Bacon’s Rebellion was set off by contention between Indians and frontiersmen. In 1676 the Susquehannocks, peaceful Indians driven out of Maryland but mistaken by Virginians for another hostile tribe, were attacked by the settlers. In return, the Indians killed thirty-six settlers in Virginia’s western plantations. Governor William Berkeley ordered an expedition to suppress them, but when the Indians offered to make peace he called back his forces. Berkeley then attempted to stabilize the border by barring whites from Indian territory without government approval and constructing a series of forts to enforce his prohibition. While Berkeley seems to have done this because he felt that the grievances of the Indians were just, he also wanted to restrict the profits of the lucrative Indian trade to some of his friends. Furthermore, he and his friends had sizable holdings in unoccupied land, and he saw no necessity for pushing farther into Indian territory. But a sizable number of angry, frightened, and acquisitive frontiersmen joined with a few newly arrived English gentlemen who had not yet acquired estates to oppose Berkeley’s policy. The foremost gentleman, Nathaniel Bacon, demanded a commission to lead an expedition of frontiersmen against the Indians. Berkeley refused. After several attempts to get Berkeley to change his mind, Bacon’s followers threatened that if Bacon was not given a commission they would pull down Jamestown, the capital of the colony. Bacon led his followers to Jamestown, forced the Governor to commission him, and marched off to fight the Indians. But when some Virgianians, irritated by Bacon’s levies on their horses and arms, queried Berkeley about the validity of Bacon’s commission, Berkeley announced that it had been secured under duress and that Bacon was a rebel. Bacon then turned back and marched against the Governor. Unable to rally support, Berkeley fled to the eastern shore of Virginia and Bacon found himself master of the province. He once more set out against the Indians, but while he was gone Berkeley with a newly recruited army retook Jamestown. For the second time Bacon marched against the capital; the battle which was fought is described below. Although Berkeley lost the battle, Bacon died of dysentery and a plague of lice on October 26th and his movement collapsed. Berkeley had executed fourteen persons under martial law during the rebellion; and after the arrival of new commissioners from London, nine more were hanged, despite a royal pardon which might have been construed to apply to them.
The following account is from A True Narrative of the Rise, Progresse, and Cessation of the Late Rebellion in Virginia, Most Humbly and Impartially Reported by His Majestyes Commissioners Appointed to Enquire into the Affaires of the Said Colony, printed in Charles M. Andrews, ed.: Narratives of the Insurrections, 1675–90 (1915). On the Rebellion, see Bernard Bailyn: “Politics and Social Structure in Virginia,” in James Morton Smith, ed.: Seventeenth Century America: Essays in Colonial History (1959); Wesley Frank Craven: The Southern Colonies in the Seventeenth Century, 1607–1689 (1949); Thomas J. Wertenbaker: Torchbearer of the Revolution: The Story of Bacon’s Rebellion and its Leader (1940); Wilcomb E. Washburn: The Governor and the Rebel: A History of Bacon’s Rebellion in Virginia (1957).
The Governor . . again proclames Bacon and his party rebells and traytors, threatening them with the utmost severityes of law.
Upon this Bacon calls his few men together which upon a muster made a little after the last skirmish with the Indians … were but 136 tyr’d men, and told them how the Governor intended to proceed against him and them.
But this rather animated and provoked new courage in them than any wise daunted them, soe that among other cheerfull expressions they cry’d out they would stand by him their Generall to the last.…
Bacon in most incens’d manner threatens to be revenged on the Governor and his party, swearing his soldiers to give no quarter and professing to scorne to take any themselves, and so in great fury marches on towards James Towne, onely halting a while about New Kent to gain some fresh forces, and sending to the upper parts of James River for what they could assist him with.
Having increased his number to about 300 in all, he proceeds directly to towne, as he marcheth the people on the high wayes coming forth praying for his happiness and railing ag’t the Governour and his party, and seeing the Indian captives which they led along as in a shew of tryumph, gave him many thankes for his care and endeavours for their preservation, bringing him forth fruits and victualls for his soldiers, the women telling him if he wanted assistance they would come themselves after him.
Intelligence coming to Bacon that the Governour had good in towne a 1000 men well arm’d and resolute, “I shall see that,” saith he, “for I am now going to try them.”
… In the evening Bacon with his small tyr’d body of men comes into Paspahayes old Fields and advancing on horseback himselfe on the Sandy Beech before the towne commands the trumpet to sound, fires his carbyne, dismounts, surveys the ground and orders a French worke to be cast up.
All this night is spent in falling of trees, cutting of bushes and throwing up earth, that by the help of the moone light they had made their French worke before day, although they had but two axes and 2 spades in all to performe this work with.
