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Fi om the A*. 1'. Commercial Jidvertiser.HISTORICAL EXCURSION.Wending our way from tiro broom-corn plains of Deerfield live miles yet farther North, the nest ob-jcct attracting the allention was “Sugar Loaf Mountain, forming the Southern spur of an elevated range of hills, some ten miles in extent, rising up most unexpectedly in the midst of what seems yet to be the broad alluvial flats of the Connecticut. It is, however, not exactly so—this mountain ridge forming, in fact, a barrier between the Connecticut and the Po-cumtuck, or Deerfield, rivers i the latter, after descending with the madness of a wildcat from among the (Jrcen Mountains of Vermont, and cutting it-way through the Western rampart of the Connerti-cut V olley, now turns its course from East to North, and winds its way lazily through a broad and beautiful valley of its own, until it again chooses to bend to the Kust, and fall into the embrace of the larger stream—culling off the aforesaid Sugar Loaf Mountain range from the line old rural town of CJreenlield. It is in this valley of the Deerfield river that the town bearing the same name it situated. And on the whole it is about the sweetest spot that my eyo lias ever rested upon in New England.But I am getting ahead of myself. The drive from Hatfield, over the wide and charming alluvial fields of the Connecticut, toward the close of the day, was very beautiful. Although it was now the middle of September, the general moisture of the season had been such as to preserve to the meadows, and the shrubbery bounding the river and the grnvully-bottoni-cd rills from the lulls, and the rirhly wooded hills themselves, the fresh verdure of June. For several miles the fields and farms are not divided otf by separate enclosures, hut are cultivated with a common understanding as lu the times and seasons in which cattle may be turned in to crop the ricli herbage and roam lit pleasure.The parish of South Deerfield is situated just at the entrance of the I’ocumtuck, or Deerfield valley, at the Northeastern base of the Sugar-1 .oaf Mountain, the cone of which, composed of red sand-stone, rises to the height of six hundred and fifty feet, rutting off the prospect toward Ihc East. Tho inconsiderable stream called Jllooity Hrook flows sluggishly through tho village, escaping to the river around the Southern base of the Sugar Loaf It was here that the cruel massacre of Captain Luthrop and ninety colonists, by tiie Indians, took place on the ISth of September, ItiTfi. And it was here, under a tree near the roadside, that F.dwaro Evkkett, now the accomplished American Minis er at the Court of St. James, pronounced his celebrated address at the celebration of Urn one hundred and sixtieth anniversary of that bloody transaction, in the year 1S35. Of all the brilliant oratorical efforts of Mr. Everett, the discourse pronounced on that occasion lias been re. garded as the most successful and beautiful. The victims oflhnl uwiul tragedy were taken hy surprise. Captain Lalhrop and his command of eighty-four men had been with a party of teamsters to the Pocuratuck flats, to bring liic wheat recently harvested and stacked in the fields hy the people of Deerfield, who immediately afterward had been driven hy the Indians down to Hatfield, where was a small garrison. Arriving at the brook which was that day baptized wilb blood, in the middle of a bright afternoon, they stop, ped to refresh. The forest trees were covered with gra|ve vines to their tops, and the vines were loaded willi clusters of ripening grapes, large and rich to behold. The temptation was loo great for resistance. Not dreaming that the savage foe was even at tho moment lurking within a bow-shot to take, advantage of the least incaution, soldiers and tcani-ters alike dropped their weapons, and sprang upon the trees to pluck the luscious fruit. In a moment the wild war-whoop rang through the forest, follou'cd hy a heavy rattle of musketry, which brought many of the party at the first fire dcud or wounded to the earth The scene that followed was appalling: Instant through oopse and hill arose Plumes and spears and bended bows ; t)n right and left, above, below,Sprang up, at once, the lurking foe.From shingles gray their lances start,The bracken bush sent forth the dart ;The rushes, ami the willow-wand Bristled with tomahawk and brand ;And every tuft of broom gave life To painted warrior, armed for strife.Bat though ambuscaded ami surprised by a force so vastly superior in numbers, and taken at such ills advantage, Lathrop's men were not defeated without a struggle,—flerce,—hand to hand. Ninety of the colonists, including fourteen of the teamsters, were killed ; only seven or eight escaped—all the wounded being massacred by the Indians on the termination of the unequal contest. Before the savages had quite completed their butcheries, however, the fortune- ol the day were changed by the timely arrivnl of Captain Moseley, from lladley, who, hearing llm firing, marched his forces from the garrison with all possible celerity to the field ol action. The Indians in turn were surprised while stripping llie slain, and a deadly and well directed fire caused a suspension ol that part of thnr work. Moseley was in a few ini-nutr. afterward reinforced by Mnjor,Treat,froin Connecticut, with a body of one hundred mrn, including a number of Pcquod and Mohrgan Indians, who lad arrived at the adjacent town of Northlield on the morning of that day,and who had also lieen attracted to tlic. field of blood tiy the firing. Before these com hined forces the Indians were compelled to flee, leaving ninety-six of their warriors dead. The story of this tragedy has gathered inlt rest m the neighborhood with the lapse of years. About forty years af ter the event, ■ rude monumental slab was creeled to the memory of l.athrnp and his fellow-virtims ; Imt the different owners und occupants of tilt land had
Newspaper Details
Daily Madisonian
Washington, Washington-DC, US
Wed, Oct 19, 1842
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Boston P.
NA, USA 18 Feb 2025
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