Nine Men's Misery facts for kids
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Nine Men's Misery is a special place in Cumberland, Rhode Island. It marks where nine colonists were killed by the Narragansett Indian tribe during a conflict called King Philip's War. A stone memorial was built here in 1676. Many people believe this memorial is the oldest veterans' memorial in the United States.
A Difficult Battle
Captain Pierce's Fight
On March 26, 1676, during King Philip's War, Captain Michael Pierce led about 60 soldiers from Plymouth Colony. He also had 20 Wampanoag Indian allies with him. They were chasing Narragansett fighters who had burned towns in Rhode Island.
Pierce's group found the Narragansett, Wampanoag, Nashaway, Nipmuck, and Podunk fighters. But Pierce's troops were ambushed in what is now Central Falls, Rhode Island. They fought the Narragansetts for many hours. However, they were surrounded by a much larger force.
This battle was one of the biggest defeats for the colonial troops during King Philip's War. Almost all of Pierce's soldiers were killed. This included Captain Pierce himself and his Wampanoag allies. The Narragansetts lost only a few of their warriors.
The Memorial Site
Ten of the colonists were taken prisoner after the battle. Nine of these men were killed by the Narragansetts at a site in Cumberland, Rhode Island. This place is now on the Cumberland Monastery and Library property. The tenth man survived.
English soldiers later found the bodies of the nine dead colonists. They buried them and made a pile of stones to remember the men. This pile of stones is thought to be the oldest veterans' memorial in the United States. A cairn, or pile of stones, has marked this spot continuously since 1676.
End of the War
Just three days after Pierce's Fight, the town of Providence was burned. Soon after, Canonchet, the chief leader of the Narragansetts, was captured and executed. King Philip's War was already coming to an end when Pierce's group was destroyed. King Philip himself was killed in August of that same year.
