History of Northampton, Massachusetts, from its settlement in 1654;

148 HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTON, [1746.
invasion of Canada. Sergt. Hawks had "but twenty-one
men under him, more than half of whom were on the sick
list. For twenty-eight hours the little garrison held the
fort, despite the efforts of the besiegers. At last, having
expended all their ammunition, they surrendered on prom-
ise of quarter, and were well treated. One of the garrison
was killed and two wounded, while the enemy lost from
forty to seventy.^ No person from Northampton was a
member of the garrison. Just before the attack on the
fort, thirteen of the garrison commanded by Dr. Thomas
Williams, were sent to Deerfield, to procure ammunition
and supplies. They passed along the road guarded on each
side by the secreted forces of Vaudreuil, unmolested. The
enemy were only too glad that the garrison should be weakened,
and dared not bring on a conflict prematurely by
attacking them.
The Bars' Fight.
The French commander, leaving a guard of
fifty or sixty men, jjushed on with his prisoners
towards Canada. This detachment, dissatisfied with
the result of the foray, and anxious to obtain more prisoners
or scalps, determined to raid Deerfield. They reached
the village on Sunday and the next morning placed an ambush
near a meadow, in wliich was a quantity of partly
cured hay. Near this place, called the Bars, were a couple
of houses occupied by families by the name of Amsden
and Allen, who were lodging at the fort. Early on Monday
morning, unsuspicious of danger, the party, among
whom were several children, and two soldiers detailed as a
guard, went to their work. Eleazar Hawks, a hunter,
stumbled upon the ambuscade and was shot and scalped.
All fled at the first alarm, towards a mill, a short distance
down the creek. Some of the men endeavored to make a
stand and fight off the Indians, but were soon overpowered.
One of the lads was seized and scalped ; two of the men
Avere shot, while a third escaped to an island in the river
and finally reached the opposite bank. Of the eight persons
in the party, four—Samuel Allen, Adonijah Gillet,
Oliver Amsden, and Simeon Amsden—were killed ; two
1 For a full description of this fight, see " Hoyt's Indian Wars," Parkman's " Half
Century of Conflict," Sheldon's "History of Deerfield," Norton's "Redeemed Captive,"
Perry's " Williamstown."
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