500 Indians Killed

Pequot War

On June 5th 1637, 500 Indians (men, women, and children) were killed. This massacre ended the Pequot War. The Indians were attacked by combined forces from the Massachusetts and Connecticut Militias.

The Pequot War was fought between settlers of Massachusetts and Native American allies, (the Narragansett and Mohegan tribes) against the Pequot Indians. The Pequot were the dominant Native Indian tribe in Connecticut. The war started after colonist traders were attacked and killed. The colonists led a large raid, which ended up in the burning of a Pequot village.
The colonist's attack enraged the Pequot, who began attacking settlers throughout Connecticut. The settlers raised a militia to fight the Pequot. The militia attempted to attack a Native village, near were Groton, CT is located today. The Pequot defended their village and the colonists, led by John Mason, were unable to capture the village. The colonists moved away and the Pequot thought they had left. Most of the Pequot warriors left on a raid. Mason and his soldiers attacked the large Pequot town at Mystic, CT. The town was largely undefended. Mason attacked the fortified town, captured it and slaughtered all of its inhabitants, including all of the women and children. The slaughter of the Pequot at Mystic ended the Pequot tribe, as the remaining Pequot fled for their lives.

To learn more
Pequot War
Mystic Voices: The Story of the Pequot War