Roanoke Island
...en with Ralph Lane, as the governor of the island, so that it would remain an English colony. This group was to become the first English settlers in America. Governor Lane and his men explored the island, but Lane caused problems with the native Indians. He led his men on raids and attacked the Roanoke Indians in their village. Lane’s men murdered the chief of the village. This led to increased friction with the Indians. The once friendly Indians would offer no more help to the settlers. Lane was not really concerned with the consequences of his actions because he expected Grenville to return from England shortly. Unfortunately, Grenville was detained. Sir Francis Drake arrived at Roanoke Island in June of 1586, anchoring his twenty-three warships. Governor Lane rowed out and went aboard to talk with Sir Francis. The sailors came ashore to exchange news and see the island. Sir Francis Drake offered the colonists a ship, two pinnaces, and a number of small boats. He also offered them supplies to last for a month. By that time they thought that the ships from England should be arriving. This generous offer was not accepted. Nothing would change the fact that the once friendly Indians were hostile towards the colonists. Many of the men were frightened, hungry, and homesick. Since supplies were getting low and the relations with the Indians were poor, Governor Lane decided to leave. Once the decision to leave was made, the colonists could not leave fast enough. Lane indicated that the hasty departure was out of consideration for Drake who had risked the entire fleet in a terrible storm. Lane failed to mention that more than possessions were lost in their hasty departure. Many of Thomas Hariot’s papers were lost, for they were not considered important, and most tragically was the three men who were left behind on the island. These three men were never heard from again. So in haste, Lane and his men went back to England with Sir Francis Drake. Shortly after Drake and the colonists had sailed, a supply ship sent out by Sir Walter Raleigh arrived at Hatoraske and after searching in vain for the colonists, the ship returned to England. About two weeks after Raleigh’s ship had left, Grenville arrived with three ships and he too looked in vain for the colonists. Grenville now made a huge error in judgment. He had a large crew of three to four hundred men, and all the supplies that were intended for Lane’s colony. Instead of leaving a large force of men behind with all the food and equipment, or abandoning the site completely, he left a small holding group of fifteen men. These men were left with four pieces of artillery of cast iron and supplies for at least a year. Sadly, these men were never to be seen again. Even though Lane’s colony only lasted for a short period of time, there were some valuable accomplishments that were made. Probably the most practical accomplishment was the collaboration of White and Hariot. This expedition took place during the Renaissance. This was a period of time where the quest for knowledge was very important. Most early scientists believed that a vital first step in the recovery of knowledge was to identify and catalog all the flora and fauna of the earth, which was done at Roanoke Island. Another result of Lane’s colony was that it demonstrated that English people could live in a southern climate. Roanoke had a good record of healthfulness, because of this; one of the main objections to English settlements in a southern area was overcome. The real question as to the validity of English colonies that needed to be answered was whether or not there was an economic advantage in setting up a colony in America. One thing was absolutely clear: Roanoke Island was an unsuitable location because there was no sufficient harbor on the Outer Banks. Lane’s reports on his return to England reiterated how poor the site had been. He could have said this to forestall criticism of his leadership or his decision to return to England so soon. Thomas Hariot’s assessment was that Roanoke Island could provide many things that Europe wanted and needed, but that hard work would be involved. What Hariot had to say carried more weight because he personally had tested and gathered the flora and fauna of America. His word was the word of a scientist not a soldier or adventurer. His discussion of the plants and animals available to feed the colonists was designed to refute those who claimed that the settlers left with Drake because they were starving. The goal of his “Brief and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia” was to present the fact that North America was worth developing, not just as an adjunct to privateering, but for its own sake. Sir Walter Raleigh was disappointed when his first colony returned home. He did not have enough money left for ships or supplies to send another expedition. Since Raleigh had no money of his own, he organized the Virginia Company. The members of this company would share expenses. They would also share any wealth found in the New World. Many merchants and gentlemen were interested, so the Virginia Company was formed. Each member gave money to help outfit the ships. Only one other person seemed to be completely