History of the War with the Indians, Part 1 – Part 3
THAT the Heathen People amongst whom we live, and whose Land the Lord God of our Fathers hath given to us for a rightful Possession, have at sundry times been Plotting mischievous Devices against that part of the English Israel, which is seated in these goings down of the Sun, no man that is an Inhabitant of any considerable standing, can be ignorant. Especially that there have been (Nec injuria) Jealousies concerning the Narragansets and Wompanoags, is notoriously known to all men. And whereas they have been quiet until the last Year, that must be ascribed to the wonderful Providence of God, who did (as with Jacob of old, and after that with the Children of Israel) lay the fear of the English, and the dread of them upon all the Indians. The terror of God was upon them round about. Nor indeed had they such Advantages in former Years as now they have, in respect of Arms and Ammunition; their Bows and Arrows not being comparably such weapons of death and destruction, as our Guns and Swords are, with which they have been unhappily furnished. Nor were our sins ripe for so dreadful a Judgment, until the Body of the first Generation was removed, and another Generation risen up which hath not so pursued, as ought to have been, the blessed design of their Fathers, in following the Lord into this Wilderness, whilst it was a Land not sown.
As for the Grounds, Justness, and Necessity of the present War with these Barbarous Creatures which have set upon us, myRead the Postscript at the end of this History. design is not to intarge upon that Argument, but to leave that to others whom it mostly concerns, only in brief this. The irruption of this flame at this time was occasioned as followeth.
In the latter end of the Year 1674. An Indian, called John Sausaman, who had submitted himself unto, and was taken under the protection of the English, perceiving that the profane Indians were hatching mischief against the English, he faithfully acquainted the Governor of Plymouth, with what he knew, and also what his fears were, together with the grounds thereof, withal declaring; that he doubted such and such Indians belonging to Philip the Sachem of Pokanoket, or Mount-hope, would murder him; which quickly hapned accordingly: For soon after this, John Sausaman was barbarously murthered by an Indian, called Tobias (one of Philip's chief Captains and Counfellors) and by his Son, and another Indian, who knocked him on the head and then left him on the Ice on a great Pond. Divine providence, which useth to bring Murder to light, so ordered, as that an Indian unseen by those three that killed Sausaman, beheld all that they did to him, and spake of it, so as that a Praying (and as there is cause to hope) a godly Indian, William Nabauton by name, heard of it, and he forth with revealed what he knew to the English. Whereupon the three Indians who had committed the murder were apprehended, and the other Indian testified to their faces, that he saw them killing Sausaman. They had a fair T…yal for their Lives, and that no appearance of wrong might be, Indians as well as English sate upon the Jury, and all agreed to the condemnation of those Murtherers, who were accordiugly Executed in the beginning of the 4th Month called June, Anno 1675. They stoutly denied the Fact, only at last Tobias's son confessed, that his Father and the other Indian killed Sausaman, but that himself had no hand in it, only stood by and saw them do it.
No doubt but one reason why the Indians murdered John Sausaman, was out of hatred against him for his Religion, for he was Christianized and babtiz'd, and was a Preacher amongst the Indians, being of very excellent parts, he t…anslated some part of the Bible into the Indian language, and was won… to curb those Indians that knew not God, on the account of their debaucheries; but the main ground why they murthered him seems to be, because he discovered their subtle and malicious designs, which they were complotting against the English. Philip perceiving that the Court of Plymouth had Condemned and Executed one of his Counsellors, being (as is upon strong grounds supposed) conscious of the murder committed upon John Sausaman, must needs think that ere long, they would do to him (who had no less deserved it) as they had done to his Counsellor: Wherefore he, contrary to his Covenant and Faith engaged to Plymouth Colony, yea, and contrary to his promise unto some in this Colony (for about five Years ago, Philip made a disturbance in Plymouth Colony, but was quieted by the prudent interposition of some in our Colony, when he engaged, that if at any time hereafter he should think the English among whom he lived did him wrong, he would not cause any Disquietment before such time as he had acquainted the English of Mattachusets, but contrary to these solemn engagements he) doth call his Men together and Arm them, and refused to come when sent for, by the Authority of Plymouth, unto whose Government he had subjected himself.
Hereupon the English in Plymouth Jurisdiction, sent a small Army to those Towns next Mount-hope, in order to reducing Philip to his obedience, and for the security of those places which were in great danger, and in no less fear, by reason of the insolency of the Heathen.
June 24. (Midsummer-day) was appointed and attended as a day of solemn Humiliation throughout that Colony, by fasting and praying, to intreat the Lord to give success to the present Expedition respecting the Enemy. At the conclusion of that day of Humiliation, as soon as ever the People in Swanzy were come from the place where they had been praying together, the Indians discharged a volley of shot, whereby they killed one man, and wounded others. Two men were sent to call a Surgeon for the relief of the wounded, but the Indians killed them by the way: And in another part of the Town, six men were killed, so that there were Nine Englishmen murthered this day.
Thus did the War begin, this being the first English blood which was spilt by the Indians in an Hostile way. The Providence of God is deeply to be observed, that the Sword should be first drawn upon a day of Humiliation, the Lord thereby declaring from Heaven, that he expects something else from his People besides Fasting and Prayer.
Plymouth being thus suddenly involved in trouble, send to the other united Colonies for aid, and their desires were with all readiness complied with.
Souldiers marched out of Boston towards Mount-hope, June 26th, and continued marching that night, when there hapned a great Eclipse of the Moon, which was totally darkned above an hour. Only it must be remembred, that some days before any Souldiers went out of Boston, Commissioners were sent to Treat with Philip, that so if possible, ingaging in a War might be prevented. But when the Commissioners came near to Mount-hope, they found divers Englishmen on the ground, weltering in their own blood, having been newly murdered by the Indians, so that they could not proceed further. Yea, the Indians killed a man of this Colony as he was travelling on the road before such time as we took up Arms: In which respect no man can doubt of the justness of our Cause, since the Enemy did shed the blood of some of ours who never did them (our Enemies themselves being judges) the least wrong before we did at all offend them, or attempt any act of hostility towards them.
June 29th was a day of publick Humiliation in this Colony, appointed by the Council, in respect of the War which is now begun.
This morning our Army would have ingaged with the Enemy. The Indians shot the Pilot, who was directing our Souldiers in their way to Philips Country, and wounded several of our Men, and ran into Swamps, rainy weather hindred a further pursuit of the Enemy. An awful Providence happened at this time: For a Souldier (a stout man) who was sent from Water-town, seeing the English Guide slain, and hearing many profane oaths among some of our Souldiers (namely those Privateers, who were also Volunteers) and considering the unseasonableness of the weather was such, as that nothing could be done against the Enemy; this man was possessed with a strong conceit, that God was against the English; whereupon he immediately ran distracted, and so was returned home a lamentable Spectacle.
In the beginning of July, there was another Skirmish with the Enemy, wherein several of the Indians were killed, amongst whom were Philips chief Captain, and one of his Counsellors.
Now it appears that Squaw-Sachem of Pocasset, her men were conjoyned with the Womponoags (that is Philips men) in this Rebellion.
About this time they killed several English at Taunton, and Burnt divers Houses there. Also at Swanzy, they caused about half the Town to be consumed with merciless Flames. Likewise Middlebury and Dartmouth, in Plimouth Colony, did they burn with Fire, and barbarously murdered both men and women in those places, stripping the slain, whether Men or Women, and leaving them in the open Field, as naked as in the day wherein they were born. Such also is their Inhumanity, as that they flay off the skin from their Faces and Heads of those they get into their hands, and go away with the hairy Scalp of their Enemies.