Combat difficulty for a beginner

I'm new to the game and only just started the first full day after the prologue. Is combat meant to be this punishing or am I just useless? I had the option of clearing some guards out of a barn, and one on one is fine, but when they're all coming at you it's very difficult and I died about 10 times before managing it. If I knock the difficulty down to story i feel it's then way to easy.