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Title
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MA Council to Secretary of State Edward Randolph
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Recipient
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Edward Randolph (Secretary of State)
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Date
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4 May 1676
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Description
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The Massachusetts Council elaborates on the devastating raids launched by Wabanaki warriors in a letter to British Secretary of State Edward Randolph. In the eight months since King Philip’s War erupted in Maine, these raids “dispced [displaced] all our the Country 2 or 300 myles from Kenebeck [Kennebec, ME] noreast to the utmost bounds of Conect [Connecticut] Jurisdiction southwest.” Showing their anti-Catholic bias, the councilmen claim without evidence that French Jesuit missionaries are orchestrating these raids and blame French and Dutch traders for selling guns to Wabanaki tribes. The Council’s letter ends with a plea for “money amunicon & amies for the Country is become poore & brought very lowe.”
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Transcription
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[109] Councils letter to y* Secre' of State
5 April 1676.
Right hoble
Ya may please to remembr
That in Decemb' last wee did by of hone“ John Leueret Esq present to yr honf a short narratiue wer a printed pap Declaring the state and condicön of this and other his mates Colonyes & plantacons in New England (in reference to a warr wee were ingaged in win the pagan natiues of the Country) humbly to be rep sented to his Sacred Mate: A better account (as to the yssue thereor) wee then hoped, wee should have bene able to haue giuen by the next convey‐ ance : but such hath bene the wise and oûruling providence of almighty god, that of losses & calamyties, hath since that tyme, bene much increased and augmented, and there is none amongst vs that can tell how long, of holy god (for or sins) pmitt theis barbarous heathen to afflict and distresse vs : Wee shall not pfsume to giue yr honf the trouble of repeating what formly wee informed, as to the beginning & ryse of this warr : but humbly p'sent to y" the pceedure thereof and what hath befallen vs since that tyme,
About the 10* of Dec' last, wee win the Colonyes of N: Plymouth & Conecticott sent forth about 1000 men, win some Indians in Amyty win vs, against the Narragansetts [110] one of the greatest & most considerable people amongst theis barbarians. Whoe notw“"standing all their former ingagem's and pmises had ayded & abetted Phillip Sachem of Mount hope and other of Enemyes and Dealt treacher- ously wib ys. Theis marching in the depth of wint' (a tyme optune judged most expedient to distresse them) into the Narra- gansett Country after much hardshipp indured, assaulted them att their head q“ in a rude ffort, they had made in agreat swampe, or groue of trees and vnd’wood, where vpon of knowledge & the confession of some captiues then taken many hundreds of theui were slaine, their howses or wig‐ wams Destroyed, and they dryven from thence about 40. myles vpp into the Nipmug Country towards Conect. Ryvr whithr our fforces pursued and slue many of them : but not wilout some consid'able losse of of owne in of first ingagemt att there ffort, where wee had slaine about .70. & twice soe many wounded. att the last pursute not aboue .3. or.4. Our forces hath bene out since in the pursute of them more then 100. myles to the westward and oû Conecticott Ryvr: but cannot meete wtl anybody of them, their maner being to remoue from place to place almost eûy day, leaueing their wom & children in hydeous swamps & obscure vnaccessable places, of wel the Country is full and the men sometymes dispceing themselues in small pties all oû the Country and by ambuscadoes & secret skulkinge soe infests the passages and highwayes that many teamest's hath thereby been cutt of. And then againe on a suddaine multitudes of them gath'ing togeath' falls vpon of out Townes (weh for their con‐ venyency of tyllage &c. liued dispced agreat Distance from one anoth' soe yt it was impossible to p'serue more a few fortifyed howses that were in those Townes, the incursions of the Enemy being soe suddaine & haueing in a few howres, fyred the deserted howses & barnes &c. are as suddainly fledd into the woodds and hyding places, before any releife [111] could possibly come vnto of people, whereby it is come to passe that many in or Country Townes and ffarmes are de‐ stroyed & many of our people brought to great want & extremyty both in this Colony & that of Plymouth, and some Townes vpon Conecticott Ryv' and the like in that pt of the Country to the Norward of Paskatag Ryvr called yorke River formly the Province of Mayne. May it please yr honf to be furthf informed that imediatly aftf the begin‐ ing of this warr by Phillip Sachem of mount hope in the Jurisdiccon of Plymouth, it was suddainly dispced all our the Country .2. or 300. myles from Kenebeck noreast to the vtmost bounds of Conect. Jurisdiccon southwest, as if it had bene a p'meditated Jesuiticall contriuance complotted long before, and though wee indeav'ed to the vtmost of or power, to releiue and succ' (att of great charge both by sea & land) those Townes & plantacons to the Norward of Paskataq Ryvf yet by reason of their remote liueing, one from anoth' & the incomodious scituacon of their Townes they could not be p'serued : but are mostly destroyed, many of the people being slaine, and the rest retyred to places of bett' securyty. Wee judge according to of best computa- tion, that since the begining of this warr there hath bene slaine of his Mates subject aboue 500. seûall Townes or vil‐ lages some wholy some in pt ruyned. the howses burnt not easyly to be numbred ; the people much destracted, hus‐ bandry and trading much obstructed, & scarcity of bread corne & oth' pvisions much feared, if god should pmit of Enemys furthr to p'vaile, and hind' of planting and reape‐ ing, as vndoubtedly they will indeavr to doe the vtmost of their power.
