USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Hudson > History of Hudson, N.H., formerly a part of Dunstable, Mass., 1673-1733, Nottingham, Mass., 1733-1741, District of Nottingham, 1741-1746, Nottingham West, N.H., 1746-1830, Hudson, N.H., 1830-1912 > Part 5
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58
HISTORY OF HUDSON
Jr., was one of the two Dunstable men said to have been wounded.
It is stated on good authority that during these trou- blesome times Robert Parris, his wife and one daughter were killed by the Indians, and that two daughters escaped, one of whom married a Richardson and the other became the wife of John Goffe, and was the mother of Col. John Goffe, a conspicuous character in the annals of New Hamp- shire. It is well known that John Goffe, generally distin- guished as Esquire Goffe, married Hannah Parris, some- times written Parish. Fox, in his History of Dunstable, says that the massacre of the Parris family occurred some- time in 1703, but Col. John Goffe was born in 1701, which leads to the presumption that the Parris massacre was at an earlier date than that given by Mr. Fox.
The statement that John Lovewell lived to the great age of 120 years has repeatedly appeared in print. It is one of those peculiar traditions that the curious seize upon without investigation. It is admitted that he died about 1752, and it is equally certain that his age did not exceed 102 years.
From this deposition of the Lovewells we learn that from 1696 to 1725, inclusive, the number of persons killed by the Indians was thirty-three; wounded, five ; made cap- tives, eleven ; with one either killed or carried away a captive. This made a total of fifty, all inhabitants of the little settlement of Dunstable. Fox produces evidence to show that in twenty years the population decreased fully one-half, notwithstanding the additions that were made. The Dunstable settlement extended to the east side of the Merrimack River, now Hudson, probably not earlier, but soon after the close of Queen Anne's War in 1713.
Referring to the loss of lives among the colonists, it was estimated that from 1675 to 1714 the provinces of Massachusetts and New Hampshire lost six thousand (6000) young men and male children, including those who were killed and those who were made captives without ever being
59
DUNSTABLE IN THE INDIAN WARS
recovered. Add to this the loss of men, women and chil- dren that occurred during the nearly half a century of In- dian warfare that followed, and, considering the number of inhabitants, we have an appalling number.
CHAPTER V
LOVEWELL'S MEN
This war, after having continued for nearly three years, was brought to a close by the bloody battle at Pequawket, May 8, 1725. The leaders in this sanguinary struggle were the brave Capt. John Lovewell and his intrepid men, and Chief Paugus and his band of warriors, equally as brave and fearless. This was one of the fiercest and most fatal to both sides, of all the battles fought on the old New England frontier. It was also the end of a succession of wars, which, with a few cessations, had existed for fifty years. Judge Potter, in his History of Manchester, gives the following account of this expedition and its results :
"The expedition started about the 16th of April, 1725, answering to the 27th of April, New Style. When out but a short time, Toby, a friendly Indian attached to the expe- dition, becoming lame was sent back, with great reluctance on his part.
" At Contoocook, William Cummings of Dunstable, became so lame in consequence of a wound received from the enemy sometime previous, that he was obliged to re- turn home, a kinsman, possibly Josiah Cummings, return- ing with him to assist him on his way.
"They then marched without any unusual incident to Ossipee, where one of their number, Benjamin Kidder, of Nutfield, now Londonderry, being sick, they built a small fort, as a place of refuge in case of mishap. While the fort was building a portion of the men were kept out on scout duty, and discovered the tracks of Indians.
" After a tarry of two or three days, leaving the sick man, the doctor to take charge of him, and Sergeant Na- thaniel Woods of Dunstable, with seven men to hold the fort, Lovewell and his men, now reduced in number to
60
61
LOVEWELL'S MEN
thirty-four, boldly marched for Pequauquauke, distant some twenty miles.
