King Philip's War
King Philip's War wasgeneral Indian uprising1675-1676resist continued expansion ofEnglish coloniesNew England. It wasbloodiest ofIndian warstermsrelative casualties,several tribes were virtually or totally eliminated. Six hundred colonists were killed, which included about one-fifthallmen fitmilitary service. Philip wasChristian name assignedMetacomet,sachem ofWampanoag Indians. Massachusetts colonial settlers frequently referred toNative chiefs as Kings.Background
Tensions betweenEuropean settlersAmerican natives ebbedrose, but were constantly present. AllIndians inarea were trapped indecreasing area betweenexpanding colonies alongcoasts andeven more hostile IroquoisMohican tribes towest. The smallpox epidemicsPequot War of1630s had reduced native populationbrought 40 yearsrelative peace.Philip had become chief1662his habits increasedcontact ofWampanoag withcolonists. By 1670entire area fromAtlantic west toConnecticut River Valley was still partially wilderness, but had 40 or 50 colonial townsvillages scattered through it. These were matched bysimilar numberinterspersed Indian settlements, sometimes side by side. After several incidents,courtPlymouth forced Philip's bandturn over manytheir firearms tocolony1671. But this only increased tensions.
Finallycolonist reported an Indian conspiracyattacksettlements,beforecharges could be investigated,informer was killed. Three Indians inarea were arrested, convictedhis murder,hanged on June 8, 1675 at Plymouth.
The war
Philip led his warriorsan attack at Swansea on June 20. Aftersiege5 days,town was destroyed. The colonists from PlymouthBoston were quickrespond,on June 28sent an expedition that destroyedWampanoag town at Mount Hope (modern Bristol, Rhode Island).Early engagements
The war quickly spread,soon involvedPodunkNipmuch tribes. Duringsummer1675Indians attacked at Mendon (July 14), Brookfield (August 2),Lancaster (August 9). In early Septemberattacked Deerfield, Hadley,Northfield. The New England Confederacy declared war onIndians on September 9, 1675. The next colonial expedition was soundly defeated inbattleBloody Brook (near Hadley) on September 18. The attacks on frontier settlements continued at Springfield (October 5)Hatfield (October 16).The next expansion towar came fromcolonists. On November 2, Josiah Winslow ledforce from PlymouthattackNarrragansett tribe. The Narragansetts had not yet been involved inwar, butoccupied desirable land throughoutcolonies, andcolonial view was that any Indian was an enemy. Several Indian towns were burned,in DecemberNarrargansett stronghold near modern South Kingstown, Rhode Island was taken. About 300 Indians were killedwinter stores destroyed, but most ofwarriors escaped intoswamp. Facingwinter without foodshelterNarragansett joineduprising.
The Indian victories
Throughoutwinter1675-1676 more frontier settlements were destroyed byIndians. Attacks came at Andover, Bridgewater, Chelmsford, Groton, Lancaster, Marlboro, Medford, Providence, Rehoboth, Scituate, Seekonk, Sudbury, Warwick, WeymouthWrentham.The high-water mark forcombined tribes came inspring1676. They reachedattacked Plymouth Plantation itself on March 12. Even thoughtown stoodassault,had shown thatcould attack anywhere. All but five ofoutlying settlements were deserted, andcolonists were thrown back onseacoast. In Maymilitia force200, led by William Turner, set out from Springfielddestroycamp ofIndians who had raided Hatfield. At down on May 14attackedsleeping camp,killed about 200 Indians. Buthadn't considered their withdrawal. Surrounding camps closed in,halfforce, including Captain Turner, never madehome. To compound this,their absence, some braves got into Springfieldburned substantial parts oftown.
The colonial tide
But nowtidewar beganturn. This had becomewarattrition.both sides were determinedeliminateother. The Indians had nearly succeededdriving their enemy intosea, but their supplies were running out. The colonists continuedbe supplied by sea,althoughwar ultimately cost them over £100,000,would emerge victorious.The Indian hopessupplies fromFrench were not met, exceptsome ammunitionMaine. The colonists now allied themselves withMohican tribe towest,King Philip found his forces surrounded. Withhelp ofMohicans,colonists won at Hadley on June 12,scatteredsurvivors intowildsNew Hampshire. Later that month,force250 Indians was routed near Marlboro.
Philip's allies begandesert him. By early July, over 400 had surrendered tocolonists,Philip himself had taken refuge inAssowamset Swamp, below Providence, Rhode Island. He was ultimately defeated when he was shotkilled by an Indian paid byEnglish on August 12.
Aftermath
With Metacomet's death,war insouth was largely ended. Over 600 colonists3,000 Indians had been killed. Several hundred more natives who had surrendered or been captured were sold as slaves inCaribbean. Survivors were forcedjoin more western tribes, mainly as captives. The Narragansett, Wampanoag, Podunk, Nipmuch,several smaller bands were virtually eliminated, whileMohicans were greatly weakened.Sporadic raids continued onfar northern frontierMaineNew Hampshire. These were finally ended when Sir Edmund Andros negotiatedtreaty withnorthern bands on April 12, 1678.
Massachusetts, Connecticut,Rhode Island were now fully openEuropean colonization, although western settlements would face raids untilAmerican Revolution.
