John Smith May Seem Heroic Today, But He Wasn’t Too Popular Back in the Day September 10, 2010

John Smith was put in chains and fired by his fellow settlers but today he has a statue at Jamestown

1588 Spanish Armada Destruction Opened the Door For English Colonization

On This Date In History:  The first permanent English settlement in the New World was at Jamestown in the Virginia Colony.   While it was established in 1607, English merchants and adventurers had failed several times in attempts to create colonies in America.  Throughout the sixteenth century, Britain was well aware of the existence of the New World and was intrigued by the possibilities.  When Elizabeth I rose to power, a powerful sense of nationalism developed that encouraged dreams of expansion.  But, England was a bit nervous about their powerful rival, Spain.  Spain was the dominant European power in the Western Hemisphere and they had the most formidable navy in the world.  But, in the latter half of the century, “sea dogs” such as Sir Francis Drake successfully raided Spanish merchant ships and confidence in Britains ability to challenge the Spanish on the high seas rose.  Ulitmately, the door for Britain into the New World was opened in 1588 when the Spanish Armada was defeated soundly by the Royal Navy.  It was a bold attempt by Philip II to end England’s ability to challenge to Spain’s commercial supremacy and also bring the island nation back into the Catholic Church.  It turned out to be a total fiasco as the much smaller Royal Navy ended in a single stroke the Spanish Navy’s dominance of the Atlantic.

 

"Croatoan" All That Was Left of the "Lost Colony"

In 1583, Sir Humphrey Gilbert led an expedition to New Foundland, which he claimed in the name of the Queen.  He traveled along the coast in search of a good spot for a military outpost the might become a profitable colony.  Instead, on this date in 1583 Sir Humphrey was nowhere to be found because the previous day a storm had arrived and Gilbert went down with his ship.  Gilbert’s half-brother, Sir Walter Raleigh recruited his cousin, Sir Richard Grenville, to lead a group of men to Roanoke Island to establish a colony in 1585.  Grenville deposited the settlers on the island.  Grenville returned to England but did stay long enough to piss off the native population by burning down an Indian village in retaliation for a minor theft.  When Sir Francis Drake showed up the following spring, the beleagured settlers promptly boarded Drake’s ship and went home.   Raleigh tried again in 1587 when he sent an expedition of 91 men, 17 women and 9 children.  John White led the expedition and shortly after they arrived back at Roanoke Island, his daughter gave birth to Virginia Dare, who was the first American-born child of English parents.  Obviously, White wasn’t too sentimental because he then left the settlers to pick up where the previous Roanoke settlers had left off.  He returned to England with the intention of returning with supplies in a few months.  But, hostilities with Spain messed up that plan and he didn’t make it back until 1590, when he found the island deserted with no clue as to the colonists’ fate except the word “Croatoan” carved on a tree.  No one really knows what happened to them but many historians suspect the Indians knocked off the colonists in retaliation for Grenville’s burning down their village.

 

Roanoke Island "Lost Colony" Not Far From Jamestown

So, by the time the Jamestown colonization attempt came about, the English were well acquainted with failure and Jamestown seemed destined to continue the string of futility.  144 men began the journey to the colony that was established by James I with charters to the London and Plymouth Companies.  But, only 104 survived the voyage.  Since the king had afforded them the opportunity,  they thought it might be a good idea to name the settlement in his honor.  But, the majority of men on the expedition were more interested in searching for gold or other fortune and had no desire to do any work.  After all, the purpose of the colony was to turn a profit and the companies wanted a quick return on their investment.  They also faced unanticipated challenges.   We often hear of how natives to America suffered from disease introduced by European settlers.  Well, it works both ways and many of the Jamestown settlers succombed to diseases that had no effect on the Indians but proved fatal for the British.   Greed and rootlessness contributed to the failure to grow food and a lousy diet limited the colonists ability to fend off disease.   When a ship arrived with supplies in 1608, all but 38 of the settlers were dead. 

