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The Brookfield affair had the effect of bringing in the faltering tribes and Philip's coming confirmed the plan to clear the Connecticut Valley of English settlers. Massachusetts Colony raised several companies to protect the frontiers. Capt. Mosely with his own and Capt. Henchman's men marched from Mendon, and Captains Thomas Lathrop of Essex County with a fine company, and Richard Beers of Watertown with another, marched to Brookfield where their forces were joined by Capt. Watts of Connecticut with two companies of English and Indians. Major Willard took command of this force, and broke it into several parties in order to better protect the several settlements. These companies were engaged in scouting the frontiers and guarding supplies sent up to the various garrisons. The Springfield Indians, hitherto pretending friendship, fled and joined the hostiles on the night of August 24th; and the English, pursuing, had a sharp fight with them at a swamp near Mt. Wequomps losing nine of their own men. The English troops were concentrated at Hadley under the general command of Major Pynchon. On Sept 1st the Indians attacked Deerfield burning most of the houses and killing one of the garrison soldiers and then withdrew. On the 2nd they fell upon Northfield, where many of the people were abroad at work in the fields, and the women and children at the houses in the town. The assault was from all quarters at once and many were killed in the fields as they escaped from their houses to the garrison. The Indians burned most of their houses and drove away their cattle.

On the 3rd Capt. Beers, with thirty mounted men and an oxteam, was sent to bring off the garrison of Northfield not knowing of this attack. This force on the next day was ambushed at SawMill Brook, near Northfield, and Capt. Beers and some twenty of his men were killed. Next day Major Treat with a hundred men marched up to Northfield, finding and burying the dead of Capt. Beer's company and then bringing off the garrison. It was now decided to strengthen the garrisons and act upon the defensive. Upon Sept. 18th Capt. Lathrop with his company was sent to convoy teams bringing loads of grain from Deerfield to Hadley. A strong ambuscade was made at a place known since as "Bloody Brook," and there the Indians encompassed and massacred nearly the whole company, some eighty, including the teamsters. Only eight or ten escaped. The number killed was between sixty and seventy. Capt. Mosely came hastily from Deerfield upon hearing the shots and engaged the great company of several hundreds of Indians, charging in amongst them with intrepid fury which drove them headlong before him into the woods and swamps; but finding them gathering in immense numbers and seeking to surround him, he threw out his lines to prevent being flanked and began a cautious retreat; when Major Treat coming upon the field, the Indians seeing the reinforcements, fled.

The English troops, hitherto despising the Indians in war, now seemed helpless before them. On Sept. 26th the Indians assaulted Springfield, west of the river, burning the houses and barns. On October 5th, having made some demonstrations against Hadley, soldiers were drawn from Springfield to strengthen the garrison; the Indians fell upon the latter village and destroyed it, before the companies could return to save it. After this blow, Major Pynchon begged the Court to appoint a commander of the forces on the river in his place, and Major Samuel Appleton was appointed and by the advice of the Council garrisoned the various towns not abandoned and then withdrew the other troops to Boston. The Connecticut troops helped to garrison Northampton and Westfield, and the Indians withdrew to their winter camps. Philip had long since gone into winter quarters above Albany.

But now the colonies determined to strike the Narragansetts in their own country before they should be able to join the hostiles. A great muster was made in three colonies and an army of one thousand men was raised and equipped, half of which was sent from Massachusetts. The Narragansets were entrenched in a very strong position in a great swamp in what is now South Kingstown, R.I. It was claimed that great numbers of Wampanoags and other hostiles were among them finding refuge, and they were defiant and threatening. The English forces under command of General Winslow of Plymouth gathered at Wickford and on Dec. 19th 1675, marched some twenty miles through intense cold and a heavy snow storm, to the swamp; the waters being frozen by the severe cold, and this fact made it possible for the English to reach the rude fortifications. Without waiting for any organized attack, the Massachusetts troops, being at the front in the march, rushed forward across the ice in an impetuous charge, and into the entrance, where the Indians had constructed rude flankers, and placed a strong blockhouse in front, so that the first to enter were met with a terrible enfilading fire from front and flanks, and were forced back for a time; but others coming on pressed into the breach, and though suffering severe losses, at last stormed all the fortifications, drove the enemy from every line of entrenchments within the fort, and out into the woods and swamps beyond. They set fire to the wigwams and storehouses of the savages, in which were burned many of the aged, and women and children. Then taking their wounded, the English took up their march back through the deep snow to Wickford, where they arrived the next morning.

