USA > Maine > A brief history of Maine > Part 7
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four hundred of them prisoners. But his fighting days were now well nigh over, for he was eighty years of age. The Indians quickly found the apartment where he and his young wife lay asleep. The door was bro- ken; but, wakened by the noise, the old hero sprang from his bed and drove his assailants back through two rooms with his sword. As he turned back for his pistols he was stunned by a blow upon the head; and in a moment he was in the grasp of the savages. They dragged the white-haired old man into the hall, and bound him into his own arm chair, which they had placed upon the long table. Often for many years past, had he sat at this table as justice of the peace, settling the disputes of both the English and the In- dians. It was a wild group that now gathered in that room, beneath the ruddy glare of the torches,-that brave old man, his white hair and loose garments waving in the midnight wind,-and about him the cruel faces of the painted savages.
9. "I cross out my account," cried they, as each of the two hundred in turn drew his knife across the body of their victim. When his flesh was filled with gashes, they cut off his nose and cars, and thrust them into his mouth ; and, to close this scene of vengeance, they tumbled the dying man over upon his sword held erect upon the table. So died the noble Major Wal- dron, and the revenge of the savages was accomplish- ed. Then they set the village on fire, killed twenty- three of the inhabitants, and carried away captive twenty-nine others, whom they sold to the French for servants.
The Indians now ranged through the provinces of Maine and Sagadahock; in the daytime waylaying the traveler upon his road and the husbandman upon his farm, in the darkness prowling about the blockhouses and stockades, to surprise the unwary inmates; so that before the summer of this year was past, all the country eastward of Falmouth was deserted. At the
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last of August Major Swaine was sent eastward from Massachusetts with near six hundred men; with whom he trove the Indians from Scarborough and Falmouth, though at the expense of nearly half of Capt. Hall's company.
10. About three weeks after, Benjamin Church, who had been very successful in King Philip's war, was put in chief command in Maine. At Fort Loyal, on Casco Neck, (Portland) he met a daughter of Major Waldron, who had just been rescued from the Indians by a Dutch privateer, then in the harbor. She told Major Church that the Indians, who had brought her into the bay, numbered near seven hundred; and that several Frenchmen were with them.
Church determined to be ready for them; and at daylight he posted two companies of English and In- dians under Captain Hall among some small trees near the head of Back Cove, about half a mile northwest of the village. Before the Major had finished his breakfast Captain Hall discovered the savages on the opposite side of the cove, and immediately crossed and attacked them. Church now learned that nearly the whole stock of bullets was too large for the guns; and he had them cut up into slugs as quickly as possi- ble. Messengers were sent to the cove with a supply for Captain Hall, but the tide was up, and they dared not go over. In this dilemma an Indian of Hall's force, called Captain Lightfoot, threw down his gun and forded the stream to meet the messengers; and taking a knapsack of powder on his head and a kettle of bullets in cach hand, he waded safely back; so the companies were enabled to maintain their position.
11. Meantime Major Church had gone up the stream in order to eross the bridge and fall upon the rear of the enemy. Just beyond the bridge the sav- ages had built breastworks of logs and bushes be- hind which they were hiding. Church ordered his men to scatter and rush across; but before they could
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reach the breastworks every Indian had fled. Before Church could find them, those in front of Captain Hall had also retreated, escaping into a cedar swamp at the west.
After this repulse the Indians were not seen again for the season, though the forces ranged as far east as Kennebec; therefore when winter came on, Church returned to Massachusetts, leaving sixty of his soldiers to garrison Fort Loyal. Through the season of snows the Indians were occupied as usual in procuring their necessary food, and the settlers of Maine had rest; but with the opening of the spring the war was re- newed with increased vigor.
12. At daybreak of the eighteenth of March, 1690, the inhabitants of Newichawannock (Berwick) were aroused by the yells of the savages at their doors. The attacking party consisted of fifty-two French and Indians under M. D'Artel of Canada, and Hopehood, a chieftain of the Kennebec. The people defended themselves bravely, but thirty-four were killed, while fifty-four, mostly women and children, fell into the hands of the savages, and were carried into captivity. There were at this time about twenty-seven houses in the village, which, together with the barns, mills, and many cattle, were destroyed.
