APRIL 18, 1644

3^RD ANGLO-POWHATAN WAR BEGINS

In 1607, Wahunsenacah (AKA Chief Powhatan) of the Powhatan Confederacy (Powhatan, Appamattuck, Arrohateck, Chiskiack, Mattaponi & Pamunkey) allied with the English against the Spanish & against other tribes. However, English cultivation of tobacco drew more colonists who demanded land. The 1^st Powhatan War (1610-13) ended with Pocahontas marrying John Rolfe. The chief’s half-brother and successor, Opchanacanough, launched the 2^nd War (1622-29) with the “Indian Massacre of 1622,” killing over 300 colonists. A 1623 English counterattack led to peace. By 1644, colonists outnumbered the Powhatan. Opchanacanough, making one last attempt to save tribal lands, attacked a palisade killing over 400 colonists. A 1645 counterattack killed most remaining warriors. Survivors were enslaved and the chief was caged, displayed, and finally shot in 1646. The Treaty of 1646 dissolved the confederacy and conveyed its lands to the colonists. Only the Mattaponi & Pamunkey retain their reservations today.

Sources:

Joshua J. Mark, “Anglo-Powhatan Wars,” World History Encyclopedia, 2/25/2021.  Retrieved 12/15/2022, Anglo-Powhatan Wars - World History Encyclopedia

Wikipedia

Engraving: Matthäus Merian (1593-1650),1628.  The Massacre At Jamestown, Virginia, 1622. A 1628 woodcut by Matthaeus Merian published along with Theodore de Bry's earlier engravings in 1628 book on the New World. Public Domain.