1 Deadliest American Disasters and Large Loss
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DEADLIEST AMERICAN DISASTERS AND LARGE LOSS-OF-LIFE EVENTS1 Homepage: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/ A Catalog of, and Notes on, Natural and Man-Made Events Causing Ten or More Fatalities in America/The United States and its Territories Since 1492 CHRONOLOGY B. Wayne Blanchard, PhD Blue Ridge Summit, PA Dec 12, 2020 Copyright August 2017 Go to Homepage to access: Event Typology (e.g. aviation, epidemics, explosions, fires heat, mining, hurricanes, violence). Breakout of Events by States, District of Columbia and Territories. Rank-ordering within Types by State. Spreadsheet. Lines highlighted in Yellow indicate there is a narrative document with more information and sources in the Spreadsheet accessed by clicking on the URL at the end of the entry. There are more than 20,000 pages of additional material to be found there. Could be one page or over 100 pages per entry, depending on the event, but usually on order of 3-5 pages. 1. 1492-1800 -- North American Native American population decline, esp. disease--~2,800,000 2. 1527 -- Nov, Hurricane, Matagorda Bay, TX -- 200 3. 1538-1539, Unknown epidemic, “Cofitachequi”2 Natives, central SC -- Hundreds 4. 1539 --~Sep 16, Napituca Massacre, Hernando de Soto executes Timucuans, No. Cen. FL-30-200 5. 1540 -- Oct 18, Spanish (de Soto) battle/massacre, with Atahachi, Mabila, AL --2,500-6,000 1 We use the term “Large-Loss-of-Life Event to denote ten or more deaths. There are a number in instances where, for a variety of reasons, we enter an event with fewer than 10 fatalities. We do not, though, include these in tally. 2 Cofitachequi is the name the Spaniards of Hernando de Soto’s expedition gave to these natives. Some speculate they could have been Catawban. (Holleman, Joey. “The lost tribe of South Carolina.” The State, 7-5-2009.) 1 6. 1541 -- ~Mar 10, Hernando de Soto forces and “Chicasa” battle and “slaughter,” MS3 -- >20? 7. 1541/42 Winter, Coronado’s Expeditionaries burn-at-the-stake Tiwa Natives, NM4 --40-50 8. 1542 --~Mid-May, Massacre, de Soto’s men attack Natives in Nilco province town, AR-~100 9. 1553 -- Hurricane, Lower Coast of TX --1,700 10. 1554 -- April, Hurricane, today’s Brownsville, TX --50-100 11. 1559 -- Sep 19-20, Hurricane, Spanish ships and colonists, west coast of FL --?-600 12. 1565 -- Sep 20, Massacre, Spanish troops kill male French colonists, Fort Caroline FL5-~140 13. 1585 -- June-June 1586, Disease, Natives visited by English from Roanoke Colony, NC >360 14. 1586 -- Passamaquoddy Natives “Devastated” by Typhus Epidemic, Maine --Hundreds? 1597 -- Natives Massacre St. Franciscan Missionaries, Guale (St. Catherine Island), GA-- 5 15. 1598 -- Dec 4, Pueblo Natives kill Juan de Zaldivar & soldiers seeking corn flour, W NM -13 16. 1599 -- Jan 21, Spanish (Oñate) Massacre Acoma Natives, punitive expedition, NM-300-800 17. 1607 -- July-Dec, Disease and Starvation, Jamestown Colony, VA -- 66 18. 1609-10 Winter, Starvation, Disease, Attack, Jamestown Colony, VA >400-440 19. 1616 -- Unknown Epidemic Disease, Natives, especially ~coasts of MA, ME, RI--Thousands 20. 1616 -- George Yeardley, Dep. Governor of Virginia Colony, Attacks Chickahominy --12-40 21. 