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Battle of Bloody Brook
On September 18, 1675, during King Philip's War, New England militia escorting a supply train through western Massachusetts were ambushed by Native w…
Timeline
- 1675Deerfield · MassachusettsAfter the war broke out, colonial outposts toward the Hudson Valley urgently needed food and ammunition. Militia under Captain Thomas Lothrop escorted a supply train of about 80 people from Deerfield toward the southwestern front.
- 1675Bloody Brook · MassachusettsWhen the train reached the brook valley, Native warriors hidden in the woods on both sides suddenly attacked. Lothrop's men could not deploy in the narrow terrain, were suppressed by crossfire, the commander was killed, and the train was almost entirely wiped out.
- 1675–1676Massachusetts Bay Colony · MassachusettsThe disaster at Bloody Brook shocked colonial opinion; rear towns strengthened their defenses and more militiamen were called up for the front. This battle, along with multiple contemporaneous raids, prompted the New England colonies to further coordinate their military operations.
Sources
- The History of Philip's War, Commonly Called the Great Indian War of 1675 and 1676 — Thomas Church (1716)
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Bloody Brook https://www.britannica.com/event/Bloody-Brook-Massacre