The Deerfield Massacre: A Surprise Attack, a Forced March, and the Fight for Survival in Early America

by James L. Swanson

In the tradition of the New York Times bestseller Empire of the Summer Moon comes a spellbinding account of a forgotten chapter in American the deadly confrontation between Native Americans and colonists in Massachusetts in 1704 and the tragic saga that unfolded, written by acclaimed historian James Swanson.

Once it was one of the most famous events in early American history. Today, it has been nearly forgotten.

In an obscure, two-hundred-year-old museum in a little village in western Massachusetts, there lies what once was the most revered but now totally forgotten relic from the history of early New England—the massive, tomahawk-scarred door that came to symbolize the notorious Deerfield Massacre. This impregnable barricade—known to early Americans as “The Old Indian Door”—constructed from double-thick planks of Massachusetts oak and studded with hand-wrought iron nails to repel the flailing tomahawk blades of several attacking native tribes, is the sole surviving artifact from the most dramatic moment in colonial American Leap Year, February 29, 1704, a cold, snowy night when hundreds of native Americans and their French allies swept down upon an isolated frontier outpost and ruthlessly slaughtered its inhabitants.

The sacking of Deerfield led to one of the greatest sagas of adventure, survival, sacrifice, family, honor, and faith ever told in North America. 112 survivors, including their fearless minister, the Reverand John Williams, were captured and led on a 300-mile forced march north, into enemy territory in Canada. Any captive who faltered or became too weak to continue the journey—including Williams’s own wife and one of his children—fell under the knife or tomahawk.

Survivors of the march willed themselves to live and endured captivity. Ransomed by the King of England’s royal governor of Massachusetts, the captives later returned home to Deerfield, rebuilt their town and, for the rest of their lives, told the incredible tale. The memoir of Rev. Williams, The Redeemed Captive , became the first bestselling book in American history and published a few years after his liberation, it remains a literary classic. The old Indian door is a touchstone that conjures up one of the most dramatic and inspiring stories of colonial America—and now, finally, this legendary event is brought to vivid life by popular historian James Swanson.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Historical, War, True Crime, Audiobook

336 pages, Hardcover

First published February 27, 2024

About the author

James L. Swanson was an American author and historian famous for his New York Times best-seller Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, focusing on the biography of John Wilkes Booth and his plot to kill Lincoln and other cabinet members. For this book he earned an Edgar Award. He was a Senior Fellow at the Heritage Foundation and appeared on C-SPAN on behalf of the Koch-affiliated libertarian CATO Institute think tank.

Reviews

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have recently become more interested in American history, for what reason I’m not entirely sure but I’m really enjoying a lot of historical reading, both fiction and non fiction. I was drawn to this as I’m from Massachusetts and honestly don’t know a lot about our pre-revolution history outside of the Salem area. I don’t think I’d heard of the Deerfield massacre at all, and had never considered how the Pioneer valley really was the frontier back at this time. This was a wonderfully researched account of the events and politics that led to the raid on Deerfield and gives a good picture of what life was like at the end of the 17th century. I will say the second half of the book got a little sluggish for me, but as I finished it I saw how the entire history of Deerfield was being wrapped into this story, including future efforts at preservation and bringing the Native narrative better into focus (instead just being the savage, inferior “red man” who was pushed to extinction). As a not-particularly-scholarly person, this was accessible, very informative, and enjoyable to read: it made me want to drive a couple hours out to Deerfield to explore, as I have been there before but never paid attention to the history!

Note - I hope someone goes back over the text with a fine toothed comb before final publication, I noticed at least half a dozen small editing/grammatical errors like missing punctuation, missing articles and some words pushed together. This was an electronic advance copy so hopefully that is not an issue in the final edition. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this!

[Frank · Rating 2 out of 5]

Drier Than Sawdust

A real slog. Only about one third of the book is about the actual attack and it’s immediate aftermath. The rest is about historical commemoration of the events, including year by year summations of annual pageants. I live close to Deerfield and was hoping for and expecting much more. Very disappointing.

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the book the Deerfield massacre by James L Swanson I couldn’t wait to read this narrative as I am a big fan of history in first person narrative from the era but unfortunately this book was part story part quiz and the rest dry material. I did finish the book but found contradictions and holes in the plot. That’s not to say I don’t think Mr. Swanson is a good storyteller or writer of nonfiction I do think he could’ve used with a better editor and with a story this long it is easy to miss some things and this is why we usually get others to read it first and if he did that in the book still came out like this than Mrs. Swanson should definitely have a meeting with those he trusted to help him with this book. I love nonfiction and would be lying if I said I’m not reading any of his books again because I probably would I just think he needs a little work. I want to thank the publisher for my free ARC copy via NetGalley please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate most of my review.

