John Smith

John Smith

As an adventurous English boy, John Smith longed to see the world, but he probably never imagined that he'd become famous for helping settle a new colony. John Smith belongs in History because he is the one who helped Jamestown get food and helped organize and run the colony. John Smith, English explorer and colonist, was an important leader and has changed America.

John Smith was born on January 8, 1580 in a small town of Willoughby, Lincolnshire, England. A couple days after John's birth, he was baptized. John's father, George was a farmer who owned his own business. Both John's parents, George and Alice, expected him to become a farmer and take over his father's business. John had other plans, he wanted to explore to world.

John's education was short, but that was usual for boys. John attended school at a place called Louth, which was nearby his town. At the age of about fifteen, John's father allowed him to leave school to become a merchant's apprentice. Many boys in those days left school, simply so they can work.

Smith's childhood experiences were very adventurous. "Although he was just sixteen years old, John went off on his first adventure and became a soldier in the Netherlands. He served in the army for three or four years. When he returned to England, he took a job as a servant for Lord Willoughby's sons, Peregrine and Robert, while they traveled through Europe. Soon the brothers decided they did not need another servant and they gave John enough money to return home to England."

Off on another adventure John decided to join the Austrian army in Hungary to fight the Turks. On the trip to Hungary the trip was very dangerous. In France he was robbed of his money and luggage. In a ship to Turkey John was caught in a terrible storm. According to John's writings, the other passengers, who were Roman Catholic, did not like him because he was Protestant and an Englishman. They believed him to be bad luck, so they threw him over board! But thankfully John did not drown.

Smith did accomplish a lot of things in the army. He was so good that people started noticing him. He taught the senior officers how to use torches to signal other troops. Also how to trick the enemy into thinking they had a much larger army by lighting thousands of matches to imitate lines of ready soldiers. Since John was so intelligent in war techniques, he was promoted to captain. One of his most amazing battles was when his horse was killed and Smith had to fight on foot against soldiers on horseback. Another one of his famous battles was when he was challenged by Lord Turbashaw. The terms were, whoever won the battle would cut off the loser's head. John won the battle after only moments after it began! So John cut off the man's head and gave it to his general as some sort of a trophy. Lord Turbashaw's friend was outraged because his friend was died and John had won! So he challenged John to a Joust. Moments after the joust had begun, John had fired a pistol straight to the man's head. John won that joust and also cut off the man's head and gave it to his general also. "John received a promotion, a new horse, a sword and a very expensive belt." Prince Zsigmond of Transylvania awarded John an honor of the Turk's head, and a raise in his pay.

After the war John had left for America. Everybody was hoping to find unusual fruits, herbs, and gold that was there. John and the other Englishmen were praying to find the Northwest Passage to Asia and India to make trade faster and easier. John spent about a year working with the men who would lead the voyage to America. The trip had already started bad because it had taken three weeks for the group to sail out of the harbor because the wind was strong and was blowing in the wrong direction.

"The journey to Virginia was long and uncomfortable. The passengers were crammed together in the 'tween deck where the ceilings were only three feet tall. The air smelled bad and there was no privacy. The food did not last for long and there was not much of it to go around. Passengers, including John, ate salted meat and fish, stale biscuits, spoiled cheese and butter, and drank beer. There was not enough fresh water to drink or cook with. Since the food was so poor, many passengers did not get the proper vitamins they needed and so they had very little energy. Some passengers got very sick, but just one died."

After they landed in America Smith and his men traveled up river. Since they were on territory they have not seen before, they did not know what to expect. On the way up the river John and his men ran into the Powhatan Tribe. To the English, the Native Americans seemed like savages who wore odd clothes, if any at all, and who looked very different than they did. The Native Americans saw the English in much the same way. Because the groups spoke different languages, communication was difficult and many times there were misunderstandings. The tribe was friendly and they allowed the colonists to visit anytime they wanted to. When John and his men came to a dead end in the river, they turned back around