Attack on Springfield

The Attack on Springfield (October 1675) was an Indian attack on the settlement of Springfield, Massachusetts during King Philip's War. Springfield was the second and final New England settlement burned to the ground during the war; the first was Providence Plantations. King Philip's War decimated 82% of the Indian warriors and 23% of the colonists. The attack on Springfield was one of the Indians' greatest depredations during the war.[1]

Portrait of King Philip by Paul Revere

Background

In 1675, Eastern Massachusetts Wampanoag Indian sachem Metacomet (known as "King Philip") incited his tribe to hostility against the New England colonists, then toured New England seeking support from other tribes. Until this point, the Connecticut River settlers at Springfield had enjoyed peaceful relations with local tribes.[1] The Mawaga Indians (of the Pocomtuc tribe) in particular was on good terms with the settlers in Springfield.[1]

This harmony ended in 1675 when Philip visited Springfield's Mawaga Indians at their fort in Springfield's South End, when hundreds of Mawaga Indians moved to the area of Springfield now known as "King Philip's Stockade" in Forest Park, a large city park bordering Longmeadow, Massachusetts. Philip incited the Mawaga Indians to rebel against the settlers of Springfield and to burn the town to the ground. Springfielders received advance warning of this attack from an Indian from Windsor, Connecticut named Toto, who is often called "The Windsor Indian."[1] A bronze statue of Toto stands in King Philip's Stockade as a tribute to his bravery.

Attack

Despite the advance warning, 45 of Springfield's 60 houses were burned to the ground, as were its grist and saw mills, which belonged to village leader John Pynchon. Indeed, much of the town became smoldering ruins, and there was considerable thought given to abandoning it entirely.[2] This idea was rejected, and the residents of Springfield endured the winter of 1675 under siege conditions. During that winter, Captain Miles Morgan's block-house became Springfield's fortress. Many of the town's survivors lived there throughout the Attack on Springfield.

Under the cover of night, Morgan sent one of his paid Indian servants to Hadley, where Massachusetts Bay Colony troops under the command of Major Samuel Appleton were stationed. After alerting Appleton to Springfield's plight, his troops marched to Springfield and raised the siege.[1]

Aftermath and legacy

During King Philip's War, more than 800 settlers were killed and approximately 8,000 Indians were killed, enslaved, or made refugees.[3] The war ended in the summer of 1676 with the death of Philip, leading to the Indians' surrender.[3] Following the war, Springfield area Indians were rarely seen.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 King, Moses (1885). King's Handbook of Springfield, Massachusetts. Franklin Press. p. pg. 9. ISBN 9781152362826.
  2. ↑ "Homes For Sale in Springfield MA Real Estate". Massrealty.com. Retrieved 2012-07-09.
  3. 1 2 "Springfield, MA - Our Plural History". Ourpluralhistory.stcc.edu. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
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