King Philip's War 1675
- westmohney
- Jul 28, 2021
- 11 min read
Updated: Mar 7, 2024
...a small part of the dominion of my ancestors remains. I am determined not to live until I have no country. ~ King Philip
things fall apart
Two events in the waning years of the 17th century defined the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The witch trials in Salem seriously threatened the new government and signaled a beginning to the end of Puritanism. King Philips War, however, had a far more devastating effect on the colony and its future. This war, which began in 1675, effectively ended the fragile, semi-peaceful relations that had existed between the New England colonists and their Native American neighbors for fifty-five years.
During the first three-quarters of the seventeenth century, New England's indigenous population fell from 140,000 to 10,000. Most of these deaths were caused by the Natives lack of resistance to disease brought by early fishermen to the coast of New England. The settlers arriving during the Great Migration benefited from the large swaths of empty land where Native villages once thrived.
Relations between the colonists and the Natives had been complicated from the beginning. When the Mayflower arrived in 1620, the Pilgrims needed, and were given, aid by the Pokanoket of the Wampanoag nation that lived in and around the area soon to be called Plymouth. Sachem Massasoit and his people taught the Pilgrims how to hunt and plant crops. In this way, the Native Americans most probably saved the Pilgrims from the starvation that nearly devastated Jamestown in the early years.
But, as wave after wave of Englismen arrived, the independence of Native tribes living in the area was threatened. The English had rules and all subjects of the king were obliged to abide by these rules, even the indigenous Americans who had no knowledge of the king they were supposed to be serving.
In 1661, forty-one years after the arrival of the Mayflower, Sachem Massasoit of the Pokanoket died. His passing had dire consequences for the Colony. He had been the mainstay in the peaceful relations between his tribe and the settlers. When he died, his eldest son Wamsutta became sachem. Wamsutta died within a year under conditions the Pokanoket found suspicious. Wamsutta's brother Metacom took over leadership.
Note: When Wamsutta became sachem in 1661, he asked for English names for himself and his brother. Wamsutta was given the name Alexander. Metacom, given the name Philip, was ever after referred to by that name. King Philip's War was named after him.
King Philip objected to the increasing Native lands lost in exchange for English guns, ammunition and liquor. He recognized that these sales threatened the livelihood and freedom of his people. The last straw happened when Philip was summoned to Taunton by the English government in 1671. A new peace treaty had been drawn up by the colonists which required his signature. One of the treaty's stipulations was that the Pokanoket surrender their weapons. Metacom complied with the wishes of the English at the time, but the humiliation festered.
the fuse ignighted
In January of 1675, a Christian Native American, John Sassamon, brought word to the English that Philip had plans to attack English settlements. Shortly afterwards, Sassamon's body was found lying in an icy pond. Three Wampanoag men were accused of the murder. They were tried, found guilty and hanged on June 8.
Reprisal by the Wampanoag was quick. On June 19, Plymouth governor Josiah Winslow's house was attacked and the next day the Wampanoag raided the town of Swansea. Homes there were destroyed and many settlers displaced.
Realizing the powder keg situation that was brewing, officials in Boston prepared to negotiate with King Philip as well as other tribes in the area that they felt might become involved. These included the Nipmuk, the Niantic and the powerful Narraganset.
John Borden of Portsmouth, who had received a complaint from the council at Plymouth, went to speak with Philip. Philip's reply was eloquent and spoke for all Native Americans in the Massachusetts Bay Colonies:
"The English who came first to this country were but a handful of people, forlorn, poor and distressed. My father was then sachem. He relieved their distresses in the most kind and hospitable manner. He gave them land to plant and build upon.…They flourished and increased.…By various means they got possessed of a great part of his territory. But he still remained their friend till he died. My elder brother became sachem. They pretended to suspect him of evil designs against them. He was seized and confined and thereby thrown into illness and died. Soon after I became sachem, they disarmed all my people.…Their lands were taken.…But a small part of the dominion of my ancestors remains. I am determined not to live until I have no country."
Shortly after these words were spoken, a Pokanoket man was killed by the settlers. In retaliation, King Philip ordered another attack on Swansea on June 23. This time, seven colonists were killed. Now there was no turning back.
Prominent Puritan ministers, Increase and Cotton Mather, wrote an account of the attack:
"...as soon as ever the people in Swanzy were come...the Indians discharged a volley of shot, whereby they killed one man, and wounded others. Two men were sent to call a surgeon for the relief of the wounded, but the Indians killed them by the way: And in another part of the town six men were killed, so that there were nine Englishmen murdered this day. Thus did the war begin, this being the first English blood which was spilt by the Indians in an hostile way.” ~ Increase and Cotton Mather
King Philip’s War would turn into, not a localized clash like the Pequot War of the 1630s, but full-scale warfare involving most of the New England region and most indigenous tribes. It was a total war, making no distinctions between warriors and civilians.
war
The attacks on Swansea made clear that the Wampanoag had not disarmed as the colonial government had demanded. By the 26th of June, several militia companies were mustered in Boston and sent to the aid of Swansea but the forces were too little too late. Between June 27th and July 9th, the Wampanoag caused widespread damage to the towns of Taunton and Rehoboth and effectively destroyed the towns of Middleborough and Dartmouth, killing several settlers in the process.
