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

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historians. Mr. Williams was called upon to take down the exam-
ination of Joshua Tift, and afterwards reports the answers to
the Governor.
Being questioned by Capt. Fenner, who had captured him, Tift
answered that he had been with the Narragansetts about twentyseven
days ; that he was captured by Canonchet and his property
destroyed, but his life saved on condition that he would become the
slave of Canonchet; he accepted the conditions, and was taken to
their fort and there compelled to work for the Indians. He testi-
fies that the Mohcgans and Pequots with our troops made terms with
the Narragansetts at the beginning, and shot over their heads.
After the English entered the fort, Canonchet and other sachems
fled and halted beside a spruce swamp after crossing a plain. "When
night came the word was brought to the chiefs, of the English rctreat,
and they sent back to the fort to ascertain their losses, and
found ninety-seven dead and forty-eight wounded, and live or six
bodies of the English. He said that the Narragansetts' powder was
mostly gone, but that Philip had sent word that he will furnish them
enough from the French, who have sent Philip a present, " a brass
gun and bandalie s sutable." The sachems are now about ten miles
northwest from Mr. Smith's ; speaks of the squaw that was sent by
the English, but that the sachems believed that the proposals of the
English were merely a trap to catch them. Canonicus was for
but his nephew,
peace, and would not consent to lie to the English ;
the young sachem Canonchet (or Nanunteno) was fierce for war,
and the young warriors were with him, so that it was impossible to
curb them. He speaks of Quaquackis as Canonchet's chief captain,
tf
a midling thick-set man of a very stout fierce countenance." " Pie
saith that Philip is about Quawpaug, amongst a great many rocks
by a swamepside ; that the Nahigonsiks have bene these 3 days on
their march & flight to Philip, that he knows not what number
Philip hath with him, &, that this day the last and rear of the company
departed, that they heard that Gen: was pursueing after them,
& therefore several parties, to the number of 400 were ordered to
lie in ambuscadoes, that several parties were left behind to get and
drive cattell." He also testified that Ninigret's men fought the
English in the fort, and that some of the Mohegans have joined the
Narragansetts.
This letter throws some light inferentially upon the motions of
Philip, whom the Narragansett sachems evidently believed to be at
Quabaog. As no mention of him is made by Tift in referring to
the fort fight, we have thus strong inferential proof that he was not
there.
At last, then, the army being in readiness, began the pursuit of
the Indians towards the Nipmuck country, in the somewhat famous
march known to the succeeding generations as the "Long March,"
or the " Hungry March," but of the details of which we have very
meagre accounts.