18 Starving Time in Virginia (1609-10)

Account of the troubles of the Virginia colony by George Percy (1580-1632), the youngest son of the Earl of Northumberland, who was one of the few survivors of the first shipload of 105 settlers of Jamestown. He later served as governor of the colony. 

If we truly consider the diversity of miseries, mutinies, and famishments which have attended upon discoveries and plantations in these our modern times, we shall not find our plantation in Virginia to have suffered alone. Laudonnière had his share thereof in Florida, next neighbor unto Virginia, where his soldiers did fall into mutinies and in the end were almost all starved for want of food. The Spaniards’ plantation in the River of Plate and the Straits of Magellan suffered also in so much that having eaten up all their horses to sustain themselves, mutinies did arise and grow among them for the which the General Diego Mendoza caused some of them to be executed. Extremity of hunger forcing others secretly in the night to cut down their dead fellows from off the gallows and bury them in their hungry bowels. The plantation in Cartagena was also lamentable, that [for] want of wholesome food wherewith for to maintain life were enforced to eat toads, snakes, and such like venomous worms. Such is the sharpness of hunger.

Not long after Captain Smith sent Captain Martin and myself with threescore people to go for Nansemonde to barter for an Island right opposite against the main. Our messengers staying longer than we expected we feared that which after happened. So Captain Martin did appoint with half of our men to take the Island perforce. And being upon the way we espied a canoe wherein we were persuaded our messengers to be. But they perceiving us returned back from whence they came and we never set eye upon our messengers after. But understood from the Indians themselves that they were sacrificed and that their brains were cut and scraped out of their heads with mussel shells. Being landed and acquainted with their treachery we beat the Savages out of the Island, burned their houses, ransacked their temples, took down the corpses of their dead kings from of their tombs and carried away their pearls, copper, and bracelets wherewith they do decorate their kings’ funerals. In the meantime Savages upon the main did fall into dissension with Captain Martin who seized the king’s son and one other Indian and brought them bound unto the Island where I was. When a ship boy taking up a pistol accidentally not meaning any harm the pistol suddenly fired and shot the Savage prisoner into the breast. And thereupon what with his passion and fear he broke the cords asunder wherewith he was tied and did swim over unto the main with his wound bleeding.

Not long after, Captain Martin whom I left at the island did come to Jamestown pretending some occasions of business, but indeed his own safety moved him thereunto. Fearing to be surprised by the Indians who had made diverse excursions against him so that [he] left Lieutenant Sicklemore to command in his absence, among whose company shortly after did grow a dangerous mutiny. Seventeen did take away a boat from him perforce and went therein to Kekowhaton pretending they would trade therefore victuals. But they were served according to their deserts, for not any of them were heard of after. And in all likelihood were cut off and slain by the savages and within [a] few days after Lieutenant Sicklemore and diverse others were found also slain with their mouths stopped full of bread, being done as it seems in contempt and scorn that others might expect the like when they should come to seek for bread and relief among them. Also within a short time after Captain West did come down to us from the Falls [up the James River near Powhatan], so our number at Jamestown increasing and our store decreasing, for in charity we could not deny them to participate with us. Whereupon I appointed Captain Tucker to calculate and cast up our store, the which at a poor allowance of half a can of meal for a man a day amounted unto three months provision. Yet Captain Tucker by his industry and care caused the same to hold out four months.

But having no expectation of relief to come in so short a time, I sent Captain Ratcliffe to Powhatan to procure victuals and corn by the way of commerce and trade. The which the subtle old fox at first made good semblance of, although his intent was otherwise only waiting a fitting time for their destruction, as after plainly appeared. The which was probably occasioned by Captain Ratcliffe’s credulity for having Powhatan’s son and daughter aboard his pinnace, freely suffered them to depart again on shore whom if he had detained might have been a sufficient pledge for his safety. And after not keeping a proper and fitting guard, but suffering his men by two and three and small numbers in a company to straggle into the savages’ houses. When the sly old king espied a fitting time, cut them all off, only surprised Captain Ratcliffe alive, who he caused to be bound unto a tree naked with a fire before. And by women his flesh was scraped from his bones with mussel shells and before his face thrown into the fire. And so for want of circumspection miserably perished.

Now all of us at Jamestown, beginning to feel that sharp prick of hunger which no man truly describe but he which has tasted the bitterness thereof, in so much that some to satisfy their hunger have robbed the store for the which I caused them to be executed. Then having fed upon horses and other beasts as long as they lasted, we were glad to make shift with vermin as dogs, cats, rats, and mice. All was fish that came to net to satisfy cruel hunger as to eat boots, shoes, or any other leather some could come by, and those being spent and devoured, some were enforced to search the woods and to feed upon serpents and snakes and to dig the earth for wild and unknown roots, where many of our men were cut off and slain by the savages. And now famine beginning to look ghastly and pale in every face that nothing was spared to maintain life and to do those things which seem incredible as to dig up dead corpses out of graves and to eat them, and some have licked up the blood which has fallen from their weak fellows. And among the rest this was most lamentable, that one of our colony murdered his wife, ripped the child out of her womb and threw it into the river, and after chopped the mother in pieces and salted her for his food. The same not being discovered before he had eaten part thereof, for the which cruel and inhumane fact I judged him to be executed, the acknowledgement of the deed being enforced from him by torture having hung by the thumbs with weights at his feet a quarter of an hour before he would confess the same.

These miseries considered, it was resolved upon by Sir Thomas Gates and the whole colony with all speed to return for England. Whereupon most of our men were set to work, some to make pitch and tar for trimming of our ships, others to bake bread, and few or none not employed in one occasion or another. So that a small space of time four pinnaces were fitted and made ready, when suddenly we espied a boat making towards us wherein we found to be Captain Bruster sent from my Lord Delaware who was come unto us with many gentlemen of quality and three hundred men besides great store of victuals, munition, and other provision. Whereupon we all returned to Jamestown again where my Lord shortly after landed and set all things in good order, selecting a Council and making captains over fifty men a piece. Then Sir Thomas Gates, being desirous for to be revenged upon the Indians at Kekowhatan, did go thither by water with a certain number of men and among the rest a taborer [drummer] with him being landed, he caused the taborer to play and dance thereby to allure the Indians. And then espying a fitting opportunity fell in upon them, put five to the sword, wounded many others. The rest of the savages he put to flight. And so possessing himself of the Town and the fertile ground thereunto adjacent, having well ordered all things he left his lieutenant Earley to command his company, and then returned to Jamestown again and shortly after did take his voyage for England.

Source: George Percy, A True Relation of the Proceedings and Occurrences of Moment which have happened in Virginia from the Time Sir Thomas Gates was ship-wrecked upon the Bermudas anno 1609 until my departure out of the Country which was in AD 1612. https://archive.org/details/writings0000smit/page/1094/mode/2up?q=relacyon