THE IRISH IN KING PHILIP’S WAR.
King Philip’s War started in 1675 and was begun for the purpose of ending the rule of the white man in the colonies. Time will not admit of a detailed account of the part played by the Irish in that terrible conflict and only passing mention can be made.
Again taking the writings of Thomas Hamilton Murray (“Irish Soldiers in King Philip’s War”) we find the names of one hundred and fourteen men of undoubted Irish birth or descent. I have verified these names. The list excludes the names of doubtful origin. It is to be borne in mind that the men who wrote the names were, in many instances, guided largely by sound, owing to the inability of the bearer of the name to spell it correctly, or at all. The list follows:
Benjamin Barrett.
James Barrett.
John Barrett.
Peter Bennett.
William Blake.
John Bolen.
John Boyd.
Alexander Boyle.
John Brandon.
James Briarly.
Richard Brine.
Robert Bryan.
William Buckley.
Richard Burke.
Joseph Butler.
Phillip Butler.
Stephen Butler.
James Callan.
Daniel Canada.
John Cann.
James Carr.
John Cary.
Peter Cary.
John Casey.
John Clary.
Lawrence Clinton.
Joseph Collins.
Robert Corbett.
Richard Coy.
Timothy Cunnell.
John Davis.
Thomas Davis.
John Day.
William Day.
Hugh Drury.
John Drury.
James Ford.
Samuel Gary.
Thomas Gery.
John Gleeson.
Phillip Gleason.
John Good.
Daniel Gowen.
Matthew Griffin.
Richard Griffin.
John Hand.
James Harrington.
Lawrence Hart.
John Harvey.
William Harvey.
Sylvester Hayes.
John Healey.
Nathaniel Healey.
William Healy.
Daniel Herrington.
Joseph Holland.
James Hughes.
Matthew Hurley.
John Jackson.
Phillip Keane.
Lawrence Kellon.
Michael Kelly.
John Kennedy.
Henry Kenny.
Thomas Kenny.
Peter King.
John Lane.
Peter Lane.
John Larkin.
Edward Larkin.
Timothy Larkin.
Phillip Long.
John Lyon.
Thomas Lyon.
Charles Macarthy.
Daniel Magennis.
John Malone.
John Maloney.
William Manley.
Nicholas Manning.
Thomas Manning.
John Martin.
David Mead.
Peter Mellardy.
Daniel Moore.
Edward Moore.
Joseph Moore.
Patrick Moran.
Darby Morris.
Brian Murphy.
James Murphy.
Arthur Neale.
Jeremiah Neale.
Richard Nevill.
John Norton.
David O’Kelly.
James Read.
John Read.
Edward Reade.
John Riley.
James Ross.
Joseph Sexton.
Dennis Sheehy.
Thomas Tally.
Hugh Taylor.
Jeremiah Toye.
Daniel Tracy.
Daniel Warren.
Thomas Warren.
James Welch.
Phillip Welch.
Thomas Welsh.
Lawrence White.
Joseph Winn.
“Richard Brine” in the above list is undoubtedly Richard O’Brien, “Daniel Canada,” Daniel Kennedy; and “John Cann,” John McCann. There are many other names in the records who may have been Irish, like Owens, Stewart, etc., but these are not claimed.
One Henchman was among the captains of the colonists in the campaign against Philip at Mount Hope. In his command were Joseph Ford, John Barrett, Daniel Magennis, a corporal, John Good, John Cann, or McCann, Joseph Lyon, William Healy, Daniel Kennedy, John Moore, Patrick Moran, William Manley and others.
Henchman marched to Dedham, along with a troop of cavalry under Prentice, thence to Attleborough and Swanzey, where they joined Captain Mosley. All then proceeded against Philip at Mount Hope. In Mosley’s company were Richard Nevill, Joseph Sexton, Edward Reade, Samuel Lane, Richard Brine, probably O’Brien, Thomas Welch, Peter Lane and Philip Keane.
In Captain Wadsworth’s company were Matthew Hurley, James Ford, Robert Corbett, James Stuart and William Lyon.
Under Captain Lathrop were William Buckley, Edward Moore and Stephen Butler.
Major Willard’s command included Thomas Tally, Phillip Read, John Barrett, John Healy, Daniel Gowen, John Gleeson.
