An Act to Care for Those Wounded in Expeditions Against the Indians, 1644

In 17th century Virginia the tense relations between Indigenous nations and white settlers were marked by three series of wars between 1610 and 1646. While there were three separate phases, the root cause of these wars was the same: continued English incursion into Indigenous land and the lack of respect by the English for the Powhatan nation.

The first Anglo-Powhatan war began with Chief Powhatan’s response to skirmishes between the allied tributary Tsenacomoco peoples and the English settlers who were trying to force the Indigenous people to support them. In 1609, Chief Powhatan ordered what amounted to a siege of the English fort at Jamestown, which created even more hardship among the English who called this period the “Starving Time.” When English reinforcements arrived, the settlers struck back, burning Powhatan villages and killing women and children. They defeated the Kecoughtans and Nansemonds and captured Powhatan’s daughter Pocahontas in 1613, using her as a hostage to leverage an end to the war.

The second war, fought between 1622 and 1632, erupted when the Tsenacomoco peoples, led by Opechancanough, tried to assert their dominance over the region and contain the growing English settlement. Opechancanough led a series of attacks in March 1622 on the English settlements that had spread outside Jamestown, resulting in the deaths of over a third of English colonists. Violence continued through the next decade as English settlers attacked Indigenous food stores and supplies. A peace agreement was ultimately signed in 1632 that ended the battles but resolved little.

While in his nineties, Opechancanough led a group of Nansemonds and several other tribes in an attack on English outposts over the issue of encroachment, killing 400 colonists in 1644. Although more colonists were killed than in 1622, there were more English settlers in Virginia by this time so the loss did not threaten the colony's survival as a whole. As he did previously, Opechancanough did not follow up with more attacks, perhaps once again believing that the English would retreat. Instead, the English went on the counterattack, which ended with governor Sir William Berkeley’s capture of Opechancanough. A guard killed Opechancanough while he was held prisoner by the English. The weakened confederation sued for peace and the Assembly confirmed a treaty with Opechancanough’s successor in 1646.

While the English gained the upper hand in these three wars, it came at a cost. This act passed by the House of Burgesses in October 1644 attempted to address how to provide relief for men, presumably militia members, who had been injured during the wars.

Citation: "Act IX," William Waller Hening, Statutes at Large of Virginia (1619─1808), Vol. 1, 1619─1660, p.287, Call Number KFV2425.2 1619, Manuscripts & Special Collections, Library of Virginia.Citations/For Further Reading:

Learn more about the "First Anglo-Powhatan War" online at  Encyclopedia Virginia.

Learn more about the "Second Anglo-Powhatan War" online at Encyclopedia Virginia. 

Learn more about "Opechancanough" online at Encyclopedia Virginia. 

Preview Activity

Using Context Clues: Look at the document and find words which give you clues to the subject of the document. List two or three words which tell you something about the purpose of the document.

Post Activities

Analyze: What can this act tell us about the relationship between the English colonists and the Virginia Indians at the time?

Another Perspective: The English colonists wanted their government to provide them with support after being injured in wars fought with Virginia Indians. If you were sympathetic or supported the Virginian Indians, how might you feel about this act? Why would you feel this way?

Food for Thought: How might have the Anglo-Powhatan wars been avoided? Were other options available? Explain using examples based on your knowledge of the time.