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

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nearly all the houses, though the people escaped. Nearly all the
detached houses in the Narraganeet country were attacked and
destroyed within a few weeks, and many of the large towns were
threatened.
Plymouth Colony on February 8, 1675-6, had ordered a company
of men to be impressed from the southern towns of the colony, and
on the 29th the Council ordered "that the Souldiers now under
Presse, from the Southern Towns, be at Plymouth on Wednesday
the 8th of this Instant (March) in order unto a further March, and
with them 20 or 30 of the Southern Indians, whoe together with the
other whoe are under Presse to goe forth under the Command of
Captain Michael Peirse and Lieftenant Samuell Fuller." The force
probably got ready sometime in the middle of March. "Capt.
Amos," a Wampanoag Indian who refused to follow with Philip and
joined the friendly Indians, was in command of the Cape Indians in
Capt. Peirse's command, and also acted as guide to the whole force.
The command marched to Seekonk, where they arrived March 25th,
and that day had a skirmish with a party of Indians in the vicinity, whom
they pursued until night and supposed they had seriously damaged.
Retiring to the Garrison House at Seekonk that night, early on the
next day, Sunday, Mar.cn 26th, the command, increased by several
and
from Seekonk as guides, started again in pursuit of the enemy ;
soon came across a few Indians who showed themselves in the distance
and seemed to be trying to get away, but to be impeded by
lameness. The English as usual were lured to rush forward, and
in spite of former experiences and the warnings of the Indian allies,
they soon found themselves in an ambuscade. Though not taken
entirely by surprise by the old trick, which he believed his company
was strong enough to fight through, Capt. Peirse was entirely deceived
by the numbers of the Indians. He was a brave officer, and
supposing he had a large body, perhaps twice his own number, at
bay, he fearlessly attacked them even at great disadvantage. The
Indians did not discover their full numbers until they had drawn
the English across a small river, to some distance, when the attempt
was evidently made to surround him. This forced him back upon
the bank of the river, where he found himself attacked in the rear by
a large party sent to cut him off. There is no doubt that Capt.
Peirse was out-generalled, as well as vastly out-numbered, and,
like the brave man that he was, he fought it out till he fell,
with his brave men around him. Before leaving the garrison
in the morning Capt. Peirse had sent a messenger to Capt.
Edmunds of Providence, asking him to cooperate in an attack upon
a large body of Indians then at Pawtucket Falls ; the messenger
however did not deliver his message until after the morning service
(it being Sunday), when Capt. Edmunds indignantly berated him,
declaring that it was then too late, as it proved. It is doubtful if a
company from Providence could have saved Capt. Peirse and his