convinced that the effort to establish a colony must go on, and that man was the painter, John White. He worked tirelessly to gather support for another expedition. When the Virginia Company gathered money and supplies, John White went as the governor of the colony. The final group of colonists associated with the Roanoke venture had a totally new set of intentions and organization. The colonists that left England for America in 1587 were more knowledgeable. This time there would be no grace period for the English and Indians to get to know each other. Each side already thought they knew the intentions and values of the other. The group that went on this expedition was different from its predecessor. Instead of a company of military men, who would be returning to England in a year or two, this group was composed of families whose intention was to make America their home. The earlier company was designed to support privateering; the emphasis on this colony was agricultural self-sufficiency and the development of American products for English markets. This group of ninety-one men, seventeen women, and nine children sailed from England on May 8, 1587. The three small ships that left that day were the Lion, a flyboat, and a small pinnace. Life at sea was miserable. The colonists suffered greatly during this voyage. Food became moldy and maggoty and the water supply began to run low. The colonists stopped in the West Indies to replenish their provisions. The group finally landed at Roanoke Island in July. Simon Fernandes was the master of the Lion. Sir Walter Raleigh gave Fernandes instructions to stop at Roanoke Island to pick up the fifteen men left behind by Grenville and then to proceed to the Chesapeake Bay area. Fernandes was a privateer by trade and he grew impatient to resume the hunt for Spanish ships, so he left White and the colonists at Roanoke Island. Governor White and his men found the fort that Ralph Lane had built. They had hoped to find some sign of the fifteen men who were left behind. They found nothing except for a skeleton. They took this to be the bones of one of the men that were left behind. Since it was late in the season, the group decided to stay at Roanoke instead of going on to Chesapeake Bay. The colonists repaired the houses at the fort and built new ones. While the colonists were building their homes, contact with the Croatoans was reestablished. The Croatoans told them that an enemy tribe had attacked and killed Grenville’s men. The Indians killed one of the colonists, George Howe soon after landing. He had been crab fishing on the shore. Governor White decided to retaliate for the death of the fifteen men and George Howe. He took fifteen men and during the night he attacked the Roanoke Indian village. This was a grievous error. The unfriendly Roanoke Indians had abandoned their village. Some Croatoans braves were hunting and had stopped at the empty village to search for corn. White had attacked the wrong Indians! They had attacked Manteo’s own friends and relatives. Manteo explained the mistake to his tribe and White had expressed his deep sorrow. The colonists could only hope that they would be forgiven. Thanks to Manteo, the Croatoans forgave the Englishmen, or pretended to do so. The second week in August was very special for the colonists. The first important event was the christening of Manteo. Before the colonists left England, Sir Walter Raleigh had asked that Manteo be given a Christian name. On August 13th, Manteo was christened and declared the Lord of Roanoke. This was the colonists’ way of thanking Manteo for his friendship. This was also the first recorded Christian service by English Protestants in North America. Five days after Manteo’s christening, the second important event took place. Governor White’s granddaughter was born. She was the first child born in North America of English parents. They christened this baby, Virginia, after the new land. Even with the christening of Manteo, the relations between the Croatoans and the colonists deteriorated. The Croatoans refused to supply the colonists with food, and the supplies brought with them began to spoil. With the shortage of supplies and winter approaching, the colonists decided that someone must return to England for supplies. As the time for departure neared, the colonists became fearful. They wanted at least two people to return to England. They wanted to make sure that they would not be forgotten by the Virginia Company and be put down at the bottom of the company’s list of priorities. Governor White had found one colonist who would go. Another colonist said he would also go, but he changed his mind. The colonists insisted on two members returning. They asked White to go. They argued that he could gather supplies better than anyone else. White refused to go though. He said that he would be accused of deserting the people whom he had personally persuaded to go. He was also worried that if the colonists did move to the Chesapeake Bay area as planned that his possessions would be left behind or ruined. The women of the colony added their voices to the pleas of the men. The women promised him that they would personally safeguard his possessions if he would return to Englan...