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INDIAN WARS.

THE following account of the principal events during the wars with the Indians in New England, previous to the year 1677, is copied almost entirely from "A Narrative of the Indian Wars in New England," "by William Hubbard, A. M., minister of Ipswich." Mr. Hubbard's Narrative was published in 1677, under the supervision and approbation of an intelligent committee appointed for this purpose, by the governor and council of Massachusetts colony.

"There was a nation of the Indians in the southern parts of New England, called Pequods, seated on a fair navigable river, twelve miles to the eastward of the mouth of the great and famous river of Connecticut; who (as was commonly reported about the time when New England was first planted by the English) being a more fierce, cruel, and warlike people than the rest of the Indians, came down out of the more inland parts of the continent, and by force seized upon one of the goodliest places near the sea, and became a terror to all their neighbors, on whom they had exercised several acts of inhuman cruelty; insomuch that being flushed with victories over their fellow Indians, they began to thirst after the blood of any foreigners, English or Dutch, that accidentally came amongst them, in a way of trade, or upon other

accounts.

In the year 1634, they treacherously and cruelly murdered Capt. Stone and Capt. Norton, who came occasionally, with a bark into the river to trade with them. Not long after, within the compass of the next year, they in like treacherous manner, slew one Mr. Oldham (formerly belonging to new Plymouth, but at that time an inhabitants of Massachusetts) at Block Island, a place not far from the mouth of their harbor, as he was fairly trading with them: besides some other such like acts of pertid ious cruelty towards some of the Dutch, that had formerly been trading up Connecticut river.”

Murder of J. Oldham in 1636. "John Gallop, with one man more, and two boys, coming from Conn., and intending to put in at Long Island, as he came from thence, being at the mouth of the harbor was forced by a sudden change of the wind to bear up for Block Island or Fisher's Island, where, as they were sailing along, they met with a Pinace, which they found to be J. Oldham's, who had been sent to trade with the Pequods, (to make trial of the reality of

their pretended friendship after the murder of Captain Stone) they hailed the vessel, but had no answer, although they saw the deck full of Indians (14 in all) and a little before that had seen a canoe go from the vessel full of Indians likewise, and goods, whereupon they suspected they had killed John Oldham, who had only two boys and two Narraganset Indians in his vessel besides himself, and the rather because they let slip, and set up sail (being two miles from the shore, the wind and tide coming off the shore of the Island whereby they drove toward the main land of Narraganset) therefore they went a head of them, and having nothing but two pieces, and two pistols, they bore up near the Indians, who stood on the deck of the vessel ready armed with guns, swords and pikes; but John Gallop, a man of stout courage, let fly among them and so galled them, that they got all down under the hatches, and then they stood off again, and returning with a good gale, they stemmed her upon the quarter, and almost overset her, which so affrightened the Indians, as six of them leaped overboard, and were drowned, yet they durst not board her, but stood off again, and fitted their anchor, so as stemming her the second time, they bored her bow through with their anchor and sticking fast to her, they made divers shot through the sides of her, and so raked her fore and aft (being but inch board) as they must needs kill or hurt some of the Indians; but seeing none of them come forth, they got loose from her, and then stood off again: then four or five more of the Indians leaped into the sea, and were likewise drowned; whereupon there being but four left in her, they boarded her; when an Indian came up and yielded; him they bound and put into the hole then another yielded; him they also bound, but Gallop, being well acquainted with their skill to unloose one another, if they lay near together, and having no place to keep them asunder, flung him bound into the sea; then looking about they found John Oldham under an old sail, stark naked, having his head cleft to the brains; his hands and legs cut as if they had been cutting them off; yet warm: so they put him into the sea: but could not well tell how to come at the other two Indians (who were in a little room underneath with their swords) so they took the goods which were left, and the sails, and towed the boat away, but night coming on, and the wind rising, they were forced to turn her off, and the wind carried her to the Narraganset shore, where they left her."

War with the Pequots. "The English of Mass. after the peace concluded with the Pequods, sent a bark thither for trade, that trial might be made of the reality of their friendship, but they found them treacherous and false, and that no advantage was to be had by any commerce with them, insomuch as they took up a resolution never more to have to do with them; which the said Indians perceiving,

made no account of the former peace, but took all advantage to do us mischief, not only by harboring those who had murdered Mr. J. Oldham, but surprising many of the English in the year 1636, when Connecticut river began first to be planted, divers of whom were killed (nine at one time in April, 1637) by them about Wethersfield, when the plantation there first began, so as they could not pass up and down the river without a guard, but they would be in danger of being cut off or carried away, as two maids were said to be; thirty men have been killed by them in all; those who fell into their hands alive, were cruelly tortured, after a most barbarous manner, by insulting over their prisoners in a blasphemous wise, when in their dying agonies under the extremity of their pains (their flesh being first slashed with knives, and then filled with burning embers) they called upon God and Christ with gasping groans, resigning up their souls into their hands; with which words these wretched caitifs used to mock the English afterward, when they came within their hearing and view.

