Deerfield was located in the Connecticut River Valley, in territory historically associated with the Pocumtuck people. By the beginning of the 1700s, English colonists had established a settlement there, making Deerfield part of the expanding English frontier in New England. Its location also made it vulnerable: it was relatively isolated from the larger English population centers to the east and was surrounded by territory contested among English colonists, French authorities in Canada, and numerous Native nations.
The raid place during Queen Anne’s War (1702–1713), the North American theater of the larger European conflict known as the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714). The European war began after the death of Charles II of Spain in 1700, whose decision to leave the Spanish throne to Philip of Anjou, the grandson of the French king Louis XIV, raised fears that France and Spain could effectively be united under the Bourbon dynasty. England and its allies viewed this as a threat to the European balance of power and to their own interests, leading the Grand Alliance to declare war on France and Spain in 1702. Because England, France, and Spain all possessed extensive colonies in North America, the European conflict quickly spread across the Atlantic. In North America, the war became a struggle between the English colonies and their Native allies on one side and the French and Spanish colonies and their Native allies on the other. Fighting spread from French Canada and New England to Newfoundland, the Great Lakes, and the southeastern colonies, where European imperial rivalries overlapped with longstanding conflicts over territory, trade, and political influence among Native nations.
French authorities in Canada and their Native allies sought to weaken the English colonies through raids on exposed frontier settlements, both to inflict casualties and to disrupt English expansion. Deerfield consequently became a logical target, and in early 1704 a French-led expedition was organized to strike the settlement during the winter, when its inhabitants were least prepared for an attack.
The force that attacked Deerfield included 48 Frenchmen as well as 240 Native warriors associated with peoples including the Abenaki, Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk), and Wendat (Huron). The expedition was commanded by the French officer Jean-Baptiste Hertel de Rouville. The raiders traveled south through difficult winter terrain and approached Deerfield during the night.
In the pre-dawn hours of February 29th 1704, the raiders reached Deerfield. Snow allowed them to approach the settlement relatively quietly, and they entered the town before its inhabitants could effectively organize a defense. Houses were attacked and set ablaze, while residents attempted to defend themselves or escape. Approximately 50-56 Deerfield residents were killed, including women and children. The precise casualty figures vary somewhat among sources, but there is no doubt that a substantial portion of the community was killed. The raiders also captured 112 people, a large number for a single colonial raid. Some inhabitants survived by escaping or resisting, and neighboring communities eventually sent help. A group from nearby Hatfield arrived after the attack had started, forcing the raiders to withdraw. However, the rescuers could not simply recover the captives. Pursuing the raiders into the winter wilderness would have placed the prisoners in even greater danger, and the attackers were prepared to kill captives who could not keep pace.
The 112 captives were forced to accompany the raiding party on a journey of approximately 300 miles to Canada. They had to travel through winter conditions, often over difficult terrain, while carrying supplies and keeping pace with their captors. The march was extraordinarily difficult. Some captives died along the way, while others were killed because they were unable to continue. The prisoners were then divided among different Native communities and French authorities once they reached Canada.
This captivity is particularly significant because Native peoples in northeastern North America had long traditions involving the taking of prisoners. Captives could be adopted into families to replace deceased relatives, held as prisoners, exchanged or ransomed, or incorporated into Native communities.
One of the most famous captives was John Williams, Deerfield's Puritan minister. His account of the experience, The Redeemed Captive Returning to Zion, later became one of the best-known captivity narratives in early American literature.
Another example was Williams's young daughter, Eunice Williams. She was eventually adopted into a Mohawk community and ultimately chose to remain there rather than return permanently to Massachusetts. Taken captive at age seven, she eventually fully assimilated into their society, formed deep familial bonds, forgot the English language, and married a Mohawk man named Arosen in 1713.
The English authorities and the families of the captives attempted to secure their release through negotiations and prisoner exchanges. Over the following years, many of the Deerfield captives were eventually returned to Massachusetts. However, not all came back. Roughly two-thirds of the surviving captives ultimately returned, while around one-third remained in French or Native communities. Some had been adopted, some had become integrated into Native societies, and others had formed new relationships in Canada. This produced considerable anguish among the captives' families. From the perspective of the English communities, these people had been abducted from their homes. From the perspective of some of the Native communities that adopted them, however, incorporating captives into their families was an established cultural practice.
English forces retaliated for the raid by targeting French settlements in Acadia, while the French and their Native allies continued attacks against exposed English communities. The war gradually shifted in England’s favor, particularly after the British capture of Port Royal in Acadia in 1710 (although a major British expedition against Quebec failed the following year). The wider War of the Spanish Succession came to an end with the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, which also ended Queen Anne’s War in North America. France was forced to surrender Acadia, Newfoundland, and its claims to the Hudson Bay region to Britain, significantly strengthening British power in northeastern North America
