John Ingram was a settler in

colonial Virginia The Colony of Virginia was a British Empire, British colonial settlement in North America from 1606 to 1776. The first effort to create an English settlement in the area was chartered in 1584 and established in 1585; the resulting Roanoke Colo ...

who lived the settlement of Jamestown and became a member of Nathaniel Bacon's Rebellion. He took the lead of the rebellion after Sir Nathaniel Bacon died from

dysentery Dysentery ( , ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications may include dehyd ...

. The members of the rebellion consisted of 300-500 mostly

indentured servants Indentured servitude is a form of labor in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. The contract called an "indenture", may be entered voluntarily for a prepaid lump sum, as payment for some good or ser ...

, but included a number of

Black slaves The Atlantic slave trade or transatlantic slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people to the Americas. European slave ships regularly used the triangular trade route and its Middle Passage. Europeans est ...

. They had been upset at the treaty of 1646, which ended the Third Anglo-Powhatan War. The rebellion occurred throughout 1676, and resulted in Bacon's forces burning much of Jamestown to the ground.

Early life

John Ingram Jr. was born sometime before 1644 in

Northumberland County, Virginia Northumberland County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 11,839. Its county seat is Heathsville. The county is located on the Northern Neck and is part of the Northern Neck George Was ...

. His father was John Ingram Sir. and his mother, Jane Ingram. His siblings were Elizabeth Ingram, Thomas Ingram, and Jane Ingram.Early Colonial Settlers of Southern Maryland and Virginia's Northern Neck Counties
/ref>

Bacon's Rebellion

Background

The first of the

Anglo-Powhatan Wars The AngloPowhatan Wars were three wars fought between settlers of the Colony of Virginia and the Powhatan People of Tsenacommacah in the early 17th century. The first war started in 1609 and ended in a peace settlement in 1614. The second war l ...

occurred from 1610 to 1614, starting after a raid from the Virginian settlers killed dozens of Powhatan. In 1622, the second Anglo-Powhatan War broke out when the Powhatan attacked Jamestown and killed 347 settlers, roughly 30% of the settlement's population at the time. In 1644, the Powhatan attacked Jamestown in the same method as the 1622 attack. They killed 400 settlers, about 10% of Jamestown's population at the time, which started the third Anglo-Powhatan War. In 1646, Governor William Berkeley signed a peace treaty with the Powhatan. Indentured servants had been promised that after years of hard work, they would be given 100 acres of land. John Ingram himself was an indentured servant. However, this land would be Powhatan territory. The Peace Treaty of 1646 ended these promises towards the indentured servants in order to avoid conflicts with the Powhatan, whose lands they would have occupied.

Bacon's Rebellion

In 1676, John Ingram joined 300–500 men under the leadership of Sir Nathaniel Bacon in a rebellion against the local government. In "The Declaration of the People," Bacon accused Governor Berkeley of being nepotistic and demanded a military commission to fight Native tribes. Despite a peace treaty, the rebels attacked Native American villages.Bacon's Rebellion
/ref> On September 19, members of the rebellion burned Jamestown to the ground, but Governor Berkeley was able to flee. Bacon caught

and died from it on October 26, 1676. As second in command, John Ingram took over leadership of the rebellion, but it soon collapsed, as a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

squadron arrived to Jamestown and restored order.

Aftermath

Berkeley returned to Jamestown soon after. He ordered the hanging of 23 leading members of the rebellion. It is not known when Ingram died, but most likely, he was one of the men who was hanged.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ingram, John Year of birth uncertain Military history of the Thirteen Colonies American people of English descent Colony of Virginia American revolutionaries American rebels