The History of Phillip's War

Metacomet, younger son of Massasoit, was also known as King Philip. In 1662, he succeeded his brother Wamsutta as sachem or chief of the Wampanoag tribe. Metacomet earnestly attempted to maintain his father's peaceful policies with the Colonists, but the English pushed ever farther into Wampanoag lands, imposing their laws on the native people. Eventually, a reluctant Metacomet united the disparate tribes of the region and led an uprising later known as King Philip's War. The war ranged from the Mt. Hope peninsula in Rhode Island to the outermost colonial settlements of Northfield, Massachusetts. King Philip started the war after the English executed three of his people. They were accused of murdering an Indian English employ. Soon, the Narragansett's joined Metacomet to form an army of three to five thousand men. For a time, his armies' guerrilla-style tactics confounded the enemy, but the Colonists eventually prevailed. Colonial militia surrounded and killed some of the army. With the number of men growing smaller and smaller, Metcomet continued attacking villages. King Philip's War was ended when the Wampanoag leader was surprised and shot by an Indian in the service of Capt. Benjamin Church on August 12, 1676. Metacomet's head was on display in Plymouth for twenty years. The conflict had grown to include the Wampanoag, Nipmuck, Narragansett, Mohegan, and Podunk tribes and ended with their virtual destruction, opening southern New England to unimpeded colonial expansion. Six hundred colonists and three thousand Native Americans were killed in King Philip's War. This is a facsimile reprint As Published in 1827". "