New Braintree, Massachusetts - Wheeler's Surprise Event

History of New Braintree, Jeffrey H. Fiske

Chapter 2 - Indian History

Before its settlement by the English, New Braintree appears to have been continuously occupied by various groups of Native Americans for at least 9,000 years. Major village sites are found along the valley of the Ware River and beside the larger streams that run through the town. There are also many minor camp sites found on the smaller brooks in the uplands. The town has long been a popular spot for collectors of Indian artifacts, and stone tools from all periods of native occupation have been recovered from its fields.

The last group of Indians that made New Braintree their home were the Nipmuck or Nipnet Indians. The name is said to mean "fresh water" or "fresh water fishing place." This loose confederation of tribes occupied Worcester County and lands westward toward the Connecticut River Valley and from the New Hampshire border southward into northern Connecticut.

The Quaboag Indians are often given status as a separate tribal group. These Indians were centered about the natural lakes in the Brookfields, and their domain would certainly have extended into New Braintree. However, with the start of King Philip’s War the several tribal groups in Worcester County seem to have lost their identity as Quaboags, Waushacums, Nashaways, etc., suggesting that perhaps the term Nipmuck may be applied to them all.

Wheeler’s Surprise: Wheeler’s Surprise was the ambush of an expedition sent out by the colony of Massachusetts to gain the neutrality of the Nipmuck Indians during King Philip’s War. The ambush took place August 2, 1675, apparently in the swamp land that is found along Winimusset Brook in New Braintree. The English were under the command of Captain Edward Hutchinson who had an escort of about twenty horsemen led by Captain Thomas Wheeler. Ephraim Curtis and three Indians friendly to the English accompanied Hutchinson as guides and interpreters. Three men from Quaboag Plantation or Brookfield were also with the expedition.

The name Wheeler’s Surprise has been attached to the ambush because Captain Thomas Wheeler wrote a detailed account of the attack and the subsequent assault on the town of Brookfield. With the start of King Philip’s War it was hoped that the conflict could be limited to Philip and his tribe, the Wampanoags. To this end Ephraim Curtis was sent into Nipmuck Country in July to determine the intentions and temper of the Indians. Curtis found that the Nipmucks had deserted their traditional village sites and had settled on an island in a swamp within two or three miles of the lead mines in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. Although initially hostile toward him, the Indians appeared "well appeased" when he left. After making his report in Boston, Curtis was sent back a second time and found the Indians on the same island. The Nipmucks seemed much more inclined toward peace and promised to send emissaries to Boston....   -Continued...

This is an exerpt from the Quaboag 350th website, related to New Braintree, Massachusetts.  To Continue Reading About The Wheeler's Surprise Story, Please Click On The Link To Go The New Braintree Website