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

226
Connecticut ; but they came upon a body of Indians, " fishing in Weshacom
Ponds towards Lancaster," of whom they killed seven, and
captured twenty-nine, the latter mostly women and children. This
affair occurred on May 7th, and necessitated delay and a return to
Marlborough for supplies, so that when they arrived at Brookfield
the Connecticut forces had marched to Hadley, where ours joined
them on the 14th, two days after that place had been attacked by
a large body of the enemy, who, busily watching the advance
of our forces from Marlborough, seem to have missed the Con-
necticut companies coming into the town, and were surprised at their
presence, and fled precipitately when a shot from a small cannon
struck an outlying house which some of them were plundering.
The Connecticut soldiers pursued them for some miles up the river,
and killed several, but could not overtake or flank them. The
Massachusetts forces arrived on May 14th, and the united forces,
with the Mohegans, amounted to about one thousand men. Major
Talcot, with the Connecticut troops, on the 16th, marched up on
the west side of the river, and Capt. Henchman with those of Massachusetts
on the east side. A heavy rain-storm prevailed during
several days, drenching them, and spoiling most of their ammunition
and provision. They returned to Hadley on the 18th, and Major
Talcott two days later marched homeward with his force, while Capt.
Henchman with his troops remained several days diligently searching
for the enemy ; but not finding them, and fearing they were
gathering towards the eastern towns, he marched homeward about
June 24th. Capt. Henchman's letter (published in Mr. Hubbard's
History, Vol. I. p. 236, last edition) gives an account of the
experiences of this march home. Capt. Sill was selected to command
a force consisting of about one hundred foot, a troop of horse
and the company of friendly Natick Indians, and to scout from
Quonsigamon pond towards Wachuset and thence to "Nashaway
and the Weshakem Ponds," and join the main force, awaiting
probably at Brookfield or Marlborough. The result of this scouting
expedition under Capt. Sill is not found recorded. The enemy were
now scattered towards Plymouth Colony and into the eastern parts,
about Dover, Wells, and as far as Casco Bay.
The main part of the troops in this campaign was dismissed early
in July, but about the first of September we find Capt. Sill again
in command of a company and marching to the eastward to protect
the frontier settlements now threatened by the many hostile Indians
who had taken refuge with the tribes in those parts. At Dover (or
"Cochecho "), on September 6th, his company, together with that
of Capt. Hathorne, found four hundred Indians who were gathered
at Dover at Major Waldron's, with whom the neighboring tribes
had made peace. The Captains Hathorne and Sill were commissioned
to seize and kill all Indians who had been concerned in the
war, and there were many of these mixed in with the peaceful tribes