that rebell Bacon, whereupon arose a murmuring before his face “Bacon Bacon Bocon, and all walked out of the field, muttering as they went "Bacon Bacon Bacon, leaving the Governor and those that came with him to themselves, who being thus abandon'd wafted over Chesepiacke bay 30 miles to Accomack where are two counties of Virginia. Mr. Bacon hearing of this came back part of the way, and sent out parties of horse patrolling through every county, carrying away prisoners all whom he distrusted might any more molest his Indian prosecuç'on yet giving liberty to such as pledg'd him their oaths to return home and live quiet; the copies or contents of which oaths I never saw, but heard werę very strict, tho' little observed. About this time was a spie detected pretending himself a deserter who had twice or thrice come and gone from party to party and was by councill of war sentenced to death. after which Bacon declared openly to him, "that if any one in the army wou'd speak a word to save him, he shou'd "not suffer," which no man appearing to do, he was executed, upon this manifestation of clemency Bacon was applauded for a mercifull man, not willing to spill Christian bloud, nor indeed was it said, that he put any other man to death in cold bloud, or plunder any house; nigh the same time came Maj'r Langston with his troop of horse and quartered two nights at my house who [after high compliments from the Generall] told me I was desired "to accept the Lieutenancy for preserving the peace in the 5 Northern counties betwixt Potomack and Rappahannock rivers, I humbly thank'd his hon'r excusing myself, as I had done before on that invitation of the like nature at James town, but did hear he was mightily offended at my evasions and threatened to remember me. The Govern'r made 2d. attempt coming over from Accomack with what men he could procure in sloops and boats, forty miles up the river to James town, which Bacon hearing of, came againe down from his fforest pursuit, and finding a bank not a fight shot long, cast up thwart the neck of the peninsula there in James town, he stormed it, and took the town, in which attack were 12. men slaine & wounded but the Govern'r with most of his followers fled back, down the river in their vessells. Here resting a few dais they concerted the burning of the town, wherein Mr. Lawrence and Mr. Drumond owning the two best houses save one, sat fire each to his own house, which example the souldiers following laid the whole town with church and State house in ashes, saying, the rogues should harbour no more there. On these reiterated molestac'ons Bacon calls a convention at Midle plantation 15. miles from James town in the month of August 1676, where an oath with one or more proclamations were formed, and writts by him issued for an Assembly; the oaths or writts I never saw, but one proclamation com'anded all men in the land on pain of death to joine him, and retire into the wildernesse upon arrival of the forces expected from England, and oppose them untill they should propose to accept to treat of an accom❜odntion, which we who lived comfortably coud not have undergone, so as the whole land must have become an Aceldama if gods exceeding mercy had not timely removed him, During these tumults in Virginia a 2d. danger menaced Maryland by an insurrection in that province, complaining of their heavy taxes &c. where 2 or 3 of the leading malcontents [men otherwise of laudable characters] were put to death, which stifled the farther spreading of that flame. Mr. Bacon, [at this time] press't the best ship in James river, carrying 20 guns and putting into her his Lieutenant Generall Mr. Bland [a gentleman newly come thither from England to possesse the estate of his deceased uncle late of the council] and under him the forementioned Capt. Carver, formerly a com'ander of Merch'ts ships with men & all necessaries, he sent her to ride before Accomack to curb and intercept all small vessels of war com'ission'd by the Govern'r com'ing often over and making depredations on the Western shoar, as if we had been fforeign enemies, which gives occasion in this place to digress a few words. Att first assembly after the peace came a message to them from the Govern'r for some marks of distinction to be set on his loyal friends of Accomack, who received him in his adversity which when came to be consider'd Col: Warner [then Speaker] told the house "Ye know that "what mark of distinction his hono'r coud have sett on those of Acco"mack unlesse to give them ear marks or burnt marks for robbing and ravaging honest people, who stay'd at home and preserv'd the estates "of those who ran away, when none intended to hurt 'em.". Now returning to Capt Carver the Govern'r sent for him to come on shoar, promising his peaceable return, who answer'd, he could not trust his word, but if he wou'd send his hand & seal, he wou'd adventure to wait upon his hono'r which was done, and Carver went in his sloop well arm'd & man'd with the most trusty of his men where he was caress'd with wine &c. and large promises, if he would forsake Bacon, resigne his ship or joine with him, to all which he answer'd that "if he served the "Devill he would be true to his trust, but that he was resolved to go "home and live quiet. In the mean time of this recepc'on and parley, an armed boat was prepared with many oars in a creek not far off, but out of sight, which when Carver sail'd, row'd out of the creek, and it being almost calm the boat out went the sloop whilst all on board the ship were upon the deck staring at both, thinking the boats company coming on board by Carvers invitation to be civilly entertained in requitall for the kindness they supposed he had received on shoar, untill coming under the stern, those in the boat slipt nimbly in at the gun room ports with pistolls &c. when one courageous gentleman ran up to the deck, & clapt à pistoll to Blands breast, saying you are my prisorner, the boats company suddainly following with pistolls swords &c. and after Capt. Larimore (the com'ander of the ship before she was presst) having from the highest and hindmost part of the stern interchang'd a signal from the shoar, by flirting his handkercher about his nose, his own former crew had laid handspikes ready, which they [at that instant] caught up &c. so as Bland & Carvers men were amazed and yielded. Carver seeing a hurly burly on the ships deck, woud have gone away with his sloop, but having little wind & the ship threat'ning to sink him, he tamely came on board, where Bland & he with their party were laid in irons, D and in 3. or 4 dais Carver was hang'd on shoar, which S'r Henry Chichelly the first of the councill then a prisoner, [with diverse other gentlemen] to Mr. Bacon, did afterwards exclaime against as a most rash and wicked act of the