The Anderson intelligencer. (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, June 06, 1906, Image 3
REMINISCED
Sing Philip and the
Written for Tho Anderson It
?Fo-day I walked over tho spot where
in 1675 occurred the Great Swamp
Fight in whioh the power of the
Narragansett Indians was forever
broke.! in New England. In order to
bolieve that hi ?tory is literally true
one should visit the Bwau^t in the
winter. At this season it is entirely
covered with water which together
with the briers and underbrush make?
a passage way into it almost impossi
ble. It is then that ono gets an idea
of the strength of the position the
Indians had seleoted as a strong
hold.
The Great Swamp is about eight
miles in extent, stretching along the
Usquepaugh Ei vor through the town
ship of South Kingstown, Rhoda Is
land, It was once a shallow lako,
formed by the glaoiers whioh poshed
aoross this section of the country from
the North East. The quaint little
village of Kingston is on the neighbor
ing hill, while Narragansett Pier and
Newport aro only about twelve miles
away. ..- , - . - j
It will bc remembered that upon the
outbreak of King. Philip's War, the
Narragansetts were suspected of se
cretly aiding and abetting the Wam
ponosxs ia their attaoks upon the
white settlements. With the horrors
of Indian massacres full upon them
the colonies of Plymouth and Wcssa
ohuoets had little time to assume the
offensive and it was not'uaiU late in
the fall of 1675 af tee the warriors of
Philip had been driven back from the
frontier settlements, that preparations
were made for an invasion of the hos
tilo country. ?
According to historical aooounts,
upon suspecting the invasion of the
white men, the Narraganeetts bad
quitted their hunting grounds and had
erected a strong fort upon an island in
the midst of this swamp. It was in
deed a. typical plaoe for a strong de
fensive position. Flanked on both
sides and in the rear for miles by tv
quagmire of mud, the only access to
the island was by means of a huge
troo trunk whioh had been felled
aoross to the -mainland nfc a narrow,
place in front. The Indians had
built a palisade of tree trunks over a
rod in thickness' completely around
tho island with rude blook houses sta
tioned at regular intervals. These
blo?k houses were so arranged that a
raking Sro could, be sssisiaiaed
against an attacking party either on
the bridge or along .the whole.-.''line of
def enges. ?n audition they had eur
rounded the island with a deep ditoh
which waa how filled with water.
Here they thought themselves quite
secure and had collected together all
of their women and children with
previsions enough for toe winter.. \
Ii was against this fort that tho
settlers decided to strike a deoisive
blow. One thousand men were raised.
Massachusetts sent 527, Plymouth 158
a nd Con n ec tiout 315, These troops
were the flower of the Colonial, force?
and had alt econ service ih former
campaigns against the red men. Col,1
Winslow of Plymouth. was appointed
Commander-in-chief, but the most'
noteworthy character of this expedi
tion was Capt. Bsa jamin Church who
accompanied Col. Winslow aa an aid,
. ^|g'troop'?l,:. raadeavoused !?a^tW
gameon housa of Bichord Smith of
Wiet?ofd :on tb? Westert shore of
Narragansett Bay and remained there
until December 18th. Having been
joined by some friendly Indiana .'.abd
by some volunteers ftomRhode Is?au ?
the^f^'en.':; set. but upon coheir m^jjff
Their intention was to inarch dowu
the western shore of tb? bsy fco the
rrieon houee of Jireh Bul?, on Tower
Hill: uear the Pottaquaiasoutfc River,
here they expected to find provision s
nd shelter for the ufibi/ but ?*?:
" etfijj^tj^
quamaoutfe they found that I the ?n
ians had fcttackfid th', plaoo the sight
stehered the fert&? garrison.
?-;T?M?x^
ouse, w^b?eb wis; tho erat bowe
CES OF 1675
Great Swamp Fight.
itelligencer by J> F. Breazoale.
filled with flying ?no??. Os account
of the darkness and storm they could
not oross the river, but were* compell
ed to bivouac on the bleak plain on
the east side through this terrible
December night without either food
or shelter. Many had their hands
and itot so badly frozen that they
could not continue thi march. Three
feet of Bnow fell dubing the night
and when morning dawned tho storm
earned to increase in fury.
