Beginning in 1636 and lasting until 1638, fighting erupted across New England when the Pequot nation faced off against a coalition of settlers drawn from Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, and Saybrook, joined by Narragansett and Mohegan allies. This struggle ended decisively against the Pequot side. During what became known as the Mystic massacre, colonists from Connecticut Colony together with their native allies torched Pequot Fort, sealed off every escape route, and gunned down those who tried to flee the flames. By the fighting's end, roughly 700 Pequot people had either died or fallen into captivity. Slave traders sold hundreds of these prisoners to colonists in Bermuda and across the West Indies, while other survivors found themselves scattered among the victorious tribes as captives.
Colonial authorities moved to erase Pequot identity altogether through the 1638 Treaty of Hartford, which barred the Pequots from returning to ancestral lands, speaking their own language, or even calling themselves Pequot. This effectively wiped out the Pequot nation as a functioning political entity in the southern New England region, leading colonial officials to declare the tribe extinct. Those who survived nearby ended up absorbed into neighboring native communities. Nevertheless, a western branch managed to hold onto its sovereignty within Connecticut, and this group exists today as a nation recognized by the federal government.
Battles
A string of clashes together formed what came to be known as the Pequot War.
Written by Aubrey Research from Pequot War on Wikipedia, cited as a reference and not reproduced.
Where these engagements were fought
All 8 are placed on the map. Select a marker to see the engagement.
Red markers are surveyed battlefields with a mapped boundary; navy markers are point-located engagements. Select a marker to open its page.
Notable engagements
| Engagement | State | Year | Forces or losses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mystic massacre | CT | 1637 | ~500 Pequot killed |
| Endecott Expedition (Block Island raid) | RI | 1636 | 14 claimed killed (Narragansett report: 1) |
| Siege of Fort Saybrook | CT | 1636 | more than 20 English killed; warehouses/provisions destroyed |
| Attack on Wethersfield | CT | 1637 | 6 men, 3 women killed; 2 captives |
| Gardener's ambuscade near Saybrook | CT | 1637 | 2 killed |
| Mystic Fort assault and massacre | CT | 1637 | ~400 killed |
| Fairfield Swamp Fight | CT | 1637 | 160 men + 40 Mohegan scouts |
Plus 1 further documented engagement in the Pequot War record.
By state
Engagements and locations are compiled from published sources: Wikipedia (text rewritten and cited as a reference, CC BY-SA 4.0); Sylvester, Indian Wars of New England (1910) (public domain).