USA > New Hampshire > Sullivan County > Charlestown > History of Charlestown, New-Hampshire, the old No. 4 > Part 5
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By the above account, you may form some idea of the distressed cir- cumstances we were under, to have such an army of starved creatures around us, whose necessity obliged them to be the more earnest. They seemed every minute as if they were going to swallow us up ; using all the threatening language they could invent, with shouting and fir- ing, as if the heavens and the earth were coming together.
But notwithstanding all this, our courage held out to the last. We were informed by the French that came into the fort, that our captives were removed from Quebec to Montreal; which, they say, are about three hundred in number, by reason of sickness which is at Quebec, and that they were well and in good health, except three, who were left sick, and that about three captives had died who were said to be Dutch- men. They also informed us that John Norton had liberty to preach to the captives, and that they have some thousands of French and In- dians out and coming against our frontier."
This same letter, in the main, was also addressed to Col. W. Wil- liams. But in the letter to Colonel Williams, is found this passage, not contained in the one to Governor Shirley :-
" Those who were not employed in firing at the enemy were em- ployed in digging trenches under the bottom of the fort. We dug no less than eleven of them, so deep that a man could go and stand up- right on the outside and not endanger himself. So that when these trenches were finished we could wet all the outside of the fort, which we did, and kept it wet all night. We drew some hundreds of barrels of water, and to undergo all this hard service there were but thirty men."
The letter to Col. Williams also contains one other item of infor- mation, not found in that to Gov. Shirley, and that is; that the enemy " never had the courage to bring their fortification nor run over the fort but in lieu thereof, spent the night in shooting their fiery arrows, which were easily put out."
In this fight were the following persons belonging to No. 4; Cap- tain Stevens, John Hastings, Moses Wheeler and Sampson Colefax.
E. Hoyt, Esq., in his excellent "History of Indian Wars in the country bordering on the Connecticut River and Parts Adjacent,"
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says, "The bravery of Capt. Stevens in defence of the fort was not the most brilliant part of his conduct. The novel scheme he adopted in the construction of the galleries under the parapet, for ap- plying water to the exterior during the approaching flames, place it in a more elevated point of view, and demonstrate that he possessed re- sources of mind equal to a higher command." " It will not " he adds, " however, escape the observation of the military critic, that consider- ing the small foree under his command, he acted with less judgment, in admitting into his fort, the officer and his party, at the time of the cessation of hostilities, when all the purposes would have been an- swered by holding them under a guard without, and thereby have avoided a discovery of his numbers. Equally injudicious was it to risk himself in an interview with the French Commander and his fifty Indians, at a distance from the fort. Service of this nature is usually intrusted to a subordinate officer, whose loss, in case of perfidy, would not be so disastrous as that of the commander-and where was per- fidy more likely to occur than in a conference with such an enemy ?"
These criticisms would be more valuable had not the writer as- sumed, as facts on which to base them, what might not have been true ; for, because two Frenchmen and an Indian are admitted into a fort, it by no means follows, as a consequence, that they are permitted to see or know the number of the garrison ; and the probability is that they were not allowed to obtain this knowledge. Nor was it any more inju- dieious for Captain Stevens to risk himself in an interview with the French Commander with his fifty Indians at a distance of ten rods, than it was for General Debeline to meet Captain Stevens at the same distance from the fort. For at the first indication of perfidy all that the life of the French General would have been worth would not have been much. And this Stevens doubtless well understood and we can- not therefore comprehend why, under the circumstances, he did not reason correctly in arguing his personal safety.
The news of the victory of Stevens, which was despatched by ex- press to Boston, was received with the most joyful demonstrations; and very high compliments were paid him for the genius which he had discovered for resources, and for the self possession and bravery which he had shown. Commodore Knowles, who happened to be in Boston on the arrival of the news, expressed his appreciation of the genius and conduct which he had exhibited by forwarding to him an elegant sword. He was also highly commended by Governor Shirley and other distinguished personages of the time. .
