Peter Stuyvesant, the Last Dutch Governor of New AmsterdamAbbott, John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot)
History
Peter Stuyvesant, the Last Dutch Governor of New Amsterdam
Abbott, John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot)
New York (State) -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775; Stuyvesant, Peter, 1592-1672
Captain Crygier, after carefully scrutinizing the works, divided his
force into two sections for the attack. He was well aware that he had
a foe to encounter who would fight with the utmost desperation behind
his intrenchments. One party of the assailants crept cautiously along,
beneath the covert of a hill, until, coming to the open plain, they
were discovered by a squaw, who uttered a terrible cry which roused
the whole garrison of Indians.
A sudden onslaught was then made by both parties pouring, like an
inundation, through the unfinished works into the fort. The savages,
taken by Surprise, and many of them without their arms, were thrown
into a panic. Many of them rushed out of the fort, leaving their guns
in the houses behind. The Dutch followed close upon their heels,
shooting them, and with keen sabres cutting them down. Just beyond the
fort there was a creek. The terrified Indians precipitated themselves
into it, and by wading and swimming forced their way across. Here they
attempted to rally and opened fire upon the pursuing Dutch. The fire
was returned with so much vigor that the Indians were driven with loss
from their position. The assailants soon crossed the creek, and the
discomfited Indians, in hopeless rout, fled wildly into the trackless
wilderness.
In the impetuous assault the chief of the tribe, Papoquanchen, was
slain, and fourteen of his warriors with four Indian women and three
children Twenty-two Christian prisoners were recovered, and fourteen
Indians were taken captive. The Dutch lost but three killed and six
were wounded. The houses were all plundered by the victors. There was
found in them eighty guns, and "bearskins, deerskins, blankets, elk
hides and peltries sufficient to load a shallop." Forty rolls of
wampum and twenty pounds of powder were also taken. The colonists
loaded themselves with such plunder as they could carry. The rest was
destroyed.
The return of the victors with the rescued Christian captives, gave
great joy at Esopus. We regret to record that, on the march home,
there was one of the Indian prisoners, an old man, who refused to go
any farther. Captain Crygier had him led a few steps out of the path
and shot. In unfeeling terms the captain writes, "We carried him a
little aside and then gave him his last meal."
The remainder of the month of September was employed in sending out
small scouting parties, and in protecting the farmers while gathering
their harvests. Though the Esopus Indians were pretty thoroughly
crushed by these disasters which had befallen them, they showed no
sign of submission. It was estimated that not more than twenty-eight
warriors, with fourteen women and a few children survived. And these
were without homes and almost in a state of starvation. Still it was
decided to fit out a third expedition against them to effect their
utter overthrow.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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