Introduction
In the pre-dawn hours of February 29, 1704, a force of about 300 French and Native allies launched a daring raid on the English settlement of Deerfield, Massachusetts, situated in the Pocumtuck homeland. 112 Deerfield men, women, and children were captured and taken on a 300-mile forced march to Canada in harsh winter conditions. Some of the captives were later redeemed and returned to Deerfield, but one-third chose to remain among their French and Native captors.
Was this dramatic pre-dawn assault in contested lands an unprovoked, brutal attack on an innocent village of English settlers? Was it a justified military action against a stockaded settlement in a Native homeland? Or was it something else?
Explore this website and hear all sides of the story—then you decide.
Teachers' Guide
Click here for teacher created lessons designed to serve as examples of different ways teachers can use the 1704 website with students.
Content Provider
© 2004 Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association (PVMA) / Memorial Hall Museum
Deerfield, MA. All rights reserved.
Linking with Written Permission
Credits
Credits for this project include funding sources, personnel credits, and artifact and illustration sources. Click here for the complete list.
Description
Through this museum quality on-line exhibit, students fully experience the raid on Deerfield, Massachusetts in 1704. By interacting with paintings, documents, audio files of period songs, artifacts, timelines, personal narratives, and other means, students are exposed to the different accounts of the story from the English, French, and Native American perspectives. The exhibit features eight scenes described from the perspectives of the different cultures that were present.
Below is a partial transcript from the website’s introduction:
“When examined closely, the raid on Deerfield is a military saga, a collection of family stories, an exploration of the meaning of land ownership, a confrontation among different values, and a case study of colonialism. When examined from all sides, it is a multi-cultural glimpse of early American history, rooted in cultural and religious conflicts, trade and kinship ties, personal and family honor, and genocidal expansion.”
“This website presents five different perspectives on this one event: Wobanaki, Wendat (Huron), Kanienkehaka (Mohawk), French, and English.”
“There is no “one truth” on this website; rather, we ask you to consider all the truths, meanings and stories about this event, the crosscurrents and forces that led up to it, and its powerful legacy.”
On-Line Exhibit
Click here to begin your experience, Raid on Deerfield: The Many Stories of 1704