13. In the May following, four or five hundred French and Indians came into Casco Bay from the Kennebec and Penobscot in a great flotilla of canoes. Probably they were alarmed by the fleet of Commo- dore Phipps, who had just sailed past this coast on his way to Acadia; for they did not make their attack at once, but encamped somewhere in Falmouth, rav- aging among the cattle of the settlers. Meantime a force of one hundred militia from the western towns, together with a part of the garrison of Fort Loval, were sent out in search of them. While they were absent thirty young volunteers from the garrison as- tended Munjoy's Hill, to see if any savages were lurk
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ing in that vicinity. On this hill, about half a mile from the fort, was a long green lane leading to & house at the edge of the woods. As they passed through this lane they noticed that the cattle were staring strangely at the fence; and, suspecting that Indians might be hidden there, they rushed towards the point with a loud "huzza." Very dearly did they pay for their rashness; for the watchful savages poured upon them a volley which brought fourteen of their number to the ground. The remainder fled to the village, closely pursued by the French and Indians. These assailed with great fury the houses where the people had taken refuge, and killed a great many of them; but in the night those who were left escaped to Fort Loyal. The next morning the enemy plundered the village and set it on fire.
They next attacked the fort, but the cannon kept them at such a distance that they could do little harm. But they soon found a deep gulley not far away where the guns could not touch them; and here they began to mine toward the garri- son. After several days an underground passage had. been carried very near the walls of the fort; and its surrender was demanded. The commander was mor- tally wounded; and, as the enemy offered fair terms and kind treatment, the garrison capitulated. Ma- dockawando, the Tarratine, with his son-in-law, Baron Castine, were the chief Indian leaders; and the whole was under the command of a Frenchman named Burneffe. The leaders made little attempt to restrain the savages; and the wounded, together with many of the women and children, were brutally murdered, and the others treated in a most barbarous manner.
14. Fort Loyal having fallen, all the garrisons as. far west as Wells were now abandoned; and again the Indians ranged victoriously over Maine, making cap- tives and burning buildings in every quarter. Many of these captives were detained for months in the wi- derness; made to carry the packs of plunder through
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rough woods and tangled swamps, over rugged hills, in rain, snow and cold,-poorly clad and often half starved,-and still urged on by dreadful threats and the points of the Indians' weapons.
What Frenchman lived at Biguyduce at the time of the first Indian war? Who was appointed governor of New England in 1687? In what year did the second Indian war break out? What noble deed was performed at Yarmouth, and by whom? What place cast of the Kennebec was captured by the Indians ? How long did the region east of Sagadahoc now remain without inhab- itants ? At the abdication of James II. what happened in New England ? Can you give an account of the massacre at Cocheco, or Dover ? Who was placed in command of the forces in Maine in 1689 ? Give an account of his engagement with the Indians at . Casco Neck. Who led the attack on Newichawannock the next spring? In what bay did the Indians next appear ? Who were the leaders of the attack on Fort Loyal? What was the most easterly settlement now remaining?
CHAPTER XII.
1. Soon after the capture of Fort Loyal the French withdrew from Maine; for Sir William Phipps was giving them employment enough in their own terri- tory.
Phipps was a Maine boy, the son of a gunsmith at Woolwich on the Sheepscot River, where he was born in the year 1650. He had twenty-five brothers and sisters, being himself the tenth child. When he was about sixteen years of age his father died, leaving lit- tle else than a small farm for the support of his nu- merous family. William continued to work on the farm until he was eighteen, when he was apprenticed to a ship carpenter for four years. At the close of
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his apprenticeship he went to Boston and worked at his trade, and learned to read and write. A year or two later he married; and soon after this he went back to his old home on the Sheepscot River, and. built a ship for some Boston men. The vessel was completed just as the first Indian war broke out. He had purchased a cargo of lumber to take to Boston when he delivered the ship to its owners; but, seeing the inhabitants in distress and in danger of destruction by the savages, he abandoned his lumber at a great loss, and, taking the afflicted people on board, carried them away to a place of safety.
