Dates May not be Sequential
In February, 1645, they ordered the construction of forts
at three locations they considered strategic in the colony’s defense against the Indians:
Fort Charles at the falls of the James River; Fort James on the Chickahominy; and Fort Royall
“at Pomunkey.” …
In March, 1676, when the Grand Assembly again resolved to
construct forts for the garrisoning
of men “on the heads of rivers” as a defense against the Indians, they decided
to build one ‘at or neare Mahixon upon
Pomunkie River,” …
Although Opechancanough was captured and killed in
1646, it should be recalled that he was alive in 1645 when Fort Royall was built (Beverley
1947:49—50).
Martha
MacCartney’s “Daft of York”
The assumption that the construction all the forts were
immediate built after the passage of the Virginia Grand Assemblies resolve is not probable. If
the easy forts were built first and then the Pamunkey fort was built last because it was in
dangerous enemy territory, then this aligns with the fact its location changed its location
from the Mahixon (7 miles upstream) to Manskin lodge location. So if they destroyed the village
of Opechancanough family’s at Manskin
Lodge and built a fort on top of it site. Then this would be a great staging
area on the fortress
of warriors at “The Island” just down stream. This was the same warfare tactic
the Americans used against the
Japanese in WWII: Destroy an enemy
village, build a base on top of it and
then attack the next island.