Deerfield — Queen Anne's War
Extracted from "History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, Volume II," by Louis H. Everts, 1879.
While the men were in garrison Rev. Benj. Choate was sent as chaplain, and he remained here until Mr. Williams returned; and the General Court continued for years to give £40 a year toward the support of Mr. Williams. In 1707, "the people being in a broken condition, most of them having houses to build upon the former ruins," £30 was allowed toward the fortifications, to be applied for the benefit of the poor "and such as are returned from captivity."
During the continuation of this war, drafts were constantly being made upon the people for the military service. John Sheldon, Jr., was constable of the town, and among his papers are found orders from Col. Partridge which give a good idea of frontier life at that time. Some of these orders were: June 21, 1706, to "impress such and so many Deerfield men as are well acquainted with the woods up the river to pilate the scouts." July 11th, to "impress three men, with six pounds of pork apiece for their present scouting." July 20th, to "impress one good able horse, bridle, and saddle." August 27th, to "impress two squa lines for two Frenchmen going to Canada." September 25th, "pork and other provisions, also men and horses, so much as Capt. Stoddard shall require." Jan. 10, 1707, "two good buckskins," "shoes or moquisons." In all these things he was to "fayle not at your Utmost Perrill."
In one of these scouts up the river Martin Kellogg was captured, August, 1708, and taken a second time to Canada, having been taken 1704 and escaped in 1705. October 26th, Ebenezer Field was killed near Bloody Brook. April 11, 1709, Mehuman Hinsdale was carried to Canada, from whence he had returned in 1706. He now came back again by the way of France and England, in 1712. In May, 1709, Lieut. John Wells and John Burt were killed while on a scout on Lake Champlain. June 12th, Joseph Clesson and John Arms fell into an ambush near the town and were taken. John Arms came back on parole, in 1710, and two French prisoners were sent back in exchange. Clesson returned with Mr. Hinsdale. June 13th, Jonathan Williams and Matthew Clesson were fatally shot, and Isaac Mattoon and Thomas Taylor wounded. Items like these, better than any narrative, show the condition of Deerfield people until the close of this war, in 1713, by the treaty of Utrecht.
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