King Philip's War

[Vince Massi]

We return to 1677 to discuss the end of King Philip's War.

Although forgotten by most Americans, the colonial victory in King Philip's War changed the course of world history. As usual, more civilians died than soldiers, and most deaths were from disease, starvation, and cold, rather than from weapons.

Three closely-related events resulted from the war:

1) Alarmed at the strength, ability, and organization of the colonists, England began curtailing their rights. When the colonists resisted, the British curtailed them even more (which they had intended to do anyway). A century later, these colonists will successfully revolt.

2) Mistreated by Britain, located on a different continent, and having cities of their own, the colonists come to a major realization--they are not Europeans. They aren't united, and they don't live in states, but out of King Philips's War emerge the "Americans."

3) Incredibly, the English fail to learn from the War, but the Americans do.

Correctly using European military tactics, the colonists had held to close formation as they traveled along forest roads. This made it easy for the Indians to ambush them. Meanwhile, the Indians had traveled through the woods while spread out, making ambush nearly impossible.

Europeans used standing armies--well-trained and well-equipped. The Indians used militia--every able-bodied man was taught how to fight. The Americans used both.

Armed with a bow, a brave could reload much faster than a paleface. But once loaded, a musket was far more powerful and accurate than an arrow. Although mostly used against Indians, the Americans realized the value of a well-trained, well-regulated female militia that could rapidly reload single-shot muskets during a battle.

Stressing well-formed military forces, the British continued their successful European method of having their soldiers tightly-bunched together in bright red uniforms. The Indians used hit-and-run tactics. Which is better in the woodlands of America? On a man-per-man basis, the Indians had badly outfought the colonists, losing only because they ran out of manpower. The Americans learned to use cover during a battle and to "melt away" into the woods if their enemy was too strong.

 

[Vince Massi]

Aleshanee, I liked your article so much that I posted it on another forum. Here is another summary I had written:

1675 begins a very bad three year period for England's American colonies.


King Philip, son of Massasoit, leads his Indians in King Philip’s War. Lasting three years, it pitted American Indians against the Massachusetts settlers and their Indian allies. Percentage wise, it is America’s bloodiest war, with the Indians attacking more than half the English settlements, destroying twelve towns, and killing about 10% of all military-age men.

The Puritans were to blame for starting the war by stealing too much Indian land. New England’s population had grown rapidly to 80,000 settlers, with towns established all over the area. The colonists would arrest and even execute Indians, claiming sovereignty over the Native Americans. The Pilgrims had become hopelessly outnumbered by new arrivals and were unable to protect the Indians.


The Indians won a series of battles, often ambushing re-enforcements on their way to besieged towns. The colonists burned several neutral and undefended Indian settlements, and both sides destroyed large amounts of cropland.


Driven into forts, the colonists began treating the Indians fairly, rewarding those who surrendered. Indian enemies of King Philip killed him, and the colonists captured and beheaded the aged Chief who replaced him.

A series of separate treaties ended the war. The colonists lost 600 in battle and thousands more to disease and starvation. The Indians lost about 3,000 in battle.

Who won? Neither side. The colonists had always been helped by friendly Indians, and now all Indians were their enemies. England, amazed that the colonists had “won” with no English help, began cancelling charters and establishing strict control. They established unsuccessful Anglican churches that only attracted the wealthy. Within several years, the colonists had rebuilt everything, but they had to rely on English soldiers to survive.

 

[T-Bone]

Just as a side note here is a piece of history that connects my family with the King Philip Wars...Captain Michael Pierce is my direct ancestor who came over with the Mayflower group...he and his men were ambushed and killed in the King Philip Wars.

http://home.comcast.net/~johnk4678/pierce/pierce.htm

 

[Vince Massi]

It's 1754, and you know what that means...

A small Canadian army attacks an English construction crew in Pennsylvania, warning the English to stay out of the area. A 22 year old hothead named George Washington then leads a small British, American, and Indian army that defeats the Canadians. Pursued by superior French and Canadian forces, Washington is forced to sign a statement written in French that he had assassinated the Canadian leader. (He was innocent, and he didn’t understand what he was signing).
Although England and France were not yet at war, this began "The French and Indian War" that would cost France its Canadian colonies.


That George Washington is something else, ain't he?


Confronted with secret marriages not under the control of the Anglican Church, Britain places marriages under government control. Every marriage must be publicly announced, have a license, and be performed in a public ceremony.

Starting as a college, Columbia University is founded in New York City.

Osman III begins his three year reign over the Ottoman Empire. He is held prisoner in the palace, ruling little else. But he does manage to preserve various religious sites in the Holy Land.