USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The winter of 1609-1610 in Jamestown is referred to as the “starving time.” Disease, violence, drought, a meager harvest followed by a harsh winter, and poor drinking water left the majority of colonists dead that winter.

Detailed explanation-2: -“The starving time” was the winter of 1609-1610, when food shortages, fractured leadership, and a siege by Powhatan Indian warriors killed two of every three colonists at James Fort. From its beginning, the colony struggled to maintain a food supply.

Detailed explanation-3: -Long reliant on the Indians, the colony found itself with far too little food for the winter. As the food stocks ran out, the settlers ate the colony’s animals-horses, dogs, and cats-and then turned to eating rats, mice, and shoe leather. In their desperation, some practiced cannibalism.

Detailed explanation-4: -On June 7, 1610, the survivors boarded ships, abandoned the colony site, and sailed towards the Chesapeake Bay. There, another supply convoy with new supplies, headed by newly appointed governor Francis West, intercepted them on the lower James River and returned them to Jamestown.

Detailed explanation-5: -Hunger and disease plagued the colonists, dramatically raising the death toll. The Englishmen, inexperienced in surviving in this new wilderness, fell ill with terrible diseases often caused by their poor water supply. Many experienced salt poisoning, dysentery, typhoid, or even a mixture of these.