Northern New England:
94-712: The Great Swamp Massacre or the Great Swamp Fight was a crucial battle fought during King Philip's War between the colonial militia of New England and the Narragansett people in December 1675. It was fought near the villages of Kingston and West Kingston in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations . The combined force of the New England militia included 150 Pequots , and they inflicted
188-494: A confederation of neighboring Indian tribes. He also gathered muskets and gunpowder for the eventual attack, but only in small numbers in order that the colonists would not be alarmed. Several Wampanoag men attacked and killed colonists in Swansea, Massachusetts , on June 20, 1675, and that began King Philip's War. The Indians laid siege to the town, then destroyed it five days later and killed several more people. A full eclipse of
282-603: A desire to enlist Mohawk aid in the conflict. New York was a non-belligerent, but Governor Edmund Andros was nonetheless concerned at the arrival of the Wampanoag sachem. Either with Andros' sanction, or of their own accord, the Mohawk—traditional rivals of the Algonquian people—launched a surprise assault against a 500-warrior band under Metacomet's command the following February. The coup de main resulted in
376-610: A few small towns in the interior between Boston and the Connecticut River settlements. Meanwhile, with the death of Ousamequin, Native diplomacy with the settlers fell apart, as colonists tried negotiating with Wamsutta in the same role they did with Ousamequin, but slighted female Native rulers ( saunkswkas ) of the land and erroneously claimed Sakonnet and Pocasset land as freely given. This created further tension between colonists and Natives, as colonial Puritan beliefs did not recognize female leaders as legitimate, despite
470-574: A force of 400, composed of 300 Connecticut colonial militia and about 100 Mohegan and Pequot warriors, and Quaiapen was killed along with the leaders as they sought refuge in Mattekonnit (Mattity) Swamp in North Smithfield , while the remainder of the survivors were sold into slavery. Metacomet's allies began to desert him, and more than 400 had surrendered to the colonists by early July. Metacomet took refuge back at Assawompset Pond ,
564-601: A full-scale attack on Swansea, killing three. On June 27, 1675, a full eclipse of the moon occurred in the New England area, and various tribes in New England thought it a good omen for attacking the colonists. Officials from the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies responded quickly to the attacks on Swansea; on June 28, they sent a punitive military expedition that destroyed the Wampanoag town at Mount Hope in Bristol, Rhode Island . The war quickly spread and soon involved
658-483: A great fear that any of their people "should be called or forced to be Christian Indians". Metacom began negotiating with the other Algonquian tribes against the Plymouth Colony in the winter of 1674–1675, soon after the death of his father and, within a year, of his brother Wamsutta. However, conflict abounded, even amidst tribes and families. Two months before the outbreak of the war, Awashonk's, leader of
752-693: A hand-to-hand encounter with a Narraganset warrior. This occurred along Indian Run Brook in Wakefield-Peacedale, Rhode Island . The Narragansetts saw swamps as ideal defensive locations in wartime, leading them to take up residence in the Great Swamp during the conflict. Four days later, the Great Swamp Battle took place on the bitterly cold and stormy day of December 19, 1675. The colonial militia from Plymouth Colony , Connecticut Colony , and Massachusetts Bay Colony were led to
846-425: A huge number of Narragansett casualties, including many hundreds of women and children. The battle has been described by historians as "one of the most brutal and lopsided military encounters in all of New England's history." Since the 1930s, Narragansett and Wampanoag people commemorate the battle annually in a ceremony initiated by Narragansett-Wampanoag scholar Princess Red Wing . The Pokanoket Indians had helped
940-433: A margin of error of +/- $ 22,963) and the median family income was $ 111,016 (+/- $ 15,344). Males had a median income of $ 44,708 (+/- $ 18,824) versus $ 25,422 (+/- $ 7,849) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $ 33,509 (+/- $ 7,659). Approximately, 4.6% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line , including 8.8% of those under the age of 18 and 3.8% of those ages 65 or over. At
1034-529: A massive fort in a frozen swamp. The cold weather in December froze the swamp so that it was relatively easy to traverse. The colonial force found the Narragansett fort on December 19, 1675 near South Kingstown, Rhode Island . About 1,000 troops attacked, including about 150 Pequot and Mohegan allies. It is believed that the militia killed about 600 Narragansetts. They burned the fort (occupying over 5 acres (20,000 m ) of land) and destroyed most of
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#17327725302641128-489: A miller an English man at Narragansett and brought his scalpe to them." On December 15, 1675, after peace negotiations failed between Stonewall John and the militia, Narragansett warriors attacked the Jireh Bull Blockhouse and killed at least 15 people. 15-year-old James Eldred escaped from the blockhouse and was pursued a considerable distance; he survived having a tomahawk thrown at him at close range and
