Raid on Deerfield: The Many Stories of 1704

In 1704, 300 Frenchmen and their Native American allies raided Deerfield, Massachusetts, capturing 112 men, women, and children who were forced to march 300 miles to Canada during the winter. Eventually, about two-thirds of the captives were released and returned to Deerfield, while one-third remained with their captors.

This multimedia exhibit asks users to read evidence about the raid and then decide whether it was part of a larger pattern of cross-cultural violence or an aberration. As evidence, the website presents short historical background essays on the white settlement patterns that led to profound tensions, information on the five cultural groups involved in the raid (English, French, Mohawk, Huron, and Wobanaki), 28 individual biographies of participants in the raid, a dozen maps, several audio clips of Native American creation stories, five 17th-century popular songs, eight selections of 17th- and 18th- century French music, and excerpts from the opera The Captivation of Eunice Williams. This website is valuable as both a teaching tool, and an electronic exhibition that seeks to immerse users in a particular historical moment.

Read a more in-depth review of Raid on Deerfield: The Many Stories of 1704 written by Richard Rabinowitz of the American History Workshop.

Or explore other website reviews at History Matters.