Relation of the Pequot Warres

Introduction

[1] Easthampton June the 12th: 1660

Loving Frends Robert Chapman and Thomas Hurlburt my love remembred to you both, thes are to Informe, that as you desired me when I was with you and Major Mason at Seabrooke¹ 2 years & a halfe agoe to consider and call to mind the passages of Gods providence at Seabrooke in and about the time of the Pequit warre whearin I have now Indeavoured to answer your desires, and having rumiged and found sum old papers then written it was a great help to my memorie, you know when I came to you I was an Ingeannere or archecktector whereof carpendrie is a little part, but you know I could never use all the tooles, for although for my necessitie I was forced sumtimes to use my shifting chisell and my houldfast yet you know I could never endure nor abide the smothing plane, I have here sent you a piece of Timber skored and forehewed unfit to Joyne to any handsome piece of worke, but seing I have done the hardest worke, you must get sumbodie to chip it and to smooth it least the splinters should prick sum mens fingers, for the truth Must not be spoken at all times though to my knowledg I have written nothing but truth and you may take out or put in what you pleas or if you will, may throw all into the fire but I thinke you may let the Governor and Major Mason se it,² I have allso inserted sum aditions of things that

wear done since that they may be considered togeather / and thus as I was when I was with you so I remaine still

Your   Loving Friend     Lion Gardiner

Figure 1.

The first page of the manuscript, containing a letter to Robert Chapman and Thomas Hurlburt, dated June 12, 1660, Easthampton. Courtesy of the Watkinson Library, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut.

[2] In the yeare 1635 I Lione Gardener Enginear & Master of works of fortification in the legers of the prince of Orang in the Low cuntries through the perswation of Mr John Davenport Mr Hugh Peters with some other well affected Englishmen of Roterdam;³ I made an agreement with the forenamed Mr Peters for 100t per annum for 4 years to serve the cumpanie of patentees,⁴ Namely the Lord Say, the Lord Brooks, Sir Arthur Hazilrig, Sir Mathew Bonnington, Sir Richard Saltingstone, Esqure Fenwick, and the rest of their cumpanie,⁵ (I say, I was to serve them only in the drawing, ordering, & making of a Cittie, Townes, or forts of defence: And so I came f[rom] Holland to London, and from thence to New England, whear I was apoynted to attend Such ord[ers] as Mr John Winthrop Esquire the present Governor of Conectecott was to apoynt, whether at pe[quot] river or Conectecott and that we should chuse a place both for the conveniencie of a good harbor and allso for capablenes and fitnes for fortification: But I landing at Boston the latter end of Novem[ber] the aforesaid Mr winthrop had sent before one Leuten: Gibbons Sergiant Willard with some carp[enters] to take possession of the rivers mouth, whear they began to build houses against the Spring, wee expecting acording to promise that there would have come from England to us 300 able men whereof 200. should atend Fortification, 50 to till the ground & 50 to build houses but our great expectation at the rivers mouth came only to 2 men, viz. Mr Fenwick, and his man who came With Mr Hugh Peters, and Mr oldham & Tho. Stanton bringing with them Some otterskin coats and Bever and scaines of wampum which the Pequits had sent for a present because the English had required thos pequits that had kild a virginnean one Capt Stone with his Barks crew in conectecott river,⁶ for they said they would have their lives & not their presents, then I answered seing you will take Mr Winthrop to the Bay...