By Kyra Wiens '04

For such a peaceful, quaint town, Deerfield harbors a violent past.

This year this will be evident as the 300th anniversary of the "Deerfield Massacre" is commemorated with musical interpretations and museum shows.

There's only one problem: the famous massacre might not have lived up to its name.

Some historians dispute the term "massacre." Kevin Sweeney, an Amherst professor and expert on the Deerfield "turmoil," noted that the assault was relatively nonviolent. Not until 1804 was the term "massacre" even applied. The name stuck, maybe because it attracted tourists.

The raid on Deerfield is significant because 112 people were captured, twice as many as in any prior raids. Forty-one townspeople, as well as twenty-nine French and Indian raiders, were killed.

Mass slaughter, however, was not a motive. The fifty French soldiers wanted to protect their colony from the English, believing that the best defense was a good offense. They enlisted the help of 200 Native Americans who had been driven out of New England. Some Natives who had lost family members in wars with the English wanted captives. These captives would fill in for lost family members, even taking their name.

On February 29, 300 raiders scaled Deerfield's walls and haphazardly attacked citizens and burned houses.

Deerfield will attract a more peaceful group of visitors on October 5. Selections from composer Marjorie Merryman's One Blood will be performed by the Cantata Singers and Ensemble.

Merryman wrote One Blood to commemorate the 1704 assault. She focuses on the family of Rev. John Williams whose wife and daughter, Eunice, were taken captive. Mrs. Williams died on the 300-mile march to Canada, unable to keep up. Eunice ended up choosing to stay with the Indians.

Merryman interprets letters written by the family as well as Native American texts, turning her observations into music. The final movement centers on the biblical message, "God hath made of one blood all nations or men." Also scheduled for 2004 is the original new opera, The Captivation of Eunice, premiering in the summer.

For those who prefer a riveting read instead (or anyone looking for a holiday gift for parents), Professor Sweeney and a co-author will publish their book Captors and Captives: The 1704 French and Indian Raid on Deerfield. The book points out misconceptions about that night and discuss cultural and religious differences encountered during the march back to Canada.

Students will be urged to reflect on this haunting event throughout the year. Boys living in the Field Dormitory, which overlooks the cemetery, are encouraged to keep flashlights close at hand on February 29, just in case.