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

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best advice & assistance you may, although dismist from y e perticular
charge. It is the Lord's holy will yet to keep his poore people at a p r
adventure
and y l in this case wherein our all is concerned and there is none
to tell us how long, yet is it o r duty to wayte on him who hideth his face
from the house of Israel, and to say w th y e Ch: I will brave y e indignation
of God untill he ple(ad)e our case, &c. Commending you & yours, &
y low estate of his people to y e shepardly Care of him who hath
made it one p* of his great name, Mighty to Save ; wee take leave and
remayne, Y or assured ffreinds, E R S
Past y e Council.
Boston 4 th of Sept. (should be Oct.) 1675
"S r
" Wee have ordered 1/ Upham to lead up to you 30 men and do fur-
ther order that L l Scill be dismissed home to his family, and his souldjers
e e e
to make up some of y companies as y chiefe Comander shall order & y
above named L l Upham to be Ll under Capt Wayte. These for Major
John Pynchon.
" r S It is desired when the companies with you are filled up, such as
are fitted to be dismist be sent back with Lef Sill & Corporal Poole & to
send downe what horses you cann, and as may be conveniently spayred.
On assuming command on October 12th, Capt. Appleton writes
a long letter, expressing his sense of the honor conferred and the
great responsibility imposed by the appointment, and declaring that
he is led to accept by the urgency of the occasion and his regard for
the earnest wishes of Major Pynchon ; and while deprecating his
own incapacity, promises to do his best until they may find some
abler officer for the position. He agrees with Maj. Pynchon in regard
to present methods, and asks that the commissioners revise
that part of their instructions which strictly prohibits fixing soldiers
in garrisons. He adds his account of the condition of Springfield,
and asks the Council to support him in the step he has taken in stationing
Capt. Sill and his company there for the town's security.
He complains of the prolonged absence of Maj. Treat and his company
at Hartford. He says that " There being now come in sixty
men under Capt. Poole and Lieft. Upham, and we needing commanders,
especially part of our men being now at Springfield, &
we not daring to send all thither, we have retained Capt. Poole to
comand these sixty men untill further orders be given."
October 17th he writes an account of their movements up to that
date :
" On Tuesday Octo: 12. we left Springfield & came y* night to Hadley
neer 30 mile. On y e 13 th & 14 th we used all diligence to make discovery
of y e enemy by Scouts, but by reason of y e distance of the way from
hence to Squakeage & y a timorousnesse of y e Scouts it turned to little account
; thereupon I found it very difficult to know what to doe. Major
Treat was gone from us, and when like to return we knew not. Our orders
were to leave no men in garrison, but keepe all for a field armye, w c
was to expose the Towns to manefest hazzard. To sitt still and do nothinge
is to tire o r s [ourselves] and spoyle o r souldiers, and to ruin y e country by