[jim morrison · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Unredeemed Captive: A Family Story from Early America, by John Demos covers the same subjects about the Deerfield massacre and captives, and is much better in my opinion.

[Arash Farzaneh · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fascinating, well-written, and detail-oriented book! It paints a vivid picture of a traumatic real-life event, a surprise attack and massacre taking place in a quintessential American village, which is now a National Historic Landmark, told for the most part from the point of view of the English colonists and supported and accentuated by historical accounts, relics, and documents. What the residents of Deerfield had to go through is horrendous and unspeakable and this book gives them a voice and sheds light on this tragic event with its many repercussions.

Nonetheless, James Swanson presents also a different perspective of the times and the conflicts of the regions by looking at the Indians who engaged in those attacks as well as the aftermath concerning various former Deerfield residents, including one of the daughters of Reverend Williams who ended up being abducted and adopted by the natives and who then lost and broke off all her national, cultural, and religious ties with her hometown and heritage; she started a new life and identity espousing native values and traditions while losing her ability to speak and communicate in English.

It is this carefully calibrated equilibrium in perspective that makes this book so compelling in the polarized world that we are currently living in. There are moments of tenderness when both sides convene and engage in reconciliation after the event searching for ways to maintain peace and deepen understanding if not bring about harmony and connection amongst the parties involved.

As the author himself states, history is not just the story of what happened, but also how the story of what happened is told. And in this case, it is told beautifully not only demonstrating profound knowledge on the subject but also embodying exemplary love and passion for this historic town, its people, and their thoughts, beliefs, and traumas during difficult and tumultuous times.

[Jon Stallings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barely 3 stars. As others have wrote only a small portion of the book was about the massacre. The rest of the book was a slow slog of how the town tried to remember the events and how the details were very one sided from the colonists perspective. The end almost gives the impression that the Native people were justified in their brutality. The author also played down the role of the French. But they lead the raid and had no problem taking in some of the captives. I think the book would have been more balanced to give more detail of how the colonists displaced the Native Pocumtuck and how that lead to the raid.

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I requested this [and went into reading it] thinking I knew *NOTHING* about The Deerfield Massacre and was looking forward to learning more about America's history [the good and the bad, because if it is a book about Colonial New England, Canadian Frenchmen, and Native American Indians, there is bound to be bad unfortunately]. I dove in and about 20 minutes in, I was flummoxed. This all seemed so familiar. Like I had read about it before. I even went and did a search of my books and I found nothing in regards to this massacre. So I read on, still confused, but also, enjoying the detail of the book I was currently consuming. And then, *BOOM* the narrator says something about the "redeemed captive" and I literally laughed out loud because that was all it took for me to remember that I *HAD* indeed read a book about the massacre [and not a very good book for that matter] just last summer and that was why it all seemed so familiar to me. DOH! ;-) Thankfully, this book was a thousand times better than what I read last summer and I learned so much and would recommend this one to anyone.

This is the story of a small Massachusetts town and the attack on them by the Canadian French [from Quebec] and Native American Indians and how that attack/massacre has defined them in the 300+ years since. It is the story of Reverend John Williams, who lost his wife and children [killed right in front of him] and then was forced to march with his remaining children and 108 other survivors over 300 miles into Canada, without knowing just what would happen to them there. They all decided to survive by sheer will and when the Governor of Massachusetts sends a ransom, they are released and return home. Well, most of them anyway.

This then becomes a story of even greater loss. Many of the children that were not killed, were taking into both Native American Indian and French Canadian homes and their names were changed [and in the case of the ones taken into the French Canadian homes were baptized into the Catholic faith and were taught to forget all they had previously known] and they were absorbed into the tribe. I don't think any of them ever returned to Deerfield and their families and their names and lives are lost to time. It is also the story of one of Reverend Williams' children, his daughter, Eunice [who was just seven years old], who was adopted by a Mohawk family, assimilated fully, married a Mohawk man and never wanted to return home, no matter how much her father and family pleaded. There is quite a bit about this in the book and this was what I really remembered from the book I read last summer [as that is what it was focusing on]. This book went into much more detail and I learned even more about Eunice and her decisions, as well as what happened with her father and her other siblings.

The rest of the book is about the history of the families that survived the attack and the history of the town and all that has happened and how the attacked shaped them, indeed it still is so many years later, and I cannot say that I am not intrigued about the museums they have there and I would love to see that door [which is on the cover - THAT story I am not going to share here - you need to just read that yourself]. The amount of research and detail that went into the book is really amazing. There were definite moments where I felt I was right there, as a weird observer, and I honestly couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I have read this author before and I knew that it would be brilliantly written and again, I was not let down. This was just amazing, from page one and anyone who loves American history and how we today are resolving some of the wrongs from the past, then this book is for you and you may find that you too want to take a trip to Massachusetts to gaze at a 300+ year door in awe.

