Bacon’s Rebellion
THERE is no nation this day under the copes of Heaven can so experimentally speak the sad effects of men of great parts being reduced to necessity, as England; but not to rake up the notorious misdemeanors of the dead, I shall endeavor to prevent the sad effects of so deplorable a cause, by giving you an account of the remarkable life and death of this gentleman of whom I am about to discourse. And because when a man has once engaged himself in an ill action, all men are ready to heap innumerable aspersions upon him, of which he is no ways guilty, I shall be so just in the history of his life as not to rob him of those commendations which his birth and acquisitions claim as due, and so kind both to loyalty and the wholesome constituted laws of our kingdom, as not to smother anything which would render him to blame.
This gentleman who has of late beckoned the attention of all men of understanding who are any ways desirous of novelty, [or] care what becomes of any part of the world besides that themselves live in, had the honor to be descended of an ancient and honorable family, his name Nathaniel Bacon, to whom to the long known title of gentleman, by his long study [at] the Inns of Court he has since added that of Esquire. He was the son of Mr. Thomas Bacon of an ancient seat known by the denomination of Freestone-Hall, in the County of Suffolk, a gentleman of known loyalty and ability. His father as he was able so he was willing to allow this his son a very gentle competency to subsist upon, but he as it proved having a soul too large for that allowance, could not contain himself within bounds; which his careful father perceiving, and also that he had a mind to travel (having seen divers parts of the world before) consented to his inclination of going to Virginia, and accommodated him with a stock for that purpose, to the value of 1,800 pounds sterling, as I am credibly informed by a merchant of very good wealth, who is now in this city, and had the fortune to carry him thither.
He began his voyage thitherwards about three years since, and lived for about a year’s space in that continent in very good repute, his extraordinary parts like a letter of recommendation rendering him acceptable in all men’s company, while his considerable concerns in that place were able to bear him out in the best of society. These accomplishments of mind and fortune rendered him so remarkable, that the worthy Governor of that continent thought it requisite to take him into his Privy Council.
That plantation which he chose to settle in is generally known by the name of Curles, situate in the upper part of James river and the time of his revolt was not till the beginning of March, 1675-6. At which time the Susquehannock Indians (a known enemy to that country) having made an insurrection, and killed divers of the English, among whom it was his misfortune to have a servant slain; in revenge of whose death, and other damage(s) he received from those turbulent Susquehannocks, without the Governor’s consent he furiously took up arms against them, and was so fortunate as to put them to flight, but not content therewith; the aforesaid Governor hearing of his eager pursuit after the vanquished Indians, sent out a select company of soldiers to command him to desist; but he instead of listening thereunto, persisted in his revenge, and sent to the Governor to entreat his commission, that he might more cheerfully prosecute his design; which being denied him by the messenger he sent for that purpose, he notwithstanding continued to make head with his own servants, and other English then resident in Curles against them.
In this interim the people of Henrica had returned him Burgess of their county; and he in order there—unto took his own sloop and came down towards James Town, conducted by thirty odd Soldiers, with part of which he came ashore to Mr. Laurence’s house, to understand whether he might come in with safety or not, but being discovered by one Parson Clough, and also it being perceived that he had lined the bushes of the said town with soldiers, the Governor thereupon ordered an alarm to be beaten through the whole town, which took so hot, that Bacon thinking himself not secure while he remained there within reach of their fort, immediately commanded his men aboard, and towed his sloop up the river; which the Governor perceiving, ordered the ships which lay at Sandy-point to pursue and take him; and they by the industry of their commanders succeeded so well in the attempt, that they presently stopped his passage; so that Mr. Bacon finding himself pursued both before and behind, after some capitulations, quietly surrendered himself prisoner to the Governor’s commissioners, to the great satisfaction of all his friends; which action of his was so obliging to the Governor, that he granted him his liberty immediately upon parol, without confining him either to prison or chamber, and the next day, after some private discourse passed betwixt the Governor, the Privy Council and himself, he was amply restored to all his former honors and dignities, and a commission partly promised him to be General against the Indian army; but upon further inquiry into his affairs it was not thought fit to be granted him; whereat his ambitious mind seemed mightily to be displeased; insomuch that he gave out, that it was his intention to sell his whole concerns in Virginia, and to go with his whole family to live either in Maryland or the south, because he would avoid (as he said) the scandal of being accounted a factious person there.