The initial militiamen gathered numbered about 200. The size of the Native American forces was unknown. The colonists had muskets but, thanks to the brisk land trades that had been going on for many year, so did the Wampanoag. The Native Americans also had longbows and an innate knowledge of the landscape around them. When pursued, the indigenous people could melt into the woods, making it difficult for colonists to follow.
Early on, it was clear to the English that this war would not be won easily.
friends prove elusive
Philip appealed to other tribes in the area for assistance but, in the beginning at least, found few allies. Opposing the English was not a step to be taken lightly. In early July, representatives of the Mohegans traveled to Boston and pledged their support for the English. The Narraganset, natural enemies to the Mohegans, were slow to commit to allying themselves with either side. When the Nipmucks attacked Mendon on July 14, however, the Narragansett changed their tune. The very next day, to hopefully ensure the safety of their people, the tribe signed a peace treaty with the Colony of Connecticut.
Loyalties, however, became hard to determine. The Nipmuck, possibly as a ruse, began negotiations with the English only two days after their attack on Mendon but, by August, were firmly in Philip's camp. The Narraganset would remain loyal to the English for most of the year but later actions by the colonists would force them to join their Native American brothers. Some tribes, like the Mohegans and Iroquois remained loyal to the English throughout. Choosing sides, however would become a mute point as history has borne out.
Brookfield and aftermath
In August, a two day siege of the town of Brookfield began with request for negotiations by a Nipmuck tribe. The request turned out to be a ruse. As the English made their way to the agreed upon site for talks, they were abushed by the Nipmuck and eight soldiers were killed. The survivors fled to the town of Brookfield where they, along with 70 townspeople, found refuge in one of the garrison houses. The Nipmuck weren't far behind.
Our uncle Ephraim Hildreth (8U) is on record as a private under Major Willard in a Troop of Horse company, now called calvary. Their company was in Lancaster on 2 Aug 1675 when the distress call came from the town of Brookfield, 30 miles away. When Willard's men, with other comanies, arrived in Brookfield two days later, they found soldiers and residents huddled in the last remaining garrison house. The rest of the town had been destroyed.
Our grandfather John Kittredge (9GGF) is credited with service at Brookfield and also for scouting service in 1676. He died in October of 1676, possibly from wounds sustained in the war.
Our cousin John French (1C10X), who later married John Kittredge's widow, our grandmother Mary Littlefield (9GGM), was a corporal at the time. Part of Major Wheeler's Company, he was wounded in the Brookfield battle.
The attack on Brookfield broadened the scope of the war from southern Massachusetts to more northerly western frontier towns. The map below shows the distance between Brookfied (brown marker) and the southern towns initially attacked.
Note: Nine days after the battle of Brookfield, the Massachusetts Council ordered all Praying Indians to be confined to their Praying Towns, which was only the beginning of a much broader internment program that would be implemented in October.
Native Americans with the upper hand
The raids on Massachusetts frontier towns continued. On August 24, Nipmucs raided the town of Springfield. This town would sustain further damage in another attack in October.
On September 1st, warriors from the Pokanotek and Nipmuc tribes attacked Deerfield and, the following day, Northfield.
After over two months of hostilities, it was abundantly clear that the Natives meant business.
On 9 Sep 1675, the New England Confederation, a military alliance between the colonies of Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut, New Haven and Plymouth, officially declared war on King Philip and his allies. A week after the declaration, 700 Nipmucs ambushed a militia group escorting a wagon train of colonists. 40 soldiers and 17 wagon drivers killed in the fighting. Only 32 English survived what became known as the Battle of Bloody Brook.
Raids on towns and militia companies continued for the rest of the year. The Native tribes, at home in the forests and wilderness, repeatedly lured the colonists into traps. The most effective tactic the colonists could use was to burn Native crops in the fields but turn about was fair play. The colonists suffered the same treatment and, in addition, they had many a barn burned and livestock killed or stolen.
In the lower right quadrant of the map below are towns that were first attacked in King Philip's War. As things got dicier in the south, Philip and his people moved northwest, hitting western frontier towns as they went.
Note: Toward the end of the year, the war would extend as far north as Maine where many of our Littlefield relatives would take up arms.
The Great Swamp Fight
The Narraganset were the most powerful tribe in the New England Colonies. In July of 1775, when the war was only months old, they signed a peace treaty with Connecticut. Then, in October, they extended their loyalty to the English with the signing of another peace treaty in Boston. There were two conditions, however, that they could not agree to. One required that the Narraganset refuse refuge to Pokanokets seeking shelter with them. The other required that all Pokanoket found in the Narraganset lands, including women, children, the sick and the elderly, be handed over to the English. The refusal to agree to these two conditions would prove costly.
