Lindsey Graham (18:24)
In March 1623, Edward Winslow rushed back to Plymouth with the news of a potential plot by the Massachusetts Indians to attack the English settlements of both Wessagusset and Plymouth. The warnings that Winslow brought back were soon confirmed when a Wesagusset settler named Phineas Pratt arrived in Plymouth. Hungry and exhausted, Pratt had trudged through more than 20 miles of icy swamps after hearing about the conspiracy in order to warn his fellow Englishmen in Plymouth. Staggering into the settlement, Platt reported that conditions in Wessagusset had grown unbearable. He and his fellow colonists had run out of food and their Massachusetts neighbors were becoming increasingly belligerent. Sensing an attack was looming, Wesagusset leaders posted more guards to keep watch over the colony, but the starving sentinels were dying at their posts. Pratt recalled how on one freezing night I saw one man dead before me and another at my right hand and another at my left dead for want of food. Pratt had learned of the Massachusetts conspiracy from an Englishman who had gone to live with the Indians. Pratt then relayed the information to the Pilgrims, explaining that the Massachusetts planned to wipe out both settlements in a single day and that they were simply waiting for the snow to melt so that the warriors footprints could not be tracked. Governor William Bradford was furious to get confirmation that Plymouth was in danger due to the reckless actions of Thomas Weston's men. But the good news was that thanks to Edward Winslow, Massasoit was now firmly back on the pilgrim's side. Massasoit had urged Winslow to make a preemptive strike, and although no Indians had directly threatened them, Bradford decided to trust Massasoit and heed his advice. Bradford consulted with Plymouth's military leader, Miles Standish, who agreed that swift action was needed. For Standish, the threat was also personal. A Massachusetts warrior named Wetoomat had recently insulted Standish during a trading expedition, and Standish had an axe to grind. Bradford gave Standish free rein to make an example of Wetuimat, and so Standish quickly put together a force of seven Englishmen and his Wampanoag friend Hobbamak, an English speaker and close aide to Massasoit. On March 26, 1623, the party sailed 20 miles north to Wessagusset under the guise of a trading mission. Upon arrival they marched up to the settlement and gathered the men there inside the fort they had built. Then Standish revealed his plan to kill as many Indians as possible. Afterwards, he would evacuate the Pilgrims and Weston's men either to Plymouth or Maine to keep them safe from reprisals. The starving settlers in Wesagusset readily agreed to the plan in the hopes that once they had relocated, they would finally have something to eat. But the Pilgrims arrival in Wessagusset had not gone unnoticed. Soon a Massachusetts warrior approached the fort and offering to initiate a trade. Imagine, it's March 1623 in the village of Wessagusset. You're a Massachusetts spy who lives nearby, and your people are secretly planning an attack on the English settlers here. But an hour ago, you watched another group of Englishmen arrive from the village of Plymouth. Determined to gain information, you step through the mud, approaching the settlement's crude fort. You adjust a pair of beaver pelts under your arm and then knock on the wooden gate. A short, broad shouldered man with red hair emerges, his hand brushing the hilt of his sword. You bow your head slightly. Good morning. I don't believe I've had the honor of meeting you before. My name's Captain Miles Standish. Captain. You're a military man. And we have something in common. Are there other soldiers with you? Suspicion flickers across Standish's face and his hand twitches. For a moment you wonder if he will draw his sword, but then his expression softens into something more welcoming. Yeah, that's right. I am a soldier. But I'll be asking the questions from now on. What do you want here? You raise the pelts hanging over your arm. I've come to trade first. And what do you seek in return? Knives, perhaps? Gunpowder. Gunpowder? I'm certainly not throwing that away for a pair of pelts. Standish's pale face flushes red. You curl your mouth into a smile, enjoying watching him squirm. Well, I would also accept an iron kettle or a plough. Standish's shoulders ease slightly, though his hand still hovers near his sword. Well, I'll have to consult with the others first. Perhaps you should return later. Or better yet, I'll come to you. Oh, please do. And be sure you don't forget. We'll be waiting for you. I never forget my friends. And I don't forget my enemies either. Oh? Which one am I, Captain? I am not yet sure. Standish's words hang in the air, and for a moment you stare at each other, barely breathing. Then, with a curt nod, you finally turn and walk away. But you can feel the weight of Standish's hard gaze at your back. You strongly suspect that he and his men are up to no good, and you're struck by the possibility that they've discovered your plot. Now more than ever, you know you must move against them before they have the chance to strike the first blow. When the Massachusetts spy returned to his group after meeting