10/23/2026
Colonial Chaos - the conflict between Native Americans and English Colonists in the 1670s, known as King Philip's War, was brutal and devastating. Wampanoag Chief Massasoit welcomed and aided the settlers of Plymouth. Over the next generation, the nature of the settlements in New England changed, and the Natives saw their doom. Smaller conflicts arose. In the 1670s, Massasoit's son Metacom, also known by his adopted English name Philip, was now Chief, or Sachem, and organized the New England "tribes" (I don't like that word. Native Americans had distinct cultures, even when living in close proximity to other Natives) against the onslaught. Farms and settlements were attacked and burned, colonial militias responded in kind. Traditional Native enemies of the coalition (primarily Mohegans) joined with the colonists. Larger towns of Springfield, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island - which was neutral and enjoying a good relationship with the Native Narragansetts - were destroyed, among many others. I visited two sites of the War, which claimed several thousand Natives and nearly 3,000 English Colonists' lives. In December 1675, militias and Native allies attacked a fortified position in the "great" swamp near what is now West Kingstown, Rhode Island, and routed the Narragansetts. A monument was erected in 1906. I also visited the muster site for the militias, where a 1678 house stands, but the earlier Richard Smith "castle," standing at the time of the muster, was burned by Narragansetts in 1677.
In March 1676, a small group of Massachusetts militia was massacred near what is now Central Falls Rhode Island. Nine survivors were brought to a Narragansett camp in Northern Rhode Island. They were scalped, tortured, and killed. When their remains were found nearly a year later, the site became what is known as the country's oldest war memorial. Although the remains were removed and reburied, the site is still marked as an historic cemetery.
