Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1874-09-18
The Taylor MOnument.

n Within "A few weeks past, a marble mon
ument has been erected at the forks of the
road near the old "Sheepskin Tavern" 1t
is nearly Is feet high, and bears the follow
ing inscription:
"In memory of Sergt. Thomas Taylor,
who with party of 10 men, was here over
powered by 100 French and Indians after
heroic and bloody resistance, July II, l7iS.
Four of the number were killed. Sergt.
Taylor with eight others--seVeral of whom
were wounded were taken prisoners, and
four escaped. Erected by Lewis TAYLOR
and Serene Merrill, 1874"
The following is an account of the am
buscade and fight, as described in brakes
"Indian War" page l6S. 1.-The road be-
tween Fort Hinsdae and Fort Drummer is
again waylaid by large number of Indi-
ans, reported to have been hundred, and
AS Sergt. Thomas Taylor with company
Of seventeen men was on his march from
Hinsdale Fort to Fort hummer, the Indi-
ans fired upon them, and then rushed up
on them with their tomahawks and war
clubs. The Sergt. ordered his men To
fight, but the odds was too great, and the
English were quickly overpowered, and all
were killed or taken, except four who es-
capped by flight. The killed wore Joseph
Rose, Ashael Graves, - Billings, and
- Chandler, nine were taken prisoners,
namely: Sergt. Thomas Taylor, Thomas
Crisson, John Henry, - Lawrence, .--
Walker, Daniel Howe, Jr., - Edghll,
Daniel Farmer. and Ephraim Powers of
the four that escaped one was badly wound
ed. Two OF the captured men being Sc
verely wounded also, were carried mile
and then killed. The Indians who per-
formed this bloody work were said to have
been part of those who had four hours
fight with Capt. Hobbs"
Then followed a report of this disaster
published about fourteen days amer il hap
pened: "From the westward we have in
telligence that Capt. Stevens having been
lately out with number of men, found
four of the seventeen men that were fallen
upon by the enemy between Hinsdale Fort
and Fort Dummer dead, nine more are
supposed TO be in captivity. lie also found
one Of the ten who were missing some time
before. He followed the enemy but could
not come up with them. He also burie d
Capt. Hobbs three men which the enemy
had not found" Gen. Hoyt of Deerfeld,
Mass, in his Antiquarian researches and
history of the Indian war, after describing
the fight between Sackett, half breed In
dian commanding party of French and
Indians of hundred or more, and Capt.
Humphrey Hobbs and A men, which oc-
CURED in the South part Of Newfane, says
that on the 18th day of July l74s, one hun
bred and twenty of Sack etrs party ambus-
caded seventeen men between Hinsdale
and Fort Dummer, killed two on the spot
and wounded the same number; four eff
fected their escape, and the remainder were
made pris oners. Two of the wounded
were massacred after bt ing carried about a
mile. Ensign Thomas Taylor was among
the captives, and on his return from Cana,
da, he gave description of the route of
the Indians to Crown Point. They crossed
the Connecticut in Chesterfield, at or near
the Catsbane, some three or four miles
above mouth of West River. They then
crossed the highlands in Dummerston. and
struck West River at the mouth OF the
South Branch in Newfane, from there tbey
proceeded up West River, and over The
ground in Jamaica, where the fight with
Capt. Marvin's party took place about n
month before, thence to the source of the
ter Greek, aud from there to Crown Point"
Ensign Thomas Taylor, was great grand
father on the maternal side, of Mrs. b. ID.
Harris of BrattleborO. The provincial
government of Massachusetts hOnored him
with a captains commission, and conferred
upon him pension of el0O and presented
him with a beautiful French gun as a re-
ward for his bravery and heroism. Daniel
Howe Jr,, mentioned among the list of
prisoners, was taken prisoner before, on
the 2ith of June l746, at Cold Spring, near
Fort Bridgman. lie was son of Daniel
Howe of Hinsdale, nephew of Nehemiah
Howe, who was taken prisoner and carried
to Canada, and from one prison to another,
and finally to Quebec where he died Nav
20, l747; journal which he kept TO with
10 six days OF his death, was recovered by
his friends, and published in I74s, in which
several incidents connected with his cap
tlvity and imprisonment are graphically
Observation-Disclosures and Farmer.