On August 12th of 1676, Chief Metacomet, known to the New England colonists as King Philip, was assassinated near Mount Hope in what is today Bristol , Rhode Island
King Philip's death was turned into a holiday for the Massachusetts colonists with an official church sanctioning of Thanksgiving, all but ending the first major large scale conflict ever fought in colonial America up to that point. The assassin of Metacomet was under the employ of the first American Ranger (irregular-special forces) soldier, Benjamin Church (b.1639-1718), of the Plymouth Colony, what is today theSouth Shore and Cape Cod of the state of Massachusetts
King Philips War and the assassination of Metacomet which ended the conflict are remembered today as an important and decisive turning point in the military history of earlyNew England just as the French & Indian Wars is remembered today in Upstate New York today.
Battle of the Peas Field-First major engagement of King Philip's War. Captain Benjamin Church a company of 20 soldiers stumble upon a large war party of near the Pocasset Woods in Massachusetts. They fought desperately against nearly 300 Indians for two hours until rescued by a vessel commanded by Captain Roger Goulding.
Siege of Brookfield-Known also as Wheeler's Surprise or Wheeler Ambush. Nipmuc indians led Muttaump and Matoonas besiege Brookfield and attempted to burn the inhabitants and the platoon of Capt. Thomas Wheeler alive in the towns fortified manor house. Driven off after a terrible two day siege by Major Simon Willard and 48 Massachusetts Bay troopers.
Attack on Springfield
Frontier Campaign Fall of 1675-Frontier regions of New England under extreme peril and duress under repeated Indian attacks. Northern and Western Massachusetts are put to flame by the Indians.
Great Swamp Fight
Battle of Green Hill
Lancaster Raid-February of 1676.
Assault on Mount Hope-Capt. Benjamin Church and Capt. Goulding attack King Philip's hideaway on the Mount Hope Peninsula in Bristol Rhode Island guided by a Wampanoag deserter into the camp. King Philip is assassinated in the ensuing attack all but ending the conflict.
Famous color etching depicting King Philip created by Paul Revere
King Philip's death was turned into a holiday for the Massachusetts colonists with an official church sanctioning of Thanksgiving, all but ending the first major large scale conflict ever fought in colonial America up to that point. The assassin of Metacomet was under the employ of the first American Ranger (irregular-special forces) soldier, Benjamin Church (b.1639-1718), of the Plymouth Colony, what is today the
Metacomet [Metacom, King Philip] was the most revered leader of the Wampanoag Confederacy, who as war chief of the confederacy raised a large contingent of warriors in the first major Native American uprising in America, and the last in New England ’s history. King Philip's death practically ended large-scale or significant Indian resistance to colonial settlement in New England, ending the first bloody chapter between native American's and the descendants of Europeans who first saw the Americas dating back to the time of the Vikings.
The only other major action taking in New England being the French and Iroquois forays into Massachusetts in 1704 during Queen Anne's War.
King Philips War campaign map
King Philip’s War came about after further English-American encroachment on tribal lands in the Massachusetts-Rhode Island-Connecticut region. Another major factor was the belief that Metacomet’s brother, Wamsutta, had been killed perhaps by poison after meeting with colonial representatives in 1662. A tribal confederacy of Wampanoag, Nipmuck, & Naragansett among others, began attacking settlements and killing colonial homesteaders and militia as a result beginning in the summer of 1675. Attacks were carried out throughout Massachusetts , Rhode Island , and Connecticut with several cities burned and put under siege. The native populations suffered horribly in both both Massachusetts and Rhode Island as a result they were virtually extinguished.
