The Colonial Massacre of 600 Neutral Narragansett
The Great Swamp holds a dark winter secret. On December 19, 1675, over 1,000 colonial troops marched across frozen swampland to attack the neutral Narragansett tribe’s fort near present-day Kingston.
Though the Narragansett had stayed out of King Philip’s War, they were marked as enemies for sheltering other tribes. The assault was swift and cruel.
After three hours of fighting, soldiers set the fort ablaze, killing up to 600 people—mostly women, children, and elders. Hundreds more fled into the icy swamp only to die from wounds or cold.
The Great Swamp Battle Monument now stands where blood once stained the snow, its granite obelisk a stark reminder of this brutal chapter in American history.
Colonial Troops Gathered at Smith’s Trading Post Before the Massacre
More than 1,000 colonial fighters from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Plymouth met at Richard Smith’s trading post in December 1675.
Governor Josiah Winslow led eight Massachusetts companies and five Connecticut companies as general. Captain Benjamin Church from Rhode Island joined as Winslow’s military advisor.
The troops brought 150 Pequot and Mohegan allies who knew the swampy area well.
Richard Smith helped the colonial forces because he thought Rhode Island’s government would collapse soon.
Soldiers Marched Through Brutal Winter Conditions
The colonial army left Smith’s at 5:00 AM on Sunday, December 19, 1675, in awful weather. Two to three feet of snow covered the ground, and the bitter frost froze the soldiers’ hands and feet as they walked.
They walked 15 miles through the frozen wilderness toward the Narragansett fort in the Great Swamp. The freezing cold turned the swamp waters solid, making it possible to reach the fort.
Many soldiers got frostbite, and some couldn’t keep fighting.
A Captured Guide Revealed the Fort’s Secret Location
The colonial forces caught a Narragansett man they called “Indian Peter” during their approach. After they tortured him, Peter told them exactly where his people’s winter camp was.
The fort sat on 5 acres of dry ground completely surrounded by the frozen Great Swamp. Peter told them that over 1,000 Narragansett and Wampanoag women, children, and elderly people lived inside the walls.
His information let the colonists attack a place usually too swampy to reach.
The Narragansett Built a Nearly Impenetrable Fortress
The colonial army reached the Narragansett stronghold at 1:00 PM after walking for eight tough hours. The huge fort used a natural ring of large trees with wooden logs stuck in the ground to fill gaps.
People could only get in through one entrance: a big fallen log that worked as a bridge across the water. About 3,500 people lived inside the 5-acre fortress, including old folks, women, children, and Wampanoag refugees.
A small group of Narragansett warriors got ready to defend the bridge.
Arrows Took Down Half the Colonial Captains in First Attack
Narragansett warriors spotted the colonial army as they got close to the log bridge entrance. Their first wave of arrows killed half of the colonial company captains right away.
Two colonial companies rushed in too early, before the rest of the army was ready to attack. These advance units got pushed back with heavy losses.
The narrow bridge created a deadly bottleneck that at first gave an edge to the outnumbered Narragansett defenders.
Captain Church Found a Weak Spot in the Fort’s Walls
Captain Benjamin Church led an attack across the frozen swamp waters. His mounted scouts broke through the log wall at a weak point in the fort.
Despite tough fighting from Narragansett warriors, the breach let colonial forces pour into the fort. The fighting turned into close hand-to-hand combat as defenders made their last stand inside the compound.
The much larger number of colonial attackers started to win as they pushed further into the fort.
The Battle Raged for Three Bloody Hours
Tough fighting lasted three hours as Narragansett warriors fought with courage to protect their families. More than 200 colonial soldiers died or got badly hurt during the intense combat.
The Narragansett defense finally broke under the weight of too many colonial attackers and their guns. The fort fell after the long battle, with surviving defenders pulling back deeper into the compound.
The worst part of the massacre was about to begin as the colonial soldiers took control.
Angry Soldiers Set Fire to the Narragansett Homes
Furious colonial soldiers started burning wigwams and shelters throughout the captured fort. Captain Church begged his men to spare the buildings, knowing they held important winter food supplies.
Church warned that wounded colonial soldiers needed warm shelter and the army had no other food. Nobody listened as colonial troops, filled with anger, kept destroying everything.
The homes of five hundred Indian families quickly turned into a massive fire that spread throughout the fort.
Hundreds of Women and Children Died in the Flames
As many as 600 Narragansett non-fighters, including women, children, and old people, burned alive in their homes. Many victims had hidden in wigwams lined with baskets of grain that made the fires burn hotter.
The burning homes created a terrible scene as families died in the fire. People who escaped the flames faced colonial soldiers and allied warriors waiting outside.
The battle changed from a military win into the killing of unarmed people who couldn’t fight back.
Survivors Fled Into the Freezing Swamp
Surviving Narragansett warriors and families ran into the frozen wilderness of the Great Swamp. Colonial forces left the burning fort that same night, struggling through the storm and deep snow.
Wounded and dying colonial soldiers suffered terribly during the nighttime walk back to Smith’s trading post. Hundreds of Narragansett survivors died from wounds and cold in the harsh winter over the next few days.
Sachem Canonchet, son of Miantonomi, lived through the attack and went on to lead future fights against colonial forces.
The Death Toll Reached Into the Thousands
The final count included about 70 colonial deaths and 150 wounded, with many officers among the dead. Narragansett losses reached between 300-600 warriors killed and 300-1,000 women and children dead.
The massacre forced the previously neutral Narragansetts to join King Philip’s coalition under Canonchet. Canonchet later burned Providence in revenge before colonists captured and killed him in April 1676.
The Great Swamp Massacre became known as one of the most brutal and one-sided military attacks in all of New England’s history.
Visiting Great Swamp battle monument, Rhode Island
The Great Swamp Monument is on Great Swamp Monument Road in West Kingston. You’ll hike 1.5 miles round trip on a dirt road through swamps and forest to reach the site where colonial militia attacked the Narragansett winter fort in 1675.
The trail starts at a gate where the road ends. It’s free and open year-round. Wear blaze orange during hunting season. The Narragansett Tribe holds a memorial ceremony the fourth Sunday in September.
This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.
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