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Osprey Campaign #354
King Philip's War 1675-76: America's Deadliest Colonial Conflict
A superbly illustrated study of a major conflict between the southern New England colonists and the area's indigenous Native Americans, which comprised the Native Americans' last major effort to drive the English colonists out of New England.
King Philip's War was the result of over 50 years' tension between the native inhabitants of New England and its colonial settlers, as the two parties competed for land and resources. The Native Americans were led by the Wampanoag chief Metacomet (who adopted the name Philip on account of the friendly relations between his father Massasoit and the Mayflower Pilgrims), and comprised a coalition of the Wampanoag, Nipmuck, Pocumtuck, and Narraganset tribes. They fought against a force of over 1,000 men raised by the New England Confederation of Plymouth, Connecticut, New Haven, and Massachusetts Bay, alongside their Indian allies the Mohegans and Mohawks. The fighting took place in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and later Maine and New Hampshire. It resulted in the destruction of 12 of the region's towns, while over half the towns in New England were attacked and thousands of homes burnt to the ground by warriors from Metacomet's coalition. Although the end result was a victory for the colonists, the war brought the local economy to its knees, halting trade and increasing taxation, and its populations were decimated by the fighting. Between 600-800 colonists and 3,000 Indians were killed in the conflict, making it the deadliest war in the history of American colonization.
This new study reveals the full story of this influential conflict as it raged across New England. Packed with maps, battlescenes, and bird's-eye-views, this is a comprehensive guide to the war which determined the future of colonial America.
King Philip's War was the result of over 50 years' tension between the native inhabitants of New England and its colonial settlers, as the two parties competed for land and resources. The Native Americans were led by the Wampanoag chief Metacomet (who adopted the name Philip on account of the friendly relations between his father Massasoit and the Mayflower Pilgrims), and comprised a coalition of the Wampanoag, Nipmuck, Pocumtuck, and Narraganset tribes. They fought against a force of over 1,000 men raised by the New England Confederation of Plymouth, Connecticut, New Haven, and Massachusetts Bay, alongside their Indian allies the Mohegans and Mohawks. The fighting took place in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and later Maine and New Hampshire. It resulted in the destruction of 12 of the region's towns, while over half the towns in New England were attacked and thousands of homes burnt to the ground by warriors from Metacomet's coalition. Although the end result was a victory for the colonists, the war brought the local economy to its knees, halting trade and increasing taxation, and its populations were decimated by the fighting. Between 600-800 colonists and 3,000 Indians were killed in the conflict, making it the deadliest war in the history of American colonization.
This new study reveals the full story of this influential conflict as it raged across New England. Packed with maps, battlescenes, and bird's-eye-views, this is a comprehensive guide to the war which determined the future of colonial America.
96 pages, Paperback
Published October 27, 2020
14 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Gabriele Esposito
96 books11 followersThe author of numerous books on armies and uniforms, Gabriele Esposito is a contract professor of Medieval, Modern and Contemporary History at the "Luigi Vanvitelli" University of Campania.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 15, 2025
In 1675, years of building resentment among several Native American tribes towards the English settlers in the Massachusetts, Plymouth, and Connecticut colonies burst out into open warfare. Known as King Philip’s War after the English name given to the Wampanoag sachem who spearheaded the tribal coalition the colonists faced, it proved by some measures the bloodiest war in colonial American history, with thousands of settlers and Native Americans killed in a conflict that stretched from New York to Maine. Yet while Philip’s forces enjoyed several early victories that forced the colonists to abandon their settlements on the frontier, in the end the colonies were able to marshal their far superior numbers and resources to defeat the Native Americans, ending for good the threat they posed to English settlement in the region.
Given its importance to the region, the war has enjoyed considerable attention from writers both at that time and the years since. The quantity of both contemporary materials and secondary sources provided Gabriele Esposito an abundance to draw upon for his history of the conflict for Osprey’s Campaign series. This makes his resulting book all the more disappointing. Far too much space is taken up with a potted history of the English settlements at the start that adds little to his analysis of the war. Worse, the text is studded with inaccuracies far too numerous to be written off as the product of Osprey’s indifferent editing, such as attributing the awarding of the name Philip to Metacomet to the efforts of his father rather than his brother. The presence of so many easily detectable errors inevitably raises the question as to whether other unidentifiable ones exist as well. This detracts considerably from the overall value of the book, which despite its useful maps and the evocative illustrations by Giuseppe Rava must be treated skeptically as an introduction to King Philip’s War.
Given its importance to the region, the war has enjoyed considerable attention from writers both at that time and the years since. The quantity of both contemporary materials and secondary sources provided Gabriele Esposito an abundance to draw upon for his history of the conflict for Osprey’s Campaign series. This makes his resulting book all the more disappointing. Far too much space is taken up with a potted history of the English settlements at the start that adds little to his analysis of the war. Worse, the text is studded with inaccuracies far too numerous to be written off as the product of Osprey’s indifferent editing, such as attributing the awarding of the name Philip to Metacomet to the efforts of his father rather than his brother. The presence of so many easily detectable errors inevitably raises the question as to whether other unidentifiable ones exist as well. This detracts considerably from the overall value of the book, which despite its useful maps and the evocative illustrations by Giuseppe Rava must be treated skeptically as an introduction to King Philip’s War.
February 21, 2023
I am fairly familiar with Osprey Publishing; they publish several illustrated 'army' books that are a huge help for table top strategy gamers who like to assemble and paint their own models (so I have several books from this publisher). Sadly the kindle version of this book jumbles the illustration layouts making it difficult to fully enjoy them. This seems to be a common problem with preview mobi files; the pdf version looks fine.
