and the governor fled in dismay from the capital. Steps were taken directly to reorganize the government. The people were called together; a public declaration was issued; and writs issued for a new election of burgesses in October. Bacon set out again to carry on the war against the Indians, which led Berkeley to contrive by promises of pay and plunder to recover his lost authority. Quite unexpectedly he succeeded; but it was only a passing triumph. Bacon made a rapid descent from the upper country, with an army that had just gained the victory at the Blood Run. Jamestown was invested and speedily retaken, and further, to prevent its again being occupied by Berkeley, it was, by Bacon's orders, burned to the ground. A large body of troops under Colonel Brent were marching to attack Bacon, but, terrified by his promptitude and success, they dispersed without venturing a battle. Bacon was now completely victorious, and at liberty to carry out his designs to their fullest extent. Precisely what he purposed, however, can never be known; for just at this juncture he was suddenly stricken down by the hand of death. This was in January, 1677; and as he was the master spirit of the whole popular movement, with him died also all systematic effort to obtain redress of grievances.[1] Bacon's supporters were mostly taken, and Berkeley, again restored to power, pursued a course of malignant revenge utterly disgraceful to his name and position. No less than twenty-five persons were executed during the few succeeding months. Horsford was hanged, and Drummond, formerly a governor of the colony of South Carolina, shared the same fate. So furious had Berkeley become, that the Assembly strongly protested, and the king's commissioners, who had arrived to inquire into the rebellion, were shocked, and endeavored to put a stop to this wholesale slaughter. His conduct excited great indignation in England, and Charles is reported to have exclaimed, on hearing of his doings, "The old fool has taken away more lives in that naked country than I did here in England for the murder of my father." Berkeley, not long after, returned to the mother country, and in a brief space ended his days there.
The issue of Bacon's rebellion was injurious to the interests of the colonists. Some trifling concessions were indeed made to their complaints, but the majority of those abuses by which they had been provoked into a rising, remained in full force. The whole of "Bacon's Laws" enacted by the popular Assembly were annulled, the franchise, as just before, and not as originally, was restricted to freeholders alone, and the Assembly chosen by it was only to meet once in two years, nor, except on special occasions, to remain in session for more than a fortnight. Oppressed with the still stricter enforcement of the navigation laws, which ruinously
- ↑ Mr. Ware, in his discriminating "Memoir of Nathaniel Bacon," says that "there seems no good reason to doubt the purity of his motives, and the singleness and simplicity of his character." Mr. Ware also doubts the correctness of the opinion advanced by Hening that Bacon was taken off by poison. See Sparks' "American Biography," vol. xiii., pp. 239–306.