1222-583: A river at the Second Battle of Nipsachuck Battlefield and Stonewall John , a notable Indian mason, was also killed. Finally, Philip was shot and killed on August 12 by John Alderman , an Indian soldier in the company of Benjamin Church . Many of the Narragansett survivors were sold into slavery, sentenced to death, or fled to join other nearby tribes, like the Niantics. A memorial marker was placed at
1316-477: A sign of goodwill. The Wabanakis began raiding trading posts and attacking settlers. The Wabanakis decimate the colonial settlements east of the Saco River under the leadership of Androscoggin sagamore Mogg Hegon and Penobscot sagamore Madockawando . The Indians made three major attacks in 1675 , 1676 , and 1677 , most of which led to a massive colonial response. Richard Waldron and Charles Frost led
1410-575: A time of increased English immigration. The colonists progressively expanded throughout the territories of the several Algonquian -speaking tribes in the region. Prior to King Philip's War, tensions fluctuated between Native tribes and the colonists. The Narragansetts fought alongside the English colonists in the Pequot War and participated in the Mystic massacre but were horrified afterwards. With
1504-406: A train of wagons carrying the harvest from Deerfield to Hadley . They killed at least 40 militia men and 17 teamsters out of a company that included 79 militia. The Natives next attacked Springfield, Massachusetts on October 5, 1675, the Connecticut River's largest settlement at the time. They burned to the ground nearly all of Springfield's buildings, including the town's grist mill. Most of
1598-762: Is land and 0.2 sq mi (0.52 km ) (4.70%) is water. The IndependentRI (South County Newspapers) publish weekly from Main Street in Wakefield, covering South Kingstown, North Kingstown, Narragansett and The University of Rhode Island. The 2020 United States census counted 8,925 people, 3,751 households, and 2,641 families in Wakefield-Peacedale. The population density was 1,810.3 people per square mile (699.0 people/km ). There were 4,027 housing units at an average density of 816.8 units per square mile (315.4 units/km ). The racial makeup
1692-570: The Algonquian family . John Sassamon was a Native convert to Christianity, commonly referred to as a " praying Indian ". He played a key role as a cultural mediator, negotiating with both colonists and Natives while belonging to neither party. He was an early graduate of Harvard College and served as a translator and adviser to Metacomet. He reported to the governor of Plymouth Colony that Metacomet planned to gather allies for Native attacks on widely dispersed colonial settlements. Metacomet
1786-759: The First Indian War , Metacom's War , Metacomet's War , Pometacomet's Rebellion , or Metacom's Rebellion ) was an armed conflict in 1675–1676 between a group of indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands against the English New England Colonies and their indigenous allies. The war is named for Metacom , the Pokanoket chief and sachem of the Wampanoag who adopted the English name Philip because of
1880-757: The Great Swamp Fight . An estimated 600 Narragansetts were killed, and their coalition was taken over by Narragansett sachem Canonchet . They pushed back the borders of the Massachusetts Bay , Plymouth, and Rhode Island colonies, burning towns as they went, including Providence in March 1676. However, the colonial militia overwhelmed the Native coalition. By the end of the war, the Wampanoags and their Narragansett allies were almost completely destroyed. On August 12, 1676, Metacom fled to Mount Hope where he
1974-635: The Podunk and Nipmuc tribes. During the summer of 1675, the Natives attacked at Middleborough and Dartmouth, Massachusetts (July 8), Mendon, Massachusetts (July 14), Brookfield, Massachusetts (August 2), and Lancaster, Massachusetts (August 9). In early September, they attacked Deerfield , Hadley , and Northfield, Massachusetts . Wheeler's Surprise and the ensuing Siege of Brookfield were fought in August 1675, between Nipmucs under Muttawmp and
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#17327725302642068-582: The Sakonnet , son Mammanuah signed a deed granting English colonizers the right to all the land from Pocasset Neck south to the sea. At the start of planting season, conflict erupted while new settlers began to plant on lands tenured under the rule of Awashonks, who did not approve her son's selling of the land. Mammanuah was confronted by his mother and other members of his tribe. He was stripped of his title by his relatives but allowed to leave with his life. Mammanuah sought restitution at Plymouth, where his title
2162-479: The Wampanoag Confederacy in 1662 after the death of his older brother Grand Sachem Wamsutta (called "Alexander" by the colonists), who had succeeded their father Massasoit (d. 1661) as chief. Metacom was well known to the colonists before his ascension as paramount chief to the Wampanoags. But, he ultimately distrusted the colonists. Conflict increased between the Wampanoags and settlers due to
