Editor's Desk: Archaeology brings the past into the present

I’m so excited that The Deerfield Valley News can publish the piece by Robert F. Smith, which originally appeared in The Commons, about the recent discovery of the granite foundations of a 1760 blockhouse built along what was once the shore of the Connecticut River. The blockhouse was one of the defenses connected to Fort at No. 4, part of the line of forts protecting the colonial frontier during the era leading up to and including the French and Indian War.
I love history, especially local history, and I love archaeology. I’m particularly fascinated by the way archaeology uncovers the past and brings it back into the present, and this new discovery does exactly that. It also seems very appropriate for a country celebrating the 250th anniversary of its independence to reflect on the circumstances that brought it to that point.
But one of the reasons I’m personally excited about this story is that I have an ancestral connection to the Fort at No. 4. No doubt many Deerfield Valley News readers also have New England ancestors who served as members of the colonial militia who were at Fort at No. 4 or one of the other local frontier forts more than 250 years ago. The discovery of the blockhouse foundation under the waters of the Connecticut River helps bring those ancestors back to life in a way.
Many of my ancestors hail from Bernardston, MA, a town that was chiefly settled by residents of Deerfield, MA in the mid-1700s. One of those ex-Deerfield settlers of Bernardston was my sixth-great-grandfather Zebulon Allen (1727-1786). The Allens were military men. Zeb Allen’s grandfather, Edward, was said to have been a soldier under Oliver Cromwell before emigrating from Scotland to Ipswich, MA. Zebulon’s father, Joseph, retained the rank and title of “Sgt.” throughout his life. Zebulon Allen served as a corporal in the colonial militia and, later, lieutenant during the French and Indian War.
In June 1748, Zeb Allen was serving under militia Capt. Humphrey Hobbs at the Fort at No. 4. In late June, Capt. Hobbs, along with 40 of his men – including Zeb Allen – was ordered to reinforce Fort Shirley, located in Heath, MA.
The route from Charlestown, NH, where the Fort at No. 4 was located, to Heath was a two-day march through the wilderness of the largely unsettled (by colonists, anyway) territory that would later become Vermont. On Sunday, June 26, the company halted for a midday meal in what is now the town of Marlboro, VT.
Unknown to them at the time, a party of fighters led by Native American commander Sackett (sometimes referred to as “Chief” Sackett) was swiftly moving to cut off Hobbs and his troops. Sackett’s approach was revealed, however, when the rear guards posted by Hobbs were driven from their posts. Hobbs ordered his men to take cover, and a protracted battle took place between the opposing forces, lasting about four hours. According to historical accounts, neither side gave ground during the fight, but Sackett and his men eventually withdrew.
Records indicate three of Hobbs’ men were killed in the battle, and two were severely injured. Although it was reported that “many” of the Native fighters were killed, no count was given or evidence offered for the claim.
Hobbs and his soldiers remained concealed until dark and then moved to a safer area about two miles away to camp for the evening. The following day, they arrived at Fort Dummer in the afternoon. Presumably the fort, located on the Connecticut River in what is now Brattleboro, was closer than Fort Shirley. It was also closer to Northfield, MA, where the wounded soldiers were sent for medical care.
Written accounts suggest that Hobbs and Sackett were well known to each other, and in between shots fired that morning, the two shouted threats at each other across the battlefield. It seems that Sackett and Zebulon Allen knew each other, as well. According to Lucy Cutler Kellogg’s “History of the town of Bernardston,” Sackett was said to have later boasted that “he ‘knew old Zeb Allen and that he had killed him at the first shot,’ but the truth of this statement Mr. Allen’s safe return to town disproved.” I too, can attest to Zebulon Allen’s safe return – I wouldn’t be here otherwise. My fifth-great-grandfather, Zebulon’s son Jonathan Allen, wouldn’t be born until 1766 – 18 years after the fight in Marlboro.
Following “Hobbs Fight,” as historians have named the conflict, Zebulon Allen continued his military career, fighting in the French and Indian War. During the Revolutionary War, he served in a militia unit supporting the Continental Army under Col. Job Cushing, suggesting he saw action at the Battle of Bennington and the Battle of Saratoga. British Lieutenant General John Burgoyne’s humiliating surrender at Saratoga is considered a key turning point in the war for American independence.
The Fort at No.4 also played a role in Battle of Bennington. Gen. John Stark is said to have gathered his forces at the fort in Charlestown before marching to New York to protect the Continental supply depot in Bennington. After the Revolutionary War, the fort was abandoned to the elements. In the 1960s, however, a replica of the fort was reconstructed in Charlestown that serves as a museum and historical center with live demonstrations by reenactors open through the summer. For more information, visit fortat4.org.