Metacomet — King Philip. Art by Jud Hartmann.
The first episode of a multi-part series on King Philip’s War (1675-76) is up. You can find it here or on most podcasting platforms, including Spotify.
This first episode sets the stage for the terrible, destructive conflict, as the alliance between the Puritan settlers of Plymouth Colony and the Wampanoag people — an alliance that was forged with the First Thanksgiving — broke down in a welter of resentment, fear and misunderstanding. It also recounts the murder and trial that sparked the priming in the pan and led to the explosion of war in June 1675.
This has been an interesting and challenging podcast to develop. Up till now, the Frontier Partisans podcasts have covered terrain that I have long been familiar with — the Fur Trade, Pontiac’s War, etc. I am not deeply versed in the history of Puritan New England, so this required a different order of work. And, as I’ve mentioned before, I have always found the Puritans alien and difficult to understand and empathize with, so it has been a challenge coming to terms with their mindset.
This is all a Very Good Thing, demanding that I get out of the comfort zone a bit. And a Frontier Partisan really has to grapple with the most destructive Frontier Partisan conflict (per capita) in American history.
Bloody Brook by Jud Hartmann. The native peoples inflicted heavy casualties on Puritan colonial militias during King Philip’s War — the bloodiest conflict per capita in American history.
Paul+McNamee says
Well done episode. Nice example illustrating the ubiquitous fashion of beaver hats as the equivalent of modern smart phones.
Glad you challenged yourself. The Puritan mindset is a tough nut to crack when you want to go deeper than “they were European settlers.”
JimC says
Thanks Paul.
Padre says
+1 on Paul’s comments. I appreciate that you acknowledged the deep-seated religious motivations of the Puritans without making a 1:1 correlation with modern religious stereotypes. I’ve started reading an Osprey book on colonial American militias and the author seems to think that a caricature of modern fundamentalist Christianity can be used to understand New England Puritans, when in reality they are very different beliefs.
I’m greatly looking forward to hearing the rest of this one.
JimC says
Correct — they don’t equate.
Joe says
An absolutely fantastic first episode to the series and a great way to set the stage. I knew scarcely anything about this conflict until recently, and it seems to receive little focus in history classes considering “one in every 16 men of military age was killed or died as a result of the war.” That’s absolutely catastrophic.
Stanley says
I am looking forward to listening to this.
SQUIRE RUSTICUS says
My family is suppose to go back to the Fullers (Samuel), on my mother’s side. Think his parents died the first year, he became the colonies doctor later, and their family servant was the first casualty dying during the crossing. I’d have to look into some family (history) books that are 1,300 miles away at my home to recall much.
BUT I do recall seeing I had ancestors that had names like “Thankful Be To the Lord”, and thinking they’d roll over in their grave if they knew me, especially in my college years. One wouldn’t even think a person could have a name like that. Do not remember if it was a male or female, a sister, a brother, etc…
Once I had a person ask me if it bothered me my family came over on the Mayflower, like suddenly they are tainted. Like Native American’s (I have Delaware, Ponca Osage, Missouri Ottoe, and like Chickasaw relatives) would have lived isolated forever living with nature, untouched if my ancestors hadn’t came on a ship from England.
Hell no…. It use to be something to be proud of
JimC says
That’s real American heritage — and people who think someone should be “bothered” by it make no sense to me.