Dr. Kevin McBride Lectures On Pequot War Findings

Kevin McBride, director of research at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, gave a talk Thursday evening at the Groton Town Hall Annex about archaeological research and findings relating to the 1637 Battle of Mistick Fort.

The historic battlefield, now home to Mystic residents, is located on Pequot Hill between Allyn Street and Pequot Avenue.

“Seventy-seven English and 250 Mohegan and Narragansett allies conducted a dawn surprise attack on a Pequot fortified village in Mystic, and over the course of an hour or two, over 400 Pequot, men women and children were killed,” said McBride, also an associate professor of Anthropology at the University of Connecticut.

With support from the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program, the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, and the University of Connecticut, McBride has led archaeologists and historical researchers as they continue to reconstruct events that transpired during the Pequot War.

The goal of the research project is to locate and interpret battlefields significant to United States history, and to preserve and educate the public about historic battlefields.

McBride and his team researched the project systematically.  The first phase of work involved historical documentation, finding locations, and understanding English and Pequot military tactics. Once enough background work was completed, archaeologists moved into the field to recover artifacts. 

Documentation and archaeological findings were then used together to create a story.

The biggest issue for McBride was how to identify unknown objects.  Different methods were employed, such metal detectors, x-rays and consulting with military re-enactors to identify weaponry and other artifacts.

Some of the artifacts the archaeology crew found included kettle lugs, scissors, tubular brass beads from breast plates, brass arrowheads (fashioned from kettles), musket balls, armor, and buttons. The crew also recovered non-Pequot War artifacts such as World War II aviator wings, a wedding ring, an engagement ring and $1000 worth of coins, all returned to land owners. 

The Battle of Mistick Fort is “often referred to as a massacre", McBride said.

"While we won’t deny the fact that 400 people were killed, we’ve come to understand, it was a pretty intense battle as well,” he said.

According to written accounts combined with site information, the Pequots got word the English were coming and had time to reinforce their fort. But Capt. John Mason and soldiers under his command had walked 40 miles in two days, a little quicker than anticipated by the Pequots. 

“The archaeology and the historical records separately wouldn’t tell you anything,” McBride said.  “Once you put the fort around it, once you have the narrative, it tells you a lot more.”

McBride’s plans to nominate the battlefield to the National Register of Historic Places and to move forward on the second phase of archaeological work with funding from the National Park Service.  Phase two will include fieldwork at the location of a Pequot counter attack and an English retreat route - slated to begin in September.