1704 — Feb 29, Massacre, French and Native allies attack Deerfield, MA — 68

—     68  Demos. “The Deerfield Massacre.” American Heritage, V.44/Issue 1, Feb/March 1993.[2]

–48  Killed during attack, with 112 taken captive.

–20  Captives who are killed along the way or starve.

–18  Captives killed along the way (primarily for inability to keep up).

—  2  Captives who starve to death.

—     68  Sheldon. A History of Deerfield, Massachusetts (Vol. I). 1896. (See “Fatalities” at end).

–39  Killed in the attack.

—  9  Pursuit party of settlers from nearby settlements and from Deerfield.

–20  Captives killed enroute.

–64-67  Campbell. Disasters, Accidents, and Crisis in American History. “Deerfield Massacre,” 20.

—      41  Settlers killed in the attack.[3]

–23-26  Captives who “died on the forced march to New France.”

—     64  Wikipedia. “Raid on Deerfield.” 1-21-2018 edit.

–44  Villagers killed in attack. (cites: Melvoin. New England Outpost. 1989, p. 456.

–10  Men

—  9  Women

–25  Children

–20  Captives killed or died of exposure. Cites. Haefeli and Sweeney. 2003, p. 125.

—   >50  Smithsonian Source. The Deerfield Massacre of 1704. 2007.

—     49  Killed in the attack, and 111 taken captive. Sheldon. A History of Deerfield, V1, p. 306.

—     47  Thompson. History of Vermont, Natural, Civil…in Three Parts. 1842, Part II, p. 5.

—   ~40  Willsey and Lewis.  “Massachusetts,” Harper’s Book of Facts. 1895, p. 488.

 

Narrative Information

 

Haefeli and Sweeney: “By the end of 1703, Deerfield was beginning to mature as a community. It contained about 50 families and about 260 to 270 inhabitants, only slightly more than there had been in 1688.

 

“Deerfield and similar frontier towns were not formidable military outposts of an expanding English empire. Nor were they dynamic engines of commercial growth that added to the wealth of the empire. They were instead traditional, subsistence farming communities that produced and consumed New England’s primary crop: large families with hordes of children. As such, they were an on-going threat to the region’s dwindling population of Indians and a source of concern for the far less populous French colony in Canada. Because of Native resistance and French fears, Deerfield began as contested ground and remained so in the early 1700s….” [p. 32.]

 

“The French raiders who attacked Deerfield in 1704 were the embodiment of an imperial New France….It is unlikely that many of the French raiders came directly from working on farms along the Saint Lawrence. Most would have been recruited from among members of the Canadian nobility and young men involved in the fur trade: voyageurs and coureurs de bois. They were products of New France’s military frontier….” [p. 34.]

 

“War was the most obvious route of continued advancement for men such as Lieutenant Hertel de Rouville and Ensign René Boucher de la Perriѐre and their families….” [p. 49.]

 

“The bulk of the French contingent in De Rouville’s expedition would have been native-born Canadians drawn from the militia…those on the Deerfield raid would not have been a cross-section of New France’s militia…The men who undertook raids against New England with Native allies were in fact as exceptional as the raids themselves….There were at any given time perhaps only 300 to 400 inhabitants capable of carrying out winter raids… In 1696 Calliѐr had declared to then-governor Frontenac that he could not ‘find men enough to march in show-shoes, carry and draw ammunition and stores so far, and storm a town in the very heart of the enemy’s country. Even among the regular officers to the troupes taking part in these joint raids one tends to see the same names expedition after expedition: Boucher, Hertel, Legardeur, and Le Monye….” [p. 52.]

 

“The two hundred Natives who lined the army at Chambly came from five different villages. Like Deerfield, these communities had been settled in the 1660s and 1670s by people seeking security and better futures. From the west came Hurons and Algonkins; from the south, Iroquois and Sokokis; from the east and south, Abenakis and others seeking shelter from the militantly expanding settlements of New England. Their lives combined traditions from their homelands with practices developed in their new homes, the villages of Lorette, La Montagne, Sault-au-Récollet, Kahnawake, and Odanak. The French referred to these Natives as sauvages domiciliés because they had permanently settled in villages along the Saint Lawrence. The English called them French Indians or French Mohawks, depending on their ethnicity….All of these Native villages were the sites of Christian missions maintained by French priests….” [p. 55.]

 

Harper’s: “French and Indians attack and burn Deerfield…28 Feb. 1704 (There were about 40 killed and 100 taken prisoners.  Among the captives was the rev. Mr. Williams and family; his wife was soon after killed by the Indians.  The rest of the family were taken to Montreal, where they remained until Oct. 1706, when the survivors were sent to Boston.  His daughter Eunice, 10 years of age, could not be ransomed from the Indians, and was left behind; she afterwards married an Indian.  She visited her relatives after the war but would not remain, and returned to her Indian home…” (Willsey and Lewis. “Massachusetts,” Harper’s Book of Facts. 1895, 488.)

