Soldiers in King Philip's war. Containing lists of the soldiers of ...

84
Hampshire," Mass. Archives, vol. 68, p. 33, from another list in
vol. 67, p. 254, and from various other sources, it is judged that the
following is a correct account of the killed at this fight of August
25th:
Samuel Mason of Northampton. *Mark Pitman of Marblehead.
James Levins of Roxbury? *Joseph Person of Lynn ?
Azariah Dickinson of Hadley. * Matthew Scales of Rowley.
Richard Fellows of Hatfield. William Cluffe of Charlestown ?
*John Plumer of Newbury.
[* Were of Capt. Lathrop's company.]
After this skirmish the Indians made good their escape and prob-
ably joined the Pocomtuck tribe then living near Deerfield river.
The English marched back to Hatfield, and thence crossed to Hadley,
where other troops from Connecticut and from the East were
gathering, expecting a general attack from the main body of the Indians,
now believed to be concentrated at Paquoag (Athol). Nothing
however was done by the Indians until Sept. 1st, when the Pocom-
tucks, now joined by the Norwottucks (or Hadley Indians), fell
upon Deerfield, where but a small garrison was stationed, burned
most of the houses and killed one of the garrison, James Eggleston,
of Windsor, Conn., of Capt. Watts's company. In Mr. Russell's
list the name of Nathaniel Cornberry is given also as slain at Deerfield,
but it was probably later, perhaps on the 12th, when Mr.
Stoddard relates another assault upon some of the people going to
meeting, of whom one was taken alive by the Indians.
Hadley was at this time the head quarters of the English, and
probably Capts. Lathrop and Beers, with their companies, were there
on September 1st. 90
It is certain that they were there on the 2d,
1
and were organizing a force to bring off the garrison at Northfield.
But on that day (Thursday, Sept. 2d), while this expedition was in
preparation, and the Northfield people and the garrison soldiers
were abroad in the fields at work, a large body of Indians suddenly
fell upon that town, killed many of the people as they fled from
their homes and fields towards the garrison, burned all their exposed
houses and destroyed cattle and crops. There were sixteen families
in the town. The English killed at this time, according to Rus-
sell's list, were eight
:
Sergt. Samuel Write. 91 (Wright) Ebenezer Jeans. (Janes)
90 The story of an attack upon Hadley, originating in a reference by Mather to an
" alarm " at Hadley, and enlarged by Gov. Hutchinson in his history to an " attack," in
which the regicide judge General Goffe played the part of deliverer, which story subsequent
writers have expanded as reliable history, giving graphic accounts of the widely
circulated legend of the " Angel of Hadley," as explained by the sudden appearance of
Gen. Goffe, &c. &c, I consider to be entirely without foundation in fact. See Hist, and
Gen. Register, vol. xxviii. p. 379, a full and able discussion of this whole matter, by Mr.
Sheldon of Deerfield.
91 In the History of Northfield is additional information. Sergt. Wright, aged 43, the
Janeses, sons of Elder William Janes, aged respectively 16 and 14, were all of Northfield;
Parsons, aged 20, and Curtis, were of Northampton; Peck was of Hadley; Scott, Ipswich
? and Dunwich, residence unknown, perhaps identical with Benjamin Dunnage, credited
at Brookfield. But one Indian was known to have been killed.