The New World Times

     King William’s War, from 1689 to now, ensues from a territorial and economic war between France and Britain that has now spread to the New England front.

The Roots of the War

     The King William’s War is a war stemming from the War of the Augsburg Successions, or the Grand Alliance War, in Europe. The War of the Augsburg Successions originated when William III, ruler of Britain, joined the League of Augsburg to oppose Louis XIV’s French invasion of the Rhenish Palatinate on September 25, 1688. Here in the New England colonies, the settlers have translated this war into their own conflict, King William’s War. Beginning in 1689, this pitted the British colonies against the French colonies, both who used their Native American allies such as the Iroquois, Abenakis, Onega, Obijawa, Mohawk, and the Micmac. King William’s War also emerged from the longstanding disagreement about Native American tribes and their involvement to the fur trade. At that time, the Iroquois League of Five Nations dominated the fur trade and tended to sway towards the British when trading. This made the French disgruntled, so they started pressuring the Iroquois into trading or allying. The French became even more fearful of the British-Iroquois alliance after Britain conquered New York from the Dutch. The Iroquois turned to city’s new masters for trade, instead of the French. When the Iroquois raided a French town called Lachine and killed 200 French colonists, this was the last straw for the discontented French. A guerilla style war was declared against British troops and their native allies.

     Meanwhile, British forces felt alarmed by the increasing viciousness of the Abenaki, allied with the French, as they continued to ravage New England forts. The Abenaki’s fury arose from Sir Edmund Andros’s, governor of New England’s northern colonies, attack against Jean Vincent de l’Abadie, Baron de Saint Castin. This peremptory strike in April 1688 only served to drive French forces off of British Territory. However, this enraged the Abenakis who were related to him by marriage. With tensions arising from Native Americans, settlers in both New England and New France ultimately sparked the extensive King William’s War that has feverishly continued through current times.

     In July, 1689, a Native American massacre occurred in Dover, New Hampshire. The story goes that two squaws came begging one night for food and housing. After being admitted, they rose in the night and allowed many Native Americans to storm the town and kill over half the inhabitants. In February, 1690, a similar incident ensued where Native Americans attacked Schenectady at midnight. In a few hours, the battle was over, and Schenectady lay in ruins. Such events have happened to many more towns over the course of the years leading up to now. No one is safe while war rages both in the colonies and the homeland.

Enter the Battlefield

    The present situation in the New England colonies is dire. Everywhere, towns have been destroyed, people are fearing for their lives, and chaos has reigned supreme. French King Louis XIV enlisted the aid of Louis de Buede de Frontenac to crush British enemies in North America. While British have the upper hand in troops, the French have counterracted this advantage with small guerrilla warfare groups known for striking in the night and destroying whole villages. In 1690, Frontenac ordered an attack on New York, New Hampshire, and Maine. However, they did less damage than expected, and the outraged British gathered in April 1691 to plan an attack against New France. They retaliated by attacking Port Royal later that year. British and Iroquois forces destroyed Port Royal and moved to seize Quebec. William Phips organized 32 ships and 2300 troops only to be defeated on October 25th due to the Quebec defense and the looming winter on the St. Lawrence River. The failed expedition put Massachusetts and the New England colonies some 40,000 pounds in debt, forcing a depreciated paper currency and the abandonment of many frontier towns.

     The most recent skirmish has been the Battle of La Hogue, in May 1692, where British and Dutch settlers defeated the French in Europe. This was a battle right after the Battle of Barfleur in which the pursuing British fleet, lead by Admiral of the Fleet Edward Russell, destroyed a number of French ships near the port of Saint-Vaast-la-Hogue. On May 25, 1692, the British burned three of the French’s most prominent flagships: the “Soleil Royal”, the “Triomphant”, and the “Admirable”.  This British victory could easily translate into more battles in the colonies. Tension is running high and the tables of the war could easily change in each crucial battle that plays out.

Origins

    Many settlers in the community have complained about the Salem Witch Trials and the effects to their daily lives. Witches have been accused and no one feels safe. However, it is very possible that these feelings of insecurity, mistrust, and suspicion have originated from the raging war just outside the town. The King William’s War has terrorized many into believing that a greater evil force is behind the violence. That may be what is causing this sudden uprising in creatures like witches. Only time and investigation can solve this mystery of the Salem Witch Trials.