Early on the morning of tho 19th,
unrefreshed by either supper or
breakfast, the army crossed the river
on the ice and set on a ton mile maroh
toward the Great Swamp. Passing
over,the hill, the present site of the
village of Kingston, they halted for a
short rest, thus giving the village its
old name "Little Rest." Arriving at
tho border of the morass about one
o'clock they were guided by a friendly
Indian to a narrow foot path which
led up to the island. The Indians
were lying in ambush and opened fire
upon thom cs they entered the a vamp,
but the English returned the fire with
GU oh vip^v that they forced the In*
diana bc * until they came to the
fort.
. This indeed presented a formidable
appearance. Inside an ar?a of ?boat
three sores 3,000 Narragansett!} were
strongly intrenched. They had erect'
ed about five hundred houses, made
of material which was bullet-proof and
"further strengthened by tubs of corn
and other provisions set around the
walls." The Indians were fully as
well armed as the whites, so upon
the arrival of the Massachusetts
troops who were in the vas, a frown?
lng lice of muskets greeted them
from the port holes in the block
houses and from along the line of
passades. The only ?ntranos to the
fort was by means of the tree trunk
before mentioned; this made it neces
sary for the English to pass in Bingle
file no ros s thia bridge exposed to the
Indian muekets.
Without waiting for reinforcements
the Massachusetts troops make a rush
to oros8 the bridge. They were im
mediately swept off by the fusilado
from the block houses. Again and
again they repeated the assault in the
faae of certain death until th? dead
and dying lay in heaps in the dit oh
and the entrance of the fort was
choked wita dead bodies. Ii then be
came evident that no amount of hero
ism could enable them to gain an en*
trance at thia.. point; so in dismay
they retreated from the bridge, back
into .the swamp and rallied on .the
Plymouth and o Con neo tic ut troops who
had nov? reaohed theosoene of action.
'With these ro-i nf or cement a they re
newed the assault and for about three
hours the . battle raged..- Eren the
bravest were about to deBpai?; when
the cry "The run, they run" rang
out through the swamp. It was in
deed true. A rear guard of the Con
necticut troops ?had walked across the
ditch at an exposed point ott the left,
had hewn down the palisade, and with
great shouting had attacked the de*
feeders of tho fort in the rear.; The
Indians who had ell collected at the
.first point of attack wore surprised
and bewildered by this unexpected.,
movement end for ft aement broke in
to confusion. Taking advantage of
thiB tho English by another desperate
oharge .'.broke : over ;. the palisades in
front and engaged the Indiens io av
hand to hand struggle. The fl words
together with' the superior discipline
of the English gave them the advan
tage sod now '. the awful work of de
struction and buccasry cozam?hced.
Th? inforiated English had becomo so
savage as their Indian enemies; n si th
er tho aged, the women or children
were spared ia this awful carnage.
Rallying into their wigwams th?)f|!'
di?os fought with desperate courage
$P^$i&&n^
btock h?uso? alie E ogliah Buffs red se
verely from?; tnls&i&i^^ For
au hoar the fight continued, when in
the ermr ofter the ba*tle: wit&oat
provisions aud without ?hdfcer for
.toej^w*#$^ edtiee :w?s
unheeded. T^w^gwams w^cre 's?? on
fire and being^&ade of very tombas
table material th? le!a?d wa? soon a
^Ipag" iortao^; '; !^eJ;-sVan*X;ii"?n
Sd* ?fiaaM ?s KSf??? ?? iii imm?mv.
infants ', and aged? aialt ea?: ^??ndfld
;t??h?dv in tltfav;;gr^
Pjile':if??o^'.?no' w?re,aMa <fc)'ew'aif^
.0^ i?^ the.swamp and ke^ftp ii
deadly; ?r* ;)^6k;; the;\-Englisteiii?
darkness sott?ftd down over - this BCC?S
. :''9fte;#?^
Iber Stad befen HIM and more th*n 200
wounded. Of the loee of the Narra*
gansetts U ie bari to form any esti
mate. At least 700 were killed in the
batilo and hundreds more perished in
the flames and from the exposure
whieh followed on that awful night.
