FOUNDERS OF FORT NO. 4, CHARLESTOWN, NH
From:	Farns10th@aol.com - Janice Farnsworth

History of Charlestown, NH by Rev. Henry H. Saunderson
Chapter II The Anticipated War Between England & France
                      (continued)

p.22
We shall better comprehend many things relating to this
war by understanding the line of the frontier which was
open to attack, and which consequently required to be
defended.  It must be remembered then, that the northern
boundary of the settlements of New England and New York,
at that time, was limited by a line commencing at St.
George River, ME and running south-westerly parallel with
the sea coast, embracing two or three ranges of towns
until it intersected the Merrimac at Dunstable; thence
up that river to the mouth of the Contoocook, and ascend-
ing that river to its source, and continuing across the
high lands to the head of the river Ashuelot; thence
down that stream to Hinsdale and on a westerly course,
crossing the Connecticut River at Fort Dummer.  Leaving
the Connecticut at that point the boundary extended in a
south-west direction, crossing Bernardston and Coleraine
to North River, in the latter town; thence down that
river to its junction with Deerfield River, and up this
river through the valley of Charlemont to Hoosac Mount-
ain; thence over the mountain nearly "in the old turn-
pike road" to Hoosac River, in Adams; thence following
that stream to its junction with the Hudson.  This was
the New England frontier to be defended, in addition to
which, were such settlements as were on the Connecticut
River above the Ashuelot.

On this frontier nearly all important places had erected
temporary fortifications, which were tenable only against
Indian attacks with muskretry, but which, as they were
not liable generally to any different assaults, in the
absence of stronger defences, answered very important
purposes for their protection.  They became places of
refuge into which, in times of Indian incursions, the
inhabitants could flee and ordinarily be safe, till 
their savage enemies had passed on to make depradations
on some other settlement, or were on their march back
again to Canada. 

On this frontier, west of the Connecticut (River) the
government of Massachusetts, in the certainty that there
was to be war, authorized the building of a cordon of
forts, to extend from Fort Dummer to her western bound-
ary; and thence down that boundary to the north line
of the State of Connecticut.  Under this authorization
the old defences at Northfield and Greenfield were re-
paired; some mounts were erected and several houses
were stockaded in Bernardston and Coleraine; a stron
fort was built in the present town of Heath at the ex-
pense of the government and called Fort Shirley and an-
other in Rome and named Fort Pelham; and a stronger
fortress still in the present town of Adams, called
Fort Massachusetts.  The following towns on the western
frontier also had small defences, viz.  
Williamstown, Pittsfield, Stockbridge and Sheffield. At
Blanford (farther in the State), a small work was also
erected, not only for the protection of the settlers,
but as a station on the then principal route to Kinder-
hood and Albany in the State of New York.  In addition
to these defences there were Josiah Sartwell's Fort (or
blockhouse) built in 1738 in what was a part of Hinsdale
but is now Vernon, VT and Bridgman's Fort, which was
built the same year and was deemed much stronger.  An-
other fort was east of the Connecticut River and nearly
opposite Sartwell's Fort in Hinsdale, NH and was built
in 1743 by Rev. Ebenezer  Hinsdell who was one of the
proprietors of No. 4.  Upper and Lower Ashuelot were
also fortified by small block-houses.  Such was the
frontier to be defended in this war and such the
fortifications on which the settlers were to depend for
protection.

A knowledge of the several routes by which the enemy
were accustomed to approach the frontier from Canada
will also afford us aid in understanding the situation
of things.   The routes were as follows:

One was by the river St. Francis through Lake Memphrema-
gog thence over portages to the river Passumsic, which
was followed to its junction with the Connecticut at
Barnet; from which point they pursued their course down
the latter river to the settlements.  This route was the
most northerly. 

Another, frequently traversed was through Lake Cham-
plain, by the present town of Whitehall in New York,
thence up what is now Pawlet River to its source, from
which they would strike across the mountains to West
River, by passing down which, the Connecticut would be
reached.  

Another convenient route to West River was by Otter Creek.

Another route which was often followed in seeking the
Connecticut was by Onion, Lamoille and White Rivers.

But the most common route from Canada and that which was
most frequently followed by the Indians was up the
Otter Creek and over the mountains to Black River, the
course of which was followed down to its junction with
the Connecticut River.  When the Connecticut was reached
the enemy, according to the plans which they had in view,
either descended it to Massachusetts or struck off to the
frontiers of New-Hampshire.

