Summoned by Berkeley to surrender, Hansford
refused, but that same night, by advice of Lawrence and Drummond, evacuated
the place, drawing his force off toward the York. The next day, emptied of
all but a few citizens, Jamestown received the old Governor and his army.
The tidings found Bacon on the upper York. Acting with his accustomed
energy, he sent out, far and wide, ringing appeals to the country to rouse
itself, for men to join him and march to the defeat of the old tyrant.
Numbers did come in. He moved with "marvelous celerity." When he had, for
the time and place, a large force of rebels, he marched, by stream and
plantation, tobacco field and forest, forge and mill, through the early
autumn country to Jamestown. Civil war was on.
Across the narrow neck of the Jamestown peninsula had been thrown a sort
of fortification with ditch, earthwork, and palisade. Before this Bacon now
sounded trumpets. No answer coming, but the mouths of cannon appearing at
intervals above the breastwork, the "rebel" general halted, encamped his
men, and proceeded to construct siege lines of his own. The work must be
done exposed to Sir William's iron shot.
Now comes a strange and discreditable incident. Patriots, revolutionists,
who on the whole would serve human progress, have yet, as have we all, dark
spots and seamy sides. Bacon's parties of workmen were threatened,
hindered, driven from their task by Berkeley's guns. Bacon had a curious,
unadmirable idea.
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