King Philip's War, per capita the bloodiest in American history, erupted in 1675 between English settlers and Algonquian Indians in New England and lasted about fourteen months. It was named for Philip, leader of the Wampanoags, who was son or grandson (opinion varies) of Massasoit, the Indian who befriended the Pilgrims at Plymouth.
     
The horrors and devastation of Philip's war have no parallel in our history. The Revolution was a struggle for freedom; the contest with Philip was for existence. The war lasted only about fourteen months; and yet the towns of Brookfield, Lancaster, Marlborough, Medfield, Sudbury, Groton, Deerfield, Hatfield, Hadley, Northfield, Springfield, Weymouth, Chelmsford, Andover, Scituate, Bridgewater, and several other places were wholly or partially destroyed, and many of the inhabitants were massacred or carried into captivity. During this short period, six hundred of our brave men, the flower and strength of the Colony, had fallen, and six hundred dwelling houses were consumed. Every eleventh family was houseless, and every eleventh soldier had sunk to his grave. — Charles Hudson: A History of Marlborough

     The following account of the two attacks on Lancaster is taken from Chapter 25 of Soldiers in King Philip's War by George M. Bodge (Boston : Privately printed, 1891), and is available on the Internet (see Ch. 25, Pt. I and Pt. II). Jacob Farrar is mentioned in the narrative. His brother Henry is included in a list, but not included here, of those killed on 10 February outside the garrison in the south part of town.

     The Nashaway Indians were the native inhabitants of the country bordering upon the Nashua river. The name of the sachem of this tribe, at the first settlement by the English, was Nashacowam, alias Nashoonan, alias Sholan. The bounds of his dominion are not exactly defined. His death is recorded in 1654. The first settlement [referring to Lancaster] by the English was begun with the establishment of a trucking-house, in 1643, by Henry Symonds and Thomas King. In 1675 it was one of the most prosperous of the inland plantations. Up to the opening of Philip's war, there had never been any serious trouble with the Nashaway Indians. In common with other tribes they were stirred up by the agents of Philip, and during the fall and winter of 1675 and '76 were doubtless actively engaged with the hostiles. Shoshanim, whom the English called "Sam Sachem," was sagamore of the tribe at this time. The story of the attacks upon Lancaster has been told elsewhere, except the first, which occurred on Sunday, August 20, 1675. [Several other accounts give August 22 as the date of the attack.]

     This was five days after Capt. Mosely had marched his company into the town. This attack was a sudden raid of a large party of Indians, led by a Nipmuck chief named Monoco, or "One-eyed John." The point of attack was the house of a Scotch settler, Mordecai Macloud, at the North end of the town, near what is now the North Cemetery. Seven persons were killed at this time, viz., Mordecai Macloud and his wife Lydia, a daughter Hannah, aged four years, and an infant child; also George Bennet, who left a widow and five small children; Jacob Farrar, Jr., who left a widow and four children; and two men, Joseph Wheeler and William Flagg, probably detailed as guards to the house. After this bloody affair, the people were gathered into garrison-houses, and strong guards placed about for a time. Several friendly Indians, in the employ of the Council at Boston, went among the hostile Indians about Brookfield and Wachuset as spies, and one of these, James Quanapohit, January 24, 1675-6, brought home to the Council a full and detailed report of the plan of the hostiles for the destruction of Lancaster, and even the day appointed. But the authorities paid little heed to his story.

     The Lancaster people, however, became alarmed, and appealed to the Council for assistance, which was being tardily attended to when the blow fell, just as predicted by James, and told by Job Kattenanit, another Christian Indian spy, who succeeded in escaping from the hostiles at Meminimisset, and, travelling upon snow-shoes eighty miles, came to Major Gookin's house, on January 9th, in a nearly famished condition, and reported that a party of four hundred Indians were already on the way to destroy Lancaster. Major Gookin immediately arose upon this alarm, and consulting with Mr. Danforth, a member of the council, messengers were at once despatched to Marlborough, Concord and Lancaster, to fortify the town with all speed. The messenger reached Marlborough at daybreak, and Capt. Wadsworth marched away with a company of forty men.

