The Pilgrims may have been naïve and pious, but they did have the foresight to realize they would need a military advisor as they headed into the relative unknown across the Atlantic. This was especially true since they also had “strangers” among them not of their faith, and good military discipline would be required. They tried to hire Capt. John Smith of Jamestown fame, but he was too pricey. Fortunately for them, there just so happened to be a veteran living near them in Leiden, Holland, who was willing and perfectly fitted for the job.
Myles Standish had, according to his own account, been cheated out of his rightful inheritance by a great-grandfather. He was a short, fiery redhead fellow with a “short fuse” who fought on the side of the Dutch in the on-again, off-again Anglo-Spanish War. He may have been a soldier of fortune, or he may have had a commission under Sir Horatio Vere, or both, at various times.
Standish was as hard as file iron. I’m quite sure these pitiable farmers and artisans had no idea what they were in for, and after a while, they likely felt like the “boots” under R. Lee Ermey’s Sgt. Hartman in Full Metal Jacket.
That first winter, though, half of them died. Standish was one of the few who never got sick (though he did lose his first wife), perhaps because his travels as a soldier gave him a stronger immune system. He tended to the rest, especially William Bradford, who would soon become governor and remain so for decades. Bradford was soft-spoken, even-tempered, and thoughtful, but with a great command of the English Language (his lengthy History of Plimouth Plantation is the main primary source on the Pilgrims). These two men were exact opposites, but they became close friends, and their “good cop-bad cop” approach saw to the preservation, safety, and prosperity of the colony.
At one point early on, the Narragansetts, rivals to the Wampanoag allies of Plymouth, sent a messenger with a tanned snakeskin wrapped around arrows. The Pilgrims were informed by their native allies that this was a threat and an insult. On Standish’s recommendation, Bradford sent the snakeskin back from whence it came, filled with powder and shot. The Narragansetts got the message. This episode did inspire the two men to order a palisade to be built around the village and eventually a sturdy fort with artillery, much to the chagrin of the men who had to work the fields AND build these, but Standish saw it through.
The most serious threat came from a failed second colony, a few miles north called Wessagusset. It had been populated by disorganized ruffians with little planning and even less leadership. As the colony disintegrated, some essentially sold themselves as slaves to the local Massachusett Indians for food, or stole from them. A minor chief named Wituwamat thought he would make a name for himself by wiping out the men of Wessagusset, showing what “big magic” he had, and then convincing other Massachusett to move on to destroy Plymouth. He had a bodyguard, if you will – a massive six-foot-tall warrior named Pecksuot. The Wampanoag chief, called Massasoit, with whom the Pilgrims had a mutual defense alliance, warned them of the plot.
Bradford held a town meeting. At it, he got a vote to give him and Standish authority to act on their own accord, even if that meant bloodshed. Brandford gave Standish a commission: Go forth and return with the head of Wituwamat.
Standish put together a “hit team” of eight of the toughest Plymouth men, plus his native guide and lifelong friend, Hobomock, and sailed in their shallop to Wessagusset. They let it out that they were on a trading mission with salt pork, which was fast becoming a favorite with the natives. Wituwamat, his younger brother, another warrior, and Pecksuot arrived, claiming to be on the same mission, but sly grins and veiled threats made it clear the warriors were ready for a fight. It was the custom of these warriors to carry knives from lanyards around their necks. Wituwamat showed his to Standish and said the knife by and by “should see, and eat, but not speak.” Pecksuot told Hobomock they knew why Standish had come, but they were not afraid, “let him begin when he dare.” Pecksuot then towered himself over the diminutive Standish and told him that for a leader he seemed a little man, and though he himself was no sachem (chief) he was of great strength and courage.
Standish suggested they come back the next day to try some of the salt pork, which they did. He invited them into a meeting house, carefully unbuckling his sword and leaving it outside. Three other Plymouth men did the same, inviting the four natives in. Odds were then even. As soon as everyone was in, Hobomock rushed in and bolted the door. As Pecksuot was distracted by that, Standish lunged for the knife around the big man’s neck and, using his hand-to-hand combat training, killed him with it. Two other Plymouth-produced dirks and dispatched Wituwamat and the other warrior. His younger brother they took outside and hanged as a deterrent. Hobomock warned that other Massachusett were fast approaching. The Plymouth men gained the high ground, fired some matchlocks at them, and they faded back into a swamp.
Standish and his team returned to Plymouth, heads in hand, in fulfillment of their commission. The head was placed on a spike upon the parapet. Later that year (1623), Gov. Bradford married a newcomer to the colony, and the Massasoit was invited to the wedding. To honor him, a flag was flown. It was the bloody cloth that had transported the head of his Massachusett enemy. The Massasoit heartily approved.
So, if you’ve had this image in your head of the Pilgrims being like a group of 17th-century Ned Flanders from The Simpsons, please allow yourself to be disabused of that notion. The men who signed the Mayflower Compact, the first seed of our constitutional government, would make any modern American Marine proud.
Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy PJ Media’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join PJ Media VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
