USA > Maine > Knox County > Warren > Annals of the town of Warren; with the Early History of St. George's, Broad Bay and the Neighboring Settlements on the Waldo patent > Part 11
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In October of this year the garrison and people of St. George's sustained a loss in the death of the Rev. Robert Ruth- erford, who, for a few years, had taken up his abode there, preached to the people, and acted as chaplain to the garrison. He was a native of Ireland and a Presbyterian. He came over with Col. Dunbar, the celebrated surveyor of the King's woods, in 1729, and preached at Pemaquid for four or five years. When Dunbar went to Portsmouth in 1734, his house and farm were left in the care of Mr. Rutherford. In 1735 he was employed by the town of Brunswick and continued to preach there till 1742. After this he was engaged for a short time at Georgetown, and probably returned to Pemaquid. From thence, on the marriage of Dunbar's widow with Capt. Henderson of St. George's, he removed to that place. It does not appear that he had a distinct pastoral charge, or that any church was gathered there during his life. He was a man of respectable literary attainments, and bore the charac- ter of a pious, orthodox minister. He died at the age of 68 years, and was buried at the fort. His gravestone with sev- eral others in a mutilated state are still to be seen near the tomb of the late Gen. Knox. His wife survived him 23 years and was buried in the same place. They left a family of seven daughters whose posterity are numerous in the vicinity .¿
* Smith's Journal, p. 66.
İ Greenleaf's Eccl. Sketches.
t Jour. House Rep.
Gravestones, &c.
9
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1757. Early in 1757 an additional military force was ordered to scour the country and two vessels employed to range the coast for the protection and relief of the people.
The Indians suffered greatly from the small pox, and, being neglected by the French and distressed by the war, began to be weary of the contest. Two Tarratine chiefs stated to the government, through Capt. Bradbury, that their numbers were much lessened by that pestilence, and that the tribes wished to feed again upon the fruits of mutual peace and friendship. The Governor was in favor of receiving them " provided they would come in and dwell among us."* Noth- ing, however, was effected. Yet the Indians communicated with the garrison at St. George's by flags of truce so fre- quently, as to excite some apprehensions among the more jeal- ous of the inhabitants.
The garrison there consisted this year of Jabez Bradbury, Capt. at &4 per month ; T. Fletcher, Lieut. at &£3 ; Benjamin Burton, ditto ; William Farnsworth, Ensign, at 30s. ; John Dunn, Sergeant, 30s. ; Alexander Campbell, Corporal, 28s. ; John McKechnie, Clerk, 30s. ; Joshua Treat, Armorer, 40s. ; Walter McFarland, Interpreter, 32s. 4d. : and 32 Centinels at 24s., of whom William James, Hugh Scott, Matthew Kel- loch, John Kilpatrick, Joseph James, Samuel Creighton, John Boggs, Alexander Lermond, John Lermond, John McIntyre, John Carswell, John Patterson and John Crawford belonged to the upper town ; Reuben Pitcher, Jonathan Nutting, Robert Young, Thomas Palmer, Henry Hendley, John Demorse, Joseph York, William Maycook, Ebenezer Thomson, and perhaps some others to the lower town, or to Medumcook.t In addition to the garrison, 87 men were ordered to be enlisted for scouting between St. George's and Frankfort, a plantation afterwards named Pownalborough, now Dresden, Wiscasset, and Alna. Of these, one company, under Capt. Joshua Freeman, rendezvoused at St. George's, and another at the mill garrison on the Medomak in what is now Waldoboro'. The following is an extract from the journal of Capt. Free- man, who, after receiving his commission in Boston, April 22d, arrived at St. George's with five men and there enlisted the remainder.
" May 12. Went down to Burton's and Henderson's garrisons to see what order they were in, - the same day went to Broad Bay. 13th. Returned to the block-house.
Gov. Letter, March 31, 1757.
t Co. Muster roll, Mass. Arc. 96, p. 147. -
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16th. Monday, early in the morning, upon a hill to the northward of the fort about 40 or 50 rods, there appeared a white flag with a company of Indians. Capt. Bradbury hoisted another flag, upon which I went over to the fort; a few rods off which Capt. Bradbury, Mr. Fletcher, and the Interpreter were discoursing with eight Indians, there being three on the hill with the flags. Some of my people gave an account that they saw nine more back of lime-stone hill which is about one quarter of a mile from the block-house.