Thank you to NetGalley, James L. Swanson, and Scribner for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Susan Olesen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh.

Although I am intrigued by the Puritans in New England, having decended from them, I have also decided they are a complete bunch of idiots.

Not only do they have no idea how to farm, to the point where they often come to the edge of starvation (to be honest, so do the Indians), but they are utterly, demonstrably, mentally disturbed. Sure, it might have been the times, but still. Your village is being raided, they are killing your spouses and neighbors, they are, quite literally, bashing your infant's brains out on your doorstep, and you're greatest concern is that God is angry with you for not being a good enough Puritan, and this is your call to shape up.

You have issues.

I read the book because I'd never heard of the massacre, despite having been through Deerfield and all the surrounding towns up and down the I-91 corridor all my life. But Puritans are not an educated lot, despite all their Deerfield Academy and going off to Harvard at 14 (which was standard in those days, as it was more of a high school than anything), and they wrote very little of what they experienced. On one fateful night in 1704, Deerfield, Mass - then, the height of the American Frontier, was raided by French troops and Indians, one for Catholic Converts and the other for people to increase their tribes. 64 people died, and 112 were captured - most of the village - and marched off to Canada. Only 60 were ever returned, many choosing to stay with their Catholic and Indian captors. One was the local Minister, who managed to return after years of captivity, and became a hero, though he lost his wife and several children in the attack (including an infant bashed on the doorstep). The raid was a major historical event at the time - a 9/11 of its day - but over time was forgotten except by a number of memorial stones.

The book tries. It tries. But the actual available information is barely enough to cover 75 pages, let alone 250. It drags. Drags. I stopped caring, because there just wasn't enough information to keep the interest going. Swanson has done excellent research, dragging in all the things done in the last 300 years to remember the event, from saving the tomahawked front door of the only surviving house to a silent movie about it, to modern kitsch and marketing in Deerfield, but it can't compete with the still-standing recreations of Sturbridge Village, or Plymoth Plantation, or even Mystic Seaport. It doesn't have the lasting impact.

If you're a die-hard historian of the Eastern seaboard, or the early settlements, or you live in Deerfield, you might like the book, at least the first half. Speaking from just a hundred miles or so south of Deerfield? I suggest reading a Wikipedia entry on the event, which will cover the same available facts without as much drag.

A bit disappointed.

[Chris Barsanti · Rating 2 out of 5]

More tedious than a book about an event this dramatic and obsessed-over has any right to be.

[Stephanie Moore · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let's jump right into it.

I did not enjoy this book anywhere near as much as I thought I would. Historical non-fiction books, especially those that center around America/Canada in the 18th century, are my favorite. When I found out about this one, I was really excited to read about this unknown (to me) conflict. However, I was severely disappointed.

The writing did not flow well. At all. The events described in this book were done so in such a choppy manner, that I quickly found myself just turning to the Internet to learn more and finishing the book became such an incredible chore. I managed to make it through though.

It should be noted that this book mainly covers attempts to keep the memory of 1704 massacre alive through things artifact preservation, pageants, and family accounts. The actual massacre itself was featured in the first part, but the writing made it feel so chopped up that my eyes glossed over large portions of it.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The full title is “The Deerfield Massacre: A Surprise Attack, a Forced March, and the Fight for Survival in Early America”.

The title on the NetGalley site immediately grabbed my attention. I had done a little research about an ancestor whom I had yet to investigate. There is always the possibility in genealogy research that someone linked a person to an event simply because the surnames matched.

At first, I just started reading The Deerfield Massacre as I would any other book. From the beginning, I knew this was not a writer who thought this would be an interesting topic. James L. Swason is a researcher extraordinaire. If I lived in Boston or the surrounding areas, I would register for the American Ancestors event on March 11th where “following an illustrated presentation, the acclaimed historian will be in dialogue with genealogist-moderator David Allen Lambert and answer your questions.”

This book of history — do not mistake this for historical fiction or a novel based on a historical fact — is not an easy book to read because of the intensity of the raid. The brutality of it. And the forced march into Canada of those who did survive. I cannot describe what it is like to read a book like this when it was your ancestor who was one of the victims.

The Deerfield Massacre is not a dry history book. The writing pulls you into the events as they happened. The terror. Why had the Indians lived in “peace” with the people and then conducted this raid? The first houses were built on a trail that had been used by the Pocumtuck Indians. It was a crossroads on an east-west route used by the Indiana tribes, Mohawks and Mohicans. Did just putting a town on the route used by the Indians aggravate them in some way? Why wasn’t there more than one man on watch that fateful night when the town had been warned of possible/probable Indiana raids? Were all of the town residents Puritans? What were the houses like? Were there any books in the town?

