Progress of them. . . . At the same Time a Party of Yamasee Indians, headed by Spaniards from St. Augustine, having murdered our OutScouts, made an Incursion into our Settlements. .

In the latter End of 1737, still Peace subsisting, great Preparations were made to invade openly this Province and Georgia. For that Purpose a great Body of Men arrived at St. Augustine, in Galleys from the Havana; which put this Province to a very large Expense to provide against. But happily they were countermanded just as they were ready to set off.

In 1738, altho' Peace subsisted, and Governor Johnson after his Arrival here had, in 1733, renewed the before mentioned Stipulation, another Method was taken by the Spaniards to answer their Ends. Hitherto the Government of St. Augustine had not dared to acknowledge, much less to justify, the little Villainies and Violences offered to our Properties: But now an Edict of his Catholic Majesty himself, bearing Date in November 1733, was published by Beat of Drum round the Town of St. Augustine (where many Negroes belonging to English Vessels that carried thither Supplies of Provisions, &c., had the Opportunity of hearing it) promising Liberty and Protection to all Slaves that should desert thither from any of the English Colonies, but more especially from this. And, lest that should not prove sufficient of itself, secret Measures were taken to make it known to our Slaves in general. In Consequence of which Numbers of Slaves did, from Time to Time, by Land and Water desert to St. Augustine; And, the better to facilitate their Escape, carried off their Master's Horses, Boats, &c. some of them first commiting Murder; and were accordingly received and declared free. Our present Lieutenant Governor, by Deputies sent from hence on that Occasion to Seignor Don Manuel de Montiano, the present Governor of St. Augustine, set forth the Manner in which those Slaves had escaped: and redemanded them pursuant to the Stipulation between the Two Governments, and to the Peace subsisting between the Crowns. Notwithstanding which, tho' that Governor acknowledged those Slaves to be there, yet producing the King of Spain's said Edict he declared that he could not deliver them up, without a positive Order for that purpose from the King, and that he should continue to receive all others that should resort thither, it having been an article of Complaint against his Predecessor, that he had not put the said Edict in force sooner. The Success of those Deputies being too well known at their Return, Conspiracies were form'd and Attempts made by more Slaves to desert to St. Augustine: But by great Vigilance, they were prevented from succeeding. However,

In September 1739, our Slaves made an Insurrection at Stono, in the Heart of our Settlements not Twenty Miles from Charles-Town; in which they massacred Twenty-Three Whites, after the most cruel and barbarous Manner to be conceiv'd; and having got Arms and Ammunition out of a Store, they bent their Course to the Southward, burning all the Houses on the Road. But they marched so slow, in full Confidence of their own Strength from their first Success, that they gave Time to a Party of our Militia to come up with them. The Number was in a Manner equal on both sides; and an Engagement ensued, such as may be supposed in such a Case. But by the Blessing of God the Negroes were defeated, the greatest Part being killed on the Spot or taken; and those that then escaped were so closely pursued, and hunted Day after Day, that in the End all but Two or Three were killed or taken and executed. That the Negroes would not have made this Insurrection had they not depended on St. Augustine for a Place of Reception afterwards, was very certain; and that the Spaniards had a Hand in prompting them to this particular Action, there was but little room to doubt.

On this Occasion every Breast was filled with Concern. Evil brought home to us, within our very Doors, awaken'd the Attention of the most Unthinking. Every one that had any Relation any Tie of Nature; every one that had a Life to lose, were in the most sensible Manner shocked at such Danger daily hanging over their Heads. With Regret we bewailed our peculiar Case, that we could not enjoy the Benefits of Peace like the rest of Mankind; and that our own Industry should be the Means of taking from us all the Sweets of Life, and of rendering us liable to the Loss of our Lives and Fortunes. With Indignation we looked at St. Augustine (like another Sallee!) That Den of Thieves and Ruffians! Receptacle of Debtors, Servants and Slaves! Bane of Industry and Society! And revolved in our Minds all the Injuries this Province had received from thence, ever since its first Settlement: That they had, from first to last, in Times of profoundest Peace, both publickly and privately, by Themselves, Indians and Negroes, in every Shape molested us, not without some Instances of uncommon Cruelty. And what aggravated the same was, that this Government (on the contrary) had never been wanting in its good Offices with our Indians in their Behalf: And even during Queen Ann's War had exercised so much Humanity towards them that, in order to prevent those Indians from scalping them, according to their Custom; when they should take any

of them Prisoners, a Law was passed to give them Five Pounds Proclamation Money for every one they should bring in alive; and accordingly a great Number of the Spaniards, by that Means, were brought in alive, and the Reward paid for them.