* * About 3 o'clock in the afternoon the Indians marched off from the hill where their flag was, with their flag, and the flag at the fort was struck. About 2 hours after, some of my people came to me and asked leave to go after the In- dians. I forbade them and told them not to go on any account, but to let them go off peaceably. About half an hour after, some of my company that was guarding back, went in the road that the Indians went off in near a mile and found an Indian asleep and brought him into the block- house, the rest being gone out of sight, as they said, and no flag to be seen. Those that brought the fellow in, insisted that he should be sent up to Boston as there was no flag to be seen and the Indians having so much time to go off, that he was a lawful prize, but after many persuasions the fellow was dismist. When the Indian had his liberty, he told me he was afraid to go off. I asked him what he was afraid of, he said he was alone, and that he supposed by that time the rest of his company was got as far as the Owl's Head, (our discourse was by the interpreter that belonged to the fort.) Sun about two hours high in the afternoon, an Indian with a flag came to the fort, his name was Neptune (as I was inform- ed) who tarried but a few minutes and went off with the fellow that my people brought in. In the evening I received an account by Capt. Kilpatrick that Neptune gave an account that there was 26 in their company and that he expected 39 in the morning, but as there was no likelyhood of any trade he supposed they would be stopped. Upon hearing the same I expected the Indians would do what damage they could before they went off, there being such a number gathered, and that they did not in any wise agree to an accommodation agreeable to the purposes of the government. My men was very earnest to go out with a party of ten or 20 men and see what discovery they could make, to which I consented and gave them orders that if they discovered any of them they should send me a man and let me know of it, that I would with the rest of my company go out and attack them.
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Accordingly near about 10 o'clock, 18 of my men went out from the block-house, and at 11 o'clock they came back · and brought one scalp and gave me an account that as they were a marching out towards the eastern shore about a mile from the block-house, in the road, they came across a pack, upon which they discovered some Indians a little out of the road and fired upon them and killed one dead which they scalped. And as soon as our people fired, the Indians fired on them on both sides of the road. Our people found themselves ambushed, discharged their guns several times at the Indians, huzzaed, and the Indians at them and yelled, it being very dark our people were obliged to quit the prey and return back. Our men received but little damage, one man had his gun shot out of his hand, the stock broke with a bullet, and a little piece of flesh carried off' between the thumb and fingers."*
In this affair David and Alexander Kelloch were the leading men ; the former was the one who had his gun shot away, and the latter, whilst living, gave the author the following particulars. " Bradbury agreed not to molest the Indians for a certain time, but warned them to look out for the sharp shooters from the block-house. The night being dark, the pursuing party followed each other in close Indian file. On coming to the pack, and supposing it a decoy to an ambus- cade, the file-leader gave a pinch to his rear-man ; which signal was communicated from man to man till the whole came to a silent halt. After a moment's pause, an Indian, probably left on the watch but betrayed into sleep by the occapee obtained at the fort, was heard to snore, and, on the discharge of a musket aimed at the sound, gave one prodigious leap into the air, fell, and never moved again. In the firing that ensued, the parties aimed at the flashes of each others' guns. Several muskets, a quantity of beaver, and other stores left by the Indians, yielded the victors $15 a share.
The journal continues : " July 6, I went up St. George's river with sixteen men to the upper part of the old settlement - made no discovery of any Indians. 25th. For sundry days past been continually guarding of the people up and down the river from Pleasant Point to the falls of St. George's river, whilst they were getting hay." This protection was in the highest degree necessary, as those who had ventured out in the spring to plant potatoes had often been attacked and compelled to retreat. Two young men of the lower
* Mass. Arc. vol. 38, p. 280.