" The names of these thirty-four men were :
Asten, Abiel,
Haverhill
Ayer, Ebenezer,
Haverhill
Barron, Elias,
Groton
Chamberlain, John,
Groton
Davis, Eleazer,
Concord
Davis, Josiah,
Concord
Farrah, Jacob,
Concord
Farrah, Joseph,
Concord
Farwell, Josiah, Lieut.,
Dunstable
Frye, Jonathan, Chap.,
Andover
Fullam, Jacob, Serg.,
Weston
Gilson, Joseph,
Groton
Harwood, Jno., Ensign,
Dunstable
Hassel, Benjamin, Corporal,
Dunstable
Jefts, John,
Groton
Johnson, Ichabod,
Woburn
Johnson, Josiah,
Woburn
Johnson, Noah, Serg.,
Dunstable
Jones, Josiah,
Concord
Kies, Solomon,
Billerica
Kittredge, Jonathan,
Billerica
Lakin, Isaac, Groton
Lingfield, Edward, Corp., Nutfield
Lovewell, John, Capt.,
Dunstable
Melvin, Daniel,
Concord
Melvin, Eleazer,
Concord
Robbins, Jona., Ensign,
Dunstable
Richardson, Thomas, Corp.,
Woburn
Richardson, Timothy,
Woburn
Usher, Robert,
Dunstable
Whiting, Samuel,
Dunstable
Woods, Daniel,
Groton
Woods, Thomas, Ensign,
Groton
Wyman, Seth,
Woburn
62
HISTORY OF HUDSON
"The company continued their march in a northerly direction, with great caution, fancying they had been dis- covered by the Indians.
"On Friday, the 7th of May, they heard a gun as they approached the Saco, but coming to the river, they met with no Indians, although they discovered their tracks. They struck the Saco, probably in the eastern part of Con- way. Taking an easterly course they passed upon the high ground down the Saco, and diverging south, struck the basin of Pequauquauke south of what is now called Stark's hill. Here they had a full view of the basin and of Saco pond, just at their feet.
"This was near night, and they cautiously descended the hill and encamped upon the shore of the pond. In the night the sentinels thought they heard the noise of In- dians about the encampment, and alarmed their compan- ions, but it was very dark and they could make no further discovery.
"It was probably the noise of some wild animal, a moose perhaps, as they were near the spot where these animals usually took to the water. This incident confirmed their suspicions that the Indians were dogging them, and these suspicions led to a fatal error, as the sequel will show.
"On the next day, May 8th, (May 19, New Style), about ten o'clock in the morning, while at prayers, they heard a gun across the pond, and Captain Lovewell dis- covered a solitary Indian upon a stony point of land run- ning out into the pond from the east. This Indian was hunting ducks. It is possible he might have gone from the village duck-hunting, but it is quite as probable that he was one of a scout of Indians that had been down the Saco, and had been sent forward at this point to get a shot at ducks in sight. Be this as it may, Lovewell and his men, supposing they had been discovered the night previ- ous and before, at once suspected that he was sent out as a decoy, and popular tradition has kept up the suspicion, as the point on which the Indian stood is called 'Decoy Point ' to this day.
63
LOVEWELL'S MEN
" They accordingly held a consultation to determine whether they would proceed to attack the enemy, which they supposed was in waiting for them on the north shore of the pond, or whether they should retreat. The question being put, the men boldly answered, says Rev. Mr. Symmes, ' We came to see the enemy ; we have all along prayed God we might find them ; and we had rather trust Providence with our lives, yes, die for our country, than try to return without seeing them, if we might, and be called cowards for our pains.'
"It was determined unanimously to fight, and they commenced preparations in earnest. In order to be entire- ly disencumbered, Lovewell ordered his men to leave their packs behind, but without a guard. The spot where they left their packs was some thirty rods west of the little brook that enters into the pond southeast of the present village of Fryeburg, Me.
" Lovewell then led on his men cautiously towards the Indian, who was seen upon the point, a distance of about a mile and a half, principally, for the first half of the way, through a pitch pine wood, clear of underbrush, and the brakes but just started. The Indian got within four or six rods before they discovered him, having two guns and a brace of ducks in his hands.
" Upon discovering him Lovewell and his men squat- ted upon the ground; but as they did so, the Indian dis- covered them, and dropping his extra gun and his game, he quickly fired upon them and with fatal effect, for his gun being charged with large shot, he wounded Captain Love- well and Mr. Whiting, the former severely. Ensign Wy- man then fired upon the Indian and killed him, and Mr. Frye, the chaplain, and another scalped him.
" Tradition says that young Frye fired at the Indian and missed him, and that his misfire made him the more zealous to get his scalp. Meantime a scout of Indians, some forty in number, under Paugus and Wahowah, com- ing up the pond from a scout down the Saco, crossed the
64
HISTORY OF HUDSON
trail of Lovewell's men, and following it, discovered their packs, and finding their number less than their own, they at once determined to attack them. Accordingly, secur- ing their packs, they proceeded to the brook before de- scribed, and under its banks, formed an ambuscade for Love- well and his party.
