This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: MichaelWright12 Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.wright/6959.2703.2.1.2.2.2.1.1.3.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Charlie, The first hostilities of 1675 in the area occurred at Brookfield, not Brimfield, on 2 August. The settlers of the Connecticutt valley had been, in fact, a little concerned the prior spring because the local, formerly friendly Indians had not entered into their usual negotiations with the settlers for meadow land to cultivate corn, and many of the natives broke off other normal relations with the settlers that spring and summer. Some of the natives even warned their settler friends that there was unrest afoot and that the settlers should take care. But nothing happened in the spring, nor during the summer except that the Indians that the settlers were used to interacting with slowly disappeared from their usual pattern of camps and began to concentrate in larger numbers at more fortified areas along the river. During the spring and summer of 1675 the natives deliberately lulled the settlers into a false sense of security as they quietly gathered together, and prepared to wage war. The distruction of Brookfield was the first incident in the area and raised the alarm among all the settlers along the Connecticutt River. It was the Brookfield incident that was the cause of Major Pynchon sending 20 men up to fortify Northfield from Northampton in the middle of August. But there was still a lot of uncertainty about what was actually happening. Though there was no doubt the Brookfield raid had been done by the natives, no sign of them could be found anywhere during the month of August. Even the company of friendly natives sent out to find them could find no sign of them in the area, so it was thought that perhaps they had moved out of the area and posed no immediate threat. There was anxiety about the situation but not enough to keep the settlers from tending to their harvests as usual in the fall. The next incident was on 1 Sept when the Pacometocks in company with the Nonotucks fell on Deerfield. They were repulsed with two settlers killed and news of the Deerfield raid reached the garrison at Hatley the same day. There was an immediate concern for Northfield at Hadly and it was determined that a squad of 36 men under the command of Capt Beers should be sent up to Northfield "to fetch off the garrison and people" rather than try to defend it. But, the very next morning the Nashaway warriors fell on Northfield before the Northfield men knew of the attack on Deerfield and before Capt Beers could get his squad together for their rescue mission. So Capt. Beers set off the morning of 4 Sept for Northfield with one of the Northfield settlers, Joseph Dickinson, serving as his guide and none of them knowing that Northfield had already been attacked. Although it seems apparent by setting out on foot instead of horseback that Capt. Beers expected to meet hostiles at some point in his journey he appears to have been completely surprised by the place where they were ambushed, because he had no flankers or forward scouts out at the time and had no warning of the attack before it occurred. Check out pages 70-75 in "History of the Town of Northfield Massachusetts" by J.H. Temple and Geo. Sheldon (1875) for more details on this event period. Best Regards, Mike Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.