Flintlocks and Tomahawks

John Francis Sprague, son of Francis Sprague and Anne WHO, was born 26 Mar 1633 in Duxbury, MA. He married Ruth Bassett, daughter of William Bassett and Elizabeth Tilden, 2 May 1651 in Duxbury. Ruth was born 1633 in Duxbury, MA and died there Dec 1715. Her father had arrived in America in 1621 aboard the ship Fortune. [See "Family Histories" Generation 11.]

John and Ruth lived in Marshfield, MA for a number of years before settling at Duxbury around 1668. Shortly after their arrival in Duxbury, John became co-proprietor of his father's tavern in and remained such until his death in 1676. He apparently inherited his father's ardent temperament: In the book Saints and Strangers by George Willison, he was described as “… a spark off the old flint.” He is known to have spent several hours in the stocks on at least one occasion for "... highly misdemeaning himself in the house of James Cole of Plymouth near unto or on the evening before the Sabbath Day, in drinking, gaming and uncivil reveling, to the dishonor of God and the offense of the government, by his gaming and the bringing of his mare uncivily into the parlor of James Cole, aforesaid."

An article in the American Genealogist, vol. 41-3, by Maclean W. McLean of Pittsburgh, PA, continues to quote the record of John Sprague's offense: "…for which midedmeanors hee was sentence to sitt in the stockes, two houres which accordingly was performed; and for his being there the greatest part of the afternoon unto the evening, hee (was fined) 5s."

John Sprague was killed in the massacre of Captain Michael Pierce's Company of English Militia during the King Philip's War when, on 26 Mar 1676, that company of 65 men (supplemented by about 20 friendly Indians) engaged a superior force of hostiles near the Pawtucket River in Rhode Island, about 5 miles north of Providence.

According to Douglas Edward Leach in his history of that war entitled Flintlock and Tomahawk – New England in the King Philip’s War, Captain Pierce, having determined that there was a band of hostile Indians located near the Pawtucket River, had prepared his men for battle and had sent a messenger into the nearby town of Providence requesting reinforcements before attacking. For some reason this messenger, arriving at the time of public worship, chose to wait until after the service had concluded before delivering Captain Pierce's request. When the situation was made known, Captain Andrew Edmunds of the Providence Militia immediately set out with a group of armed men in order to join forces with Pierce's company.

Meanwhile, the Plymouth Militia group had unwittingly become engaged and surrounded by an extremely large force of hostile Narrangansett Indians, and were overwhelmed. By the time Edmunds and his men arrived, it was too late.

The fact that some 42 of the 55 colonists killed that day were buried at the site of the battle, including that of John Sprague of Duxbury, indicates that there were some survivors, or it may indicate that there were bodies which may not have been recovered.