Siege of Brookfield Historic Markers in New Braintree, Massachusetts

Located between Worcester and Springfield, much of Central Massachusetts is marked by rolling hills, river valleys, and deep wilderness. Filled with farmland and small scenic towns, it’s a completely different atmosphere compared to the urban bustle of the eastern part of the state. Although quiet and peaceful today, over 350 years ago, the area around Brookfield was the site of a fierce battle. One of the earliest in a devastating conflict which would profoundly shape American history but has almost been completely forgotten by the passage of time. 

When Chief Massasoit of the Wampanoag Confederacy and Governor John Carver of the Plymouth Colony signed a mutual peace treaty in 1621, the European settlers and the Indigenous community were able to coexist for over 50 years. However, by the 1670s, tensions had been building for decades and were reaching a boiling point. English colonists were expanding rapidly, and numerous aspects of the peace treaty were being violated repeatedly by the settlers. After three Wampanoag men were executed by Plymouth Colony officials in 1675, the son of Chief Massasoit, Metacomet known as “King Philip” by the English, gathered a coalition of tribes to resist European expansion and war began after a native attack on Swansea, Massachusetts on June 24, 1675. 

Soon after many villages and settlements across Massachusetts were being raided with colonial militias launching counterattacks. One of the first English settlers in central Massachusetts near Worcester was Ephraim Curtis, who spoke the local languages and was very familiar with native diplomacy. He had to leave the area once hostilities broke out, and later commissioned as a Lieutenant by the colonial government and dispatched to get assurances of loyalty from the Nipmuc tribes. Curtis met with Chief Muttawmp but unbeknownst to Curtis, the Nipmuc had already joined Metacomet, but Muttawmp feigned an alliance and friendship. Muttawmp promised to show himself in Boston for negotiations, but the colonial government didn’t believe him and instead dispatched Captain Edward Hutchinson, Captain Thomas Wheeler, around 30 mounted militia, and a handful of Christian Praying Indian scouts from Natick to force terms on Muttawmp directly. 

On August 2, 1675, as the group got closer, they discovered numerous abandoned Nipmuc villages, and the native guides from Natick advised turning back, but the militia pressed onwards. Soon after, Muttawmp’s warriors ambushed them with bows and guns killing eight militia members and wounding many including both Wheeler and Hutchinson with the latter succumbing to his injuries a couple weeks later. The colonial forces were completely disorganised, unable to retreat or return fire and would’ve been wiped out completely if not for the Natick scouts who were able to guide them to safety. 

Once out of immediate danger, the surviving militia members retreated to Brookfield and the Quabaug Plantation where Nipmuc warriors laid siege to the small, isolated village. The militia joined with the residents to fortify the defences and in total around 80 people were trapped. The house of Sergeant John Ayers who had been killed in the ambush was the largest building in the village so that became the headquarters for the colonial defenders. Muttawmp’s men tried to break the siege multiple times including lighting a wagon filled with dry hay on fire and pushing it towards to the house to burn it down. On August 4, the chief military officer of Middlesex County, Simon Willard, arrived with around 48 troops and multiple Mohegan allies lifting the siege and relieving the defenders. Muttawmp’s warriors retreated and set up an encampment nearby which was later joined by Metacomet and his troops who rewarded the Nipmuc chief. 

The Siege of Brookfield was one of the earliest battles in King Philip’s War which would absolutely devastate New England with dozens of settlements and villages destroyed and pushed many of the indigenous tribes to the brink of extinction. Today, the memory and history of this brutal conflict have been almost completely forgotten, but remnants and echoes can still be found by those who know where to look. Along West Road in New Braintree, MA, a stone marker can be found describing the initial ambush in the approximate area where historians believe it occurred. It reads,  

“Somewhere within a half mile, along the base of this hill, Capt. Edward Hutchison, and his company, were attacked by Indians, lying in ambush, Aug. 2, 1675, and he and more than one half his men, slain or wounded”. 

On Hardwick Road east of Winimusset Brook is another stone marker which indicates the location where Metacomet and Muttawmp had their campsite which reads, “Site of King Philip’s Camp, August 1675.” 

Although it may not look like much and most people probably don’t realise it exists, these stone markers are one of the few remnants left of a chapter in Massachusetts history that has fallen into the pages of obscurity. If you have an interest in the history of King Philip’s War, it’s definitely worth taking a look if you’re in the area.