The position of the army was now
perilous in the extreme. They were
surrounded by their howling, desper
ate foes who still outnumbered them
two to one. The light of the blabing
wigwams exposed them to the fire of
the Indians who were hidden by tho
darkness and many an Englishman
fell after they had gained possession
of tho fort. A oold December night
was upon them md tho storm had not
abated, J They wero in tho midst
of an almoBt pathless swamp, encum
bered with 200 wounded. No shelter
or provisions cf as? kind were to bo
had nearer than Wickford, fifteen
! miles away. A hasty consultation
waB called and a retreat was deoided
upon. Bearing in their arms the
dead and wounded they oommeneed
their marou. The horrors of this
maroh can scarcely be equaled in any
age. With the storm howling about
them, they struggled through the un
derbrush, waist deep in snow until
two o'olouk in tho morning when they
reaohed Smith's garrison at Wickford.
A vessel which had been dispatohed
from Boston arrived the next day with
provisions fu? the army. Those of
the wounded who survived the terri
ble march were sent over to the is
land of Aquidneok where they were
nursed baok to health by the settlers.
Thus ended the most desperate cam
paign ever waged against the rod men
on the American continent.
There is some doubt as to the
whereabouts of the great Weinpanoag
chief, Pomtaoom or King Philip, dur
ing the Swamp Fight, but it is knowe
that his winter quarters were with thc
yarraganootta, so it is more than like
ly that he was present in the fort at
the time of the assault and personall]
conducted the defono?.
The % destruction of the Narragan
setts was a great blow to King Philip
They were at that time the most pow
erful tribe in New England, and witl
their aid he had visions of the forma
tion of a grea'j allianoe whioh wouh
completely exterminate the whites
Esoaping ia the swamp with a few o
his followers, he was next heard o
early in February in another swam
in the Nipmuo country some twent;
miles north of Narragansett. Her
he was again attacked and routed by
party under Gapt. Church.
Hunted like a wild beavt from plao
to place, he new saw his foiiowei
(lowly dwindle away either by death <
desertion, until the early summer. 1
was thon that his wife and baby bo
were taken prisoners by the Englis
and sold as slaves to tho Barbadoei
This completely broke tho pros
spirit of Kin"- Philip. He well koo
the horrors cf slavery in those trop
eal islands. "Now I want to die,'* 1
said, "My heart is broken." He ha
already lived too long. He had liv?
to Bee the broad lands whioh we:
Once his pass into the hands of othe
and the once powerful tribe of Mass
soit, his father, completely blotti
out of existence.
Karly in August be returned ont
more tc Mt. Hopa on Bristol neck f
a last visit to tho home of his father
With the few -remaining warriors 1
pitched his camp near the now eel
orated Gold Spring on the west sit
of. the mountain at the head
Uhuron's Cove. Here on a fog]
morning of August 12th, 1676, he w
surrounded by Capt. Ghuroh who ht
placed his men Sn ambush and at bret
of day made an ?sault upon t
camp. . Phillp who waa lying aale
at the' time leaped up, sei red hie gt
and ran down into tho "M?cry Swam*
straight toward a wfc?t? man and
Indian who were lying in ambus
The white mau snapped his fi?
against bia steel but the fog .b
dampened his powder BO that bia gi
missed fire; ho then ordered tho 1
dian to fire. King Philip foll at t
cr*ok of tae rifle, shot through t
heart; .he wi J dragged out of t
ewamp, and the inhumanity of 1
foes was vented upon his dead bod
His brad was out oil and sent to Ply
outh and his body quartered and hu
up at different places cu Mt. Ho]
It ia said .that his skull remained.oi
.Igr?leat Plymouth for. twenty year*.
The death of the great Wampano
chief tain put: au end to thai terri!