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There have been conflicts on a larger scale and which, on account of the numbers engaged, as well as the results which have flowed from them, have attracted more general attention ; but if we estimate men by their individual courage and by the capacity they have shown in meeting every demand of the occasions on which they have been called to act, we well may ask in defence of what citadel, or what battle-field, has there been displayed a conduct or qualities more worthy of admi- ration ? And especially, was not this defense worthy to be held in the undying memories of those who inhabit the place so nobly de- fended ?
The mortification of Debeline, in his failure to take the fort, must have been extreme. But, though baffled in the attack on No. 4, he did not return with his forces immediately to Canada, but, dividing them into small parties, sent them out to hover around various places on the frontiers. A small number of them, very soon after, ventured to return and encamp secretly near the river at no great distance from the fort from which they had been so summarily repulsed. But Captain Stevens observing a smoke, from which he was led to think that all was not right, went out after them and they precipitately re- treated. Other parties of them hovered about Northfield, Winches- ter and Upper Ashuelot, but they had been taught too severe a lesson at No. 4 to allow them to return to its vicinity.
No. 4 was not disturbed again by any incursion of the enemy dur- ing the year 1747, but, on the 14th of November of that year, as twelve men whose term of enlistment had expired, were passing down the river on their return to Massachusetts, they were surprised and attacked by a party of Indians who killed and scalped Nathan Gould and Thomas Goodale. Oliver Avery was wounded, and John Henderson* taken prisoner. The others made their escape.
During the year 1747, the sufferings of the settlers bordering the Connecticut in New-Hampshire were severe. Many had been killed and captured, and as the war was not likely to terminate they had little reason to anticipate exemption from future depredations. Their prospects were very disheartening. Their own Province would afford them no aid, and what Massachusetts would do was uncertain. But, as they could have no expectations from any other source, applica-
* Henderson was wounded in the head and his right arm was broken. He was carried to Crown Point, and was nearly starved in going from that fortress to Canada, and was treated like a dog on the way He got back to Boston, October 5th, 1748. [Sheldon's Letter.]
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tion was again made to that State for forces* to be stationed in the river towns, and in February, 1748, the house of Representatives voted that his excellency the Captain General be directed to cause, as soon as may be, so many men to be enlisted by the encouragement voted by the court, as, with the soldiers already posted at No. 4 and at fort Massachusetts, will make the number at each one hundred effective men (officers included), and to give orders to the commanding officers in said garrisons respectively that a suitable number be constantly employed to intercept the French and Indian enemy in their marches from Wood Creek and Otter Creek to our frontiers, to continue in said service until the first day of October next; and that the com- manding officers keep fair journals of their marches from time to time and return the same to this court; and that over and above the bounty above mentioned and the pay and subsistence of the province agreeable to the last establishment there be, and hereby is granted to be paid to the officers and soldiers in equal parts, who shall be on any scouts that may kill or capture any Indian enemy, the sum of one hundred pounds ; the scalp of the Indian killed to be produced to the government as evidence thereof .; The vote was approved by the Coun- cil, and consented to by the Governor ; and the troops were accordingly raised.
On the passage of this act Capt. Phineas Stevens was again appointed to the command of the Fort at No. 4, and the garrison agreeably to the above vote was raised to one hundred effective men. Capt. Humphrey Hobbs, a person worthy to be associated with his superior officer, was ordered to the same post, and was commissioned to act as second in command.
Soon after Stevens had taken his new command, a small party of In- dians made their appearance at No. 4; of whom we have the following account in " Doolittle's Narrative :" " The snow being very deep, and our men not fearing a small party of Skulking Indians, about eight of them went out about sixty rods from No. 4 to get wood. The enemy,
* From November 10, 1747, to March 9th, 1748, Capt. Stevens had a company of sixty men at No 4. Capt. Josiah Willard Jr. had twenty-six at Upper Ashuelot. Capt. Ephraim Williams Jr. had a large company at Fort Massachusetts which had been rebuilt ; Lieut. John Catlin, had twenty nine men, at Fort Shirley and Lieut. Daniel Severance forty-two men at Coleraine. See page 244 History of Northfield.
+ Copy of the vote transmitted to the commander of the Western frontier of Massachusetts.
