Wilderness Wars

I. Differences in Nations – wilderness warfare part of America

a. Spanish from the outset

i. Fought, encomienda, incorporated into society as slaves

b. Dutch

i. Live in peace until Dutch turn to farming from trade

ii. Economy important

c. English

i. Farming from start

ii. City on a hill – pushed out/conflict from beginning

d. French

i. Not farmers/trappers/traded few in numbers

II. Pequot War - 1636

a. Pequots controlled fur trade – whites want to get rid of them

b. Rival tribes – Narragansetts and Mohegans

i. Wanted excuse to overthrow

ii. John Stone – drunk/adulterer/kidnapper

1. Killed by Niantics – client tribe of Pequots

2. War now possible

c. Pequots didn’t want war

i. Treaty – surrender murderers, pay money, give Connecticut land, and trade with English

ii. Everything fine

iii. Mohegans tattle 1636 about preemptive strike

1. Another man killed – John Oldham

2. Narragansetts

d. Took as excuse to fight

i. John Endecott set fire to burned settlement

ii. Pequot then set fire to English settlements

iii. Colonists then set fire to Indians

iv. Colonists not organized

1. Recruited Indian allies to fight for them

2. Coalition killed 700 old men, women, children in 60 min. in village of Mystic

3. Mystic Massacre ended Pequot – didn’t fight

a. Given as slaves to other tribes

b. Pequots disappeared

III. King Philip’s War 1675

a. Wampanoag Indian steals cow from Plymouth farmer and killed

b. Metacomet/King Philip by English wants justice

i. Ignored – kills shooter, dad and five other settlers

ii. Metacomet’s Dad – Massasoit who helped Pilgrims

1. Conflict with Massachusetts

iii. Problem growing for years – Since 1662 Metacomet encouraged theft/violence against colonists

c. Pattern – Indian raid/colonial revenge

i. Colonists have trouble fighting back – shows how factional

ii. Mohegans (Leftover Mass. tribe) and Iroquois – trading rivals

d. Finally December 18, 1675 Swamp Fight

i. United Colonies – 1000 troops marched through snow and wiped out 600 Indians, more than half women/children

e. Violence rises – Indians start wiping out villages

f. July 1676 warriors surrendered and captured Philip’s wife and son

g. Consequences

i. Half towns damaged

ii. Economy destroyed – fur trade stopped

iii. 1 in 16 military age men killed/Compare to 40 million men today

iv. Saw benefit of unity/started to get national identity – us vs. them

IV. French and Indian Wars – No longer regional

a. King William’s War 1689-1697 – English and Netherlands oppose French invasion

i. What did it look like in America?

ii. Ambushes, murders…raid/counterraid

1. Massacres – the whole land lived in fear

iii. Done by French Allies, the Indians

iv. La petite guerre – little war – similar to guerilla warfare

v. Treaty signed…raids continued

b. Queen Anne’s War – 1702 – War of Spanish Succession

i. Spanish king dies, no heir, names Frenchman as heir

1. England, Holland, Austria not excited – want Austrian

ii. In America

1. Go seize St. Augustine – 500 colonists/Indians – fire

2. Raid/Counterraid – start to divide up Indians

a. Cherokees, Choctaws, Chickasaws and Creeks

b. Choctaws side w/ French – fewer

3. War also in Newfoundland/Maine

4. Britain losing – needs support – Indians dress up as ambassadors – fleet sent to America

5. By 1712, what are we fighting about again? Austrian Charles been in throne for ten year

6. Pattern – use Indian conflict to fight wars for you

c. King George’s War – War of Austrian Succession 1740-1748

i. Started over ear – Robert Jenkins ear cut talking to Spain

ii. Fought 8 years – battles – then they signed treaty

1. status quo ante bellum – way things were before

2. All alliances set for the next/big conflict

d. The French and Indian War

i. King George – Ohio Company

1. Get land – must settle with 100 families/fort

2. Who does this anger? French

ii. Ohio Company gets land and then sets up treaty with Indians

iii. French don’t like it start setting up forts

iv. George Washington – 21 years – told France to leave

1. Technically, France had invaded Virginia