Miles Standish, he declared that he saw by his eyes that the captain was angry in his heart. The Massachusetts were led by two men named Wetuamat and Pecsuat. They were both elite warriors, believed to have special wisdom, stamina, and spiritual abilities. After hearing the spy's report, Pecksuat approached the English settlement and confronted the pilgrim's Indian ally, Hobomak. He said that he knew what Stanish was up to, declaring, let him begin when he dares. He shall not take us unaware. Then later that same day, Pecsuat and Wetuamat spoke to Stanish directly. Pecsuat was much taller than Stanish and looked down at the Englishman and sneered. You are a great captain, yet you are but a little man. Though I be no Sachem, I am of great strength and courage. Adding to the intimidation, Wituamat stood next to Pecsuat, sharpening a knife. But Standish refused to be goaded. He had a plan to carry out. The next day, Standish and his men, including Homomuk, invited Wetuamat and Pecksuat into one of the settlement's homes for a meal. Although the two warriors were wary, pork was a rare treat that they found too tempting to refuse. But when they sat down, Standish quickly signaled for one of his men to close the door. Then he reached out, grabbed the knife strung around Pexuat's neck, and began stabbing the warrior with his own weapon. While Standish attacked Pecksuat, the other Pilgrims attacked Wetuamat and one of his friends, killing them. Edward Winslow wrote, it is incredible how many wounds these two warriors received before they died, not making any fearful noise, but catching at their weapons and striving to the last. Then, once the three Indians were dead, Hobbamak returned to Stanish with a grin on his face, saying, yesterday, pecksuot bragged of his own strength and stature, said, though you were a great captain, yet you were but a little man. Today I see you are big enough to lay him on the ground. But the killing wasn't over yet. The pilgrims captured and hanged Watuamat's teenage brother and shot three more dead. A group of Massachusetts warriors arrived and began firing arrows at the Englishmen. But Hobbema quickly scattered them. In the end, the raid claimed seven Massachusetts lives, and as a final act, Standish cut off Wetuamat's head as a trophy. Fearing retaliation, most of the remaining Wesagussa colonists decided to sail for Maine, and once they were gone, Standish and his men set off for Plymouth with Wutuamat's head wrapped in a piece of white linen. Standish returned to a hero's welcome, and the Pilgrims proudly mounted Wetuamat's head on a pike with placed it on the roof of their fort for all to see. Shortly after, Bradford sent a message to the Massachusetts sachem, warning that if he tried to attack the English again, he would give them no peace until he and his people were utterly destroyed. A few days later, a Massachusetts woman arrived in Plymouth and announced that the sachem was eager to make peace. By then, the Pilgrims had earned a new name among the Massachusetts Wotockwanon, or cutthroats. But the Massachusetts were not the only tribe affected by the violence. The Pilgrim's raid had sent shockwaves throughout the region. Various Indian communities fled their villages in terror for remote islands and swamps, and unable to plant their crops, they faced hunger, disease, and death. Over the next few months, several influential sachems died, allowing Massasoa to consolidate his authority over the region. And in the months that followed, news of the attack reached the Pilgrim spiritual leader, Reverend John Robinson, who was still living in Holland. Robinson was stunned by the violence his flock had unleashed upon the Indians, and he admonished William Bradford in a letter, writing, how happy a thing it had been if you had converted some before you had killed any. Besides, where blood has begun to be shed, it is seldom staunched. He continued. It is a thing more glorious in men's eyes than pleasing in God's, to be a terror to poor, barbarous people. But the men and women in Plymouth had no regrets. Five months later, in August 1623, Wetuwa Mat's head remained on display when Bradford married a widow named Alice Southworth. In front of the entire community, they were joined by Massasoit and 120 of his warriors. Although the Pilgrims typically shunned decoration, the linen rag soaked with the blood of Wetoowa mat flew above the settlement like a flag. The killing spree in Wesagusset had radically transformed the balance of power in the region in favor of the Pilgrims and their allies, the Wampa. And not only had the Pilgrims ensured their safety from attack, but the year 1623 also marked the end of their crippling food shortage due to a new approach. Rather than growing crops as a collective, Bradford decided to assign each household its own plot and let the families keep what they grew. Productivity soared, with women and children joining in the work. After three tumultuous years in America, the Pilgrims the Pilgrims had finally proven that they could feed their community and defend themselves from attack. But they still had not found a path to long term financial success. And deep down they knew that without a profitable trade, it was still in doubt whether the colony could survive.
