The Mystic Massacre took place on May 26, 1637, when English settlers under Captain John Mason, and Narragansett and Mohegan allies set fire to a Pequot fort near the Mystic River, shooting whatever victims attempted to escape the wooden palisade fortress, killing the entire village of mostly women and children, in retaliation for previous Pequot attacks. The only Pequot survivors were those who had followed their sachem Sassacus in a raiding party outside the village. May 26 is the 146th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (147th in leap years). ... Events February 3 - Tulipmania collapses in Netherlands by government order February 15 - Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor December 17 - Shimabara Rebellion erupts in Japan Pierre de Fermat makes a marginal claim to have proof of what would become known as Fermats last theorem. ... The English are a northern European ethnic group generally associated with England and the English language. ... John Mason was the name of two prominent figures in colonial New England prior to 1640. ... The Narragansett tribe, or more accurately Nahahiganseck Sovereign Nation, are a Native American tribe who controlled the area surrounding Narragansett Bay in present-day Rhode Island, and also portions of Connecticut, and eastern Massachusetts. ... The Mohegans are a Native American tribe that formerly inhabitated eastern Connecticut. ... The Pequot were a tribe or nation of Native Americans who, in the 17th century, inhabited much of what is now Connecticut. ... The Mystic River is a river which flows through the southeastern corner of the U. S. state of Connecticut. ... SASSACUS, Pequot chief, born near Oroton, Connecticut, about 1560 died in the Mohawk settlement in June, 1637. ...

Background

The Pequot were the dominant Native American tribe in central to eastern Connecticut, though natural animosity existed between them and the competing tribes of the Mohegan and Narragansett. When the English and Dutch arrived, they established trade policies, trading such things as wampum for European goods. The Pequot eventually allied with the Dutch, while the Mohegan and others allied with the British, as evidence of their divergent interests. European population growth led to greater land demands leading to eventual conflict with indigenous populations. A series of European diseases such as smallpox, which the Native Americans had no immunity to, also drastically reduced the Pequot population, tipping the population balance in high favor of the settlers. Official language(s) English Capital Hartford Largest city Bridgeport Area  - Total   - Width   - Length    - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 48th 5,549 sq mi  14,371 km² 70 miles  113 km 110 miles  177 km 12. ... Wampum belt given to William Penn at the Great Treaty in 1682 Wampum, or sewan, is a string or belt of beads historically used by some Aboriginal Americans, who regarded it as a sacred object. ... Smallpox (also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera) is a highly contagious disease unique to humans. ...

The tensions erupted into war when a trader named John Oldham was killed and his trading ship looted by natives suspected to be Pequot. Some retaliation raids by settlers and natives alike ensued and Pequots responed in kind (Pequot War). The Pequot War in 1637 saw the virtual elimination of the Pequot Indians as a tribe. ... John Oldham (1592-1636) was an early Puritan settler in Massachusetts. ... The Pequot War in 1637 saw the virtual elimination of the Pequot Indians as a tribe. ...

The Massacre

The Connecticut towns raised a militia commanded by Captain John Mason and consisting of 90 men, plus 70 Mohegan under Uncas. 20 more men under Captain John Underhill joined him at Fort Saybrook. Lexington Minuteman representing militia minuteman John Parker A militia is a group of citizens organized to provide paramilitary service. ... John Mason was the name of two prominent figures in colonial New England prior to 1640. ... Uncas (c. ... John Underhill (1609-1672) was an early English colonist in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and a soldier in that and other colonies. ...

The Pequot sachem Sassacus, meanwhile, gathered a few hundred warriors and set out to make another raid on Hartford, Connecticut. A sagamore is the head of a Native American tribe. ... SASSACUS, Pequot chief, born near Oroton, Connecticut, about 1560 died in the Mohawk settlement in June, 1637. ... Nickname: The Insurance Capital of the World, New Englands Rising Star Official website: www. ...

At the same time, Captain Mason retrieved over 200 Narragansett and Niantic braves to join his attack force. On the night of May 26, 1637, the forces of English and Native American attackers arrived outside the palisade-surrounded Pequot village near the Mystic River, which had only two entrances/exits. Niantic has several meanings: The Niantic, a tribe of American Indians. ... Palisade and Moat A palisade is a Medieval wooden fence or wall of variable height, used as a defensive structure. ...

The English attempted to attack the villagers by surprise without detection, yet the English met with stiff Pequot resistance until Underhill gave the order to set the village on fire and block off the exits. The village was set on fire and the exits were blocked up, trapping the Pequot inside. Those who tried climbing over the palisade were shot; anyone who succeeded in getting over was killed by the Narrangasett waiting outside.

Aftermath

Estimates of dead Pequot range from 400 to 700, including mostly women and children. The massacre practically broke the Pequots, who fled and were hunted down. Sassacus and many of his followers were surrounded in a swamp near a Mattabesic village called Sasqua. In the following battle, Sassacus and about 80 others managed to escape, but at the cost of 180 warriors killed, wounded, or captured. Sassacus was eventually killed by the Mohawk, who sent his scalp to the English as a symbol of friendship. Mohawk is: A tribe of American Indians: see Mohawk nation The Mohawk language spoken by the Mohawk people. ...

The war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Hartford on September 21, 1638. Remaining Pequot were sold as slaves or servants and their lands taken. The Pequot numbers were so diminished that they ceased to be a tribe until recent tribal resurgence in the later 20th Century. The term Treaty of Hartford applies to three historic agreements negotiated at Hartford, Connecticut. ... September 21 is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years). ... Events March 29 - Swedish colonists establish first settlement in Delaware, called New Sweden. ...