The details of this fight as well as the subsequent movements of this campaign, are given at length in the articles of which this pamphlet is the compendium, and are briefly passed here. The Narragansetts kept well out of the way of the English army, and made many pretences of negotiating peace, but at last, about January 26th having made several raids into the settlements, and capturing numbers of cattle and horses, Canonchet with his strong rear-guard took up his line of retreat for the north, and two days afterwards the army, some twelve hundred strong, marched in pursuit.

The Mohegans and Pequots, among the Connecticut forces, led the pursuit and had several sharp skirmishes with the enemy, always retreating northward. This running fight was kept up for several days, until provisions having failed and no base of supplies possible, the General abandoned the pursuit and marched his troops to Marlborough and thence to Boston. The men suffered severely in this march, from hunger, and it was known for several generations as the "hungry march."

The Connecticut forces separated from the others on Feb. 3rd, and the main body of the army arrived in Boston on the 8th. Wadsworth was left at Marlborough to guard the frontiers and neighboring towns. Canonchet and his great and warlike Narraganset tribe, maddened by what they believed their wrongs, and thirsting for vengeance, were now joined with Philip and the other hostile tribes and all within an easy day's call, except Philip and his band who still remained in their retreat beyond Albany.

The time was critical for the settlements; prompt action was necessary on the part of the Indian leaders to keep their young men in courage and training. Upon Feb. 10th the Indians in great force fell upon Lancaster and nearly destroyed the town. They killed or took captive fifty of the people. Among the captives was Mrs. Rowlandson, wife of the minister. One garrison-house was saved by the arrival of Capt. Wadsworth, and his company from Marlborough. On Feb. 21st a strong body of the enemy surprised Medfield, although a large force of soldiers was then in the town. There were no guards set, nor other precautions taken. The soldiers were scattered about in the houses and the Indians placed ambuscades in front of each house, and shot them down as they rushed out upon the alarm. The enemy were frightened away by the firing of a cannon and crossed the river, burning the bridge behind them.

Another army was now raised and sent out to the Connecticut River towns to protect them and try to bring the enemy to battle. There were said to be two great fortified camps; one near the "Wachusett Hill," and the other at Menameset, beyond Brookfield. The army was under command of Major Thomas Savage and consisted of three foot companies and a troop of horse from Massachusetts. Connecticut sent several companies of English and friendly Indians. A number of Christian Indians from the Naticks went with Major Savage. The army marched to Menameset on March 2nd to March 4th to find the enemy gone. They pursued them to Miller's River, across which they escaped. It was thought that this great body of the enemy would now fall upon the western towns, so that the army marched thither, abandoning the design upon "Wachusett Hill.

Major Savage disposed his forces to guard the towns. On March 14th an attack was made upon Northhampton, but was repulsed with severe loss to the enemy. On the 24th they appeared at Hatfield, but finding it well garrisoned made no attack, though driving off some horses and cattle. The Indians began to prepare for planting fields along the river; and Canonchet with a body of his men went back to their country to bring up seed-corn, of which large quantities were there stored. It is probable that a large company went towards Plymouth colony, a small party of whom destroyed the house and family of Mr. Clarke at Plymouth village. March 17th they burned Warwick. Plymouth Colony sent out a company of fifty under Capt. Michael Peirse of Marshfield, to protect its frontiers. A party of twenty friendly Indians under "Capt. Amos" was joined with Capt. Peirse. This company marched to Seekonk and there had a sharp skirmish with the Indians on the evening of March 25th. Next day, supposing they had beaten the Indians, they pursued them and were drawn into an ambush and surrounded near Patuxit River with great numbers so that they were obliged to fight to the death. The whole company including the officers were killed, together with eight out of the twenty Indians. The enemy too lost very heavily. March 28th and 29th the Indians burned seventy houses and thirty barns at Providence.

