Frontier Partisans

The Adventurers, Rangers and Scouts Who Fought the Battles of Empire

Slaughter At Turner’s Falls

May 19, 2016, by JimC

pequot-fortmystic1-1Captain Paul McNamee of the Frontier Partisans New England Ranging Company sent notice that today is the 340th anniversary of a bloody event of King Philip’s War:

The Wiki:

The Battle of Turner’s Falls, also known as the Peskeompscut massacre, was fought on May 19, 1676, during King Philip’s War, in present-day Gill, Massachusetts, near a falls on the Connecticut River. The site is across the river from the village of Turners Falls. A band of English colonists under the command of Captain William Turner fell upon the poorly guarded Indian village of Peskeompscut near the falls at dawn, slaughtering many of its inhabitants. Many of the warriors in the camp escaped, and they regrouped with those from other nearby camps to harass the English retreat, during which Turner was killed.

Captain McNamee notes:

“One time I was out that way and drove past Turner’s monument. I don’t recall what time of year (not winter, anyway). The stone had been vandalized with a thorough coat of red paint. Undoubtedly protest vandalism signifying the blood spilled. They’ll probably put an extra cop on duty overnight tonight, I would think.”

Deuce Richardson did some nice work on New England’s savage Indian Wars a while back. Check it out if you missed it.

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Comments

  1. deuce says

    May 19, 2016 at 11:40 am

    As I recall, the Algonkins had a forge at that camp. “Stone Age savages”, y’know.

    Reply
    • JimC says

      May 19, 2016 at 11:41 am

      Right.

      Reply
  2. Paul McNamee says

    May 19, 2016 at 11:44 am

    As I related to you Jim, one time I was out that way and drove past Turner’s monument. I don’t recall what time of year. (not winter, anyway) The stone had been vandalized with a thorough coat of red paint. Undoubtedly protest vandalism signifying the blood spilled.

    They’ll probably put an extra cop on duty overnight tonight, I would think.

    Reply
    • JimC says

      May 19, 2016 at 11:52 am

      I’m going to kick that up into the post.

      Reply
  3. Keith West says

    May 19, 2016 at 12:38 pm

    I was surprised there was nothing about this at Flintlock and Tomahawk, then realized that site focuses on later conflicts.

    this is definitely a period I need to learn more about .

    Reply
    • Paul McNamee says

      May 19, 2016 at 1:12 pm

      I need to commit more of it to memory. It is my area’s frontier history, really.

      The town I grew up in – Chelmsford – was at one time the front line. The garrison house still stands and it is a historical site. The neighboring town of Groton, which actually saw action, was abandoned for a period of time, making Chelmsford the front line. Chelmsford had a few picket skirmishes, from what I recall.

      Of course, I visited the garrison house as a child so long ago I’d forgotten which period of time it was garrisoning. Learning of Groton’s abandonment happened on my own, when I read FLINTLOCK & TOMAHAWK (the book,) long after my schooling was complete.

      Again, my argument for any town history class to take a day or week to teach LOCAL history every year.

      Reply
      • JimC says

        May 19, 2016 at 1:26 pm

        Again, my argument for any town history class to take a day or week to teach LOCAL history every year.

        Amen!

        Reply
      • Paul McNamee says

        May 19, 2016 at 1:34 pm

        See? I even got that bit wrong. The Garrison house was built later, not during King Philip’s War. It was build in 1691. (well, I knew it wasn’t French & Indian War or Revolutionary War, at least!)

        http://www.garrisonhouse.org/

        In 1691-1692, the town of Chelmsford encompassed not only the Chelmsford of today, but all of what is now Westford and Lowell as well. British soldiers were garrisoned at 19 locations in Chelmsford, partly to protect the colonists from the Indians, and partly to insure that the colonists remained loyal to the king. One of the garrisons was the building now known as the “Old Chelmsford” Garrison House. This lovely old building is a museum piece, a rare example of where and how the common family lived in colonial days.

        Reply
  4. Black Tyrone says

    May 19, 2016 at 6:20 pm

    Paul, interesting. General Burgoyne’s soldiers marched/walked through my village heading south after Saratoga. History is everywhere. I like to picture the Germans {at least marching}. BUT it was a long “walk” and through some rough country. I see them trailing with their pet racoons. I, when my kids were little, told them ,that a Hessian escaped and wandered the village stealing apple pies left on open window sills. Things a father tells his children on the long drive home! Best

    Reply
    • Paul McNamee says

      May 20, 2016 at 6:07 am

      Good area for us history buffs! I took a week once and toured the Revolutionary sites – Saratoga, Bennington, Ticonderoga. Loved it!

      Reply
      • JimC says

        May 20, 2016 at 6:20 am

        Ooohhhhh…..
        What a grand thing!

        Reply
  5. Adele Just says

    May 3, 2020 at 3:22 am

    I am a descendant of Solomon Keyes (married to Frances Grant for whom Grant’s Hill was named) through his son Solomon Keyes who were both killed in the battles at Fort Henry and Lake George in the same year. Solomon Keyes (Kies) was son of Robert Keyes of Newbury.

    Reply

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