2256-610: The Wampanoags , Nipmucs , Narragansetts , Mohegans , Pequots , and other tribes of New England, whose territories historically had differing boundaries. Many of the neighboring tribes had been traditional competitors and enemies. As the colonial population increased, the New Englanders expanded their settlements along the region's coastal plain and up the Connecticut River valley. By 1675, they had established
2350-626: The "Great Swamp Fight" Sunday 19 December 1675. This record was placed by the Rhode Island Society of Colonial Wars 1906. A second marker was placed there in 1916 which has since gone missing. The inscription was: In memory of Major Samuel Appleton of Ipswich, Massachusetts who commanded the Massachusetts forces and led the victorious storming column at the Great Swamp Fight Dec. 19, 1675. This Tablet placed by
2444-543: The 2000 census , there were 8,468 people, 3,221 households and 2,174 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 671.4 people/km (1,739 people/sq mi). There were 3,385 housing units at an average density of 268.4 units/km (695 units/sq mi). The racial makeup of the CDP was 90.34% White , 2.01% African American , 3.08% Native American , 1.23% Asian , 0.56% from other races , and 2.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.56% of
2538-602: The Massachusett and Pawtucket tribes living around Massachusetts Bay and extending northwest to Maine. The Wampanoags and Pokanokets of Plymouth and eastern Rhode Island are thought to have numbered fewer than 1,000. About one in four were considered to be warriors. By then, the Natives had almost universally adopted steel knives, tomahawks, and flintlock muskets as their weapons. The various tribes had no common government. They had distinct cultures and often warred among themselves, although they all spoke related languages from
2632-500: The Massachusetts Bay colony, which then included the southwestern portion of Maine and southern New Hampshire until 1679. The towns had about 16,000 men of military age who were almost all part of the militia, as universal training was prevalent in all colonial New England towns. Many towns had built strong garrison houses for defense, and others had stockades enclosing most of the houses. All of these were strengthened as
2726-650: The Narragansetts counterattacked under Canonchet, assembling an army of 2,000 men. They burned Providence, including Roger William's house. The Narragansetts were finally defeated when Canonchet was captured and executed in April 1676; then female sachem Queen Quaiapen and approximately 138 supporters were killed in an ambush. In December 1675, Metacomet established a winter camp in Schaghticoke , New York. His reason for moving into New York has been attributed to
2820-510: The Natives. The next colonial expedition was to recover crops from abandoned fields along the Connecticut River for the coming winter and included almost 100 farmers and militia, plus teamsters to drive the wagons. The Battle of Bloody Brook was fought on September 12, 1675, between militia from the Massachusetts Bay Colony and a band of Natives led by Nipmuc sachem Muttawmp . The Natives ambushed colonists escorting
2914-753: The Natives; Captain Samuel Wadsworth lost his life and half of a 70-man militia in such an ambush. It was the last major victory by the indigenous coalition of the war. On May 19, 1676, Captain William Turner of the Massachusetts Militia and about 150 militia volunteers (mostly minimally trained farmers) attacked a Native fishing camp at Peskeopscut on the Connecticut River now called Turners Falls, Massachusetts . The colonists killed approximately 200 Natives. The warriors were camped upstream at Smeads Island. Turner and nearly 40 of
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3008-602: The New World. In fact, Rowlandson’s captivity narrative is largely the basis of many understanding’s about Weetamoo’s role in the war. The Lancaster raid in February 1676 was a Native attack on the community of Lancaster, Massachusetts . Philip led a force of 1,500 Wampanoag , Nipmuc , and Narragansett men in a dawn attack on the isolated village, which then included the neighboring communities of Bolton and Clinton . They attacked five fortified houses. They set fire to
3102-494: The Rhode Island Historical Society 1916. In the 1930s, Narragansett-Wampanoag scholar Princess Red Wing initiated an annual commemorative ceremony at the site of the battle. From the time of the 1906 monument dedication until 2021, the land on which the monument sits was owned by the Rhode Island Historical Society. On 23 October 2021, the title to the five acre of land constituting the monument site
3196-537: The Wampanoag settlement near which John Sassamon had been found dead before the outset of the war, but the colonists formed raiding parties with indigenous allies, and he retreated southwest towards Rhode Island . Metacomet was killed by one of these teams when Captain Benjamin Church and Captain Josiah Standish of the Plymouth Colony militia tracked him to Mount Hope in Bristol, Rhode Island . He
3290-487: The Wampanoags and the colonists after repeated violations by the latter. The colonists insisted that the 1671 peace agreement should include the surrender of Native guns; then three Wampanoags were hanged in Plymouth Colony in 1675 for the murder of another Wampanoag, which increased tensions. Native raiding parties attacked homesteads and villages throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Maine over
