Springfield Jany 26, 1787
Hond Father
I Received yours of ye 24th y^t of last
night in which you mention that y^e
families are well, also requestin^g me to
inform you of our "Numbers and situation"
Our number I cannot exactly ascertain
but Judge them to be about 1400 & continually increasing our situation
is Exceeding good we have a full supply of
Provision and all other necessaries- you ment-
ion in your letter Sir. that the Mob party
in that part of y^e County turn out were num-
erous this we have heard before- Their numbers
we do not regard-our Gen^ll has orders to Defend
the public Stores on y^e hill at all hazards-
We had inteligence day before yesterday that
Shays with his army was on his march with
a view to take y^e Hill. the Army here was
put into y^e best Posture of defence & every one
caution taken to prevent a surprize- Alth^o we
very much expected a visit that night yet we were disappointed

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Shays' Rebellion was not popular among the residents of Deerfield, Massachusetts, and few, if any, served with the farmer from Pelham. David Hoyt was twenty years old and a member of the militia when he and his fellow soldiers, whom he numbers "about 1400," encountered Shays' "mob" in Springfield. Hoyt describes the bloody encounter in detail and adds that he has been ill for the past two or three days but that he expects to rejoin his company soon. He sends regards from Major Barnard, another Deerfield resident, to his family.

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