18th century
23-632: 19th century 20th century The Esopus Wars were two conflicts between the Esopus tribe of Lenape Natives (Delaware) and New Netherlander colonists during the latter half of the 17th century in Ulster County, New York . The first battle was instigated by settlers; the second war was the continuation of a grudge on the part of the Esopus tribe. Before European colonization, the Kingston area
46-460: A guide in the field. In spite of his help, the colonists were unable to make solid contact with the Esopus, who used guerilla tactics and could disappear easily into the woods. After several unproductive skirmishes, the colonists managed to gain the help of the Mohawk , who served as guides, interpreters, and warriors. By the end of July, the colonists had received sufficient reinforcements to march for
69-607: Is now Ulster County . Populations dwindled through warfare with Dutch and French settlers, in addition to widespread disease, with smallpox being the most deadly. Intertribal warfare exacerbated casualties. After the Esopus wars, many Stockbridge-Munsee moved to Western New York near Oneida Lake . They were eventually pushed off these lands by the Indian Removal Treaties in the 19th century, and eventually forced to settle on “inhospitable land” in Wisconsin by
92-619: Is still in print. Esopus tribe The Esopus ( es- SOAP -es ) was a tribe of Lenape (Delaware) Native Americans who were native to the Catskill Mountains of what is now the Hudson Valley . Their lands included modern-day Ulster and Sullivan counties. The Lenape originally resided in the Delaware River Valley before their territory extended into parts of modern-day New York (including
115-719: The sachems and their people. Over the course of the next two decades, Esopus lands were bought up and the Natives moved out peacefully, eventually taking refuge with the Mohawks north of the Shawangunk mountains . The definitive and most detailed history of the Esopus Indian Wars (First Esopus War and Second Esopus War, as they're known) can be found in chapters 3-6 of The Early History of Kingston & Ulster County, N.Y. by Marc B. Fried (published 1975). This book
138-789: The 1830s. Today, descendants of the Esopus now live on the Stockbridge-Munsee Community reservation in Shawano County, Wisconsin and among the Munsee-Delaware Nation of Ontario , Canada. Martin Cregier Captain Marten Kregier or Cregier (1617–after 1681) most likely originated from Borcken in the Holy Roman Empire and was an early settler of New Amsterdam . He was a prominent citizen of
161-628: The Catskill Mountains and Lower Hudson River Valley ), Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Eastern Delaware. The exact population of the Lenape is unknown but estimated to have been around 10,000 people in 1600. The Esopus people spoke an Algonquin dialect known as Munsee . The tribe generally lived in small communities consisting of 10 to 100 people. They traveled seasonally and settled mostly in clearings by sources of water, developing diverse agricultural practices. The Esopus people's main crop
184-655: The Dutch ceded New Netherland to the English. The English colonies redrew the boundaries of Native territory, paid for land that they planned to settle, and forbade any further settlement on the established Native lands without full payment and mutual agreement. The new treaty established safe passage for both settler and Native for purposes of trading. It further declared "that all past Injuryes are buryed and forgotten on both sides," promised equal punishment for settlers and Native found guilty of murder, and paid traditional respects to
207-512: The Esopus on their territory, this time successfully. The battle ended with the death of Chief Papequanaehen and several others. The Esopus fled, and the colonists led by Captain Martin Cregier pillaged their fort before retreating, taking supplies and prisoners. This effectively ended the war, although the peace was uneasy. The Dutch settlers remained suspicious of all Natives with whom they came into contact and expressed misgivings about
230-468: The Esopus stronghold in the mountains to the north. However, their ponderous equipment made progress slow, and the terrain was difficult. They recognized their disadvantage and burned the surrounding fields in the hope of starving them out, rather than making a direct attack on the Esopus force. For the next month, scouting parties went out to set fire to the Esopus fields but found little other combat. In early September, another colonial force tried to engage
253-525: The Natives agreed to trade land for food. Tensions remained between the Esopus and the settlers, however, eventually leading to the second war. Emissaries from the colony contacted the tribe on June 5, 1663 and requested a meeting in hopes of making a treaty. The Esopus replied that it was their custom to conduct peace talks unarmed and in the open, so the settlers kept the gates open into Wiltwijck . The Esopus arrived on June 7 in great numbers, many claiming to be selling produce, thereby infiltrating deep into