About day-break next morning six of Bacons soldiers ran up to the pallasadees of the Towne and fired briskly upon the guard, retreating safely without any damage at first (as is reported) the Governor gave comand that not a gun should be fir’d ag’t Bacon or his party upon paine of death, pretending to be loath to spill bloode and much more to be beginner of it, supposing the rebells would hardly be so audacious as to fire a gun against him, But that Bacon would rather have sent to him and sought his reconciliation so that some way or other might have bin found out for the preventing of a warr, to which the Governour is said to have shewne some inclination upon the account of the service Bacon had performed (as he heard) against the Indian enemy, and that he had brought severall Indian prisoners along with him, and especially for that there were severall ignorant people which were deluded and drawne into Bacon’s party and thought of no other designe than the Indian warr onely, and so knew not what they did.
But Bacon (pretending distrust of the Governor) was so farr from all thought of a Treaty that he animates his men against it, telling them that he knew that party to be as perfidious as cowardly, … The better to observe their motion [Bacon] ordered a constant sentinel in the daytime on top of a brick chimney (hard by) to discover from thence how the men in Towne mounted and dismounted, posted and reposted, drew on and off, what number they were, and how they moved. Hitherto their happen’d no other action then onely firing great and small shott at distances.
But by their movings and drawings up about towne, Bacon understood they intended a sally and accordingly prepares to receive them, drew up his men to the most advantageous places he could, and now expected them (but they observ’d to draw off againe for some tyme) and was resolved to enter the towne with them, as they retreated, as Bacon expected and foretold they would do. In this posture of expectation Bacon’s forces continued for a hour till the watchman gave notice that they were drawne off againe in towne, so upon this Bacon’s forces did so too. No sooner were they all on the rebells side gone off and squandered but all on a sudden a sally is made by the Governor’s party, … But we cannot give a better account, nor yet a truer (so far as we are informed) of this action than what this Letter of Bacon’s relates: …
“.… Yesterday they made a sally with horse and foote in the Van; they came up with a narrow Front, and pressing very close upon one anothers shoulders that the forlorne might be their shelter; our men received them so warmly that they retired in great disorder, throwing downe theire armes, left upon the Bay, as also their drum and dead men, two of which our men brought into our trenches and buried with severall of their armes … They shew themselves such pitifull cowards, contemptable as you would admire them. It is said that Hubert Farrell is shot in the belly, Hartwell in the legg, Smith in the head, Mathewes with others, yet as yet we have no certaine account …”
After this successless sally the courages and numbers of the Governor’s party abated much, and Bacon’s men thereby became more bold and daring in so much that Bacon could scarce keepe them from immediately falling to storme and enter the towne; but he (being as wary as they rash) perswaded them from the attempt, bidding them keepe their courages untill such tyme as he found occasion and opportunity to make use of them, telling them that he doubted not to take the towne without losse of a man, and that one of their lives was of more value to him than the whole world.
Having planted his great guns, he takes the wives and female relations of such gentlemen as were in the Governor’s service against him (whom he had caused to be brought to the workes) and places them in the face of his enemy, as bulworkes for their battery, by which policy he promised himself (and doubtless had) a goode advantage, yet had the Governor’s party by much the odds in number besides the advantage of tyme and place.
But so great was the cowardize and baseness of the generality of Sir William Berkeley’s party (being most of them men intent onely upon plunder or compell’d and hired into his service) that of all, at last there were onely some 20 gentlemen willing to stand by him, the rest (whom the hopes or promise of plunder brought thither) being now all in haste to be gone to secure what they had gott; so that Sir Wm. Berkeley himselfe who undoubtedly would rather have dyed on the place than thus deserted it, what with importunate and resistless solicitations of all, was at last over persuaded, now hurryed away against his owne will to Accomack and forced to leave the towne to the mercy of the enemy.
Bacon haveing early intelligence of the Governor and his party’s quitting the towne the night before, enters it without any opposition, and soldier like considering of what importance a place of that refuge was, and might againe be to the Governor and his party, instantly resolves to lay it level with the ground, and the same night he became poses’d of it, sett fire to towne, church and state house (wherein were the country’s records which Drummond had privately convey’d thense and preserved from burning). The towne consisted of 12 new brick houses besides a considerable number of frame houses with brick chimneys, all which will not be rebuilt (as is computed) for fifteen hundred pounds of tobacco.
Now those who had so lately deserted it, as they rid a little below in the river in the shipps and sloop (to their shame and regret) beheld by night the flames of the towne, which they so basely forsaking, had made a sacrifice to ruine.