Podcast – John Smith and Jamestown

John Smith and Jamestown
In this episode the author talks about John Smith and some of his adventures in Jamestown Colony.
Just over a year after the colonists settled at Jamestown and six months after the devastating fire, John Smith led fourteen men on an expedition from their fort to explore the region that surrounded them on June 02, 1608.

From the Book:
Colonial American History Stories – 1215 – 1664

Transcript:

John Smith and Jamestown

Greetings, today I will talk about John Smith and some of his adventures in Jamestown Colony.
Just over a year after the colonists settled at Jamestown and six months after the devastating fire, John Smith led fourteen men on an expedition from their fort to explore the region that surrounded them on June 02, 1608.

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Smith included a doctor, Walter Russel, and a blacksmith, James Read. He also took six men that knew how to handle firearms, James Bourne, William Cantrill, Richard Fetherstone, Thomas Momford, Ralph Morton and Michael Sicklemore. Fish merchant Richard Keale knew how to identify edible fish and fisherman Jonas Profit would knew how to catch them. James Watkins and Anas Todkill served as laborers and solders. Tailor John Powell kept their clothing in repair and carpenter Robert Small would handle boat repairs. Smith, as captain, led this expedition out Jamestown on June 2, 1608.

The expedition’s purpose was to find the Northwest Passage, which would serve as a direct route to Asia. During the eighteen-day voyage, the men traveled up the Potomac River to the present site of Washington DC, and then traveled downstream and then up the Chesapeake Bay until it reached the Patapsco River. The expedition encountered a severe storm on June 4. Throughout the entire, voyage the explorers encountered natives, most of whom were friendly. On June 17, they did encounter an ambush at Nomini Creek. The gunfire of the colonists amazed the warriors, leading to a peaceful resolution. A stingray stung Smith on July 17, almost killing him. Smith retaliated by having the creature for his supper that night. The expedition returned to Jamestown on July 21.
Second Expedition
Smith led a second expedition on July 24. This expedition included twelve men and traveled to the head of Chesapeake Bay, leading Smith to the conclusion that this body of water was not the Northwest Passage.

August 13, 1608 – John Smith’s Story of Jamestown’s First Days Submitted For Publication
On August 13, 1608 the first of John Smith’s books on Jamestown was published. John Smith would publish eight books relating his experiences in the Jamestown Colony, most after his return to England in 1609. His first publication was a letter written to a friend in England, who submitted it for publication. Entitled A True Relation, the letter was the first written account of the Jamestown colonists. The publication of the letter displeased the leaders of the Virginia Company because it painted a different picture than they were trying to portray to potential colonists. Smith’s candid account of how the gentlemen that populated the new colony spent their time searching for gold instead of planting crops for food threatened the public perception and company profits.

John Smith completed the path from condemned mutineer to Jamestown’s leader when the colonists elect him president on September 10, 1608.
Competent Leader
John Smith completed the journey from condemned mutineer Jamestown’s leader. The colonists elected him president on September 10, 1608. They elected him after deposing Edward Maria Wingfield as president.

Edward Maria Wingfield leadership had come into question during the late summer months. The settlers, many of whom were gentlemen, were not used to hard work. Their survival in this new colony depended upon that. The weather turned hot and humid and food supplies ran short. Wingfield was a strict disciplinarian with rigid rules of conduct. He clashed repeatedly with John Smith and some of the others in the colony. On September 10, they voted to depose him and elected John Smith as president of the colony. They also charged him with a number of crimes. These crimes included food hoarding, being a Spanish sympathizer, and being an atheist. They imprisoned him on the ship Discovery. He remained on board the ship until January 1608. During his imprisonment, John Smith sued him for slander.

Smith had provided competent leadership before his election. Early on, many of the settlers were more focused on searching for gold and not survival. Many of these men were gentlemen, unused to the hard work needed for survival in an unforgiving land. Smith tried to stifle the gold fever and make these men concentrate on the more immediate survival needs. The colony did stabilize as more colonists arrived. Smith completed two separate exploratory voyages by 1608. During these voyages, he explored and mapped much of the area around Jamestown. At the conclusion of the second of these voyages, the colonist elected him president.

Smith enacted several new policies. One of these was the “he that will not work shall not eat,” policy. Under his leadership conditions steadily improved. The number of deaths dropped, needed repairs to the fort were done and the colonists dug a well. The production of pitch, tar, and soap ash for export to England increased.

Unfortunately, for the colony, an accident sent Smith back to England. He suffered severe burns because of a gunpowder explosion. Because of his injuries, he returned to England.

The episode is based upon my book, Colonial American History Stories – 1215 – 1664, available on the web site, http://www.mossyfeetbooks.com. The book is the first book in the 6 volume Timeline of United States History Series . Discover some of the famous and almost forgotten historic stories of America. The story begins with the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215 and the beginnings of the concept of limited government and ends, for now, with the beginning of the American Revolution in 1775. The articles in the book have much more detail as well as articles not included in this podcast series.