Sgt. Benjamin Waite

Citations

1. [S727] Rev. Sylvester Nash, The Nash Family or Records of the descendants of Thomas Nash of New Haven, Connecticut, 1640 (Hartford: Case, Tiffany and Company, 1853), p. 44.
2. [S747] G. Andrews Moriarty Jr., "Thomas Waite of Portsmouth, R. I., and Some of his Descendants", New England Historical and Genealogical Register 73 (Oct. 1919).
3. [S747] G. Andrews Moriarty Jr., "Thomas Waite of Portsmouth, R. I.", birth order unknown.
4. [S727] Rev. Sylvester Nash, The Nash Family, p. 44 as Wait.
5. [S819] Register Editors, "Judge Pynchon's Marriage Record: 1685-1711", New England Historical and Genealogical Register 123:4 (October 1969): p. 258; Benjamin Waite of Hatfield and Marsha Leonard of Springfield, 8 Jun 1670.
6. [S738] James M. Crafts, History of the Town of Whately, Mass. 1661-1899 (Whately, MA: Town of Whately, 1899), p. 593 ff, entry for Benjamin Waite. Hereinafter cited as History of Whately (Crafts).
7. [S747] G. Andrews Moriarty Jr., "Thomas Waite of Portsmouth, R. I.", gives Hatfield as location of marr.
8. [S946] George M. Bodge, Soldiers in King Philip's War (Boston: privately published, 1891), 196–210. Note that contemporary dates are Old Style (before the calendar reform of Sep. 1752). Excerpts: p. 199–202:
   "I think the following is a fairly accurate account of the campaign of Capt. Turner in May, 1676, closing with the Falls Fight on the 18th....
   "A large body of the Indians were gathered near the " Upper Falls" of the Connecticut, divided into several parties, one of which was located on the high ground on the right bank at the head of the Full, another on the opposite bank, and a third at what is known now as " Smead's Island," about a mile below, and all were intent upon their fishing. Hearing, however, that the English had turned some of their cattle out into Hatfield meadows, a detachment was sent out upon May 12th, and succeeded in " stampeding" about seventy head of these cattle, and driving them safely into the woods. This fresh outrage was carried out with impunity, and so enraged the English that they urged to be led out against their enemies at once, and when Reed, abovementioned, came in on May 15th, and disclosed the carelessness of the Indians, it was resolved to wait no longer, but to gather the forces and strike a blow...
   "Preparations had been completed for several days, and the men, gathered from the inhabitants and soldiers of the several towns and garrisons, were appointed to meet at Hatfield at the summons of the commander. Day after day passed, while they waited impatiently the company which Connecticut authorities had ordered to march to their assistance. These, delayed in turn by the failure of the Sachems to appear at a promised meeting, and fearing to make any hostile movement while English captives were held by the Indians, did not move, and so on May 18th Capt. Turner gathered all his available force at Hatfield, numbering upwards of one hundred and fifty rank and file. Of the garrison soldiers I think only volunteers were taken in this expedition, as it would not be safe to weaken the garrison by withdrawing a large number of the men away from the defence of the towns, which was their proper service. A comparison of the lists below will show that a very small number of eastern soldiers are among the claimants, though the list of killed has many names not represented there. A very large part of Capt. Turner's original company had marched home to Boston on April 7th, leaving him with a company of single men, boys and servants, selected from Major Savage's forces, for garrison duty. Of this expedition the officers were William Turner, Captain ; Samuel Holyoke, Lieut.; Isaiah Toy (or Tay) and John Lyman, Ensigns ; Rev. Hope Atherton, Chaplain; John Dickinson and Joseph Kellogg, Sergeants; Experience Hinsdell and Benjamin Wait were guides.
