The attack was motivated by the Dutch reconquest of New Sweden, a close trading partner and protectorate of the Susquehannocks. It was a decisive victory for the Indians, and many outlying Dutch settlements were forced to temporarily garrison in Fort Amsterdam. Some of these settlements were completely abandoned, such as the Staten Island colony, while others were soon repopulated and equipped with better defenses. Director-General Peter Stuyvesant repurchased the rights from the Indians to settle the west bank of the Hudson.