Esopus Wars

Esopus Wars (1) On 20 September 1659, settlers at Esopus (Wiltwyck), N.Y., killed a drunken Indian. On 21 September, 500 warriors killed or captured five Dutch, began a 23-day siege of Esopus, burned outlying homes, and slaughtered all livestock. The Dutch burned several Indian towns in March–April 1660, and in July sold 11 Indians to the Caribbean colony of Curaçao as slaves. Peter Stuyvesant concluded a peace treaty on 15 July 1660.

(2) On 7 June 1663, Indians besieged Wiltwyck, burned a nearby settlement, killed about 20 Dutch, and captured about 45. On 29–31 July 1663, the Dutch destroyed abandoned Indian camps, along with cornfields and winter food supplies. On 5 September, 55 Dutch stormed an enemy fort (near Bloomingburg), killed or captured 30 Indians, and freed 23 captives, at a cost of 3 dead and 6 wounded. The Indians slowly released Dutch captives, and on 16 May 1664 ceded much of the central Hudson valley in a peace treaty.