the devoted band. The gallant leader and his heroic command defended themselves as best they could. Securing a strong-hold on a hill near by, for four hours they repelled the assaults of the foe with the loss of but five men, until ammunition began to fail, and night was closing in upon them. At this juncture the Indians set fire to the woods, and the wind drove the smoke and flames in upon the exhausted troops, compelling them to abandon their position. As a last resort they determined to force a pas- sage through the savage horde. In this final struggle they were beset on every side, with all the fury of fiends, and literally cut to pieces. Capt. Wadsworth and Capt. Brocklebank fell, with twenty-seven of their charge. Some escaped, and a few were taken prisoners ; and, says Cotton Mather, regarding the prison- ers then taken : -
1 Palfrey.
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HISTORY OF MILTON.
That the reader may understand what it is to be taken by such devils incarnate, I shall here inform him; they stripped their unhappy prisoners and caused them to run the gauntlet, and whipped them after a cruel and bloody manner; they then threw hot ashes upon theni, and cutting off col- lops of flesh they put fire into the wounds, and so with exquisite leisurely horrible torments roasted them out of the world.
The enemy were so elated by this victory that they sent word to the authorities of Boston to provide store of good cheer, for they intended to " dine with them on election day."
The disaster was deeply felt throughout the country. It was a heavy blow to the town of Milton. Capt. Wadsworth, one of her leading men, in the prime of life, eminent for piety, wisdom, and courage, a protector and guardian of the infant town, was taken from his family and fellow-citizens, and with him doubt- less others of the same community. A glimpse of the despond- ency occasioned by the event is discerned in the tone of the petition of his Milton associate, presented to the Council only five days after his death : -
Petition of Robert Badcock.
To the honorable Council now sitting in Boston. The request of him whose hand is hereunto subscribed is that whereas the honored council passd an order bearing date 11 Feb. 1675 for the settling of a Committee of Militia in the Town of Milton wherein were named Captain Wadsworth and myself and the present Select Men to be the sd. Committee, that the honored Council would be obliged to take into consideration the state of this Committee. Capt. Wadsworth having departed from us, whose face we shall see no more; and one of the Select men having deserted the place, another of them seldom to be found in the town though not employed in public imploy : Corporal Swift being much employed in public service whereby matters of public concernnient are hindered; and some of our militia officers who have been both faithful and painful by day and by night for the service of the country left out in the order, My humble request is that there be a renewing of this Committee, that matters that be of con- cernment may be carried on which now do stand still. Thus desiring the Lord to guide and direct you, I remain yours to command.
MILTON April 26. 1676 -
ROBT BADCOCK
Capt. Wadsworth and twenty-eight of his command were buried in a common grave near the spot where the action occurred, about one mile south of the centre of the town of Sudbury. Rev. Benjamin Wadsworth, President of Harvard College, the fifth son of Capt. Wadsworth, erected a monument at the grave of these heroes about 1730. At a later period the Commonwealth of Massachusetts united with the town of Sudbury in erecting the granite monument now marking the sacred spot. It bears the following inscription : -
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FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS.
This monument is erected by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and by the Town of Sudbury in grateful remembrance of the service and suffer- ings of the founders of the State, and especially in honor of Capt. S. Wadsworth of Milton Capt. Brocklebank of Rowley and Lieut. Sharp of Brookline and 26 others, men of their command, who fell near this spot on the 18th of April [an error for the 21st of April], 1676 while defending the frontier settlements against the allied Indian forces of Philip of Poka- noket. - 1852.
From this time the influence and power of Philip began to wane. The Indians met with disaster and defeat in every quar- ter. On the 16th of August, 1676, the finishing blow was given to this terrible and bloody war by the death of Philip, who was pursued into a swamp near Mount Hope and killed by one of his own men.
And here ended the aggressive and destructive power of the Indians in the colony, except as allied with the French in the French and Indian wars that followed.
BRIGHTNESS.
One occurrence, bright and beautiful, shines out as a sequence of this sad war. In March, 1677, when farms and workshops had been deserted through fear, and helpers were cut off, leav- ing families and communities homeless, reducing to poverty and even threatening with starvation many of the wanderers, a ship laden with provisions from Dublin, and provided with clothing and money from London, reached the port of Boston, supplying timely aid to four hundred and thirty-two gathered there, and ministering to the suffering ones in many other towns.
And then the counterpart, one hundred and seventy-two years later, when the United States sloop-of-war " Jamestown," loaded with provisions, sailed from these shores, March 28, 1847, to Ireland, commanded by our Capt. R. B. Forbes, on a return mission of humanity, furnishes material for profitable and thankful thought.
FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS.
Scarcely had King Philip's war ceased when questions of vital importance between the colonies and the mother-country, which had long been in agitation, assumed new significance.