 

A Not-Too-Youthful Looking Smith

Now, 27-year-old Captain John Smith had joined the original expedition.  He was a good organizer and had  built a reputation as quite the world traveler.  He was also used to being a captain and probably had a sense of arrogance.  In fact, his abrasiveness became so irritating on the 4 month voyage across the Atlantic Ocean that his fellow colonists had Smith put in irons.  When they first arrived at the colony, the settlers opened a locked box which had the names of 7 men whom the company had designated to be leaders of the colony.  I’m sure that the folks were greatly dismayed to find Smith’s name on the list.  However, with disater staring them in the fact, they obviously were desperate because, on this date in 1608, John Smith was elected as Council President of Jamestown in the Virginia Colony.   He imposed work and order on the community and organized raids on neighboring Indian villages to steal food.   Nevertheless, the settlement continued to struggle even after Smith took charge when a fire wiped out many of the structures.   But, what appeared to be a concluding event for the life of Smith ended up being a life and colony saver.

 

True or False, Smith's Story of Being Saved by Pocahontas Has Been Etched in History

 The story, as told by Smith and disputed by some historians, was that he and two companions were ambushed by some Indians who killed his buddies and took Smith back to Chief Powhatan, who intended to ritualistically club the young Captain to death. But, the 11 or 12 year old daughter of Powhatan, Pocahontas, threw herself between Smith and her father and convinced the Chief to change his mind.  Correspondingly, Smith changed his un-neighborly ways and struck up better relations with the locals and “befriended”  Pocahontas who visited the settlement often and acted as an emissary between her father and the English.  

 

Indians Had the Upper Hand On Jamestown in 1622

Attacks from local tribes declined as, presumbably, Smith had figured out that stealing food from the neighbors wasn’t too smart.  In turn,  the Indians helped the greenhorn English to learn how to live in the New World.   That second winter, only 12 of the nearly 200 colonists died and by the summer of 1609, Jamestown appeared to have a chance at survival.   I guess Smith’s heavy handed ways were not seen as any longer necessary because, with conditions improving, the council deposed him from his position and he returned to England to get treatment for a serious powder burn.  The goodtimes didn’t last in Jamestown though as by 1610, famine and disease took its toll and only 60 people were left when a ship with more settlers showed up.  Relations with the Indians also went in the tank with several wars.  The Indians, of course, eventually lost but it wasn’t a total blowout as evidence by the settlements razing  in 1622.  You can visit the reincarnation of the Jamestown settlement.  You’ll be amazed at how small the ships they used to sail the seas really were.

 

Pocahontas After She Became Rebecca Rolfe

It is interesting that the majority of the images that we have of Smith don’t seem to resemble that of the youthful man who  took the helm at Jamestown. Most paintings do not depict Smith as a young man at all, but instead a robust man who might fit in an Old Spice commercial. Prior to photographs, it was possible for artists to depict their heroes or villains as the wanted them to appear, but not necessarily as they really did appear.   In any event, as I mentioned, John Smith was an adventurer and while he was in the colony he mapped much of the Tidewater area. He is credited with discovering Tangier Island, where Snow White and I vacationed a couple of years ago. Smith saw the Island with a white beach (which has largely disappeared) and it reminded him of Tangiers…so he called the Island Tangier. Smith was obviously not a very creative fellow because a nearby Island he named after himself. The third island in the group he called Watts Island, after one of his crewmen. The collection of three islands, Tangier, Smith and Watts, he called the Russell Islands,or Russell’s Isles….again after one of his crewmen. If Donald Trump had been on board, perhaps we would have the Trump Islands. Good thing Englebert Humperdink wasn’t part of the crew.

