John Smith in the Lower Rappahannock Cruise

 Depart Deltaville.

Windmill Pt. (36.23x16.27) July 17, 1608. The crew of the shallop are replenishing their food supply by fishing in the shallows. Smith stabs a stingray with his sword. As he removes it, he is stung by the barb in the tail. The shallop crosses the river mouth to  “Stingray Ile” (33.36x16.39) where Smith is doctored and recovers and eats the stingray for supper. However, he is in a weakened state and decides to postpone his plans to explore the river of his prior captivity, and returns to Jamestown.

Mosquito Islands (36.36x21.13) August 16, 1608.  Now a month after his mishap with the stingray, Smith and the crew of the shallop return to the Rappahannock after exploring the upper Chesapeake Bay. They enter the river and anchor off the king’s house of Cuttatawomen.

Middlesex shoreline (36.54x29.29) August 17. The shallop cruises along the Middlesex shore. The explorers fail to note the mouth of the Corrotoman River.

The explorers note the king’s house of Opiscopank, (38.27x33.40). This tribe may have bestowed their name of the river in the form of Opiscatumeck, as it was known some time before the establishment of Jamestown. The new name of Tappahannock-Rappahannock (identical words in proper Algonquian pronunciation) is a phrase meaning “people living where the waters ebb and flow.”

39.31x32.19 The Smith Map shows an Indian villiage here with the musical name of Pawcocomocac.

Simonson (48.00x38.12) August 17, day’s end. The shallop anchors off the king’s house of Moraughtacund (Simonson), where they go ashore to a friendly reception prepared for them by their Potomac River friend, the half-breed Mosco. (Described as having a full beard, a rarity of among American races, his father was most likely a member of the Gonzalez expedition that sailed up the Chesapeake in June of 1588. The Spanish were hunting in vain for what was to become the Lost Colony at Roanoke. Apparently they had halted awhile at Wighcocomico, a king’s house at the mouth of the Potomac River in Northumberland County, Mosco’s hometown.)

49.19x41.07 August 18. The explorers note in passing the village of Oquomuck.

51.56x44.39 August 18. Continuing upstream Smith & company observe two villages, Powcomonet lying between Neals Pt and Richardson Cr, and Auhomesk east of the mouth of Totuskey Cr.

52.32x45.23 August 18. Further upstream, the explorers note the village of Menaskunt to the west of Totuskey Cr. A modern form of the name, spelled, Monaskon, survives downstream.

52.38x45.59 August 18. As they round Accakeek Pt Smith fails to recognize the king’s house of Topahanock, the chief town of the Rappahannocks, across the river on the right bank, located at either Bellview or Wares Wharf. He was taken there on Christmas Day 1607 as a captive for the authorities there to identify him if he were guilty of the murder of their werowance some years before. He was acquitted as the wrong Englishman (too short, hair too red, speculation is that it was Samuel Mace, c.1602) and his life was spared only to be frog-marched to Werowocomoco on the York River where his life was spared again at the intercession of Pocahontas. Whereupon Smith was returned to Jamestown a free man by the Indians, but was immediately marched to the gallows by his enemies on the council led by Archer. His life was then spared for the third time in one week by the timely arrival of Capt. Christopher Newport. It was a rough and ready world.

53.16x46.08 August 18. Along the shoreline above Pecks Cr and Wellfords Wharf, the explorers note in passing the village of Poyektank. They now spot a group Indians signaling them from across the river.

53.45x47.25 August 18. Despite warnings from Mosco, the shallop crosses the river to approach the signalers, apparently of the hostile Rappahannock tribe, who have waded out on the long shoal off Lowrys Pt to get their attention. As the shallop nears them, the signalers beckon them along the shoreline upstream. The shallop follows accordingly.

54.13x49.18 August 18. I quote from Smith’s journal:

“Some twelve or sixteen [Rappahannocks] standing on the shore directed us a little creek where was good landing, and commodities for us in three or four canoes we saw lie there. But according to our custom we demanded to exchange a man in sign of love, which after they had a little consulted, four or five [waded out waist-deep] to fetch our man and leave us one of them, showing we need not fear them, for they had neither clubs, bows, nor arrows. Notwithstanding, Anas Todkill being sent on shore to see if he could discover any [ambush] or what they [might have prepared for us, asked them to let him go over the low ground] to fetch some wood. But they were unwilling except we would come into the creek where the boat might come close ashore. Todkill by degrees having got some two stones’ throws [beyond the water’s edge] perceived two or three hundred men, as he thought, behind the trees, so that offering to return to the boat, the savages essayed to carry him away by force. He then called out to us we were betrayed; and [as soon as] he had spoken the word our hostage [dove] overboard, but Watkins his keeper slew him in the water. Immediately we [fired guns at] them so that they fled and Todkill escaped. Yet they shot so fast that he fell flat on the ground ere he could recover the boat. [We] beat the savages off … without any hurt. Yet they shot more than a thousand arrows and then fled into the woods.

            [We] rescued Todkill, who was all bloody [from] some of them who were [wounded] by us that held him, but as God pleased he had no hurt. And following [the Indians] up to the woods we found some slain and in divers places much blood. It seems all their arrows were spent, for we heard no more of them. Their canoes we took. The arrows we found we broke, save them we kept for Mosco, to whom we gave the canoes for his kindness that entertained us in the best triumphing manner and warlike order in arms of conquest he could procure of the Moraughtacunds.”

 August 19-25, 1608. Smith and company row and sail the shallop up the river to the falls at the Route One bridge at Fredericksburg/Falmouth and return to friends at Moraughtacund (Simonson) on August 26. A truce is called with the Rappahannocks, the English and the Moraughtacunds meet them for a parley at the sight of the skirmish of August 18. All parties return to Moraughtacund king’s house and an agreement is reached. One of the stolen women goes to the Rappahannock werowance. One goes to the Moraughtacund werowance, and one goes to Mosco, and peace is restored. The English depart on August 29 or 30 after days of feasting and dancing.

 The boat docks at Simonson and the tour returns by van to Deltaville.