Attack on Springfield The Attack on Springfield ( October 1675 ) was an Indian attack on the settlement of Springfield , Massachusetts during King Philip ' s War . Springfield was the second and final major New England settlement burnt to the ground during the war . ( The first major settlement burned was Providence , Rhode Island . ) King Philip ' s War permanently ended the harmonious relations that had existed between Springfield ' s settlers and the region ' s natives , and resulted in decimating 82 % of the Native American warriors , and 23 % of European settlers . The Attack on Springfield was one of the Native Americans greatest successes during King Philip ' s War . Background . After years of encroaching upon the native New Englanders ' land , decimating the Native population with European diseases , and perpetuating violence against natives , such as in the Pequot Wars in Connecticut , and also in the famous incident that resulted in Springfield siding with the Massachusetts Bay Colony rather the Connecticut Colony , ( see : Springfield , Massachusetts , ) many Natives had grown distrustful of New England ' s English settlers . In 1675 , the leader of the Eastern Massachusetts Wampanoag Indian tribe , Wamsutta , died shortly after being questioned at gunpoint by Plymouth Colonists . Wamsutta ' s brother , Chief Metacomet ( known as " King Philip " ) who had long been friendly and helpful to European settlers , took revenge . Initially inciting only his own tribe to rebel against the English colonists , he later toured New England , seeking support from other tribes to rise against their local English settlers . Until this point , the Connecticut River settlers at Springfield had enjoyed arguably New England ' s most peaceful and mutually advantageous relationships with local natives . The Agawam Indians ( of the Pocomtuc tribe ) had been particularly accommodating to Springfield ' s settler , ever since their first meeting with its initial scouts from Roxbury , Massachusetts in 1635 . Likewise , Springfield ' s settlers - following the peaceful and business - minded example set by the settlement ' s founder , William Pynchon - had been equally accommodating to the area ' s Natives . Unlike settlements to Springfield ' s immediate south - such as Hartford , Connecticut , which had fought the Pequot War s , and often treated Natives as opposition - during its first 39 years of existence , Springfield had never suffered an " Indian raid . " Until 1675 , it had been very common to see Natives walking through Springfield ' s streets , visiting with English settlers and patronizing local businesses . King Philip visits Springfield . This harmony ended in 1675 , when King Philip himself visited Springfield ' s Agawam ( Pocomtuc ) Indians , at their fort on what is now Longhill Street in Springfield ' s South End . After King Philip met with the Agawams in their fort , hundreds of Agawam Indians moved to the area of Springfield now known as " King Philip ' s Stockade , " ( currently in Forest Park , a large city park bordering Longmeadow , Massachusetts . ) There , King Philip was reported to incite the Agawam Indians to rebel against the English settlers of Springfield and burn the town to the ground . Luckily , Springfielders received advanced warning of this attack from a native from Windsor , Connecticut named Toto , who in history books is often called " The Windsor Indian . " Currently , a bronze statue of Toto , the Windsor Indian , stands in King Philip ' s Stockade as a tribute to his bravery . Attack . Despite the advanced warning , 45 of Springfield ' s 60 houses were burned to the ground , as were its grist and saw mills , which belonged to village leader John Pynchon . Indeed , much of the town became smoldering ruins , and there was considerable thought given to abandoning it entirely . This idea was rejected , and the residents of Springfield endured the winter of 1675 under siege conditions . During that winter , Captain Miles Morgan ' s block - house became Springfield ' s fortress . Many of the town ' s survivors lived there throughout the Attack on Springfield . Under the cover of night , Morgan sent one of his paid Indian servants to Hadley , where Massachusetts Bay Colony troops under the command of Major Samuel Appleton were stationed . After alerting Appleton to Springfield ' s plight , his troops marched to Springfield and raised the siege . Aftermath and legacy . During King Philip ' s War , over 800 settlers were killed and approximately 8 , 000 Natives were killed , enslaved , or made refugees . The war ended in the summer of 1676 , when colonists shot Metacomet twice with a musket , leading to the Native Americans ' surrender . Following the war , Springfield Natives - who had been frequently seen around town in the years preceding the war - were rarely seen . Thereafter , the fighting between the Connecticut River Valley ' s originally peaceful native inhabitants and the English colonists continued for over 100 years , sometimes aided and abetted by New France . The peace that had enabled the settlement at Springfield to flourish in its early years was forever broken .