The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1906-08-24
NATHANIEL BACON, THE
FIRST AMERICAN REBEL.

Nathaniel Bacon was born in SUI
folk, England, January 2, 1912. and
educated at the Inns of Court, London.
Handsome, intellectual, rich, with the
best blood of Britain in his veins,
Bacon. at the age of Twenty-eight,
came to America and settled in Glou
cester County, Virginia.
When Bacon landed on the shores
of the New World he found in the
colony some $4,000 people, a small
minority of whom were living in
princely style. while the overwhelm-
ing majority were little better than
slaves.
OF aristocratic birth. Bacon was at
heart democrat of the democrats: "a
man who loved justice and right as
the hungry man loves bread. and it
took him but little while to declare
himself.
He put himself squarely on the side
of the people versus the stalled mi
nority, who were doing their best to
keep them in bondage.
At the apex of the Virginia Iniquity,
as Bacon found 1t, was old Governor
Berkeley, the representative of the
Crown.
Close after the pompus old Governor
came the gentlemen" the aristocrats.
who lived in the mansions along the
rivers and Toasted on the fat OF the
land.
Against this combination Bacon de-
clared "war to the knife"
Circumstances opened the way for
Bacon to strike the wished-for blow
| to the selfish and arrogant aristocraey,
and he awaited himself of it with the
avidity of a man of genius and with
the energy of thoroughly sincere
democrat.
/ In the Summer of 1875 there was a
great Indian uprising-and old Cover
nor Berkeley did nothing about it. The
settlers were murdered right and left
but the Governor raised not hand
He was in the fur trade with the
Indians. AS a result of that trade he
was making money, and why should he
Iincite the ill-will of the red men or
account of the death Of few pale
But while Berkeley was taking i
easy, Bacon acted. A military force
made up of the plain people elected
Bacon as their general, and the neces
sary plans were begun to be laid fol
the securing of the peace and safety
in the colony that all so earnestly de
. sired.
Then old Berkeley got mad to thinl
that Bacon had dared to beard hin
without commission from Higl
, Mightiness. At that the people go
mad, elected a. sufficient number 0
+ themselves to the Assembly at James
town to control it. and gave Bacon
commission as general
That made Berkeley more wrath
: than ever, and he refused to sign Be
! cons commission that had been give
: him by the House.
! Five hundred fearless patriots gait
cred about Bacon, and with thes
, marched to jamestown, the capita
! nd demanded the signing Of his con
, mission, and on July 4, one hundre
! years before the proclamation of tn
!. Declaration of Independence, the stul
:. born old Governor yielded, and b
: his signature ratified the votes of tn
Assemblymen.
q Bacon Immediately set out on hi
n, march against the Indians. But b
/ had no sooner gone than the hypocri
V ical old Governor proclaimed him
9 rebel and traitor.
e This unaccountable action imme'
4 lately aroused Bacon's anger, and wit
: his force he marched on Jamestowl
. Berkeley was there with an army, b.
q the army was too cowardly to figh
: and Bacon burned jamestown to Il
' ground, leaving only the old brio
# church tower, which still stands.
r. In the meantime the hated repr
Z sentative of the Crown had fed to tt
n eastern shore of Chesapeake Ba
where, by promise of booty, he b
q gan raising force to sustain him
3 Having cleared the field on Il
I mainland proper, Bacon was prepa
/. ingsfo cross the Chesapeake for Il
q purpose of driving Berkeley from v
W ginia, when Destiny called a halt.
In the low, fiat marshes Of It'd
# water Virginia the death malar
n lurked, and before that silent b
ar terrible foe Bacon fell, October
ID 1876, at the early age of thirty-four.
,e With their gifted young leader gor
THE people seemed able to do b