Jamestown supply missions facts for kids

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The rewritten text is ready. ```wikitext The Jamestown supply missions were important trips by ships from England to the new English settlement of Jamestown, Virginia in America. These missions, which happened from 1607 to about 1611, were sent by the London Company (also known as the Virginia Company of London). Their main goal was to start and then keep the English colony going. These trips also led to the settlement of Bermuda, which became a useful stop for ships traveling between England and Jamestown.

The first colonists picked Jamestown because it was easy to defend. But many of them weren't good farmers, and they quickly ran out of small animals to hunt. To make things even harder, a very bad drought (a long time without rain) hit the area between 1606 and 1612. Because of this, the colonists had to rely on trading with the Native Americans and on supplies sent from England to survive. Captain Christopher Newport led the first three supply missions. It wasn't until the fourth mission, led by Lord Thomas West, that the settlement finally had enough food and was safe from attacks.

First Ships to Jamestown (1606)

The first fleet, shown on the Virginia State Quarter

The London Company planned an expedition to start a settlement in Virginia in late 1606. This trip was meant to make money. Three ships sailed from Blackwall, London, on December 20, 1606. They carried 105 men and boys, plus 39 crew members. No women were on these first ships.

The ships in this first fleet were:

• Discovery (20 tons), led by Captain John Ratcliffe, with 21 people.
• Godspeed (40 tons), led by Captain Bartholomew Gosnold, with 52 people.
• Susan Constant (120 tons), the main ship, led by Captain Christopher Newport, with 71 people.

Journey to the New World

The fleet sailed southwest towards the Azores. Early in the trip, near the Canary Islands, Captain John Smith was accused of planning a rebellion. Captain Newport had him arrested. The ships stopped at several islands in the Caribbean, like Martinique, Dominica, Nevis, and St. Croix, to get fresh water and food. By April 6, 1607, they reached Puerto Rico for more supplies. Their last stop before the mainland was Mona and Monito Islands on April 7.

After a very long journey of 144 days, with only one person dying, they finally landed on April 26, 1607. They arrived at the mouth of what they named the James River on the Chesapeake Bay. A group of men explored the area and had a small fight with some local Native Americans. So, the colonists moved north. On May 14, 1607, they chose Jamestown Island for their settlement. This spot was good because it could be easily defended from attacks by other European countries like the Dutch, French, and Spanish.

However, after the long trip, their food was very low. Each person only had a small amount of grain-meal per day. Also, the worst drought in 700 years happened in the area between 1606 and 1612. This made it hard for the colonists and the local Powhatan tribes to grow food and find clean water. The early settlers were also expected to make money for the London Company. They were excited about finding what looked like gold and tried to cut timber to send back to England. But they were too busy trying to survive to focus on making products. On June 22, 1607, Newport sailed back to London with Susan Constant and Godspeed, carrying what they thought were valuable minerals. He left behind 104 colonists and the ship Discovery for exploring the area.

John Smith Explores (1607)

Using the ship Discovery, John Smith went on three trips around the Chesapeake Bay and along rivers in June, July, and August 1607. He was looking for food for the colonists. In December 1607, while on a food-gathering trip up the Chickahominy River, his men were attacked by Pamunkey natives, and Smith was captured. After being "saved" by Pocahontas, Smith returned to Jamestown just in time for the "First Supply" mission in January 1608.

First Supply Mission (1608)

Newport arrived back in London on August 12, 1607. He brought a letter from the council and his cargo of "gold," which was quickly found to be iron pyrite (also known as fool's gold). He was then put in charge of an urgent new supply mission. This mission carried some provisions and more than 70 new colonists.

The ships were:

• John and Francis with Captain Christopher Newport
• Phoenix with Francis Nelson

Journey and Challenges

The first supply fleet followed the same route as the original ships and arrived at the colony on January 2, 1608. When Newport returned, he found that only 38 of the original settlers were still alive. This was because of poor planning, the colonists' lack of skills, and attacks from the Powhatan tribes. Even though the two ships brought more supplies, they also brought 120 new men (settlers and crew), which added to the number of mouths to feed.

Things got worse a few days later when the fort caught fire. Most of the buildings, food, and supplies were destroyed. The colonists had planned to grow their own food and trade with the natives, but they became more and more dependent on supplies from England. After rebuilding shelters and setting up guards to protect crops, Newport felt the settlement was safer. He left for England again on April 10, 1608, with another cargo of "gold." While he was gone, the small food supplies quickly ran out. Even though Native Americans brought some food, Smith wrote that "more than half of us died."

