Indian massacre
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In the history of the European colonization of North America, the term "Indian massacre" was often used to describe either mass killings of Europeans by indigenous people of the North American continent ("Indians") or mass killings of indigenous peoples by Europeans (or occasionally mass killings between different groups of indigenous peoples, as in the Cutthroat Gap Massacre). In theory, massacre applied to the killing of civilian noncombatants or to the summary execution of prisoners-of-war. In practice, the label was often haphazardly applied, rarely without bias, and was sometimes used to describe an overwhelming (though lawful) military defeat. Similarly, massacres were sometimes mislabeled "battles" in an attempt to give legitimacy to what would today be considered a war crime. Some incidents remain disputed as to whether they were massacres or battles.

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Overview

Determining how many people died in these massacres overall is difficult. In the book The Wild Frontier: Atrocities during the American-Indian War from Jamestown Colony to Wounded Knee, amateur historian William M. Osborn sought to tally every recorded atrocity in the area that would eventually become the continental United States, from first contact (1511) to the closing of the frontier (1890), and determined that 9,156 people died from atrocities perpetrated by Native Americans, and 7,193 people died from retaliations perpetrated by whites. Osborn defines an atrocity as the murder, torture, or mutilation of civilians, the wounded, and prisoners. Different definitions would obviously produce different totals.[1]

This aspect of Indian culture is what is referred to in that passage of the Declaration of Independence which complains of the King of Great Britain that:

"He...has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions."

List of massacres

This is a listing of some of the events reported then or referred to now as "Indian massacres":