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#1732772945582276-672: The Peter Stuyvesant Stockade. The tribe fought a series of conflicts against settlers from the New Netherland colony from September 1659 to September 1663, known as the Esopus Wars , in and around Kingston. At the conclusion of the conflict, the tribe sold large tracts of land to French Huguenot refugees in New Paltz and other communities. The Esopus Wars devastated many Lenape communities in what
299-618: The Thomas Chambers land deed in Kingston, New York . It is unknown whether the two Esopus sachems at the time, Kawachhikan and Sowappekat, understood the transaction, as in addition to a language barrier, their culture had foundational differences in understanding money, ownership, and legal transactions. This deed began centuries of dispossession which continued through the Fisher/Rutgers Land Deed of 1899 and
322-575: The colony Wiltwijck . Skirmishes continued, but the Esopus were not able to repel the settlers, and they eventually granted the land to them. The First Esopus War was a short-lived conflict between Dutch settlers and the Esopus Natives from September 20, 1659 and July 15, 1660. An incident occurred where a group of Dutch settlers opened fire on a group of Esopus around a campfire, who had been celebrating with brandy given as payment for farm work. Esopus reinforcements raided Dutch settlements outside
345-620: The intentions of the Wappingers and even the Mohawks, who had helped them defeat the Esopus. Colonial prisoners taken captive by the Native in the Second Esopus War were transported through regions that they had not yet explored, and they described the land to the colonial authorities who set out to survey it. Some of this land was later sold to French Huguenot refugees who established the village of New Paltz . In September 1664,
368-406: The post and drove the settlers back to the south. Colonists established a new settlement in 1652 at Kingston, but the Esopus drove them out again. The settlers returned once again in 1658, as they believed the land to be good for farming. They built a stockade (at 41°56′02″N 74°01′11″W / 41.9338°N 74.0197°W / 41.9338; -74.0197 ) to defend the village and named
391-601: The settlement and served three terms as Burgomaster . Kregier led several successful attacks against the Munsee during the Esopus Wars . Kregier's house and lot stood on Broadway just north of Battery Park and his daughter married Christoffel Hooglant. In 1643 Kregier built the first public building on Broadway in New York City, a tavern located at present-day 9-11 Broadway . It was later known as Atlantic Gardens and survived until 1860. New York merchants met in
414-625: The settlers. The attackers escaped, and the settlers repaired their fortifications. On June 16, Dutch soldiers transporting ammunition to the town were attacked on their way from Rondout Creek , but they repelled the Esopus. Throughout July, colonial forces reconnoitered the Esopus Kill . They were unable to distinguish one tribe from another, and they captured some traders from the Wappinger tribe, one of whom agreed to help them. He gave them information about various Native forces and served as
437-422: The stockade, destroying crops, killing livestock, and burning buildings. The war party later besieged the walled settlement of Wiltwijck. The colonists were outnumbered and had little hope of winning through force, but they managed to hold out and make some small attacks, including burning the Natives' fields to starve them out. They received reinforcements from New Amsterdam . The war concluded July 15, 1660, when
460-475: The town as scouts. Meanwhile, Esopus warriors completely destroyed the neighboring village of Nieu Dorp ( Hurley, New York ) unbeknownst to the colonists in Wiltwijck. The Esopus scouts had spread themselves around the town and suddenly began their own attack. They took the settlers completely by surprise and soon controlled much of the town, setting fire to houses and kidnapping women before being driven out by
483-422: The tribe, and although there were definite gendered roles within the tribal community, there was no sense of patriarchal structure. The first believed interaction between colonists and the Esopus people was recorded in 1609. Historian Herbert C. Kraft believes some Esopus joined with some Wappinger people after Kieft's War in 1643. In 1652, the Esopus tribe sold 72 acres of land to European colonists through
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#1732772945582506-405: Was corn, but also planted or foraged beans, squash, hickory, nuts, and berries in addition to hunting elk, deer, rabbits, turkey, raccoons, waterfowl, bears, and fish. They generally ate two meals a day according to what was seasonally available. The average lifespan was generally 35 to 40 years old. Sachems or chiefs were temporary power holders meant to make decisions based on the well-being of
529-437: Was inhabited by the Esopus people , a Lenape tribe which was estimated to number around 10,000 people living in small village communities by 1600. In 1609, Henry Hudson explored the river which was named after him, leading to the first contact between the Esopus people and Europeans. Dutch settlers built a factorij (trading post) in Kingston, New York in 1614. The Esopus tribe used the land for farming, and they destroyed
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