1620-21 Winter, Disease, Exposure, Plymouth Colony, MA -- ~ 50 22. 1622 -- Mar 22, Jamestown massacre, Powhatan natives attack Jamestown Colony, VA-- 347 23. 1623 -- May 12, Cpt. Tucker VA party poison/kill Powhatans, Patawomeck, VA --150-200 24. 1632 -- Nov, Massacre at Fort Zwaanendael (Lewes), first Dutch Colony, DE -- 32 25. 1633-34 -- Smallpox Epidemic, New England Natives, Plymouth Colonists, MA -->1000 26. 1634-35 -- Smallpox Epidemic, Five Nations, especially Mohawks, Upper NY -->20006 27. 1635 -- Aug 14-15, Storm, Pinnace Watch and Wait Wrecks on Thacher Island, MA -- 21 28. 1635 -- Aug 25, Great Colonial Hurricane, New England -- 35 29. 1637 -- Massacre of Lenni-Lenape at Pavonia (near present day Jersey City, NJ) -- 80 1637 -- Apr 23, Massacre, Wongunk and Pequots attack Wethersfield, CT -- 9 30. 1637 -- May 26, Mystic Massacre, English Colonists Attack Pequot Village, CT --600-700 31. 1640 -- Violence, Spanish hang Natives for not renouncing their faith, present day NM-- 40 32. 1643 -- Feb 25, New Amsterdam Dutch massacre Natives, Pavonia [NJ]7 --80-120 33. 1643 -- Aug, Massacre, Anne Hutchinson’s settlement by Siwanoy on Pelham Bay, NY-- 16 3 No estimate at all is made of the Natives killed, thus we have conjectured the number “more than 20,” as a very conservative, we think, estimate of the number of Natives killed. We know from Duncan’s account (Hernando de Sota, 1995) that the “Chicasa” attacked with a force of over three hundred about seven days earlier. Duncan, pulling from the accounts of the expedition afterwards, notes that there was a rout and a “pent-up rage” slaughter. It was usual for this particular force to kill all they could kill when in battle. There must have been a Native force again of something in the neighborhood of 300. We suspect that dozens, if not many dozens, were killed. 4 Refers to those burned at the stake, not to the Natives killed in fighting, or killed after surrender by “lancing.” 5 Today’s Jacksonville. 6 We are assuming that if thousands died, then at least 2,000 must have died. 7 Giersbach writes that the attack site was today’s Corlaer’s Hook, Jersey City. Wikipedia has it that Pavonia was “on the west bank of the North River (Hudson River)…in what would become today’s Hudson County, New Jersey.” (Wikipedia. “Pavonia, New Netherland,” 11-11-2012 modification.) 2 34. 1643 -- Fall, Dutch/English force assisted by Stamford, CT settlers attack Natives, CT--18-20 35. 1644 -- Early (Jan?), Massacre, Dutch and English attack Mespath (Long Island, NY) -- 120 36. 1644 -- Feb, Massacre, Dutch Colonists attack Siwanoys, Petuquapaen, ~Cos Cob, CT8 --500-700 37. 1644 -- Apr 18, Native Massacre of English Colonists along James River, VA --300-400 38. 1647 -- Influenza, CT (~40-50) and MA (~40-50) Natives and other colonies (?) -- >100 39. 1655 -- March 20, Battle of Severn, Catholics attack Puritans, Horn Pt., Annapolis, MD-- 19 40. 1655 -- Sep 15-18,9 Natives attack Dutch in New Netherland (NY and NJ) --16-100 41. 1657 -- Navajo attack Jemez Pueblo, Jémez Province, NM -- 19 42. 1659 -- Measles Epidemic, Native Americans, FL --10,000 43. 1659 -- Sep 25-mid Oct, murder retaliation, Natives attack Wiltwyck (Kingston, NY) -- ~10 44. 1663 -- Smallpox, Fort Orange, NY and esp. northern “NY” Native American Tribes--<1,000 45. 