Tribal distributions during the time of King Philips War
Some colonists fled back to England however most just fled the far away colonial outposts in the North and West of Massachusetts for safer lodgings in the fortified cities of the South and East. The once bustling New England colonies fell under a shadow of war for more than one year. Rhode Island and Massachusetts suffered dearly, Providence was nearly burned down and Warwick , Rhode Island
Great Swamp Fight, rivaled in infamy by only the Mystic, Connecticut massacre during the Pequot War 1637
Militias were most important to the Colonists safety since England had no standing army in American yet. The colonists were required by law to remain armed, supplied, and ready to muster out with their units whenever called upon, though one could buy one’s way out (few did), or could give a younger son, or two, permission to join, as was customary at the time. In fact very few volunteered, many men were pressed into service with the threat of fines or jail time, creating a rag-tag, poorly disciplined and trained force.
Though several units were what would be considered “elite” or “crack”, such as Benjamin Church’s Rangers (a mixed for of colonials and Indians) or the Massachusetts cavalry troopers (cavalry was for the very rich who could afford a mount and the expensive trappings of a cavalryman), the average militia unit from lets say Massachusetts Bay Colony, was made up of men who did not how to soldier. For many commanders it was laborious to get these men to march quickly, to get into formation, and to attack or retreat as a unit.
"First Muster" of Massachusetts Bay Militia in Salem 1637 by Don Troiani
Conclusion
Conclusion
No accurate numbers of troop strengths-casualties exist though the colonists and their Mohegan and Pequot Allies probably outnumbered the Indians who had died by the thousands in the years before the war from mostly contagious diseases. Others had been systematically slaughtered, enslaved, and exiled like the Pequots in Southern Connecticut. After King Philips War enslaved Wampanoags including King Philips Wife and son were sold into slavery and sent to the West Indies.
Around 600-800 colonists died during the war, out of a European population of around 5,500 people total in New England this was a staggering amount. Close to 2,000 homes were burnt or destroyed and socio-cultural impact must have been staggering.
At least 3,000- 4,000 Indians if not more died during the conflict. Kyle F. Zelnor remarks in A Rabble in Arms (NYU, 2009) that “King Philips War was the most deadly & important conflict in the history of colonial New England .”
Today the legacy of the colonial Wars against the New England Indian confederations is both a shameful but celebrated episode of the collective history of New England . One obvious legacy is the geographic, historical sites, and namesakes of New England towns, schools, parks & trails, and other landmarks which have some related history to King Philips War. The Pequot-Mashantucket and Mohegan tribes in Connecticut remain active in living history with their museums and historical research funded by their casinos. Many books exist detailing the colonial period from 1600 until the end of the French & Indian Wars in 1763.
King Philips War and the assassination of Metacomet which ended the conflict are remembered today as an important and decisive turning point in the military history of early
Major Battles and Skirmishes of King Philip's War 1675-1676
Battle of the Peas Field-First major engagement of King Philip's War. Captain Benjamin Church a company of 20 soldiers stumble upon a large war party of near the Pocasset Woods in Massachusetts. They fought desperately against nearly 300 Indians for two hours until rescued by a vessel commanded by Captain Roger Goulding.
Siege of Brookfield-Known also as Wheeler's Surprise or Wheeler Ambush. Nipmuc indians led Muttaump and Matoonas besiege Brookfield and attempted to burn the inhabitants and the platoon of Capt. Thomas Wheeler alive in the towns fortified manor house. Driven off after a terrible two day siege by Major Simon Willard and 48 Massachusetts Bay troopers.
Attack on Springfield
Frontier Campaign Fall of 1675-Frontier regions of New England under extreme peril and duress under repeated Indian attacks. Northern and Western Massachusetts are put to flame by the Indians.
Great Swamp Fight
Battle of Green Hill
Lancaster Raid-February of 1676.
Assault on Mount Hope-Capt. Benjamin Church and Capt. Goulding attack King Philip's hideaway on the Mount Hope Peninsula in Bristol Rhode Island guided by a Wampanoag deserter into the camp. King Philip is assassinated in the ensuing attack all but ending the conflict.
This is dummy text. It is not meant to be read. Accordingly, it is difficult to figure out when to end it. But then, this is dummy text. It is not meant to be read. Period.