An illustrated lecture by David J. Naumec, Senior Historian and Archaeologist at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center

Sunday, August 12th, 2018
Time: 4 p.m.
Location: Museum, 2nd Floor.

After more than 380 years the Pequot War (1636-1637) remains one of the most controversial and significant events in the Colonial and Native history of North America. The war has been debated, discussed, and analyzed for centuries in hundreds of articles, books, narratives, and films. In 2006, the History Channel included the “Massacre at Mystic” as the first episode in its 10 Days that Unexpectedly Changed America.

The war has largely been examined as a land-based conflict which follows the English invasion of Block Island, the Pequot Siege of Saybrook Fort, the Pequot attack on Wethersfield, the Mistick Fort Campaign and the Quinnipiac Campaign. What many historians overlook is the central role that Native American and European watercraft played during the war as well as the strategic importance of the offshore islands. The English attack on Block Island was the first recorded amphibious assault in North America and once the war began, the Pequot sent their women and children to islands in Long Island Sound and planted cornfields offshore on the islands as well. During the Siege of Saybrook Fort, Pequot forces targeted English vessels on the Connecticut River. The incredible success of the Mistick Campaign was due in part to the English sailing their forces beyond Pequot territory to make the enemy believe they were in retreat only to land to the east in Narragansett Bay for an overland sneak attack. The last battle of the war was possible only with a small English naval force to provide logistical support. The war ended where it began with another landing on Block Island.

David Naumec, Senior Historian and Archaeologist, at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center will discuss this hidden maritime history of the Pequot War and also examine the types of Native and English watercraft used during the conflict.

David J. Naumec is the Senior Historian and Staff Archaeologist at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center. Mr. Naumec serves as the historian and archaeologist for all museum Battlefield Archaeology projects. He holds a B.A in Public History Administration from the University of Connected and a Master’s Degree in History & Museum Studies from Tufts University. Mr. Naumec specializes in Early American History, Native and African American History and has worked as a museum professional at the Pequot Museum since 2000. He is finishing his doctorate at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts.

For more information on the Pequot War, visit pequotwar.org