The Saint Paul globe., 1896-12-20
HELD AT RYAN LAST NIGHT
TO COMMEMORATE THE BATTLE
OF THE GREAT SWAMP IN
1875
ENJOYABLE AND ENTHUSIASTIC
Was the Event Which Was Attend
ed by Descendants of the Pilgrim
Heroes.

the Ryan last evening" and the forty
three descendants of Pilgrim heroes sat
in reverential awe while the tales of
Standish were being recited
The banquet was held primarily to
commemorate the battle of the Great
Swamp between the colonial forces and
! the Indians, fought 221 years ago, and
also the landing of the Pilgrims, who
gave up their diet of hard tack on the
Mayflower and landed at Plymouth
Rock, DecA q, 1920
The banquet was one of the most
enjoyable and enthusiastic given in
the history Of the Minnesota society
The tables and the banquet hall were
decorated with the old colonial colors
red, white and blue, and at each plate
was a large rosette of deep red The
centerpiece was a nine-pointed star of
red, typifying the nine original col
onies in the Union. The guests of the
evening were Col. George e. Glenn, u.
S. A; R. B. G. Bement, Henry r. Mar
shall, of the New York society; Prof.
c. N. B. Wheeler and Capt. Edgar S.
Dudley, T. S. A.
Fraternal kilograms were sent to both
the New York and the Washington. D.
c., societies, which were commemorate
ing the same events last evening. The
New York association was In session
at Delmonico's, and the telegram read
as follows:
''The Minnesota Society. of Colonial
Wars sends greeting We are also
celebrating the same anniversaries as
your society,"
The menu was excellent and COM
prised many luxuries. Rukard Hurd,
governor of the society, acted as toast
master
Gov. Hurd introduced Henry Pratt
Upham as direct descendant of Lieut..
Phineas Upham, who was killed at
the battle of the Great Swamp Dec.
19, 1875. The speaker presented three
historical memorandas of the battle,
two of which We're printed in London
shortly after the conflict by unknown
authors. Another was written by Rev.
Increase Mather year after the battle.
The history of the battle proved of
intense interest to the many descend
ants present of those who participated.
The colonies of New Haven, Massa-
chusetts North Hampton and Ply
mouth fitted out an expedition against
the Narragansett Indians who were
present in large numbers. and fortified
within a stockade The army of col
onists was under command Of Mai.
Gen. Winslow, who marched his com
bined forces sixteen miles through a
deep snow under the guidance of an
Indias4, who was compelled to act in
that capacity under penalty of death.
The force numbered about 1900 men,
and it was found that the Indians num-
bered over 1000. The soldiers after a.
hard march came across "Heathen In
dians" at the edge of the marsh and
on pushing forward the main band
was found within the stockade The old
: time narrative told in graphic terms of
the encounter, which ultimately re-
suited in the victory of the colonial
arms. The whites lost about 26O killed
and wounded, and the Indians many
times that number Many of those
who listened to the narrative bore the
same blood in their veins as those who
participated in that historical contest
for the supremacy of the whites.
Jacob Stone, of Minneapolis, one Of
these descendants, read an original
poem upon the battle The poem fol-
lows:
MIR. STONES BATTLE POEM.
No fiery thirst for blood was theirs.
That warning Sabbath years ago
AS with firm step and solemn PRAYERS
They rushed upon their red-skinned foe
I see them as they file along
Through drifted fields and snowy wood
With their great faith in God made strong
By prayers, amidst the solitude
At early morn their way they kept.
Perchance with hymns the air they filled:
Their thoughts with wife and child who slept
In homes whose fields their toll have titled.
And now before their steady eyes
Looms up the fortress grim and tall,
Whose upright logs of giant size
Seemed an impenetrable wall
The charge-the shout-the fendish yell
The answering fre-the struggle dire
! The unloosed furies of a hell
Filled their warm hearts with holy fire
AS servants of the Most High God.
With eager rush, they made their Way
Across the narrow path they trod,
AS closed that fierce and bloody day.
There blood streamed through wooden walls,
HoarEe cries and tumult filled the air
Midst sights that siclSen and appal
They slew them in their bloody lair
o children of manly line.
Whose brave hearts dared the dusky foe
Pray God in us their virtues shine:
In US, through whom their blood doth flow.
o country of noble race.
Whose welkn blue with stars are lit
Thy sons pray ever for the grace
To live those whose names are writ
In golden lines 'cross history's page
Their stern and sturdy faith to hold.
AS we pass on-from age to age
The sterling traits which made them bold
TOAST TO NEW YORK.
At this juncture Gov. Hurd proposed
a toast to the New York society. and
a member of the latter organization
Henry r. Marshall, of New York, re-
sponded, drifting away from historical
facts and confning himself to more
modern questions. Mr.. Marshall is a
defendant of Tappan and DeWitte
who signed the original proclamation
and were members of the original
colonial congress. Speaking of current
/ issues, Mr.. Marshall decried the ten
dency of Western newspapers to create
a feeling that the East was opposed to
the unlimited sympathy the West felt
for Cuba, and prophesied that if ever
a war ensued that the East would be
found hand in hand with the West. He
admitted that the feeling in the East
was more conservative, but said it
! was not because the people were afraid
of an attack by foreign power. He
believed that no power would attack
New York, but that ports on the South