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| Access to Roanoke |
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| Algonquian-speaking tribes of Eastern North Carolina |
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| Secotan village |
Ralph Lane (ca. 1528 - October 1603) – this
professional soldier born in Northampton attended Oxford University before
entering as an equerry the service of Queen Elizabeth. Elected member of
Parliament first in 1558, he had especially to be recognized for his military
skills after suppressing in 1569 a rebellion in Scotland.
He participated during the 1570s in numerous maritime operations against the
Spaniards and was from 1583 assigned to the construction of forts in Ireland.
It is certainly his experience which allowed him to be chosen at the age of 57
to become the first governor of Sir Walter Raleigh’s colony.
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| Secotan warrior |
After the death of his brother, Wingina stated
by changing name his willingness to reconsider his relationship with the
settlers and Ralph Lane in particular whose arrogance and pressure he exerted
on his tribe in his unremitting quest of supplies gave rise to such a hostility
that he planned to chase them away. Crops had been specially poor the previous
year due to an unusual drought and the demands of the English colonists
exceeded what could offer the neighboring tribes, already under the threat of
scarcity.
March, 1586
- Having been informed by Wingina (now Pemisapan) that the Chowanoke
leader Menatonon has gathered a great
council to discuss with his allies of a surprise attack against the colonists
and that he urged to mobilize 7000 bowmen, Ralph Lane goes hastily to him,
decided to capture him unawares.
He traveled 130 miles up Abermale Sound to reach Menatonon's town and took him prisoner. There he realized that he had been fooled by Pemisapan for the so-called meeting seemed never to have taken place. Lane was nevertheless undoubtedly impressed by the personality of the old Indian leader who appeared to him a wise man worthy of respect. He spent then two days to question him.
Menatonon informed the English governor that
after a thirty to forty days’ journey Northwards was a kingdom where pearls
were found in abundance. The land called Chaunis Temoatan was held by the
Mangoaks and known to be also rich in copper ore. Menatonon was not unaware of
the English interest for precious materials and to direct them towards fairly
distant territories (probably Chesapeake Bay) was mainly a way for him to take
them away from the area and spare to provide them food at a time when reserves
were at their lowest. Excited by the words of the Indian leader, Ralph Lane
wished to leave immediately to visit this territory, considering despite the
fears of the most advised that he had enough men. He followed the guidelines
of Menatonon and ventured more forward
in search of the Mangoaks. He took care however to keep Menatonon's son, the
weroance Skiko in hostage and made him take to Roanoke.
April 2,
1586 - Watching over the unlikely behavior of local Indians, Manteo discourages
Ralph Lane to go further, understanding that they are preparing to attack them.
April 4, 1586 - Ralph Lane and his men set up their camp on an island. Short on provisions, they have to satisfy with a soup of sassafras leaves.
April 5,
1586 - Ralph Lane loses some of his boats, sunk due to the wind at the
deepening swell.
Lane’s lingering absence had begun to weigh on those who remained in Roanoke and it was feared that his expedition has turned to disaster or that they died of starvation. The rumors of their death came to an end when they were back but what reported Lane and the fact that he hadn’t lost any of his men did not fail to amaze Pemisapan.
His exploration however resulted in a failure.
The American Natives had known how to take advantage of this eagerness and it
has become obvious that they attempted to unite against the newcomers whose
greed made now the common enemy. By getting on with the settlers, Wingina (now
Pemisapan) had hoped to benefit from their superior weaponry to overcome the
Nieusoks, a neighboring tribe against which the Secotans were at war for
several years. Unwilling to get involved in these quarrels, Ralph Lane had
opposed a refusal which subsequently stirred up the hostility of the Indians
towards the English.
April 20,
1586 - Ensenore, king Wingina's father (having recently changed his name to
Pemisapan) dies from disease.
Ensenore had always supported the colonists, being convinced that they were none other than the servants of a god come back to earth with the power to kill remotely without be injured by the Indians. Pemisapan did not believe in these powers but he was the first one surprised to see Ralph Lane returning safe from a high-risk expedition which should have fatally led him to disaster.
With the death of Ensenore, the English lost
their ultimate support in the Secotan's council. Pemisapan now had free rein to
organize an attack against the English village. He would take advantage of
ceremonies bound to mourning his father to come closer to the settlers' houses
and set them on fire. He hoped for this operation to gather at least 1500
warriors armed with bows and arrows.
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| Indians fishing (John White) |
Inducted by Menatonon, Okisko's approach could be perceived as a victory for Gov. Ralph Lane but Deal with the settlers was actually in the interest of the Chowanoke leader as far as he could expect their support to keep his authority over the tribes of the area without suffering the same pressure as the Secotans who lived constantly in their contact.
May, 1586 -
Swayed by Wanchese who has vowed since his return from England a deep
resentment to the colonists, Wingina (now Pemisapan) decides to deny them all
food supplies. The fish traps are accordingly destroyed and the promised corn
is not sewn.
As governor, Ralph Lane did not certainly have
enough diplomacy to get along with his neighbors, preferring threat and
confrontation. This tactical choice proved unrewarding for, lack of supplies,
foodstuff became to run out and Lane was forced to send men to the nearby
islands, to collect oysters and varied shells. Master Prideaux and 10 settlers
went to Hatoraske while Captain Stafford and twenty others went to Croatoan
Island, south of Cape Hatteras. Some were sent from time to time on the
continent in search of native food.