John Smith Explores Again (1608)

Map of the Jamestown area, likely based on Smith's 1608 sketch

John Smith explored the Chesapeake Bay two more times in 1608, between the first and second supply missions. The Company had asked him to look for gold and a way to the Pacific Ocean. His first trip was from June 2 to July 21; the second, longer trip was from July 24 to September 7. He traveled about 3,000 miles (4,828 km) looking for much-needed food. He created a map that was very useful to explorers for over a hundred years. This time, he successfully traded for food with the Nansemonds along the Nansemond River and other groups. His interactions with other tribes, many part of the Powhatan tribes, had mixed results. These explorations are now remembered by the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail.

Second Supply Mission (1608)

Statue of Christopher Newport at Christopher Newport University

Newport and his ships arrived back in London on May 21, 1608. Even though the "gold" was again a disappointment, another supply trip was quickly planned. Urgent supplies and 70 new settlers were gathered. These included the first women known to have come to Jamestown: "Mistress Forrest and Anne Burras her maide."

The mission also brought the first non-English settlers. The Company hired these skilled workers and specialists to help make products for export, such as soap-ash, glass, and lumber. Among them were eight "Dutch-men" (probably German speakers), Polish, and Slovak craftsmen. William Volday, a Swiss German mineral prospector, also arrived, looking for silver near Jamestown. Some of these artisans built a glass furnace, which was the first factory in America.

The ship was:

• Mary Margaret with Captain Christopher Newport

Passenger List and Journey

A list of passengers from the second fleet was recorded in Volume 1 of The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles by Captain John Smith, published in 1624.

Newport's instructions were to search for any survivors of the Lost Colony of Roanoke, continue looking for gold mines, and perform a "coronation" of Powhatan, making him a "sub-king" under King James I. On October 1, 1608, the supply ship arrived after about a three-month journey. Newport followed his orders, but he didn't find the Lost Colonists or gold, and the coronation wasn't successful.

He then returned to England, this time with products like clapboard, pitch, tar, glass, and soap ashes, instead of fool's gold. He arrived in London in mid-January 1609. Even with all these efforts, the money made from these early exports wasn't enough to cover the costs or meet the hopes of the investors back in England. No New-World silver or gold had been found. Despite these disappointments, the Company leaders knew they needed another, much larger, supply mission.

Samuel Argall's New Route (1609)

In early 1609, Captain Samuel Argall, working for the London Company, was asked to find a shorter, more direct way to sail from England to Jamestown. He was also told to fish for sturgeon during the trip. Instead of sailing south to the tropics and then west with the trade winds, Argall, on his ship Mary and John, sailed west from the Azores to the Bermuda area, then almost straight west to the Chesapeake Bay. This trip took only nine weeks and six days, including two weeks when the ship was stuck without wind. This was much faster than the three to five months previous fleets had taken. This new route helped the English save on supplies and avoid Spanish ships.

When he arrived at Jamestown, Argall found the colonists in a terrible situation. In April, rats had eaten all their stored corn, and dampness had ruined other supplies. He gave the colony all the food and wine he could spare. He also brought news that the Company was being reorganized and would send more supplies and settlers, along with a new governor. Argall then returned to England at the end of summer 1609. His unexpected help was very important. It came at a critical time for the colony, just before the Starving Time. Without the provisions Argall left, the colony might have been completely destroyed.

Third Supply Mission (1609)

Virginia pinnace approaching the Virginia shore, Seth Eastman c. 1850

On May 23, 1609, King James issued a new charter for the Company, allowing it to reorganize and get more money. Company treasurer Thomas Smythe quickly organized a major supply mission to save the struggling settlement. This fleet had nine ships, between 500 and 600 passengers (including women and children), livestock, and enough provisions to last a year. It was "the largest fleet England has ever amassed in the West." Newport, as vice-admiral, commanded Sea Venture, the Company's new main ship. It was specially built for this purpose and was much larger than the other eight ships. It carried a large part of the supplies meant for the colony. Also on board were important people like Admiral Sir George Somers, William Strachey, and Sir Thomas Gates, who were key figures in the early English colonization of North America. On June 2, 1609, after some delays, the fleet left Plymouth.

