Captain John Floyd (or Flood), elderly fifty-six in 1692, used to be very likely born in Scituate. As an grownup, he lived in Lynn, then Malden, and after approximately 1681 in Rumney Marsh (later Chelsea, now Revere), the unique domestic of his spouse, daughter of the wealthiest guy in that city. Floyd fought in either Indian wars, the 1st as a lieutenant. His behavior as a military captain within the moment aroused significant feedback from either in and out the ranks. In early April 1689, for instance, males less than his command at Saco River mutinied, deserting their publish and marching towards Boston, obviously within the wish of profitable redress in their grievances. whilst he was once accused in past due could 1692, Captain Floyd were domestic in Rumney Marsh on go away for approximately a month. The accusation stopped him from returning to his submit. therefore the complainants (listed as “Mary Walcott, Abigail Williams & the rest”) may good have believed they'd avoided him from resuming his tips, spectral and another way, to New England’s enemies. sixty three incidents in Floyd’s occupation as a defense force officer throughout the struggle seem relatively appropriate to the later cost that he was once a witch. In overdue might 1690, the governor and council dispatched Floyd and his corporation to shield the Piscataqua sector opposed to the assault that appeared most likely after the autumn of citadel dependable previous that month. approximately weeks later, they ordered him to command sixty of the lads newly raised for frontier safeguard, constructing a base at Portsmouth. In early July, as may be recalled from bankruptcy three, Captain Floyd and his males have been stationed in Exeter, yet left the city undefended whereas they sallied forth to break a few Indian cornfields. not just did the Wabanakis assault town in his absence, additionally they assaulted Floyd and his males on their go back from the sortie. in the course of a dangerous stumble upon at Wheelwright’s Pond, a number of officials and lots of males have been killed. “Captain Floyd maintained the struggle . . . a number of Hours, till such a lot of of his drained and Wounded males Drew off, that it was once time for him to attract off also,” Cotton Mather later wrote, his selection of phrases downplaying the seriousness of what had occurred. Floyd’s males, soreness major casualties, had abandoned him within the box of conflict. sixty four Others then deserted his corporation a couple of weeks later. while the captain stuck up with one of many absconders in September and requested him, “whi he ded sarve me so,” the deserter spoke back (in Floyd’s words), “he woold sarve me woors earlier than he had dun with me for sayd he I care nott for you nor for none and sayd that he hopt that he shoold wash his palms In my blood. ” Floyd’s futile endurance at the battlefield, Mather saw, drew harsh feedback from “some that will no longer have persisted at it as long as he. ” between those that died below John Floyd’s command seem to have been 4 males from Salem Village, together with, considerably, Susannah Sheldon’s older brother, Godfrey. sixty five the second one get together concerned the assault on York in January 1691/2. As used to be indicated in bankruptcy 1, Floyd and his males arrived from Portsmouth too overdue to do greater than describe the level of the catastrophe.