Northeast Coast campaign (1677) facts for kids

The Northeast Coast campaign of 1677 was a series of attacks during the First Abenaki War. This war was part of a larger conflict called King Philip's War. During the campaign, the Wabanaki Confederacy raided settlements belonging to the American colonists. These attacks happened along the border between the New England Colonies and Acadia, in what is now Maine. The Wabanaki people killed and captured colonists. They also burned many farms. This stopped the colonists from expanding their settlements further.

Why the Campaign Happened

Jean-Vincent d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin was a French officer. The Governor of Quebec asked him to unite the native groups in Acadia. His goal was for them to support the King of France. Historians believe Saint-Castin helped the Wabanaki plan their military actions. People in Boston thought Saint-Castin was guiding the Wabanaki. They also believed he was giving them better weapons. This campaign followed earlier ones in 1676 and 1675.

Key Events of the Campaign

In February 1677, Richard Waldron met with Wabanaki leaders. He offered a peace meeting. However, he then took their weapons and captured the leaders. This event caused some Abenaki people to move to St. Francis, also known as Odanak.

Raids on Settlements

In April, a leader named Simon attacked York and Wells. Ten New England colonists were killed in these raids.

On May 14, 1677, settlers had returned to present-day Scarborough. Chief Mugg Hegone and his forces attacked the settlement again. This attack lasted for three days. The Wabanaki killed three soldiers and captured one more. On the third day, Mugg Hegone was killed. After his death, the Wabanaki fighters ended their attack.

They then raided York and Wells again. Seven more people were killed. As they left, they attacked York one more time on June 29, 1677. The Wabanaki fighters ambushed a large group of American soldiers. These soldiers had native allies with them. The Wabanaki killed 60 men in total during this ambush. That summer, the Wabanaki also took 20 fishing boats off the coast of Maine.

The Port La Tour Incident

On July 18, 1677, an event happened near Port La Tour, Nova Scotia. About 80 Mi’kmaq people attacked 26 New England fishermen. The fishermen were in five boats. The Mi'kmaq boarded the boats. They took the fishermen's clothes and tied them up. They were left on deck until night. Then, they were told to sail towards the Penobscot River in Maine. This river is close to Castine.

A few hours later, while still in the harbor, the captain managed to regain control. Some Mi'kmaq escaped. However, the New Englanders captured some of them. They took these captives to Marblehead, Massachusetts. There, the captives were killed by a group of women.

The colonists tried to attack native villages in return. However, these attacks were not successful.

End of the War

The war ended the next year. The Treaty of Casco (1678) was signed. This treaty took place at Fort Charles in Pemaquid.