Indian way in whioh 600 Eoglishm
wero killed and thirteen of their %
lases destroyed. * -
WK?W^^^m tba Poritau*
their treatment of the Indians duri
this period of American history fl
util be too aeverely ?riticised. Itv
their inhumanly - and greed whi
brough t upen themselves: tbiVa*
war whioh proved so disastrous.
jS?frlndiena were savages, it fa in
and carried on war ia their Owe m
'^Vway>. DUI* sn their treatment
captives they were; far more bums
?hea* were M their Christia?;|?'fo
?While they ; ; occasionally" ; torttii
jj9|em, they were in %st eases no
'and generoue td. ihei^'euemlei ?til
^'battle..' Ono cannot help but J
iure tte conduct Of ?Kog Philip'
Ward ?irs.'Sow?aUdion Haring h?r c:
t?vit?, yat ?be Puritans
tool: bia trlfe? the gentle Wootone:
rusks and ber baby boy, the grandi
cf tho good Massasoit vito had pro
teched them when they were weak ?od
hel pless, and Bold them to be driven
to death under the biasing sun and the
slave driver's whip. Yet Philip was
the savk^el
On thr summit of Mt. Hope, tho
beautiful "Pokanoket" of Massasoit,
is a hugo bouldor whioh marks tho
royal rcsidoneo of this great sachem
of the Wampanoags.
According to tradition King Philip
was accustomed to sit hero in state
and enjoy tho scenes around him. Aa
far as his eye could rcaoh his domains
stretched unbroken. There was 'tho
Bay with its woalth of sea food,
rolling high on tho Bands rioh in tho
luscious dam. There on his right
were the islands of Patience and Pru
dence with their forests full of deer
and other game. There on bis left
was Aquidncok where his corn Odds
lay. There among' the rooks at tho
baso of the hill ho bad played as a
boy or from thence had wafted his
canoe across the river to tho country
of the FooasseUs to woo the fair
Wootonekanut'ke. From time imme
morial his anoeators had thus hold
full sway. Hero many centuries be
fore they had welcomed the Norsemen
under Leif! and Thorium with tho
same hospitality as they had shown
tho early Pilgrims. This is tho moat
beautiful spot in lihode Island and was
well worthy of being soleotcd as a
royal residence.
Of the onoe powerful Narragansett
tribe only one pure blood Indian re
mains, but the high cheek bones and
straight hair of many of tho negroes
in this section of Khodo Island toll
the story of their amalgamation. Of
the Wampanoags so far as oan be as
certained not ooo is to be found at tho
present day. Thoy have all gone
with the good Massasoit, tho proud
Wamsutts, the gallant Philip and tho
faithful Annawan to the happy hunt
ing grounds.
Noar tho Cold Spring on Mt. Hopo
tho Rhode Island Historical Society
haa ereoted a monument to mark tln>
spot where King Philip foll. Thii,
plain marble tablet tells tho story of
tho last act in the drama of that
great chieftain who was more sinnod
agaiust than sinning.
81<M> tor a Hollie,
This would not bo a large price to
pay for Dr. Drummond's Lightning
Remedies for rheumatism if ono could
not get rolief any cheaper. The !
Drummond Medicine Co., Now York, j
have received hundreds of unsolicited |
testimonials from grateful people rc- j
stored to health by tho uso of their
remedies, who would not hesitate to
pay any price rather than Huller tho
former torture. If you would like to
try these remedios, and your druggist
has not got them, write direct to tho
company. Agents wanted.
Three Big Floors of Merchandise Filled to the Brim !
$75,000.00 WORTH OF NEW MERCHANDISE !
? BY WHOM?
The Oldest and Reliable House in Anderson
County, the Famous : :::::::::
JUST THINK ? Thia House ia over a half century old ! Always
given satisfaction, and always will.
Now. good friends and customers, we are going to cay ii you are oui
hunting a pretty Dress or a beautiful Ladies' Hat we oan fit you up to the
letter.
We have three large ' ors covered with beautiful Goods.
. On the first floor yo ?nil find everything in D oraos tics-au ch as Sheet
ing, Shirting, Cheeks, Calicoes, Oil Cloth. On thia floor we also have a
beautiful Skirt and Suit Department.
On the main floor you will S?d a beautiful line of up-to-date Dress
Gooda in Wool and Cotton, glen's and Ladies' Shoas and Slippers, also
Men's and Children's Shoes, Ladies' Waists, Embroideries, Laces and No
tions.
