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tion the feveral particular engagements in which fifteen have routed an hundred and forty-five, I fhould. certainly, in this fceptical age, be accused of a great degree of credulity. This war, which was principally carried on in the way of bush-fighting, was exceeding bloody both to the colonifts and the Indians. Many of the new built towns were burnt, and the plantations laid waste, the inhabitants were often instantly put to death, or carried captive, and reserved for the most lingering and excruciating torture; and confidering the infant ftate of thofe plantations, it was next to a miracle that they were not totally extirpated by fuch numerous and powerful enemies, whe were formidable of themfelves, and fometimes affifted by the French.

Philip, who had been the original cause of this bloody war, fled from one tribe to another, as the chance of war and the various accidents of his fortune obliged him; and fuch was his inveterate and unrelenting enmity against the colonists, that in all parts whither he fied, he endeavoured to make the people parties in the war against the English. As his revenge was exceflive, the schemes of his policy were deep, and often concerted with a fagacity which more civilized and enlighted politicians would have marked with the epithets of wifdom.-But as he paid no regard to the moral principles of government, when he purfued the dictates of his fury and revenge, he at Jaft laid a fuare in which he himself was entangled, and which proved the ruin of his caufe. To provoke the Maquas, a neighbouring tribe, against the colonists, he fet upon fome of their people in the woods and killed them, and then publifhed that the English had done it; but as fuch daring wickedness feldom paffes unpunished, providence laid open his fchemes, and ex

pofed

pofed the whole of his defigns. One of the Maquas people, whom Philip thought had been killed, was only dangerously wounded, who informed his nation of the real actor in that tragedy. This excited the revenge of the whole tribe, who fell upon Philip, and destroyed many of his people, and would have dispatched himself, had he not fled, and taken fhelter in Mount Hope, from whence, in a fhort time he was alfo forced to flee. This defperate Indian was as fuperftitious as he was revengeful; he believed in all the prognoftications of his magicians and pawwaws, and from an affurance of one of their prophecies, was perfuaded that no Englifhman could kill him. He was at last shot through the body by an Indian in the fervice of the colonies, and expired foon after in the very place where he had firft concerted the scheme of extirpating the colonists, and his head was carried to Plymouth. The people of New England at this time made an obfervation with regard to the state of their affairs, which perhaps will hold in general with regard to all countries in the fame fituation. They took notice, that till once they began to reform their manners, and obferve the inftitutions of the Gofpel with more exactnefs, that they never profpered in pursuing this war; but after they began in earneft to reform abufes, and obferve the moral inftitutions of God in fincerity, their affairs took quite a different turn, and they profpered in their undertakings. It may be neceffary to obferve here, how all parties in all nations are ready to declare others in a ftate of rebellion, that oppofe the meafures they are fond of purfuing.

Cotton Mather in his History of New England obferves, that on September the 6th, 1676, four hundred Indians were furprifed in Quechcho, of which,

one

one half had been acceffary to the late rebellion, and for that reafon were fold for flaves. As these natives

1

were not the fubjects of England, nor of the colonifts, it was impoffible that they could be rebels in the common acceptation of that word. If the colonists claimed all that country as their own, their claim was unjuft, and the refiftance of the natives was lawful defence against invaders: or if the Indians attacked the English unjustly, it was an unlawful invafion, but not a rebellion of fubjects against lawful governmentaci One of the moft remarkable actions in this war, was an attack upon a fort in the country of the Naraganfets, which lies eaft of Connecticut river, and fouth of Patufet. The colonists of New England finding themselves harraffed by thofe tribes in that neighbourhood, refolved upon giving them an effectual overthrow, that in time coming they might behave with more civility to their neighbours. Having muf tered an army of fifteen hundred men, they marched in the middle of winter into their enemies! country, in the midst of frost and snow, and came upon one of their principal forts by: furprife, which they carried, after much flaughter on both fides. This fort was fituated upon an island of about fix acres, in the middle of a fwamp, to which there was only accefs one way, which was by paffing along a fingle tree, where only one perfon could pafs, with difficulty...

An Indian, whofe name was Peter, who had taken fome difguft at his tribe, was guide to the New England forces, and led them to this fortrefs. This deferter fhewed them a certain place in the forest, where, by throwing four or five trees, about a foot from the ground, over the fwamp, they might attack the garrifon with good hopes of fucceeding. This was the only place where it appeared vulnerable,

though

though over against this paffage there was a blockhouse, which rendered the attempt exceedingly dangerous. The colonists began the attack at one o'clock, which was led on by Captain Mosley and Captain Davenport, who rushed into the fort, when a bloody conflict began. Six of the principal officers were killed in the first affault, and a great many of their pri vate men; but they at laft carried the fortrefs, and flew above feven hundred Indians in arms. The reft fled, and betook themselves to a cedar fwamp, at fome distance, whither the colonifts did not purfue them. This expedition was commanded by Jofiah Winflow, Efq; who had under him many brave and intrepid officers, who behaved with a gallantry that would have done honour to a Roman legion. The Indians in this fhort fiege had feven hundred men killed, and three hundred mortally wounded, befides old men, women, and children that were preffed to death in the midst of the encounter. Of the New England forces, eightyfive were flain, and an hundred and fifty wounded. The other exploits during this war confifted chiefly in the burning of towns, and laying waste of villages, on the part of the Indians, and of defeating small parties of the enemy, on the part of the colonists. On these occafions, many defperate actions were performed; which thofe that are accustomed to the method of carrying on war in Europe, would fcarcely be able to give credit to, were it not that they are too well authenticated to be called in queftion. In thofe encounters with the Indians, the colonists fhewed an uncommon bravery, and were never afraid to engage three times their own number in the open field, at the fame weapons. Nor in general can it be affirmed, that they coveted war merely for the fake of dominion. The only error that they appear to have fallen into in carKk rying

rying on their wars, feems to have been, a defire to enlarge the dominion of Great Britain, and of making conquefts for their mother country, which they delivered up to the difpofal of her government.

In the month of April, 1690, a naval force, with feven hundred troops, under the command of Sir William Phipps, failed from Nantasket, in New England, with orders to feize the French fettlements in Nova Scotia, then called Acadia, which they attacked, and had them delivered up to King William, whom the colonifts in those parts had acknowledged as their fovereign. The reafon of this expedition, feems to have been to distress the French, who at this time stirred up the Indians against the colonists, under the pretence that they were rebels against their fovereign, and furnished them with arms and ammunition; with which they did great damage to the planters. The colonists confidered this method as the most effectual to put an end to the war; for, provided they could once fubdue the French, or drive them from their fettlements, they knew that the Indians would foon be overcome. Sir William Phipps, with a fleet of thirty fail of fhips, failed from New England to Quebec, but did not arrive till the 7th of October, when the froft was setting in. This expedition was intended to fupport an army of land, forces that were to march from New York, of fome colonists and Chriftian Indians. After fome bold efforts, this attempt miscarried; but who was to blame, is not eafily learned from the history of thofe times. It is well known, that although this expedition mifcarried, the French were in great terror, and expected nothing less than to be driven out of Canada. This fhews what the colonists were then able to attempt, without any affiftance from the mother country.

Befides

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