The destruction of Captain Lothrop and his company, on the 18th of
September, filled the country with grief and consternation; and, as
the year 1675 drew towards a close, the conviction became general,
that the crisis of the fate of the colonies was near at hand. The
Indians were carrying all before them. Philip was spreading
conflagration, devastation, and slaughter around the borders, and
striking sudden and deadly blows into the heart of the country. It was
evident that he was consolidating the Indian power into irresistible
strength. Among papers on file in the State House is a letter
addressed to the governor and council, dated at Mendon, Oct. 1, 1675,
from Lieutenant Phinehas Upham, of Malden. In command of a company,
acting under Captain Gorham of Barnstable, who had also a company of
his own, he had been on a scout for Indians beyond Mendon, which was a
frontier town. Their route had been over a sweep of territory then an
almost unbroken wilderness, embracing the present sites of Grafton,
Worcester, Oxford, and Dudley. The result of the exploration is thus
given: "Now, seeing that in all our marches we find no Indians, we
verily think that they are drawn together into great bodies far remote
from these parts." From other scouting parties, it became evident that
this opinion was correct, and that the Indians were collecting stores
and assembling their warriors somewhere, to fall upon the colonies at
the first opening of spring. Further information made it certain, that
their place of gathering was in the Narragansett country, in the
south-westerly part of the colony of Rhode Island. There was no
alternative but, as a last effort, to strike the enemy at that point,
with the utmost available force. A thousand men were raised, 527 by
Massachusetts, 315 by Connecticut, and 158 by Plymouth. Massachusetts
organized a company of cavalry and six companies of foot soldiers,
Connecticut five and Plymouth two companies of foot. All were placed
under the command of Governor Winslow, of Plymouth. The winter had set