The ships were:

• Blessing with Captain Gabriel Archer and Captain Adams
• Catch (a small ship) with Master Matthew Fitch
• Diamond (second largest) with Captain John Ratcliffe and Captain William King
• Falcon (third largest) with Captain John Martin and Master Francis Nelson
• Lion with Captain Webb
• Sea Venture (largest ship and main ship) with Captain Christopher Newport
• Swallow with Captain Moone and Master Matthew Somers
• Unitie with Captain Wood and Master Robert Pitt
• Virginia (a small ship; the first ship built in Colonial America) with Captain James Davis and Master Davis

Stormy Journey and Arrival

The fleet stayed together for seven weeks as they crossed the Atlantic Ocean. Sadly, 32 people from two ships died from yellow fever and were buried at sea. A serious illness also broke out on Diamond. These diseases were brought to the New World and likely contributed to the high death rate during the Starving Time. On July 25, 1609, the fleet ran into a huge storm, believed to be a hurricane, which lasted for three days and separated the ships. After the storm, Blessing, Falcon, Lion, and Unitie found each other and headed for Virginia, arriving in the James River on August 11. Diamond appeared a few days later, and Swallow a few days after that (around August 18, 1609). Virginia arrived about six weeks later on October 3, 1609. In total, seven ships safely reached Jamestown, bringing most of the colonists but not many supplies. There was no news of Sea Venture (which had crashed in Bermuda) or Catch (which was lost at sea), including the supplies, passengers, and leaders who had been on them.

Blessing, Diamond, Falcon, and Unitie soon returned to England on October 14, 1609. They carried Captain Samuel Argall, an injured John Smith, and 30 young men who had been sent from England but were not accepted by the colony. No more supply ships from England arrived that year or the following spring. Without strong leaders and most of the supplies (which were on Sea Venture), the settlers at James Fort were not ready for winter. This led to the "Starving Time" of 1609-1610, when most of the people died.

Sea Venture Shipwreck and Survival

During the storm, Sea Venture was separated from the other ships and began to fill with water. On July 28, 1609, with efforts to bail out the water failing, Admiral Sir George Somers purposely steered the ship onto the reefs at Discovery Bay in eastern Bermuda to stop it from sinking. All 150 passengers and crew members landed safely, but the ship was ruined. Over nine months, the survivors built two new small ships, Deliverance and Patience. They used local Bermuda cedar wood and parts saved from the wreck. The original plan was to build only one ship, Deliverance, but they soon realized it wouldn't be big enough for all the settlers and supplies they found on the islands. During the building, Sea Venture's longboat was sent to find Jamestown, but it and its crew were never seen again. The new ships were filled with salvaged goods and local food from Bermuda, like pork from wild pigs, sweet potatoes, onions, figs, and olives.

Both ships were ready by May 10, 1610, and sailed on May 20. By May 23, they reached Comfort Point. The survivors of Sea Venture, led by Sir Thomas Gates (the new governor) and Sir George Somers, expected to find a thriving colony in Virginia. Instead, they found the colony in ruins and almost empty. Of the about 500 colonists in Jamestown in the autumn, they found only 60 survivors, many of whom were sick or dying. Even worse, many supplies for Jamestown had been lost in Bermuda, and Gates and Somers had brought about 140 more people but only a small amount of food. The decision was made to leave James Fort. On June 7, 1610, everyone boarded Deliverance, Discovery, Patience, and Virginia to return to England, and they began sailing down the James River.

Francis West's Actions

Between the time Smith left for England and the Sea Venture survivors arrived, George Percy became the leader of the council in Jamestown. He didn't achieve much, except ordering the building of Fort Algernon at Old Point Comfort. To get food, he sent Francis West and James Davis up the Chesapeake Bay (in Virginia) to get corn from the Patawomeck tribe in 1609. But instead of bringing that food to the starving colony, West sailed directly back to England. He avoided the Starving Time by leaving Percy and the colonists behind. Percy later wrote that when West brought his ship loaded with corn back to Point Comfort, the captain at Fort Algernon told everyone about the hunger at Jamestown. But instead of rushing upstream to feed the colonists, "Captain Weste, by the persuasion, or rather by the enforcement, of his company hoised up sails and shaped by their course directly for England, and left us in that extreme misery and want."