By December, the colonists were both panicked and enraged by the seemingly ceaseless attacks on their towns. Some were even calling for the utter extinction all all Native Americans. This was the climate in the colony when officials in Boston decided the Narraganset could no longer be trusted. Using the treaty as a weapon, the English accused the Narraganset of harboring Pokanokets. With this rationalized justification in hand, combined forces from Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth Colony made preparations to attack the Narraganset Fort in Rhode Island.
The ensuing battle, later named The Great Swamp Fight, would be the bloodiest, most costly to date. For this fight, the English reverted to traditional European-style warfare. An army of 1,000 colonists and allied Native Americans converged on the walls of the Narraganset Fort in Kingston, Rhode Island. The militia had been instructed to strike “with full power for the treating surprising fighting killing & effectual subduing & destroying of the Narrowganset Enemy.” They did exactly that. When the walls had been breached, the army swarmed in and began a wholesale slaughter of people, homes and food supplies.
Exact numbers are unknown but it's believed that 600 Narraganset warriors, women, children and elderly died in the fort and in the icy swamp attempting to flee. Many of the Natives escaped into the bitterly cold swamp that surrounded them, some eventually died due to their wounds, exposure to the cold and starvation. The militia suffered about 70 dead and 150 wounded, some of whom died from their wounds. Militiamen then burned the fort and destroyed the camp’s winter stores. While many of Narraganset were able to break out of the fort and elude the milita, the Swamp Fight effectively destroyed the tribe as a nation. With no choice but to join Philip in his war, the Narraganset fought on.
The Great Swamp Battle was a turning point in the war. It forced both the Narragansett, who had attempted to stay neutral, and the colony of Rhode Island into the war. By the end of March 1676, nearly all of Rhode Island had been set ablaze by the Natives in retaliation for the Great Swamp Massacre. Most of the Rhode Island colonists who survived the initial Native attacks retreated to a fortified settlement on Aquidneck Island.
our relatives who participated in the Great Swamp Battle
Our uncle Nathaniel Ballard (8U) was part of Captain Thomas Prentice's Troop of Horse which took part in the battle at the fort. Later in the war, Nathaniel served as part of a scouting party in what is now Warwick, RI.
Our cousins John Wyman, Sr. (1C9X), John Wyman, Jr. (2C8X) and Francis Wyman (1C9X) were also part of Captain Prentice's Troop of Horse and took part in the Narraganset battle. John Wyman, Jr. was killed in the battle by an arrow shot into his face.
Our uncle Nathan Richardson (8U) was wounded in the battle.
Our cousin Nathan Baldwin (3C10X) was killed in the battle.
Major Samuel Appleton gathered 587 members of the Massachusetts militia in Dedham and led the march to Rhode Island. Among his company was our uncle John Stickney (9U) from Rowley. Also in that group was our cousin Daniel Somerby (2C9X) who died later of wounds suffered in the battle. He wrote his will before he left on the campaign: "I Daniell Sumerby being caled to goe forth to war..." He left all his goods and property to his brothers, sisters and nephews.
Others in the battle:
Stephen Greenleaf (2C9x) of Newbury. He was later wounded in the Battle of Hatfield.
John Ballard (9U) of Andover
Samuel Phelps (8U) of Andover
Robert Swan (9U) of Haverhill
Caleb Symonds (8U) of Woburn
broken promises
Soldiers who agreed to the long march and battle at Fort Narraganset, were promised grants of land as payment. Ten years later, in 1685, a petition was submitted in Lynn and at the General Court in Boston signed by our uncle Nathaniel Ballard (8U) and 24 others asking the government to make good on their pledge to the soldiers. At the slow pace the grants proceeded, it would be over 40 years before these soldiers saw what was due them. Much of the property was finally claimed by their descendants.
Great Swamp Fight Memorial
While no one know exactly where the Swamp Fight took place, a monument now stands in what is believed to be the location. The Rhode Island Society of Colonial Wars erected a 20-foot granite monument commemorating the event in 1906. The monument was dedicated by both New Englanders and members of the modern-day Narragansett tribe.
The Narragansett meet once a year at the Memorial to tell stories, sing traditional songs and perform a ritual "wailing" by the women for those killed in the Swamp Massacre. Recently a new song was written by tribe elders about the Great Swamp to tell a story that should never be forgotten.
From "A Massacre Hidden in the Swamp" by Rick Holmes:
"But it’s not just their story, it’s our story and it ought to be shared with all Americans. The annihilation of the Native Americans didn’t begin with the Trail of Tears and it didn’t end at Wounded Knee. It began with a bloody war in New England now all but forgotten, and a massacre in a place you can’t even find on a map."
Next up: King Philip's War, the second half.
Comments