Survival Of The Fittest Or Survival In Captivity By Martin Cj Mongiello

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Survival of the fittest or survival in captivity - where is the Lost Colony today that first settled America?

Survival of the fittest or survival

in captivity?

Where is the Lost Colony

today… that first settled America?

By Martin CJ Mongiello

For Professor Preston Lewis Western Civilization I

The Art Institute of Charlotte The Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online



INTRODUCTION: Survival of the fittest or survival in captivity - where is the Lost Colony today

that first settled America? Did they sail away and founder at sea or were they really killed off by

the Spanish? Survival by any means may exist with documented records and investigation.

Which of the stories will you believe?

First, it is important to understand the difference between establishing Colonies to enslave local

populations (in the attainment of gold and other items sent back to Europe) versus the

establishment of Colonies to set up humans - who will multiply.

ON MULTIPLICATION: Multiplication of human beings is a very important factor for any empire

in that items can be cultivated and sent back to the master. In addition, the colonists will need

things, which naturally must be purchased from the master. In the case of some other items not

being obtained from the master, then the master will establish a tax on imports, and still get paid.

This is a fantastic system to establish, for any King or Queen.

As the years had gone by, Spain’s conquests in the new world provided intense power and riches.

Spain grew so powerful, bolstered by her successes, that she readily engaged with the

governments of Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands, France and England, often at her own free will,

and unasked to comment. England, ruled by Queen Elizabeth I in 1570, knew the Spanish already

had spies in her court. She was not stupid in her attempts to set up explorers, mining operations,

and full colonies.

HER MOVES ON THE CHESS BOARD: In the lat 1570’s, Martin Frobisher made three voyages to

Labrador looking for gold. In 1577, Francis Drake set off in his famed, “Golden Hind,” for three



years around the world. Spain and England set off a massive battle, against one another, and

claimed numerous firsts in the settlement of Saint Augustine, Florida in 1565 - as well as the

exploration of the San Diego bay, in 1542, by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. Urgency became the

name of the day as Sir Francis Drake sailed his ship into San Francisco bay in 1579. The English

were giving the Spanish quite a whipping now. Drake had also stolen millions of dollars in

treasure, taken in raids on the Spaniards. All of which was turned over to Queen Elizabeth - and

stored away in the tower of London. These ventures in the new world could be profitable and must

continue to be expanded!

To that end, Sir Humphrey Gilbert was dispatched in complete secrecy in the year of 1578. The

specific instructions given by the Queen to Gilbert were, “to search, find out, and view such

remote, heathen, and barbarous lands, countries, and territories not actually possessed of any

Christian people or prince”. Although his adventures were partly successful, the Queen’s advisers

urged her to consider that the winters in North America were long and cold and would provide

excellent sales of English woolen goods. Also, of great importance was the fact that, furs were very

popular in Paris. Since there was so much wildlife, these would be in great abundance and could

be sold - as well as taxed! Large deposits of copper were being reported by the French and vast

supplies of fish were available for resale. All of these items could be taxed. The flow of cash back

home would be tremendous. Therefore, in 1584, two barks would leave and head for the

Carolina’s to establish a colony on the new island called Roanoke.

ROANOKE IS ESTABLISHED: In June of 1585, Sir Richard Grenville, assembled the first of his

colonists to travel to America and landed on Roanoke Island. He called this, “her majesty’s new

kingdom of Virginia”. Part of his reports described sweet trees, grapes, flax similar to silk, and



apothecary drugs. He left about 100 colonists on Roanoke who spent their time searching for gold

and arguing with the local Indians – instead of planting crops and cultivating the new world. Not

a smart idea for this first group. While they waited for a promised, new ship, to arrive with

supplies, a tremendous hurricane hit North Carolina (then, technically the island of Roanoke in

Virginia). It took the settlers to the psychological breaking point. Help was on the way, though, as

Sir Francis Drake had been raiding and destroying towns all over the West Indies, suddenly

torched Saint Augustine, and then sailed with precision to the Roanoke colony. He was awash

with supplies, compassion and food. However, as they were shaken to their knees (with no crops to

feed from) and the recent hurricane, Drake agreed to take them home in failure.

THE LOST COLONY IS NOT LOST: Now, I propose that not all of them most likely headed home.

Anyone would suppose, that at least one or two would secretly agree to stay. Certainly, there

were adventurers in the group and this combination - with stout, brave, strong men leads any sane

explorer, woodsman or mountain man to realize it must be true. The challenge occurs with

historians who rule textbook and novel writing, via bureaucracy, and whom have never explored

in the wilderness, nor lived in the wilds and practiced old world skills. Many of those who do

understand these findings today, are called living historians, reenactors and educational living

historians.