In the meantime in Massachusetts the enemy were not idle. Lurking parties hovered about Groton plundering the vacated houses and driving away any stray cattle within safe reach. On March 13th they fell upon the town in force. The people were gathered in five garrison houses. One of the garrison houses was captured but the people mostly escaped to another. The other garrison houses were stoutly defended. The Indians burned the unfortified houses and withdrew. On March 26th the fatal day of Capt. Peirse's destruction, they burned sixteen houses and thirteen barns at Marlborough. Capt. Brocklebank then in command at Marlborough, sent out a party in pursuit who overtook and surprised the enemy at night, sleeping about their fires, fired into their midst and put them to flight. On the same day at Longmeadow a party going to Springfield to church was ambushed by a small company of Indians and several were captured and killed.

Finding the campaign to have failed in its main object, the Council ordered Major Savage to withdraw his troops leaving Capt William Turner with a hundred and fifty men to garrison the towns. April 7th the army marched homeward.

But not the Connecticut authorities, fearing a return of the Narragansets to their vicinity, in numbers such as overwhelmed Capt. Peirse, mustered a mixed company of English and Indians and sent them into the Narraganset country under command of Captains Dennison and Avery.

These, guided by a captive whom they had taken, surprised and captured Canonchet not far from the Patuxit River, where he was encamped with a few of his men, while the great body were scattered, scouting and foraging. He was soon after executed by Oneko, by the judgement of the English authorities. The death of Canonchet was really the death blow of the war, for he was the real leader of all active operations at this time.

Philip was still the chief instigator, however, and now more than before, became, for the time, the controlling mind of a larger number than ever before. There were dissensions, however, and many of the chiefs began to murmer and some to threaten against him as the cause of all their troubles. Some of the river tribes began to show signs of weakening, and proposed negotiations with the English. Philip withdrew to the stronghold near Wachuset with such as adhered to him, and with Quinnapin, and such of the Narragansets as followed him. The Indians were still active, and watched every chance to strike a blow. They came to Marlborough on April 18th and burned the abandoned houses of the settlers. Capt. Brocklebank commanded the garrison there and refused to be drawn into the ambuscades, which before the burning, the Indians had set. On April 20th they crept down, and encompassed the town of Sudbury. On that day Capt. Wadsworth marched up from Boston with a company of fifty men, passed through Sudbury and doubtless the lines of the enemy without any knowledge of their vicinity. He was forcing his march to relieve the garrison at Marlborough, where they arrived about midnight on the 20th, and without delay leaving their recruits, took those relieved to come home, including Capt. Brocklebank, and came back towards Sudbury. The great numbers of Indians had encompassed the town and in the morning of the 21st began to burn outlying houses to draw out the inhabitants from the garrison.

They soon made a furious and persistant attack on Haine's garrison from morning to mid-day, but were beaten off until rumors of reinforcements from various quarters caused them to withdraw to meet these. Edward Cowen and eighteen coming to the relief of Sudbury, were attacked but escaped with only four killed, they turned back, suspecting the ambush laid out for them. Capt. Wadsworth soon after arrived by another road and meeting with an outpost of the enemy rushed forward to engage them and as usual they soon found themselves surrounded by great numbers, and were forced to a position on a hill, where most of the company fell fighting, including Capt. Wadsworth, Capt. Brocklebank and Lieut. Sharpe. Some sixteen of the company managed to escape to a mill, and there defended themselves until relieved.

A company from Watertown arrived soon after Capt. Wadsworth and crossing the river, made a brave attempt to get to the hill to join him in his desperate fight, but were nearly surrounded themselves and forced to retire. Capt. Hunting with a company of Christian Indians and a squad of troopers arrived from Charlestown late in the afternoon, in time to rescue the men at the mill.

