Why was Openchancaough determined to get rid of the English? Openchancanough was a powerful and aggressive weroance whose land centered around present day West Point, Virginia at the headwaters of the York River. He had a strong dislike and distrust of the English. Opechancanogh's resentment can probably be traced to a time when John Smith seized him, put a pistol to his chest, and "led the trembling king (near dead with feare) amongst all his people"; anunforgivableinsult to a warrior of royal status.
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| Smith and his living shield |
Opechancanogh knew that the Jamestown settlement was just the beginning of the English invasion, even though Powhatan had been assured that Jamestown was merely a temporary settlement. Time had shown him that the English would stay if he didn't do something about it.Before the attack onMarch 22, 1622, the Powhatan people were free to come and go in the English settlements. They were free to borrow tools and even boats. George Thorpe, an English minister and new governor, believed that the Powhatans were "of a peaceable and vertuous disposition" and treated the Powhatans kindly. This attitude spread to other colonists, giving the Powhatans mixed feelings. Opechancanough expected help from every warrior in every tribe in the planned attack. He did not anticipate that some of his people had developed mixed loyalties and would warn the English of the attack. The Powhatans who were torn in their loyalties werepersonifiedin a legendary figure known as "Chanco." There are two different stories telling of the legendary hero. One story tells of a young, unnamed, Powhatan man who worked for an Englishman, William Perry. While this young man was visiting a neighbor, Richard Pace he learned of the intended assault and then spread the warning. The second story tells of another young man, named Chauco, who was also caught between his own people and the English. 1622年3月22日上午,正常workday underway, the attack began. In the areas where surprise was still on the Powhatan's side, the Indians continued to work side by side with the colonists until the appointed time of the attack. The Powhatans working beside them killed many of the colonists with their own tools. Within just a few hours, Opechancanough and his warriors had killed 347 English settlers. They also killed livestock and destroyed houses, hoping to leave the plantations useless to any survivors.
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