The Sudbury Fight was the last major Native American victory in King Philip's War before English colonists suppressed the uprising in August 1676.
Key Facts
- Date
- April 21, 1676
- Native American force estimate
- approximately 500 warriors
- Location
- Sudbury and Wayland, Massachusetts Bay Colony
- Conflict
- King Philip's War
- Outcome
- Native American victory; English militia suffered heavy losses
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During King Philip's War, Wampanoag, Nipmuc, and Narragansett forces were conducting raids on frontier settlements of Massachusetts Bay Colony. The town of Sudbury, a vulnerable frontier settlement, became a target for a large combined Native American raiding party of approximately five hundred warriors seeking to press their advantage against English colonists.
On April 21, 1676, roughly five hundred Native American warriors from the Wampanoag, Nipmuc, and Narragansett nations raided Sudbury. English militia companies from neighboring settlements marched to defend the town, but two of those companies were lured into ambushes by the Native forces and suffered severe casualties in the resulting battle.
The Sudbury Fight proved to be the last significant Native American tactical victory in King Philip's War. Despite this success, the broader war turned decisively against the Native coalition, which suffered a final defeat in southern New England in August 1676, ending organized Native American resistance in the region.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent