War Military | War Rebellion
King Philip's War
On the eve of King Philip's War, about 80,000 colonists lived in more than 100 New England towns. Cultural differences, shifting settler alliances with various native groups, and the rapid growth of settlements made tensions rise, and tit-for-tat reprisals in June 1675 led to war between New England colonists and their Native American neighbors. During the war, more than half of all New England towns were raided and twelve were completely destroyed. Each community relied on its local militia for protection, and those areas lacking enough men or weaponry to fight had to be abandoned, albeit temporarily. In 1676 colonial forces killed Wampanoag leader "King Philip," largely ending the bloodiest phase of the war. Ongoing battles in northern New England continued until 1678, and the protracted conflict left colonists vulnerable and Wampanoag and allied groups on the verge of collapse.