[Image of the Deerfield Massacre monument].
You see I have a direct ancestor who was killed during the massacre. His name was John Catlin; Joseph Catlin is his son, one of ten (known) children. I am descended from his daughter Hannah who had married and left the Deerfield area before the massacre. A monument to the massacred victims is shown to the right from John Catlin’s Findagrave page.

You’ll find the surname Mather mentioned several times — Samuel (Deerfield’s first minister), Increase Mather, Cotton Mather (who performed the marriage ceremony for one of my ancestors). Of course, surnames that have a genealogical meaning to me pop off my Kindle as if they were highlighted.

When a horrific event such as The Deerfield Massacre, the interest includes “what happened next”. Mr Swanson provides details of the survivors being force-marched 300 miles into Canada, including who survived that march. Did any return to the colonies? Yes, some even to Deerfield. A key person is Rev. John Williams who eventually wrote a memoir, The Redeemed Captive. That book heavily influenced James L. Swanson’s interest in the massacre. Rev. Williams was the minister of the Deerfield town at the time of the massacre. You’ll read with some interest what happened to his seven-year-old daughter, also forced to march.

The Deerfield Massacre is a MUST READ for genealogists and should be in every genealogy society library. It will be part of my genealogy library as I have much to re-read and reference on my genealogy website* (citations, of course). And those who love history should add this to your reading list.

I received a complimentary DRC (digital review copy) of The Deerfield Massacre via NetGalley from the publisher, Scribner. A positive review was not required; the opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Rating: 5 stars
Cover: Grabbing. It’s the real door that still remains in Deerfield.
Pages: 336
Publish Date: 27 Feb 2024
#TheDeerfieldMassacre #NetGalley #JamesLSwanson

* Link to ancestor on my genealogy website: https://idogenealogy.info/tng/getpers...

[Robert Williamson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was not what I was expecting when I got the book. The actual events of 1704 are covered in the 1st (25%) part of the book. The rest of the book was about how the town capitalized on getting the events of the past to help them increase tourism. If I was from Deerfield it would be a good read for my town history.

[Daniel Waddell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this book 3.5 stars. The first half was fantastic, had in depth and easy to understand breakdowns of the lead up to the raid, key characters with interest, as good as any non fiction story telling. If the book was just the first half I would give it 5 stars.

The second half was only about the preservation of the history of the raid. It became extremely tedious and meandering, from highlighting the 100 year anniversary, to the 150th, to 50 pages dedicated to how the door was sold, and then sold back, to then 1936, to 1950 and how Deerfield then symbolized American fortitude and free enterprise to combat the red scare. Understand some description, but could’ve been done in 30-40 pages to wrap things up.

It was almost two different books. I would recommend to any history fans, but would also recommend moving on to the next good book after those who lived through the raid “massacre” are covered.

[Todd Price · Rating 3 out of 5]

The small town of Deerfield, Massachusetts is the location of two of the most famous events in the first one hundred years of English settlement in North America: the 1675 Battle of Bloody Brook and the 1704 Deerfield Massacre. Swanson covers both events, but the focus of his work is the 1704 attack. On Leap Day February 29, 1704, a force of three hundred Native American warriors of the Abenaki, Huron, Pennacook, and Kanawake Mohawk and allied French soldiers attacked the unsuspecting residents of Deerfield. Nearly 50 were killed, 112 carried into captivity, and the majority of the down was burned to the ground. Swanson covers the key figures, but the clearly key figure is Reverend John Williams, the town minister, who was taken captive back to Canada. Williams lost several family members during the attack, including his wife, and later wrote one of the most famous and best selling books of early America, “The Redeemed Captive”.

Swanson’s history is excellent and highly researched. He relates the events, including historical background and aftermath in considerable detail. However, he dedicates less than two thirds of the book to the actual history, and nearly forty percent of the book details the subsequent history of the community of Deerfield as it sought to preserve the history and memory of the attack of 1704. As a historian, I greatly appreciate this attention to detail. However, anyone hoping for an action packed volume of colonial battle and wilderness survival might be disappointed. Only three accounts of the attack were ever written, with Williams’ account becoming the greatest source of information, leaving historians with precious few primary sources to work from.

Overall, a great historical work, well worth the time to read and learn of a community at the center of early American colonial history.