"Passing east from this brook, you immediately come upon the highest part of the pitch pine plain, lying north of the pond. This part of the plain terminates at the pond, in a ridge or bold shore, against which are piled up boulders of rock, evidently the effect of ice. East of this point of rocks is a ridge of sand, extending parallel to the water, some fifty or sixty rods to another brook, emptying into the pond from the northeast, and now known as 'Fight Brook.'
"This sand ridge was from four to six rods wide, hav- ing upon it some scattered pines, and limited on the north the most of its length by a swamp, extending west from the aforesaid brook, and which, in the spring, is filled with water, forming of this sand ridge a long, narrow peninsula, only accessible from the plain at its western extremity, in the vicinity of the aforesaid point of rocks.
"Lovewell and his men were leisurely returning upon their trail, and probably with less caution than usual, as they had not found the enemy they went out to meet, when coming to the bank of the little brook before named, the Indians rose from their ambush and fired upon them in front and rear, rushing upon them with shouts of defiance.
" Captain Lovewell was killed at the first shot, and our men were struck with surprise at the suddenness of the attack. But they immediately returned the fire with dead- ly effect, killing nine of the enemy upon the spot. The company then dispersed, each one getting behind a tree and firing upon the enemy as he got a chance. The firing continued brisk, but soon Captain Lovewell and eight others being killed, and Lieutenant Farwell and two others being wounded, and the Indians attempting to surround
65
LOVEWELL'S MEN
them, the party determined to retreat to the shore of the pond, hoping to be sheltered by the point of rocks that ran into the pond.
" Here, behind this 'ridge of land ' and barrier of rocks, they continued the fight to advantage, gradually extending themselves across upon the sand before described, and protecting themselves behind the scattered pines. Here was an excellent position for an attack, but a very bad one for a siege, and had the Indians known their advantage,
they could easily have destroyed the whole company.
If,
instead of immediate attack, they had quietly seated them- selves at the only approach to the peninsula, hunger would have done its work, and not a man of Lovewell's gallant band could have escaped. But the Indians could not brook delay, and confident of success from superior numbers, they continued the attack, firing at any one of the little band who happened to expose a part of his body.
"Under the direction of Ensign Wyman, the firing was kept up with spirit on the part of our men, and with decided effect. The Indians kept up a continual shout, at one time howling like wolves, and again barking like dogs, or mimicking other wild beasts. And the English were nothing loth in this kind of defiance, but returned their howling with shouts and huzzas.
"Towards the mid-afternoon the Indians ceased firing, and drew off among the pines, at a little distance, to pow- wow over their success. They had got earnestly engaged in the ceremony, when the intrepid Wyman crept up be- hind the rocks and trees, and firing upon the principal actor killing him on the spot. This man may have been Waho- wah, as we hear nothing of him afterwards.
"Be this as it may, the fight was resumed with great ferocity, under the immediate direction of Paugus. Ensign Wyman continued to cheer on his men, and they fought with all their skill and energy of desperation, but with terrify- ing disadvantage, as the Indians were near twice their number, and had them completely at their will. To add to
66
HISTORY OF HUDSON
their misfortune, their chaplain, Jonathan Frye, about this time fell mortally wounded, as also Lieutenant Jonathan Robbins, who had been wounded at the first fire, and Jacob Farrar.
" Young Frye, though unable to stand, continued to pray audibly for the success of his companions, at inter- vals, during the remainder of the fight. Thus disheartened, the firing on their part became less brisk; and the Indians, confident of their success, came forward, and holding up a rope, to show that they had them in their power and ready to be bound, offered them quarter.
"The intrepid Wyman replied that 'they would have no quarter but what they won at the point of their mus- kets.' The fight was then renewed, and towards night the enemy succeded in getting upon the peninsula or beach, some of them at least. Among this number was Paugus, their chief, who took refuge behind a pine within talking distance of John Chamberlain, one of the best shots in Lovewell's party.
"They looked at each other from behind the trees, each endeavoring to detect an exposed part in the person of the other, and at length each one thinking he had the other at an advantage, aimed his musket to fire; each gun flashed in the pan ; and their attempts were in vain !
"Their guns had become foul from frequent firing during the day, and were useless. In this dilemma, these bold men, who were acquainted with each other, agreed to go down to the water side, and cleanse their guns, and then take their places and renew the fight. No sooner said than done, and they deliberately went down to the water and commenced washing their guns, the warriors on both sides understanding their motives and leaving them to themselves !
