Mystic massacre

The Mystic massacre took place on May 26, 1637, and was an important part of the Pequot War during which numerous Native American tribes sided with English settlers against the Pequot tribe. The English sought vengeance against the Pequot for killing their traders, and the Native American tribes wanted to disrupt the Pequot’s strong control of the fur and wampum trades.

The Pequot stationed their warriors in Mystic Fort, a large fortification surrounding a Pequot village. When the English learned of this, they gathered their Native American allies, the Mohegan and Narragansett tribes, and marched on to the fort. The original plan involved a surprise attack, but that plan quickly failed. Though the attackers were able to successfully conquer the fort, they suffered significant casualties.

Resentful for having lost so many soldiers during the battle, the English formed a circle around the fort, blocking off any entrances. They then set fire to the village, burning anyone who remained inside. As the Pequot tried to flee, the English soldiers surrounding the fort opened fire. This significantly reduced the number of members of the Pequot tribe, who were unable to recover from the war. Most survivors were sold into slavery, though some managed to escape to join other tribes.

Background

Prior to the arrival of the Dutch in Long Island, the Pequot were the most powerful Native American tribe in the region. Using both warfare and political maneuvering, they managed to secure allegiances with many smaller tribes. This granted the Pequot control of both the wampum and fur trades, two of the most valuable resources for the local Native American tribes, making the Pequot both wealthy and powerful. The confederacy headed by the Pequot stretched from modern-day Connecticut through Long Island. When the Dutch arrived, they allied with the Pequot, reinforcing the tribe’s dominance.

The balance of power was upset with the arrival of the English colonists. Tribes that were unhappy with the rule of the Pequot and the Dutch hoped to shift their allegiance to the new colonists and overthrow the Pequot. For this reason, the Pequot resented the English settlers, and tensions between the two groups began to rise.

In 1634, the Pequot killed John Stone, a trader, and his crew. Despite any justifications offered by the Native Americans for the killings, the English were not willing to forgive the offense. When another settler was found murdered by Native Americans, though likely those of a different tribe, the settlers felt that they could not afford to risk more deaths. In 1636, the Massachusetts Bay Colony sent armed soldiers to attack the Pequot, beginning the Pequot War. The Massachusetts Bay Colony and its Native American allies went to war with the Pequot and their allies. When the Pequot realized that the settlers were mobilizing a large military force against them, they attacked a Puritan settlement and killed nine settlers and kidnapped two women.

Overview

In response to the Pequot attack, the colonial army mustered its Native American allies. Roughly two hundred Narragansett soldiers and sixty Mohegan soldiers joined eighty English soldiers on a two-day-long march. The alliance planned to attack Mystic Fort, a large brick fortification controlled by the Pequot. The structure contained just two entrances, each of which was expected to be heavily defended by Pequot warriors.

The colonial alliances intended to surprise the defenders by dividing their forces into two separate units and attacking both entrances at once. They hoped that a surprise attack would allow them to quickly overwhelm the Pequot, minimizing resistance and limiting casualties. The attack happened as planned on May 26, 1637, and became known as the Mystic massacre. However, one of the fighting units loudly charged the Northeast entrance, alerting the Pequot warriors. The defenders were able to rally to their fortifications, and a difficult battle ensued. The failed surprise attack was costly for the attackers, and dozens were wounded or killed. Despite this, the attackers prevailed and captured Fort Mystic.

The colonial attackers were furious that the surprise attack had become such a costly victory. They decided to take vengeance on the captured Pequot. A Pequot village was located within the fortification. The settlers surrounded the fortification, blocking off the exits. The army then set fire to the village, intending to burn any surviving warriors and non-combatants who remained inside. Anyone who escaped the burning structure was killed by the ring of soldiers. By the end of the massacre, roughly four hundred members of the Pequot tribe had been slain, including women and children. Seven Pequot had been captured, and only a small number had escaped.

Following the victory at Fort Mystic, Captain John Mason led the coalition on to two more battles. On June 5, 1637, the coalition attacked another Pequot village. As in the previous conflict, the attacking colonists massacred the Pequot, leaving very few survivors. The coalition then continued to push forward, massacring a third village on July 28, 1637. After the third slaughter, the war was declared over, and the Pequot were defeated.

Following the war, the Pequot nation was shattered. Most of their warriors had been killed and surviving members of the tribe were sold into slavery. A small number of Pequot managed to escape, joining other tribes. Additionally, the Pequot war set the tone of colonial and Native American relations for decades to come. Many of the colonial military officers were veterans with significant experience. The English colonists showed that they were willing to leverage that gap to exterminate any opposition to their presence in the New World.

Bibliography

“1637 = The Pequot War,” The Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Connecticut, 2011, www.colonialwarsct.org/1637.htm. Accessed November 5, 2019.

“For Fur and Beads: The 1637 Mystic Fort Massacre in Connecticut,” War History Online, August 4, 2018, www.warhistoryonline.com/history/fort-massacre-connecticut.html. Accessed November 5, 2019.

Landry, Alysa. “Native History: It’s Memorial Day—in 1637, the Pequot Massacre Happened,” Indian-Country Today, May 26, 2014, newsmaven.io/indiancountrytoday/archive/native-history-it-s-memorial-day-in-1637-the-pequot-massacre-happened-CPEC3BR9hkm5SoXp3X9uFg/. Accessed November 5, 2019.

“May 26, 1637: Pequot Massacre,” Zinn Education Project, www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/pequot-massacre/. Accessed November 5, 2019.

“Pequot Massacres Begin,” History, July 28, 2019, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pequot-massacres-begin. Accessed November 5, 2019.

Rosenbaum, Ron. “The Shocking Savagery of America’s Early History,” Smithsonian, March 2013, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-shocking-savagery-of-americas-early-history-22739301/. Accessed November 5, 2019.

“The History of the Pequot War,” Battlefields of the Pequot War, 2019, pequotwar.org/about/. Accessed November 5, 2019.

Winfield, Lia. “Pequot Indians: History & Overview,” Study.com, study.com/academy/lesson/pequot-indians-history-lesson-quiz.html. Accessed November 5, 2019.