Miles Morgan was an English colonist of America

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, a pioneer settler of what was to become Springfield, Massachusetts

Springfield, Massachusetts

Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...

. Springfield's hero of King Phillip's War in 1675, a statue of Miles Morgan still stands in the city's Court Square

Court Square

Court Square in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, is a park and National Historic District in the heart of Springfield's urban Metro Center neighborhood. Court Square is the City of Springfield's only topographical constant since its founding in 1636...

 in Metro Center

Metro Center, Springfield, Massachusetts

Metro Center is the original colonial settlement of Springfield, Massachusetts, located beside a bend in the Connecticut River. As of 2011, Metro Center features a majority of Western Massachusetts' most important cultural, business, and civic venues...

.

Biography

He was a younger son, and joined one of the many vessels that conveyed emigrants to America from Bristol. He arrived at Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

 in April 1636. Shortly thereafter, he accompanied an expedition, headed by William Pynchon

William Pynchon

William Pynchon was an English colonist in North America best known as the founder of Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. He was also a colonial treasurer, original patentee of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and the iconoclastic author of the New World's first banned book...

, into the wilderness. He settled at what is now Springfield, Massachusetts, and built a fortified blockhouse

Blockhouse

In military science, a blockhouse is a small, isolated fort in the form of a single building. It serves as a defensive strong point against any enemy that does not possess siege equipment or, in modern times, artillery...

 on a bank of the Connecticut River

Connecticut River

The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...

. (In the late 19th century, the site of Morgan's blockhouse was occupied by the car shops of the Connecticut River Railroad

Connecticut River Railroad

The Connecticut River Railroad was formed in 1845 by the merger of the Northampton and Springfield Railroad with the unbuilt Greenfield and Northampton Railroad....

.)

Soon after settling, Morgan married Prudence Gilbert, a fellow passenger on the voyage from Bristol. By 1658, he is listed as a sergeant

Sergeant

Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....

 in the local militia. On 5 October 1675, Springfield was attacked by the native inhabitants

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

, and Morgan's blockhouse became a fortress of the place, and, after the burning of the settlement, held out until messengers had been despatched to Hadley

Hadley, Massachusetts

Hadley is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts. The population was 4,793 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The area around Hampshire Mall and Mountain Farms Mall along Route 9 is a major shopping destination for the surrounding...

. Captain Samuel Appleton

Samuel Appleton

Samuel Appleton was an American merchant and philanthropist, active in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Great Britain. The city of Appleton, Wisconsin was named in his honor by Amos Lawrence.-Biography:...

, with a force of men (the standing army of the Massachusetts Bay Colony

Massachusetts Bay Colony

The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...

), marched to Springfield and raised the siege.

Memorial

A bronze statue of Captain Miles Morgan by the courthouse square in Springfield shows him in huntsman's dress, jack-boots, and cocked hat, with a rifle over his shoulder. This statue, completed in 1882, was the first important work of Jonathan Scott Hartley

Jonathan Scott Hartley

Jonathan Scott Hartley , American sculptor, was born at Albany, New York.-Biography:He was a pupil of E.D. Palmer, New York, and of the schools of the Royal Academy, London; he later studied for a year in Berlin and for a year in Paris. His first important work was a statue of Miles Morgan, the...

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