"In cleansing their guns and charging them, Paugus got the advantage ; his ball was so small as to roll down his barrel, while Chamberlain had to force his down with his rod. Paugus, seeing his advantage, quickly said, ' Me kill you !' and took up his gun to prime.
67
LOVEWELL'S MEN
" Chamberlain threw down his rod, and bringing the breech of his gun a smart blow upon the hard sand, brought it to his face and fired !
" Paugus fell pierced through the heart !
" Chamberlain's gun being worn from long use primed itself; and the knowledge of this saved the bold hunter's life. *
" After the death of Paugus, their chief, the Indians gradually ceased firing, and soon after sunset drew off into the woods, leaving the field to our men, who remained quiet
* In embodying Judge Potter's account of Lovewell's fight, I have asked Mr. Webster's permission to add a few words of contradiction to the description of the fate of the Sokokis chief, Paugus, though the story as given has been accepted by several writers, among them Fox, Bouton, Sanborn, Potter, and others. This version of the incident seems to have orig- inated with a very unreliable person named Elijah Russell, seventy-four years after the bat- tle, and a long time after Chamberlain's death. Fox evidently supposed it to be a true ac- count, and singularly enough as careful a historian as the Rev. Nathaniel Bouton, in reprint- ing Rev. Thomas Symmes' sermon upon the attair, took the Russell fabrication instead of the original by the Bradford minister, who made no mention of the Chamberlain-Paugus duel. None of the early writers credit Chamberlain with the deed, as witness four lines from one of the ballads written soon after the event:
" And yet our valiant Englishmen in fight were ne'er dismayed, But still they kept their motion, and Wyman Captain made.
" Who shot the old Chief Paugus, which did the foe defeat, And set his men in order, and brought off the retreat?"
Hill in his "Reminiscences of Old Dunstable," after reviewing several versions of the incident, says flatly, " The utter absurdity of the story is apparent from the fact that never before has it been known that in the midst of deadly battle, the combatants by mutual agree- ment have ceased to fight in order to go and wash out their guns, and the additional fact that their guns having flashed in the pan, there must have remained full charges of powder and ball in the barrels, which must be drawn before the washing could be done, and the ex- treme improbability that either or both of them had, in pocket or pouch, the apparatus need- ed for this operation; and the further fact, that after their guns had been washed they must be carefully wiped and dried before they could be in use again, a process requiring time that could ill be spared in the midst of such a warm and deadly contest, for the Cromwellian maxim ' to trust in God and keep your powder dry' was as imperative in an Indian fight as in more civilized warfare."
The Rev. Mr. Allen in his centennial address given at Merrimack in 1846, says that John Chamberlain, of Lovewell's expedition, settled in that town, and built a sawmill on the Sou- hegan. There is a stirring legend told of an Indian, a son of Paugus, who sought to surprise the slayer of his father and avenge his death. But the doughty millman was too cunning for his foe, who fell by his unerring musket. As matters of fact this Chamberlain was not the John who fought with Lovewell, but a cousin, who married a daughter of Josiah Farwell, the only survivor of the scouting party killed by the Indians near Thornton's Ferry; the In- dians had ceased their predatory warfare in this vicinity; while the only son of Paugus known to have escaped the Pequaket slaughter was Philip, a trusted comrade of John Stark during the Seven Years War, and a patriotic soldier in the American Revolution .- G. W. Browne.
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HISTORY OF HUDSON
for some time, fearing their return, or that they were lying in wait for them. It was supposed and confirmed by reports afterwards, that the Indians' loss, in killed and wounded, included the entire party, except about twenty. About midnight our men, hearing no more from the Indians, as- sembled together and inquired into their respective situa- tions.
" It was found that there were twenty-three men upon the peninsula, of whom Jacob Farrar was just 'expiring by the pond,' and Lieutenant Robbins and Robert Usher were unable to travel.
"The Rev. Mr. Symmes says :
""'Lieut. Robbins desired his companions to charge his gun and leave it with him, which they did; he declaring that, 'As the Indians will come in the morning to scalp me, I will kill one or more of them, if I can.'"
"There were eleven more of the English who were badly wounded, viz .: Lieutenant Farwell, Mr. Frye, Ser- geant Johnson, Timothy Richardson, Josiah Johnson, Sam- uel Whiting, Elias Barron, John Chamberlain, Isaac Lakin, Eleazer Davis, and Josiah Jones; but they, however, marched off the ground with the nine others who received no con- siderable wounds, viz .: Ensign Wyman, Edward Ling- field, Thomas Richardson, the two Melvins, Ebenezer Ayre, Abial Asten, Joseph Farrar and Joseph Gilson.