I have already proven, in records, that the Queen advocated secret missions and was a staunch

supporter of covert activities, with Sir Humphrey Gilbert, as well as many others. I will further

prove my theories.



Thereafter, the previously promised supply ship arrived and found no one in the colony, turned

back and headed for England. Grenville then appeared with three ships and spent days

frantically trying to find his colonists. As he refused to give up, he dispatched 15 men into the

colony with enough stores and provision to last for two years. In April of 1587, another expedition

under John White was sent to Roanoke and found the fort demolished. Part of the problem with

this expedition was that only one skeleton was found. White decided to rebuild the fort along

with several houses and named it, “the Citie of Raleigh in Virginia”. It was here that his

granddaughter, Virginia Dare, was born as the first child of an English family in North America.

Then he returned to England, himself. However, as every single ship England owned, was needed

to fight the great Spanish Armada of 130 vessels with 2500 guns – White’s mission was swallowed

completely.

THE LOST COLONY OF ROANOKE SURVIVES: After four years, John White finally returned

with his supplies to the mysterious colony. No one was found, yet he did find the word

CROATOAN carved into a tree - and CRO on another.

“There are some people who believe descendants of the colonists now reside in Robeson County,

North Carolina. There, the Lumbee people, a tribe with 40,000-plus members, have lived for

centuries. Many Lumbee are confident that their ancestors migrated from the Outer Banks to the

swampy marshland that is now Robeson Country. One primary advocate of this theory was

Adolph Dial, a Lumbee historian whose 1975 book, The Only Land I Know, co-written with David

Eliades, details the history of his people, including one assertion Dial was sure of. “The

circumstantial evidence, when joined with logic, unquestionably supports the Lumbee tradition

that there was a real and lasting connection with the Raleigh Settlement. Proponents of the Lost



Colony-Lumbee connection point to how Anglicized the tribe became. The Lumbee people have

long spoken English and followed Protestant religious traditions. Nor did they undergo the forced

migrations that other Native American tribes suffered through, because of their mixed-race status

and because the tribe enacted early agreements with various governmental bodies to avoid

displacement and the grossest forms of injustice. Today, the Lumbee people are one of the most

prosperous and educated tribes in the United States, thanks largely to UNC-Pembroke, a

university originally founded in 1887 as a school for the Lumbee. It’s at UNCP’s Native American

Resource Center that much of the academic research into the history of the Lumbee people has

taken place. One of the foremost scholars on Lumbee tradition is Knick, the center’s director. He

says there is plenty of evidence that could suggest that the Lost Colony and the Lumbee are

connected. Many modern Lumbee surnames match up with surnames found among the Roanoke

settlers, he says, and contemporary Lumbee oral history is filled with tales that assert a similar

connection”, (Whirty).

More than likely, a combination of attacks by the Indians and attacks by the Spanish helped to

clear out the fort. At the same time, it is highly likely that some of the settlers migrated into the

Indians at peace, or by capture, and lived out their days with them. In 1603, the Queen died and

James I assumed command believing that the new world offered the only hope for the starving

and jobless, after years of wars with Spain. The colonies would become a priority now.

------------------------------------------

Supporting Data: "1588, An eye-witness account of the New World was provided by "A Briefe

and True Account of the New Found Land of Virginia," written by Thomas Harriot. It recounted

English attempts from 1584-1588 to colonize what later became known as eastern North Carolina



and encouraged further settlement and investment there. In 1590 Flemish engraver Theodor de

Bry published an illustrated edition featuring paintings by English colonist John White." (TL-

MB, 1988, p.24)(Arch, 5/05, p.26) http://timelines.ws/1575_1599.HTML I am reading and

reviewing three books as cited below and planning a trip to THE LOST COLONY on the outer

banks.

Estes, R. "Where have all the Indians Gone? Native American Eastern Seaboard Dispersal,

Genealogy, and DNA in Relation to Sir Walter Raleigh's Lost Colony of Roanoke." (2009)Print.

Miller, L. Roanoke: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony. Arcade Publishing, 2001. Print.

Padget, C. D. "The Lost Indians of the Lost Colony: A Critical Legal Study of the Lumbee Indians

of North Carolina." American Indian Law Review 21.2 (1997): 391-424. Print.

Thotex, E., L. Emsworth, and K. Wick. US History. Ioss, LLC. Print.

Whirty, R. The Lost Colony of Roanoke, Natives People magazine, March/April 2007,

Written by Ryan Whirty, History Department. 10 Sep. 2010 http://www.lost-

colony.com/magazineNP.html

Willard, F. L. "Sassafras in the New World and the Syphilis Exchange”. (2009) Print.

Willard, F. "Raleigh's 1587 Lost Colony: Conspiracy, Spies, Secrets & Lies." Print.

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Survival Of The Fittest Or Survival In Captivity By Martin Cj Mongiello