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Connecticut Unscathed: Victory in The Great Narragansett War (King Philip’s War), 1675-1676

Warren, Jason William

Abstract Details

2011, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, History.
King Philip’s War (1675-1676) was one of the bloodiest per capita in American history. Although hostile native groups damaged much of New England, Connecticut emerged unscathed from the conflict. Connecticut’s role has been obscured by historians’ focus on the disasters in the other colonies as well as a misplaced emphasis on “King Philip,” a chief sachem of the Wampanoag groups. Although Philip formed the initial hostile coalition and served as an important leader, he was later overshadowed by other sachems of stronger native groups such as the Narragansetts. Viewing the conflict through the lens of a ‘Great Narragansett War’ brings Connecticut’s role more clearly into focus, and indeed enables a more accurate narrative for the conflict. Connecticut achieved success where other colonies failed by establishing a policy of moderation towards the native groups living within its borders. This relationship set the stage for successful military operations. Local native groups, whether allied or neutral did not assist hostile Indians, denying them the critical intelligence necessary to coordinate attacks on Connecticut towns. The English colonists convinced allied Mohegan, Pequot, and Western Niantic warriors to support their military operations, giving Connecticut forces a decisive advantage in the field. Connecticut’s native population chose to remain neutral or to actively assist the colony’s English colonists, a point often obscured by historians. A small number of Connecticut colonists adopted Indian tactical methods, and conducted successful raids that disrupted the hostile coalition’s war effort. King Philip’s initial coalition did not target Connecticut immediately and then only as a secondary objective. When the Narragansetts dominated the war effort later in the war and sought to attack the colony, Connecticut forces killed the tribe’s primary war leader. Moreover, the colony had reconstituted its defenses upon the trace of its former frontier fortifications. Although enemy groups operated throughout the colony, by utilizing elements of European-style fortresses that had emerged from the Military Revolution of Early Modern Europe, Connecticut became a hardened target invulnerable to traditional Native American martial skills. The population density and settlement pattern of Connecticut’s colonists also aided in the defense of the colony, rendering more effective reconstituted defenses in key population areas. The colony abandoned outlying settlements, which were indefensible. Connecticut’s War Council also more effectively managed the war than the other New England colonies. With historians focused on the terrifying events in Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth and Rhode Island, historians have relegated to the margins and distorted Connecticut’s success story. Both the colony’s English and native populations, however, emerged victorious, defeating and disrupting the hostile coalition as well as remaining unscathed compared to the remainder of New England. This dissertation refocuses Connecticut’s role in the Great Narragansett War—the latest episode in near-continuous Indian against Indian warfare in southern New England since the arrival of Europeans—and its victory over the hostile native groups. Further, it calls into question traditional interpretations of warfare in early colonial America, and proposes a new paradigm for considering local relations between colonists and Indians as a major factor in successful war fighting.
John Guilmartin, Jr./Ph.D (Advisor)
Geoffrey Parker, Ph.D (Committee Member)
Alan Gallay, Ph.D (Committee Member)
Peter Mansoor, Ph.D (Committee Member)
Kristen Gremillion, Ph.D (Committee Member)
308 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Warren, J. W. (2011). Connecticut Unscathed: Victory in The Great Narragansett War (King Philip’s War), 1675-1676 [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1313529209

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Warren, Jason. Connecticut Unscathed: Victory in The Great Narragansett War (King Philip’s War), 1675-1676. 2011. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1313529209.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Warren, Jason. "Connecticut Unscathed: Victory in The Great Narragansett War (King Philip’s War), 1675-1676." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1313529209

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)