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

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he says, that " upon the 10th day of July there were ahout 300
Indians at the Eastward, that surrendered themselves to the English
and their sachems with them." He mentions Wannalancet and
Squando, and says the dread of the Mohawks drove them in. He
says nothing of a "sham-fight," nor of a capture. Mr. Hubbard
is silent as to the " sham-fight " ; but says that the Indians, " hoping
to shrowd themselves under the Wings of some honester Indians
about Quechecho, under Pretence of a Declaration sent out by the
Governour and Council of the Massachusetts in July last" ; and in this
mention relates that our foi*ces under Capts. Hathorne and Sill, with
the help of Major Walderne and Capt. Frost, and others residing in
those parts " being then in Readiness," separated the vile and
wicked from the rest and sent them down to the Governour at
Boston. And in the other mention, in the account of the war with
these Eastern Indians, he says that these officers mentioned above
mutually agreed to seize upon all those Indians that were gathered
" about Major Waldern's Dwelling in Quechecho," and that "the
contrivement succeeded."
Lacking proof contrary, it would seem that the Indians were
gathered, through the influence of Major Walderne and Wannalancet,
to accept the terms of the General Court's proclamation of
amnesty. The forcible capture of four hundred Indians even by
the stratagem of a sham-fight seems highly improbable ; and it is
far likelier that the surrender was full and entirely peaceful, while
the separation of the bad from the good was made after all were
quietly surrounded by the English, possibly under the pretence of a
"training." Mr. Belknap, the eminent historian of New Hampshire,
many years minister at Dover, gives some detail of the sham-
fight, and says that Major Walderne planned this method to secure
the " bad " Indians without bloodshed. The Indians were set on
one side the field and the English on the other, and after con-
siderable manoeuvring, the Indians were induced to fire the first
volley, after which the four companies of Walderne, Sill, Hathorne,
Frost, and probably Capt. Hunting's company of friendly Indians,
surrounded and disarmed them. Whatever the method, it is certain
that the Indians captured on September 6th, to the number of some
two hundred, were sent down to Boston in vessels. September
10th a letter was sent by Major Walderne, Nicholas Shapleigh and
Thomas Daniel, containing some explanations in regard to the prisoners
and the charges against certain of them. The following is
the letter
:
Dover, 10 th Septemb r 1676
Much Hon d
The Ind na being now on board & Comeing towards you Wee y* have
been Soe far Improv'd about
m
y Thought it Convenient to Inform how ffar
they have kept the Pease made with us & who of those are Concerned
there be-
therein viz 1
Fenicooks Wonolausets Waymesits & Piscataq Ind" 5