[Maddy McD. · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a new Massachusetts resident, I really enjoyed learning about a local historical event I had never heard of before. I love reading about colonial America/the American Revolution so this time period already captures my interest. The author does a good job of using primary sources in combination with storytelling to detail the events of the Deerfield Massacre. I also enjoy how it’s highlighted what’s not know and acknowledges prejudices of the day and not ignoring and erasing them from history.
The first half of the book discusses colonial Deerfield and the massacre/raid itself. I think it does a great job of capturing the time period and the events.
However, I was not expecting that nearly half the book was about the history of preserving the history of the event. Ultimately, I did enjoy it and found the information cool as it’s not something I know a lot about. However, I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first half of the book or find it as immersive.
The book does have me wanting to take a trip to Deerfield and see some sites and exhibits firsthand.
[Received an advance copy from NetGalley. This opinion is my own.]

[Rick Mitchell · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a wonderful feature magazine article...stretched and stretched into a book. The first 106 pages of the book are about the attack on the town and the subsequent march, imprisonment and return of the captives. Of course, that was after 48 pages of introduction. The rest of the book is a history of the town after the attack in 1704 through other wars, parades and remembrances. This was a disappointment.

[Cheryl Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book explaining how and why the Deerfield "massacre" happened. I have 3 ancestral families mentioned in the book: Kellogg, Hoyt, and Beldings. The majority of the book explains the geographical importance of Deerfield and the history of its significance and relevance to the "Natives" of the area as a crossroads between east and west. Deerfield was comprised of very fertile soil, easy to grow crops, and was an important site for the Natives in the Connecticut valley. Unfortunately due to all the wars, its settlers were quite poor and never knew when one of their crops might be ruined. Geographically it was closer to Canada than to New York, which I didn't know. The author describes a "catalog of blood and destruction from 1675 to 1704" in Deerfield. One never knew when a family member might or might not return from gathering crops or going after a wayward cow or horse. Yet the settlers remained there.
It was February 29, 1704 (leap year) when the "Natives" (as they are labeled in the book) came down from Canada, silently, using snowshoes (which at that time were unknown to The English). It was winter...the best of time for the Natives and the worst of times for the English, who were snug in their homes and had but one soldier posted as a guard. 41 people were killed in the town and 112 taken as captives. Swanson, who actually lives in the town, and is very knowledgeable about its history, takes the reader through the wars leading up to the 1704 raid, as well as the trek by the captives. Not wanting to slow them down, 19 captives perished on the way to Canada. My ancestor, Belding, lost his wife and he and his son were part of the captive group taken to Canada. Those who perished either couldn't keep up or starved to death. One young girl chose to stay with the "Natives" and in fact married and it was her grandchildren who actually returned to Deerfield. She only visited it once and then never returned. She also lost the ability to speak English. (Eunice Williams).
If you are interested in early American history, like I am, this is a great book to read and understand the forces behind the Native viewpoint, the English, and the French ones. it is NOT an easy book to read and is certainly not historical fiction. The French wanted captives to accept their faith, which the English resisted. The Natives wanted to replenish their people who died either in battle or in sickness. All ended up together in Deerfield, site of more than one clash.
James Swanson, the author, is also the author of "Manhunt: The 12 Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer" which I plan to read soon. As stated above, he also lives in Deerfield.
***One note*** The door of one of the homes is preserved in the museum there in Deerfield. It was a double thick oak door, with nails imbedded into it in case of "Native" attack. It is the ONLY surviving memorial to the old Deerfield. No other buildings survive and it is not known where the 41 people who died there are buried.

[Di Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a peek into an event from American History that we don’t hear much about. In 1704, the settlement of Deerfield Massachusetts was the scene of a brutal Indian raid. Most of the population was massacred, but there were 112 survivors that were captured and forced to March to Canada. Not everyone survived that trip. The Governor of Massachusetts was eventually able to ransom several of survivors, many of whom spent the rest of their lives seeking the return of other family members. It’s a really compelling piece of American History, and what it has taken to preserve these stories and the evidence that accompanies them. #ReadMoreBooks #BookLover #Bookworm #BookNerd #Bookish #BookAddict #BooksofInstagram #JustKeepReading #Bookaholic #Bookstagram #instabooks #WhatAreYouReading #ILoveBooks #igbooks #Bookshelf #BookLife #Reader #ReadingBooks #bookporn #LoveToRead #CurrentlyReading #Bookish

[Jim Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting telling of an 18th century French and Indigenous tribe attack on an isolated English settlement. A resulr of wars in Europe spilling iver to the New World. Deerfield Massacre tells the story beginning with the attack and it's affect on Deerfield right up to 21st century. Keeps your attention. Ficus is a history of Deerfield through the years.

[Mary Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A piece of history that is little known outside of the Deerfield area. I visit Deerfield quite often and didn’t know the extent of the Native American and French raids on the community. Very slow in parts and somewhat repetitive.

