Most Haunted Places in America: The Great Swamp Massacre
There is a road marker on Route 2 in South Country Rhode Island that reads:
The Great Swamp Fight
Three quarters of a mile to the southward on an island in the Great Swamp the Narragansett Indians were decisively defeated by the United States Forces of the Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut and Plymouth Colonies, Sunday, December 19, 1675.
Sounds like we handled those troubling Narragansett Indians but that is not the reality according to historians. In December, 1675 Colonial militia aligned with British troops and using scouts from the Pequot and Mohegan tribes, sneaked into the camp if the Narragansett in hopes of finding Chief Metacom(King Phillip), however they learned later he was not there as the scouts had said.
Fortunately, a few young Indians spotted them and issued a warning to the tribe, unfortunately it didn’t matter. One of the best descriptions comes from historian Jill Lepore in the book The Name of War: King Philip’s War and the Origins of American Identity,
“…a coalition of English soldiers from each of the United Colonies, aided by an Indian guide, entered the Great Swamp…where they found a palisaded fort sheltering hundreds of wigwams and, by some estimates, as many as three or four thousand Narragansetts. Most were women and children hidden in the swamp for protection during the war, along with storehouses of winter supplies. English soldiers first set fire to the wigwams and then waited as the Narragansetts began fleeing over the palisade and through its doors and windows. Then the soldiers ‘ ran on the very musles of thyr guns, up to the Indeans port holes: fyred in at them, leped over thyr brest workes, run into theyr forte, beat them out and slew many of them.’ The fury of the English was so great that, rather than preserve the wigwams for their own shelter, or to save the food, they burned everything and were forced to march back out of the swamp all through the night and the next several days, in driving snow, during which many English soldiers froze to death.”
It is said they fought for 3 hours and around 1,000 Narragansett Indians were killed, mostly woman, children and the elderly. Reportedly the combined Colonial and British forces suffered only 80 dead. This battle ultimately swayed the Narragansett Indians to join the war against the English settlements. It also provides a place where paranormal activity seems high even today.
Some of the paranormal events reported by people visiting the area and by the monument are the overwhelming feeling of sadness and how the forests full of sound will suddenly fall silent. When this happens it is said you can hear cries and screams come from the area of the swamp.
There is a lot of debate over whether this was an actual battle or just a total massacre of the Narragansett settlement. With reports of some of the attackers being killed and wounded there had to be some defense by the Indian settlement even if it was small. This may explain why there are also reports of hearing Indian war cries and apparitions of Native Americans in their war paint. There have also been reports of hearing gunfire in the distance.
Other than the monument erected to those that had fallen; it is not sure where the battle actually took place. However, for those interested in the paranormal, visiting the monument and hiking the trails around the area is said to provide a for a great chance to experience paranormal activity.
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