The Forgotten Dynast of the Virginia Frontier: Richard Lee I The Lees of Virginia are remembered largely thanks to Robert E Lee, who restored the family's name after Light Horse Harry and Black Horse Harry blackened it with their indiscretions... There are many other great Lees as well. Richard Henry, William, and Arthur were integral to the revolution, as was Francis Lightfoot Lee. Thomas Lee built Stratford Hall, one of the greatest homes of the Virginia gentry All of them are somewhat remembered, to some extent or another But none of them would have existed, and certainly none of them would have been prominent in America, but for Richard Lee I An incredible man, he showed up in Virginia before Gov. Berkeley with little more than a few connections to his name and a mission to get involved in teh Indian fur trade to aid the family business Through his work with Governors Wyatt and Berkeley, his commercial acumen, and his frontier bravery (such as saving his family from the 1644 massacre, then rebuilding after...or sailing to Prince Charles in Breda to represent Berkeley), he built a vast fortune on the frontier. 15,000 or more acres, thriving commercial posts, transatlantic merchant vessels...he was one of the great men of the frontier, and awas as politically powerful as he was wealthy He laid the foundation for later Lee successes, and indeed spent the last bit of his life ensuring his descendants would be pulled back to Virginia from England This is his story, the tale of his incredible success. Watch it below!

Excited to announce that my first episode in a series on the Lee family of Virginia is coming out today, focusing on the life of Richard Lee I, also known as "the Emigrant" He built a transatlantic commercial empire on the VA frontier while remaining a Royalist, owning transatlantic merchant ships and Indian trade routes in addition to his bevy of indentured servant-worked plantations in Virginia and his Stratford-Langton estate back in England He survived the Indian massacre of 1644--which attacked his exposed plantation, was Gov. Berkeley's personal emissary to the king, was the Secretary of State and Attorney General in Virginia (in addition to being a sheriff, Burgess, and member of the Council of State) He was one of the all-time great family founders, and it was fun to tell his story

Those who tried to obey died Gov. Ratcliffe, for example, the one demonized by Disney's Pocahontas propaganda, was a constant enemy of John Smith because Smith demanded violent reprisals and Ratcliffe wanted to deal peacefully with the natives. They tortured him to death for it Even when starving, for example, Ratcliffe tried to buy corn from the Indians rather than just take it. The Indians took the opportunity to torture him to death for no reason at all, ignoring that he had been the one calling for them to be treated as people worthy of peace and respect rather than just crushed Here is how Benjamin Woolley describes that in his (surprisingly honest) book Savage Kingdom: As the barge approached Powhatan's royal enclosure, Ratcliffe was greeted by servants offering gifts of venison and bread from the mamanatowick, and the captain sent copper and beads in thanks. Ratcliffe and his crew were then escorted inland through a large cornfield to a house near Powhatan's enclosure, where they were told they could stay for the duration of the visit. Powhatan's children, meanwhile, returned to their father. That evening, Powhatan came in person to greet the visitors, bringing with him Spelman and Thomas Savage, together with a Dutch boy named Samwell, who had been left with the Indians since Smith's debacle with the Dutch sent to work at Werowocomoco. Powhatan greeted his guests, and returned to his own quarters. The following morning, the emperor came with Spelman and 'a company of savages', including several women, to escort Ratcliffe and his party to a nearby storehouse. There the Englishmen were shown a collection of huge baskets brimming with corn, which through Spelman Powhatan announced he was willing to trade. A price was agreed, and the captain handed over 'pieces of copper and beads and other things according to the proportion of the baskets of corn which they [had] bought'. Powhatan took his leave, the women and Spelman following. The English soldiers, relishing the resumption of decent rations, began to carry the corn the half-mile or so to the barge. However, they quickly discovered from the weight of the baskets that they had false bottoms, and were almost empty. The English began to complain loudly of being cheated, 'whereat a great number of Indians, that lay lurking in the woods and corn about' began shouting 'with an oulis and whoopubb', as Spelman described it. The English made a run for the barge, carrying what corn they could. But within sight of their boat, they were ambushed by Indian warriors lying in a neighbouring cornfield. Just two of the English soldiers managed to escape the ensuing onslaught by running off into the woods. Captain Ratcliffe was seized and brought before Powhatan at his enclosure. There was no sign of Spelman, Savage or Samwell, who, 'fearing the worst', had fled. According to Smith, Spelman had been tipped off by Pocahontas that he would be in peril if he stayed. One of the English soldiers who had managed to escape the Indians' attack was hiding in the nearby undergrowth, and it was he who later reported to Percy what happened to Ratcliffe. A fire was kindled at the foot of a tree. Ratcliffe was stripped of his clothes, and tied to the tree. Several women then approached the naked captain. They began to flay his skin with the sharp edges of mussel shells, gently teasing it away from the flesh. They then sliced through the muscle and sinews to remove the limbs and organs from his body, which were 'before his face thrown into the fire; and so for want of circumspection [he] miserably perished'.