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about ten in number, came within thirty rods of the Fort, ran to meet our men, fired upon them, killed Charles Stevens, wounded one An- dreas, and took Eleazer Priest captive. Our men, not having snow shoes, could not run out of the path and make their escape, nor had the men in the garrison snow shoes to pursue them ; which the enemy were informed of by the French prisoner, the month before : for some of the garrison told him as he went along-" they would gladly accompany him part of the way, but they had neither Indian shoes nor snow shoes. Thus poorly have our garrisons been stored."
This took place on the 15th of March. Captain Stevens sallied out for the rescue of his men, but could do nothing under the circumstan- ces. Charles Stevens, who was killed, was not a son of Captain Phineas as some writers have asserted. Of the fate of Nathaniel Andross (writ- ten by Doolittle, Andreas) we have no information. Eleazer Priest, who was the son of Joseph Priest, of Groton, Mass., died at Louisburg, September, 1748, on his way home.
Immediately after this surprise, Captain Stevens despatched an ex- press to Fort Dummer, to warn them of the presence of Indians and of their danger.
" Great advantage having resulted, on former occasions, from scouting parties, and from watching the motions of the enemy, an expedition for this purpose was projected during the spring, by some of the ranging officers, and was soon after accomplished. Preparations having been consummated, a scout of nineteen men, under the command of Captain Eleazer Melvin, marched, on the 13th of May, from Fort Dummer. Proceeding up Connecticut River as far as No. 4, they were there join- ed by Captains Stevens and Hobbs, with a force of sixty men, and the whole party, on Sunday, the 15th, at sunset, set out from No. 4 on their hazardous enterprise. They followed the 'Indian road' along the banks of Black River, but sometimes would lose it in fording streams and in traversing the forests, where the ground was covered with a thick growth of underbrush. On reaching the main branch of Otter Creek, Capt. Melvin and his men, according to previous agreement, left the party, crossed the stream and set out for Crown Point."
"Capt. Stevens' party passed down Otter Creek, a short distance, and then struck eastward in the hope of reaching White River. After trav- cling five days along one stream, which they crossed, in one day, thirty- five times, they reached its mouth, and found it to be the 'Quarterquee- che.' Proceeding down the Connecticut, on rafts and in canoes, they
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reached No. 4 on the 30th of May, after an absence of two weeks." (B. H. Hall's Eastern Vermont.)
Capt. Stevens remained at No. 4 two days, which time was occupied in preparing paddles and setting-poles for an excursion down the river. He set out on the 2nd of June with sixty men, in six canoes, about three o'clock in the afternoon, for Fort Dummer, and got across the " Falls" about sundown, when they set out again and arrived at Fort Dummer at about two o'clock at night, where they first heard of the great disaster which had happened to the command of Capt. Melvin.
On his arrival he found a considerable number of the inhabitants of Northampton, Hadley, Hatfield, Deerfield, Northfield and Falltown al- ready assembled to give such assistance to Capt. Melvin as they could ; but on his appearance ( with his men ) conceiving that there was no de- mand for their services, they went back to their homes. Stevens, after having remained at Fort Dummer about two weeks, returned safely with his company to No. 4, with a supply of provisions.
Capt. Melvin and his party, after separating from Captains Stevens and Hobbs, having met, during the two following days, with many in- dubitable signs of the enemy, came, on the 23d, to a large camp in- closed by a thick fence, where they found about twelve pounds of good French bread and a keg, which, from appearance, had recently contain- ed wine. Having arrived opposite Crown Point on the 25th., they dis- covered two canoes, with Indians, on the lake, and, with more courage than prudence, fired upon them. The garrison at Crown Point taking the alarm, fired several guns, supposed to be four pounders, and sent out a party to intercept them. On this, Melvin and his party immediately started on their return, marching for three or four miles through what were term d drowned lands, the water being about mid-leg deep. On the 26th they saw the tracks of a hundred and fifty or two hundred of the enemy, who had evidently taken the course by which Melvin's party had reached Lake Champlain. Upon this, they took a southerly direc- tion, marching up the south branch of Otter Creek, and, on the 30th, came on a branch of West River. Provisions being very short, they began their march before sunrise on the 31st, and traveled until about half-past nine o'clock in the morning. On the banks of West River, several of the company being faint and weary, desired to stop and re- fresh themselves. Having halted, they began to take off their packs, and some had sat down, but in about half a minute after their halt- ing, the enemy arose from behind a log and several trees, at twenty feet, or thirty, at the farthest, distant, and fired at them a dozen guns or so,
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but apparently without effect, though so near. Captain Melvin then called upon his men to face the enemy, and leaping up the bank ex- horted them to follow, which several attempted but failed to accomplish " as the enemy were so thick." Melvin, on reaching the bank, discover- ing the Indians close upon him, fired, and, as he supposed, killed one, who was within a few feet of him, as he saw him fall, On this, the en- emy discharged about twenty guns, when most of Melvin's men fired in turn and immediately retreated.