Massachusetts had resisted the "Navigation Acts," and refused to acknowledge the authority of the king's commis-
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HISTORY OF MILTON.
sioners, to which Connecticut and Rhode Island yielded. Ac- cordingly, in 1684, her charter was declared void, which was speedily followed by the annulling of the charters in the other colonies. Then followed for more than two years the tyrannical government of Sir Edmund Andros, under King James II., until the revolution in England drove the king from his throne, when the people of Boston seized Andros and sent him to England for trial. William and Mary, the successors of James II., awarded to Massachusetts a new charter, extending her territory but abridging her liberties, making the governor and higher officials appointees of the crown. These events had the effect of keeping alive the jealousy and irritation of the people against the apparent encroachment on their rights.
In the midst of these disturbances a war broke out between England and France, involving their American colonies. This is known as King William's War. Each party was supported by Indian allies. The tribes of Canada and Maine joined the French, and the Five Nations the English. Hostilities com- menced in New Hampshire in the summer of 1689; in the fol- lowing winter Schenectady, in New York, was burned and the inhabitants massacred; in the spring New Hampshire and Maine were the scene of similar atrocities ; and, finally, Massa- chusetts was invaded, the Indians fell upon Haverhill, and killed and carried away as captives many of its inhabitants.
In the summer of 1690 Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York, resolving to carry the war into the enemy's country, joined in an expedition against Canada.
With respect to ye proposalls of sending military Forces & shiping to ye attacking of Canada Voted that ye designe be attended wth all Expedi- tion, & yt ye neighboring Colonies and Provinces be forth" acquainted wth ye expectation of their assistance.
Voted yt Capt Thomas Vose of Milton & Capt Daniel King of Salem be Captains in this present Expedition against Canada.
June 3, 1690. Passed in the affirmative by the Deputies.
EBENEZER PROUT.
Consentª to by the Magistrates. [State Archives.] IsA ADDINGTON, Sec'.
There is no further evidence that Capt. Vose, of Milton, was in this expedition.
The fleet was under the command of Sir William Phipps, and a land force of two thousand troops, under John Winthrop, of Connecticut. This enterprise resulted in disastrous failure.
A company of seventy-five men, under Capt. John Withing- ton, all from Dorchester and Milton, joined the expedition.
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QUEEN ANNE'S WAR.
The following is a list of the Milton soldiers : -
Ensign Samuel Sumner,
William Swift,
Henry Lyon,
William Blake,
Eliab Lyon,
John Gulliver,
William Sumner,
Samuel Triscott,
James Swift,
Edward Clapp,
Jazeniah Sumner,
Ebenezer Crane,
Charles Readman,
Joseph Triscott, Drummer.
John Crowhore,
Ebenezer Sumner.
Of the two thousand comprising the land force, two hundred were lost, and of this two hundred, forty-six belonged to Capt. Withington's company. Only twenty-five returned. En- sign Samuel Sumner and his brother William Sumner, sons of George Sumner, of Brush Hill, were among the lost; also Will- iam Swift, son of Deacon Thomas Swift. Other Milton boys who joined this ill-fated expedition never returned. The fate of those who fell by the sword, or were swept away by sickness or accident, was probably long in doubt. Twenty-five years later Ezra Clapp, of Milton, left by will a portion of his estate to his son Edward, "if he ever returned."
The General Court of Massachusetts made a grant, June 19, 1735, to the survivors of the soldiers from Dorchester and Milton, and to heirs of those who were lost, of a township in Worcester County, which was named " Dorchester Canada." It is now the town of Ashburnham.
To meet the expenses incurred in this expedition Massachu- setts issued bills of credit, - the first paper money ever issued in the colonies. King William's War was terminated in 1697 by the treaty of Ryswick.
QUEEN ANNE'S WAR.
Queen Anne came to the throne March 8, 1702, and reigned twelve years. This was the golden age of English literature, - the day of Pope and Addison. It was also distinguished for the brilliant successes of the British arms.
THANKSGIVING IN MILTON.
April 8, 1703, was observed as a day of Thanksgiving in the town of Milton and throughout the colonies. A part of the royal proclamation appointing the occasion is as follows : -
Before the late King William of glorious memory died, there were sundry societies set up for the reformation of manners, and behold the
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HISTORY OF MILTON.
smiles of Heaven upon the same ! our nation on a sudden being filled with plenty of grain, and a plenty of silver, [the late fleet being taken] and plenty of honor and victory, so that the Queen has invited her subjects in the plantations of America to rejoice with her and return thanks to God.
Before the death of King William war was opened between England and France, which Queen Anne inherited. The Eng- lish colonies on the Atlantic coast and the French settlements on the St. Lawrence, with their Indian allies, again came into collision. The frontier settlements of Massachusetts, - Athol, Brookfield, Deerfield, Lancaster, and other towns - were assailed by the combined force of French and Indians, and subjected to slaughter and pillage. Some of these towns had but just com- menced resettlement after abandonment in former wars. Mas- sachusetts promptly responded to the call of these distressed towns. Troops were gathered from all the older towns, and money was called for to such an extent as to exhaust the re- sources of towns and families.
Milton furnished her full quota of men for this war, and readily met the demands on her meagre resources.
After a short repose of peace another war broke out between England and France, in 1744. This also reached the American colonies.
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