King Philip's War.


SHARPE, JOHN. Autographed Letter Signed ("John Sharpe"), to "My loving Master Thomas Meekins living at hatfield" [a former employer and mill owner], 2 pp, double bifolium, dated "mudiriver, 8 of the 1 mo" [Muddy River (part of Brookline), January 8th], 1676, written on upper recto, with integral address panel on lower verso, old folds, lightly browned, with some traces of dampstaining affecting a few letters, upper margin with two small tears, traces of old red seal wax on address panel; together with the upper panel of a 19th century folder with labels describing the letter, and with a note: "Owned by Dr Thomas Meekins, Northampton, Mass."A rare first hand account documenting the Battle of the Great Swamp Fight during King Philips War (1675-1678), described by a participant, one John Sharpe, a settler in Muddy River near Boston who had been fighting under the command of Captain Samuel Wadsworth, and had fought in the Great Swamp Fight against the Narragansett tribe in December 1675. This letter recounts part of that battle: "I would have given you a visit if it had been posibel for I went a volintere under Ca Wadsworth of Milton but he is caled hom to scout about there owne town and so i left off the desine at present—there is many of oure frends are taken from us Ca Johnson of Roxberi was slain at narragansit and will linorn died before his wound was cured: and filasp Curtis at a wigwame above mandham." Early in 1676 Sharpe rejoined Captain Wadsworth's troop and in April his colonial forces marched to Sudbury to relieve the siege of that town. On the way the party was ambushed by Wampanoag warriors, and both Sharpe and Wadsworth were killed.King Philip's War was the first push back against the native American tribes in New England. On their arrival the settlers negotiated peace treaties with Massasoit the chief of the Wampanoag in New England. On the death in 1662 of his first son "Alexander," his brother Metacomet (styled Philip) became chief, and the peace process started to break down. Eventually three Indians were hanged for carrying guns in 1675 and raiding parties from both sides began attacking the other, burning and pillaging. The Narragansetts tribe in present day Rhode Island, remained out of this fight, but members of that tribe participated in several raids, and so the colonists gathered the largest colonial army assembled to date, with 1000 militia and 150 Indian allies and they marched on their main fort called Great Swamp Fight. With the fort over run and many Indian women and children killed, the Narragansetts joined with the Wampanoags and pushed the colonists back, burning 12 settlements including Providence. Over the next 2 years the colonists fought bitterly to retain their territory, and atrocities on both sides occurred. The Indians of the Wampanoags and Narragansetts were all hunted down, and a peace treaty was signed in 1678. In many ways King Philip's War began the development of an independent American identity, as no forces were sent to the aid of the New England Colony by their mother country, Britain, and the colonists were left to fight their own battles. This letter was first published in the New England Historical and Genealogical Journal vol 10, no 1, (January 1856), the text provided by Thomas Meekins of Williamsburg.