The Pequot War

During the years 1634-1638 tensions between European colonists and the Pequot tribe escalated into what is known as The Pequot War.

Before the war's beginning, efforts to control fur trade access resulted in a series of worsening incidents and attacks that further increased tensions on both sides. Political divisions between the “Pequot and Mohegan widened as they allied with different trade sources—the Mohegan with the English, and the Pequot with the Dutch.” (Alfred Cave, The Pequot War, Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1996)

In July of 1636 a trader named John Oldham and several of his crew were killed on Block Island. It is thought that the Narragansett wanted to discourage the English from trading with the Pequot. Knowing that the natives of Block Island were allied with the Eastern Niantic; “Puritan officials were suspicious of the Narragansett. However, the Narragansett were able to convince the English that the culprits were being sheltered by the Pequots.” (Cave, 1996)

The Block Island incident led Governor John Endicott to call up the militia. This would be the beginning of the “first significant clash between English colonists and North American Natives.” (History.com , 2013)

In May 1637 the colonists and their allies the Mohegan and Narragansett, attacked a Pequot village on the Mystic River. “Encircling their foes under the cover of night, the colonists set the Indian dwellings ablaze, then shot the natives as they fled from their homes.” (History.com , 2013)

The number of Pequot killed is estimated at 400-700. Those not killed were sold into slavery in Bermuda. The Pequot tribe was nearly exterminated. (History.com , 2013)

In September, the victorious Mohegan and Narragansett met at the General Court of Connecticut and agreed on the disposition of the Pequot and their lands. The agreement, known as the first Treaty of Hartford, was signed on September 21, 1638. (Knopf, 1966; Cleveland, 1897; Royster 1736)