But his resolution it seems was but a pretense, for afterwards he headed the same runnagado English that he formerly found ready to undertake and go sharers with him in any of his rebellions, and adding to them the assistance of his own slaves and servants, headed them so far till they touched at the Occonegie’s town, where he was treated very civilly, and by the inhabitants informed where some of the Susquehannock’s were inforted, whom presently he assails, and after he had vanquished them, slew about seventy of them in their Fort: But as he returned back to the Occoneges, he found they had fortified themselves with divers more Indians than they had at his first arrival; wherefore he desired hostages of them for their good behavior, while he and his followers lay within command of their fort. But those treacherous Indians grown confident by reason of their late recruit, returned him this answer, that their guns were the only hostages he was like to have of them, and if he would have them he must fetch them. Which was no sooner spoken, but the Indians sallied out of the fort and shot one of his sentinels, whereupon he charged them so fiercely, that the fight continued not only all that day, but the next also, till the approach of the evening, at which time finding his men grow faint for want of provision, he laid hold of the opportunity, being befriended by a gloomy night, and so made an honorable retreat homewards. Howbeit we may judge what respect he had gained in James Town by this subsequent transaction.
When he was first brought hither it was frequently reported among the commonalty that he was kept close prisoner, which report caused the people of that town, those of Charles city, Henrico, and New-Kent Countries, being in all about the number of eight hundred, or a thousand, to rise and march thitherwards in order to his rescue; whereupon the Governor was forced to desire Mr. Bacon to go himself in person, and by his open appearance quiet the people.
This being past, Mr. Bacon, about the 25th of June last, dissatisfied that he could not have a commission granted him to go against the Indians, in the night time departed the town unknown to anybody, and about a week after got together between four and five hundred men of New-Kent County, with whom he marched to James Town, and drew up in order before the House of State; and there peremptorily demanded of the Governor, Council and Burgesses (there then collected) a commission to go against the Indians, which if they should refuse to grant him, he told them that neither he nor e’er a man in his company would depart from their doors till he had obtained his request; whereupon to prevent farther danger in so great an exigence, the Council and Burgesses by much entreaty obtained him a commission signed by the Governor, an act for one thousand men to be listed under his command to go against the Indians, to whom the same pay was to be granted as was allowed to them who went against the fort. But Bacon was not satisfied with this, but afterwards earnestly importuned, and at length obtained of the house, to pass an act of indemnity to all persons who had sided with him, and also letters of recommendations from the Governor to his Majesty in his behalf; and moreover caused Colonel Claybourne and his son, Captain Claybourne, Lieutenant Colonel West, and Lieutenant Colonel Hill, and many others, to be degraded for ever bearing any office, whether it were military or civil.
Having obtained these large civilities of the Governor, etc., one would have thought that if the principles of honesty would not have obliged him to peace and loyalty, those of gratitude should. But, alas, when men have been once flushed or entered with vice, how hard is it for them to leave it, especially it tends towards ambition or greatness, which is the general lust of a large soul, and the common error of vast parts, which fix their eyes so upon the lure of greatness, that they have no time left them to consider by what indirect and unlawful means they must (if ever) attain it.
This certainly was Mr. Bacon’s crime, who, after he had once launched into rebellion, nay, and upon submission had been pardoned for it, and also restored, as if he had committed no such heinous offense, to his former honor and dignities (which were considerable enough to content any reasonable mind) yet for all this he could not forbear wading into his former misdemeanors, and continued his opposition against that prudent and established government, ordered by his Majesty of Great Britain to be duly observed in that continent.
In fine, he continued (I cannot say properly in the fields, but) in the woods with a considerable army all last summer, and maintained several brushes with the Governor’s party: sometime routing them, and burning all before him, to the great damage of many of his Majesty’s loyal subjects there resident; sometimes he and his rebels were beaten by the Governor, etc., and forced to run for shelter among the woods and swamps. In which lamentable condition that unhappy continent has remained for the space of almost a twelve-month, every one therein that were able being forced to take up arms for security of their own lives, and no one reckoning their goods, wives, or children to be their own, since they were so dangerously exposed to the doubtful accidents of an uncertain war.
But the indulgent Heavens, who are alone able to compute what measure of punishments are adequate or fit for the sins or transgressions of a nation, has in its great mercy thought fit to put a stop, at least, if not a total period and conclusion to these Virginian troubles, by the death of this Nathaniel Bacon, the great molester of the quiet of that miserable nation.