fieldston american reader volume i – fall 2007 - Ethical Culture ...

Metacomet Cries Out for RevengeIn the summer of l675, Metacomet, leader of the WampanoagIndians, attacked New England settlements to prevent the colonistsfrom occupying more land. The resulting conflict, called King Philip’sWar (from the name the colonists gave Metocomet), lasted until1678 and was marked by great brutality on both sides. Estimates ofcasualties vary widely, but clearly thousands of settlers and Indiansmust hove died. Metacomet himself was ambushed and killed in1676. The following two readings present the conflict from both theIndians’ and the settlers’ perspectives. The first reading is composedof two excerpts from on address in praise of Metacomet deliveredat Boston in 1836 by William Apes, a direct descendant of theIndian leader. In the first excerpt, Apes reported a speech deliveredby Metacomet to rally his people; in the second excerpt, he describedthe Indian leader’s death. What image of Metacomet emerges fromApes’s speech?AT COUNCIL IT APPEARS THAT PHILIP made thefollowing speech to his chiefs, counselors, and warriors:“Brothers, you see this vast country before us, which the GreatSpirit gave to our fathers and us; you see the buffalo and deerthat now are our support. Brothers, you see these little ones,our wives and children, who are looking to us for food andraiment; and you now see the foe before you, that they havegrown insolent and bold; that all our ancient customs aredisregarded; the treaties made by our fathers and us are broken,and all of us insulted; our council fires put out, our brothersmurdered before our eyes, and their spirits cry to us for revenge.Brothers, these people from the unknown world will cut downour groves, spoil our hunting and planting grounds, and driveus and our children from the graves of our fathers, and ourwomen and children will be enslaved.”This famous speech of Philip was calculated to rouse them toarm, to do the best they could in protecting and defending theirrights. . . . Philip’s young men were eager to do exploits, andto lead captive their haughty lords. It does appear that everyIndian heart had been lighted up at the council fires, at Philip’sspeech, and that the forest was literally alive with this injuredrace. And now town after town fell before them. The Pilgrimswith their forces were ever marching in one direction, whilePhilip and his forces were marching in another, burning allbefore them, until Middleborough, Taunton, and Dartmouth[towns in southeastern Massachusetts] were laid in ruins andforsaken by their inhabitants...it was now easy surrounding him. Therefore, upon the 12th ofAugust, Captain Church [settlers’ military leader] surroundedthe swamp where Philip and his men had encamped, early in themorning, before they had risen, doubtless led on by an Indianwho was either compelled or hired to turn traitor. Church hadnow placed his guard so that it was impossible for Philip toescape without being shot. It is doubtful, however, whetherthey would have taken him if he had not been surprised. Sufficeit to say, however, this was the case. A sorrowful morning tothe poor Indians, to lose such a valuable man. When comingout of the swamp, he was fired upon by an Indian, and killeddead upon the spot.I rejoice that it was even so, that the Pilgrims did not have thepleasure of tormenting him. The white man’s gun missing fire,he lost the honor of killing the truly great man, Philip. Theplace where Philip fell was very muddy. Upon this news, thePilgrims gave three cheers; then Church ordering his body tobe pulled out of the mud, while one of those tender-heartedChristians exclaims, “What a dirty creature he looks like.”...Captain Church now orders [Philip’s body] to be cut up.Accordingly, he was quartered and hung up upon four trees; hishead and one hand given to the Indian who shot him, to carryabout to show. At which sight it so overjoyed the Pilgrims, thatthey would give him money for it; and in this way obtained aconsiderable sum. After which, his head was sent to Plymouth,and exposed upon a gibbet....exhibited in savage triumph; andhis mangled body denied a resting place in the tomb.I think that as a matter of honor, that I can rejoice that nosuch evil conduct is recorded of the Indians; that they neverhung up any of the white warriors, who were head men. Andwe add the famous speech of Dr. Increase Mather [famousPuritan clergyman]: he says, during the bloody contest, thepious fathers wrestled hard and long with their God, in prayer,that he would prosper their arms, and deliver their enemiesinto their hands. . . . The Doctor closes thus:“Nor could they, the Pilgrims, cease crying to the Lord againstPhilip, until they had prayed the bullet through his heart.”However, if this is the way they pray, that is, bullets throughpeople’s hearts, I hope they will not pray for me; I should ratherbe excused.Philip’s FORCES HAD NOW BECOME VERY SMALL,so many having been duped away by the whites, and killed, that59