pal Narragansett town, situated on an island
in the middle of a swamp in present-day
South Kingston. On December 16, 1675, in the
dead of wintry weather, the force under Gov-
ernor Josiah Winslow of Plymouth and noted
Indian fighter Benjamin Church surrounded
the fort and attacked. The Indians, stoutly
barricaded behind their walls, resisted
fiercely, but at length the English managed to
set several dwellings on fire. As flames con-
sumed the fort, many Indians sought to es-
cape, only to be cut down in droves. By the
time the Great Swamp Fight concluded, more
than 600 Narragansetts had been slain and an-
other 400 captured as slaves. English losses
amounted to only 20 killed and 80 wounded.
Worse, the fighting deprived the tribe of its
stock of corn for the winter, so that the refu-
gees were threatened with starvation.
Canonchet, who had not been present,
struck back furiously at what he deemed an
unprovoked attack. Hovering near the rear of
the withdrawing English, he managed to sur-
prise a detachment of 40 militiamen under
Capt. Michael Pierce on March 26, 1676, and
wiped them out. This was one of the biggest
disasters to befall the English during the con-
flict. Successful raids against Warwick, Provi-
dence, and Pawtucket were also staged, with
many homes and farms burned and settlers
slain. However, the Indians were short on
food, and so Canonchet was forced to forage.
While Canonchet was encamped in the Paw-
tucket Valley to gather seed, a mixed English-
Indian force under Captains James Avery and
George Denison surprised the marauders, and
Canonchet was captured by an Indian scout.
Refusing to make peace, he was summarily
bound over to English authorities in Stoning-
ton, Connecticut, for trial. The tall chief re-
mained defiant and indifferent to his capture,
then scoffed at his death sentence, declaring,
“I like it well; for I shall die before my heart is
soft, or I have spoken anything unworthy of
myself.” Canonchet was then turned over to
representatives of the Pequot, Mohegan, and
Niantic tribes, who shot and beheaded him.
His head subsequently became a grisly trophy,
placed on display in Hartford. Canonchet’s
death marked a turning point in King Philip’s
War, for it robbed the Indians of a talented
leader and also marked the Narragansetts’ de-
cline as New England’s most powerful tribe.
With the defeat of King Philip later that year,
the entire region passed firmly into the con-
trol of English settlers.Bibliography
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