 

Sheldon on Deerfield at time of attack: “Of its forty-one houses, at least fifteen were within the line of the stockades. About twelve were north, and fourteen south of it. When the night of February 28th closed down, 291 souls were under their rooftrees. Of these, twenty were garrison soldiers, two visitors from Hatfield, and 268 inhabitants. They were of all ages, from Widow Allison of eighty-four years, to John, the youngling of Deacon French’s flock, of four weeks. Among them were three negro slaves, one Indian, and three Frenchmen from Canada. In a few hours all but one hundred and twenty-six of the inhabitants were either killed or in the hands of a cruel enemy, on a march over the snow to Canada, three hundred miles away….” [p. 310] (Sheldon, George. 1636–Pocumtuck–1886: A History of Deerfield, Massachusetts (V. I). 1896.)

 

Thompson: “…reciprocal depredations were continued till the treaty between France and England, in 1697 put an end to hostilities and restored peace to the colonies. But this peace was of short continuance. War was again declared in Europe in 1702, and in this the colonies were soon involved. During this war the frontiers of New England were kept in continual alarm by small parties of the enemy and suffered severely.

 

“The town of Deerfield in Massachusetts had been settled some years and was at this time in a very flourishing condition : but, being the most northerly settlement on Connecticut river, excepting a few families at Northfield, the French and Indians devoted it to destruction.

 

“In the winter of 1704, a party of about 300 of the enemy under De Rouville set out upon an expedition against this ill-fated place. They proceeded up lake Champlain to the mouth of Winooski, or Onion river, and, following up that stream, they passed over to Connecticut river. Proceeding down the Connecticut upon the ice, they arrived in the vicinity of Deerfield on the 29th of February.[4] Here they concealed themselves till the latter part of the night, when, perceiving that the watch had left the streets and that all was quiet, they rushed forward to the attack. The snow was so high as to enable them to leap over the fortifications without difficulty, and they immediately separated into several parties so as to make their attack upon every house at the same time. The place was completely surprised, the inhabitants having no suspicions of the approach of the enemy till they entered their houses.

 

“Yet surprised and unprepared as they were, the people of Deerfield made a vigorous defence; but were at length overpowered by the enemy. Forty-seven of the inhabitants were slain, the rest captured and the village plundered and set on fire. About one hour after sunrise the enemy hastily departed; and although pursued and attacked by a party of the English, they succeeded in escaping to Canada, where they arrived with their prisoners and booty after a fatiguing march of 25 days. For several years after the destruction of Deerfield the frontiers, both of Canada and the New England provinces, were one continued scene of massacre and devastation.” (Thompson. History of Vermont, Natural, Civil…in Three Parts. 1842, Part II, p. 5.)

 

Fatalities (according to Sheldon)

–39  Killed in the attack.

—  9  Pursuit party of settlers from nearby settlements and from Deerfield.

–20  Captives killed enroute.

–68  Grand total.

 

Killed in the attack [we have changed question mark signs for age to about “~” signs][5]

 

  1. David Alexander
  2. Thomas Carter                4
  3. John Catlin                  ~60
  4. Jonathan Catlin
  5. Benjamin Church                                Soldier stationed at house of Sgt. Benoni Stebbins.[6]
  6. Sarah Field                    10 months
  7. Samson Frary              ~64
  8. John French                     4 weeks
  9. Alice Hawks               ~50
  10. John Hawks, Jr.             30
  11. Thankful Hawks (wife)26
  12. Thankful Hawks             2
  13. John Hawks                    7
  14. Martha Hawks                4
  15. Samuel Hinsdale           15 months
  16. Joseph Ingersol             28
  17. Jonathan Kellogg            5
  18. Rebecca Matoon           24                  Wife of Philip Matoon
  19. Philip Matoon’s son     infant
  20. Parthena (black)                                  Servant (slave?), to Reverend John Williams
  21. Henry Nims                   12
  22. Mary                               5                  Burned to death/or suffocated in cellar.
  23. Mercy                              5                  Burned to death/or suffocated in cellar.
  24. Meh’tble                          7                  Burned to death/or suffocated in cellar.
  25. Sarah Price                  ~53
  26. Mercy Root                   15
  27. Thos Shelden [Seiden] 26
  28. Mrs. Hannah Sheldon               39
  29. Mercy Sheldon               3
  30. Mary Smead                 23                  Wife of Samuel Smead.
  31. Sarah Smead                   4                  Daughter of Samuel and Mary Smead.
  32. William Smead               2                  Son of Samuel and Mary Smead
  33. Elizabeth Smead         ~64
  34. Martin Smith               ~50
  35. Sgt. Benoni Stebbins    51
  36. Andrew Stevens                                  Notes he was Native American (“Indian”)
  37. Mary Wells                   30
  38. John Williams                  6
  39. Jerusha Williams             6 weeks

 