1663 -- June 7, Massacre, Natives attack Dutch at Wiltwyck (Kingston, NY) and vic. --22-24 46. 1666 -- Smallpox, (population of colony about 4,000), Boston, MA --40-50 47. 1667 -- Smallpox Epidemic, Native Americans, VA, especially eastern shore VA -->300 48. 1668 -- Famine/Starvation, Humanas and other Pueblos, current-day NM -- ~450 49. 1668 -- Yellow Fever Outbreak, New York, NY -- >10 50. 1669 -- June, Apache attack Acoma Pueblo, NM -- 12 51. 1675 -- ~June 23-25, King Philips War begins, Wampanoags attack Swansea, MA -- 9-12 52. 1675 -- July or Sep, VA Militiamen looking for Doeg Natives Kill Susquehannocks, VA-- 14 53. 1675 -- Sep 02, Settlers killed in Native attack on Northfield, MA -- 8-10 54. 1675 -- Sep 18-19,10 Bloody Brook Massacre, Natives attack wagon train, S. Deerfield, MA--59-76 55. 1675 -- Sep late, Natives attack settlers, relief force ambushed, Scarborough vic., ME --23-24 56. 1675 -- Dec 16, Massacre, Natives attack J. Bull Garrison, Pettaquamscutt (Kingston), RI- 15 57. 1675 -- Dec 19, English Colonists Massacre Narragansetts, Great Swamp, RI --365-1,100 58. 1676 -- Feb 10, Massacre, Nipmuc Natives attack Lancaster, MA --34-35 59. 1676 -- Feb 21, Massacre, Nipmuc and Narragansett Natives attack Medfield, MA --17-18 60. 1676 -- Mar 12, Massacre, Natives Attack Clark House, Eel River, ~Plymouth, MA - 11-12 61. 1676 -- Apr 18, Massacre, Natives attack settlers at Sudbury, MA -- 7-12 62. 1676 -- May 19, Eng. Colonists massacre Peskeomskut Natives, Turners Falls, MA –200-300 63. 1676 -- Jun 12, Mohawks massacre Native camp whose men were attacking Hadley, MA--50 64. 1676 -- Jul 02, Massacre, Eng. Colonists attack Narragansett camp ~Providence, RI--100-126 65. 1676 -- July 3 or 4, Massacre, Eng. Colonists attack Narragansetts, Warwick Neck, RI--40-67 66. 1676 -- Aug-Sep, Bloody Flux (Dysentery) Mass. Bay Colony, especially Boston, MA11-- 50 67. 1676 -- Aug 11, Massacre and captivity, Natives attack English settlers, Portland, ME-- >10 68. 1676 -- Aug 13-14, Massacre, Natives attack settlers, Kennebec River & Arrowsic, ME-->14 8 In dispute – some place the massacre in Westchester County, NY (Dinan. “Historians Sift Clues…” Greenwich Time, 3-5-2006.) 9 These are the dates for the initial Native attacks and colonial deaths. There were additional deaths on both sides in retaliatory Dutch attacks. 10 Both dates are used. 11 Fifty deaths in August (Increase Mather). Was also reported still deadly in September but we have no numbers. 3 69. 1676 -- Sep 25, Massacre, Natives destroy settlement at Cape Neddock, ME -- 40 70. 1677 -- Leaders of Bacon’s Rebellion (colonists vs. Gov. Berkeley) are hanged in VA--22-23 71. 1677 -- June 29, Natives attack party of 90 English near Black Point, ME -- 60 72. 1677 -- Sep 19, Massacre, Pocumtuck Natives attack English colonists, Hatfield, MA --12-15 73. 1677-78 -- Smallpox Epidemic, Massachusetts Bay Colony, esp. Boston & vicinity-750-1,000 74. 1683 -- Hurricane, FL and East Coast -- 496 75. 1689 -- June 27, Massacre, Penacooks attack English colonists, Cocheco (Dover), NH -- 23 76. 1689 -- Aug 28, Massacre, Natives attack settlers from Huckin’s garrison, NH --21-22 77. 1689 -- Sep 26, Battle, Major Church force and Natives, near Falmouth (Portland), ME -- 10 78. 1689-1690 -- Smallpox, New England and NY, settlers and natives -- >820-1,500 79.