May 18, 1607: Wowinchapuncke at Jamestown, Much Ado About Hatchets?

On this date in 1607, Jamestown was visited by Native American Chief Wowinchapuncke and around 100 of his warriors.  While this was not the first contact between Natives and the English, this interaction would set the tone for the complexities of these two different groups living side by side in the early years of the Virginia colony.  Furthermore, the deviation between the description of this encounter by primary sources, and the outcome shows clear revisionist history on the part of the early Virginia colonists.

 

Wowinchapuncke was the Wereowance of the Paspahege tribe, whose land surrounded (and actually included) Jamestown.  The Paspahege and the English had met before during the exploration of the James River.  In fact, the English scouting party had feasted with Wowinchapuncke on May 4^th, and had listened to an oration by said Chief, which they apparently were unable to understand.  Furthermore, upon arriving at Jamestown, the Paspahege had gifted two deer to the Virginia colonists.  It was, therefore, rather unsurprising that the Paspahege would make another visit.  However, this visit on the 18^th saw the English settlers’ relationship with their native neighbors take a turn for the worse.

 

When Wowinchapuncke arrived at Jamestown with 100 armed warriors at his back, the English settlers became edgy and grew more agitated as the encounter went on.  While George Percy, one of those present, stated that the purpose of the visit was for the Paspahege to freely give the English any land that they wished to develop, what actually happened is up for debate.  However, it is a fact that the Paspahege contingent left after a dispute over an English hatchet.  The English account states that one of the Paspahege warriors had stolen a hatchet and an Englishman retrieved it by physical force.  The English believed that the Natives were inherently thieves and took this action (if the hatchet was taken at all) as proof of their belief.  After that the English apparently got their weapons and, seeing this, Wowinchapuncke led his men away.

 

This misunderstanding, and likely misrepresentation of the event, led to Paspahege assaults on Jamestown later that month.  However, in June, Powhatan orders the cessation of hostilities by the Paspahege.  As the Paspahege are a tributary tribe of Powhatan, they obey his instructions and abruptly end their attacks.  Thus, in a sense, this misunderstanding introduced the English settlers are introduced to the overriding power of Powhatan over this region, and the need for further contact.  However, the resulting skirmishes are a foreshadowing of the bitter border disputes between the English settlers and their Native American neighbors.

 

Wowinchapuncke was killed several years later in another battle with Virginia colonists.  A commemorative marker was erected near Jamestown on John Tyler Highway, marking the vicinity of a possible Paspahege village.  Said site has been excavated.

May 14, 1607: First Landing in Virginia…Take Two, Thats a Wrap!

“Susan Constant,” “Godspeed,” and “Discovery” Replicas.
Taken From: http://www.historyisfun.org/Jamestown-Settlement.htm

On this date in 1607, English settlers from the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery landed at Jamestown Island in Virginia to found what was to become the first permanent English settlement in North America.  This location in particular was decided with regard to both the observations of the settlers, and to the instructions given to them by their proprietors (investors):  the Virginia Company.  The name “Virginia” was chosen to honor Queen Elizabeth I, the “Virgin Queen,” who reigned at the time of a previous colony of the same name.  That colony  (located at Roanoke, N.C.) had failed, but these new “Virginians” were determined that this one should succeed

On April 26, after a four-month journey from England, three ships carrying the Virginia colonists made first landfall at Cape Henry, Va.  That night, they finally opened their instructions from the Virginia Company.  The colony which we now know of as Virginia was essentially a private enterprise run by a group of investors with a mandate (and investment) from King James (the King of England after 1603).  This charter granted the company political rights (granted recognition by European powers, but did not guarantee native cooperation) to a certain area of land.  The orders charged the colonists with finding a defensible location to better defend against Spanish (who were enemies of England at the time, having sent the Armada against them 19 years earlier) attacks.  Therefore, a more inland spot than Cape Henry was needed.  However, the new colony would require access to the sea, as it would need constant supplies from England in order to survive.  The fleet waited at Lynnhaven Bay (or Newport News) while a party of men in a shallop (shallow-bottomed boat) searched the surrounding area for a location that fit the bill.  By May 13, the search party had found a small island on the James River and the fleet set sail for it.  The next day, colonists began disembarking in order to set up the site and to survey the surrounding area.

Jamestown Island was perfect for the strategic aims of the colonists:  an island was more defensible than the coast of Cape Henry, being upriver would give the colonists advance warning should Spanish ships arrive, and there was a small channel that cut into the riverbank, so that ships could actually moor (tie up) to the trees themselves.  One qualification that the site did not fit was the stipulation that none of the native tribes should live between the colony and the immediate seacoast.  The site itself was built in Paspehegh (a tribe owing allegiance to Powhatan) territory, and was sometimes used as a campsite by that tribe.  Worse yet, the island was essentially a swamp and thus a breeding ground for disease, due to the mosquitoes and poor water quality inherent to swamps.  Around midnight, a few Paspehegh braves paddled in on canoes, but fled when the English watchman sounded the alarm.  A few days later, two well-dressed and highly decorated messengers arrived at the fort to announce that their “Weroance” (essentially meaning “Chief”) would meet with them in due course, and bring a large deer as a gift.  Jamestown Island would be the capital of the new colony of Virginia through plagues, famine, war, and multiple burnings until 1699, when it was moved to Williamsburg.

