My Name is John Churchright

A historical short fiction that takes place in the American colonies before the American Revolution of 1776. It covers the localized impact of Bacon's Rebellion.

Bacon’s Rebellion: a Different Perspective

Spring 1676 Jamestown: MY name is John Churchright I am your typical dock worker for the port town of Jamestown.  I have four children and my oldest is employed as a servant at a large plantation; when he is not helping out at home. My wife is with child and the midwife says that we should expect our fifth child sometime this next month. I’m happy my eldest son is employed, for he is only one of a handful of his generation who can find jobs in this poorest of economies. Lately, because of the tight trade restrictions, many of the smaller plantations have begun to fail and their owners have had to sell their land just to earn enough money to sustain their families. If that were not enough to deal with, Governor Berkeley and the Assembly of our colony have recently made laws that cut and limit the rights of landless men of which there are now many. At first I ignored these laws because, in general, they didn’t affect my way of life, but then the Governor and the Assembly began issuing laws that lengthened the terms of service. My son who had plans of one day buying and running his own plantation has become very frustrated and distraught over this new law. His goals are now much farther away than he originally thought they would be when he signed his indenture. I’m not sure why the Assembly would make laws that would so horribly affect the people they are supposed to be helping, but the night before last I heard one of the members of the Assembly loudly communicating to another member while taking his lunch at the tavern. He said something about making less landless men out of servants, but to my mind it still does not make much sense.

My oldest boy is a hopeful young man. Even with these new rules and restriction he would still solidly look to the future rather than dwell on the poor states of the moment he works in, but the harsh taxes that land owners have had to face are not only effecting the small planters. My son’s wages have been cut in half which, according to his master, is because of these taxes. This too I have experienced in my own occupation. While prices are driven up wages have dropped and I’m not sure how long I will be able to keep my family in the manner they are accustomed. I hope it does not come to this, but I have considered moving the family to a smaller town house. The price may be large but if I can sell our current house on the outer skirts of the town we should have a good amount of money to sustain us through this time.

Several times this month landless men and small plantation owners alike have met in the streets to protest these new and harsh rules. They have not yet given over to violent methods, but the very air of Jamestown seems to hum with the tension of the times. If some concessions are not given soon it may be that some of these men will have to be tried for treason. They have a look in their eyes that says to me, if not others, that they mean business and are willing to do whatever it takes to reach their goals. The topic they seem to discuss the most is how to protect their farms from the raids the Indians have been inflicting upon the far placed colonists and planters. The majority seem to think the only way to stop these attacks is to best them at their own game and send their own expedition to teach them a lesson about the tolerance of the Englishman. In an attempt to quiet these fearful and fierce colonists Governor Berkeley along with the Assembly has proposed that forts be built along the outskirts of the Colony’s territory to counter and repulse the native’s attacks. Unfortunately the Governor’s proposal was ill received by the small planters who claimed that such a method would be ineffective to support their widely spaced land and property. Hopefully and most likely the whole situation will have fizzled out come summer. Either way it seems we are going to have to do something. I hope we can figure ourselves out soon; otherwise I may be the next man looking for work.

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Fall 1676 Jamestown: My name is John Churchright. I once was a dock worker but at the moment I am not sure I ever can be again. Many things have transpired this summer that have changed this colony forever. For one, Jamestown itself is not more than collapsed stone walls and piles of ashes. Many young men now lay buried in the earth. They were slain at their prime and peak. A man, now dead, is responsible for this distortion of our colony’s fate. His name, Nathaniel Bacon, is surely one that shall be ever present in my memory for the rest of my days. He was a rich man who came from England not more than a few months ago. As I understand the situation, he was not at all pleased with the reception he got from the Governor and the Assembly concerning his admission into their social circles. Disgruntled and angry at these men for denying what he believed to be his right derived from his wealth and acquisition of influential friends Bacon sought a means to gaining power while also getting revenge on the  men who had so damaged his rich pride.

Unfortunately, for everyone involved, he found what he was looking for in the aggravated protestors and small plantation owners. Using their angst against the Governor, the members of the Assembly, and their urgent desire for revenge on the Indians for attacking their homes and harming their families and livelihood, Bacon worked many of my fellow colonists into a state of aggression that he used to gain his goals. At the head of a large armed force Bacon marched into Jamestown and “convinced” the Governor and the Assembly to give them the permission to carry out an expedition to attack the Indians and punish them for their crimes. I was at the docks at the time, but by the time I came to see the spectacle the mob had already left the town.

At first I thought their departure was due to them being told off by the Governor, but later I found out that Berkeley and the Assembly had given their permission and in fact the forces lead by Bacon were already off killing Indians. I didn’t learn until much later that Bacon not only attacked the Indians who had been responsible for the colonial attacks, but he also launched attacks on the Indians who had showed themselves to be friendly and good trading partners. (I should know. I have seen enough of their goods come through the shipyard.)

Once Bacon’s forces had gone from Jamestown Berkeley began rallying his own forces. He declared Bacon a rebel and set out gathering a force of colonists who could fight the rebels. Many servants and slaves joined the Governor’s forces after learning that any who did would be given their freedom for their service in his force. As I understand it, Bacon used the same tactic to recruit men into his forces. My second son and I joined the makeshift army in order to protect family and town alike. Bacon’s forces were fierce and ruthless; they attacked and plundered our sides’ homes and so we repaid them in kind. At that point things were not going well, but it was not as bad as it was about to become.

The whole situation changed when Bacon’s forces not only to make it to Jamestown but to burn it to the very ground. Battle is a horrible thing I would have traded what I did and saw in that Rebellion for an eternity of dock work with no pay. When it was all over many men had died fighting the Indians, their fellow colonists and occasionally with themselves.

Bacon’s Rebellion ended surprisingly.  After all he had done, accomplished, and killed for, Bacon never got to taste victory. He died of dysentery and I personally think it was a miracle sent by the Almighty. Regardless of why it happened all that matters is that the rebellion has been quashed and its leader is dead. Bacon’s death lead to the end of the rebellion that had torn a colony in two.

I am glad to see the end of this messy civil war, but that doesn’t make the aftermath any easier to handle. I buried my two eldest sons in what was left of the church yard. I did not see their deaths but I do know that they died fighting on different sides of the conflict. I assume my elder son joined Bacon’s forces seeking freedom from his lengthened term of service. I buried them beside my unnamed child. My wife miscarried the child during the turmoil of one of the skirmish. 

All in all this war has not helped anyone in the slightest. The Indians were killed and now have good reasons to attack us, the colony has been sliced up and is now weaker than it has been any time since its founding, and Bacon ended up dead. (Not that I care.) All we can do now is pick-up our paddle and keep going against the current. I don’t think this will be a good time for any family, but I have a family so I will keep paddling.

John Churchright 1676

Author's Note

Historical Fiction. Feel free to say what you feel. Thank you.