3384-574: The Wampanoags and their allied tribes spread word of English locations, encampments, and attacks in order to warn other resisting Native Americans. Weetamoo later formed an alliance at Narragansett with the Nipmuc in order to create a larger Native cause. The account written and published by Mary Rowlandson after the war gives a colonial captive's perspective on the conflict. Rowlandson was captured by Nipmucs and led miles through surrounding wilderness, keeping her captured through her lack of knowledge of
3478-425: The age of 18; 43.5% were married couples living together; 32.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 32.6% of households consisted of individuals and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.4 and the average family size was 2.9. The percent of those with a bachelor's degree or higher was estimated to be 38.6% of the population. 19.2% of
3572-512: The ambush was an attack on Brookfield, Massachusetts , and the consequent besieging of the remains of the colonial force. The Nipmucs harried the settlers for two days, until they were driven off by a newly arrived force of colonial soldiers under the command of Major Simon Willard . The siege took place at Ayers' Garrison in West Brookfield , but the location of the initial ambush was a subject of extensive controversy among historians in
3666-678: The assault, but the Natives had demonstrated their ability to penetrate deep into colonial territory. They attacked three more settlements; Longmeadow (near Springfield), Marlborough, and Simsbury were attacked two weeks later. They killed Captain Pierce and a company of Massachusetts soldiers between Pawtucket and the Blackstone's settlement. They tortured several colonial men to death and buried them at Nine Men's Misery in Cumberland as part of their ritual torture of enemies. They also burned
3760-402: The average family size was 3.14. 28.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.4 males. The median household income was $ 50,313 and the median family income
3854-430: The bread basket of New England, but they had to limit their plantings and work in large armed groups for self-protection. Towns such as Springfield , Hatfield , Hadley , and Northampton, Massachusetts fortified themselves, reinforced their militias, and held their ground, though attacked several times. The small towns of Northfield , Deerfield , and several others were abandoned as the surviving settlers retreated to
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3948-584: The coast eastward to the Kennebec River. These communities were scattered and lacked fortifications. The defenseless posture of English settlements reflected the amicable relationship between Wabanakis and colonists up to that time. Upon hearing news of the Wampanoag attack on Swansea, colonists in York marched up the Kennebec River in June 1675 and demanded that Wabanakis turn over their guns and ammunition as
4042-723: The colonial forces in the northern region. Waldron sent forces that attacked the Mi'kmaq in Acadia . Mogg Hegon repeatedly attacked towns such as Black Point ( Scarborough ), Wells, and Damariscove , building a flotilla out of the approximately 40 sloops and a dozen 30-ton ships previously armed by militia. Maine's fishing industry was completely destroyed by the Wabanaki flotilla. Records from Salem record 20 ketches stolen and destroyed in one raid in Maine. The Wabanakis sued for peace in 1677, and
4136-624: The colonists of Massachusetts Bay under the command of Thomas Wheeler and Captain Edward Hutchinson . The battle consisted of an initial ambush on August 2, 1675 by the Nipmucs against Wheeler's unsuspecting party. Eight men from Wheeler's company died during the ambush: Zechariah Phillips of Boston, Timothy Farlow of Billerica, Edward Coleborn of Chelmsford, Samuel Smedly of Concord, Shadrach Hapgood of Sudbury, Sergeant Eyres, Sergeant Prichard, and Corporal Coy of Brookfield. Following
4230-423: The colonists' distrust remained. On November 2, Plymouth Colony Governor Josiah Winslow led a combined force of Plymouth, Massachusetts, and Connecticut militia against the Narragansett tribe. The colonists distrusted the tribe and their various alliances. As the colonial forces went through Rhode Island, they found and burned several Native towns which had been abandoned by the Narragansetts, who had retreated to
4324-466: The conflict. Hundreds of Wampanoags and their allies were publicly executed or enslaved, and the Wampanoags were left effectively landless. King Philip's War began the development of an independent American identity. The New England colonists faced their enemies without support from any European government or military, and this began to give them a group identity separate and distinct from Britain. The early Plymouth Colony claimed preemptive rights to
4418-506: The conflict. Captives who had participated in attacks on the many settlements were hanged, enslaved, or put to indentured servitude, depending upon the colony involved. The Second Battle of Nipsachuck occurred on July 2, 1676 and included a rare use of a cavalry charge by the English colonists. In the summer of 1676, a band of over 100 Narragansetts led by female sachem Quaiapen returned to northern Rhode Island, apparently seeking to recover cached seed corn for planting. They were attacked by