   "This company of volunteers, thus officered, and more than one half inhabitants of the several river towns, mounted upon their own horses, and armed as each might be able, or from the garrisons, took up the line of march in the evening of May 18th, from Hatfield towards the Falls, twenty miles away, through the woods. Taking their way northward through Hatfield meadows and on by the road where both Lathrop and Beers had met disaster and death, past the ruins of Deerfield, they crossed the river at the northerly part of the meadow (a late high authority says "at the mouth of Sheldon's brook"), and thus eluded the Indian outpost stationed at a place "now called Cheapside," to guard the usual place of crossing. These Indians, it is said, overheard the crossing of the troops and turned out with torches, and examined the usual ford, but finding no traces there and hearing no further disturbance, concluded that the noise was made by moose, crossing, and so went back to their sleep. A heavy thunder shower during the night greatly aided the secresy of the march, while it drove the Indiana to their wigwams and prevented any suspicion of an attack. This danger safely passed, the troops rode forward through Greenfield meadow, and, crossing Green river "at the mouth of Ash-swamp brook to the eastward, skirting the great swamp " (says Mr. Sheldon), they at length, about daybreak, reached the high land just south of Mount Adams, where the men dismounted, and leaving the horses under a small guard, pushed on through Fall river and up a steep hill, and halted and silently awaited daylight upon the slope above the sleeping Indian camp. Here all was wrapped in profound sleep. It is said a great feast had been celebrated the night before by the Indians, at which they had gorged themselves with fresh salmon from the river, and beef and new milk from the Hatfield cattle. Not a guard had been set, and no precaution had been made, so secure were they and unsuspicious of an English raid. And now with advancing daylight the sturdy settlers gather silently down and about their unconscious foes, to whom the first warning of danger was the crashing of a hundred muskets, dealing death in at their wigwam doors. Many were killed at the first five, and scarcely a show of resistance was made. The savages who escaped the first fire were terrified at the thought that their old enemy was upon them, and fled towards the river yelling " Mohawks ! Mohawks ! and wildly threw themselves into the canoes along the banks, but many of these, overcrowding the canoes, were thrown into the river and carried over the falls to certain death ; others were shot in attempting to reach the other side ; others were chased to the shelving rocks along the banks and there shot down. It is said that Capt. Holyoke there despatched five with his own hand. Very few of the Indians escaped, and their loss was computed by contemporary writers at three hundred. One only of the English was killed, and he by mistake, by one of his comrades, and another was wounded in this attack. The soldiers burned all the wigwams and their contents, captured the tools of the Indian blacksmiths who had set up two forges for mending arms, and threw " two great Piggs of lead (intended for making bullets) into the river." But while this was being accomplished, the several larger bodies of Indians upon the river above and below, rallied, and from various quarters gathered in and about the English. A small party as decoys showed themselves crossing the river above, and succeeded in drawing a portion of our force away from the main body only to meet a large force and to regain the command with difficulty. Capt. Turner, enfeebled as he was by his disease, collected and drew off his troops towards the horses, where the guards were about this time attacked by the enemy, who hastily withdrew at the coming of the main body. Mounting their horses, the English began the march for Hatfield. The Indians in increasing numbers gathered upon flank and rear.
   "Capt. Turner led the van, though so weak from long sickness as scarcely able to manage his horse. The intrepid Capt. Holyoke commanded the rear guard, but in effect conducted the retreat. The Indians advanced upon the left and rear, and several sharp skirmishes ensued while they tried to separate the rear guard from the main. Once Capt. Holyoke's horse was shot down, and he narrowly escaped capture by the Indians, who rushed forward to seize him, by shooting down the foremost with his pistols, till his men came to his aid. On the left of the line of inarch, nearly all the way to Green river, was a swamp in which the Indians found safe cover. A rumor was started (by an escaped captive, it is said) that Philip with a thousand warriors was at hand, and a panic ensued. The guides differed as to the course, and some following one and some another, disorder prevailed, and the command was broken up. Two parties leaving the main body were cut off and lost. Capt. Turner pushed forward with the advance as far as Green river, and was shot by the Indians while crossing the stream, near the mouth of the brook upon which afterwards stood " Nash's " Mill. His body was found near the place by a scouting party a short time afterwards.