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town, Henry and Samuel Hendley, one 17 and the other 22 years of age, went up the river for staves, were attacked near Mr. Cooper's shore (now Dunbar's in Warren,) and were supposed to be killed ; as the body of one was after- wards found on the marsh, and the other was never heard from. At another time three men, venturing out from the fort for smelts, were ambushed and slain near the saw-mill. Other depredations were committed whenever an opportunity presented. Mrs. Thompson, Agnes Lamb, afterwards Mrs. Spear, and some others were milking up the lane a little way from the fort, when the savages fell upon them and took Mrs. Thompson prisoner ; the other escaping to the garrison. So great was the fright, that Miss Lamb, though she had some distance to flee, and bars to surmount, kept the pail in her grasp, without spilling a drop of its contents, or being aware of its possession, till safe within the fort. Mrs. Thompson was redeemed by her husband for $40 .*
The young men by the name of Watson, whose father after leaving Ireland resided some years in Scarboro' and came to this river near the beginning of this war, had pur- chased the point which now bears their name, and erected a house there, carrying on the coasting business here and at Scarboro.' John Watson, who commanded their sloop, sent two of his men on shore at Pleasant Point for water, where they were seized by the Indians and carried to Canada. The Captain, going in his wherry to look for them, was hailed by a Frenchman and ordered to come on shore. Not complying, he was immediately killed by a musket shot. The two cap- tives were William Watson and - Larrowbee of Scarboro'; the former of whom, together with his half brother James Watson, returned and occupied the point before named ; and David, another brother, settled at East Thomaston. William took a conspicuous part in the incorporation of the town of Warren, and generally acted as moderator in the early town meetings. He established a ferry at that point, which he and his sons kept, down to the time the lower toll-bridge was erected in 1818.+
It was probably on board Watson's vessel that a man ad- vanced in years, and a female passenger, Mrs. Gamble, who were the only persons left after the encounter on shore, per- ceived the Indians, at night fall, approaching in their canoes
* Tradition. Mrs. Montgomery. A. Kelloch, Ist.
+ Captain H. Libbey.
9*
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to attack the vessel. The old man took his station on deck with what muskets there were on board, and, with the aid of his companion, who reloaded as fast as they were discharged, kept the Indians at bay till they became discouraged and withdrew .*
The Indians, also, threatened the block-house at Pleasant Point, but, not being strong enough to effect any thing, with- drew. When they were supposed to be all gone, a soldier, by the name of Coltson, looking over the platform, was shot through the head by an Indian concealed under it; who having satisfied his revenge, bounded off, and was soon out of sight. At Medumcook, a Mr. Elwell and his family lived in a house built strong for the purpose of defence. Being beset by the savages, he and his two sons, placing themselves at the doors and up stairs, kept them at bay. In the back part of the house were two mortice-holes as a substitute for a window; by which the Indians were observed to pass. Elwell placed a pistol there, and told his wife to fire it when- ever she saw the light darkened. She did so, wounded an Indian, who fled calling for assistance, and the party disap- peared. At Broad Bay they ambushed the house of one Piper, before daylight, and, on his coming out for wood, shot him dead. His wife seized a sick child, put it down cellar, shut the trap-door upon it, and then placed herself at the door to prevent the Indians from bursting in. They shot her through the door, entered and plundered the house of what they could carry off; but after their departure, the child was found safe and uninjured in the cellar. In the same place, several were taken captive, one of whom, a young man by the name of Klein, was carried to Canada, and after the peace was brought home by his father, who went thither to recover him. Mr. Lash, who was hauling wood with a horse and car, a little below the head of the tide, not far from where the late Dr. Brown's house now stands, was suddenly assailed by Indians who attempted to take him prisoner. He seized and held two of them, till a third shot him dead. Another assault was made, about sunset, lower down the river, when Loring Sides was killed, and others with difficulty escaped. A while after, Hermon Kuhn and Henry Demuth,
* Mrs. S. Fuller, who adds that Mrs. G. was going to N. H. to spend the winter with a relative, in expectation of confinement; but in consequence of the excitement of that night and the birth of a stillborn infant before morning, relinquished the design and returned in safety.