2. After building vessels and making voyages for several years he learned that a Spanish ship laden with treasure had been sunk near the Bahama Islands. Hle told his story to the Duke of Albermarle, who aided him in obtaining one of the king's ships, in which he sailed in search of the wreck. The first voyage was unsuccessful, but on the second he found it lying under forty or fifty feet of water. He ob- tained from it thirty-four tons of silver, beside gold, pearls and jewels, worth in all $1,350,000. His part of this amounted to $70,000. For the fair manner in which he treated the crew, and the honest divi- sion he made of the spoil, the king made him a knight; and the Duke and Duchess of Albermarle sent his wife a golden cup worth four thousand dol- lars, as a special mark of esteem.
At home, when the expedition against Acadia was planned, he was thought to be the fittest person to command it; and so he was made commodore. IIe sailed from Boston early in May, 1690, with a frigate of forty guns and eight other vessels. He took pos- session of the country, captured the authorities, and, at the close of the same month, returned to Boston, bringing sufficient of the enemy's merchandise to pay the expense of the expedition.
3. The success of Phipps encouraged the colonists
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to send an expedition against Canada, which started early in the next August -the sea forces only be- ing under his command. The land forces were to march from New York by way of Lake Champlain, and meet the fleet on the St. Lawrence. But the army met with discouragements and turned back ; and Phipps, not receiving the promised aid from England, was repulsed before the strong fortifications of Que- bec. On his return a great storm wrecked many of the vessels, and scattered the remainder so that they came into Boston one by one, some of them not arriv- ing for nearly a month after. The colonies had counted on success, and had expected the spoils to pay the expense, as before; and there was no money in the treasury to pay the men, and very little specie among the inhabitants.
Then for the first time in America, paper money was contrived. In December the General Court of Massachusetts issued what were called "Bills of Credit," with which the public debts were paid. It soon depreciated so that one dollar in specie was worth four dollars in bills; but they afterward in- creased in value until that they were worth as much as the coin.
4. A few weeks after Phipps set out for the St. Lawrence Major Church was sent again into Maine. He landed at Maquoit, and marched directly to the falls at Pejepscot (Brunswick). Not finding any In- dians, he continued up the river. A little past noon of the next day he came in sight of the cataract at a place called by the Indians Amityonpontook, now known as Lewiston Falls. Before they came to the Little Androscoggin, which was still between them and the Indian fort, they were discovered by a savage near the river. In order to surprise the Indians, Church was obliged to act with all possible speed ; and, while one company staid with the baggage, the other two, with Church at their head, waded the
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river, and ran swiftly towards the fort. But the In- dian they had seen was there before them; and just as they burst in the south gate the savages rushed out, at the north, and retreated down the hill to the large river. But Church's men had cut them off from their canoes; and some of them were shot in the water, while only one gained the opposite bank -for the current here was very strong, it being just below the falls. The larger number of Indians, however, had run under the cataract, and hid in the rocky caverns behind the falling waters, and thus escaped. Sev- eral prisoners were taken at the fort, among whom were the wives and children of Worumbee, the sachem of the region, and of Kancamagus, a Pennacook chief- tain. "Tell the sagamores," said Church, as he de- parted, "that they may find their wives and children at Wells."
5. On his return he had a skirmish with a body of savages at the mouth of the Saco, and another at Cape Elizabeth,-in both of which the enemy was beaten. In October these chiefs with several other Indians, came to Wells, and were much gratified to receive again their wives and children.
"The French have made fools of us," said they; "we will go to war against you no more; we are ready to meet your head men at any time and place you ap- point, and enter into a treaty."
Accordingly, on the last of November, six saga- mores met the commissioners at Sagadahock, where they surrendered a few prisoners and signed a truce. The truce was to continue until the next May, when they were to bring the remaining prisoners to Wells, and make a lasting peace.
