1609–1610
English attacks on Powhatan communities
Virginia; Powhatan peoples
Conflict around Jamestown escalated in 1609–1610. In August 1610, George Percy led English troops against a Paspahegh community, burning houses and cutting down corn. His account records killings, the capture of a leader’s wife and children, and their subsequent deaths at English hands.
Dates preserve the source’s precision. This entry is part of a selected historical record; its qualifications and sources are retained below.
Context / qualification
The 1609–1610 range marks escalation; the documented Paspahegh raid occurred in August 1610. Percy dates the expedition’s departure to 9 August, which is not a verified date for every subsequent act. His account attempts to distinguish his responsibility from that of other officers and must be read critically.
Sources
- Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States (2014), chapter 4
- Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States, chapter 1, p. 12; supplied print pages, edition/year unidentified
- George Percy, A Trewe Relacyon, August 1610 Paspahegh expedition; Encyclopedia Virginia transcription ↗
- National Park Service, A Short History of Jamestown, settlement and 1609–1610 conflict ↗