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

1755.J FOURTH FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 283
other. Their names who died in battle are Col. Ephraim Willi 'ms,^
Maj. Noah Ashley. Capt. Moses Porter, Capt. Jonathan Ingersoll, Capt.
Elisha Hawley is j-et alive but no hopes of his life, Lient. Daniel Pom-
eroy, Ensign Reuben Wait, Ensign John Stratton." Further particulars
concerning the killed are found in his official report : — " Col". Williams
was sliot Dead in a Moment & before he had Time to Fire his
Oun Capt. Hawley Shot I fear Mortal before he had time to fire his
gun ; My Brother Lieut. Pomeroy, I have had an acct his being well
till the army retreated & ask'd ' what ? are they going to run ; '
' Yes
it is said ' well ' said he ' I will give 'em one more Shot before I run,'
any further I hant heard, since I have heard he is ded & scalpt." Of
himself Pomeroy says nothing in his letters to his wife till ten days
after the battle, and then only in answer to her affectionate solicitations
and inquiries. On the IS"", he tells of his narrow escape from death :
*'I am alive and in a tolerable state of health, my mind calm and
steady and in the midst of danger and the bullets continually flj'ing
near me in the time of battle, and one prevented from killing me rightout
by its cutting of a small limb when it got about a foot of my body
so much lost its force that only bruised me and fell down at my feet."
The French Com- Baron Dieskau. five times wounded, was
mander Wounded taken prisoner by Col. Pomeroy, and sent
to the tent of Gen. Johnson, who was himself
wounded, leaving the command to his subordinate,
Gen. Lyman. Gen. Dieskau never recovered from his
wounds, though he survived the battle seven years. When
Col. Pomeroy went out upon the field after the retreat of
the enemy, he came upon the disabled French commander,
and he has been charged with firing upon the wounded man
as he lay helpless on the ground. But the Baron refutes
the charge in an account of the fight, wherein he states
that his last wound was given him by a French Canadian
deserter. He was robbed of his watch and other valuables
before Pomeroy found him. Tradition asserts that it was
through the exertions of Col. Pomeroy that the watch was
recovered and returned to its owner, who afterwards presented
it to the Northampton colonel. This cherished relic
is said to be still in the possession of his descendants.
1 Col. Ephraim Williams was the founder of Williams College. He had seen much
service during the colonial wars, and was a man of influence and ability. He had a
presentiment while in Albany when about to start on this expedition, that he should
not survive the campaign, and made his will, leaving his property for the support
and maintenance of a " Free School " in a town west of Fort Massachusetts, to be
named Williamstown. This school has since developed into Williams College. His
career is fully sketched in Prof. Perry's " Origins of Williamstown," to which the
author of these volumes is indebted for much valuable information.
— '