6. Yet it was a dismal winter to the people of Maine; for they had known too much of Indian treachery to feel at ease respecting the next season. Every town east of Wells had been destroyed; and only the settlements of Wells, York, Kittery and the
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Isles of Shoals now remained. The settlement in Wells was near the beach, where there were several houses of hewn timber, with flankers and watch tow- ers -a little village of block houses. In some of these the upper story was largest, projecting over the lower story; while others had the upper story turned so that the corners projected beyond the sides of the lower story. This was for the purpose of firing down upon assailants, if they should come close to the build- ing. The sides were also pierced with long, narrow openings for the guns.
7. In May, 1691, the time set for the treaty, Mr. Danforth, President of the province, with several other members of the government, came to Wells to meet the Indians. None appeared; but Captain Con- verse found several lurking in the neighborhood, and brought them in. When asked why the sagamores were not present according to promise, their answer was, "We no remember the time. But still we now give up two captives; and we promise, certain, to bring the rest in ten days." They departed, and though the officers waited, nothing more was seen of them.
On the ninth of June thirty-five soldiers came to reinforce the garrison at Wells; and in half an hour after their arrival the place was attacked by two hun- dred Indians under the famous Moxus. Being re- pulsed here they went to Cape Neddock, in York, where they killed the crew of a vessel, and burned the houses.
8. Two or three weeks later, four companies under Captain King started in search of the savages, meeting them at Maquoit Bay, in Brunswick, where he had a sharp skirmish. During the remainder of the season the Indians shunned to meet the English forces, but hung about the coast and remaining villages, burning exposed buildings, and shooting down or taking cap- tive lone men, women and children.
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Early in the morning of February fifth, 1692, the inhabitants of York, while yet in their beds, heard the report of a gun. It was the Indians' signal of attack. Between two and three hundred savages, led by Frenchmen, instantly fell upon the unarmed settlers; and in half of an hour, more than a hundred and sixty of the inhabitants were helpless captives, or lay bleeding on the cold snow. There were four strongly fortified houses in the settlement, and the people who found shelter in these alone escaped; and when the savages demanded a surrender, their answer was, "Never, till we have shed the last drop of blood."
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GARRISON HOUSE AT YORK, BUILT ABOUT 1645.
9. So after plundering and setting fire to the re- maining houses the Indians went away, carrying with them nearly a hundred prisoners. The sufferings of these from hunger, cold and fatigue must have been
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very great; yet there was one pleasant incident in this terrible affair. In Captain King's expedition from York eastward in the summer previous he left un- harmed four or five Indian women and their children whom he found at Pejepscot; and for this the savages now sent back to the garrison several elderly women and young children.
The garrison at Wells at this time consisted of only fifteen soldiers under Captain Converse; and on the ninth of June two sloops came in with supplies and a reinforcement. About an hour after their arrival the cattle ran in from the pastures, frightened and bleeding. By this the settlers knew that there were Indians in the vicinity, and at once made all possible prepara- tions for safety. The next morning at daybreak five hundred French and Indians appeared before the gar- rison. They were led by Madockawando, Egeremet, Moxus, Worumbee, and other sagamores, together with Labrocree, a French officer; all being under the command of M. Portneuf, who had been the leader at the destruction of Falmouth.
10. They learned from a prisoner captured outside of the fort, that it contained only thirty soldiers; and, being confident of success, they apportioned among themselves the prisoners whom they expected soon to have. Then with hideous shouts, they commenced an attack, which was continued all day; but still the gar- rison held out. Meantime they constructed a rough breastwork of timber and hay, from which they fired upon the vessels; setting them on fire several times with their fire arrows. But the crews put out the flames with wet mops on long poles; and their bullets pierced through the breastwork so often that the ene- my was forced to leave it. Then they built a shot- proof breastwork on wheels, and rolled it towards the shore. One wheel sunk in the soft earth, and as a Frenchman applied his shoulder to lift it out a shot from the vessel brought him down; then another who
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took his place shared the same fate, and this, too, was abandoned.
11. A scout of six men had been sent out to look for Indians only a few hours before they appeared. The next morning after the attack these approached the fort just at daylight, on their return. The cor- poral, discovering a party of Indians close by, cried out, "Captain Converse, wheel your men round the hill, and these few dogs are ours." The savages, thinking that Converse was at their heels, fled in great haste; and the scout got safely into the fort.