4512-445: The continual intrusion of settlers' livestock onto Wampanoag farms and food stores, with few colonists taking more than half-hearted steps to prevent this in spite of regular complaints by the Wampanoags. Another grievance held by many Wampanoags was the attempts by colonial missionaries to convert them to Christianity; among those who expressed such grievances was Metacom himself, who declared that he and other Wampanoag leaders possessed
4606-454: The death of between 70 and 460 of the Wampanoags. Metacomet withdrew to New England, pursued by Mohawk forces who attacked Algonquian settlements and ambushed their supply parties. Over the next several months, fear of Mohawk attack led some Wampanoags to surrender to the colonists, and one historian described the decision of the Mohawks to engage Metacomet's forces as "the blow that lost
4700-527: The defeat of the Pequots, Narragansett leader Miantonomoh gathered groups of Algonquians together in the 1640s in the hope that they could face the colonists together. He was captured by colonists in Connecticut and executed by Mohegan sachem Uncas , shattering the coalition. The Rhode Island , Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut , and New Haven colonies each developed separate relations with
4794-521: The entirety of Wampanoag country through early alliances with some Native leaders, like Squanto (Tisquantam) and Massasoit (Ousamequin). However, English claim to the land relied entirely on misinterpretations of Native leadership, which viewed Ousamequin as the Native "king" of the land, despite the existence of other territorial claims under local leaders like Namumpum ( Weetamoo ). Subsequent colonists founded Salem , Boston , and many small towns around Massachusetts Bay between 1628 and 1640, during
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#17327725302644888-453: The execution of the men convicted of Sassamon’s murder, the proverbial first shots of the war were shot. A band of Pokanokets attacked several isolated homesteads in the small Plymouth colony settlement of Swansea on June 20, 1675, likely against Phillip's approval. They burned several homes. On June 23, a local boy saw a Pokanoket in front of his home and was instructed to fire, killing him. Pokanokets became enraged and on June 24 launched
4982-708: The fighting ended with the Treaty of Casco (1678) . The treaty allowed settlers to return to Maine if each English family paid the Wabanakis a peck of corn each year. Wakefield-Peacedale, Rhode Island Wakefield-Peacedale (listed as "Wakefield-Peace Dale" by the United States Census Bureau ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of South Kingstown in Washington County , Rhode Island , United States that includes
5076-539: The first months of the war, Wampanoags employed the strategy of tactical retreat. As English colonists marched through Native settlements, many Natives sought safety by hiding in the swamps surrounding Nemasket. Led by Weetamoo, mothers and their children were marched silently away from encapments and sought protection in the thickest part of the swamps. In their wake, settled along the outskirts of emptied Native villages, Wampanoag protectors ambushed English troops as they marched through Rhode Island. Utlizing kinship networks,
5170-453: The friendly relations between his father Massasoit and the Plymouth Colony . The war continued in the most northern reaches of New England until the signing of the Treaty of Casco Bay on April 12, 1678. Massasoit had maintained a long-standing alliance with the colonists and Metacom ( c. 1638–1676 ), his younger son, became the tribal chief in 1662 after his father's death. Metacom, however, forsook his father's alliance between
5264-557: The frozen swamp; hundreds more died there from wounds combined with the harsh conditions. The colonists lost many of their officers in this assault, and about 70 of their men were killed and nearly 150 more wounded. The dead and wounded militiamen were evacuated to the settlements on Aquidneck Island in Narragansett Bay where they were buried or cared for by many of the Rhode Island colonists. The Great Swamp Massacre
5358-408: The great power they held within Native societies. On one such occasion of land dispute, saunkswkas Weetamoo and Awashonks appeared in a colonial court to protest illegitimate deeds signed by Wamsutta that gave colonists lands that were not his to give. This conflict strengthened complaints among natives while simultaneously bolstering Plymouth claims to the land and served as an omen for conflict that
5452-434: The house of Rev. Joseph Rowlandson and slaughtered most of its occupants—more than 30 people. Rowlandson's wife Mary was taken prisoner, and afterward wrote a best-selling narrative of her experiences. Many of the community's other houses were destroyed before the Natives retreated northward. The spring of 1676 marked the high point for the combined tribes when they attacked Plymouth Plantation on March 12. The town withstood
5546-490: The land. Rowlandson was 'gifted' to Weetamoo and her husband Quinnapin following their wedding, as a gift for their role in securing Native alliances and allies in the war. Rowlandson’s captivity narrative and the following explosion of the Puritan captivity narrative genre, is largely where historical information regarding the inner workings of Native society comes from, as primary sources from white colonial entrepreneurs in