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing made following the story of the specific historical event difficult. The Deerfield massacre itself is a small portion of the book. The book mainly focuses on how the memory of the massacre has been preserved throughout history. Unfortunately, boring.

[Troy Lewis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting time in history, hard to “get in to” due to main events happening first third of book and then slow pace of things there since actual event

[Tree · Rating 2 out of 5]

As someone raised in Massachusetts and familiar with the history, I was excited to see this book and bought it immediately. I remember visiting Historic Deerfield and seeing the famous door with the hatchet marks. However, this was a disappointing read due to a variety of factors, not least of which were the typos and poor editing. One example, the author claims that one of the captives never returned to Deerfield, only to have two pages later that she returned to Deerfield.

The author asks questions of the reader. Far too many questions. There is much conjecture where there is no documentation, and while I can appreciate the problems that arise when a researcher has little documentation to rely on, the author’s conjectures have blind spots that I find frustrating. In one case, he writes of how someone, whose identity, he writes, is lost to history, escaped one of the houses being attacked by running out a back door and leaving it open, thus allowing the attackers in. Later, the author writes that the man who built this house and lived in it with his wife and children was not home that night and no one knows where he was. Any early attempts to figure this out were met by his family with only, “he was gone that night.” The fact that the author couldn’t even suppose that the owner was the escapee or even do some digging on where this man would have been is to me is a strange gap is storytelling.

I did learn some interesting things though. In particular the extensive role the French played in using Native tribes to kill or kidnap English settlers, and how Jesuits in Canada had Natives bring them English Protestant captives in order to force them to convert to Catholicism, often using torture in the process.

Overall there is much redundancy. I would have preferred a deeper dive into the attack, forced march, and captivity rather than later chapters devoted to how the massacre was depicted in later years.
Between this and the endless questions, I found myself weary of the book and struggling to get through to the end.

This is the first book I’ve read by Sampson, but a quick glance at his page shows a long list of books he’s written, and a couple of comments below indicate he’s a better writer than what’s shown in this book. I resist the urge to ask questions as to why.

[W · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tad too woke for me liking

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story should be interesting but presented in a kind of boring way. Made it 75% through and felt it was dragging enough that I just stopped.

[bob walenski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deerfield, Massachusetts, in the late 1600's was the edge of the frontier for European settlers. Long before Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton and the cast of founding fathers were born, life was difficult, dangerous and often tragic. There was an ugly tug of war going on between European interests, power and control. The British settlers, the French missionaries and the Spaniards all had their agendas and a determination to dominate. Native Americans, a multitude of tribes and nations, were a wild card that factored into these early days of settlement. It was a complex time, and communication was slow and primitive, for events on the new continent, but also for many of the cogent events that were happening and quickly unfolding across the ocean in Europe.

In New England wars and attacks were almost as common as theft, kidnappings and murders. Especially on the edges of things, where there were no police, no authorities, no real control beyond smallish groups of like minded settlers. There were soldiers and militias, but they were scattered and not always able to help.

Native American raids were common as they were as much victim as perpetrator, and they were often used by French Catholic missionaries as sort of paid fighters as well a fur trappers. In the 1670's Deerfield was attacked multiple times, culminating in the slaughter of over 60 settlers at Bloody Brook in 1665, just a few miles south of the Deerfield settlement/fort.

On leap day, Feb 29,1704, a predawn, surprise attack saw a group of several hundreds French and Native Indians overrun Deerfield. They killed more than 50 men, women and children and took 112 hostages who were then forced marched over 300 miles to Canada to be sold or bartered as collateral. In a few hours almost half of the entire settlement was killed or taken away.

That part of this story was jaw dropping and riveting. I had read about it before, somewhere, and wanted a more complete and thorough telling of the story. James Swanson provided that, and as a history book this was readable and well researched. The story with all it's nuances and the perspective of time is quite amazing.

Swanson didn't stop with the massacre, but continued the narrative to the present day, summarizing the events, memorials, tributes and ramifications of that one evening in 1704. Just trying to return some of the hostages took decades. The vast majority of this story was the fallout and results of that terrible day.

As a reader, I loved the first part of the story and found the actual story compelling and horrifying. The 300 year old story was amazingly similar to events today in Israel and Gaza, something impossible to overlook. And the ethnic, cultural and racist tropes have not changed over 300 years.
I hated both the portrayal of Indian culture, and the way the story was later sanitized by racist historians. The French Catholic missionaries and Puritan British were far more guilty of committing crimes against humanity. It was complex and deadly and full of blame, bad behavior and nothing for anyone to be proud about. There were no winners, just survivors.

So read the book. It was well told, complete and openly fair and objective to the events. My final comment is from the Swanson book about the 1910 film "Ononko's Vow", made as part historic propaganda and preservation.

