Captain John Smith & Pocahontas

One of the most romanticized incidents in early American history may have simply been a tribal initiation.

Deseret Morning News graphic Captain John Smith & Pocahontas Requires Adobe Acrobat.

The legend begins with three Englishmen, led by Captain John Smith, being lured ashore by Indian women during a trading and exploration mission. An ambush quickly followed. Smith, the sole survivor, was then dragged before chief Powhatan to decide his fate. According to Smith, his life hung in the balance. His head was placed on a stone while Indian warriors prepared to pummel his brains out. At the last moment, Pocahontas, a young Indian princess, rushed forward and laid her head on Smith, saving his life. Was this young love or something else? Scholars now believe Pocahontas' actions were probably part of an elaborate adoption ritual. It seems the self-confident English captive had managed to impress his captors and was adopted into the tribe through the execution ritual.

Smith would later recount the episode in his books, and although the validity of the story has been questioned, the relationship between Pocahontas and John Smith would prove invaluable in the survival of the Jamestown colony.

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Captain John Smith

Born: 1580, Wiloughby, England

"An ambityous unworthy and vayneglorious fellowe" — George Percy describing John Smith

Smith left home at age 16 after the death of his father. In the years that followed he would find himself involved in a number of professions including soldier, cartographer, ethnographer, trader, governor, sailor and writer. Though talented in many areas, Smith was also an ambitious, proud self-promoter. Many scholars believe he was one of the key reasons Jamestown managed to survive its early years, while others point out his almost constant problems with other settlers and the colony's authorities. He escaped the gallows for various misdeeds (including accusations of mutiny) more than once. Smith could be a charming negotiator or a cruel adversary and was not above using force to achieve his goals.

1596: Served as a mercenary with the Dutch army against the Spanish

1598: Served as merchant sailor

1601: Joined European armies fighting Turks in Transylvania

Sold into slavery

During the campaign against the Turks, Smith was wounded, captured and sold into slavery. His master's sweetheart is said to have fallen in love with him during his captivity. He managed to escape while being trained for Turkish imperial service. His flight took him through Russia, Poland and eventually North Africa before he returned to England.

Jamestown