The Scenic Rhode Island Overlook Where Metacomet Lost His War Against English Colonists

Mount Hope, Rhode Island

The deadliest war in colonial America ended with a single bullet in a Rhode Island swamp.

Metacomet had been fighting the English for 14 months, watching his world collapse town by burning town.

When he finally fell at Mount Hope in 1676, New England would never be the same. Here’s what happened on this quiet peninsula.

Metacomet’s Rise to Power

Metacomet became chief of the Wampanoag in 1662 after two family deaths.

His father Massasoit, who kept peace with Plymouth Colony since 1621, died in 1661. His older brother Wamsutta died in 1662 soon after Plymouth officials questioned him.

Many Wampanoag believed the English poisoned Wamsutta. Taking leadership at about age 24, Metacomet watched settlers take more tribal lands. He traded with colonists at first while seeing his people lose territory and rights.

He married Wootonekanuske, sister of Weetamoo who led the nearby Pocasset tribe, building important family ties.

King Philip’s Seat

A large white quartz rock on Mount Hope served as Metacomet’s meeting place.

English settlers called it “King Philip’s Seat.” Here, tribal leaders gathered to discuss tribe business and later, war plans.

From this high point, Metacomet could see his lands and watch ships in Mount Hope Bay. The seat gave him both a practical viewpoint and a symbol of power. Wampanoag leaders had used this spot for generations.

During the growing tensions of 1675, this natural throne became the center of resistance planning as Metacomet built alliances against colonial expansion.

John Sassamon’s Murder

John Sassamon was a Harvard-educated Native American who worked as a translator between colonists and tribes. In January 1675, his body was found under ice at Assawompset Pond with a broken neck.

Before his death, Sassamon warned Plymouth Governor Josiah Winslow that Metacomet planned to attack settlements.

At first, officials thought he drowned while fishing. Later, a witness claimed three Wampanoag men killed Sassamon on Metacomet’s orders.

Plymouth Colony tried and executed these men on June 8, 1675. This legal action on tribal matters angered Metacomet, who saw it as overstepping English authority.

The Spark at Swansea

On June 20, 1675, young Wampanoag warriors raided empty houses in Swansea, Massachusetts, taking weapons but hurting no one. Three days later, a colonial boy shot and killed a Pokanoket man near his home.

Angry at this killing, Wampanoag fighters attacked Swansea on June 24, killing eight colonists. These attacks marked the start of King Philip’s War.

Some historians think these raids happened without Metacomet’s direct approval.

Colonial leaders blamed Metacomet anyway. Within days, Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth colonies sent soldiers, turning small raids into full-scale war.

English Response at Mount Hope

Colonial forces quickly gathered to attack Metacomet’s village after the Swansea raids. Troops from Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay, and Rhode Island joined together to capture the Wampanoag leader.

When they reached Mount Hope on June 28, 1675, they found only empty homes and cold fires. Metacomet had moved his people across Mount Hope Bay in canoes to Pocasset territory.

The colonial forces burned the empty village and destroyed food stores. While they ruined Metacomet’s base, they failed to catch him or stop the spreading conflict.

Mount Hope Abandoned

Metacomet and his followers left their homeland at Mount Hope taking only what they could carry.

This marked the first time in many years that Wampanoag leaders lived away from their traditional center. Colonial troops claimed the empty village, blocking any return.

For the Wampanoag, leaving Mount Hope meant both a needed escape and a deep cultural loss. Over the next months, Metacomet moved between camps across southern New England.

This mobility helped him lead attacks while avoiding capture. His people found shelter with allied tribes, creating refugee groups in Nipmuck and Narragansett lands.

Metacomet’s Alliance Building

After leaving Mount Hope, Metacomet traveled through Massachusetts and Rhode Island during summer 1675, uniting tribes against English settlers.

The Nipmuck joined him in July, followed by parts of the previously neutral Narragansett tribe.

He convinced these groups that only by fighting together could they save their lands and freedom. His skills in building relationships created the largest tribal alliance New England had seen.

By fall 1675, warriors from at least five major tribes worked together under Metacomet’s guidance.

Their joint attacks on settlements across the region prevented colonists from defending any single area effectively.

The Great Swamp Fight

Colonial leaders feared the growing native alliance, especially if the powerful Narragansett tribe fully joined. Though the Narragansett claimed to be neutral, colonists suspected they helped Metacomet’s followers.

On December 19, 1675, a thousand colonial soldiers attacked the main Narragansett fort in the Great Swamp in present-day South Kingstown, Rhode Island. The tribe had built a protected village on an island within the frozen swamp.

Soldiers broke through the walls and burned homes holding women, children, and elders.

About 300 Narragansett died from fighting, burns, or freezing. Survivors joined Metacomet’s war effort, seeking revenge.

The War’s Tide Turns

By summer 1676, after a year of fighting, colonial forces gained the upper hand.

Food shortages weakened native groups as warriors couldn’t hunt or grow crops while at war. Colonists started targeting food supplies and capturing non-fighters.

Major John Talcott of Connecticut captured many of Metacomet’s followers, selling them into slavery in the Caribbean. Cracks formed in the native alliance as losses mounted. Some tribes sought peace deals to avoid destruction.

By July 1676, over 400 of Metacomet’s people had surrendered. With fewer supporters and supplies, Metacomet decided to return to Mount Hope.

The Final Battle at Misery Swamp

Captain Benjamin Church, who studied native fighting methods, learned Metacomet had returned to Mount Hope in early August 1676. Church gathered colonial rangers and native allies to hunt the Wampanoag leader.

Using information from captured fighters, Church surrounded a swampy area near Mount Hope on August 12, 1676. At dawn, they found Metacomet and a small group camped in what colonists called Misery Swamp.

John Alderman, a native scout fighting for Church, shot Metacomet through the heart as he tried to escape.

Metacomet died on his ancestral lands, ending his 14-month resistance. Colonial officials cut off his head and displayed it in Plymouth for 25 years.

Visiting Mount Hope

You can visit Mount Hope in Bristol, Rhode Island year-round. Mount Hope Farm at 250 Metacom Avenue (Route 136) offers access to the historic grounds.

The farm is open daily from 7:00 AM to sunset for walking trails.

Admission to the grounds is free. For directions to King Philip’s Seat, check in at the Mount Hope Farm office. The Governor Bradford House museum on the property is open Thursday through Sunday, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Reach Mount Hope by taking Route 136 (Metacom Avenue) in Bristol.

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