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Suddenly shots rang out, the air was full of bullets as the Nipmucks rose up out of the swamp. There was nowhere for the English troops to go; they were cut off to the rear and could only force their horses onto the steep slope of the rocky hill where more warriors lay concealed. In the pandemonium, eight of the English died, including the men from Brookfield. Captain Wheeler rushed to the aid of his fallen men and was shot through the side. His horse was shot out from under him, leaving him vulnerable on the hillside as his troopers fought their way out of the ambush. Fortunately for Captain Wheeler, his son realized he was missing, turned around and, despite a wound in his lower back, managed to get to his father, put him up on the horse, and catch another horse for himself.(4)
The beleaguered English had to reach Brookfield and warn the settlers before the Nipmucks could reach the unsuspecting town.
"... sending in their Shot amongst us like haile through the walls, and shouting as if they would have swallowed us up alive."(6)
Ephraim Curtis tried a second time to escape, no luck. Yet again he went, this time creeping on hands and knees through the enemy lines. At last there was a ray of hope in the garrison house. Maybe Curtis would spread the word of their desperate plight. Toward three o'clock in the morning, with the moon risen,
"they attempted to fire our house by Hay and other Combustible matter which they brought to one Corner of the house, and set it on fire."(7)
Realizing that the tavern was in imminent danger of burning, several men ventured out under a fusillade of covering shot and beat out the fire. As the siege continued on August 3, the villagers had new worries. How long would their ammunition last? Did they have enough provision and what about water? Much of their supply had been used to douse fires. The well just outside the tavern was so tempting. Could someone possibly get more water? Thomas Wilson, chosen for the task, was shot in the upper jaw and the neck. The attackers continued relentlessly through the day, using
Life became a routine of tending the wounded, putting out fires, soothing the children, and constantly waiting for the next attack. Stress mounted: would the noise and ferocity of attack never end? how would it end? would help reach them in time? would there be any help? As fears mounted inside the tavern during August 4, Nipmuck warriors were working on a special device.
In this way the warriors could push the flammable materials right up to the garrison house while staying out of gun shot range. Fortunately for the trapped English, a shower of rain fell, wetting the combustibles and making them ineffective as siege tools. Just as the colonists' hope of survival had reached its nadir, a rescue party, under the command of Major Simon Willard, arrived on the scene,
By what a slender thread hung the outcome of three days of conflict. As Major Willard and his company approached the garrisoned tavern in the darkness, they had no idea who was inside. Were the colonists there or were more warriors lying in wait? Should he order an attack? All at once a trumpet sounded, signaling to Major Willard that there were indeed English inside. Scrambling to avoid the Nipmuck bullets, the troopers joined the besieged. The Nipmucks quickly realized that these newcomers changed the balance of power. As a final gesture, the warriors burned the Meeting House and the barn of the tavern. Then toward daybreak of August 5, they disappeared into the forest, leaving Brookfield in a state of desolation.
Behind you in an open field is a rock labeled "Indian Rock." According to tradition, warriors took refuge here while they besieged Ayres' tavern. There is a plaque in the stone wall along the road marking the first Meeting House, the one which the Nipmucks burned as their Parthian shot. The site of the well that stood outside the tavern can still be seen.
Today the spot is marked by two majestic oak trees. As you stand there, you are surrounded by silence, far removed from the everyday world of today.
1 Wheeler, Thomas. 1676. A Thankefull Remembrance of Gods Mercy to Several Persons at Quabog or Brookfield. IN Slotkin, Richard and James K. Folsom (eds). 1978. So Dreadfull a Judgment. p. 251. Wesleyan University Press, Middletown, Connecticut.
2. As tensions increased between the colonials and King Philip's forces in the spring of 1675, the government of the Bay Colony sent out troops to secure peace treaties with various tribes. Captain Hutchinson and his troops came to Quabog Plantation to make sure that the local tribe would remain neutral in any clashes between King Philip and the Massachusetts colony. The Nipmucks had promised to meet Hutchinson on August 2 and had even specified the exact tree for the meeting; Gookin, D. An Historical Account of the Doings and Sufferings of the Christian Indians in New England in the Years 1675, 1676, 1677. p. 448. Reprinted in Arno Press Inc., New York, 1972; Temple, J. H. 1887. History of North Brookfield, Massachusetts. p. 89. Town of North Brookfield, Massachusetts.
3. Wheeler, p. 244.
4. Hubbard, W. The History of the Indian Wars in New England. p. 99. Kraus Reprint Co., New York, 1969; Wheeler, pp. 81-82.
5. Mather, I. 1676. A Brief History of the War with the Indians in New England. p. 91. IN Slotkin, Richard and James K. Folsom (eds). 1978. So Dreadfull a Judgment. p. 251. Wesleyan University Press, Middletown, Connecticut.
6. Wheeler, p. 247.
7. Wheeler, p. 247.
8. Wheeler, p. 249.
9. Wheeler, p. 250.
10.Wheeler, p. 248; Mather, p. 92.
11.Wheeler, p. 254.
12.Drake, S. G. 1867. The Old Indian Chronicle. p. 145. Boston, Massachusetts.