Slain in the Meadow (Brackets denote place of residence of those in counterattack.][7]

 

  1. Samuel Allis               [Hatfield]                    25
  2. Sgt. [Sam’l] Boltwood [Hadley]?                   53
  3. Robert Boltwood        [Hadley]                      21
  4. Joseph Catlin              [Deerfield]                ~23
  5. Samuel Foot                [Hatfield]                  ~26
  6. David Hoyt                 [Deerfield]                  24
  7. Jonathan Ingram         [Hadley]                      27
  8. Serg Benjamin Wait   [Hatfield]                  ~54
  9. Nathaniel Warner        [Hadley]                      22

 

Captives Killed (and died) along the way north.[8]

 

  1. Hepzibah Belding                   54
  2. Mary Brooks                         ~40
  3. Hannah Carter                         29
  4. Hannah Carter                           7 months       Slain the second day of trip north.[9]
  5. Marah Carter                             3                    Slain as the retreat got underway.[10]
  6. Elizabeth Corse                     ~32
  7. Mary Frary                            ~64
  8. Mary French                           40
  9. Elizabeth Hawks                       6
  10. Jacob Hix [Hickson]                                       Died along the way.
  11. Deacon David Hoit                 52                    Died along the way.
  12. Ebenezer Hoit                           8
  13. Abigail Hoit                              2
  14. Benjamin Hurst                         2
  15. Philip Mutoon/Mattoon          23
  16. Frank [slave to Mr. Williams]                         Slain in “drunken frolic” the first night.[11]
  17. Mehitable Nims                      36
  18. Esther Pomroy                      ~27
  19. Waitstill Warner                      24
  20. Mrs. Eunice Williams              39                    Slain the second day of trip north.[12]
  21. Unnamed girl?                       ~11                    Slain second day, according to Williams.[13]

 

Sources

 

Campbell, Ballard C.  Disasters, Accidents, and Crises in American History:  A Reference Guide to the Nation’s Most Catastrophic Events. New York, NY: Facts on File, 2008.

 

Demos, John. “The Deerfield Massacre.” American Heritage, Vol. 44, Issue 1, February/March 1993. Accessed 2-23-2018 at: https://www.americanheritage.com/content/deerfield-massacre

 

Haefeli, Evan and Kevin Sweeney. Captors and Captives: The 1704 French and Indian Raid on Deerfield. Amherst and Boston: University of Massachusetts Press, 2003. Google preview accessed 2-23-2018 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=wtI8_bKSKrYC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Melvoin, Richard I. New England Outpost: War and Society in Colonial Deerfield. New York and London: W. W. Norton & Company, 1989. Google preview accessed 2-23-2018 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=Tr-oP5XRaZwC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Sheldon, George. 1636–Pocumtuck–1886: A History of Deerfield, Massachusetts (Vol. I). Greenfield, MA: Press of E. A. Hall & Co., 1896. Google preview accessed 2-24-2018 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=W2wWAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Smithsonian Source. The Deerfield Massacre of 1704. 2007. Accessed 2-23-2018 at: http://www.smithsoniansource.org/display/primarysource/viewdetails.aspx?PrimarySourceId=1179

 

Thompson, Zadock. History of Vermont, Natural, Civil and Statistical, in Three Parts. Burlington, VT: Chauncey Goodrich, 1842. Google preview accessed 2-3-2018 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=8BUzAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Willsey, Joseph H. (Compiler), Charlton T. Lewis (Editor). Harper’s Book of Facts: A Classified History of the World.  New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1895. Google preview accessed 9-4-2017 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=UcwGAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false

 

Wikipedia. “Raid on Deerfield.” 1-21-2018 edit. Accessed 2-23-2018 at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_on_Deerfield#cite_note-5

[1] Though death tolls vary, we rely on Demos and Sheldon. Includes 39 in attack, 9 in pursuit party, and 20 captives.

[2] Cites a report “for the colony leaders in Boston,” which includes “a detailed count of casualties: 48 dead, 112 taken captive. (Another 140 remain ‘alive at home.’)

[3] Campbell writes that in addition six of the raiding party were killed in the attack (without noting French or Native).

[4] Have checked 1804 calendar and there was a Feb 29 that year — on a Friday.

[5] Sheldon, p. 308.

[6] Sheldon, pp. 312-313.

[7] Sheldon, p. 308.

[8] Sheldon, pp. 308-309. At p. 315 Sheldon writes: “Twenty were slain by the way, ‘for their manner was, if any loitered to kill them.’”

[9] Sheldon, p. 315.

[10] Sheldon, p. 315.

[11] Sheldon, p. 315.

[12] Sheldon, p. 315.

[13] A captive who was taken to New France. (Sheldon, p. 315.) Sheldon goes on to note, after writing that an 11-year-old girl was killed, then writes: “No female between the ages of six and twenty-four, is marked on Stephen Williams’ list, as having been killed on the march. This girl was probably Jemima Richards.”