about
one o'clock in the afternoon
Governor Winslow of Plymouth commanded the English . A heavy snow had fallen and the weather was intensely cold ; but on December 19 , the English reached the fort and , by reason of their scarcity of provisions , resolved to attack at once . The New Englanders were unacquainted with the situation of the Indians , and , but for an Indian who betrayed his countrymen , there is little probability that the English would have effected anything against the fort . The stronghold was reached about one o'clock in the afternoon , and the English assailed the most vulnerable part of it , where it was fortified by a kind of a block-house , directly in front of the entrance , and had also flankers to cover a cross-fire . The place was protected by high palisades and an immense hedge of fallen trees surrounding it on all sides . Between the fort and the main land was a body of water , which could be crossed only on a large tree lying over it . Such was the formidable aspect of the place , such the difficulty of gaining access to it .