Page:History of Barrington, Rhode Island (Bicknell).djvu/208

CHAPTER XIII PHILIP'S WAR Swansea — ^Its Exposed Situation — Philip Shut In at Mount Hope — Reasons for War — Philip's Diplomacy — Preparations for Conflict — The First Blow — Suffering Swansea — New England Losses — Aid from^Ireland — Philip's Character and Tragic Death. OUR mother town, Swansea, was the most exposed and the greatest sufferer by Philip's War of any of the New England settlements, and a brief account must be given of that bloody and destructive contest, so far as it relates to this section. Those desiring a full account of this war will read Capt. Benjamin Church's history of the eventful strug- gle between barbarism and civilization, Swansea, as we have seen, extended from Narragansett Bay, on the west, to Shawomet, the present town of Somer- set, on the east. On the south it was bounded by Mount Hope Bay, Mount Hope Neck, and Narragansett Bay. The settlements in Swansea extended from John Brown's and Captain Willett's at Wannamoisett, to Bartram's, at Mattapoisett, and included forty-four houses, besides the Baptist meeting-house on New Meadow Neck, and four gar- rison houses, or forts, one near Captain Willett's, for the protection of that neighborhood, the second near Mr. Myles's house, and not far from Myles's Bridge, and a third at Wm. Bourne's house, at Mattapoisett. The fourth garrison house, built of stone, stood near Thomas Chaffee's house, near the present residence of Leander R. Peck, Esq. The population of the town is estimated to have been two hundred and fifty, the majority of the families living on New Meadow Neck and vicinity. Philip's chief residence was at Mount Hope. His father