King_Phillips_War

KING PHILIPS WAR “King Philips War” began in 1675 and was named after the chief of the “Wampanoag” Indian tribe of “Metacomet.” The settling English had given “Metacomet” the name of “Philip” which meant friendship. “Philip” was the son of “Massasoit” who had signed a peace treaty with the English in 1621 and had stood behind his agreement until his death. Philip became disgruntled with the English and felt that his people were being taken advantage of under English laws. He became hostile and under his guidance the “Wampanoag Indians” waged war against the English. In 1675 they burned a frontier community that had already been abandoned and no one was killed. This was the start of the tension that would build between “Philip,” the colonists and the “Wampanoag’s.” War was inevitable and before long the “Nipmuck” tribe had joined “Philips” cause. The colonists wondered how many other tribes would join “Philip” and decided to strike first. The colonists attacked the “Narragansetts” tribe, which was the most powerful tribe at the time. The strike was in the winter, on “December 19, 1675” and was known as the “Great Swamp Fight.” The attack was lead by the Governor of Plymouth “Josiah Winslow.” His men used fire to burn the Indian village and the English gained the upper hand in the war. The attack destroyed the tribes’ winter supply of food, clothing and housing making survival in the winters cold temperatures and snow almost impossible. A number of remaining Indian tribes refused to join “Philip” cause. Fearful of their well being, other Indian tribes became allies providing their services to the colonists. These actions gave the colonists the upper hand that was needed. In 1676 two soldiers for “New England” by the names of “William Turner” and Benjamin Church” led volunteers on an attack that killed hundreds of Indians. The attack also destroyed a large portion of ammunition that devastated the tribes counter attack. The two men used Indian tactics to fight the Indians instead of modern warfare. “Benjamin Church” convinced the “Sakonnet” tribe to leave “Philips” command and join his own. “Church’s” men eventually captured “Philip” using one of his own men who had turned against him. “Philip” was killed and his body cut up and hung in different trees. His death brought the end of attacks by the Indians. The devastation that the colonists caused the Indian tribes was more than they could recover from. “King Philips War” resulted in dominance of the English over the Indians. SOURCE Millett, Alan R., Maslowski, Peter.(1984, 1994). For the Common Defense: A Military History of the United States of America, The Free Press. New York, N.Y.