This new strategy had the effect to weaken the
vigilance of the English by spreading them through the area. Pemisapan took
advantage of it to develop his plan of attack by summoning a great council
attended to include the Weapemocs although they had a little earlier sworn
allegiance to the Queen of England. It was agreed to send by night about twenty
warriors to the settlers' village and to set fire to their thatched houses
starting with Ralph Lane's one. The colonists would then be killed when trying
to escape. Despite the promise to recover a good amount of copper, the plan did
not suit the Weapemocs nor the Chowanokes who preferred to keep their
neutrality. The Mandoags, however, chose to ally Pemisapan.
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| Secotan warriors |
Pemisapan believed that he could befriend young Skiko, held hostage by the English, and had told him the details of the attack he had planned on June 10. It was without counting on Ralph Lane's skill. Skiko had become in a way his hired man and reported to him what were the Secotan leader plans before launching false news such as his moving to Croatoan which was in fact only a lure.
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| A Secotan village |
Ralph Lane had just successfully led a preventive expedition. The plans patiently built by Pemisapan came from shattering and his warriors had fled in nature.
Ralph Lane launched the signal for the attack,
shouting: “Christ our victory " while Captain Edward Satfford fired to the
Indian leader a pistol shot. Wounded, Pemisapan fled to the woods. The company
left at once after him. He was shot at first in the buttocks by young Lane's
servant Edward Kelly, before being fatally injured by Edward Nugent who
reappeared a moment later holding the Secotan leader's head in his hands.
Ralph Lane was aware to have won a weak
victory, for the killing of Pemisapan brought in a definitive way an end to the
attempt of living peacefully with the Indians. The survival of the colony
seemed at the moment compromised and future could only be planned in
confrontation.
June 8,
1586 - Ralph Lane is warned by Captain Edward Stafford that an important fleet
is at anchor off the banks, about 2 miles from the shore. He tallied up 23
ships without having time to check if they were friends or foes.
June 9, 1586 - The fleet caught sight the day before is none other than Sir Francis Drake's loaded with a tremendous booty seized to the Spaniards. He personally gives captain Stafford a letter for Governor Ralph Lane in which he offers to supply the settlers with all what they need regarding ammunitions, clothes, food and even boats.
After his victorious raid on St Augustine June
1, Sir Francis Drake had decided to take a detour to the coastal North Carolina
at the request of his second, captain Christopher Carleill, a son-in-law of Sir
Francis Walsingham who had been personally involved in the exploration of the
New World since 1574.
June 10,
1586 - Sir Francis Drake casts anchor in the little harbor of Roanoke Island.
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| Sir Francis Drake (1540-1596) (Henry Bone) |
June 11, 1586 - Ralph Lane meets Sir Francis Drake in Raonoke and thanks him warmly for his offer but asks on the other hand if he could take with him the sick and weakened men in exchange of some fit soldiers. Lane takes also opportunity to ask Drake to put at least one ship at his disposal so that his men and him could plan their return to England.
Drake offered Lane to choose between two
solutions. He agreed to give the settlers a ship with one or two canoes and
enough crew but they would have to wait until August before leaving Roanoke, or
they could, if they preferred, go back with him without delay. Mindful not to give
up the project of colonization, Lane accepted the first proposal and the boat
was granted.
June 13,
1586 - A storm suddenly sweeps the North Carolina coast harshly hitting Drake's
fleet.
It lasted three days causing many damages with the loss of several boats among which the one that had just been given to Ralph Lane.
Drake did not renounce his offer and gave Lane
the Bark Bonner, a 150-ton vessel owned by William Hawkins. Too large to enter
the single harbor of the island, the ship had however to be left at sea. This
new offer was risky and fearing that Grenville does not reappear, Lane thought
more reasonable to return without further delay to England, especiallly as the
war simmering with Spain could jeopardize the connections between Europe and America.
June 18,
1586 - Sir France Drake sets sail to England after boarding all the survivors
of the colony including also Manteo and another Indian named Towaye.
June 19, 1586 - Ironically, a supply ship sent by Sir Walter Raleigh arrives at Hatoraske (Hatteras) but returns soon to England after the crew looked in vain for the settlers.
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| The Golden Hind |
June 19, 1586 - Ironically, a supply ship sent by Sir Walter Raleigh arrives at Hatoraske (Hatteras) but returns soon to England after the crew looked in vain for the settlers.
July 3, 1586 - Sir Richard Grenville arrives in his turn with a 3-ship fleet and casts anchor near Roanoke. He also searches in vain settlers but as there is no question for him to let unclaimed a territory falling under the Queen of England, he leaves 15 men on the island with supplies for two years. Then he goes back to England.
Grenville left for his family lands in Bideford, Devonshire, where he has just set up a harbor intended for trade with America.
July 27,
1586 - Sir Francis Drake arrives at Portsmouth with Ralph Lane and the first
colonists.
Lane had to explain the reasons for this hasty
return. He tried to justify to Sir Walter Raleigh by making him deliver his
book entitled "The Discourage of the First Colony" but had to give up
the idea of being assigned another colonial command.
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| Roanoke Island |
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