Weather Bottom Line:  Not much of a change. I told you it would be too dry for rain today and I think that the dry air will be tough to overcome on Friday but the atmosphere should moisten up from top to bottom enough that rain chances will get reasonably healthy by late Friday.  Now, a warm front will lift through the area on Saturday so we’ll be back into the mid to upper 80′s and it will be noticeably more humid. That will set the stage for a cold front that will bring rain and t’storm activity on Saturday.  It’s possible that the SPC will issue a slight risk outlook for our area for Saturday but by late Thursday that was not the case.

Custer Made Last Stand without Long Hair or title of General June 25, 2010

Custer Was Not A General For Long

Little Big Horn Battlefield Map

On this Date in History:  In 1875, the Native American nations in the western United States were in the process of being rounded up and forced onto reservations.  Needless to say, for people used to roaming the plains, this was not too well received.  So, a group of Sioux and Cheyenne Indians left their reservations in defiance.  The United States sent 3 columns to make a coordinated attack in an effort to  force the Indians back to the their reservation.   One of the columns was the 7th Cavalry under the command of George Armstrong Custer who was ordered not to attack without the support of the other columns.  But, on this date in 1876, he found a Sioux Indian village.  When he saw a nearby group of about 40 warriors, he decided to disobey orders and attack before the smaller group could alert the larger body of the Army’s presence.  Then he made one, if not two more mistakes.  He divided his forces into three groups with the intention of attacking from three directions in order to prevent an escape.  Beyond dividing his forces though, he failed to get a good report of the lay of the land.  The seemingly simple movement of his troops was thwarted by a series of bluffs and ravines of which Custer was unaware. 

Little Big Horn Survivors in 1886

He also was wrong about the enemy’s strength.  As it turned out, he was attacking a force that outnumbered him by about 3-1 and he was doing so with a divided army.   In the end, some of Custer’s men escaped but the column commanded by Custer himself was eventually surrounded and all the men were killed.  After the battle, the Indians stripped and mutilated the bodies because they believed that the soul of a mutilated body would be forced to wander the earth aimlessly and not get to heaven.  But, Custer’s body was stripped but otherwise not touched.  Some accounts suggest it was because the Indians respected Custer as a great warrior.  But, that seems unlikely because Custer was not in uniform. He was wearing a buckskin outfit which seems like it would be pretty hot.  So, they more than likely did not think that he was a soldier and that is why they spared him.   Another possibility is that, since Custer had cut his famous long blond locks very short for battle, that they did not bother scalping him since due to the lack of hair on the scalp.  No one really can say for certain why Custer’s body was left unmolested but it is not likely that the Indians knew that the body in question was that of George A. Custer. 

Guidon Worth 2 to 5 million dollars?

The Battle of Little Big Horn in Montana was one of the worst defeats in US Army history.  Including scouts, some 268 men were killed though 380 US soldiers survived.  One might think that this battle would be a forgettable part of US military lore but, on this date in 2010, it was announced that a momento of the Battle of Little Big Horn would be put up for auction.  The item is a flag that looks more like  pennant or a swallow-tail designed American flag.   Its real name is a guidon and it was found after the battle folded under a dead soldier.  In June 1895, the artifact was sold to the Detroit museum of Art for $54.  Today, the Detroit Museum of Art is known as the Detroit Institute of Arts and it is putting the guidon up for auction.  What was valued at $54 115 years ago is now expected to fetch somewhere between $2 million and $5 million.   After all of this time…why sell it?  Money for one and also, the museum has determined that they collect art and this battle flag is not art.  It sure wasn’t a good luck charm either for the 7th Cavalry led by Lt. Colonel Custer. 

Lt Col Custer Laying With Dog While Resting During Civil War Peninsula Campaign

You see….George Custer was not a general officer at the Battle of Little Big Horn.  He was a West Point graduate and was a Captain when the Civil War began.  He had many daring and successful escapades in the Civil War with great success at places like Gettysburg, Winchester and Cedar Creek.  He was given brevet promotions for his actions. 

