Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War

The violence in New England escalated, with towns fearing that Philip and his men would attack them next. Amid the chaos, Plymouth appeared to be a relatively calm colony. A group of about one hundred Englishmen descended on the Native Americans at Hatfield. Though these Native Americans had not joined the war, they were forced to fight and defend themselves. As the paranoia escalated, even Praying Towns fell victim to bigotry and officials in Massachusetts were forced to relocate Praying Indians to Deer Island in Boston Harbor. An internment camp was established there, where hundreds of Praying Indians died from starvation and exposure. Settlers began fleeing western towns for Boston, in an attempt to escape the violence. The influx of settlers became so unmanageable that officials instituted a travel ban. The remote settlements, however, were easy targets for bands of Native Americans, and coastal Maine saw some of the worst fighting. Much of the paranoia sprung from hearsay and legend: Philip had become a mythical figure to the English, though really he was in hiding near present-day Vermont.

To help quell fear and prevent local attacks, the English asked the Narragansetts to surrender any Pokanokets and Pocassets they might be harboring.