"These all proceeded on their return to the fort, and did not perceive that they were waylaid or pursued by the enemy, though they knew our men had no provisions, and must, therefore, be very faint. Four of the wounded men, viz .: Farwell, Frye, Davis and Jones, after they had trav- elled about a mile and a half, found themselves unable to go further, and with their own free consent, the rest kept on the march, hoping to find a recruit at the fort, and to re- turn with fresh hands to relieve them.
" As they proceeded on, they divided into three com- panies one morning, as they were passing a thick wood, for fear of making a track by which the enemy might follow
69
LOVEWELL'S MEN
them. One of the companies came upon three Indians, who pursued them some time; meanwhile Elias Barron, one of the party, strayed from the others, and got over Os- sipee River, by the side of which his gun case was found, and he was not heard of afterwards.
"Eleven in another party reached the fort at Ossipee, but to their great disappointment found it deserted. The coward who fled in the beginning of the battle ran directly to the fort and gave the men posted there such a frightful account of what had happened that they all fled from the fort and made the best of their way home.
"Solomon Keyes also came to the fort. When he had fought the battle till he had received three wounds, and had become so weak from the loss of blood that he could not stand, he crawled up to Ensign Wyman in the heat of battle, and told him he was a dead man, 'but (said he), if it is possible I will get out of the way of the Indians that they may not get my scalp.' Keyes then crept to the side of the pond to where he providentially found a canoe, when he rolled himself into it, and was driven by the wind several miles towards the fort; he gained strength fast and reached the fort as soon as the eleven before mentioned; and they all arrived at Dunstable on the 13th of May at night.
" On the 15th of May, Ensign Wyman and three others arrived at Dunstable. They informed that they were desti- tute of all kinds of food from a Saturday morning till the Wednesday following ; when they caught two mouse squir- rels, which they roasted whole, and found to be a sweet morsel. They afterwards killed some partridges, and other game, and were comfortably supplied until they got home.
" Eleazer Davis arrived at Berwick, and reported that he and the three that were left with him, waited some days for the return of the men from the fort, and at length despairing of their return, though their wounds were putri- fied and stank, and they were almost dead with famine, yet they travelled on several miles together, till Mr. Fryetde-
70
HISTORY OF HUDSON
sired Davis and Farwell not to hinder themselves any longer on his account, for he found himself dying, and he laid himself down, telling them he should never rise more, and charged Davis, if it should please God to bring him home, to go to his father and tell him that he expected in a few hours to be in eternity, and that he was not afraid to die. They left, and this amiable and promising young gentleman, who had a journal of the march in his pocket, was not heard of again.
" Lieutenant Farwell, who was greatly and no doubt deservedly applauded and lamented, was also left by Davis within a few miles of the fort, and was not afterwards heard of. But Davis getting to the fort, and finding provisions there, tarried and refreshed himself, and recovered strength to travel to Berwick.
"Josiah Jones, another of the four wounded who were left the day after the fight but a short distance from the scene of action, traversed Saco River, and after a fatiguing ramble arrived at Saco (now Biddeford) emaciated and al- most dead from the loss of blood, the putrification of his wounds and the want of food. He had subsisted on the spontaneous vegetables of the forest and cranberries, etc., which he had eaten. He was kindly treated by the people of Saco, and recovered of his wounds.
" Lieutenant Josiah Farwell of Dunstable and Elias Barron of Groton were wounded and died by the way in attempting to reach home.
"The soldier who fled from the battlefield so inglori- ously was Benjamin Hassel, a corporal in the company. Hassel was of Dunstable, a grandson of Joseph and Ann Hassel, who were killed by the Indians at Dunstable in September, 1691. His uncle, Richard Hassel, had also been taken prisoner by the Indians. Under such circum- stances it is not surprising that Hassel should not care to fall into the hands of the Indians, So, in the earliest of the fight, seeing Captain Lovewell fall by his side, the com- pany surrounded by the Indians, and becoming separated
71
LOVEWELL'S MEN
from his companions in the retreat to the pond, he made the best of his way to the fort, and by his imperfect and exaggerated intelligence so wrought upon the fears of the soldiers left in charge of the same that they at once deter- mined upon a retreat. This probably was an act of pru- dence under the circumstances, although, as it turned out, it was very unfortunate.
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