History of Swansea, Massachusetts, 1667-1917; - citizen hylbom blog

4 History of Swansea
"This town is memorable as the place where the first
English blood was shed in ' King Philip's War. ' On Sunday,
June 20, 1675, King Philip permitted his men to march into
Swansea and annoy the Enghsh by kilUng their cattle, in hopes
to provoke them to commence the attack, for it is said that a
superstition prevailed among them that the side who shed the
first blood should finally be conquered. The Indians were so
insolent that an Englishman finally fired upon one of them,
and wounded him. The Indians upon this commenced open
war. As soon as the intelligence of this massacre reached
Boston, a company of foot under Capt. Henchman, and a
troop under Capt. Prentice, immediately marched for Mount
Hope, and being joined by another company of one hundred
and ten volunteers under Capt. Mosely, they all arrived at
Swansea June 28th, where they joined the Plymouth forces,
under Capt. Cudworth. Mr. Miles' house, being garrisoned,
was made their headquarters. About a dozen of the troop
went immediately over the bridge, where they were fired upon
out of the bushes, and one killed and one wounded. The
English forces then pursued the enemy a mile or two, when the
Indians took to the swamp, after having lost about a halfdozen
of their number. The troop commenced their pursuit
of the Indians next morning. They passed over Miles' Bridge
and proceeded down the river till they came to the narrow of
the neck, at a place called Keekamuit, or Kickamuit. Here
they found the heads of eight Englishmen, that the Indians
had murdered, stuck on poles; these they buried. On their
arrival at Mount Hope, they found that place deserted."