Massachusetts decided to create a privately funded army to protect the government, since the federal government could not form one. Governor Bowdoin put General Benjamin Lincoln in charge, who put together an army of 3,000 men. While the government put their army together, Daniel shays, Luke Day, and other rebel leaders created an army of their own. Their first attack was on the federal armory in Springfield. general Shepard already was there with an army around 1,200 men. the rebels were separated into three groups surrounding the armory and was supposed to attack at once but Day was not ready and tried to send a message to Shays,but the message never made it. Shays attacked without knowing. Once they reached the armory, Shepard's men fired warning shots and then shot a canon at them, which killed a few of Shays men(who were now called Shayist) and injured twenty men. the rest of the Shayist seeing this fled to the north where they joined up again in Amherst. Lincoln herd about this and began marching west toward the rebels. The rebels kept heading north until they found themselves in Petersham, which is where they set up camp. Lincoln's men eventually caught up to the rebels and captured some of them, but most of the rebels fled to surrounding states.