Captives among the Indians : $b first-hand narratives of Indian wars, customs, tortures, and habits of life in colonial timesRowlandson, Mary White
History
Captives among the Indians : $b first-hand narratives of Indian wars, customs, tortures, and habits of life in colonial times
Rowlandson, Mary White
Indian captivities -- Northeastern States
At night, when he had done, one came and told him that his daughter was
come into Providence. Here was mercy on both hands. Now we were between
them, the one on the east, and the other on the west. Our son being
nearest, we went to him first, to Portsmouth, where we met with him,
and with the major also, who told us he had done what he could, but
could not redeem him under seven pounds, which the good people
thereabouts were pleased to pay. On Monday we came to Charlestown,
where we heard that the Governor of Rhode Island had sent over for our
daughter, to take care of her, being now within his jurisdiction; which
should not pass without our acknowledgments. But she being nearer
Rehoboth than Rhode Island, Mr. Newman went over and took care of her,
and brought her to his own house. And the goodness of God was admirable
to us in our low estate, in that he raised up compassionate friends on
every side, when we had nothing to recompense any for their love. Our
family being now gathered together, the South Church in Boston hired a
house for us. Then we removed from Mr. Shepard's (those cordial
friends) and went to Boston, where we continued about three quarters of
a year....
IV
CAPTURE AND ESCAPE OF MERCY HARBISON, 1792
On the 4th of November, 1791, a force of Americans under General
Arthur St. Clair was attacked, near the present Ohio-Indiana
boundary line, by about the same number of Indians led by Blue
Jacket, Little Turtle, and the white renegade Simon Girty. Their
defeat was the most disastrous that ever has been suffered by our
arms when engaged against a savage foe on anything like even terms.
Out of 86 officers and about 1400 regular and militia soldiers, St.
Clair lost 70 officers killed or wounded, and 845 men killed,
wounded, or missing. The survivors fled in panic, throwing away
their weapons and accoutrements. Such was "St. Clair's defeat."
The utter incompetency of the officers commanding this expedition
may be judged from the single fact that a great number of women
were allowed to accompany the troops into a wilderness known to be
infested with the worst kind of savages. There were about 250 of
these women with the "army" on the day of the battle. Of these, 56
were killed on the spot, many being pinned to the earth by stakes
driven through their bodies. Few of the others escaped captivity.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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