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Lesson 6: 1704 Attack on Deerfield
Activity 1: 1 hour
Activity 2: 45 minutes
Activity 3: 45 minutes
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| Key Content Ideas Taught in this Lesson and
Teacher Background |
- Governor Cornbury of New York warned
Deerfield that an attack was imminent.
- Deerfield residents prepared for a possible
attack by training all men to be soldiers. John Williams also
requested military assistance from Massachusetts Governor Dudley.
- Deerfield was attacked on February 29,
1704.
- The events of that day were influenced
by the season and the time at which the attack occurred. Snow
cover and the predawn hour made it possible for the attackers
to breach the stockade quietly and surprise the villagers.
- Statistical accounts show that the number
of casualties, captives taken, and loss of property were significant.
For more information read:
Teacher Background Essay: The Deerfield
Raid and Student Background Essay: Relationship
between the English, the French, and the Native Peoples
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| Intended Learning Outcomes |
Understandings
Students will understand:
1. Governor Cornbury of New York sent a warning
to Deerfield residents that a Native American attack from the
North was imminent.
2. both Native American and French men were involved in the attack
on Deerfield in 1704.
3. John Williams requested military assistance from Massachusetts
Governor Dudley, and that all men in Deerfield were trained to
defend the settlement.
4. the Native Americans and the French attacked the village at
an unlikely time. The attack (February 29, 1704) took place on
a cold, predawn winter morning. Significant snow cover made a
quiet entry over the stockade and surprise attack on the sleeping
sentry and residents easy.
5. approximately forty-eight were killed in the attack. Thirty-nine
were residents and nine were soldiers. Between 109-112 people
were taken captive and force-marched to Canada. Approximately
140 remained alive in Deerfield. Seventeen houses with barns were
burned, nine houses inside the stockade remained standing, and
fifteen houses outside the stockade remained standing.
6. historical references are not always accurate in their presentation
of historical information.
Skills
1. Students will be able to use a variety of
excerpts from this web site to locate and extract statistical
information on the attack.
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| In Preparation for Teaching |
Activity 1:
1. Read the Teacher Background Essay: Deerfield
Raid and the Student Background Essay: Relationship
Between the English, the French, and the Native Peoples
to become familiar with the 1704 attack on Deerfield.
2. Copy and distribute Readings for
Activity 1: Warnings of an Impending Attack on Deerfield in 1704
which includes:
- Excerpt from The History of Deerfield,
Vol. I by George Sheldon
- Warnings from the West and South,
a synopsis written by Lynne Manring from Richard Melvoin's
New England Outpost.
Activity 2:
1. Copy and distribute Readings
for Activity 2: Studying Reports of the Attack on Deerfield
which includes:
- Excerpt from A Half-Century of Conflict
by Francis Parkman
- Excerpt from The History of Deerfield
by George Sheldon
- Excerpt from Good Fetched out of
Evil by John Williams & Cotton Mather
Activity 3:
1. Copy and distribute Readings
for Activity 3: Outcomes of the Attack, which includes:
- Excerpt from The History of Philip's
War by Thomas Church & accompanying "What Does That
Mean?"
- Excerpt from The History of Deerfield,
Vol.I by George Sheldon, pgs. 293-294 & accompanying "What
Does That Mean?"
- Excerpt from The History of Deerfield,
Vol. I by George Sheldon, pgs. 295-296 & accompanying
"What Does That Mean?"
- Excerpt from A Half-Century of Conflict
by Francis Parkman & accompanying "What Does That
Mean?"
- An Account of Those Killed and Wounded,
by Lynne Manring, a synopsis from Revisiting the Redeemed Captive,
by Evan Haefeli & Kevin Sweeney.
2. Copy and distribute Statistics
Worksheet for 1704 Attack on Deerfield.
