King Philips War: A Troubled History

In a time when Americans are reexamining painful chapters of US history, the issue of the treatment of Native Americans still seems to be vastly neglected. Protests like the Dakota Access Pipeline might make the headlines occasionally, but these issues are too often viewed narrowly as a problem of the western states. New Englanders, it seems, have hardly grappled with their own history in this respect.

A partial corrective to this generalized ignorance is the fine book King Philip's War, The History, and Legacy of America’s Forgotten Conflict (Countrymen Press, 1999), which encapsulates the entirety of the colonial-era conflict. Begun in 1675, and lasting through 1678, this bloody war provides a medium for understanding pre-revolutionary war era America. This is only part of why this history itself is so poignant and relevant in our contemporary times, because identity and background are cited in the book as major factors driving the conflict. Certainly, the meticulous research conducted by authors Eric B. Schultz and Michael J. Touglas provides an exceedingly complete picture of the conflict. Thus, it is both the importance of the material itself, combined with the depth and precision of the research, that makes this discussion a must read, especially for residents of southern New England. In my own educational experience in Rhode Island, an epicenter of the fighting in King Philip’s War, it is especially regrettable that this subject is not even broached in the history curriculum. Furthermore, the book is useful for those who wish to understand how European settlers and Native Americans interacted from their initial encounters. The book begins, out of necessity, with the arrival of colonists upon the shores of Cape Cod. Much is known and celebrated of the usually peaceful relationship maintained in the early years between the settlers of Plymouth and the Wampanoag Sachem Massasoit. This fabled friendship led to a symbiotic relationship symbolized by a cornucopia, and the modern holiday of Thanksgiving. The irony of King Philip, slain by the English colonists at the end of the conflict, as being Massasoit's son is duly considered within the first couple pages of this history. The aftermath of the killing of King Philip is described as follows: “Captain Church … said that … not one of his bones should be buried. And, calling his old Indian executioner bid him behead and quarter him … before he struck, he made a small speech, directing it to Philip, and said, he had been a very great man, and had made many a man afraid of him …” (333).

Indeed, the central theme of this book is brutality. A large portion of this novel is devoted to a curious pattern found in the conflict, which is its seemingly cyclical nature. An example would be the town of Hatfield, a small frontier hamlet “located on the western bank of the Connecticut River, opposite [the town of] Hadley” (180). On October 19th, 1675, colonial forces under the leadership of Majors Appleton and Moseley defended the settlement against a “large band of Indian warriors.” Although contemporaries of the period considered it a successful crucible for the English colonists, Indian raiders appeared again in 1676, and lastly, a devastating raid was conducted against the town in 1677 by a band of northbound Indians (183). This recurring and inconclusively settled warfare is consistent with the types of conflict found between natives and settlers elsewhere in the northern colonies during the period. This pattern generally impacted the more outlying colonies, as explained by Schultz and Touglas. Yet, attacks on the town of Medfield are dissected by the authors to demonstrate just how ably the Native Americans proved themselves at conducting 17th-century guerrilla warfare.

The resistance organized themselves around the magnetic, and by all accounts, fierce sachem Metacomet of the Wampanoag tribe (anglicized to King Philip). The man portrayed by Touglas and Schultz is far more in depth and complex in his character, when compared against the basic characterization found in media, such as the portrait of him done by Paul Revere. The history definitely allows for a more colored, and rounded portrait of this Native American leader to shine through. Indeed, King Philip's War is a must-read that asks important questions about our so-called “invisible history.”

Other indigenous leaders besides the proud sachem King Philip have left their mark on southern New England. For example, sachem Punham, who was slaughtered by settlers in July 1676 had a fort in Warwick. According authors Touglas and Schultz, “The remains of the fort … are now covered by brush and an accumulation of trash. The marker designating the site has been stolen, although its base is still standing” (250). The degradation of these important historical sites here in Rhode Island begs for redress. Even as many groups in our society press their case for greater recognition, it behooves all Americans to reflect carefully on those who lived here first and their plight in this particularly violent period in American history.