From 1500 up to 1830

Year Date Name Description Claimants
1540 Mabila Massacre Hernando de Soto’s expedition ambushed by Choctaws[2] burned down palisaded town of Mabila and killed approx. 2,500 in a battle lasting several hours.[3] Duncan, E., Hernando de Soto, pp. 376-384; Steele, I., Warpaths, p. 15.
1598 Acoma Massacre In retaliation for the killing of 11 Spanish soldiers, Juan de Oñate led punitive expedition to slaughter the natives in a three-day battle at the Acoma mesa. Approx. 800 dead. Spain's King later punished Oñate for his excesses.[4] Weber, D., The Spanish Frontier in North America, pp. 85-86.
1622 March 22 Jamestown Massacre Powhatans (Pamunkey) killed 347 English men, women and children throughout the Virginia colony, almost one-third of the English population of Jamestown colony. [5]
1623 Pamunkey Peace Talks The English poisoned the wine at a "peace conference" with Powhatan leaders, killing ca. 200 and another 50 by hand in retaliation for the Jamestown Massacre. Steele, I., Warpaths, p. 47.
1637 May 26 Mystic Massacre English colonists commanded by John Underhill, with Mohegan and Narragansett allies, launched a night attack a large Pequot village on the Mystic River in what is now Connecticut, burning the inhabitants alive and killing the survivors, with about 600-700 killed. Cave, A., The Pequot War, pp. 144-154.
1643 Wappinger Massacre In 1643 an Iroquois tribe, the Mohawks, attacked a band of Wappingers. The Wappingers fled to Manhattan Island seeking protection of Dutch governor, who had hired John Underhill. The sleeping village was slaughtered with about 80 deaths, and the group was exterminated. Churchill, W., A Little Matter of Genocide, p. 198.
1644 English Massacre of sleeping village At New Amsterdam (present day New York), John Underhill, hired by the Dutch, reproduced successful Fort Mystic strategy of burning sleeping village and slaughtering about 500 people. Steele, I., Warpaths, p. 116.
1680 August 10 Pueblo Revolt Pueblo warriors killed 380 Spanish settlers, counting men, women and children, and drove the other Spaniards from New Mexico. By 1690s sedentary Pueblo farmers wanted the Spanish to come back to protect them against Apache and Navajo raiders. [6]
1689 August 5 Lachine massacre Fifteen hundred Mohawk warriors attacked the small settlement of Lachine, New France and killed more than ninety of the village's three-hundred seventy-five French residents. [7]
1690 February 8 Schenectady Massacre French and Algonquins destroyed Schenectady, Province of New York, killing 60 settlers, including ten women and at least twelve children. Konstantin, P., This day in North American Indian history, p. 33
1704 February 29 Deerfield Massacre A force comprised of Abenaki, Kanienkehaka, Wyandot and Pocumtuck Indians, led by a small contingent of French-Canadian militia, sacked the town of Deerfield, Massachusetts, killing 56 civilians and taking dozens more as captives. Konstantin, P., This day in North American Indian history, p. 48
1757 August 9 Fort William Henry Massacre Following the fall of Fort William Henry, between 70 and 180 British and colonial prisoners were killed by Indian allies of the French. Konstantin, P., This day in North American Indian history, p. 224
1759 October 4 Rogers Raid on Odanak Village In retaliation to the rumored murder of a captured Stockbridge man and detainment of Rogers Ranger Captain Quinten Kennedy - Major Robert Rogers led a party of approximately 150 English regulars, volenteers and Mohican Tribe Natives into the village of Odanak where reports of up to 30 deaths, amung them women and children, have been confirmed via conflicting reports. Bruchac M., Reading Abenaki Traditions and European Records of Rogers Raid, p.3-4[8]
1763 September 14 Devil's Hole Massacre Seneca double ambush of a British supply train and soldiers, just South of Fort Niagara. Konstantin, P., This day in North American Indian history, p. 260
1763 December Killings by the Paxton Boys Pennsylvania settlers killed 20 peaceful Susquehannock in response to Pontiac's Rebellion. citation needed
1764 July 26 Enoch Brown School Massacre Four Delawares killed a schoolmaster, 10 pupils and a pregnant woman. {Two pupils scalped but survive} citation needed
1774 April 30 Yellow Creek Massacre Members of Chief Logan's family were killed by Daniel Greathouse. Konstantin, P., This day in North American Indian history, p. 106
1778 July 3 Wyoming Valley Massacre Following a battle with rebel defenders of Forty Fort, Iroquois allies of the Loyalist forces hunted and killed those who fled, then tortured to death those who surrendered. Konstantin, P., This day in North American Indian history, p. 181
August 31 Stockbridge Massacre A battle of the American Revolutionary War that rebel propaganda portrayed as a massacre. Konstantin, P., This day in North American Indian history, p. 246
November 11 Cherry Valley Massacre More than 30 settlers were killed. Konstantin, P., This day in North American Indian history, p. 321
1781 September 1 Dietz Massacre The home of Johannes Dietz, Berne, New York, was attacked by Indians during the Revolution. Johannes, his wife, their daughter-in-law (wife of their son, Capt. William Dietz), four children of their son's family, and a servant girl were killed and scalped. Priest, Josiah, "Stories of the Revolution", first published 1836
1782 March 8 Gnadenhütten massacre Nearly 100 non-combatant Christian Delaware (Lenape) Indians, mostly women and children, were killed with hammer blows to the head by Pennsylvania militiamen. Konstantin, Phil, This day in North American Indian history, p. 57
1782 May 10 Corbly Family Massacre John Corbly, whose wife and five children were massacred in western Pennsylvania [Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine By Daughters of the American Revolution, Published by R.R. Bowker Co., 1925 Item notes: v.59 1925 Jan-Jun page234]
1812 August 15 Fort Dearborn Massacre American settlers and soldiers were killed in ambush near Fort Dearborn (site of present-day Chicago, Illinois)[9] Konstantin, P., This day in North American Indian history, p. 231
1813 January 22 River Raisin Massacre Between 30 and 60 Kentucky militia were killed after surrendering. Konstantin, P., This day in North American Indian history, p. 20
August 18 Dilbone Massacre Three settlers (David Garrard and Henry Dilbone and wife) were killed in Miami County, Ohio. Sutton, R., "The History of Shelby County Ohio", p.122 published 1883
August 30 Fort Mims Massacre Following defeat at the Battle of Burnt Corn, a band of Red Sticks sacked Fort Mims, Alabama, killing 400 civilians and taking 250 scalps. This action precipitated the Creek War. Konstantin, P., This day in North American Indian history, p. 245
1817 Spring Battle of Claremore Mound Cherokee Indians wiped out Osage Indians led by Chief Clermont at Claremore Mound, Indian Territory. citation needed
1818 April 22 Chehaw Affair U.S. troops attacked a non-hostile village during the First Seminole War, killing an estimated 10 to 50 men, women and children. citation needed