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Primary and Secondary Sources:
1. History
of Deerfield, Vol. 1,
George Sheldon, pg. 285
2. Warnings from the West and
South, Lynne Manring from Richard Melvoin
3. A Half-Century
of Conflict, Francis Parkman, pgs. 61-65
4. History of Deerfield, Vol.
1, George Sheldon, pg. 294
5. Good Fetch'd Out of Evil,
John Williams and Cotton Mather
6. The History
of Philip's War, Thomas Church
7. History of Deerfield, Vol.
1, George Sheldon, pg. 293-294
8. History of Deerfield, Vol.
1, George Sheldon, pg. 295-296
9. A Half-Century of Conflict,
Francis Parkman, pgs. 67-69
10. An Account of Those Killed
and Wounded, Lynne Manring from Kevin Sweeney and Evan Haefeli
11. Teacher Background essay: The Deerfield Raid
12. Student Background essay: Relationship Between the English, the French, and the Native Peoples
Other:
1. Description worksheet
for 1704 Attack on Deerfield
2. Statistics worksheet for 1704 Attack
on Deerfield
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| Activities |
Materials in Context |
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Activity 1
Warnings of an Impending Attack on Deerfield in 1704
A. Instruct students to read the excerpts
from Readings for Activity 1: Warnings of an Impending
Attack on Deerfield in 1704. Ask students to imagine
what might have been going through the minds of Deerfield
residents upon hearing of a possible attack on their village.
Have them imagine that they are Deerfield residents. Do
they believe the warnings? Why or why not? What precautions
would they take? Discuss.
B. Instruct students to create a poem
or short story based on their imaginings.
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Readings
for Activity 1: Warnings of an Impending Attack on Deerfield
in 1704
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Activity 2
Studying Reports of The Attack
A. Inform students that they will be
reading some excerpts that tell about the 1704 attack on
Deerfield. Ask them to listen for two things. First they
should try to figure out from the readings what happened
during the attack. Second, they should listen for descriptive
words that were used to describe the Native Americans and
what they did.
1. Distribute Description Worksheet
for the 1704 attack on Deerfield.
2. Read to (or with) students the excerpts
from Readings for Activity 2: Studying Reports of the
Attack on Deerfield. Ask students to complete their
worksheets.
3. Ask students to refer to their worksheets as you discuss
the words used to describe the attack. Students will be
analyzing the language used to describe the events in an
effort to understand bias and point of view in the writing.
Ask:
- Are these descriptions a fair
way of reporting? Why or why not?
- How might the writers of these
reports have felt?
- Why were these words used?
- Were you ever called a name
that you didn't like? Why do you think that person called
you that name?
- Do you see words like these
being used in reports about attacks today? Why or why
not?
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Description Worksheet
Readings
for Activity 2: Studying Reports of the Attack on Deerfield
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Activity 3
Outcomes of the Attack
A. Divide students into groups and distribute
a different selection of excerpts from Readings for Activity
3: Outcomes of the Attack to each group. Also distribute
copies of the Statistics Worksheet for 1704 Attack on Deerfield,
one for each excerpt.
B. Instruct groups to read their excerpts
carefully and complete a worksheet for each excerpt.
C. Ask students to review the worksheet
and discuss the possible reasons for discrepancies among
the sources. [Note: the primary sources were written from
memory after the fact; none were written at the time of
the attack; some numbers in the primary sources were purposely
inflated for political reasons, and the secondary sources
were written long after those who experienced the attack
were dead.]
D. Chart students' findings on the board
and then ask:
- What might explain why these numbers don't agree?
- Which sources are you most likely to believe? Why?
- What are some of the most important points brought up
in these writings? Should these statistics be included in
those important points? Why or why not?
- What conclusions can you draw from this exercise?
E. Have students write summaries of the
events studied.
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Readings
for Activity 3: Outcomes of the Attack
Statistics worksheet
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Use students' poems/stories and written summaries
to assess the degree to which they achieved the intended learning
outcomes for this lesson.
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