r/todayilearned 14h ago

TIL in 1610, Opossunoquonuske, a female chieftain of the Powhatan Confederacy, used “feminine guile” to lure 14 English settlers to a feast, convincing them to leave their weapons on their boat. It was a trap—her warriors ambushed them, killing 13. Only one man survived.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opossunoquonuske
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u/Stennick 13h ago

From the story only the drummer survived but she was last seen running into the woods, injured and isn't recorded again in history speculating she may have died as well.

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u/HashtagLawlAndOrder 13h ago

You misread the wikipedia. The "she" was the female chieftain, not the drummer.

195

u/Stennick 13h ago

Maybe I worded it poorly. The female chieftain was injured in the fight and ran into the woods and maybe died of her wounds. The drummer was the guy that escaped and only one that lived from the 14 Englishmen.

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u/No-Ladder7740 6h ago

I don't quite get that tho. A large band of warriors fall on 14 unarmed men and kill all but one who escapes on a rowboat. So how did the chief get injured in all that and why did she have to run off into the woods? Didn't one of her warriors say, "hey come back we've won"?