5640-518: The larger towns. The towns of the Connecticut colony were largely unharmed in the war, although more than 100 Connecticut militia died in their support of the other colonies. The Sudbury Fight took place in Sudbury, Massachusetts on April 21, 1676. The town was surprised by Native raiders at dawn, who besieged a local garrison house and burned several unoccupied homes and farms. Reinforcements that arrived from nearby towns were drawn into ambushes by
5734-416: The late nineteenth century. The New England Confederation consisted of the Massachusetts Bay Colony , Plymouth Colony , New Haven Colony , and Connecticut Colony ; they declared war on the Natives on September 9, 1675. The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations tried to remain neutral, but much of the war was fought on Rhode Island soil; Providence and Warwick suffered extensive damage from
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#17327725302645828-489: The main Narragansett settlement in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, by an Indian guide named Indian Peter. The low temperatures froze the natural moat that surrounded the Narragansett encampment, allowing the colonial troops to pass easily. The massive fort occupied about 5 acres (20,000 m) of land and was initially occupied by over a thousand people, but it was eventually overrun after a fierce fight. The settlement
5922-400: The men of Sassamon's murder, and they were executed by hanging on June 8, 1675 (O.S.) at Plymouth. Most importantly, the pond where Sassamon’s body was found in was at the center of a heated land claim, under which Plymouth men were attempting to purchase vast swaths of land at Nemasket . His death became the necessary pretext for Plymouth Colony’s arrest of a counselor tied to suppressing
6016-684: The militia were killed during the return from the falls. The colonists defeated an attack at Hadley on June 12, 1676 with the help of their Mohegan allies, scattering most of the survivors into New Hampshire and farther north. Later that month, a force of 250 Natives was routed near Marlborough, Massachusetts . Combined forces of colonial volunteers and their indigenous allies continued to attack, kill, capture, or disperse bands of Narragansetts , Nipmucs , and Wampanoags as they tried to plant crops or return to their traditional locations. The colonists granted amnesty to those who surrendered or who were captured and showed that they had not participated in
6110-529: The moon occurred in the New England area on June 27, 1675 (O.S.) (July 7, 1675 N.S.; See Old Style and New Style dates ), and various tribes looked at it as a good omen for attacking the colonists. Officials from the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies responded quickly to the attacks on Swansea; on June 28, they sent a punitive military expedition which destroyed the Wampanoag town at Mount Hope in Bristol, Rhode Island . The Indians waged attacks on settlements in Massachusetts and Connecticut, but Rhode Island
6204-508: The most effective. The indigenous allies of the colonists numbered about 1,000 from the Mohegans and Praying Indians , with about 200 warriors. By 1676, the regional indigenous population had decreased to about 10,000 (exact numbers are unavailable) largely because of epidemics. These included about 4,000 Narragansetts of western Rhode Island and eastern Connecticut, 2,400 Nipmucs of central and western Massachusetts, and 2,400 combined in
6298-452: The mound at the four cardinal compass points engraved with the names of the colonies which took part in the encounter; two tablets on opposite sides of the shaft give additional data. The markers are near West Kingston, Rhode Island. The dedication of the monument was attended by descendants of both sides of the battle. The dedication speaker, Rowland G. Hazard II , said of the monument, "We dedicate this rugged granite shaft, frost-riven from
6392-662: The native hills, untouched by the tool of man, as a fitting emblem of the rugged and unadorned Pilgrim and Puritan of 16 hundred and 75." Three members of the modern Narragansett tribe pulled the veil from the stone. The inscription states: Attacked within their fort upon this island the Narragansett Indians made their last stand in King Philip's War and were crushed by the united forces of the Massachusetts Connecticut and Plymouth Colonies in
6486-465: The next six months, and the colonial militia retaliated. The colonies assembled the largest army that New England had yet mustered, consisting of 1,000 militia and 150 Native allies. Governor Josiah Winslow marshaled them to attack the Narragansetts in November 1675. They attacked and burned Native villages throughout Rhode Island territory, culminating with the attack on the Narragansetts' main fort in
6580-485: The original pilgrim settlers to survive, under the leadership of Massasoit . His sons Wamsutta and Metacom took on the English names of Alexander and Philip, respectively. Alexander became sachem of the Pokanokets on the death of his father, but he died within a year and Philip succeeded him in 1662. Philip began laying plans to attack the colonists in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, and he slowly built
