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A half-century of conflict. France and England in North America. Part ...

A half-century of conflict. France and England in North America. Part ...

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228 WAR AND POLITICS. [1747.had but two men slightly wounded, John Brown <strong>and</strong>Joseph Ely. "1Niverville <strong>and</strong> his party, disappo<strong>in</strong>ted <strong>and</strong> hungry,now made a tour among the scattered farms <strong>and</strong> hamlets<strong>of</strong> the country below, which, <strong>in</strong>capable <strong>of</strong> resist<strong>in</strong>gsuch an <strong>in</strong>road, were ab<strong>and</strong>oned at their approach.Thus they took an easy revenge for their rebuff atNumber Four, <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> a march <strong>of</strong> thirty or forty leagues,burned five small deserted fortsor stockaded houses," three meet<strong>in</strong>g-houses, several f<strong>in</strong>e barns, about onehundred dwell<strong>in</strong>gs, mostly <strong>of</strong> two stories, furnishedeven to chests <strong>of</strong>drawers, <strong>and</strong> killed five to six hundredsheep <strong>and</strong> hogs, <strong>and</strong> about thirty horned cattle.This devastation is well worth a few prisoners orscalps." 2It is curious to f<strong>in</strong>d such exploits mentionedwith complacency, as evidence <strong>of</strong> prowess.The successful defence <strong>of</strong> the most exposed placeon the frontier was welcome news throughout NewEngl<strong>and</strong>, <strong>and</strong> Commodore Charles Knowles, who wasthen at Boston, sent Stevens a silver-hilted sword <strong>in</strong>recognition <strong>of</strong> his conduct. The settlers <strong>of</strong> NumberFour, who soon returned to their backwoods home,were so well pleased with this compliment to one <strong>of</strong>their fellows that they gave to the settlement thebaptismal name <strong>of</strong> the Commodore, <strong>and</strong> the townthat has succeeded the hamlet <strong>of</strong> Number Four isCharlestown to this day.^^ Stevens to Colonel W. Williams, April, 1747.2 N. Y. Col. Docs., X. 97.' Just after the withdrawal <strong>of</strong> the French <strong>and</strong> Indians, Stevenswrote two letters giv<strong>in</strong>g an account <strong>of</strong> the affair, one to Governor

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