Original Jamestown Fort.
Taken From: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/75460/Jamestown-Fort-in-Virginia-1608

This historic landing marks the beginning of permanent English settlement in North America.  The settlement itself began as a small triangular fortress and, over time, expanded to become a large, thriving town.  In recent years, a recreation of the original fort, as well as the three ships, was constructed adjacent to the original town.  For more information as to events and activities, please go to: http://www.historyisfun.org/index.htm

May 14, 1607: First Landing in Virginia…Take Two, Thats a Wrap!

• Haile, Edward Wright, “John Smith in the Chesapeake,” RoundHouse, Champlain, Va, 2008
• Cape Henry Memorial, National Park Service, http://www.nps.gov/came/index.htm
• Horn, James, “Captain John Smith: Writings with Other Narratives of Roanoke, Jamestown, and the First English Settlement of America,” New York: Library of America, 2007.
• Kingsbury, Susan M., “Records of the Virginia Company of London. 4 vols,” Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1906–1935.
• Stith, William, “The History of the First Discovery and Settlement of Virginia,” 1747, Williamsburg
• Smith, John, “John Smith’s 1616 Letter to Queen Anne of Great Britain”. Digital History. Retrieved 3/5/13.
• Karen Ordahl Kupperman, “The Jamestown Project,” Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2007

May 6, 1813: Burning of Georgetown, Another Day, Another Rout

Taken From: http://www.kentcountyhistory.org/key/1812_terror.php

 

On this date in 1813, a British force under the overall command of Rear Admiral Sir George Cockburn, spearheaded by the HMS Mohawk attacked and burned the towns of Georgetown and Fredericktown on the Sassafras River in Maryland’s Kent County.  This attack was a complete rout for the American militia and resulted in the destruction of both towns, from which they never fully recovered.  However, this attack did result in the creation of a Maryland heroine:  Kitty Knight

 

The attack on the Sassafras River settlements were part of the beginning of the “Chesapeake Campaign,” in which the British Royal Navy, under Rear Admiral Sir George Cockburn, engaged in raids on American towns, properties, and installations along the coast of the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers.  The attack on the Sassafras came just three days after the attack on Havre De Grace by the British.  The primary focus of this assault was to be the pillaging of the towns of Georgetown and Fredericktown.  Both towns had in excess of 40 houses, a school, and a Presbyterian church, and were relatively important ports, which contained many supplies desirable to the British.  However, the Mohawk apparently could not negotiate the difficult currents of the Sassafras (which in many ways are even more difficult to navigate today).  Thus, Commander Henry Litchfield, the Mohawk’s commanding officer, landed his men at Turner’s Creek, a small village near the mouth of the Sassafras.  There, they captured James Stavely, a local pilot, and forced him to guide them through the treacherous currents of the Sassafras.

 

The British sent word ahead via local boats that if the towns surrendered peacefully, their homes would be spared, and all lost property would be paid for.  However, the Kent County militia had erected two forts:  Fort Duffy and Pearce Point at Fredericktown and Georgetown respectively, and had over 400 men ready and waiting.  However, after the militia opened fire, they did not kill many of the British force and quickly retreated.  Thus, the British burned several houses and forced the local townspeople to flee.  In total, thirteen dwellings and outbuildings, a cobbler’s shop, a tavern, a granary and a storehouse were destroyed.  However, when the British came to a house at the top of a hill, they were met at the door by a woman who was living in the house.  Her name:  Kitty Knight.  Legend has it that, as British soldiers tried to burn her house around her, she continued to put out the fires and implore the soldiers to desist.  Finally, she was able to meet with Admiral Cockburn, and claimed that the elderly woman who lived there could not leave, and would be burned with the house.  Apparently, Cockburn was suitably impressed by her efforts and withdrew his troops back to their barges, and the two houses were spared.

 

Kitty Knight
Taken From: http://www.kentcounty.com/1812/

 

Due to the devastation inflicted on them by the British, and the gradual silting in of the Sassafras, Georgetown and Fredericktown both have remained not much larger than they were during the War of 1812, and preserve much of their historical charm.  Furthermore, the Kitty Knight House has become an inn and restaurant open to the public.  However, for those who believe in ghost stories, it is also reputed to be haunted.

