Michael Tougias
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
WILBRAHAM — When Longmeadow author Michael Tougias describes the infamous King Philip’s War in Western Massachusetts, he calls it cataclysmic and the bloodiest conflict in American History.
Tougias is scheduled to speak at the Wilbraham Library on Saturday, Oct. 5, where he will discuss how colonists in the region collided with Native Americans from the Nipmuck and Wampanoag tribes, leaving hundreds dead in a decisive battle over land, dignity and human rights.
Next year marks the 350th anniversary of this historic, 14-month war, which historians say claimed the lives of 3,000 Natives and 800 English citizens.
“On a per capita basis, there were more casualties in this war than any other that Americans fought in, including the Civil War and World War II. People are shocked by that,” he told Reminder Publishing. “You have colonial power, which is the English here in Massachusetts, rising and Native American power declining.”
Tougias is the author of “Until I have No Country, A Novel of King Philip’s War.”
The Longmeadow man scoured eyewitness accounts of life in the Springfield area more than three centuries ago, examining the diaries of Englishman Benjamin Church, “a very effective colonial fighter,” and Mary Rowlandson, who was seized by the Native Americans and describes captivity in her writings, he said. Tougias also interviewed Native American historians.
“The natives were losing their tribal land to the colonists. Disease introduced by the Europeans decimated the Native Americans, and the rules of the games were the English rules. I tried to put myself in the shoes of a Native American — what would I do, and [concluded] there is no option. ‘Unless we fight, we’re going to slowly lose it all in this spiral of decline,’” he imagined a young warrior thinking.
King Philip was an American Indian the British named ‘Philip’ but was also known as Metacom, his Native American name. He was the titular head of the local tribes, but his control over them was not strong enough to prevent the insurrection.
“You’ve got a bunch of tribes and Metacom might be the figurehead, but he’s not calling the shots as if he were King. That’s a misnomer, where they called him ‘King Philip.’ Those are names given by the English,” said Tougias. “I don’t think he was ready to start it right away. He was trying to get an alliance with the more powerful Narragansetts, but some warriors jumped the gun. They just had enough.”
What began as skirmishes along with hit and run attacks in Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts, exploded into all-out war. Pitched battles swept into central and eastern Massachusetts in 1675 when the aggrieved American Indians destroyed settlements, beginning in Brookfield and cascading west into Northfield and Deerfield, before thrusting south into Springfield, where the war culminated into something seismic.
“Northfield is burned to the ground. Deerfield is abandoned. They’re making one attack after another and it looks like the Natives are winning. They’re driving people out of entire settlements,” said Tougias.
After suffering epic losses, the colonists began gaining the upper hand. A pivotal battle in Turner’s Falls marked a major shift that saw the Natives begin to lose momentum and ultimately the war.
“It was the beginning of the end, and that was in the spring of 1676. The Natives were losing through attrition. There were more English people than there were Natives, and if you have a war of attrition, you can’t afford to lose that many warriors,” he said.
The war, started by underlings, ended up claiming the head of the Metacom, who tried to resist engaging the colonists until he could fortify his forces. His fate was determined by the warriors he could not control. When the settlers caught him, they wanted him dead and demonized.
“When he was killed, the English cut his head off and stuck it on a pole in Plymouth, where it stayed for 20 years. The message was, ‘Here’s what could happen to you,’” said Tougias.
Tougias is the author or co-author of 30 books of non-fiction. The historian has written about many events and time periods, including World War II. But the shifting dynamics between Native Americans and colonists is among his favorite subjects.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the Native American way of life. I’m a big outdoor guy, so I’m always in the woods or on the water. As a kid, I can remember growing up in Springfield and Longmeadow, seeing all these King Phillips signs and asking my father, ‘Who was this English kid?’ and he said, ‘He wasn’t an English kid. He was a Native,” recalled the Longmeadow man, who now lives in Mendon.
Tougias’ presentation will take place from 2–4 p.m. at the Wilbraham Public Library, 25 Crane Park Dr. The event is free and open to the public. Tougias will be signing and selling his many titles.