Ia our Millinery Depart mont we have a mag ni fie eut line of Ladies';and
Children's Hats, All the Ladies tell us we have the prettiest and oheapeat
Hats in Anderson, so don't forget to see us on ihifc lme"
On the third floor you will find a splendid line of Men's and Boys' High
Grade Clothing at prices to sait your pocket-book. A beautiful line of
Boya' Knee Suits from 98c to S4.50/) . .
Seo our line of Men'/) and Boys' Negligee Shirts and Ties.
If yon are contemplating taking a trip this Summer see us on Trunks.
We sell more Trunks than any other- house in Anderson.
Tonn for a big Spring business,
. LESSER & CO.,
LEADERS OF LOW PRICES.
FRED. G. BitOWN, Pres. and Treas. I 3. F. M AULDIN, Vice Pr?sident,
A. S. FARMER, Secretary.
The Anderson Real Estate
and Investment Go.,
; - BITTERS AND SELLERS OF -
BB??i EST Am STOCKS & BONDS.
$. 0? Sales Dep't.
Our facilities for handling your property ara perfect? as
we ar? large advertisers all over the country. Bight now
we ara having considerable inquiry for farms in this and ad
oining Counties, and owners of farm lands in tho Piedmont
section who wish to dispose of their property will find that
we are in a position to make quick and satisfactory sales.
?^^W^ thc time to list your property with us* and' ws
??mw proceed at once to ]giye attention to all properties en
Address all communications to J. C. Cummings, Salea
Ci
OOD, big " mealy" potatoes
can not be produced with
out a liberal amount of POTASH
in the fertilizer-not less than
m per cent. It must be in the
rem of Sulphate of POTASH of
highest quality. '
"Plant Food" and "Truck Farming" are two practical
books which tell of the successful growing of potatoes and the
other garden truck-sent free to those who write us for them.
?> Address. HERMAN KALI WORKS. 1
New York-93 Nassau Street. or Atlanta. Ga.-22'; So. Broad Stree**
I). S. YANDIV EH.
E. P. VANDIVER.
J. J. MAJOR.]
VANDIVER BROS. & MAJOR
-DEALERS IN -
"Vehicles ancl Harness !
SEE US ON
BUGGIES.WAGONS.HARNESS
If you owe us past due paper be
sure to see us promptly. : : : :
Yours tiuly,
VANDIVER BROS. & MAJOR.
les and
Now is a good time to buy a uew Buggy aud Harness
and we want you to look at our large stock of the latest and
best up?to-date styles, and it will be no trouble for you to
make a selection. Our work is all sold under guarantee. We
have extra bargains to offer. Grive us a trial. Our prices are
low and terms to suit.
THE J. S. FOWLER COMPANY.
i
P. S.-We have a few last Fall's Jobs to go at Cost.
THE SOUTH'S GREATEST SYSTEM!
tJsifixceiM Dining Car Service. *
Through.'?ulLnan SleepingiCars?on all Trains.*! !
Convenient Schedules on all Local Trains.
$g WINTER TOURIST RATES are now Sn effect to all Florida Pointe
For full information as to rates, routes, etc., CODEUH nearest Southern
Railway Ticket Agent, or
R. W. HUNT, Division Passenger Agent/Charleston, S.O.
BROOKS MORGAN, Ai st. Gen. Pas. Agent, Atlanta, Ga.
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ONE CAB OF HOG FEED,
Have jost received one Car Load of HOG FEED
(Shorts) at very close pricer. Come before^tbeyf ar?
ali gone. Now is the time for throwing
LIME
Around your premises to prevent a case of fever or
some other disease, that will cost you very much, more
than the price of a barrel of Lime ($1.00.) We bav?
a fresh shipment in stock, and will be glad to send*yon
some* If voa contemplate building a barn or_any
other building, see ns before buying your
CEMENT and HffiE,1
As we sell the very^bestfquautiesConly.]
. - . o?"P- ANDERSON:
A LONG LOOK AHEAD
. EMS
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sure in a solid Company like
The Mutual Benefit Life Ins. Go.
na
Drop i nd see us about it
IM. M.1MATTI80N,
STATE AGENT,
- . ; Peoples* Bank Building, ANDSRSO