" Ononko's Vow was a product of its time, riddled with historic errors and egregious Native racial stereotypes that would never survive modern scrutiny. White men impersonating Indians with preposterous red makeup, elaborate cheekbones, prosthetic noses, and shaggy black wigs? Surviving records indicate that not one Native was cast in the film. Instead, the movie stereotyped Indians as "savages " driven by bloodlust, and described the events of 1675 and 1704 as "massacres." Of course, the two principal Native characters were the exception. Ungacook and Ononko were "good Indians," happy to serve the white man and vouchsafe his protection. They represented the "noble savage" trope, self-sacrificing even to their own deaths."

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Scribner for an advance copy of this history book about a horrific event that took place in early American history, what led to it, and the lives of those who survived.

America is a violent place with a very violent history. So much so that events that were pivotal at the time, written about, shared with friends, family and later generations are forgotten by the people not directly involved. Another massacre, lynching, family killing, or mass act of violence, will be talked about and forgotten again. Even in New England where I live where plaques are prominent pointing out famous houses, battles, even sleeping quarters for famous generals, there are still many acts that have been lost in the march of history. Deerfield, Massachusetts is a small town, not as well off as it once was, though many would question that. Eleven houses are designated as National Historic Landmarks, a few kept as museums, as tourism is a economic necessity. Inside one museum is a door, built to be very stout with marks from weapons, a totem of what happened that horrible day, and how that day became much worse for many involved. James L. Swanson, historian, and Edgar Award winning author, talks about a lost time in American history, and the survivors that made it in, The Deerfield Massacre: A Surprise Attack, a Forced March, and the Fight for Survival in Early America.

Deerfield, Massachusetts is located in the western part of the state in the Connecticut River Valley, now known as Pioneer Valley. Deerfield was an outpost colony in Colonial America, built in a very fertile area for crops, with many native tribes in the area. While the ground was fertile the colonists were not. Barter was an economic reality, and constant raids, added with bad harvests and winter weather made things tough for the people who lived there. Regional wars were also quick to start and end, with the people of the town not knowing they were at war, finding out when people were attacked, farms burned, crops destroyed. One of these wars was Queen Anne's War, which came to Deerfield in February of 1704. A combined force of French advisors, trappers, and looters, working with a few native tribes attacked the town, breached the walls, burned the village, and took over a 100 prisoners. And for these prisoners things would only get worse.

James L. Swanson has a real gift for writing and giving readers an almost 'you are there' sense as they follow the narrative. Swanson really captures the feeling of colonial times, the fear of starving, being killed while planting, or even being forgotten. Books like this remind us of how little we know our history, and the horrible price paid by natives and colonists with reverberations that still affect us to this day. Swanson educates readers with his writing, showing situations, explaining local history, and even throwing in a lot of facts and what seems like trivia, but again explain what is going on. The book is balanced, it's not much in the way of bad natives, doing bad things, but explains the exploitation by governments of their people, and those they had to deal with. One learns about the accepted use of ransoms, and how there was a whole literary style of writing called Indian Captive Narrative, which were almost the first memoirs, or probably true crime books of their day. A very interesting history.

Recommended for American history fans, and for those who enjoy a very well-written historical narratives. Swanson is very good at what he does, and creates word that can entertain as well as enlighten us about the things we have forgotten.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I now know, the legendary sacking of the frontier town of Deerfield located west of Boston in colonial Massachusetts is worth knowing about. Previously, I was unaware of it. Its obscurity occurred despite an avalanche of commercial memorabilia; fancy, semi-annual community theater reenactments; popular nonfiction and historical fiction books; Hollywood movies; numerous international diplomatic envoys; post cards, wall artwork, and its continuing status as a significant tourist destination.

The primary remaining real artifact of that leap year, snowy night of February 29, 1704 is 'The Old Indian Door' carefully designed and constructed from double thick planks of oak wood and studded with hand-wrought iron nails to repel the tomahawk blades wielded by several attacking native tribes and their French allies, who, in total numbered at more than 700 individuals. Despite the door's defensive form, a hole was chopped through it, large enough to stick a gun barrel inside. One shot was fired, randomly striking an occupant and killing her.

Part of the narrative includes the capture of the Town's fearless protestant minister, members of his family who escaped immediate death, and over 100 others of the Town who survived the large-scale attack. These survivors were forced to march 300 miles north into enemy territory in Canada. Many captives became weak and fell under the tomahawk or war club as a form of mercy.