   "The whole command now devolved upon Capt. Holyoke, who led his shattered force, fighting every rod of the way to the south side of Deerfield meadow to the place now known as the " Bars " (according to Gen. Hoyt's account). That the retreat did not end in a general massacre is doubtless due to the skill and bravery of Capt. Holyoke in keeping the main body together, and in protecting flank and rear while pushing forward to avoid the chance of ambuscades. As it was, they found, on arriving at Hatfield, that some forty-five or more of their men were missing. Rev. Mr. Russell's letter of May 22d gives some account of the losses, and says that six of the missing have come in, reducing the number of the lost to thirty-eight or thirty-nine. Of the Indian losses he gives the report of Sergt. Bardwell that he counted upwards of one hundred in and about the wigwams and along the river banks, and the testimony of William Drew and others that they counted some " six-score and ten. 'Hence we cannot but judge that there were above 200 of them slain.'
   "Of the slain of our soldiers the following list is taken from the best available authorities:
   
   Capt. William Turner, Boston.      Nathaniel Sutliff, Deerfield.
   Experience Hinsdell, Hatfield.      John Hadlock, Roxbury.
   Sergt. John Dickinson, Hatfield.     Samuel Veze, Braintree.
   William Allis, Hatfield           Josiah Mann, Boston.
   John Colfax, "               John Whitteridge, Salem.
   Samuel Gillet, "               George Buckley.
   John Church, Hadley.          Jacob Burton.
   Samuel Crow, "               John Foster.
   Thomas Elgar, "               Joseph Fowler.
   Isaac Harrison, "               Peter Gerin.
   John Taylor, Hadley.          John Langbury.
   Edward Hodgman, Springfield.     Thomas Lyon.
   George Hewes, "               Samuel Rainsford.
   Joseph Pike, " (?)               Thomas Roberts.
   James Bennet, Northampton.      George Ruggles.
   John Miller, "               John Symms.
   John Walker, "               John Watson.
   Jabez Duncan, Worcester.          William Howard.
   John Ashdowne, Weymouth.     
   
   p. 206 "A List of ye Soldiers yt were in ye Fall Fight under Capt. W m Turner, approved off by ye Committee of ye Gen. Court. (Dated June, 1736.):
   
   Allexander, Nath’l, N. Hamp'.     Grover, Simon, Boston.     Pike, Joseph, Spring.
   Alvard, Thom’s, Hadfield.     Gerrin,* Peter, North.     Pumroy, Caleb, North.
   Arms, William, Hadley.     Griffin, Joseph, Roxbury.     Preston, John, Hadley.
   Ashdown, John.          Hitchcock, John, Springfield.     Pratt, John, Mallden.
   Atherton, Hope, Hatfield.     Hitchcock, Luke, Springfield.     Pressey, John, Almsbury.
   Baker, Timothy, North Hampt. Hadlock, John.      Pearse, Nath’l, Woburn.
   Ball, Sam’l, Springfield.     Hoit, David, Hadley.     Rogers, Henery, Spring.
   Barber, John, Springfield.     Hawks, John, Hadley.     Roberts, Thomas, North.
   Bardwell, Rob’t, Hatfield.     Hawks, Eleaz’r, Hadley.     Ransford, Sam’l, North.
   Bedortha, Sam’l, Springfield.     Howard, William, North.     Ruggles, George, North.
   Beers, Richard, of Watert.     Harrison, Isaac, Hadley.     Read, Thomas, Westford.
   Belding, Sam’l.          Hughs, George, Spring.     Roper, Ephr’a.
   Bennett, James, South Hamp     Hinsdell, Experience, Hadley.     Siky, Nath’l.
   Boultwood, Sam’l, Hadley.     Hodgman, Edward, Spring.     Suttleife, Nath’ll, Hadley.
   Bradshaw, John, Medford.     Hunt, Sam’l, Billerica.     Stebins, Sam’ll, Springfield.
   Burnap, John.          Harwood, James.          Stebins, Benoni, North.
   Burnitt, John, Windham.     Ingram, John, Hadley.     Stebins, Thomas, Springfield.
   Burton, Jacob, North.     Jones, Sam’l.          Smeade, Wm, Northampton.
   Bushrod, Peter, Northampton.     Jones, Robertt.     Smith, John, Hadley.
   Chamberlain, Benja., Hadley.     Jilett, Sam’l, Hatfield.     Stephenson, James, Springf.