6674-416: The population was under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 22.2% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 22.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.9 years. For every 100 females, the population had 110.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 113.1 males. The 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $ 87,684 (with
6768-405: The population. There were 3,221 households, of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and
6862-529: The presumed site of the battle in 1906 on five acres of land donated by Rowland Hazard III and the Hazard family. The rough granite shaft with only the date of the conflict engraved on it, stands about 20 feet high on a mound. It was erected by the Rhode Island Society of Colonial Wars to commemorate the battle and to serve as a cemetery memorial. Four roughly squared granite markers stand around
6956-419: The purchasing of land around Nemasket. Under captivity, the counselor and block to the signing of a land grant for the Plymouth Colony, Tobias, and the other arrested men were forced to sign the rights away of all of their land at Nemasket. With Sassamon dead and the land deed signed, the land surrounding the pond became formally acknowledged as part of the town Middlebury and was open for English settlement. With
7050-426: The residents who escaped unharmed took cover at the house of Miles Morgan , a resident who had constructed one of the settlement's few fortified blockhouses . An indigenous servant who worked for Morgan managed to escape and alerted the Massachusetts Bay troops under the command of Major Samuel Appleton , who broke through to Springfield and drove off the attackers. The Narragansetts endeavored to remain neutral in
7144-500: The settlement of Providence to the ground on March 29. At the same time, a small band of Natives infiltrated and burned part of Springfield while the militia was away. The settlements within the Colony of Rhode Island became a literal island colony for a time as the settlements at Providence and Warwick were sacked and burned, and the residents were driven to Newport and Portsmouth on Rhode Island . The Connecticut River towns had thousands of acres of cultivated crop land known as
7238-848: The tribe had retreated to a large fort in the center of the Great Swamp near Kingston, Rhode Island . On November 2, 1675, Josiah Winslow led a combined force of over 1,000 colonial militia, including about 150 Pequot and Mohegan Indians, against the Narragansetts living around Narragansett Bay . One colonist was accused of fighting on the Indian side of the battle. Joshua Tefft reportedly wounded Captain Nathaniel Seely of Connecticut (son of Captain Robert Seeley ), who subsequently died. An Indian spy reported that Tefft "did them good service & killed & wounded 5 or 6 English in that fight & before they would trust him he had killed
7332-475: The tribe's winter stores. Most of the Narragansett warriors escaped into the frozen swamp. The colonists lost about 70 men killed and nearly 150 more wounded, including many of their officers. The surviving militia returned to their homes, lacking supplies for an extended campaign. The nearby towns in Rhode Island provided care for the wounded until they could return to their homes. In the spring of 1676,
7426-421: The villages of Peace Dale and Wakefield . The population was 8,487 at the 2010 census . Wakefield-Peacedale is located at 41°26′28″N 71°29′57″W / 41.44111°N 71.49917°W / 41.44111; -71.49917 (41.441234, -71.499290). According to the United States Census Bureau , the CDP has a total area of 5.1 sq mi (13 km ). 4.9 sq mi (13 km ) of it
7520-509: The war for Philip". Natives attacked and destroyed more settlements throughout the winter of 1675–1676 in their effort to annihilate the colonists. They attacked homes in Andover , Bridgewater , Chelmsford , Groton , Lancaster , Marlborough , Medfield , Medford , Portland , Providence , Rehoboth , Scituate , Seekonk , Simsbury , Sudbury , Suffield , Warwick , Weymouth , and Wrentham , including Norfolk and Plainville . In
7614-556: The war progressed. Some poorly populated towns were abandoned if they did not have enough men to defend them. Each town had local militias based on all eligible men who had to supply their own arms. Only those who were too old, too young, disabled, or clergy were excused from military service. The militias were usually only minimally trained and initially did relatively poorly against the warring Natives, until more effective training and tactics could be devised. Joint forces of militia volunteers and volunteer indigenous allies were found to be
7708-478: The war, driven partly by their relationship with Roger Williams. They were not directly involved in the war, but they had sheltered many of the Wampanoag fighters, women, and children, and there were questions about some of their warriors participating in several Native attacks. In October 1675, Narraganset sachem Canonchet signed a "Treaty of Neutrality" with the Massachusetts Bay Colony, but
7802-425: The war, they had sheltered many of King Philip's men, women, and children, and several of their warriors had participated in Indian raiding parties. The colonists distrusted the Narragansetts and feared that the tribe would join King Philip's cause in the spring, which caused great concern due to the tribe's location. The militia burned several abandoned Narragansett villages as they marched around Narragansett Bay , as
