In the pre-dawn hours of February 29, 1704, the English settlement of Deerfield, Massachusetts, was attacked by French soldiers from Canada and their Abenaki, Kanien’kehaka (Mohawk), and Wendat (Huron) allies. The raiding party captured 112 residents and marched them back to Canada where some were adopted into French and Indigenous families, and some were held for ransom or prisoner exchanges. Eventually, most captives returned to their English communities and very few remained in Canada.
In 18th century New England, during what are known as “mourning wars,” the Kanien’kehaka and Wendats captured people from their enemies to replace loved ones lost through war, illness, or accidents. If the captive adapted well to their new family and if they were willing, they were adopted. If not, they might be ransomed or killed. As relieved as some captives were to return home, many were never perceived the same way after their experiences. Eunice (Kanenstenhawi) Williams was captured during a 1704 raid on Deerfield, Massachusetts, and never returned to her English family. As an adult she came to the area a handful of times to visit relatives and it was reported that people stared at her, and she was followed by crowds. Family and community members feared what she might have been through at the hands of the “barbarians.”
Other captives experienced similar reactions. Had a captive been beaten or tortured? (Possibly.) Had a woman been sexually assaulted or raped? (This was exceedingly rare.) Had a captive been forced to join a different religion? (This happened, and to many New England Protestants and their non-captured kin, it was a fate worse than death.) When a captive returned, he or she might have appeared different with unfamiliar clothing and possibly tatoos and other markings. They might have acquired a different language or two.
Although the raid on Deerfield resulted in the largest group of captives taken in a New England raid, it was not the only time either Europeans in the New World or Indigenous peoples kidnapped others during wars. The practice began before the arrival of Euro-Americans and persisted well into the 19th century across the continent. The fascination with captivity experiences has lasted to today, as has the literature about them.
Such persistent interest provided exciting grist for narratives, memoirs, and biographies that began to appear as early as the late 17th century. Mary Rowlandson was captured from Eastern Massachusetts and her memories were published in 1684, as The Sovereignty and Goodness of God. Several others from Eunice Williams’ family were captured in Deerfield’s 1704 raid including her father, Reverend John Williams, and her brother Stephen. After his return in 1706, Reverend Williams published his account, The Redeemed Captive Returning to Zion. Included as an appendix is Stephen’s account, written at the same time. Both the Rowlandson and Williams accounts are still in print today.
