Once you which grasp the geography, it's very easy to understand what made this place very attractive to the early English Colonists. Jamestown, a virtual island floating in the mouth of the James River, was considered easy to defend and had the added bonus of two navigable river accesses north into the mainland. Williamsburg was the refinement of Jamestown - better water, out of the swamps, and easier to reach for trade with the rest of young Colonies. Yorktown's attraction was the deep harbor situated at the neck where the Chesapeake Bay empties into the Atlantic Ocean. I think we toured the peninsula correctly by seeing these iconic American historical sites in chronological order as they were settled: Jamestown first, Williamsburg, next and finally the Yorktown battlefield.
Jamestown is the area first settled by 104 Englishmen in 1607. Those initial colonists were quickly followed by a series of ships coming roughly three times a year carrying colonists, and in 1609 included English women. (Obviously, you can't have guys cavorting with those Native women). By 1609 there were 500 colonists. At the end of the winter that started in 1609 and finally gave way to spring in 1610, there were 60 colonists. It's called the 'starvation time' in the Colonial diaries and journals left behind. The colonists finally resorted to cannibalism to survive. (This had been documented by the archaeologists.) That winter the Powhatan Indians finally realized these new people were not going away, and their numbers were increasing with each new ship that landed. Feeling justifiably threatened, the Indians bottled up the Colonists inside their fort. Failure of the crops that year mandated hunting to survive. Any colonists who ventured out of the fort to hunt were slaughtered that winter by the Indians. Only 60 English were left out of 500 when spring and a new ship arrived just in the nick of time.
The most important English colonist arrived in May of 1610: John Rolfe. Without a cash crop export, no colony could survive in the 17th century. John Rolfe learned how to grow
Jamestown was interesting for what worked and what didn't. It was a final fire destroying the Virginia Colonial Statehouse that sent the government seat to Williamsburg and turned Jamestown into a ghost town and farmland within a very short period of time. This was a blessing in disguise since its archaeological treasures are just below the plowed surface. Our 21st century problem will doom this significant historical site. Global warming is causing the rise of the Atlantic Ocean, which is rising the James River and within 15 years, the site of the original English settlement in North America will be under water.
Williamsburg is a collection of colonial buildings which have been resuscitated by vision and Rockefeller money. In the 1930's John D's oldest son and wife paired with activists in 20th century Williamsburg setting up an ongoing Foundation and pouring millions of dollars into rescuing the dilapidated Colonial buildings along the Duke of Gloucester Street. These buildings were on the main drag of 18th century Williamsburg. In addition to ordinary houses and shops, this street includes the Governor's Palace, the Colonial Statehouse, historic taverns, the Bruton Anglican Church, the Colonial Magazine (armory) of Virginia, and an open air food market all surrounding a Colonial green.
What sets Williamsburg apart from other Colonial sites (such as Deerfield, Massachusets) are not only the Rockefeller money, but also the actors doing historic re-enactments of life and skills practiced in 18th century America.
When you walk into the Silversmith's shop, there are people in period costumes making silver objects using Colonial tools and methods. A Revolutionary officer and his wife are strolling the street stopping to visit. Taverns built in the early 1700's are serving food. Handlers are driving authentic carriages and wagons up and down the street. Each building is filled with Colonial furniture and decorations and staffed with actors in Colonial costumes. The Armory is filled with antique Colonial weapons.
So far, we've been to Williamsburg twice and have a third trip planned to see the buildings we've missed in our first two trips.
The other Colonial site is the Yorktown battlefield. It's here that George Washington defeated Lord Cornwallis with the aid of French weapons, French soldiers, and the French fleet. It's at Yorktown that the British population lost their taste for a war that just kept dragging on and on and on, and the Americans proved they finally had a fully functioning army. The American long gun and the marksmanship the Americans were able to achieve using it, together with the ability to execute a battle plan, defeated the best army in the world. (The Americans capitalized on the accuracy of the long gun at longer range. Their best marksmen climbed trees during the battles and functioned as the first American snipers, deliberately picking off English officers during the Revolutionary battles and disrupting on the battlefield communications. The crackerjack British units were led completely by their officer corps and without them, simply didn't know what to do during the fighting. The British considered this tactic to be just short of a 'war crime'.)
Yorktown's military importance can be instantly understood by looking at a map. The French fleet controlled the "neck" where the Chesapeake Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. They defeated the British fleet sending it back to the North thus trapping the southern portion of the British army on the same peninsula where Jamestown and Williamsburg are still located. Washington hurriedly marched the majority of the Continental Army South and, using the Marquis de Lafayette's battle suggestions, the American army and French troops defeated Cornwallis and 5000 British soldiers. Today, the battlefield is mostly grass grown over redoubts and trenches scattered over long ragged earth mounded lines looking out toward the York River. The mounds so visible today are mostly the result of the Confederate Army digging dirt fortifications in the same Revolutionary War spots as they defended the peninsula against Union ships. I've heard of Yorktown my entire life, but being here has finally helped me grasp its significance.
These three places define Southern Colonial America in the same way that Plymouth and Boston define the colonies in the North. I believe that history often turns on small events. A ship that arrives a month later in 1610 finds a deserted Jamestown. Lafayette's admiration of Washington turns into a winning military tactics team. Williamsburg supplants Jamestown just as 100 years later Richmond supplants Williamsburg - leaving entact it's Colonial architectural heritage. We came to Virginia for the American history, and so far it's delivered in spades.
I took pictures, pictures and more pictures mostly in Williamsbtached to Williamsburg. You're welcome to view them:
https://plus.google.com/urg, but also in Yorktown. I also took pictures in the two art museums atu/0/photos/115478608971584948192/albums/5924961010825115697?authkey=CLLrkd3r66GlFg
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