The Pequot War: Blood, Fire, And The Fight For New England

 

Dutch traders exchanged metal goods with the Pequots, who discovered new tools for war

The early 17th century was a time of great flux among the Native Americans on the New England coast. The Dutch and English had made inroads into their lands, and diseases had taken a devastating toll on the tribes.

Dutch exploration along America’s East Coast started in 1609 after Henry Hudson sailed up New York Bay. Over the next five years, Dutch traders penetrated the wilderness surrounding the Connecticut River, establishing trading relationships with the native tribes.

A smallpox epidemic in 1619 wiped out as much as 90 percent of the native population along the East Coast. The Pequots were fortunate to escape that outbreak. However, they weren’t as lucky in the outbreak of 1633-34. The population of the tribe got chopped in half, falling from 8,000 to somewhere around 4,000.

The death of Pequot sachem Wapigwooit in 1631 further splintered the tribe. Uncas and his band of Mohegans split off from the Pequots, allying themselves with the English. Sassacus kept control of the remainder of the tribe, maintaining its alliance with the Dutch.

Contact between the two civilizations was never easy. The Pequots had had bad experiences with the English going back to 1614, when adventurer Thomas Hunt took twenty-seven members of the tribe captive. First, he lured them on board his ship, pretending to trade with them. Then, he locked them in the ship’s hold and sold the men into slavery in Malaga for twenty pounds a man.

The Pequots quickly learned the value of European trade goods, especially the copper kettles and metal utensils they cut up to make arrowheads. The stronger materials gave them a technological advantage, allowing them to subdue neighboring tribes more easily.

Andrew Jackson And The Battle Of New Orleans

 

The British were coming for New Orleans, and Andrew Jackson wasn’t about to let them have it. The city sat near the mouth of the Mississippi, where goods from the American West passed on their way to market. Lose New Orleans, and the British could choke off trade through much of the country.

 

The British had spent years fighting Napoleon, and now they were sending some of those same soldiers to Louisiana. They expected to take New Orleans and give the Americans another beating before the war ended.

 

Things hadn’t been going all that well for the Americans. The British had burned Washington in August 1814, including the Capitol, and the President’s House. There’d been some victories since then, but losing New Orleans might be the finishing blow.

 

Jackson had already chased the British out of Pensacola in Spanish Florida. Now, he was headed for Louisiana.

 

New Orleans was nervous. People knew the British were coming, but nobody knew exactly when or where they’d show up. Rumors were everywhere, and Jackson didn’t like what he was hearing.

 

He had soldiers, but not nearly enough. The defenses needed work; supplies were short, and some locals seemed more interested in arguing than getting ready for a fight.

Andrew Jackson And The First Seminole War

 

Map showing Andrew Jackson's campaign againt the Seminole in 1818

Andrew Jackson came home from New Orleans a hero. He’d beaten the British, saved the city, and given Americans something to celebrate after a war that hadn’t gone particularly well.

 

But Jackson wasn’t finished with the army. He remained a major general, commanding American troops across much of the South. There were forts to maintain, soldiers to move around, and plenty of trouble brewing along the frontier.

 

He’d become one of the best-known men in the country. Newspapers praised him, crowds turned out to see him, and politicians talked about his future.

 

Jackson didn’t have time to think about retiring. The problems along the southern border weren’t going away.

 

One of those problems was Florida.

 

In 1818, Florida belonged to Spain. The Spanish had forts at St. Marks and Pensacola, but not enough soldiers to control much of the country.

 

That left plenty of room for trouble.

 

Seminole Indians lived in northern Florida, along with Creek families who’d fled south after Jackson defeated the Red Sticks in 1814. There were also Black communities, including people who’d escaped slavery in Georgia and other southern states.

Andrew Jackson And The First Creek War

 

Andrew Jackson was still recovering when he took command of the Tennessee troops sent against the Creek Indians.

 

The Creek Nation occupied much of present-day Alabama and Georgia, land American settlers wanted badly. Some Creek leaders favored peace with the United States. Others believed the Americans would keep taking land until nothing was left.

 

By March 1814, Jackson had been chasing the Red Stick Creeks through Alabama for months. His men were tired, hungry, and ready to finish the job.

 

The trouble had started the previous summer. The Creek Nation was split over what to do about American settlers moving onto its land. Some Creek leaders wanted peace. Others wanted to fight.

 

The Red Sticks attacked Fort Mims in August 1813, killing hundreds of people, including women and children. The massacre frightened settlers throughout the South and brought Tennessee troops into the fight.

 

Jackson took command, but getting his army into the field was a battle of its own. Supplies ran short; the roads were miserable, and volunteers kept threatening to go home. More than once, he had to deal with angry, mutinous soldiers.

Battle of Savage's Station Civil War

 

Battlefield at Savage's Station (Based on Century Magazine drawing. 1888)

Saturday night, June 28, found the entire Army of the Potomac on the move.

Generals Franklin, Sumner, and Keyes received orders to move all their supplies to Savage’s Station; they were to destroy what they couldn’t move. The wounded soldiers at Savage’s Station who could walk marched to Carter’s Station on the James River. Those who couldn’t walk, they loaded on to ambulances. When the army ran out of space on the ambulances, the remainder of the wounded were left behind to be taken, prisoner.

Four entire carloads of ammunition for the siege guns were sent up from the depots at the White House, then run into the Chickahominy and destroyed. The army burned vast quantities of supplies at Fair Oaks and a smaller amount at Savage’s Station. 

General McClellan struck his tent at 3 AM and started for Charles City. He rode off to Malvern Hill to choose a new base for his army, putting no one in charge or leaving orders about continuing the march. This would cause continued confusion throughout the remainder of the campaign.

Generals Smith, Sumner, Keyes, and Heintzelman set their troops in motion at daybreak. By noon, the main body of the army arrived at Charles City, some 10 to 15 miles from the James River. 

Battle of Oak Grove, Opening of the Seven Days Battles

General George McClellan

June 25 found the Army of the Potomac fighting General Joseph Johnston south of the Chickahominy, just six miles outside of Richmond in what would be the first of the Seven Days Battles—at the Battle of Oak Grove, also known as King’s School House. 

The Seven Days Battles occurred during a time of flux for both armies. Robert E. Lee found himself at the head of three disparate armies. He had just assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia less than a month before engaging McClellan in the Seven Days Campaign. General John B. Magruder’s force, formerly the Army of the Peninsula, merged with Lee’s army, and Stonewall Jackson’s command joined Lee for the campaign.

Worse still, Lee had no experience commanding such a large force. For him, the Seven Days Battles served as a training ground. The first day at Oak Grove was bumpy at best, but Lee learned quickly and soon found himself driving McClellan back.

When Robert E. Lee assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia, his men nicknamed him “Granny Lee” because he concentrated all his efforts on defending Richmond rather than attacking the enemy. That would soon change. Although it didn’t look like it, Lee had a plan.

“The intention of the enemy seemed to be to attack Richmond by regular approaches,” said Lee. “The strength of his left-wing rendered a direct assault injudicious, if not impracticable,” so... I “determined to construct defensive lines, so as to enable a part of the army to defend the city and the other part free to cross the Chickahominy and operate on the north bank. By sweeping down the river on that side and threatening his communications with York River, it was thought that the enemy would be compelled to retreat or give battle out of his entrenchments.”

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