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 major New England settlement burnt to the ground during the war. (The first major settlement burned was Providence, Rhode Island.) King Philip's War permanently ended the harmonious relations that had existed between Springfield's settlers and the region's natives, and resulted in decimating 82% of the Native American warriors, and 23% of European settlers. The Attack on Springfield was one of the Native Americans greatest successes during King Philip's War.

In 1675, the leader of the Eastern Massachusetts Wampanoag Indian tribe, Wamsutta, died shortly after being questioned at gunpoint by Plymouth Colonists. Wamsutta's brother, Chief Metacomet (known as "King Philip") who had long been friendly and helpful to European settlers, took revenge. Initially inciting only his own tribe to rebel against the English colonists, he later toured New England, seeking support from other tribes to rise against their local English settlers.

Until this point, the Connecticut River settlers at Springfield had enjoyed arguably New England's most peaceful and mutually advantageous relationships with local natives. The Mawaga Indians (of the Pocomtuc tribe) had been particularly accommodating to Springfield's settlers, ever since their first meeting with its initial scouts from Roxbury, Massachusetts in 1635. Likewise, Springfield's settlers - following the peaceful and business-minded example set by the settlement's founder, William Pynchon - had been equally accommodating to the area's Natives. Unlike settlements to Springfield's immediate south - such as Hartford, Connecticut, which had fought the Pequot Wars, and often treated Natives as opposition - during its first 39 years of existence, Springfield did not suffer an Indian raid. Until 1675, it had been very common to see Natives walking through Springfield's streets, visiting with English settlers and patronizing local businesses.

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