Springfield 1636-1886, History of Town and City, by Mason A. Green ...

170 SPRINGFIELD, 1 636-1886.
•
sirable ; first, because the river is uot navigable, and so none made
here can be had up. Secondly, should we make any above the falls,
there must be an army to guard the workmen in the work : — Thirdly,
we find exceedingly hard, by any provision, to secure our men in the
boats by reason that the higli banks of the river giving the enemy so
great advantage of shooting downward upon us."
Three days after the aliove letter was penned Edward Eawson wrote
Major Pynchon, by order of the Massachusetts Council, explaining
that the order of the Commissioners concentrating the troops did
" not, in the least, obstruct your quartering of soldiers in such wise
as may be for your greatest security, nor did it enforce your drawling
them off to so great a disadvantage as hath happened."
This "attempt to escape the responsibility of the burning of Spring-
field reads very strangely in face of express military orders, and
Major Pynchon's frequent protests against such a policy. Still,
Pynchon should share the blame of the disaster, as he ought to have
taken the responsibility of using the natural means of self-defence
within his reach.
The General Court, immediately after the burning of Springfield,
issued a military manual for the government of the army in the field.
This was the first provision of the code :
'
' Let no man presume to
blaspheme the holy & blessed Trinity, God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Ghost, upon payne to have his Tongue bored w* a
hott iron."
Appletonwas a man of pronounced character. Indeed, he had lost
his seat in the General Court because he had signed in 16G6 the peti-
tion from Ipswich recommending submission to the King's order to
send agents to his Majesty at once. The mark of favor shown him
after being so long under a cloud did not lessen the courage of his
convictions. He deplored the commissioners' plan of defending the
valley by concentrating troops. He followed out the declarations in
his letter to his superiors, and distributed his little arm}^ in a Ava}' to
protect all the towns.