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58 West Southerly (and although it has a digrssion yet I shall take liberty to give a particular acct of it because ocasuon was taken hereby to bring more trouble & affliction upon the ch[ris}tian Indians, And also it may serve once for all for an example of the manner & methods of the enimies prceedings, against the English ^ in this warr And give you a taste of their pride & Insolence. And the craft & subtilty used by them in their enterprises especially the at this time when they were in their highest Raffe.

Upon the 21th day of february 1675 very early in the morning, a considerable body of indians betwene three & four hundred: (reported many more at first) they having in the prevus night or rather (a litle before day.) conveyed themselves secretly into    part of the towne especialy in the south east end cross out next Dedham  having  fitted themselves with combustable matter & did therwith set severall houses on fire, as it were in one instant of time, placing men in Ambushment, neare the houses _ that as soone as the people came forth, they might shoot them downe as they did, there was at this time in the towne a foot company of souldiers, under comand of Capt Jacob of about 80 men, & a ply of  horse under comand of cornet Oakes about twenty, & of the traind band of the towne about 100 men, the whole about           200 wel armed,  But they beeing quartered scatringly in the towne, (excepting about thirty men that were upon the watch, at the Corps du Gard neare the meeting house) in which - - respect they could not get together into a body to repell the enimy, untill they were withdrawne & retreated out of the towne