The book itself breaks down each of the factors that contributed to the war. Each section picks up a specific theme, such as who the players were (profiles of peoples and their leaders), how each side was organized, what weapons and equipment were utilized and how the war itself was prosecuted. Over all, each section was clear and concise. The author doesn't try to explore the causes of the war very deeply, it does come across as something of a colonial apologetic. Even without looking at what motivated the war, you can infer a lot just from how everybody reacted to what was happening and the book does a good job laying that out. I was a little surprised by the lack of support (even some antipathy) from the British Crown for the New England Puritans. In the end, I think it provides an excellent foundation to exploring how the war influenced the evolution of the English colonies and perhaps why New England became the Revolutionary powder keg by which England lost control of her colonies.
I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
#KingPhilipsWar167576 #NetGalley
The book itself breaks down each of the factors that contributed to the war. Each section picks up a specific theme, such as who the players were (profiles of peoples and their leaders), how each side was organized, what weapons and equipment were utilized and how the war itself was prosecuted. Over all, each section was clear and concise. The author doesn't try to explore the causes of the war very deeply, it does come across as something of a colonial apologetic. Even without looking at what motivated the war, you can infer a lot just from how everybody reacted to what was happening and the book does a good job laying that out. I was a little surprised by the lack of support (even some antipathy) from the British Crown for the New England Puritans. In the end, I think it provides an excellent foundation to exploring how the war influenced the evolution of the English colonies and perhaps why New England became the Revolutionary powder keg by which England lost control of her colonies.
I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
#KingPhilipsWar167576 #NetGalley
August 11, 2021
In this concise telling, Gabriele Esposito does a fantastic job describing the combatants, events, and outcomes of this often-forgotten colonial conflict - King Philip's War. Taking place in the late 17th Century, this conflict pitted an Indian or Native American coalition of tribes against English settlers in areas that are now Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maine, and New Hampshire. In the end, the settlers prevailed while the Indian's loss of territory and resources they were fighting to prevent only escalated.
Not only does this book feature an interesting narrative of what could be a dry subject, but it's research and analysis is excellent. Unlike many concise looks at what are either ancient or centuries old events, this work draws heavily from and uses primary sources quite effectively. Yes, it also uses secondary sources which have value in their own right, but it clearly shows the author's dedication to telling an accurate story which, in this case, is only made more fascinating by featuring the era's vernacular. The author's analysis that this conflict in which English settlers were left to fend for themselves even when their entire society was held at risk began the identity progression that led to the American Revolution is both insightful and well researched. This is not saying the American Revolution was a result of fighting Indians, instead the combat began fostering a new American identity in colonists who previously would have unhesitatingly viewed themselves as English.
Despite the rather obscure nature of Prince Philip's War in the broader scope of military history, I recommend this book to anyone who likes this genre in general and North American colonial history specifically. The thorough research and great narrative provide an excellent example of how even a short book can tell a meaningful, historically accurate story which readers will enjoy. For anyone who actually lives in the states where this conflict occurred, this book really should be mandatory reading for high school students or possibly even middle school students.
Not only does this book feature an interesting narrative of what could be a dry subject, but it's research and analysis is excellent. Unlike many concise looks at what are either ancient or centuries old events, this work draws heavily from and uses primary sources quite effectively. Yes, it also uses secondary sources which have value in their own right, but it clearly shows the author's dedication to telling an accurate story which, in this case, is only made more fascinating by featuring the era's vernacular. The author's analysis that this conflict in which English settlers were left to fend for themselves even when their entire society was held at risk began the identity progression that led to the American Revolution is both insightful and well researched. This is not saying the American Revolution was a result of fighting Indians, instead the combat began fostering a new American identity in colonists who previously would have unhesitatingly viewed themselves as English.
Despite the rather obscure nature of Prince Philip's War in the broader scope of military history, I recommend this book to anyone who likes this genre in general and North American colonial history specifically. The thorough research and great narrative provide an excellent example of how even a short book can tell a meaningful, historically accurate story which readers will enjoy. For anyone who actually lives in the states where this conflict occurred, this book really should be mandatory reading for high school students or possibly even middle school students.
December 27, 2020
A good basic starter book for a high school student, perhaps. While I have no problem with having read it (excellent maps and illustrations, note), and will keep it for a time in my collection, there are better source. “Mayflower” by Nathanial Philbrick is excellent, and Jill Lepore’s book on the topic is next on my list.
The author of this work trips up by citing conflicting and contradictory sources.
The author of this work trips up by citing conflicting and contradictory sources.
January 17, 2021
This book covers one of the earliest conflicts between European, in this case British, colonists and the Native American populations of what is now the North Eastern United States.
King Phillip, or Metacomet, was determined to destroy or severely damage the English colonies. The fact that other tribes, the colonial government organization, and supplies from the various ports, were weighed against him didn’t deter his ultimately futile fight. This book is well worth it for anyone interested in early colonial North American warfare or this war. I felt it highlighted a forgotten era with enough information for the amateur historian as a starting point, or the wargamer looking for scenario ideas.
King Phillip, or Metacomet, was determined to destroy or severely damage the English colonies. The fact that other tribes, the colonial government organization, and supplies from the various ports, were weighed against him didn’t deter his ultimately futile fight. This book is well worth it for anyone interested in early colonial North American warfare or this war. I felt it highlighted a forgotten era with enough information for the amateur historian as a starting point, or the wargamer looking for scenario ideas.
January 14, 2022
well done and thorough history
So few things about the New England War of 1675-76 are available. This single volume does an excellent presentation of who, what, when, where and why. A solid first step for the study and reference for follow up.
So few things about the New England War of 1675-76 are available. This single volume does an excellent presentation of who, what, when, where and why. A solid first step for the study and reference for follow up.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews