"The Deerfield Massacre" by James L. Swanson

317 pages; Published by Scribner, ©2024

On February 29, 1704, the small village of Deerfield, Massachusetts was attacked by a band of French and Natives. What happened to the survivors and the long-term effects of the nighttime raid is the subject of James L. Swanson's "The Deerfield Massacre: A Surprise Attack, a Forced March, and the Fight for Survival in Early America".

The Winter of 1703-04 was a typical one in New England: cold with lots of snow. It was the perfect time of year for settlers of Deerfield, Massachusetts to hunker down in front of blazing fires with mugs of ale or cider. Before turning in for the night, farmers gave a thought to the upcoming planting season. It wouldn't be long before crops would be planted, and fields would be sewn with what would be harvests that would feed the people of Deerfield for the following fall and winter months. As they went to bed, no one had any idea it would be the last night of rest for many.

At the time, Deerfield was not a town, but a settlement of houses surrounded by a stockade wall. The village surrounded by the protective barrier was common among 17th century settlements, not unlike that of Plymouth and Jamestown. While the residents slept, French raiders, aided by Native scouts, entered the village with stealth and the help of rising snowdrifts. Doors were broken down (with one significant exception) and horrified, shocked men, women, and children were forced out of their homes and into the freezing night. Some were killed while others would die hours or days later from starvation or vicious blows to the head with war clubs. For what would become the town of Deerfield, the story was just beginning. As James L. Swanson explains, the next 300-plus years would be filled with hostage negotiations and a little revisionist history.

Swanson explains how the winter and snows that came with it would make it easier for the attackers to access the fort undetected and launch their surprise attack. From there, he chronicles the 300-mile march to Canada, then known as New France. Captives faced many challenges on the harrowing march. "The Deerfield Massacre" describes the challenges that came with marching through the woods in the winter, and why the tribes and French soldiers killed specific prisoners on their way to French territory.

After the Raid

Long after the raid, there were multiple attempts at negotiating prisoners' release. These negotiations were stymied by the captors and prisoners alike, and some captives needed to be convinced to leave Canada at times. Throughout the following years, the raid on February 29 is remembered in Deerfield through solemn assemblies and artifacts on display downtown, especially at the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association. Through the door (remember that word as you read this book) of the PVMA, visitors will get a sometimes-slanted look at how the "wilderness" was tamed by the settlers, and what became of the people on that fateful February night.

Throughout the History of Deerfield, the night of the massacre has remained fresh in the minds of town residents and history buffs alike. It gave a sort of infamy to the town that made it a tourist destination. Residents of the Western Massachusetts town capitalized on it and gave curious travelers what they were looking for, even if facts were skewed a little and memories were hazy after hundreds of years passing. There is no such haze or skew in this book. Swanson has meticulously researched his book and makes no room for revisionist history when it comes to Deerfield, the PVMA, or the many texts and people referenced in order to make this book possible. Residents of Massachusetts are familiar with Plimoth Patuxet, Boston's Freedom Trail, and Olde Sturbridge Village. "The Deerfield Massacre" will remind them of a hidden jewel that has celebrated its history and legends the whole time.