Talk:Conquest of New Sweden

Factual accuracy disputed

This page has a number of erroneous or misleading statements. This is likely due to the use of obscure, outdated, or questionable sources.

Whether the conquest of New Sweden should be considered part of the Second Northern War is debatable. Independent of the Dutch government, and several months before the Second Northern War began, the directors of Dutch West India Company ordered Director-General Stuyvesant to "drive" the Swedes from the river. This was in response to the seizure of Fort Casimir by the Swedes the previous year. While the Dutch did intervene in the war in Europe, a "state of war" never existed between the Dutch Republic and Sweden.

New Sweden was established on territory claimed by the Dutch. The Dutch maintained a presence in the area for much of New Sweden's existence, first at Fort Nassau and later at Fort Casimir.

There is no evidence that Stuyvesant undertook a diplomatic mission to New Sweden in 1654. Nor does the source cited (a book about the history of pork production) make this claim.

The description of the invasion lacks accuracy:

"They first captured their quarters, and made the majority of Swedes there prisoners, then sailed to the fort called Trinity, and capturing it without much resistance. They took the Swedish flag down, and hoisted the Dutch one up."

Stuyvesant sailed to Delaware Bay with 7 ships and 300 soldiers and quickly captured Fort Casimir (Fort Trinity). He then proceeded to besiege Fort Christina which surrendered on September 15, 1655. While the soldiers from Fort Trinity were taken prisoner, there is no evidence that the "majority of Swedes" were made prisoner. Dutch soldiers did, however, plunder houses and kill cattle and swine during the seige.

Reliable sources for this topic include:

• Gehring, Charles T. (1995). "Hodi Mihi, Cras Tibi: Swedish-Dutch Relations in the Delaware Valley". In Hoffecker, Carol E.; et al. (eds.). New Sweden in America. Newark, Delaware: University of Delaware Press. pp. 69–85.

• Johnson, Amandus (1911). The Swedish Settlements on the Delaware, 1638-1664. Vol. 2. Philadelphia: Dutch Colonial Society.

• Ward, Christopher (1930). The Dutch & Swedes on the Delaware, 1609–64 (PDF). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press.

Griffin's Sword (talk) 00:03, 21 November 2023 (UTC)