From 1830 through 1890

Year Date Name Description Citations
1832 May 18 or
May 19		 Execution of Lucy and James Sample Indians, mainly Potawatomi, torture and burn alive two captives Lucy and James Sample. See article Execution of Lucy and James Sample
May 20 Indian Creek Massacre Indians, mainly Potawatomi, kidnapped two girls and killed fifteen men, women and children. Konstantin, P., This day in North American Indian history, p. 128
August 1 Battle of Bad Axe Around 150 Indian men, women and children were killed in Wisconsin by soldiers under General Henry Atkinson and armed volunteers. Konstantin, P., This day in North American Indian history, p. 213
1833 Spring Cutthroat Gap Massacre Osage Indians wiped out a Kiowa Indian village in Indian Territory. citation needed
1835 Winter Dade Massacre Seminole Indians wiped out a command of 108 American Soldiers in Central Florida. Axelrod, Alan, Chronicle of the Indian Wars, p.146
1836 May 19 Fort Parker Massacre Seven men were killed by Comanches in Limestone County, Texas. Konstantin, P., This day in North American Indian history, p. 127
1838 October 5 Killough Massacre Indians massacred eighteen members and relatives of the Killough family in Texas. citation needed
1840 August 7 Indian Key Massacre Florida Indians attacked and destroyed Indian Key settlement, killing 13 inhabitants including noted horticulturist Dr. Henry Perrine. Knetsch, Joe. Florida's Seminole Wars 1817-1858, p. 128
1847 November 29 Whitman massacre The murder of missionaries Dr. Marcus Whitman, Mrs. Narcissa Whitman and twelve others at Walla Walla, Washington by Cayuse and Umatilla Indians, triggering the Cayuse War. Konstantin, P., This day in North American Indian history, p. 336.
1850 May 15 Bloody Island Massacre The murder of 60-100 Pomo people on Bo-no-po-ti island near Clear Lake, (Lake Co., California), by Nathaniel Lyon and his U. S. Army detachment, in retribution for the killing of two Clear Lake settlers who had been abusing and murdering Pomo people. (The Island Pomos had no connections to the enslaved Pomos). This incident led to a general mass killing of native people all over Northern California. Letter, Brevet Capt. N. Lyon to Major E.R.S. Canby, May 22, 1850, cited in Heizer, Robert F., The Destruction of California Indians, pp. 244-246.
1853 Before December 31 "Ox" incident Unreported number of Indians were killed in the Four Creeks area (Tulare Co., California) in "our little difficulty" and "the chastisement they have received" Letter, Bvt. 2nd Lieut. John Nugens to Lieut T. Wright, Dec. 31, 1853, quoted in Heizer, pp. 12-13.
1854 August 17 Kaibai Creek Massacre Forty-two Winnemem Wintu men, women and children were killed by white settlers at Kaibai Creek, California. citation needed
August 19 Grattan Massacre Twenty-nine U.S. soldiers killed by Brulé Lakota Sioux Indians in Nebraska Territory. Michno, Gregory, Encyclopedia of Indian Wars, p. 27
August 20 Ward Massacre Eighteen of the 20 members of the Alexander Ward party were killed by Shoshoni Indians while traveling on the Oregon Trail in western Idaho. This event led to the eventual abandonment of Fort Boise and Fort Hall, in favor of the use of military escorts. [2][3] Michno, Gregory, Encyclopedia of Indian Wars, pp. 28-29
1855 January 22 Klamath River massacres In retaliation for the murder of 6 white people and stealing of some cattle, "whites" commenced a "war of extermination against the Indians" in Humboldt Co., California Crescent City Herald, quoted in Sacramento newspaper, cited in Heizer, pp. 35-36.
1860 February 26 Gunther Island Massacre About 188 Wiyot Indians, mostly women and children, were killed by white settlers in Humboldt County, California, during one of three simultaneous assaults on the Wiyot [4] Michno, Gregory, Encyclopedia of Indian Wars, pp. 72-73; Heizer
1862 August-September Dakota War of 1862 300-800 white settlers were killed throughout Minnesota as part of the U.S.-Dakota War[10] citation needed
October 24 Tonkawa Massacre Accompanied by Caddo allies, a detachment of irregular Union Indians, mainly Kickapoo, Delaware and Shawnee, attempted to destroy the Tonkawa tribe in Indian Territory. One hundred and fifty of 390 Tonkawa survived. Michno, Gregory, Encyclopedia of Indian Wars, pp. 105-106
1863 January 29 Bear River Massacre Col. Patrick Connor led a regiment killing at least 200 Indian men, women and children near Preston, Idaho. See main article
April 19 Keyesville Massacre White settlers killed 35 Tehachapi men in Kern County, California [5]. Official accounts found at [11]
1864 November 29 Sand Creek Massacre Militiamen killed at least 160 Cheyenne Indians at Sand Creek, Colorado. Michno, Gregory, Encyclopedia of Indian Wars, pp. 157-159
1865-1871 Yahi Massacres Several massacres of native encampments by American settlers exterminated the 200 members of the Yahi tribe, such as the first in 1865 (74 killed), the 1866 Three Knolls (40 killed) and Dry Camp (33 killed) massacres, ending with the Kingsley Cave/Morgan Camp massacre (30 killed) in 1871. The Yahi were Ishi’s tribe. Cook, S., The Conflict between the California Indian and White Civilization.
1867 July 2 Kidder Massacre Cheyenne and Sioux Indians ambushed and killed a 2nd US Cavalry detachment of eleven men and Indian guide near Beaver Creek in Sherman County, Kansas [6]. Michno, Gregory, Encyclopedia of Indian Wars, pp. 201-202
1870 January 23 Marias Massacre White Americans killed 173 Piegans, mainly women, children and the elderly. Michno, Gregory, Encyclopedia of Indian Wars, p. 241
1871 Camp Grant Massacre Led by ex-Tucson mayor, William Oury, a vigilante band from Tucson slaughtered Apache women and children while the men were doing their spring planting. More than 100 dead. Terrell, J., Land Grab, pp. 4-10.
1879 January 8 Ft Robinson Massacre Northern Cheyenne under Dull Knife attempted to escape from confinement in Fort Robinson, Nebraska; about fifty survived. The remains of those killed were repatriated in 1994. Michno, Gregory, Encyclopedia of Indian Wars, pp. 322-323
1879 September 30 Meeker Massacre Indian Agent Nathan Meeker and 10 others killed by Utes; likewise a military unit is ambushed and 13 killed and 43 wounded. The Beginning of the Ute War Wikipedia Article Nathan Meeker
1880 April 28 Alma Massacre Settlers were killed by Apaches led by Victorio at Alma, New Mexico. Likewise on December 19, 1885, an officer and four enlisted men of the 8th Cavalry Regiment were killed by Apaches near Alma, New Mexico. See P.Reed, Albuquerque Tribune story 12/22/2005 listed under References of Bibliography under article Alma, New Mexico {Reference only}
1890 December 29 Wounded Knee Massacre 128 Sioux men, women and children are massacred by US soldiers at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. Michno, Gregory, Encyclopedia of Indian Wars, p. 351

