Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1861-04-12
From ,h. Lsyi.ion Fall. Journal.
Col. Church's Expedition up the An.
droscoggin.


Col. Church's Expedition up the An.
droscoggin.
In consequences Of the hostile movements
OF the Indians. and particularly the tribs.
residing on the Andro.coIsin, Col. Church
wa. sen, from Massachusetts. with q r.spec.
table military force. early in the autumn Of
1000, to punish the savases. HIS eIpedI.
tcu was successful, he having followed the
river up TO the place where the Indian fort
stood. and de,iroyedi,. Williamson Drake
and some other, state that Church went up
~ far as Canton Point but DR.. True Of
Bethel. Hon. WIN. Will. Of Portland. and
Others who have examined the matters close
ly. arc Of tho opinion that lewiston Fall.
Was the hishss, point which Church reach.
ell. and where no found and destroyed the
Indian fort. DR.. True has communicated
to the brunswick Telegraph the facts in the
case and the reason, for his conclusion. and
as they are interesting to every reader, o.
peciAlly TO such As live near the scene OF
tho e-ents to which tho article refers. We
copy IL:
Prom Col. Church, own purnal OF
tina, Expedition which believe, has never
been published in book form. but which Was
transcribed from the Hlnekley Papers. some
twenty-five or thirty years ago. by Rev. A.
Gresly. OF Turner, and published in the Pc
-p.co, Journal at brunswick about this
time. We learn thar he act sail from Ports
mouth. Sep. 10Th. 1000 with Abou, three
hundred men, (Mather says three hundred
and fiiy) and arrived m the night Of the
tho il,h. at Chebeague Island, in Ca.eo
Bay where they ranged about but iound no
Indians. In the evening Of tho 18th day,
they &c. sail for Macquois, at which place
they arrived at . o'clock in the morning II
the 18th, landed and marched up 10 Pc
ehip.eo,t fort. where they divided into three
companies. surrounded the tort ahd waited
tiii daylight. but found no Indians. Thi,
fort mus, have been at brunswick Falls and
not az Lewiston Falls. o. Williamson would
have u; nor could they have marched
they have marched through the swamp by
night. No one on reading tho journal can
doubt moment where Peehipscott tor, Was
situated. lie says;
The same day We advanced up the riv.
or towards the Amo-coggin on the South.
west side OF the river, Through Durham)
although tho way was extremely difieuit /;
ye, was more obscure way. the enemy
using to march on the North east eide. We
marched ,ha, day above the Middle Falls
(Li,,le river fall.) about twenty miles "
I would remark here that there is some am
bisui,y in this pa.ase. II he meant tia,
he marched about twenty miles above these
falls, he must have marched with an army
tha, had been without sleep the nigh, pre-.
viou., and through swamps and ,hekets
distance Of nearly or quite ,hir,y.fse miles
from MaequOis ia one day besides building
tents for the nett night, Ny own version
Is this. tina, he made abou, twenty miles,
which. rs oil know who have studied tho
early history OF Explorations, could not
have been more than fifteen miles from Ma.
QUOT. which would DO above Little River
Falls toward Southwest Bend and this j.
rs far ~ they could have gone in ono lay.
lie continues :" Ii began to rain hard and
we en:amped and bull, fifty tents and lay
there ,ha, nigh, and a, break OF day put
out our fires and marched as soon a. It vas
light. IL being the 18th instant and the
Sabbath day, the soldiers marched briskly
and came within sigh, OF the fort about (?
o'clock in the afternoon" Now II this
had been Canton Point. they must have
marched a distance following the river Of
well nigh sixty miles. in twenty four hours
from Maequoit, through an exceedingly
diflcul, way" IL was considered bard
days work for Roman army to march
twenty five miles day with their equip
ments, and American soldiers including
Cavalry only march twenty miles dar.
Could i. then be possible for an army to
travel over hills and through swamp, siIty
miles, and carry their equipment. and pro-
visions and build City tents in the timer
lie says" Then we turned into the
woods and fetched circumferencs and wad'
Cd over . little river not much above the
knees" probably some brook swollen by
the rain the nigh, pre,ioa') "and In a'hOrt
time came TO the westerly Branch Of the
great river" This must have been the
Little Androscoggin just below Lewiston
Falls. 1--WE LEFT our baggage and those
men that were tired and made them up for.
" men to guard the doctor. and looking
over the brow Of hill by tic river We c.
pied two English and An Indian moving
towards tho iort-ran after them and soon
overlook the English but tho Indian got
clear" This hill was probably the steep
bluh just above the Bridge on the Little An.
dro'coggin River. "Then ! feared be
would inform the fort, and gave order that
oil With one consent should run through ,
the river. $50 Also ] gave orders 10 two
Companies to spread between the woods