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being at work near the river, were fired upon and killed, the latter at the first fire, and the former as he was pushing off his float, in order to escape by flight. Their neighbors on that side, then moved over to the Dutch Neck for greater security. Even at this place, Jacob Sechrist, Mr. Burns and others, were fired upon when at work in the woods. Sechrist was killed ; the rest ran for their canoe and succeeded in getting from the shore, having seen five Indians .*
To these traditionary facts we add the following journal found in the Secretary's office, Boston, without a signature, but supposed to be that of Capt. Matthias Remilly, who com- manded the company of rangers at Broad Bay. "May 31, 1757. Marched with 25 men from the mill garrison about 3 miles E. N. E. across the meadows, and then struck down south betwixt our meadows and St. George's ponds, and re- turned through the woods in sight of the clear. Met 3 times with Indian tracks, but it being so dry, could make no dis- covery of their number. June Ist. A man and a woman on the western side of Madamuck Falls were surprised by something making a noise along the brush of the woods, and the dog going upon it, I went immediately with 12 men in search, but could make no discovery. 3d. Marched with 18 men down the lower part of the bay to look after some cattle for the inhabitants. At return at the lower garrison met with George's and Frankforth companies both bound to Frankforth, they staid that night at the mill garrison and went on their march in the morning. 4th. About 10 o'clock went with 18 men to the middle garrison and left 4 men for a guard to a settler who was making fence close to the woods. At the E. side of the river the watch was surprised by a noise in the woods, hearing the dry sticks break ; at 1 o'clock the men received allowance and when they was parted, 3 women and a man went to their lots above the falls joining one another, the first, being about 70 rod off the mill garrison, by the dog making a dirrible [ter- rible] noise, discovered an Indian behind the fence in gun- shot of her. She took to ber heels, screaming to the other at the next house, which immediately shut her door and crept into the cellar, and, as there was in the cellar an air hole, she saw the Indians, which being 4 in number, running over the brook (which runs along her lot to Mado- mack river) and taking a short round to the common pad [path] and so down to the shoar, where they stood in a
* Jos. Ludwig, Esq. &c.
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heap, expecting the woman went along the pad, but she escaped with another by the help of a man through the water. I-heard thereof and run immediately with 15 men to the place, found the woman yet in her cellar amout death [almost dead.] She told that the Indians returned from the shoar and came to her house, she thinking that they knowed of her being in the house and came to kill her, but they took immediately the woods about 5 minutes before I was at the house to her relieve. I went immediately down to the lower garrison, as many people were out at work and, by firing an alarm with the cannons, brought them to garrison and returned along the clear. 5th. The woomans which escaped the Indians, hath [had] left some necessaries at their habitations which they could not do without; I went with 8 men to guard them. When we came to the house we espied some cattle 5 lots higher up the Madomack river upon the seed,t which we expected the Indians drove there to trap some people. I sent for more men and drove them out but made no discovery.
" June 6th. In the morning a settler hath some necessary work to do, hath a guard of 8 men, but they soon were surprised by a great breaking through the brook coming right upon them, they being too weak returned to garrison. Two men sent on board the sloops out of the upper garrison, and 4 out of the lower. In the afternoon a settler belonging to the next lot of [from] the garrison hath some fence to make, hath 7 men for a guard ; 3 of the working men went to a brook about 40 rods distance to get water, they were immediately surprised by something creeping over the brook about 60 yards off them in the woods, which at first they thought to be a dog, but soon espied two Indians, one in a new, the other in an old blanket, a creeping towards them, then the one Indian hawled the other by the blanket, showing him with his finger the tree [three] people. One of our men hath no gun with him, the other being loaded, so they hastened to the guard and returned home, as they were too weak to follow the enemy, as the rest of the men were at the lower garrison and guarding the sloops.
" June 7th. It hath rained, so could not march, but had guards on board the coasters ; about one o'clock George's Company returned and brought an account of 30 canoes being landed at the Olds [Owl's] Head, and 2 Indians being
+ Probably grain sown.
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killed and scalped by Capt. Cox. About 3 o'clock arrived Capt. Kent with the Province stores which were landed that night.
" 8th. Marched with 14 men S. E. and took around to the lower garrison where I took the rest of the men and stood guard for the people to haul out the wood for Capt. Kent. About one o'clock a gun was fired at N. E. the back of me about 1-2 mile distance, but, as I could not leave the people who a hauling, could not go after it. About 4 o'clock the account was brought to me that a wooman were killed at the eastern side of the narrows, and, as it was about 8 mile to walk by land so that I should not have come there before night, took a sloop's boat and some canoes and went with 20 men there, where we found the corpse of the man up at the edge of the woods, and the wooman at the house, shot, scalped, stabbed, and mangelt [mangled] in a cruel and barbarous manner; the ax was laying by the man and the Indian hatchet was left in the wooman's skull. There hath been 5 guns in the house, two of them they took, also a cutlass. They hath stripped the man and took the money, clothing, and some meal, the chest they broke up and took what they liked ; the rest laid about the floor ; they took no ammunition tho' there was a good deal in the house. The accident happened thus. The man and his wife and son went in the morning to their house; the man went in the field, the wife and son (who was sick) were in the house ; an Indian came in the house and set his gun to the son's breast which missed fire ; the wooman took the Indian and throwed him out of doors and shut the door ; the Indian shot through a crack and killed the wooman ; the son creapt into the cellar, where he laid 3 hours before he got to his neigh- bors. We buried the man and wooman and returned home. 9th. Sent a guard of 14 men to Capt. Kent. All the night before the enemy has been about the garrison mocking the watch, the dogs making a great noise."*
In August Thomas Pownal, appointed Governor of Massa- chusetts, arrived and entered upon the duties of his office. About this time Capt. Bradbury and Lieut. Fletcher resigned the command of the fort at St. George's river. John North, one of the first Irish settlers upon the river, succeeded as Captain, and John McKechenie as Lieutenant. Bradbury and Fletcher had been liberal in their censures of James Cargill's bloody affair with the Indians; and the latter, after his dis-
Mass. Arc. vol. 38, A. p. 254.
