Everyone knows the John Smith and Pocahontas story (which is not true, by the way), but few know of the remarkable adventures of Smith. In 1630, 23 years after he saved Jamestown with h s firm leadership, Smith wrote “The True Travels, Adventures, and Observations of Captaine John Smith”. Historians have discounted most of the book as fabricated, but recently some historians have been able to find evidence to corroborate much of Smith’s tall tales.
John Smith was born the son of a poor tenant farmer. As a boy, he dreamed of become a Sea Dog, like Sir Francis Drake. He wanted to become a privateer, but instead he was apprenticed to a merchant. He had hopes of going to sea as part of his job and when this did not happen, he left to become a mercenary. He first fought for King Henry IV of France against the Spanish. He then fought for the Dutch in their war of independence. Meanwhile, he was reading books about the military and politics, like “The Prince”. He also got training in horsemanship and the use of weapons. He traveled all over Europe looking for wars to fight in. Once, the ship he was on sank in a storm in the Mediterranean. He washed ashore and was rescued by the captain of a pirate gang. He added piracy to his resume and it made him rich. Next, the fought for the Austrian Hapsburgs against the Ottoman Turks. He helped lift the siege of Limbach by communicating with the besieged using a system of torch signals. He notified the garrison that they would both launch attacks to break the siege that night. Smith fooled the Turks into thinking the attack was coming from a different direction by setting up a long string with pieces of cloth laced with gunpowder to create the illusion of numerous muskets firing. He later helped liberate the Hungarian capital by using pots filled with gunpowder as primitive grenades. After the victory, Smith was promoted to captain and given 250 cavalrymen to command.
His most famous exploit came when he accepted the challenge to duel a Turkish warrior. Smith made quick work of his opponent and cut his head off. A second Turk advanced on him. The two exchanged sword blows and then pistol shots. Smith was hit in his breastplate, but his foe was seriously injured in the arm. It was easy for Smith to decapitate him. Finally, a third enemy faced him with battle axes. Once again, the duel ended with the Turk beheaded. Smith was knighted and allowed a coat-of-arms that featured three Turkish heads. Unfortunately, at a later battle, Smith was so badly injured he was put in a stack of dead bodies. Scavengers discovered him barely alive. He was sold into slavery. His owner sent him to be a slave to his mistress. The mistress fell in love with him. She wanted to marry him, but he needed to be schooled in Turkish customs. She sent him to her brother to get trained to be a Turkish gentleman. The evil brother instead put him to work in the fields as the lowest of slaves. One day, Smith brained his master with a farming tool and escaped. It took him a while, but he finally made it back to England where he hooked up with the group that was going to found Jamestown. It is no surprise that when the going got rough, the colonists turned to this seasoned adventurer to lead them.
– Whitcomb 39
https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2007/januaryfebruary/feature/soldier-fortune-john-smith-jamestown
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Smith_(explorer)
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