Smith, Pocahontas and the Jamestown Colony

The story of the beginning of Jamestown has been retold over the centuries. The two main characters, John Smith and Pocahontas are two of the biggest icons of their time. The establishment and survival of Jamestown is undoubtedly due to the friendship Smith and Pocahontas shared. However, their relationship has been exaggerated and misinterpreted, and the story of their actions inaccurately portrayed through media and legends told over time. Although Smith was not overly popular, his willingness to learn and his survival skills helped save the colony while on the brink of disaster.

John Smith, despite coming from a poor farming family, was known as a great military man. His experience fighting in the Netherlands in the war of independence against Spain was just the beginning. He learned to handle and ride horses after returning to England. He was knowledgeable in pyrotechnics, studying Pirotechnia, a book by Vannoccio Biringuccio. Smith also studied history and how to make signals using torchlight. In 1601, he put this knowledge into action when he left England to fight the Turkish forces occupying Hungary. He was recognized for his efforts, earning the title of Captain in his early twenties. In 1602, he was captured and sold to work the lands on a Turkish farm. Like many of the slaves, Smith was beaten often by the hand of his master. Smith managed to escape from his cruel master by beating him to death. He stole his clothes and his horse and rode towards freedom. After his return, he craved another adventure, what he found was far beyond what he could have imagined.

The Virginia Company located in London during the early 17^th century, sent three ships to the New World: the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery. Financing the expedition, this joint-stock company was controlled by a limited group of investors. Aboard these ships sailed John Smith and the colonists of what would be the first successful colony established by the English in the New World. Half of the passengers aboard these ships were "gentlemen" who were unfamiliar with performing any manual labor. The others aboard were traders and those in servitude. In order to gain passage to the New World, many traded seven years of their freedom, working the fields and serving their masters until the day they earned their freedom and their own land.

Concealed within a box on each ship, the Virginia Company had a set of instructions and the names of the settlement's leaders. The documents were to not to be opened until after their arrival, in which they were to read it within twenty-four hours. Until then, a respected veteran, Christopher Newport, was in charge of the fleet. At the time of departure and during the voyage, Smith was a mere passenger. He was given no title of authority and although he was respected, he slept in the same cramped quarters as the other passengers and crew. During the journey, Smith openly expressed his opinions, showing little respect to his superiors. He was charged with conspiracy and put under arrest for the rest of the trip. The Virginia Company did not state a specific reason for Smith to be on the voyage; however, it is assumed by many historians that they saw him as a valuable asset in the event of an attack as he had military experience.

Competing with the Spanish for wealth from the New World, the colonists sought out to find gold and silver as well as other riches. Their second reason for going on the voyage was to search for a route through Virginia to the Pacific Ocean. A third objective, although not a priority, was to convert the natives to the Anglican faith. The mindset of the passengers differed greatly from the Spanish. While desiring gold and great prosperity, they were not as violent-minded as the Spanish. While they referred to the natives as savages; however, they meant the natives were uncivilized and not of their faith. Unlike the Spanish, they believed the natives could adapt to a more civilized way of life and religion.

Upon landing on the coast of Virginia in May of 1607, the captains met aboard the Susan Constant to read the instructions left by their employer. There were to be seven council members and of those they would select a president, in which Wingfield was chosen. Smith was one of the council members; however, he remained in confinement until they needed his help in building the fort and with other manual labor. After they explored the nearby area, they were attacked by a small group of natives from one of the nearby tribes. Although outnumbered, they had an advantage over the English; their aim with an arrow was far more accurate than the English muskets. When the natives ran out of arrows, they withdrew into the woods. They had injured two of the colonists and did not flee despite being shot at by muskets.

The Virginia Company instructed them to try to settle one hundred miles inland and in an area that no tribes inhabited; this was to prevent the vulnerability to attack from foreigners. They sailed up the James River and Edward-Maria Wingfield chose a desolate location for their new colony. The peninsula he chose would protect them from any surprise attacks by the Spanish or the natives. Smith agreed with Wingfield on the location; it was one of the few things they did agree on. They were expecting supply ships to keep up their food supply as well as support from the local natives. For this reason they were not concerned that there was little agricultural land suitable for farming and "the river water was undrinkable for several months each year" (Conlin 30).

During the first year under the leadership of Wingfield, they met a number of "friendly" tribes. Unable to communicate verbally, they were forced to make gestures. This made it extremely difficult to distinguish between aggressive and friendly intentions. John Smith and Pocahontas met shortly after their arrival. It was curiosity and amazement that brought Pocahontas to Jamestown; their buildings, although primitive by English standards, were unlike anything she had ever seen. Being a child of eleven or so she was naïve, friendly, and trusting, especially of Smith.

