WHEELER’S DEFEAT, 1675. 
WHERE? AT MEMINIMISSET MEADOW. 
A Paper read before the American Antiquarian Society at Worcester, 
October 21, 1893. 
SAMUEL ABBOTT GREEN. 
In the Library of the Massachusetts Historical Society 
there is a manuscript map of a tract of country lying near 
the western border of Worcester County, which is of much 
interest and value. It is entitled : “A New Plan of.Several 
Towns in the County of Worcester,’’ and bears date March 
30, 1785. The Plan is 20 inches from top to bottom, and 28 
from side to side, and represents a territory of about 18 miles 
by 26 in area. The lower right-hand corner is largely taken 
up with historical notes, which crowd out some of the places 
that would otherwise he named. It includes the towns of 
Rutland, Oakham, Hardwick, New Braintree, Brookfield 
(before it was cut up into smaller towns), and Western, now 
known as Warren, besides parts of Princeton, Hubbardston, 
Barre, Petersham, Greenwich, Ware, Palmer, Brimfield, Stur- 
hridge, Charlton, Spencer, Paxton, and Holden, though 
some of these parts are very inconsiderable. The main 
thoroughfares of the region are laid down on the map, as well 
as the rivers, mill-sites, forges, ponds, brooks, and meadows, 
besides various prominent hills. The roads leading from the 
neighborhood to Worcester and Boston are also marked. 2 
In many instances the names of ponds, meadows, etc., 
are Indian ; and on the southeastern borders of Quaboag 
Pond in Brookfield is indicated the site of an old Indian 
settlement. 
The map was given to the Historical Society among its 
very earliest accessions, by the Reverend James Freeman, 
D.I)., on April 9, 1791, and is now found in a folio volume 
entitled “Atlas Ameriquain Septentrional” (Paris, 1778), 
which was presented by William Tudor, at the same meeting. 
Probably as a safe and convenient place for use, after its 
receipt by the Library, it was inserted at the end of the 
Atlas, where many years ago it was bound up with the 
volume. For a long time the map was not catalogued sepa- 
rately, which furnishes the reason why, until recently, it has 
been overlooked. 
The Plan was made with great care and skill by General 
Rufus Putnam, a native of Worcester County, and a distin- 
guished engineer and surveyor, whose patriotic services during 
the Revolution afterward gave him a high position in public 
affairs. In the year 1785, the date of the Plan, he was living 
at Rutland, and previously at New Braintree, both of which 
towns are represented in the drawing, and presumably with 
strict accurac}\ Its interesting feature lies in the fact that 
the place where Captain Edward Hutchinson's command was 
ambushed by the Indians in the summer of 1675 is carefully 
noted. 
In modern times the scene of this fight has been disputed, 
and been made the subject of long and earnest discussion. 
At the Annual Meeting of the Antiquarian Society, six years 
ago to-day, the attention of the members was called to the mat- 
ter by two of our associates who on that occasion each presented 
papers dealing with the question. The Reverend Grindall 
Reynolds, the writer of one of these, following the authority 
of Mr. Temple, the historian of North Brookfield, leaned to 3 
the opinion that the ambush was laid on the easterly side of 
Sucker Brook, formerly called Great Brook, about two miles 
north of Wickaboag Bond in that town ; while the Reverend 
Lucius R. Paige, D. I)., the writer of the second, took decided 
grounds in favor of a spot near Meminimisset Meadow in New 
Braintree, distant a few miles from the other place. Dr. 
Paige based his opinions in regard to the matter on Captain 
Thomas Wheeler’s Narrative, published in Boston only a few 
months after the fight; and his views are entitled to great 
weight. He was born in the adjacent town of Hardwick, 
where he inherited all those local traditions which rightfully 
have so much unconscious influence over our final judgment 
in many matters ; and moreover he is widely known as an 
accurate writer and a zealous antiquary. 
In the present paper I have followed the spelling of Memi- 
nimisset, as given on the map, although there are many ways 
of writing the word. Some of these forms begin with “ M,” 
while others begin with “ W,” which originally, perhaps, were 
different readings of the same capital letter as found in old 
manuscript. 
At a point on the Plan near the northern boundary of 
New Braintree, where the Swamp and the Hill are duly 
marked, the following legend in two lines, in rather large 
letters, appears: “ Brook Swamp Meminimisset,” and at right 
angles, in smaller letters, is the inscription “ Ilutehensons 
troup ambushed between Swamp and Hill.” This record 
bears out completely I)r. Paige’s theory in the matter. The 
site of the skirmish lies very near the crotch of the roads, 
one leading to Worcester, and the other to Boston, according 
to the map. General Putnam had been a resident of New 
Braintree, and had known and talked with men there who 
themselves had known and talked with those living in the 
neighborhood at the time of the ambush. It is not likelv 
that be would have made any mistake in regard to the place, 4 
as he was a man both of excellent judgment and historical 
accuracy. The testimony of this new witness was given just 
halfway between the occurrence of the affair and the present 
time, and in all respects seems to confirm the opinion of our 
venerable associate, as expressed in his paper presented to this 
Society, on October 21, 1887. While Dr. Paige’s views are in 
accord with those of the Reverend William Hubbard, who at 
the time of the events wrote a Narrative of the Indian 
troubles, and with those of Governor Thomas Hutchinson, 
who during the following century was the author of a History 
of the Province, he may well leave the question to future 
antiquaries, in the firm belief that their verdict will sustain 
his position.