The Deerfield Raid From Robert Cole Massacre in a New England Colony The cannon of King Louis XIV of France were cast with the following legend raised near the touchhole: Ultima ratio regnum - "The final argument of kings." Unfortunately for Britain's American colonists these "arguments" always had a North American impact, and decent, work-a-day people often paid a terrible price for Europe's dynastic quarrels. As the monarchs of Europe went about their head-knocking during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-13), for example, the French King's wrath once again spilled over into the woods and meadows of New York and New England. Thus, on the bitter cold night of Feb. 29, 1704 little Deerfield, an English outpost on the western fringes of the Bay Colony, once again found itself in the cross-hairs of imperial hatreds. Before dawn, and with the snow blowing sideways, a combined force of French soldiers and their Indian allies launched their attack about 90 miles west of Boston. The commander of the strike force was Jean-Baptiste Hertel de Rouville, and his assignment was to carry out a hostage-grabbing raid on the little village whose name the invaders "heard" as Guerrefille. This fragment of Trans-language confusion is a bit ironic, because it means "war daughter" in French. The raiders had been sent out by a man despised by New Englanders, Pierre de Rigaud, Governor of New France who bore the title of Marquis de Vaudreuil. His Indians were Hurons, Kahnawake Mohawks and Abenaki of the St. Francis mission stronghold. Many of them were nominal Catholics, referred to by the Québecois as sauvages domiciliés . This is not to say they were in any way tamed by their contacts with the French. On the contrary, they were as ferocious an enemy as any person could have, and no one was more adept at forest warfare. They asked no quarter from any warrior, and usually gave none, unless there was a sufficient reason for doing so -- like a fat ransom payment. Deerfield had been on North America's front lines since King William's War in 1689 (called The War of the League of Augsburg in Europe, 1688-1697), and had had to confront attackers before. This time, however, the enemy gained access to the fortified portion of the community because the snow had drifted high upon the palisade walls. They dropped silently into the fort before sunrise, and began their assault on the 11 houses inside the stockade Seven were torched and, with darkness covering the screams of women and children, they went about their business in a rage that was at the same time wanton and systematic. Some few of the English escaped, but all too many were cut down in their homes. There was no pity, and when the sun rose on the mayhem 42 villagers and 5 militiamen lay dead, and 112 had been quickly rounded up and headed northward. Blinking snow from their eyes, their bones not yet under the hammer of the morning's dreadful cold, the captives began the 300 mile forced march to Montreal. Most were not dressed well enough for such an ordeal but, before long, winter's cruelty was trumped by that of the captors. The aged and weak including mothers and the littlest of children, were brained with tomahawks so as not to slow down the raiders. More than one baby had its head smashed against a tree. Today, distinguished historians strain to find excuses for the butchery, declaring that those unable to make the forced march to Canada endangered the war party, slowing it down and setting it up for English vengeance. [See: John Demos, The Unredeemed Captive (1994) and Evan Haefeli & Kevin Sweeney, Captors and Captives (2003)] In fact, English militiamen did arrive on the scene before the raiding party had completed its withdrawal, and there was a bloody fight just outside the smoking village. The raiders had the best of it, however, killing nine and wounding others. They were able to disengage with their terrified prisoners and set out for Canada in reasonably good order. All told, 88 of the captives survived the overland march, 33 of them children under the age of 13; and many of the prisoners were eventually ransomed. Some, like Eunice Williams, however, taken when she was 7 years old, refused repatriation. All told, 29 of the captives remained in Canada. Of these, 26 were children and 16 of this number were females. But of those women and babies and elderly persons cut down because they couldn't keep up the pace the question endures. Couldn't they have simply been left behind? They posed no threat. In fact, they could have been quickly identified as physically deficient and left in the settlement itself. No matter the questions concerning English imperialism, individually and collectively the Indians made choices, and they were hideous choices that no amount of political correctness can cover. On Feb. 27, 2004, The New York Times writer, Wendy Noonan, in an otherwise sound article ("A Historic Raid, from all sides"), mentioned that 50 Deerfield people "died" in the attack. No. They were "killed." One "dies" of fever, flu, or the pox; one dies of old age, or even boredom. One is killed when shot at home at point-blank range, or when a tomahawk is driven into the brain with enough force to shatter concrete. There is a difference. Looking back on the Deerfield Raid, many seem willing to massage its history Such an enterprise might seem satisfying, but it's not really honest. The slaughter of innocents is never to be excused or explained away, nor should their sacrifice disappear under the clatter of either Birkenstocks or ideological hail. It shouldn't be obscured by that cloying fog that seeks to smother history, making it "acceptable" to current tastes and the lofty buzz of those who have never faced danger. In the end, all should know that what holds true for innocents in Rwanda or Kossovo, in Lódz or Lidice, at Sand Creek or My Lai, applies even to colonial Massachusetts. Sally Rolls Pavia sallypavia2001@yahoo.com List Owner: GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES-L-request@rootsweb.com Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES "All incoming and outgoing email checked by Norton Anti-Virus"