     Before they arrived at Lancaster, the enemy had burned the bridge, by the regular road; but the guides conducted them by another way so that they were able to escape the ambush laid for them by the enemy, and hastily repairing a partially burned bridge, they succeeded in driving off a party already attacking the garrison-house of Mr. Cyprian Stevens, and in saving that, and a part of the town from destruction, as heretofore mentioned. Another garrison-house, that of Rev. Joseph Rowlandson, the minister, was assaulted and burned, and of all the thirty-seven persons within it, only one escaped death or captivity; some authorities at the time gave the number as forty-two, but the most reliable says thirty-seven. Rev. Mr. Rowlandson was at Boston, trying to secure a force sufficient to protect the town from the threatened attack.

     Mrs. Rowlandson says that "of thirty-seven persons who were in this one house, none escaped either present death or a bitter captivity, save only one." This one was Ephraim Roper, above-mentioned.

     Mrs. Rowlandson must be considered the very highest authority, as she was a part of the story, which she afterwards published, and which affords almost the only reliable information we have of the condition, plans and movements of the hostile Indians, during that dreadful winter of 1675-6. Her story is simply, yet graphically, told, and we learn many things about the habits and customs of the Indians, their ways of subsisting, treatment of captives, manners, dress, diversions, etc., which is nowhere else given.

     Rev. Mr. Rowlandson sought the aid of the Council in his efforts to redeem the captives, many of whom were his own kindred. At first it was impossible to find any one of the friendly Indians, willing to venture as messengers among the hostiles, mainly because they had been so cruelly and shamefully abused by the English and were now confined at Deer Island, where they could not be accused or placed under suspicion. At last, however, one Tom Dublet, or Nepanet, consented to go, and was fitted and instructed by Major Gookin, and upon April 3d started from Cambridge, and returned with the answer of the Sachems on April 12th. The correspondence between the Council and the Sachems is still preserved, in part, though the original letters are lost. The messenger brought back word from Sam Sachem, Kutquen and Quanohit, Samuel Uskatuhgun and Gunrashit, Sagamores, and owners of the captives, that all the captives taken at Lancaster were well except the youngest of Mr. Rowlandson, who was dead.

     At last, after many negotiations by the faithful Nepanet, Mr. John Hoar, of Concord, who, more than any man in the colony, had the confidence of the Indians, accompanied by Nepanet, and another friendly Indian, "Peter Conway," and bearing the ransom, twenty pounds in money and goods, raised by several gentlemen for the redemption of Mrs. Rowlandson, met the Sachems near Wachusett Hill, and on May 2d received and conducted that lady to Lancaster, and the next day to Boston. The other captives were redeemed at various times and places afterwards.

     The place where Mr. Hoar met the Sachems is well identified, being marked by a large rock called " Redemption Rock," a noble landmark near the ancient Indian trail, between Lancaster and Mount Wachusett, and in the present town of Princeton, on the easterly side of a beautiful valley, across which, in the distance, towers Mount Wachusett. The locality is known as " Everettville," from the name of an ancient family who have lived here for generations. In 1880, Hon. Geo. F. Hoar, of Worcester, a lineal descendant of the chief actor in this transaction, for the English, purchased the land containing this site, and set it apart for memorial purposes, and caused the following inscription to be placed upon the face of the rock:

UPON THIS ROCK MAY 2D 1676
WAS MADE THE AGREEMENT FOR THE RANSOM
OF MRS. MARY ROWLANDSON OF LANCASTER
BETWEEN THE INDIANS AND JOHN HOAR OF CONCORD.
KING PHILIP WAS WITH THE INDIANS BUT
REFUSED HIS CONSENT

     ...The inhabitants of Lancaster fled from their town after its destruction, and were scattered among their friends in various towns nearer to Boston, but within a few years many had returned and begun the resettlement.