John Salisbury was the son of William Salisbury and Susanna Cotton Salisbury. He was born 1655 and was about 20 years of age. Him and his father have the sad honor of being the men that started the King Phillips War 1675-1676. William moved to Swansea Massachusetts as early as 1671, and was the first of the name in the town. A list of the men of Swansea, eight soldiers recorded at Plymouth, includes the names of William and John Salisbury. They were both buried June 24, 1675. The other men that had fallen at Swansea, slain by the Indians were as follows: Nehemiah Allin, William Hammond, William Cahoone, John Jones, Gershom Cobb, Robert Jones, John Druce, Joseph Lewis, and John Fall. William Hammomd was ambushed and killed at another point and was buried on June 29, 1675. His ancestors have a site ninetravelers.weebly.com, also for his memory. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has placed a memorial to the brave men near the Massachusetts and Rhode Island border with a plaque and all the names listed, this was placed in 1912 AD. This memorial can be viewed on their site. A letter written in 1663 probably by John Sassamon, who was a Christianized and educated Massachusetts Indian. He served Metacom/King Phillip as secretary and interpretor for about ten years. Sassamon later became a teacher to Natives in Middleborough. He received encouragement from the sachem Tuspaquin, including a 1673 grant of land that Sassamon gave to his daughter Assowetough/Betty. In 1675, John Sassamon secretly warned the Plymouth Colony government of an alleged Wampanoag conspiracy to wage war. Shortly thereafter, he was found dead under mysterious circumstances. Three natives, Tobias, Wampapaquan, and Mattashanamo, were brought before the Plymouth Court. Tuspaquin and his son, William, stood bail for Tobias. The three Natives were found quilty of murdering Sassamon and were excuted by the Plymouth Court. These events precipitated the onset of King Phillips War. Colonist hunger for land and their heavy handed treatment of Natives led to one of the most disastrous wars in American history. The mysterious murder of John Sassamon, a Native liaison between the two groups, resulted in a complete breakdown in relations. In 1675, the war named for the Wampanoag leader Metacom(or King Phillip), broke out in the town of Swansea. Hostilities spread north and west, soon threatening much of New England. King Phillips War came to an end on August 12, 1676 when one of Col. Benjamin Church's Indian Rangers (John Alderman), killed King Phillip. Upon inspection of Phillips body, Church is quoted as saying, "a doleful, great, naked, dirty beast"! Phillip was shot, drawn and quartered and beheaded. His severed head was reportedly displayed at Plymouth for twenty years.∼Killed by Indians at the outset of King Philip's War. He was unmarried.