7896-442: Was 84.18% (7,513) white or European American (83.62% non-Hispanic white ), 2.1% (187) black or African-American , 3.11% (278) Native American or Alaska Native , 2.04% (182) Asian , 0.03% (3) Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian , 1.48% (132) from other races , and 7.06% (630) from two or more races . Hispanic or Latino of any race was 3.98% (355) of the population. Of the 3,751 households, 23.1% had children under
7990-431: Was a critical blow to the Narragansett tribe from which they never fully recovered. The spring of 1676 brought a counter-offensive by Canonchet after he organized a confederation of 2000 braves. Providence was burned, including Roger William's house. The Narragansetts were nearly completely defeated when Canonchet was captured and executed in April 1676. Female sachem Queen Quaiapen was ambushed on July 2 attempting to cross
8084-405: Was an old man at the time, though a chief captain of Metacomet . His capture marked the final event in King Philip's War, as he was also beheaded. Before the outbreak of war, English settlers in Maine and New Hampshire lived peaceably with their Wabanaki neighbors. Colonists engaged in fishing, harvesting timber, and trade with the Natives. By 1657, English towns and trading posts stretched along
8178-520: Was brought before a public court, where court officials admitted that they had no proof but warned that they would confiscate Wampanoag land and guns if they had any further reports that he was conspiring to start a war. Not long after, Sassamon's body was found in the ice-covered Assawompset Pond , and Plymouth Colony officials arrested three Wampanoags on the testimony of a Native witness, including one of Metacomet's counselors. The jury, which consisted of twelve colonists and six indigenous elders, convicted
8272-434: Was burned, its inhabitants (including women and children) killed or evicted, and most of the tribe's winter stores destroyed. It is believed that at least 97 Narragansett warriors and 300 to 1,000 non-combatants were killed, though exact figures are unknown. The forces destroyed the blacksmith forge of Stonewall John , although he escaped and was killed several months later. Many of the warriors and their families escaped into
8366-581: Was killed by the militia. The war was the greatest calamity in seventeenth-century New England and is considered by many to be the deadliest war in Colonial American history. In the space of little more than a year, 12 of the region's towns were destroyed and many more were damaged, the economy of the Plymouth and Rhode Island Colonies was all but ruined and their population was decimated, losing one-tenth of all men available for military service. More than half of New England's towns were involved in
8460-561: Was reinstated by colonial authorities who had noticeably ulterior motives for wanting the land deed to remain valid. Internal conflict between native tribes and their families was motivated by competing concepts of colonial patrilineal rule and the existing matrilineal rule of many native women. As conflict mounted, native tribes turned against other tribes as well as their own people, with families taking sides across different lines. The population of New England colonists totaled about 65,000 people. They lived in 110 towns, of which 64 were in
8554-579: Was shot and killed by an Indian named John Alderman on August 12, 1676. Metacomet's corpse was beheaded then chopped into pieces. His head was displayed in Plymouth for a generation, which was commonly done in Britain to traitors; Wampanaog memory holds that the skull was later taken by tribal members and secretly buried. Captain Church and his soldiers captured Pocasset war chief Anawan on August 28, 1676, at Anawan Rock in Rehoboth, Massachusetts . He
8648-558: Was spared at the beginning. In October, the Indians struck again with raids on the towns of Hatfield, Northampton, and Springfield, where almost the entire settlement was burned to the ground . As winter set in, the attacks diminished. The Narragansetts remained officially neutral in the war due in part to the urging of Roger Williams, signing a neutrality treaty with the Massachusetts Bay Colony in October of 1675. Although not involved in
8742-792: Was transferred to the Narragansett Tribe to be held in perpetual trust. The army of the United Colonies which fought at the Great Swamp Fight consisted of three regiments of unequal strength, each regiment containing companies raised from one of the three colonies. Commander – General Josiah Winslow , Governor of Plymouth Colony (wounded in action) Commander – Major Samuel Appleton Commander – Major William Bradford, Jr. (wounded in action) Commander – Major Robert Treat King Philip%27s War Northern New England: King Philip's War (sometimes called
8836-480: Was yet to come. Eventually, the Wampanoag tribe under Metacomet's leadership entered into an agreement with the Plymouth Colony and believed that they could rely on the colony for protection. However, in the decades preceding the war, it became clear to them that the treaty did not mean that the Colonists were not allowed to settle in new territories. Metacom became sachem of the Pokanoket and Grand Sachem of
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