Joseph Winn was in Captain Wheeler’s company; John Riley, Thomas Davis, Sylvester Hayes and Arthur Neale, in Captain Appleton’s. John Lane, John and William Day served under Captain Poole.
It was also necessary to garrison the towns and settlements to protect the women and children from prowling Indians. Among those who did this perilous work were John Cary, James Carr, John Malone, John Larkin, Daniel Kennedy, Thomas Owen, Timothy Larkin, John Boyd, Thomas Welch, Joseph Griffin, Brian Murphy, James Harrington.
In Captain Davenport’s company were Nathaniel Henly, John Drury, Daniel Harrington, Jeremiah Toye, Patrick Moroney. Moroney is also mentioned as having served under Captain Oliver; and Cornelius Davis is reported in Mosley’s company.
In the Great Swamp Fight, which took place at South Kingstown on December 19, 1675, we find Captains Mosley, Prentice, Davenport, Appleton and Oliver, and as shown above, all these commands contained many Irish.
In that fight Philip had assembled an army of three thousand warriors, and had laid in his winter’s supplies, with the determination to hold his position. We find the colonists wading through fifteen miles of snow in the middle of winter and dislodging him; and if the history of the Irish race on the battlefield proves anything it is fair to assume that the Irish were not in the rear. The Swamp Fight was the beginning of the end to Philip’s hopes.
In March, 1676, one Captain Michael Peirce had an engagement with a band of Indians at Pawtucket. His force was wiped out and massacred. Two days later the Indians crossed the Seekonk River and fell upon the inhabitants of what is now Rumford. The old histories tell us that when the Indians approached “Ye Irishman, Robert Beers, was sitting at a window reading ye bible. He was warned of ye approach of ye Indians and told to fly. He refused to move, saying that ‘he who was engaged in ready Holy Writ would not be molested by ye enemy.’” The story goes on to say that “ye Indians, disregarding ye biblical injunction, incontinently scalped ye Irishman Robert.” Robert was a mason by trade, and is the first Irishman of whom we have any record in the present town of East Providence.
The war ended in 1676, on the murder of Philip at Mount Hope. The Indians had devastated the entire colony. Crops were destroyed, or had not been planted. There was neither food nor clothing. Nine hundred men had fallen. Homes had been razed and starvation stared the colonies in the face.
And here we see again of what the Irish are made. We see the people of Ireland collecting money, food and clothing and fitting out the ship “Katherine” and sending her to the relief of the colonies. History calls this the “Irish Donation.”
Freeman, the historian, in mentioning the fact, says:
“It is somewhat remarkable that from ‘divers Christians’ in England and Wales no word of cheer greeted the suffering colonists, and no contribution, save that of Ireland, is recorded in this dark and perilous period.” Continuing he says: “It is worthy of particular notice, to the honor of humanity, that in the time of the distress of the Plymouth and Massachusetts colonies, by reason of the wars, when few families remained that were not in mourning for the loss of some relative, and whose pecuniary embarrassments pressed upon them, the donation from Ireland to which we referred ‘for the relief of the impoverished, distressed and in necessity by the war’ was received. We record with pleasure this noble instance of benevolent sympathy.”
Bailies, in “History of New Plymouth,” says:
“Ireland was the only place in the British European dominions which bestowed any relief on the suffering colony.”
For a full account of the above see “Bodge’s Writings on King Philip’s War”; Publications of the New England Historic, Genealogic Society; Histories of Rhode Island and the Colonies; Writings of Thomas W. Bicknell, and many other authorities therein cited.
In the records of the State of Rhode Island we learn that Michael Kelly was a prominent man in the island of Conanicut as early as 1667. Michael was apparently a Quaker, and was one of a committee of three formed in that year for the purpose of defence against the Indians.
One of the founders of the town of East Greenwich was Charles Macarthy. He was afterwards given five thousand acres of land by the General Assembly for services in King Philip’s War.
Matthew Watson, another Irishman, was one of the most prominent inhabitants of the town of Barrington as early as 1722. His history has been written by Mr. Bicknell.
The present town of Warren was named in honor of Sir Peter Warren, an Irishman.
Another prominent family in the life of Rhode Island from the beginning to the present is that of Dorrance. We shall meet them again.