Fourth Supply Mission (1610)

Depiction of the arrival of West at Jamestown

While Sea Venture was shipwrecked and its survivors were trying to reach Virginia from Bermuda, Captain John Smith's books about his adventures in England made people interested in and invest in the Company again. There was also a religious call in England to support the stranded colonists. Another mission was quickly prepared, with more colonists, a doctor, food, and supplies. The new governor, Francis West's older brother, Thomas West, led this group. He also paid for and equipped an armed group of 150 men himself.

The ships were:

• Blessing of Plymouth
• De La Warr with Admiral Thomas West and Samuel Argall
• Hercules of Rye

Journey and Turning Point

West and his fleet left London on March 12, 1610, and England on April 1. They arrived on the James River on June 9, just as the colonists were sailing downriver to leave Virginia. West's ships stopped them about 10 miles (16 km) downstream from Jamestown near Mulberry Island. The new governor ordered the ships to return to the abandoned colony. This was not a popular decision at the time, but it turned out to be a very important moment for the English colonization of North America.

Later Supply Missions

• After returning to Jamestown, with about 375 people now, Captain Robert Tyndall was told to take Virginia to catch fish in the Chesapeake Bay.
• On June 19, 1610, Admiral Somers, who didn't want to be under West's command, left for Bermuda (later called the "Somers Isles") on Patience. He was joined by Captain Argall on Discovery. Their goal was to gather more food, including fish, sweet potatoes, and live pigs for Jamestown. Blown north towards Newfoundland, the ships got separated in thick fog. Argall tried fishing before returning, reaching the Chesapeake on August 31. Somers, who had continued to Bermuda, became ill on the journey. He died in Bermuda on November 2, 1610, at age 56, before finishing the mission. Captain Matthew Somers, now in charge of Patience, and likely wanting his uncle's inheritance, disobeyed orders and returned to Lyme Regis in England with his uncle's preserved body. By doing so, he was also able to update the Company on the colony's situation.
• On July 25, 1610, Hercules with Captain Adams was sent from Jamestown for supplies. It returned "soon after" Thomas West had left Virginia for the island of Mevis on De La Warr on April 7, 1611. Blessing and Hercules returned to England in September 1610 with Gates, Newport, Adams, and others from Virginia.
• When the Jamestown fort again needed food in December 1610, Captain Argall was sent to the Potomac River. He got corn and furs from Iopassus (Japazaws), a Patawomeck town.
• Newport, now vice Admiral of Virginia, and Sir Thomas Dale, lieutenant Governor or Marshall of Virginia, left England in March 1611 for Jamestown with three ships, 300 people, and supplies including horses and livestock. They sailed via Dominica and Puerto Rico, arriving at Point Comfort on the night of May 22, 1611. The ships were Elizabeth, Prosperous, and Starr with Newport.
• The last major fleet of this period, under Sir Thomas Gates, lieutenant General of Virginia, sailed from England towards the end of May 1611. It had three ships, 280 men, 20 women, 200 cattle, and "many swine and other necessaries." They sailed via the West Indies and arrived in Virginia on August 30, 1611. The ships were Sara, Swan, and Trial.

Impact of the Missions

By 1610, after the Starving Time, most of the colonists who had arrived at Jamestown had died. The colony had little economic value, with no active exports to England and very little internal trade. Only financial help, including a promise of more land from King James I to investors, kept the project going. Lord West's timely arrival led to a renewal of the settlement. It also led to a counter-attack against the Powhatan tribes, whose refusal to trade and siege of the fort had threatened the colony's food supply. This campaign ended the Powhatan siege and resulted in the marriage of Pocahontas and John Rolfe (a Sea Venture survivor). This marriage brought a short period of peace between the English and the Powhatan tribes.

This peace allowed the English to fully secure the colony's defenses and housing, expand its farming, build alliances with other Native American nations, and set up smaller settlements outside the main fort. Colonists continued to die from various illnesses, but the Company kept sending money and settlers to keep Jamestown alive. For the next five years, Governors Gates and Sir Thomas Dale kept strict rules (see Dale's Code). Sir Thomas Smythe in London tried to find skilled workers and other settlers to send to Jamestown. By 1612, Rolfe successfully developed new types of tobacco. This allowed the colony to grow and export its own cash crop, which brought new financial stability.

Images for kids

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  Colonial History by Captain John Smith 1624

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