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Portland Point and took prisoners William Hazen and James White. Leaving a guard of about sixty men at the mouth of the river under Captain West, the rest of the invaders pushed on up the river taking their prisoners with them. West and his men took possession of some buildings^[1] on the west side of the river opposite Indiantown and occupied them for barracks, whence they came over every day to Portland shore, marching along the tongue of land between the harbor and the water above the falls, in order to capture any vessels that might enter the river, and prevent the landing of marines or seamen from any British ship.^[2] Allan's directions to West were, "To range the woods from Hazen's [Portland Point] across the river above the falls round to the Old Fort." James Simonds appears to have escaped being made prisoner at this time but later he was not so fortunate, as he states that in the summer and autumn of 1777 he was on mora than one occasion taken prisoner and carried from his family. There is a tradition that our old pioneer settler was so enraged at the conduct of the invaders of his domain that he said "their blood was nothing but molasses and water." Allan, himself, records in his journal; "Hazen and Simonds jeered our officers, saying that they made breastworks of women and children."

On their way up the river Allan's party succeeded in capturing Lewis Mitchell at his house a little above Grimross. This man was particularly obnoxious because of being instrumental in bringing Colonel Goold to the river. He was characterized by Allan as "a great zealot for Britain," and his influence was dreaded on account of his being "of an insinuating turn, particularly among the French and Indians." Unfortunately for the invaders, Mitchell made his escape some three