The history of
the Indians in 17th - century Maryland has been partially
obscured by events that took place south of the Potomac River.
It is a compliment to the efforts of the Maryland colonial
authorities in recognizing the sovereignty of the Indian tribes and
thereby avoided unnecessary conflicts with the local Indians.
However, this is not
to state that there were no “Indian wars” and that settlers were not
attacked throughout the colony. The earlier settlements along the
Atlantic seaboard of Virginia and Massachusetts comprise a record of
murderous wars that lasted throughout the 17th century and well into the
eighteenth. Territorial disputes were common and raiding parties
sent out by Europeans and Indians alike were intent on destroying each
other.
The European
was not a total stranger to the Indians living along the Chesapeake Bay.
In the 16th century, Spanish slave seeking expeditions and other
multi-national exploration parties eventually found their way into the
tributaries of the Chesapeake and left
their mark on the native populations wherever they had contact.
In spite of
occasional kidnappings and murder, the Indians of the Chesapeake area were
generally hospitable toward the English as they explored. Probably the
most famous of the early Chesapeake explorers, Captain Smith, noted in
1608 that he was received with utmost courtesy and hospitality by the
Indians. The warlike Susquehannocks (at that time living near the fall
line of the Potomac River)
went so far as to “adore” Smith and showered him with many gifts. This
friendly behavior was not an unusual treatment for Smith and his party
as they explored north sides of the Chesapeake Bay and
its tributaries in search of a Northwest Passage and for the gold that
was thought to be plentiful in this new land. The arrival of the
English in Jamestown in 1607 saw the Indians completely change their
attitudes toward the Europeans. Open warfare threatened the very
existence of the small English colony. These major conflicts were due,
in part, to the failure of the Virginia colony to realize the strength
of the local Indian confederation, named after their chief, Powhatan.
The military effectiveness of the Indians was enhanced by the
centralization of their local government. Tribes were united under the
leadership of Powhatan who was able to muster an organized and
numerically superior military force and thrust it in “hit and run”
tactics. It would take almost 50 years for the balance of power to
shift in the favor of the Virginians, and this was only accomplished by
the massive immigration of men and material to eventually defeat the
Indians.
The Maryland colonists
made every effort to accommodate the Indians in their quest for a
permanent settlement. It was not long after the landing on St.
Clement’s Island in March of 1634 that Governor Leonard Calvert and a
small party sailed northward on the Potomac River in search of the
Indian village of the same name. Here at Patawomeck (Potomac), he met
with the uncle of the child-king, Archihu, and was referred to the
Emperor of the Piscataway Confederation located about ten miles south of
present day Washington, D.C. Governor Calvert employed as a guide and
translator, a Virginia fur-trader, Captain Henry Fleete, who was able to
favorably influence the Maryland Indians into allowing the infant colony
to settle along the banks of the St. Mary’s River about 30 miles south
of St. Clement’s Island. But there was another reason that generally
influenced the cooperation of the Piscataways. During the early years
of the 17th century, the Susquehannocks of lower Pennsylvania
and northeastern Maryland were repeatedly raiding Southern Maryland and
the Eastern Shore
in search of captives and plunder. These marauding war parties caused
the local Indians to finally band together in a loose political network
based on common defense. By having the English move into the area the
local Indians were able to add the colonial guns and soldiers to their
list of allies. In fact, the firepower of the 17th-century
English colonists represented a military “balance of power” to the local
tribes.
The Piscataway
Confederation consisted of the many smaller Indian tribes located in
Southern Maryland and included the Patuxents, Piscataways, Nanjemoys,
Mattapanys, Wicomicoes, Portopacos, Mattawomans, and Chapticos.
Generally, the local Indian tribes of Southern Maryland
were politically independent tribes speaking the same Algonquian
language and sharing a common threat of the northern Susquehannocks and
their allies. All of the tribes were united as members of the
Piscataway Confederation that may or may not have been members of the
Powhatan Confederation. Villages varied in size according to their
ability to feed themselves. Wars between local Indians were not
uncommon although the extent of the bloodshed was limited as a result of
the small number of combatants. Another major tribe, the Nanticoke of
the Eastern Shore,
was the predominant tribe residing in this part of Maryland and were
not part of the Piscataway Confederation although some historians
believe they were subject to the Powhatan Confederation in Virginia. In
any event, the distance from the Eastern Shore of Maryland to Powhatan’s
capital located near Richmond is considerable. This factor probably
reduced the authority and influence of the Virginia Indians over the
Eastern Shore
tribe.
Prior to the
landing of the Maryland colonists
in 1634, one of the smaller tribes, the Yoacomacoes of St. Mary’s City
was constantly being attacked by Susquehannock raiding parties. As a
consequence of these continuing raids, the Yoacomacoes were in the
process of withdrawing across the Potomac River
to avoid these attacks. The Maryland settlers
were able to negotiate for the area being abandoned. This stroke of
good fortune allowed the Maryland settlers to begin the colony in the
early spring on land that was cleared and ready for the planting of
crops as well as providing shelter for the newcomers.
The conflicts
between the local Indians and the Susquehannocks continued with many
small skirmishes being fought in Southern Maryland.
As disease and constant warfare took their toll on the Susquehannocks,
their numbers dwindled and what was once a proud and warlike tribe ended
as a small band of wanderers who had retreated back to Pennsylvania. In
1755, just two days after Christmas, a mob of townspeople assembled and
attacked the Susquehannocks who had sought sanctuary in the local jail.
Here they were brutally assaulted and every man, woman, and child
killed.
The Piscataway also
suffered through the influx of colonists as they arrived in Maryland.
Disease, alcohol, and fences soon doomed their way of life. With their
lands sprouting crops of tobacco and corn, the land left to them
continued to dwindle forcing the Indians to reconsider their
continuation in Maryland. As the years passed, it was decided to
abandon their lifestyle on the banks of the rivers forming the
Chesapeake Bay and migrate west into the Ohio Valley. Here they
disappeared into the fold of larger nations.
With their
identity gone, a few members of the Piscataway tribe
continued to live among the colonists in Charles, Prince George, and St.
Mary’s Counties. The culture continues to survive today with local
Indians proudly reestablishing their heritage in Southern Maryland.
Although the majority of the Indians have vanished from the forests and
rivers of Southern Maryland, their legacy continues to survive. Names
like
Potomac,
Patuxent, Chaptico, Chesapeake,
and
Wicomico, are testiments to
a vast and rich history and heritage that will never be forgotten