   Chamberlain, Joseph.     James, Abell, North.     Seldin, Joseph, Hadley.
   Chapin, Japhett, Springfield.     King, John, North.     Scott,      Wm, Hatfield.
   Chase, John, Almsbury.     Keett, Franc. Northamton.     Salter, John, Charlestown.
   Church, John, Hadley.     Kellogg, Joseph, Hadley.     Simonds, John.
   Clap, Preserved, Northampt.     Lee, John, Westfield.     (Smith, Rich’d.)**
   Clark, William, Northampton.     Lyman, John, North.     Turner, Capt. Wm, now Swan'y.
   Coleby, John, Almsbury.     Leeds, Joseph, Dorchester.     Tay, Isaiah, Lt., Boston.
   Coleman, Noah, Hadley.     Lenoard, Josiah, Spring.     Thomas, Benj’a, Spring.
   Colfax, John, Hatfield.     Langbury, John, North.     Taylor, John.
   Crow, Sam’l, Hadley.     Lyon, Thomas, North.     Taylor, Jonathan, Spring’d.
   Crowfott, Joseph, Springfiel.     Miller, John, North.          Tyley, Sam'll.
   Cunnaball, John, Boston.     Merry, Cornelius, North.     Veazy, Sam’ll, Brantrey.
   Dickenson, John, Hadley.     Morgan, Isaac, Springfield.     Wright, James, North.
   Dickenson, Nehemiah, Hadl.     Morgan, Jonathan, Spring.     Webb, John, North.
   Drew, Wm, Hadley.     Miller,      Thomas, Spring.          Webb, Richard, North.
   Dunkin, Jabez, Worcester.     Mun, James, Alive: Colchest.     Waite, Benjamin, Hatfield.
   Edwards, Benja, North.     Mun, John, Deerfield.     Witteridge, John, North.
   Elgar, Thomas, Hadley.     Monteague, Peter, Hadley.     Walker, John, North.
   Field, Samuel, Hatfield.     Mattoon, Phillip, Hadley.     Webber, Eleaz’r.
   Fuller, Joseph, Newtown.     Man, Josiah.          Wattson, John.
   Forster, John, North.     Nims, Godfrey, North.     Wells, Thomas, Hadley.
   Fowler, Joseph, North.     Newbury, Tryall, Boston.     White, Henry, Hadley.
   Flanders, John.          Old, Robert, Spring.     Warriner, Joseph, Hadley.
   Foot, Nath’l, Hatfield.     Pumroy, Medad, North.     Wells, Jonathan, Hadley.
   Gleason, Isaac, Spring.     Price, Robert, North.     Worthington, Wm
   
   * In the Northampton records Peter Jerrin. In Hull's accounts two persons appear in different places, Peter Jennings and Peter Genninirs. This may be one of the two.
   **This name is in the margin, and was added after the list was made out.
   *** "eldest son of Elnathan Beers."
9. [S1512] John Williams, The Redeemed Captive Returning to Zion (Boston: Samuel Hall, 1795). Reprinted Springfield, Mass.: H. R. Huntting Co., 1908, pp. 171-172. Hereinafter cited as Redeemed Captive Returning to Zion.
10. [S741] George Sheldon, History of Deerfield, Massachusetts, Volume 1 (Greenfield, Mass.: E.A. Hall and Co., 1895), 308, 309. Has Henry Nims as age 12. He was 22.
11. [S741] George Sheldon, History of Deerfield I, p. 304-05.
12. [S1230] Emma Lewis Coleman, New England Captives Carried to Canada between 1677 and 1760. Two volumes (Portland, Maine: The Southworth Press, 1925).
13. [S744] Daniel White Wells and Reuben Field Wells, A History of Hatfield Massachusetts 1660-1910 (Springfield, Mass.: F.C.H. Gibbons, 1910), p. 442 ff, entry for the Waite Family.
14. [S746] John Cassan Wait, compiler, Family Records of the Descendants of Thomas Wait of Portsmouth, Rhode Island (New York: privately published, 1904), p. 13-14, he was in the fight when his father was slain.