Account of Indian Massacre March 22, 1621
at Jamestown, Virginia
Excerpts from letter written by Edward Waterhouse to King James in 1622
Yea, in some places sate downe at Breakfast with our people at their tables, whom immediately with their [Englishmen's] owne tooles and weapons eyther laid downe or standing in their houses, they [the Indians] basely and barbarously murthered, not sparing eyther age or sexe, man, woman or childe. So sodaine in their cruell execution that few or none discerned the weapon or blow that brought them to destruction. In which manner they also slew many of our people then at their seuerall workes and husbandries in the fields, and without their houses, some in planting Corne and Tobacco, some in gardening, some in making Bricke, building, sawing, and other kindes of husbandry....
And by this meanes that fatall Friday morning, there fell vnder the bloudy and barbarous hands of that perfidious and inumane people, contrary to all lawes of God and men, of Nature & Nations, three hundred forty seven men, women, and children, most by their owne weapons; and not being content with taking away life alone, they fella fter againe vpon the dead, making as well as they could a fresh murder, defacing, dragging, and mangling the dead carkasses into many pieces, and carrying some parts away in derision with base and bruitish triumph....
One instance of it, amongst too many, shall serue for all, that worthy religious Gentleman, Master George Thorpe Esquire...was so tender over them....He thought nothing too deare for them, and as being desirous to binde them vnto him by his many courtesies hee neuer denyed them anything that they asked him....Hee was not onely too kinde and beneficiall to the common sort, but also to their King [Chief] to whom hee oft resorted and gaue many presents....Whereas this kingb before dwelt onely in a cottage or rather a denne or hog-style made with a few poles and stickes and couered with mats after their syld manner, to civilize him he first built him a fayre house according to the English fashion in which hee tooke such ioy...he thought no device in all the world was comparable to it....And thus far the pagan confessed, moued by naturall Principles that our God was a good God and better much than theirs....And both hee and his people for the daily courtesies this good Gentleman did to one or other of them, did professe such outward loue and respect vnto him as nothing could seeme more.
But all was little regarded by this Viperous brood...for they not only wilfully murdered him, but curely and felly, out of devillish malice did so many barbarous despights and foule scornes after to his dead corpse as are unbefitting to be heard by any civill eare....
There being, God be praysed, about eleven parts of twelve still remayning....as at Iasmes-Citie and other places and the Pinnace trading in Pa-moun-key Riuer, all whose liues were saued by a converted Indian, disclosing the plot....
....as if the Indians and themselues had beene of one Nation, those treacherous Natiues, after five yeares peace, by a generall combination in one day plotted to subvert their whole Colony, and at one instant of time, though our seuerall Plantations were an hundred and forty miles vp one Riuer on both sides....
These wyld naked Natiues liue not in great numbers together, but dispersed and in small companies [tribes] and where most together, not above two hundred, and that very rare, in other palces fifty or forty and thereabouts, and many miles distant from one another in such places among the Woods...cleared plots of ground which they imploy wholly in setting of Corne, whereby to sustaine their lives.
These small and scattered Companies had warning giuen from one another in all their habitations to meete at the day and houre appointed for our destruction...some were directed to goe to one place, some to another...some entring their Houses vnder colour of trucking [trading] and so taking aduantage, others drawing our men abroad vpon faire pretences, and the rest suddenly falling vpon those that were at their labours....
The slaughter had beene vniversall if God had not put it into the heart of an Indian belonging to one Perry to disclose it....And thus the rest of the Colony that had warning giuen them by this meanes was saved....for though three hundred and more of ours died by many of these Pagan Infidels, yet thousands of ours were saued by the means of one of them alone which was made a Christian....
Pace vpon this discouery, securing his house before day, rowed ouer the Riuer to Iames-City (in that place neere three miles in bredth) and gaue notice thereof to the Gouernor...and at such other PLantations as was possible...for where they saw vs standing vpon our Guard, at the sight of a Peece they all ranne away....
It is since discouered that the last Summer Opach-an-kane practised with a King [chief] of the Eastern shore to furnish him with store of poison for our destruction, which he absolutely refused, though he sent him great store of Beades....
That the true cause of this surprize was mostly by the instigation of the Devill and the dayly feare that possest them that in time we by our growing continually vpon them would dispossesse them of thie Country, as they had beene formerly of the West Indies by the Spaniard; produced this bloody act....their tormenting Devill whom they worship for feare, though they acknowledge they love him not....