The Peach War, sometimes called the Peach Tree War, was a one-day occupation of New Amsterdam on September 15, 1655, by several hundred Munsee, followed by raids on Staten Island and Pavonia. 43 colonists were killed and over 100, mostly women and children, were taken captive, but released later.
The cause of the Peach War has been the subject of debate. The armed protest and raids may have been triggered by the murder of a Munsee woman who was stealing peaches from the orchard of Dutch colonist Hendrick van Dyck. Some writers, however, have speculated that the Peach War was orchestrated by the Susquehannock in response to the Dutch conquest of New Sweden.
Background
New Amsterdam was established on Manhattan by the Dutch West India Company in 1624. The surrounding area was occupied by various Munsee bands including the Wappinger, Hackensack, Raritan, Navesink, and Tappan. The relationship between the Dutch and the Munsee was often strained particularly in the aftermath of Kieft's War.
In 1655, the Dutch West India Company ordered Director-General Peter Stuyvesant to conquer the colony of New Sweden. New Sweden had been established on the Delaware River in 1638 in territory claimed by the Dutch and had developed a close trading relationship with the Susquehannock who inhabited the lower Susquehanna River valley. In late August 1655, Stuyvesant with seven armed vessels and 317 soldiers sailed from New Amsterdam for Delaware Bay. On September 15, 1655, Governor Johan Risingh surrendered Fort Christina and the colony without a fight.
Occupation and attacks
At daybreak on September 15, 1655, about 500 Munsee in 64 canoes landed near the southern end of Manhattan. They proceeded to break down doors, ransack houses, and threaten or beat some of the occupants, although no deaths or serious injuries occurred. The sachems met with members of the colony's governing council at Fort Amsterdam and agreed to withdraw at sunset. Meanwhile, the councilors called the citizens to arms and a guard was mounted. As the Munsee gathered at the riverbank to depart, Hendrick van Dyck was shot and wounded by an arrow. In response, New Netherland's fiscal, Cornelis van Tienhoven, urged the guard to open fire. In the ensuing skirmish, three Munsee and three colonists were killed. One group of Munsee then crossed the Hudson River and attacked Pavonia while a second group raided Staten Island.
Stuyvesant later reported that in the attacks “40 Christians” were killed and 100, mostly women and children, taken captive. He further reported that 28 farms had been destroyed, 12,000 skipples (9,000 bushels) of grain burned, and 500 head of cattle taken or killed.
While the Peach War is often described as a retaliatory attack on New Amsterdam, no blood was spilled until the evening of the 15th. University of Iowa historian Tom Arne Midtrød observed: "If the Natives meant to launch a military attack on New Amsterdam, they could have done far more damage."
A number of historians have speculated that the Susquehannock were behind the armed protest. In a letter to Stuyvesant, the governing council reported the presence of a Minqua (Susquehannock) sachem during the riot. Because of their close relationship with the Swedes, the Susquehannock are thought to have encouraged the Munsee to occupy New Amsterdam to force Stuyvesant to abandon his attack on New Sweden. American historian Allan Trelease, however, noted that direct action on the Delaware by the Susquehannock would have been more to the point. A year later Stuyvesant was able to report that only two or three children had not been returned to their families.