Bacon's Rebellion

Wrongs shoud be done to Mr. Bacon or his Men, or whoever
shou’d have had the least hand in ’em.

    And so much was true that this Mr. young Nathaniel
Bacon (not yet Arrived to 30 Yeares) had a Nigh Relation
Namely Col: Nathaniel Bacon¹ of Long Standing in the Coun-
cil a very rich Politick Man, and Childless, designing this
Kinsman for his heir, who (not without much Paines) had
prevailed with his uneasy Cousin to deliver the forementioned
written Recantation at the Bar, having Compiled it ready to
his hand and by whose meanes ’twas Supposed that timely
Intimation was Convey’d to the Young Gentleman to flee for
his Life, And also in 3 or 4 daies after Mr. Bacon was first
Seiz’d I Saw abundance of Men in Town Come thitber from
the Heads of the Rivers, Who finding him restor’d and his
Men at Liberty, return’d home Satisfied; a few Daies after
which the Governour seeing all Quiet, Gave out Private War-
rants to take him againe, intending as was thought to raise
the Militia, and so to Dispose things as to prevent his friends
from gathering any more into a like Numerous Body and
Comming down a Second time to Save him.

    In Three or Four daies after this Escape, upon News that
Mr. Bacon was 30 Miles up the River, at the head of four
hundred Men, The Governour sent to the Parts adjacent, on
both Sides James River for the Militia and all the Men could
be gotten to Come and Defend the Town. Express’s Came
almost hourly of th’ Army’s Approaches, who in less than 4
daies after the first Account of ’em att 2 of the Clock entred the
Town, without being withstood, and form’d a Body upon a
green, not a flight Shot from the End of the Statehouse, of
Horse and Foot, as well regular as Veteran Troops, who forth-
with Possest themselves of all the Avenues, Disarming all in
Town, and Comming thither in Boats or by Land.

    In half an hour after this the Drum beat for the House to
meet, and in less than an hour more Mr. Bacon came with a
file of Fusileers on either hand near the Corner of the State-

     ¹ Colonel Nathaniel Bacon, the elder, kinsman of the younger Bacon, came
to Virginia in 1650 and died childless in 1692. He endeavored to divert his
young relative from rebellion by promising “to invest him in a considerable part
of his estate at once and to leave him the remainder in reversion after his own
and his wife’s death.” He was a loyal Berkeleyite.