Footnotes

  1. ^ The Wild Frontier: Atrocities During The American-Indian War
  2. ^ Biography - Hernando de Soto - by Dr. Lawrence A. Clayton
  3. ^ De Soto'S Trail: Courage and Cruelty Come Alive
  4. ^ Conquistador Statue Stirs Hispanic Pride and Indian Rage
  5. ^ Around 347 people were massacred in the attack
  6. ^ Resistance and Accommodation in New Mexico
  7. ^ George, Charles; Douglas Roberts (1897). A History of Canada. Boston: The Page Company (no copyright in the United States), pp. 93-94. 
  8. ^ http://www.vermontfolklifecenter.org/childrens-books/malians-song/additional_resources/rogers_raid_facts.pdf
  9. ^ In all, the massacred were twenty-six soldiers, two officers (Captain Wells and Surgeon Van Voorhees), two women and twelve children, and twelve trappers and settlers hired as scouts.
  10. ^ Kunnen-Jones, Marianne (2002-08-21). "Anniversary Volume Gives New Voice To Pioneer Accounts of Sioux Uprising". University of Cincinnati. Retrieved on 2007-06-06.
  11. ^ [1]

Reference Materials

  • Heizer, Robert F., The Destruction of California Indians, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln and London, 1993. ISBN 0-8032-7262-6.

See also
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