FOOTNOTES - CHAPTER III

III-20 Under the date of September 10, 1675, Lieutenant Ingersoll wrote a letter that was copied into the N. Eng. Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. viii. page 239, in which letter he said that on the morning of Sept. 9, 1675, "was heard three Gunes and was seen a great smoke up the Riuer above Mr. Mackworth's whereupon I caused an alarm, but could not get the Souldiers together by reason of which I was uncapable for that day to know the cause thereof and what the issue might be; but this day, being the 10th of the said month haueing strengthened my self, I went up with two fils and when I came to the place, I found an house burnt downe and six persons killed, and three of the same family could not be found. An old Man and Woman were halfe in and halfe out of the house neer halfe burnt. Their own Son shot through the body and also his head dashed in places. This young man's Wife was dead and her head skined."

III-21 The pikemen formed one flank of a company, and covered one-third of its front. They were usually formed in ranks to correspond with the musketeers of the same company.

III-22 Elton's Tactics, new and improved edition, with a supplement.

III-23 Col. Benjamin Pollard, commander of the Boston Cadets (Governor's body-guard), introduced the use of bayonets among the local militia of Massachusetts, and that company were the first who used that weapon in America. It was invented in France.

III-24 John Smith, of Freetown, recently returned from the Black Hills, bringing the equipments of an Indian slain by one of the party with which Smith travelled; and among these equipments was a belt, to which the ammunition was attached, on the principle of the bandoleers of two hundred years ago.

III-25 The commander of a regiment, in the local militia of Massachusetts or Plymouth Colony at that date, was denominated a Sergeant Major.

III-26 Hubbard's History says, "On the 24th of June, 1675, was the alarm of war first sounded in Plymouth Colony, when eight or nine of the English were slain in and about Swansea."

III-27 He was admitted to membership in the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company in 1672. Had no office in that company.

III-28 Hunting Indians with blood-hounds was proposed and perhaps practiced in the Florida war, about 40 years since; it was not countenanced or encouraged by our people generally.

III-29 Bliss's History of Rehoboth says that the name of one of the men slain at Swansea was Jones, and I regret that I am not able to give the names of all the slain.

III-30 Church's History says that the governor of Plymouth Colony "gave orders to the captains of the towns to march the greatest part of their companies, and to rendezvous at Taunton on Monday night, where Maj. Bradford was to receive them, and dispose of them under Capt. Cudworth, of Scituate."

June 27, 1675, the Indians slew John Tisdale, at Taunton, and burned his dwelling.

III-31 Capt. Thomas Prentice died in 1709, aged 89. He must therefore have been born in or about the year 1620. His residence was in what is now Newton, where he was buried, and his grave is still pointed out. His death was said to have been occasioned by a fall from a horse.

III-32 There was also another house in Swansea fortified and garrisoned.

III-33 Church's History informs us that the pilot, though wounded, sat on his horse, so mazed with the shot as not to have sense to guide him; and that he fainted and fell from his horse before Church, Gill and another who went to the rescue, came to him. They brought him off dead. His name was William Hammond, probably a resident of Swansea, or some town near, as he was the pilot, and of course selected because of his familiarity with and correct knowledge of the ground.

III-34 The early historians of New England were for the most part clergymen, who were continually indulging in expressions of holy horror at the barbarous practices of the savage Indians, and yet their own "christian soldiers," as evidences of their pious zeal, were sending to Boston, to be placed on exhibition, the bloody scalps of those they had slain.

III-35 Hubbard, in his History, informs us that on the 30th of June, 1675, "Capt. Prentice's troop, for conveniency of quarters as also for discovery was dismissed to lodge at Seaconcke or Rehoboth, a town within six miles of Swansea. As they returned in the morning, Capt. Prentice divided his troop, delivering one half to Lieut. Oakes, and keeping the other himself; who, as they rode along, espied a company of Indians burning an house; but could not pursue them by reason of several fences that they could not go over till the Indians had escaped into a swamp. Those with Lieut. Oakes had a like discovery but with better success as to the advantage of the ground, so as persuing them upon a plain they slew four or five of them in the chase, whereof one was known to be Thebe, a sachem of Mount Hope, another of them was a chief counsellor of Philip's; yet in this attempt the Lieutenant lost one of his company, John Druce by name, who was mortally wounded in his bowels whereof he soon after died."

III-36 Major Thomas Savage was one of the original members of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, at the time of its formation in 1635. He was a lieutenant of that company in 1641, and again in 1645; and captain in 1651, 1659, 1668, 1675 and 1680. His five sons were members of that company, and one or more of these were commissioned therein. All the local militia of the town of Boston, from its first settlement to 1652, remained as one company; but at that date it was divided into four companies. Thomas Savage was commissioned captain of the second of these companies Oct. 19, 1652, and retained that office about 28 years. He was succeeded by his son Ephraim Savage, who was commissioned captain March 17, 1681.

III-37 Up to that time, the ability displayed by King Philip was so much greater than that shown by the English commander, that no proper comparison can be instituted between them.

III-38 A file must have been six men, as Church, a little further on in his narrative, says they had 36 men.

Thirty-six men were too many to have uselessly slain, and by far too few to effect any good results in the face of the united forces of King Philip, Weetamoo and Awashouks, and no means provided for the sending of a reinforcement. It was only by good luck, mere chance, that Fuller or Church and their men were saved from total destruction.

III-39 They probably crossed at what is now known as Bristol Ferry.

III-40 Before the introduction of lucifer matches, the usual method of striking fire was with a flint and piece of steel - the spark of fire falling upon a burnt rag called "tinder." The flint, steel and burnt rag used to be carried in a small box familiarly known as a "tinder box." Tinder boxes were frequently made from the butt of an ox horn, and were very common in country residences forty years ago.

III-41 He was identical with the Maj. Goulding, who a few years later commanded a regiment in the local militia of Rhode Island. He owned a large tract of land in what is now Freetown, Mass.