Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1898-08-04
EARLY VIRGINIA HISTORY.
COLCHESTER ON THE 0CCoQUAN CON-
TINUED.
No. 81.

To 90 back in our story, the years of
1873 and '76, were fraught with dire ca
lamities to the Virginia colonists. Their
pulcy toward the Indians had not been
of that character to cultivate amily and
good feeling and grievously as the Sc
quei proved they were TO suffer for it.
! lhe Indians before the coming Of the
English had selected for their settle
menIs the places most advantageous to
5hem with regard to fishing, hunting
aud maize cultivation, and these the
colonists coveted and encroached upon.
The Indians before superior force re-
treated reluctantly mile by mile into
I ne businesses of the wilderness and for
many years in retaliation kept up har-
rasspg depredations upon the advanc
g settlements until the laborers on
he plantations, the families in their
homes and the wayiarers on the high
ways were in continual fear OF being cut
OIL Dy the lurking foemen who were
from lime TO time succored by new ac
ces ions of other tribes from the head
waters OF the rivers and who had been
driven southwark beforc m re powerful
tribes with whom they lad long been
at war.
AT length the troubles between the
Two races eliminated in what Is known
in history as Bacon's Rebellion, which
ccurred during the administration of
Governor Berkeley. The outlines OF the
story OF this conflict which are all We
can now give are these: One Sunday
morning in 1873 as some settlers south
of Great Hunting creek in the parish
of Truro, then included in the coun-
ty of Stafford but now in the
county of Fairfax, were repairing
10 the church, presumably the orig
irsl of that at Pohick, they found
tie bodies of Robert Hen, her6sm "a
and his companion, friendly Indian,
morally wounded by the door of their
isolated cabin in the forests. They had
been hacked by knives and tomahawks
and left for dead. Hen had just sutfic-
lent breath to utter the name "Doegs'
-meaniug that the murderous work
bad been done by some of that tribe,
the lribe which roamed the territory
now occupied by the counties of Fair
fix and Prince William and whose
chief town of Asssomeck was on the
Potomac four miles below Alexandria.
A boy who had been concealed i'll the
cabin came out and related how tie
Indians had come at the break OF day
and committed the murders News OF
the occurrence soon spread through
the various settlements and Col. Geo
Mason commanding the infantry rang
ers and Capt Giles Brent commanding
the cavalry, a kind of standing army
which had been raised and equipped
and kept in readiLe9s for such emel-
gencies hy the county of Stafford,
crossed the Occoquan by the ferry and
! started in pursuit of the Doegs, whom
they drove twenty miles up the river
and came upon them At dawn, surprs-
ING them in their cabins and Staying
many Of their number, among wnom
WIS their king. Doubtless the scene of
their massacre was the settlement at
Assaomeck, already mentioned Such
OF the Indials as escaped crossed the
river and sought the protection of the
Piscataways in Maryland. Other In
dams fleeing before the pursuit of the
colonists further down the river
had also taken refuge under the same
protection and all were combined by
league, and together they proceeded to
foriifv themselves against the whites
somewhere on the heights NV occu-
pied by the defenses Of Fort Washing
ton. There they threw up" accord
ing to the chronicler of the time, thigh
banks of earth around their town with
hankers having many looholes, and
around this they dug ditch, and out
side of all they built high palisade OF
timbers wattled together and thickly
interlaced with sapplings." Within
these defences they deemed themselves
safe, and proclaimed defiance to CO.
lonial forces. To dislodge them from
their stronghold body OF one thousand
militia, foot and horse, was speedily
raised in Virginia and placed under the
command of Col. John Washington, the
first immigrant of that name to Nir-
ginia and the great grandfather OF the
revolutionary leader. This command
was Joined by several hundred more
from MARYLAND and siege was laid TO
the fortified place of the savages. The
conflict was waged with ferceness and
malipnitv. After it had continued for
some DAYS and many desperate sallies
had been made from the fort six chiefs
were sent out ss messengers to treat for
reconciliation. They were shot down and
the siegers continued their work until
the end OF six weeks when the lndiaos
in desperation to avoid starvation rush
ed in body from their detences oniv
to fall victims, many OF them; 10 u Q
fury of their foemen who gave toem q,
no quarter. The massacre OF Ine
natives was almost complete. Fenge-
ance was satisfied and the power OF the
natives forever broken.
This war was not waged with the
concurrence of the governor ana MS
council; hut it was at the instance OF
the planters who assumed the respon-
sibility OF the movements and ct"S" .ar
their Leader lne intrepid Nathaniel
Bacon, one OF the many actors IL the
has