In their retreat some ran up some down the river ; others crossed to the opposite side, and two or three escaped to a neighboring thicket. Being deserted by his men, Captain Melvin was left alone to defend himself. Several of the Indians attempted to strike him with their hatchets, others threw their hatchets at him, one of which, or a shot, carried away his belt and with it his bullets, all but one which he had in his pocket. He then ran down the river "two Indians following and running almost side by side with him, calling to him 'Come Captain, Now Captain,'" but upon his presenting his gun towards them, (though not charged ) they fell back a little, when he ran across the river, charg- ed his gun, moved a few steps, when one of them fired at him, which was the last gun fired. He then looked back and saw nine of the enemy scalping those that had been killed, and six or seven running across the river, and several about the bank of the river very busy, who, he appre- hended, were carrying off their dead. He then, being alone, got to the side of the hill, in sight of the place of battle, and there seated himself to look for some of his company and hear if the enemy gave any shout, as is customary with them when they get the advantage. But not hear- ing more of them nor seeing any of his company, he made the best of his way to Fort Dummer, where he arrived the next day, before noon ; one of his men having reached the fort about an hour before him. Eleven more arrived in a few hours, though in several companies.
In this fight Captain Melvin lost six ( of his men :) Sergeants, John Heywood and Isaac Taylor, and Privates, John Dodd, Daniel Mann and Samuel Severance were killed outright. Joseph Petty was wounded and his comrades being unable to take him with them in their flight, left him in a hut, made with boughs, situated near a spring. Before depart- ing they placed beside him a pint cup filled with water and told him " to live if he could " until they should return with assistance. On the 2nd, Captain Melvin left Fort Dummer for the place where the fight had oc- curred. Great search was made for Petty but he was no where to be found. After having buried the dead, above named, with the exception
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of Samuel Severence, whose body was not discovered until some time after, the party returned to Fort Dummer, having been absent about three days. On the 6th, Lieutenants Alexander and Hunt, with a large force, went again to search for Petty. In one report it is stated that he was found dead ; in another that his body was never recovered. From the secrecy used in concealing the bodies of their companions, it was im- possible to determine the loss of the enemy. ( B. H. Hall.)
The exact spot where the fight occurred is a matter of conjecture. Shattuck, in his History of Concord, Massachusetts, to which place Captain Melvin belonged, places it at the head of West River, thirty- five miles from Northfield. Others state it to have been thirty-three miles from Fort Dummer. But neither of these statements afford any exact information in relation to its locality ; they may suggest a probability but nothing more.
Belknap and other historians endorse the statement, that Melvin, on halting at West River, very imprudently permitted his men to divert themselves in shooting salmon, then passing up the shoals ; and that the enemy in close pursuit, though unknown to Melvin, attracted by the re- port of the guns, pressed on to the spot and surprised his company, and scattered it in all directions, as has been narrated. But this is wholly inconsistent with the statement made by Melvin in his journal, unless a half minute be considered a sufficient time for diversion, for that, accord- ing to his testimony, is all the time that elapsed between his halting and being fired upon. Either, then, his journal must have been prepared with the special purpose of covering up a great delinquency, or this state- ment is without a truthful foundation. He was an old soldier, who had fought the Indians at Pequauket, and the French at Louisburg, and had served his country faithfully in other positions, and this being the case, it ought hardly to be deemed fitting that his fame should be tar- nished by a doubtful story.