Govern'r he in particular expecting to have been treated by way of reprizall, as Bacons friend Carver had been by the Govern'r. Mr. Bacon now returns from his last expedic'on sick of flux; without finding any enemy Indians, having not gone far by reason of the vexations behind him, nor had he one dry day in all his marches to and fro in the fforest whilst the plantations [not 50, miles distant] had a sum'er so dry as stinted the Indian corn and tobacco &c. which the people ascribed to the Pawawings i. e. the sorceries of the Indians, in a while Bacon dyes & was succeeded by his Lieuten't Gen'll Ingram, who had one Wakelet next in comʼand under him, whereupon hasten'd over the Govern'r to York river, and with whom they articled for themselves, and whom else they could, and so all submitted and were pardoned exempting those nominated and otherwise proscribed, in a proclamac'on of indemnity, the principall of whom were Laurence and Drum'ond. Mr. Bland was then a prisoner having been taken with Carver, as before noted, and in a few dais Mr. Drumond was brought in, when the Govern'r being on board a ship came im'ediately on shore and complimented him with the ironicall sarcasm of a low bend, saying "Mr. "Drummond! you are very unwelcome, I am more glad to see you, "than any man in Virginia, Mr. Drumond you shall be hang'd in half "an hour; who answered What yo'r hono'r pleases, and as soon as a council of war cou'd meet, his sentence be dispatchat & a gibbet erected [which took up near two houres] he was executed. This Mr. Drumond was a sober Scotch gentleman of good repute with whome I had not a particular acquaintance, nor do I know the cause of that rancour his hono'r had against him other than his pretentions in com'n for the publick but meeting him by accident the morning I left the town, I advis'd him to be very wary, for he saw the Govern'r had put a brand upon him, he [gravely expressing my name] answered "I am in over shoes, I will be over boots," which I was sorry to heare & left him. The last account of Mr. Laurence was from an uppermost plantation, where he and flour others desperado's with horses pistolls &c. march'd away in a snow ancle deep, who were thought to have cast themselves into a branch of some river, rather than to be treated like Drum'ond. Bacons body was so made away, as his bones were never found to be exposed on a gibbet as was purpos'd, stones being laid on his coffin, supposed to be done by Laurence. Near this time arrived a small fleet with a regiment from England S'r John Berry admirall, Col: Herbert Jefferies com'ander of the land forces and Collo: Morrison who had one year been a former Govern'r there, all three joined in a com'ission with or to S'r William Barclay, soon after when a generall court, and also an assembly were held, where some of our former assembly [with so many others] were put to death, diverse whereof were persons of honest reputations and handsome estates, as that the Assembly petitioned the Covern'r to spill no more bloud, and Mr. Presly at his coming Lome told me, he believed the Govern'r would have hang'd half the country, if they had let him alone, the first was Mr. Bland whose friends in England had procured his pardon to be sent over with the fleet, which he pleaded at his tryall, was in the Govern'rs pocket [tho' whether 'twas so, or how it came there, I know not, yet did not hear 'twas openly contradicted] but he was answered by Collo. Morrison that he pleaded his pardon at swords point, which was look'd upon an odd sort of reply, and he was executed; [as was talked] by private instructions from England the Duke of York having sworn "by god Bacon & Bland shoud dye. The Govern'r went in the fleet to London [whether by com'and from his Majesty or spontaneous I did not hear] leaving Col. Jefferyes in his place, and by next shipping came back a person who waited on his hono'r in his voyage, and untill his death, from whom a report was whisper'd about, that the king did say "that old fool had hang'd more men in that naked country, than he had done for the murther of his father, whereof the Govern'r hearing dyed soon after without having seen his majesty; which shuts up this tragedy. APPENDIX. To avoid incumbering the body of the foregoing little discourse, I have not therein mentioned the received opinion in Virginia, which very much attributed the promoting these perturbac'ons to Mr. Laurence, & Mr. Bacon with his other adherents, were esteemed, as but wheels agitated by the weight of his former & present resentments, after their choler was raised up to a very high pitch, at having been [so long & often] trifled with on their humble supplications to the Govern'r for his im'ediate taking in hand the most speedy meanes towards stopping the continued effusions of so much English bloud, from time to time by the Indians; which com'on sentim'ts I have the more reason to believe were not altogether groundless, because my self have heard him [in his familiar discourse] insinuate as if his fancy gave him prospect of finding (at one time or other) some expedient not only to repair his great losse, but therewith to see those abuses rectified that the country was oppressed with through (as he said) the forwardness avarice & french despotick methods of the Govern'r & likewise I know him to be a thinking man, and tho' nicely honest, affable, & without blemish; in his conversation and dealings, yet did he manifest abundance of uneasiness in the sense of his hard usages, which might prompt him to improve that Indian quarrel to the service of his animosities, and for this the more fair & frequent opportunities offered themselves to him by his dwelling at James town, where was the concourse from all parts to the Govern'r and besides that he had married a welathy widow who kept a large house of public entertainm't unto which resorted those of the best quality and such others as businesse called to that town, and his parts with his even temper made his converse coveted by persons of all ranks; so that being subtile, and having these advantages he might with lesse difliculty discover mens inclinations, and instill his notions where he found those woud be imbib'd with greatest satisfaction. As for Mr. Bacon fame did lay to his charge the having run out his patrimony in England except what he brought to Virginia, and for that the most part to be exhausted, which together made him suspecting of casting an eye to search for retrievment in the troubled waters of popular discontents, wanting patience to wait the death of his opulent cousin, old Collo. Bacon, whose estate he expected to inherit. But he was too young, too much a stranger there, and of a disposition too precipitate, to manage things to that length those were carried, had not thoughtfull Mr. Laurence been at the bottom. |