B. R. Carroll, compiler, Historical Collections of South Carolina (New York, 1836), II, 351-359 passim.

119. A Ballad of Pigwacket (1725)

ANONYMOUS

This lively poem is a reasonably accurate account of one of the skirmishes in which the frontier wars abounded. The fight occurred May 8, 1725.- Bibliography: Thomas Symmes, Historical Memoirs of the Late Fight at Piggwackett (Boston, 1725). For other colonial verse, see Contemporaries, I, Nos. 82, 138, and below, Nos. 159, 164, 171, 182.

I.

F worthy Captain LOVEWELL, I purpose now to sing,
How valiantly he served his country and his King;
He and his valiant soldiers, did range the woods full wide,
And hardships they endured to quell the Indian's pride.

2. 'Twas nigh unto Pigwacket, on the eighth day of May,
They spied a rebel Indian soon after break of day;
He on a bank was walking, upon a neck of land,
Which leads into a pond as we're made to understand.

3. Our men resolv'd to have him, and travell'd two miles round,
Until they met the Indian, who boldly stood his ground;

Then speaks up Captain LOVEWELL, "take you good heed," says he, "This rogue is to decoy us, I very plainly see.

4. "The Indians lie in ambush, in some place nigh at hand,
In order to surround us upon this neck of land;

Therefore we'll march in order, and each man leave his pack,
That we may briskly fight them when they make their attack."

5. They came unto this Indian, who did them thus defy,

As soon as they came nigh him, two guns he did let fly,
Which wounded Captain LOVEWELL, and likewise one man more,
But when this rogue was running, they laid him in his gore.

6. Then having scalp'd the Indian, they went back to the spot, Where they had laid their packs down, but there they found them not,

For the Indians having spy'd them, when they them down did lay, Did seize them for their plunder, and carry them away.

7. These rebels lay in ambush, this very place hard by,

So that an English soldier did one of them espy,

And cried out, "here's an Indian," with that they started out,
As fiercely as old lions, and hideously did shout.

8. With that our valiant English, all gave a loud huzza,
To shew the rebel Indians they fear'd them not a straw:
So now the fight began, and as fiercely as could be,
The Indians ran up to them, but soon were forced to flee.

9. Then spake up Captain LOVEWELL, when first the fight began "Fight on my valiant heroes! you see they fall like rain." For as we are inform'd, the Indians were so thick,

A man could scarcly fire a gun and not some of them hit.

10. Then did the rebels try their best our soldiers to surround, But they could not accomplish it, because there was a pond, To which our men retreated and covered all the rear,

The rogues were forc'd to flee them, altho' they skulked for fear.

II. Two logs there were behind them that close together lay,
Without being discovered, they could not get away;
Therefore our valiant English, they travell'd in a row,
And at a handsome distance as they were wont to go.

12. 'Twas ten o'clock in the morning, when first the fight begun,
And fiercely did continue until the setting sun;

Excepting that the Indians some hours before 'twas night,
Drew off into the bushes and ceas'd a while to fight,

13. But soon again returned, in fierce and furious mood,
Shouting as in the morning, but yet not half so loud;
For as we are informed, so thick and fast they fell,
Scarce twenty of their number, at night did get home well.

14. And that our valiant English, till midnight there did stay,
To see whether the rebels would have another fray;
But they no more returning, they made off towards their home,
And brought away their wounded as far as they could come.

15. Of all our valiant English, there were but thirty-four,
And of the rebel Indians, there were about forescore.
And sixteen of our English did safely home return,

The rest were kill'd and wounded, for which we all must mourn.

16. Our worthy Captain LOVEWELL among them there did die,
They killed Lieut. ROBBINS, and wounded good young FRYE,
Who was our English Chaplain; he many Indians slew,
And some of them he scalp'd when bullets round him flew.
17. Young FULLAM too I'll mention, because he fought so well,
Endeavouring to save a man, a sacrifice he fell;

But yet our valiant Englishmen in fight were ne'er dismay'd,
But still they kept their motion, and WYMAN's Captain made,
18. Who shot the old chief PAUGUS, which did the foe defeat,
Then set his men in order, and brought off the retreat;
And braving many dangers and hardships in the way,
They safe arriv'd at Dunstable, the thirteenth day of May.

J. Farmer and J. B. Moore, editors, Collections, Historical and Miscellaneous (Concord, 1824), III, 64-66.

120. The Louisburg Expedition (1745)

BY CAPTAIN SAMUEL CURWEN

Curwen was a Salem man, who later took the wrong turn in the Revolution, and became a loyalist refugee in England; see No. 169 below. - Bibliography: on Curwen, see Tyler, Literary History of the Revolution, I, 367-368; on the Louisburg expedition, Winsor, Narrative and Critical History, V, 434-452; Channing and Hart, Guide, § 131.

BOSTON, March 23, 1745. The General is embarking, and we shall

sail this afternoon. - Commodore Warren is coming to our assistance, which with the blessing of God will be of great advantage. There will go down in the first embarkation at least twenty-five hundred soldiers.