Custer's Crow Indian Scouts Gather in Rememberance At Little Big Horn Grave Site

Eventually, Custer was breveted to the rank of Major-General of the volunteers.  He accepted the initial flag of surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia and was present at Appomattox Courthouse when General Lee formally surrendered to US Grant.  He was the youngest General to serve in the Union Army.  But, after the war, he was commissioned as a Lt. Colonel in the regular army, given his position with the US 7th Cavalry.   Thus…”General Custer” only existed from about October 1864 to March 1866 when he mustered out of the volunteer army.  He became a Lt. Colonel in the regular army in 1867 and between the time of his new commission and the end of his life, he survived a court martial and year long suspension.  If the army had instead discharged him, the name of George Custer might never have been so well recognized today, which might have suited Custer whose long list of gallant actions and brilliant success has been totally overshadowed by his big blunder at Little Big Horn.

The Big Apple’s First Big Deal May 6, 2008

The weather looks great again on Tuesday.  Look for highs around 80 with perhaps a few friendly white puffies late.  Now, enjoy the day because we go in the tank for the rest of the week.  First off, we have a pretty good system moving out of the Southwest that will perhaps kick off a few showers on Wednesday around here and possibly some big boppers in places like Arkansas.  As it lifts up our way, it will open up or weaken so there is nothing that overtly suggests anything ferocious on Thursday but, as the rain chances increase, we will monitor.  Now, there is a general pattern that is not just continental but almost global and as it develops, it will be a pretty stagnant pattern so that our flow will be pretty consistent.  So, we will have a series of little upper level lows that will wander by from time to time just to our south.  So, after Thursday, there will be periodic increases in rain chances from time to time through the weekend.  Keep up with the forecast as we time out the impulses cruising through in the flow.  I suspect that the pattern will finally change by next week.

On This Date In History:In the Alongonquian language, it was known as Manahatin which meant “Hill Island.”  It was a rich land teeming with wildlife and game like beaver, deer, bison and bear.  The river had sturgeon and oyster beds were common on its shores.  The northern 2/3 part of the island was occupied by an Indian tribe called the Weckquasgeeks.  The smaller remaining southern portion was where the Canarsees called home. 

On May 4, 1626 the director-general of a new Dutch colony arrived on the shores of the island with instructions from home that, if the land was occupied by Indians, they were not to be forced off. Instead, they be persuaded by giving them something or with kind words.  Well, the folks that occupied the island never claimed to own the land as they didn’t have the sense of ownership in their culture  like the Europeans.  And if they did, the Canarsees would have less claim than the Weckquasgeeks.  Well, the Dutch didn’t know all of this and, on this date in 1626, gave the Canarsees what amounted to 24 American dollars in exchange for an island they didn’t own. 

I’ve always figured that the Canarsee chief must have been like Frank Pantangoli in   The Godfather Part II when he says “the FBI guys, they offered me a deal and I said, sure…why not?”

So, the Canarasees took the money and the Dutch thought they had a good deal.  But, of course, the Dutch certainly didn’t hold on to the Island long enough to see the Hudson River polluted so that there are no more sturgeon and no more oysters.  They never saw the hills flattened and the rich soil covered  in concrete nor the disappearance of the bison, deer, beaver and bear.  Nope…the Dutch paid $24 for an Island to people who didn’t even own it and then didn’t stick around to see it become all that it would become.

Meanwhile, the Indians…if they had taken that $24 and invested it at 6% interest compounded annually they’d be sitting on $35 Billion by 1988.  If they continued that return on investment, it would be nearly $70 Billion by 2000.  Now, if they had been really smart, then they would have put that $35 Billion in 1988 in a then-new company called Microsoft.  Then in the mid 90′s, sold that and bought shares in a new company called Yahoo.  And by the early 2000′s, bought Google.  I’m not doing the math but I betcha they’d be sitting on close to a trillion dollars  Not bad for some guys from Brooklyn.