About the same time some agents sent over by the Lord Say and the Lord Brook, built a fort at the mouth of Connecticut river, wherein was placed one lieutenant Gardiner, and a convenient number of soldiers to secure the place, intended soon after to be planted, but all the winter following, being the end of the year 1636, they were little better than besieged by the said savages, not daring to stir out of command of the fort, but they were ready to be seized by these barbarous enemies. At one time the lieutenant himself with ten or twelve of the soldiers, marching out of the fort, with intent to pass over a neck of land, to burn the marshes; as soon as they had passed over the straight of the neck, they espied a company of Indians making towards the said isthmus, which if they could not recover, they see they must all perish; whereupon returning back with all speed, they were narrowly escaped, and were two or three of them killed. notwithstanding, before they could get back into the fort, which was presently surrounded with multitudes of them; but the discharging of a piece of ordinance gave them warning to keep further from the walls. Sometimes they came with their canoes into the river in view of the soldiers within the fort, and when they apprehended themselves out of reach of their guns, they would imitate the dying groans and invocations of the poor captive English soldiers were forced with silent patience to bear, not being then in a capacity to require their insolent blasphemies. But they being by these horrible outrages justly provoked to indignation, unanimously agreed to join their forces together, to root them out of the earth, with God's assistance.

The governor and council having soon after assembled the rest of the magistrates, and the ministers, to advise with them about

doing justice for Oldham's death, they all agreed that it should. be done with all expedition; and accordingly on the 25th of August following, 80 or 90 men were sent out under the command of Capt. Endicot of Salem, who went to the Pequod country by water, with commission to treat with the said Pequods, first offering terms of peace, if they would surrender the murderers of the English, and forbear further acts of hostility, or else fight them. The captain aforesaid coming ashore with his company, by a message sent them by an interpreter, obtained little speech with a great number of them at a distance; but after they understood what was propounded to them, first cunningly getting behind a hill, they presently ran away into the woods and swamps, where there was no pursuing of them: however, one discharging a gun among them as they were taking their flight, stayed the course of one, which was all that could be done against them at that time. Winter approaching, and no encouragement presenting further to pursue them at that time, it was resolved better to return back for the present, and wait a further season, when more forces could be gathered together to pursue the quarrel to the utmost.

Miantonimo soon after sent a message to them with a letter from Mr. Williams, to signify that they had taken one of the Indians, who had broken prison, and had him safe for them, when they should send for him (as they had before sent to him for that end) and that the other had stolen away (not knowing it seems that he was their prisoner) and that according to their promise they would not entertain any of that Island, which should come to them; but they conceived it was rather in love to him whom they concealed, for he had been his servant formerly, but when they sent for those two Indians, one was sent them, but the other was said to be dead before the messenger came: but the Pequods harbored those of Block Island, and therefore justly brought the revenge of the English upon them.

Amongst those soldiers that were sent under Capt. Endicot, were twenty that belonged to Saybrook fort, and were appointed to stay there, to defend the place against the Pequods. After the said captain and the rest were departed, those twenty lay wind bound in the Pequod harbor, and in the mean while went all of them ashore, with sacks to fetch some of the Pequods' corn; and having fetched each man one sack full to their boat, they returned for more, and having loaded themselves the Indians set upon them, so they laid down their corn, and gave fire upon the Indians, and the Indians shot the'r arrows against them; the place about the distance of a musket shot; the Indians kept the covert, save when they came forth at a time and discharged their arrows. The English put themselves in a single file, and ten only that had pieces that could reach them shot, the others

was open

stood ready to keep them from breaking in. So they continued most part of the afternoon; the English, as they supposed, killed divers of them, and hurt others; and the Indians wounded but one of the English, who was armed, all the rest being without; for they shot their arrows compass-wise, so as they could easily see and avoid them standing single, then always gathered up their arrows. At the last the Indians being weary of the sport, gave the English leave to retire to their boat. This was in Octo ber, 1636.

About two days after, five men of Saybrook went up the river about four miles to fetch hay out of a meadow on the Pequod side. The grass was so high as some Pequods hiding themselves in it, set upon the English before they were aware, and took one that had hay on his back, the rest fled to their boat, one of them had five arrows in him, yet recovered. He that was taken was a goodly young man, whose name was Butterfield; whereupon the meadow was ever after called Butterfield's meadow.

Icarus Icariis nomina dedit aquis.

About fourteen days after, six of the soldiers were sent out of the fort to keep an house which they had set up in a corn-field, about two miles from the fort. Three of them went forth a fowling, which the lieutenant had strictly forbidden, two had pieces, and the third only a sword, when suddenly about an hundred Indians came out of the covert and set upon them, he who had the sword brake through, and received only two shot, and those not dangerous, and so escaped to the house which was not above a bow shot off, and persuaded the other two to follow, but they stayed still, till the Indians came and took them, and carried them away with their pieces. Soon after they beat down the said house, and out-houses, and hay-stacks, and within a bow shot of the fort, killed a cow, and shot divers others, which came home with arrows sticking in them."

Destruction of the Pequots. "The report of the unheard of cruelties forementioned, which had been perpetrated by the Pequods filling the ears of the English throughout the country; it was agreed by the joint consent of the English throughout the three colonies to unite all their forces together for the suppressing the common enemy, early in the spring, A. D. 1637, who were also moved thereunto by their own necessities as well as by the earnest request of their friends at Connecticut."

"The colony of Massachusetts determined to send an hundred and sixty, of whom an hundred and twenty were ordered under the conduct of Capt. Patrick of Watertown, and Capt. Trask of Salem, Capt. Stoughton of Dorchester being to command in chief; with whom was sent that holy man of God, Mr. John Wilson, (pastor of the church of Boston) the chariots and

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