Wee haue expended in the psecucon of this warr more then 2000' agreat some for soe poore a people in a wildernes weh yet wee should cheerefully vnd'goe, could wee see but a pbable way how we might secure wt remaines of his Maties interest & of owne yet remaines agst of barbarous & blood- [112] rigthirsty Enemyes, of great want for the carrying on of this warr and bringing of it to a good conclusion, is money, some armes & a few men many of ofs being lost or disabled for service since the begining of this warr and very many hands necessaryly imployed in makeing fortificacons & pvid- — ing habitacons for multitudes of people depriued thereof, ffor such is the maner of o" Enemyes fighting flying retreat- ing & incursions w' many oth' advantages that wee judge it much easyer for the people of this Country to Defend themselues agst many thousands of a forraigne nation then agst. .2. or .3000 of theis barbarous heathen. Att or first comeing hither vndr the Countenance & pteccon of his mates royall ffather of blessed memory more then 40 yeares since it was of great care to see all the people vnd' of goûmt well armed & constantly trayned, that wee might be able to defend ofselues and p’serue the Country agst any inuasion of Enemyes. the Inds. then had few or noe firearmes and we had strickt lawes phibiting the selling of them any vndr seuere penalties : but in a short tyme they were furnished by the french & dutch wil as many as they could buy & soe now haue as many as they desire, and many of them doe affirme they are incouraged and animated by the ffrench att Canada (who also as they say haue pmised them recruites of amunicon and ayde of men this sumer great quantyties likewise of amunicon they say haue bene brought to them by some Dutchi whome they name) ffrom ffort Albany, weh wee haue much reason to beleeue, for in wint' both by their owne confession, & by some p'sonfs wee tooke it apped they had but lyttle. Wee haue intimated thus much to Maj' Andros the Goün' of yorke who wee hope will doe his vtmost to p'vent the like for the future. Wee are not vnsenceable of wt concerne the keepeing of this Country, is not onely as to of owne welfaire but as to his Mates interest in seûall respects & therefore shall willingly spend of liues & or all for the p'servacon thereof, humbly beseeching yhonf to beleeue that the losse & sufferings that hath befallen vs hath not pceeded from want of care in the goûmt, or conduct & currage in the comand' or soldiers whose reso‐ lucone and forwardnes in ingageing vpon to great disadvan- tages is rather to be blamed, yet soe it must be or the Enemies not fought wth at all. Wee are vnwilling and ashamed, but necessitated to make knowne the trueth vnto yr honr that for the carrying on of this warr & bringing of it to agood and hopefull conclusion, wee want money amu‐ nicon & armes for the Country is become poore & brought very lowe./
The contynuance of his Maties smiles and royall favr vnd' whose shadow & princely grace wee haue bene contynued a people hith'too will-deeply oblidge vs by Duty & many obli‐ gacons already bound to implore the blessing of heaven vpon his Mates pson royall ffamyly & goûmt. And that yl honf may be blessed here & eternally blessed hereaft' is the earnest prayer of/
R:
Honrble
His Mate most loyal
Subjects
& yr hons humble Servts
past by ye Council 5 Aprill 1676: E: R: S.
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Century
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17th Century
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Decade material covers
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1670s
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Subject
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MA Council
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Edward Randolph (Secretary of State)
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John Leverett (MA Governor)
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King Philip
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Naragansett Indians
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Kennebec
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York
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Falmouth
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Piscataqua River
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Maine
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Massachusetts
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Plymouth
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Connecticut
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Type
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Letter
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War
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King Philip's War
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Point of Departure
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Boston, MA
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Point of Arrival
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London, England