After the fight, in which they struck such a terrible blow, and so close to Boston, too, they seem to have retired to their several camps, and soon to have gathered to their great fishing-places in order to take the run of fish. Capt. Turner was still in command of the garrisons at the west. From captives who had escaped, and scouts here and there, came rumors of a great company of Indians fishing at the "Upper Falls" of the Connecticut. Capt. Turner and his officers were anxious to strike a blow against the enemy and Connecticut authorities were applied to and promised speedy reinforcements. On May 12th the Indians made a raid into Deerfield meadows and stamped some seventy head of cattle belonging to the English. Roused by this fresh outrage, the people urged retaliation and Capt. Turner and his officers determined to attack the Indians at their great fishing place at once. On May 18th the whole company of soldiers and volunteers, about one hundred and fifty, mustered at Hatfield, and marched out at evening towards the "Falls". They included the outposts of the enemy, and at daylight arrived undiscovered at the camp of the Indians at the fishing-place. The savages were asleep in their wigwams and the English rushed down upon them and shot them by the scores, pointing their muskets in through the wigwam doors. No resistance was possible and those who escaped the first fire fled in terror to the river, pursued by the soldiers and were cut down or driven into the water without mercy; many were drowned attempting to cross the river.

But it soon found that there were several other great bodies of the Indians, above and below the Falls on either side of the river, and these began to swarm towards the fight. Capt. Turner now prudently began a retreat, having struck his blow. As the soldiers retired, the enemy gathered in great numbers upon rear and flanks seeking to force the English into narrow defiles. Capt. Holyoke commanded the rearguard, and checked the enemy by stout fighting, but for which, it is likely, the whole command would have been lost. Capt. Turner led the advance, and while crossing Green River was shot down by the Indians lying in wait. Capt. Holyoke then led the company back to Hatfield, fighting nearly the whole way. There the killed and missing numbered forty-five. A few came in afterwards, reducing the number of the lost to about forty. It is estimated that some two hundred Indians must have been destroyed.

The blow struck by Capt. Turner greatly intimidated the enemy, though the retreat was so disastrous to the English. The tribes became divided and demoralized. They seem to have broken up into small wandering parties. Philip with large numbers of his adherents went down towards Plymouth. Massachusetts sent troops to the western frontiers again, and also to aid Plymouth. The operations in the field were mostly the pursuit of non-combatants, the aged, and women and children.

Large numbers of the Wampanoags and Narragansets had now returned with Philip to their own country. Small parties from time to time plundered and killed as opportunity offered. The colonists were roused to new activity at the evident weakening of the Indians. Aid was sent to Plymouth, under Capt. Brattle and Capt. Mosely; and Capt. Henchman did good service in the parts about Brookfield. Major Talcott, with a mixed force of English and Indians, about five hundred in all, came up the river and marched into Hadley about the 11th of June, and was quartered there on the 12th, when the Western Indians, some seven hundred strong, made their last great assault in force in these parts.

The town was quite strongly garrisoned besides this reinforcement, of which probably the enemy knew nothing. The attack was altogether unexpected and was furious and determined, but the repulse was decided and sanguinary. Major Talcott then led his force down into the Narraganset country, where, about the 2nd of July, he encountered a great body of Indians, and driving them into the woods and swamps, slew great numbers, and took many captives. The plight of the savages was pitiful; without ammunition, without leadership, without country or hope of any sort, they found no mercy now at the hands of their olden foes, the Mohegans and Pequots, nor yet the English.

The remaining operations of the war in these parts were simply the hunting down of almost defenceless enemies. The colonial authorities issued a proclamation, calling all those Indians who had been engaged in the war to come in and surrender, submitting themselves to the judgement of the English courts. Many parties sought to take advantage of this, but were captured upon their approach by scouting parties, and treated as captives. Some of those who had been prominent in the war and could not hope for mercy, escaped to the eastward and put themselves under the protection of Wannalancet and his Pennacooks, who had remained neutral. Some fled further to the east and there incited war.