At the time of the declaration of war, many Indians were
residing about the frontiers, on the Connecticut River
and at the fishing stations on that river.  By a friendly
intercourse they had become known to the English settlers
and a kind of attachment had been created, which in the
case of war, it was hoped would operate as a check both
upon their cruelty and ferocity.  But those who had
cherished such expectations soon had the opportunity
of rectifying their mistake, by discovering  that their
feelings of amity were only apparent while they contin-
ued to cherish without abatement all their former
hostility.  Their inclinations for plunder and carnage
remained as ardent as ever and an opportunity for
gratifying them being presented, they suddenly left
their stations and repaired to Canada to add their
numbers to the hostile tribes who were resident in that
quarter; and such was their zeal for beginning hostili-
ties and their thirst for revenge that when they
commenced their march from their stations on first hear-
ing of the war, they actually fired as they were de-
parting, upon the houses of the frontier settlers. And
this was but a prelude to the scene that was to open;
for perfectly acquainted with the topography of the
country on the frontiers of the provinces, they were
employed during the war not only on predatory incursions
of their own,  but also as guides to other more distant
Indians, and the result was an amount of injury which
it had scarcely been deemed in their power to inflict.

As in 1744 and in 1745, No. 4 was left entirely un-
molested; and so far as the history of the place is
concerned, it would be unnecessary to speak of the
transactions of the latter year, were it not for the
results which were produced by them on the susbsequent
conduct of the war.  But these were so great that they
cannot well be passed by without at least a brief

In the opening of the war, France took the initiative.
Her first step and before it was even know in Boston or
any where in the provinces, that war had been declared,
was to seize on the Island of Canseau in the north
eastern part of Nova Scotia and carry the small garrison
and inhabitants as prisoners of war to Louisburg -
a very strong fortress on the Island of Cape Breton.
All the houses were burned and the place was thoroughly
destroyed.  It was chiefly valuable on account of its
fisheries which were carried on principally by the
people of New England.  Other places were also assaulted
by the French but their attacks were unsuccessful.

The prisoners taken at Canseau were soon sent to Boston
where Governor Shirley gained such information from them
respecting Louisburg, as to lead him to form the project
of taking it.  This fortress had been erected at an
expense of five and a half millions of dollars and was
by far the strongest in America with the exception of
Quebec.  Its reduction however was undertaken by four
thousand troops from Massachusetts, Connecticut and New
Hampshire, under the command of Sir William Pepperell;
no information in respect to the expedition having been
communicated to the mother country.  The troops sailed
from Boston the last week in March 1745 and a request
having been made to Commodore Warren to assist the
expedition, he accordingly arrived from the West Indies
where he had been stationed with a sixty gun ship and
two or three frigates, before Louisburg.  In the last of
April the troops to the number of three thousand eight
hundred landed at Chapeaurouge Bay and on the 2d of May
burned the warehouses containing the naval stores of the
enemy.  This alarmed the French who spiked their guns
and flung their powder into a well and abandoning their
defences fled to the city.  At this the troops composed
of the hardy yeomanry of New England began the toils and
hardships of the siege in earnest.  For fourteen nights
in succession they submitted to be yoked together like
oxen and dragged cannon and mortars through a morass
two miles in extent, the ground being such that cattle
could not be used.  The work was done in the night
as by day the enemy's artillery commanded the ground.
But they considered themselves paid for all their hard-
ships by the glorious victory which soon crowned their
endeavors.  The garrison capitulated on the l7th of June
but the French flag was kept flying till it decoyed into
the harbor, ships of the enemy, to the value of 600,000
pounds sterling.

By the capture of Louisburg, the government of France
was both chagrined and terribly excited and immediately
commenced to put forth all its energies for retrieving
its affairs, and bringing disasters of every kind on the
British American Provinces.  And to help them in their
work, the Indians were specially instigated and the
effects of this new energy were soon felt by the in-
habitants of the frontiers of New Hampshire and
Massachusetts.  Up to April 1746, No. 4 had been un-
molested; but on the 19th of that month it was visited
by a party of about forty French and Indians under the
command of Ensign De Neverville who took Capt. John
Spafford, Lieut Isaac Parker and Stephen Farnsworth as
prisoners and burnt the saw mill and grist mill which
the proprietors had encouraged Capt. Spafford to erect,
and which had been in operation only about two years.

                Capture to be continued 
                beginning p. 25.

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