Early King Philip's War: Captivities and Attacks in New England
- When
- 1676
- Where
- Lancaster, Massachusetts; Redemption Rock, Princeton, Massachusetts
- Episodes
- 2
In early 1676, Native American forces attacked Lancaster, capturing Mary Rowlandson. She was held for 11 weeks before being ransomed in May. Metacomet's coalition continued operations against New England settlements during this period.
Episodes
- Attack on Lancaster
Native groups led by Monoco attacked Lancaster, capturing Mary Rowlandson.
- Ransom of Mary Rowlandson
Rowlandson was ransomed for £20 and released in May 1676.
Background and detail
War Context. King Philip's War (1675–1678) involved a coalition of Algonquian tribes, including Wampanoags and Nipmucs, fighting against Puritan settlers. Metacomet, sachem of the Wampanoags, led the Native alliance. The conflict saw widespread attacks on colonial settlements throughout New England.
Lancaster Attack. On February 10, 1676, Lancaster, Massachusetts, was attacked by Narragansett, Wampanoag, and Nashaway–Nipmuc groups led by Monoco. This raid resulted in the capture of Mary Rowlandson, a colonial woman who was held captive for 11 weeks.
Rowlandson Release. Mary Rowlandson was ransomed on May 2, 1676, for £20. The funds were raised by a public subscription among the women of Boston and paid by John Hoar of Concord at Redemption Rock in Princeton, Massachusetts.
People involved
- Mary Rowlandson · Captured colonist
- Metacomet · Wampanoag sachem and war leader
- Monoco · Native leader of Lancaster attack
Sources
- Mary Rowlandson Wikipedia, revision of 2026-01-12
- Metacomet Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-15
- King Philip's War Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-22
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.