The “Peach Tree” War

While the Dutch authorities did not think much of the incident, the Indians had a different reaction. They demanded the Governor deliver Van Dyck to them. When the Governor refused, several neighboring tribes banded together and attacked New Amsterdam. When the attack failed, they turned their furry on the settlement on Staten Island. Nearly everyone was either killed or captured, with most of the crops and houses destroyed.

Meanwhile, New Amsterdam was left undefended. On the same day as the surrender of the Swedes to Stuyvesant, several hundred Susquehannock attacked New Amsterdam and its surrounding outposts in Pavonia, Harlem, Staten Island, and the Bronx. The Susquehannock were trading partners and allies of the Swedes. They stormed the Dutch settlements for three days in retaliation for the Dutch assault on New Sweden, leaving approximately one hundred Dutch dead and taking one hundred fifty hostages. The prisoners were taken to Paulus Hook by their Native American captors.

When reports of the “war” reached Peter Stuyvesant, he immediately returned to New Amsterdam. Stuyvesant initiated negotiations with the Susquehannock and paid a ransom for the prisoners. Thus, the war effectively concluded.