The Legacy of Bacon's Rebellion
for Bacon himself, or both. He believed that any actions must be sanctioned through the colony of Virginia and not a ragtag army led by a rebel. And a rebel Bacon was, as he refused to stop organizing and would proceed his attacks without the governor's approval.
III
Bacon moved on his evenhanded crusade against all Indians. He hired one group of Indian, the Occaneechees, to capture a number of Susquehannocks for him - and they did. After killing all of the prisoners, Bacon then annihilated the Occaneechees too. After all, all Indians were the enemy, not just hostile ones. He then returned again to Berkeley trying to convince him that all he sought was a commission to defeat the Indians, nothing more. At first willing to pardon Bacon and offer concessions but no commission, he proposed to send Bacon back to England to allow him to state his case before the King. Bacon, however, chose to state his case to the people of Virginia and he refused to apologize for defying the governor. Berkeley then labeled Bacon and all his followers (including some well-to-do planters) rebels engaging in treasonous actions punishable by death. This would only add to the increasing hostility among the masses against the governor and his council.
In May a series of new elections took place throughout Virginia, and despite is rebel status, Bacon was elected to the assembly from a district in which he was quite popular. On 6 June he entered Jamestown to take his seat in the assembly. Immediately Berkeley was able to capture the rebel, brought him before the House of Burgesses on his knees, and forced him to confess his sins against the governor and the King. Then, in yet another interesting political move, he pardoned Bacon and placed him back on the governor's council in an attempt to save face and mollify Bacon's supporters. No longer able to be on the assembly, Bacon left Jamestown to visit his wife. He still was without his much longed-for commission.
The Bacon-Berkeley drama yet continued. With explicit instructions from Berkeley to stay out of New Kent, a region Berkeley feared would rebel against him if coaxed, Bacon disobeyed him and gathered new volunteers for his anti-Indian forays. On 22 June he was back in Jamestown to yet again demand a commission from the governor. Again the governor denounced Bacon as a rebel challenging the governor's authority. But this
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