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charge and receipt of £600 as a premium for his exploit, charged them with treasonable practices, in trading with the Indians clandestinely in time of war, and giving them intelli- gence inconsistent with the duty of officers. In the tedious investigation of the charges before the two houses of the Legislature, there were many witnesses examined from St. George's and other eastern stations ; but the decision excul- pated the respondents, and the public confidence in the man- agement of the eastern garrisons was greatly strengthened .*
Capt. Bradbury was a man of agreeable manners and per- sonal popularity. With the Indians he was a favorite, and no man could have done more in carrying out the views of government in securing their friendship. That he did not escape censure from the ignorant and irritated, thirsting for Indian blood, is not to be wondered at; war is in itself so criminal, and, to be successfully carried on, rouses so many of the worst passions of our nature, that it is not always easy to allay or direct the storm it has been found expedient to raise. All men can feel resentment and enjoy revenge ; few, comparatively, can judge of political, or appreciate humane, motives. Hence the wisest measures are liable to be misun- derstood, and the ablest conduct exposed to censure. After his retirement he spent the remainder of his life at Newbury- port, where he died, as is believed, about the close of the century, in possession of some wealth. He was never mar- ried, and his property went to the children of his brothers, of whom one or more were settled at Falmouth. Whilst in command at St. George's, two of his nieces on a visit there, became acquainted with two young men then in the garrison, and were married, one to John Boggs and the other to John Kirkpatrick, whose posterity are numerous in the town of Warren.t
* Jour. House Rep. 2 Will. His. p. 328.
+ T. Kirkpatrick.
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CHAPTER VII.
FROM 1758 TO 1770 ; CONCLUSION OF THE WAR, AND PROGRESS OF
SETTLEMENT.
1758. IN 1758 the British, under the immortal Chatham, began to put forth all their energy in the war. Several expe- ditions were planned ; and, among others, that against Louis- burg (which place had been restored to the French at the late peace,) was entered into with spirit by the people of Maine and Massachusetts. In the mean time the eastern garrisons were not neglected ; 35 men were continued in St. George's fort, 6 at Burton's block-house, 6 at Henderson's gar- rison at Pleasant Point, 10 at Medumcook, and 17 at Broad Bay. Those at Henderson's were, Dunbar Henderson, Ser- geant, at &£1 10s. per month, James Parsons, Lawrence Parsons, Alexander Hawthorn, Andrew Bird and Richard Furness, centinels, at 24s. each, per month. Those at Bur- ton's were Benjamin Burton, Sergeant, at £1 10s. ; Thomas Carney, Christian Power, Joseph Andrews, John Burton, Cor- nelius Thornton, and John Green, centinels, at 24s. per month .*
A communication was received at Boston in August from Brig. Gen. Monkton stationed in Nova Scotia, which stated that a body of Frenchmen in conjunction with the Indians on the rivers St. John, Penobscot, and probably Passamaquoddy, were meditating an attempt upon the fort at St. George's, and the destruction of all the settlements in that vicinity. Imme- diately Gov. Pownal collected such a military force, as was at command, and embarked with them on board the King George and the sloop Massachusetts. Arriving, he threw these auxil- iaries, with some additional warlike stores, into the fort at a most fortunate juncture ; for within 36 hours after his depar- ture, the fort was actually assailed by a body of 400 French and Indians. But so well prepared was the garrison to re- ceive them, that they were unable to make the least impres- sion. Nor did any representations of their numbers, nor any threats, communicated to the fort by a captive woman whom they purposely permitted to escape thither, occasion the least alarm. Despairing of any thing farther, the besiegers gave vent to their rage by killing the neighboring cattle, about 60
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