Pocahontas was Chief Powhatan's youngest daughter, originally named "Matoax," meaning "Little Snow Feather". She was nicknamed by her father with the name "Pocahontas," meaning "Little Wanton" or "Bright Stream Between Two Hills" (Woodward 20). David Price, author of the book Love and Hate in Jamestown, writes "the real Pocahontas was a child of privilege in her society-that is, the Powhatan Empire-who was curious about the English newcomers, befriended Smith, and gave him and the rest of the English crucial assistance" (5). Smith took it upon himself to learn the Powhatan language and Pocahontas learned a few English words. It was Smith's dedication to learning more about their language and customs that broke the communication barrier and opened the way for trade.

The Powhatan's past encounters with foreigners caused them to have an ill impression of the English. Many of the hostile Powhatans launched attacks on the colonists through guerrilla warfare. According to Smith, as recorded many years later after the supposed event, he was taken captive by the Powhatans and sentenced to death. He claims that Pocahontas saved him and convinced Chief Powhatan to free him. Smith's companions had been killed during the encounter, so upon his return to Jamestown he was sentenced to death. It was the return of a supply ship and Captain Newport that lead to his release.

In 1608, Captain Newport set sail again, having made temporary peace with the Powhatans through trade, he left feeling confident. Chief Powhatan had desired English weapons to use against them and planned to obtain them through trade. John Smith took charge and was not as liberal as Newport. He strained the relations with the natives when refusing to exchange English swords for corn as Newport had. Smith captured seven Powhatan prisoners and refused to release them, causing further problems. Pocahontas was called upon to aid in negotiations, eventually leading to their release.

Smith was later made president of the colony. He strongly believed that to gain the upper hand in trade, it was necessary to demonstrate the power of England and the Crown. The colony was not self-sufficient and relied on the Powhatans for most of their food. Instructions from King James I and the Virginia Company arrived with the return of Captain Newport and seventy new colonists. The instructions called for a celebration to impress Chief Powhatan, in which he would be declared King of the Powhatan nation. It was hoped that the coronation would help maintain peace and continuing trade. This plan backfired on the English and caused more problems for Smith.

The colony did not have enough food and Powhatan was no longer being generous. Although her father forbade her any further communication with the colonists, Pocahontas secretly brought them food on a few occasions. To avoid starvation, Smith was forced to meet with Powhatan and provide him with all the things he requested. The corn they received would be the last as Powhatan was no longer willing to let the English live. Smith was forced to make the colony more self-reliant through the addition of a block house north of the colony to supervise trade with natives and prevent theft of their supplies. He made many changes to prove to the Powhatans that they could survive without their assistance:

Anxious for the future, Smith decided to enlarge the fort and dig a deep well that would supply enough water to serve an even larger number of colonists than were presently at Jamestown. He also ordered laborers to clear, plow, and plant thirty acres of ground on the high ridges of the island. Tassore and Kemps, two Powhatan prisoners, were pressed into service to teach the colonists the Indian way of planting beans, corn, and pumpkins. (Woodward 112)

Smith also sent groups of colonists to fish and live off oysters. It was to his dismay that with the arrival of Captain Samuel Argall from England in 1609, that the Virginia Company abolished the council and the colony would be controlled by a Supreme Council in London through Lord De La Warr who was appointed governor. The governor had not yet arrived, so Smith passed the presidency to George Percy, one of the old council members. He planned to live outside of Jamestown but was injured by the explosion of gunpowder he was carrying. The severe burns he endured forced him to return to England as Jamestown could not provide sufficient treatment.

During his presidency he ruled with strategy, using his knowledge of the Powhatan language and his suspicions of Powhatan's intentions to avoid violence. Through Smith's leadership and Pocahontas' generous assistance, Jamestown became more independent and survived the first few years. The bravery they demonstrated on many accounts truly make them worthy of their place in the history.

Works Cited

Chaney, Ted and Ken Cohen and Lee Pelham Cotton. Historic Jamestowne: The Virginia Company of London. 5 March 2008 .

Conlin, Joseph R. "The American Past: A Survey of American History, Volume 1, 8th Ed." Jamestown. Belmont: Thomson, 2007. 30-35.

Price, David A. Love and Hate in Jamestown. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2003.

Woodward, Grace Steele. Pocahontas. Norman: U of Oklahoma Press, 1969.