I read with interest how significant the perceived concern of witchcraft practice was to these stressed, religious, frontier colonists. And despite their seemingly authentic religious beliefs, out-of-wedlock pregnancy occurred, often resulting in legal trials. Also, the fairly rapid evolving, official religious attitudes about evil are noteworthy. Reverend John Williams' religious superior spoke out, frequently, after the attack, saying that the tragedy was due to God's punishment for their sins. You know, employing the time worn guilt-trip strategy. This Boston religious authority, within a decade, or two, completely changed his mind about the massacre being punishment from God.

And finally, the book details how the reality of the massacre hugely changed over time. One small example, the word massacre was never used by anyone associated with the attack. Also, as time went on, Indians associated with the attack and Indian-assimilated captives, began to visit Deerfield, annually, as a form of a hospitable-tradition vacation. It became the case where both the Indians and Indian-assimilated captives, now reviled Roman Catholics, who visited Deerfield were well received and sometimes invited to live inside their cabins for weeks at a time.

Read this book to better understand the frontier colonial pioneers of western Massachusetts. Understanding that there were concerning crimes and trespassing against Indian residents of this Connecticut River Valley area as British people pushed into it, repeatedly, is only briefly made known in this book.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excited that Swanson has got something new out because I have enjoyed every book he's written, particularly the teen titles that were usually adapted in some way from his adult titles because he's a true history lover.

This is a niche story. An attack by the French Canadian and Indigenous tribes in the East on a Protestant settlement in Deerfield, Massachusetts on a leap year February 29, 1704. They attacked in the middle of the night in the middle of winter on snowshoes with their tomahawks and war clubs. This settlement had been attacked before and it was attacked after.

The book is a lot of history around the attack and finds itself repeating quite frequently, so while it's the Deerfield Massacre book it could have been a chapter on a larger book about early America. There were certainly fascinating details, especially the door with its tomahawk marks, the clubbing of the small children to death as an act of mercy rather than bringing them with the group to their forced march up north, and the bartering back and forth for a daughter, Eunice, who ended up adopting the way of life even when the dad tried desperately to get her back. And Swanson writes extensively about how the area treated the massacre over time (including what it had been referred to for years and the ever-changing updates to how it was portrayed by others and the preservation of history-- nothing in the original settlement still stands).

As an example: a marker used to read "Mary, adopted by an Indian was named Walahowey. She married a savage and became one" it then changed to read "Mary, adopted by a Kanien'kehaka (Mohawk) was named Walahowey (Welahawi). She married a Kanien'kehaka and adopted the culture, customs and language of her new community in Kahnawake."

And I love learning new words like apotheosis meaning the highest or best part of something/ the perfect form of example of something. And interregnum which means a period during which the normal functions of government or control are suspended / a lapse or pause in a continuous series.

"Puritan families loved their children, and contrary to modern tropes, understood childhood as a separate sphere from adulthood and treated their little ones as individuals. As Anne Bradstreet, the Puritan poet, wrote in the mid-seventeenth century, 'Diverse children have their different natures: some are flesh which nothing but salt will keep from putrefaction; some again like tender fruits are best preserved with sugar; those parents are wise that can fit their nurture according to their nature.'"

[DeWayne Neel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The movement from the early coastal settlements to the "new frontier" was filled with violence, death, and hardships, yet the newcomers to the new were willing to suffer for "their place". The land was tempting and free, yet unseen in the woods were the "real owners", the American Indians, the unrecognized people who also had pride in their possessions. Conflict was predictable and it was violent no matter which side of the battle you were connected with. As it was with past history in Europe and England, possession was nine-tenths the law, but there were no laws in the 1600s, just these in the old country, and the settlers had just left them to be free.
The French and the Natives were north of Deerfield and the new settlement was far enough west of the colonies to be independent without established commercial support. As the hunters killed the deer and other game, there were clashes in the forest with natives who depended on the same food source. Who truly had the right to it?
In 1704 an attack on the Deerfield community came from the Natives with the support of the French which killed many inhabitants and burned the community buildings while carrying one hundred and ten captives north to their primitive encampment. The captives were either sold or enslaved to assist with the survival of the tribe. The pattern had been set earlier, a rescue party from the colonies would "buy back" those who were captured. Some chose to stay with the Natives, while others returned, usually without a family or a home to return to. The community of Deerfield remained a small struggling frontier place for many years, still suffering conflicts with the natives in an ever-changing country.
In the 1900s there was an emergence of celebrating history and each community developed museums, pageants, and entertainment to proudly reflect its past. What do you celebrate? Murder, destruction, land thievery, slavery, and the unpleasant things of the Native conflict. Much of history after over a hundred years can be truly fiction. Such is the case in this book. To be honest, one has to deal with half-breeds, not a pretty topic for the uppity British. This is a story that can be told in many frontier communities as the people moved into "free land", forgetting it already had inhabitants.