The enemy, probably ashamed of this flight, soon after advanced in full force to attack the fort. One of the soldiers now sighingly suggested a surrender.
"Utter the word again," said Converse, "and you are a dead man. All lic close; fire not a gun until it will do execution."
12. The enemy. came up firmly, and, arriving within range, gave three wild shouts, then poured a volley upon the fort. Those in the garrison exerted themselves to the utmost,-even the women bringing ammunition, and the brands to discharge their little cannon; and for a few moments the walls blazed with fire from the muskets and cannon, causing the enemy to retreat in disorder with great loss.
Failing to prevail against the vessels by means of breastworks, the French and Indians now constructed a raft; and heaping it high with combustibles, they set it on fire, and pushed it off. The tide bore the burning mass directly toward the vessels ; but these, having been lashed together for better defense, could not be moved out of the way, and their destruction seemed inevitable. But a kind Providence, just at the critical moment, sent a breeze, and drove the raft away to the opposite shore, where it burned harm- le-siv out.
13. The enemy before the fort now sent a flag of truce, demanding a surrender and inquiring what terms were desired.
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"I want nothing but men to fight," replied Captain Converse.
"Then if you, Converse, are so stout, why don't you come out and fight in the field like a man, and not stay in a garrison like a squaw ?" said one of the In- dians.
"What fools are you ? Think you my thirty are a match for your five hundred ? Come upon the plains with only thirty, and I'm ready for you."
"No, no; we think English fashion-you kill me, me kill you-all one fool. Not so; better lie some- where and shoot 'em Englishmen when he no see ;- that's the best soldier."
14. The Indian bearing the flag threw it down and ran away; and the enemy began to fire again, keep- ing up a scattering discharge until midnight. In the morning they were gone. They had not killed a man in the garrison, and but one on board of the vessels. In revenge for the death of Labrocree, one of their leaders, they put their only captive to torture. They scalped him, slit his hands between the fingers, and his feet between the toes, cut deep gashes in his body, and stuck the gaping wounds full of lighted torches; then they left him to die by degrees.
15. In the spring of 1692 the king issued a new charter for Massachusetts and Maine, even including Acadia; and under it appointed Sir William Phipps as governor. The new ruler had a warm regard for his native place, and was resolved that it should be better defended than formerly; therefore in the au- tumn of the same year he built a great stone fort at Pemaquid. While this was in process of construction the brave Church, now colonel, with one company of the men, ascended the Penobscot again in search of the natives. He came to Seven-hundred-acre Island, near which they dwelt in large numbers; but they discovered his approach and escaped in their canoes. Yet he captured a few of them, and secured quantities of corn, together with moose and beaver skins.
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16. He soon after ascended the Kennebec, where he had a smart fight not far from Swan Island. Here a part of the Indians were driven into the woods, while others fled in their canoes up the river to their fort at Teconnet, in the present town of Winslow. Church followed them; but as soon as he was dis- cerned approaching, the savages set fire to their huts and ran away into the forests. This exploit closed Church's third expedition castward.
In the autumn M. Iberville, then newly made French commander in Acadia, came to Pemaquid with a body of French and Indians to capture the place; but when he saw how strong the fort was, he gave up the project in despair -while the savages stamped the ground in rage.
17. The next spring the intrepid Captain Converse ยท was made major; and the garrisons of Maine and Sagadahock, together with three hundred and fifty new levies, were put under his command. He built a stone fort at Saco, and hunted the Indians to the mountains, scouting as far east as the Penobscot. The Indians were also in fear of an incursion of the Mohawks, while the French had been obliged to leave them in order to defend their own settlements; there- fore early in August, 1693, thirteen sagamores, repre- senting all the tribes from Saco to St. Croix, came to Pemaquid and made a treaty of peace. They agreed to restore all their captives without ransom, to buy their supplies at the English trading houses, and gave up all claims to the possessions of the English inhabit- ants. But they were immediately dissuaded by the French from surrendering the prisoners and from ear- rying the treaty into effect in other respects.
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