Chap. I. 



INDIAN AND COLONIAL WARS. 



15 



INDIAN TOWN OF ST. FRANCIS DESTROYED. FORT NIAGARA TAKEN BY THE ENGLISH. 



Having left two of his rangers to watch 

 the boats, Rogers advanced into the wil- 

 derness; but, the second evening after 

 he left the bay, he was overtaken by his 

 trusty rangers, and informttl that a party 

 of 400 French and Lidians had discovered 

 the boats and sent them away with 50 

 men, and that the remainder were in pur- 

 suit of the English. Rogers kept this 

 intelligence to himself, but despatched a 

 lieutenant and eight men, with the two 

 rangers, to Crown Point, to inform Gen. 

 Amherst of what had taken place, and 

 request him to send provisions to Coos on 

 Connecticut river, by which route he in- 

 tended to return. 



Rogers now determined to outmarch 

 the enemy, and pushed onward towards 

 St. Francis with the utmost expedition. 

 He came in sight of the village on the 

 evening of the 4th of October, and, leav- 

 ing his men to refresh themselves, he 

 dressed himself in the Indian garb, and 

 went forward to reconnoitre the town. 

 He found the Indians engaged in a grand 

 dance, without apprehensions of danger, 

 and, returning about one o'clock, he led 

 forward his men within 500 yards of the 

 town. At four o'clock, the dance was 

 ended, and the Indians retired to rest. 



Having posted his men in the most fa- 

 vorable situation, at day break R,ogers 

 commenced the assault. The place was 

 completely surprised. The Indian meth- 

 od of slaughter was adopte'd. Wherever 

 the savages were found, without regard 

 to age or sex, they were slain vVlthout 

 distinction and witliout mercy. As the 

 light appeared the ferocity of the provin- 

 cials was increased by discovering the 

 scalps of several hundred of their coun- 

 trymen, suspended on poles and waving 

 in the air. They were determined to re- 

 venge the blood of their friends and rela- 

 tions, and spared no pains completely to 

 destroy the village and its inhabitants. 

 Of the 800 souls, which the village con- 

 tained, 200 were slain on tlie spot, and 20 

 taken prisoners. The English lost only 

 one killed and six slightly wounded. 



Having reduced the village to ashes, 

 and refreshed his men, Rogers set out on 

 liis return, at S o'clock in the morning, 

 Avith the addition of five English captives, 

 whom he had retaken, and such articles 

 of plunder as he could easiljr carry away. 

 To avoid his pursuers he proceeded up 

 the river St. Francis, and directed his 

 course toward Coos on the Connecticut. 

 On his march he was several times at- 

 tacked in the rear, and lost seven men ; 

 but forming an ambuscade on his own 

 track, he at lengtii fell upon the enemy 

 with such success as to put an end to fur- 

 ther annoyance or pursuit. 



In the mean time, by order of General 

 Amherst, Samuel Stevens and three oth- 

 ers proceeded from Charlestown up Con- 

 necticut river, with two canoes, loaded 

 witii provisions. They landed on Round 

 island, at the mouth of Passumpsic river, 

 where they encamped for the night; but 

 in the morning, liearing the report of 

 guns, and supposing Indians to be in the 

 vicinity, they were so terrified that they 

 reloaded their provisions and hastened 

 back to Charlestown. Rogers was at this 

 time encamped a few miles up the Pas- 

 sumpsic. About noon he reached the 

 mouth of that river, and, observing fire 

 on the island, he made a raft and passed 

 over to it ; but to his surprise and disap- 

 pointment, no provisions liad been left. 

 His men, already reduced to a state of 

 starvation, were so dlshearted by this dis- 

 covery that a considerable number of them 

 died before the next day. Rogers now gave 

 up the command of his men, and told 

 them to take care of themselves. Some 

 were lost in the woods, but Rogers and 

 most of his party, after almost incredible 

 hardships, succeeded in reaching Charles- 

 town. Here, having collected and refresh- 

 ed the survivors of his heroic band, Rogers 

 proceeded with them to Crown Point, 

 where he arrived on tlie first day of De- 

 cember, and joined the army under Gen. 

 Amherst ; and upon examination he found 

 that his loss, after leaving the ruins of St. 

 Francis, was 3 commissioned oflicers and 

 46 non commissioned officers and privates. 



While Rogers was humbling the In- 

 dians, Amherst was preparing a naval 

 force to attack the enemy at the Isle Aux 

 Noix. This being in readiness, he pro- 

 ceeded down the lake in the beginning of 

 October ; but, the season being far ad- 

 vanced, and the weatjjer becoming tem- 

 pestuous, the expedition was abandoned, 

 and he returned to Crown Point, after 

 having taken, or destroyed, most of the 

 enemy's shipping. Here Amherst spent 

 the remainder of the autumn in enlarging 

 the works and putting every thin<i- in 

 readiness for another campaign. 



Gen. Prideaux had proceeded to Niag- 

 ara in the beginning of summer, and in- 

 vested the fort about the middle of July ; 

 but, being unfortunately killed on the 

 20th of that month, the command de- 

 volved upon Sir William Johnson. John- 

 son prosecuted the siege with tlie great- 

 est vigor, and, on the morning of tlie 24th 

 of July, intercepted and defc;ited, after a 

 severe conflict, a body of 1200 French 

 and some Indians, who were marching to 

 the relief of the garrison. TJiis battle 

 was fought in sight of the fort, and, in 

 the evening of the same da}^, the garrisou 

 surrendered themselves prisoners of war. 



