In the depths of the Great Swamp near Exeter, a 30 ft high shaft of unworked granite stands surrounded by four low stones with their inscriptions nearly eroded. It was here on a frigid December night in 1675 that the forces of the United Colonies and their allies attacked a fortified settlement of Narragansett and Wampanoag Indians. Fighting through the freezing night, they eventually set the huts on fire, burning women and children to death. Scores of fighters on both sides were slaughtered and even the "victorious" colonists questioned their actions.

This is one of Rhode Island's three most haunting memorials to King Phillip's War which swept through New England before the Revolution. There are many accounts of the war, told from many perspectives, but its most fascinating legacies are the memorials that mark its traces around the state. They are all on the actual sites of the war, and for that reason, they have a special power and meaning.

The Great Swamp Fight Memorial was raised in 1906 by the Societies of Colonial Wars. The dedication was a stirring event with descendents of both sides of the battle attending. The dedication speaker said of the monument, "We dedicate this rugged granite shaft, frost-riven from the native hills, untouched by the tool of man, as a fitting emblem of the rugged and unadorned Pilgrim and Puritan of 16 hundred and 75." Three members of the Narragansett tribe pulled the veil from the stone before the sky opened and the rain poured down.

Up north, in Cumberland, a pile of rocks held together with cement marks the spot where nine men were tortured and murdered by the Narrangansetts. They were the remainders of the English Captain Pierce's troops. After their death, local residents immediately buried them and that spot, named "Nine Men's Misery", was marked with a cairn.

In 1790, the spot was raided by medical students led by a Dr. Bowen to study the victims' bones. In an early case of forensics, they hoped to identify the body of victim Benjamin Bucklin, who was unusually large and had a double row of teeth. Locals were outraged and surrounded the team, forcing them to rebury the bones. But it wasn't the only time the grave was raided. Things got so bad that in 1928, to prevent further desecration, the monks who owned the property cemented the rocks of the cairn together. Eventually the RI Historical Society marked the spot with a plaque.

Today, the grave can be found on a ridge deep in the woods around the Cumberland Library. The trail to it is marked with orange markers. There is an eerie atmosphere there and those who know the story can almost feel the chilling anticipation of the event.

Over in Bristol, deep in the woods near the Haffenreffer Museum, an old well stands on the traditional site of King Phillip's death. It was here that Metacom (the real name for King Phillip) was betrayed, murdered and beheaded. According to legend, his head was displayed on a post in Plymouth for 25 years. It is a tragic place, but simple, to mark the end of an important leader. Nearby, a square stone marker, which the RI Historical Society placed in 1877, marks the site.

There are other sites that recall this war, of course. Smith's Castle in North Kingstown, Queen's Fort in Exeter and the graves of soldiers who died in the war in Kickemuit Cemetery.

Why visit these memorials of a 300-year-old war?

Not only are they beautiful and haunting sites on their own, but they recall a war that formed New England's identity. When we visit them, we grow more aware of who we are and where we came from. And if we listen to history, we may come to understand how we can live wisely in the future.

Photos by Patti Cassidy.

Militaryhistoryonline.com has an excellent account of this fascinating war.

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