Location of Georgetown
Taken From: http://www.kentcounty.com/1812/

April 26, 1607: First Landing in Virginia…Take One

Arrival of First Landing Party 

From http://virginiaplaces.org/ggs380/2012week8.html

On this date in 1607, three ships carrying 104 colonists arrived at Cape Henry, near modern-day Virginia Beach.  The names of the ships were Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery under the overall command of Captain Christopher Newport.  Their mission:  to establish an English colony in the New World in the name of King James I (and VI of Scotland) which they would name “Virginia.”  The name was taken from a previous colony set up by Sir Walter Raleigh decades earlier.  Located in modern-day North Carolina, that settlement itself was named Roanoke, and was abandoned around 1590.  “Virginia” was chosen to honor Queen Elizabeth I, the “Virgin Queen,” who reigned at the time.  The colony which we now know of as Virginia was not directly paid for by King James (the King of England after 1603); a charter was granted to the “Virginia Company” by the king, giving the company political rights (granted recognition by European powers, but did not guarantee native cooperation) to a certain area of land.

According to accounts written by John Smith and others, the flotilla of ships made sight of land (Cape Henry) around 4:00 am.  Shortly thereafter, they made landfall and observed the local fauna and flora.  The colonists had been at sea for around four months with a few stops in the Canary Islands and Puerto Rico.  As such, they were in need of fresh water and supplies, which they apparently found in some lare quantity.  Captain Newport named the two capes at the mouth of the “Chesupioc” (an Algonquian word for the Chesapeake Bay) after King James’ two sons, Henry (the Prince of Wales), and Charles (future King Charles I).  The ship’s Chaplain, Robert Hunt, held a prayer of thanksgiving for their (relatively) safe travel.  After spending most of the day ashore, the shore party was attacked by several Native Americans at dusk, and both Captain Gabriel Archer and another sailor named Matthew Morton were wounded.  That night, the expedition’s leaders open a box containing the Virginia Company’s instructions for the proceedings of the colony.  In particular, the orders not only charge the colonists with finding a more inland location to better defend against Spanish (who were enemies of England at the time, having sent the Armada against them 19 years earlier) attacks, but also the names of those who would serve on the ruling council for the colony.

The names mentioned were Captain Bartholomew Gosnold (of the Godspeed), Edward Wingfield, Captain Newport (of the Susan Constant), Captain John Ratcliffe (of the Discovery), John Martin, George Kendall, and Captain John Smith.  Smith’s inclusion was a shock to the other colonists, as, at the time, he was imprisoned aboard the Susan Constant for conspiring to “…usurpe the governement, murder the Councell, and make himselfe kinge.”  Newport had, in fact, built a gallows in the West Indies and only spared Smith’s life at the urging of Captain Gosnold.  In fact, it was not until June 15 of that year that Smith was exonerated and given his seat on the council.  Also that night, they elected Wingfield to serve as president of the council, the very first recorded free election in what was to become the United States of America.  They waited at Lynnhaven Bay (or Newport News) until May 13, searching for a suitable spot to build a settlement.  On May 13, they landed at a small spit of land on the James River, which they would name Jamestown.  However, before they left Cape Henry, they planted a large wooden cross at the site of their first landing in Virginia.

The site of this historic event is possesses several monuments.  The monument commemorating the original wooden cross is a stone cross, erected by the Daughters of the American Colonists in 1935.  The site also overlooks the area where the Battle of the Virginia Capes took place in 1781, and through its French victory completely ended all hope of the British at Yorktown for relief.  Furthermore, the historic Cape Henry Light(house) is also near the site.  The entire site is administered by the National Park Service.

Cape Henry Memorial Cross

From http://www.nps.gov/came/index.htm

Statue of Captain Christopher Newport, Intersection of Warwick Boulevard and J. Clyde Morris Boulevard, Newport News, Va.

From http://www.nnpaf.org/public-art-in-the-city/other-public-art/

April 8, 2013: Humanizing the War of 1812: Telling the Untold Stories along the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail

Time:  9:30 AM – 3:30 PM

Located at Hartford County Community College in Bel Air, Maryland, this discussion will focus on historical interpretation methods, as well as the roles and perspectives of African-Americans during the War of 1812.  It will feature remarks by Alan Taylor, author of The Civil War of 1812, a living history exercise, discussions on the use of costumes to interpret African-American women during the War of 1812, and three other discussions on researching and interpreting the War of 1812 for a variety of audiences.  Three of these discussions will be held at the historic Hays-Heighe House, located on the college’s grounds.  Participants will be required to register and pay a fee of $20.

COFFEE AND LUNCH ARE PROVIDED.

For more explicit information on the event as well as registration can be found at:  http://www.starspangledtrail.net/about-us/news-and-press/registration-open-for-april-workshop.

Below is a copy of the agenda provided by the National Park Service’s webpage on the subject (link given above)

Located at: http://www.starspangledtrail.net/about-us/news-and-press/registration-open-for-april-workshop.

Address:  Harford Community College, 401 Thomas Run Road, Bel Air, MD, 21015