In the next month, No. 4, in common with other places on the west- ern frontier, experienced a great loss in the death of Colonel Stoddard, whose services, as Superintendent of Defense, had been characterized by such promptness and energy and wisdom and prudence, as to render them of great value. He died at Boston, on the 19th of June, while in attendance upon the General Court. He was succeeded by Colonel Is- rael Williams, who had acted as Commissary under him, while Major Elijah Williams was appointed to the Commissary Department.
Colonel Williams was of Hatfield, Massachusetts, and was Proprietors' Clerk of No. 4, from November, 1739 to Angust, 1742. Though he
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possessed few of the accomplishments of his predecessor, he was still em- inently fitted for the station to which he had been appointed; and on entering upon his duties, very promptly and energetically began to take such measures as the defense of the frontiers required. Regarding scouting parties, in the circumstances of the situation, as of great advan- tage, especially when under the conduct of brave and cautious officers, one of his first acts was to send out Captain Humphrey Hobbs, second in command to Captain Phineas Stevens, at No. 4, with forty men, through the wilderness to Fort Shirley, in Heath, which was one of the forts of the Massachusetts cordon.
Captain Hobbs started out from No. 4, on the 24th of June. During the first two days of his march, he met with no interruptions, except such as were occasioned by the natural difficulties of the way. On the 26th, it being Sunday, after travelling a little distance, he halted at a place about twelve miles north-west of Fort Dummer, in the precincts of what is now the town of Marlborough, to afford his company an opportunity to refresh themselves; and though he did not dream that he was pur- sued, or that the enemy was anywhere near, he still posted a guard on his trail, like a true officer, as carefully and circumspectly as if danger had been apprehended. The party then took possession of a low piece of ground, covered with alders intermingled with large trees, through which flowed a rivulet, and without any anticipation of being disturbed, had begun regaling themselves at their packs. But, as was too fre- quently the case in those times, danger was nigh, though they had no apprehension of it; for a large body of Indians had discovered their trail and made a rapid march for the purpose of cutting them off. Sack- ett, their Chief, (reputed to be a half-blood,) was not only a courageous and resolute fellow, but was distinguished for a sagacity that rendered him no common antagonist.
Apparently certain of victory, on account of his numbers, which fore- stalled the necessity of a wily approach, he dashed down upon the trail of Hobbs, driving in the guards which he had posted in his rear, and instantly commenced an attack upon his main force with all the yells and demonstrations of a savage warfare. Hobbs, though taken by sur- prise, was not in the least deprived of his self possession. An old Indian fighter as he was, whose men were under a perfect discipline, it took but a moment to form them for action, and but a moment more elapsed before each, by the advice of his commander, had selected the cover of a large tree, and stood ready to repel any assault of their on-coming foc.
Confident of success, on account of the superiority of their numbers,
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which were more than four to one, to the force under Hobbs, the enemy, without seeking cover, rushed forward with terrible shouts, as if they had determined at the outset to bear down all resistance; but, being met by a well directed fire, by which several of their number were killed, their impetuosity received such a check as to cause them to retreat for shelter behind the trees and brush. The conflict which then followed between the parties, in which the sharp-shooters bore a prominent part, was of the most exciting nature.
The two commanders had been known to each other in time of peace, and were both distinguished for their intrepidity. Saekett, who could speak English, frequently called upon Hobbs, in tones that made the for- est ring, to surrender ; and with threats in case of refusal that he would annihilate his force with the tomahawk. Hobbs, with a voice equally loud and defiant, challenged him to come on and put his menace, if he dared, into execution. The action continued for four hours, Hobbs and his force displaying throughout, the most consummate skill and prudence, and neither side withdrawing an inch from its original position. The Indians, during the fight, not unfrequently approached the line of their adversaries, but were as often driven back to their cover ; the fire of the sharp-sighted marksmen opposed to them, being more than they could endure. Thus the conflict continued, till, finding that his own men had suffered severely in the struggle, and that the resistance of Hobbs and his men was not likely to be overcome, Sackett retired and left them the masters of a well fought field. *
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