The constant success which the Connecticut troops had always had after their use of the Mohegans and Pequots was a plain rebuke to the Massachusetts colonists for the numerous disasters from which the Christian Indians might have saved them if they had trusted and employed them. As soon as Capt. Hunting and his Indian company were put in the field, this appeared. The Indians in small parties skulking in woods and swamps might have eluded English soldiers for years, but as soon as other Indians were employed, escape was impossible.

At the close of July, many of Philip's followers had been taken, and his wife and several of his chief men were captives or had been killed. With a small band of his followers he was hiding in the swamps at Mount Hope and Pocasset. English scouting parties were active in all parts of the colonies hunting down the trembling and unresisting fugitives; and especially Philip.

Benjamin Church was the most active in hunting and bringing in the Indians, and when one of Philip's men came to betray his chief, he found Mr. Church at Major Sanford's in Rhode Island with his scouting party of English and Indians a short distance away. Upon the news of Philip's hiding place and the offer of the Indian to lead thither, Mr. Church gathered as many as he could enlist in addition to his party, and, under the lead of the Indian deserter (who acted, it is said, from motives of revenge for his brother's death, by Philip's hand, because he advised him to make peace with the English), the party marched with great secrecy to Mount Hope. Mr. Church arranged his attack with skill, and came upon Philip's party unguarded and asleep, and Philip springing up and attempting to escape to the swamp nearby, was confronted with two of Mr. Church's guards, an Englishman and an Indian. The Englishman's gun missed fire, but the Indian, named "Alderman," immediately fired and shot the great chief through the breast, so that he fell forward into the water of the swamp, upon his face, dead.

Philip was killed August 12th, 1676. Weetamoo's party, the sad remnant of her tribe, had been captured on the 7th and she, trying to escape across a river, was drowned and her body being found, her head was cut off and paraded in the public streets. In the body of the papers, by a strange continuance of an old mistake, this fact is accredited to Awashonks, squaw sachem of the Sogkonates.

After Philip's death, his chief counsellor, Annawon, led the rest of the party out of the swamp and escaped. With his party he soon after surrendered to Mr. Church. The death of Philip was practically the close of the war, though hostilities continued for some time after, and at the eastward for a year or more longer. At Dover Major Richard Walderne had held command of the military interests and operations in those parts. He was a trusted friend of Wannalancet and the neighboring Indians. Under the proclamation the old chief and his people came in without fear, as they had taken no part whatever in the war. There were many Indians with them, however, it was suspected, who had been among the hostiles and now wished to come in with the Pennacooks and secure the advantages of their influence in giving themselves up. They began to come in at Dover about the first of September, and when, on the 6th, the companies, sent to the eastward under Capt. Hathorn, arrived at Dover, there were some four hundred there, including the Pennacooks. In some way the immediate surrender of all these was received, probably by Major Walderne's great influence with them. They were then disarmed and as the Massachusetts officers insisted on treating them all as prisoners of war, Major Walderne was obliged to send all, save Wannalancet and his "relations" down to Boston to be tried there by the Court. The number sent was about two hundred.

Some of the Southern Indians, having lost all except their own lives, passed to the Eastern tribes and were active in exciting to hostility. The local Indians had been hostile the previous year, committing depredations from the Kennebec to Portsmouth. In the summer of 1676, it is thought that many who had been among the Indians in the war, came to these tribes and caused much of the trouble which ensued. The day before Philip's death the Indians fell upon the settlers at Falmouth and killed or carried away some thirty-four persons and burned their houses. Further eastward also the settlements were attacked. It was upon these occasions that Capt. Hathorn's force was sent to these parts. They marched on from Dover on Sept. 8th as far as Falmouth, Capt. Hunting's Indians scouting the woods. This expedition was not of much avail, as the Indians easily eluded the troops, being only war parties without the encumbrance of women and children.

But the scope of this review of events did not contemplate the detailed account of affairs which have already been related in the body of the work, of which this pamphlet is a brief summary, but to give a consecutive account for the convenience of readers.

George M. Bodge

Thanks to Early Canadiana Online for making this electronic text available, and thanks to Janice Farnsworth for transcribing it into searchable text for us.