July 5, 1675--King Philip's War

Preface

Conflicting Roots, my new historical novel (Maine Authors Publishing, 2025) relies in part on characters, scenes and events from a war which marked the start of a troubled relationship between Native Americans who lived in New England and European colonials. King Philip’s War (1675-76), often treated with a footnote in histories of the colonial period, was the bloodiest war per capita of population in American history.

For those of you who have already read Conflicting Roots and are curious to learn more about the documented history of the war, Bristol Historical and Preservation Society of Rhode Island (bhpsri) have embarked on an ambitious series of “On This Day” posts commemorating the timeline from June 1675 to August 1676. You may be surprised to realize that my fictional narrative doesn’t stray too far from the truth.

Look for links to the BHPSRI posts here regularly. I encourage you to comment here if you have thoughts to share. If you wish to open a Substack account in order to read the entire series at once, here is the link: https://bhpsri.substack.com/p/welcome-to-kpw350 

This is the second post from the series. Please take note that some posts may not be suitable for all readers.

About This Post

Conflicting Roots (Maine Authors Publishing 2025) focuses on the relationship between Weetamoo, leader of the Pocassets, and Sachem Metacom. Here in the “In Flight” post of the series KPW350, from the Bristol Historical & Preservation Society we see how important these allied warriors were to one another as Metacom and his Pokanoket followers arrived at Weetamo’s village, near what is now Tiverton, RI, and parts of Fall River, MA, after fleeing Mount Hope.

King Philip (Metacom)

In Flight

After their flight from Mount Hope, Metacom and his Pokanoket followers arrived at Weetamo’s village, which was located in what is now Tiverton, RI, and parts of Fall River, MA. This flight saw the Pokanoket across Mount Hope Bay to safety among their kin, the Pocasset. Weetamoo — Metacom’s former sister-in-law — was the female sachem (saunkskwa) of the Pocasset Wampanoag. Her late husband, Wamsutta, Metacom’s brother, had been seized and questioned by Plymouth Colony officials in 1662. Wamsutta died of unknown causes shortly after his release from their captivity. (1) During King Philip’s War, Weetamo and the Pocasset aligned themselves with the Pokanoket, offering strength in numbers as well as additional support.

1. In her book, Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip’s War, scholar Lisa Brooks tells the history of Weetamoo, whose experience offers a broader understanding of the war, Indigenous culture, and the interactions between the Indigenous people of New England and the colonists.