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

324 SPRINGFIELD, 1636-1886.
were his men unpaid, but he was compelled to be personallj^ respon-
sible for what fuel and forage he needed. It must have been dis-
tressing to Lincoln to be informed by Shepard that his force " could
not continue m the field much longer " unless money was sent him.
This was three days before the Shays rencounter. Maj. Levi Shepard,
of Northampton, was his commissary, and Col. William Smith, of
Springfield, the quartermaster, — two men who must have been at
their wits' end to meet the emergency, with a disturbed or a disaf-
fected and hostile community about them. Shepard had learned that
three hundred insurgents from Berkshire lodged at Northampton on
the night of the 22d. He was not at all reassured by the silence of
Lincoln, who had not answered the five messages sent east in quick
succession. Shays, Day, and Parsons had completely cut Springfield
off from all approaches, neither troops nor supplies being obtainable,
and the insurgents were enjoying the contents of Shepard's provi-
sion train. He would have retired to a stronger position if it had
not been for the arsenal. As it was he wrote Lincoln once more,
sa^'ing, " If you cannot grant me any reinforcements or relief I shall
try to work out my own salvation before it is too late. Shays's and
Day's forces are about two thousand strong. Before to-morrow morn-
ing I expect the trial will be made to force me from this post. It is
no time for delay ; your operations must be quick and spirited, or
they will answer no purpose. That man's party is increasing fast."
Luke Day had scoured the country on the west side, and his sen-
tries and reconnoitring parties were very annoying. He had even
deployed a bod}' in the Longmeadow direction and secured many
prisoners. He captured General Parks and Dr. Whitney in sleighs,
and had taken a loval man iu Longmeadow out of his bed and shut
him up with other prisoners of war at West Springfield.
Shays was at Palmer on the 23d with eleven hundred noisy men.
The insurgent officers held a council of war there, and a friend of
the government overheard the proceedings. It was decided to join
Day's forces and to attack the arsenal before Lincoln could come to