Miles Standish Research Paper

Miles Standish was an English Military officer born in England around the 1580s. Many believe he was born in Lancashire, England. His life in England is largely unknown, his legacy began on the Mayflower. He was hired by the Pilgrims to accompany them on their journey to the New World. The pilgrims hired Miles Standish as a military consultant for their colony. He traveled on the Mayflower along with 102 other hopeful passengers. The Mayflower departed Plymouth, England in September of 1620 and arrived at Cape Cod on November 1620. The voyage lasted 66 days. After his arrival in the New World, Miles Standish proceeded to establish a leadership role in the community. He had a large influence on choosing the location of the colony. His roles mainly involved the militia and defense for the new colony. He took on the position of military advisor for Plymouth. The Colony militia elected him as the first commander. Standish was an excellent commander and was re-elected for the position throughout his life. During the first winter in the colony, many members of the Mayflower fell ill. Standish, however, did not. Miles Standish fetched the sick colonists wood and washed their clothes and beds. This shows …show more content…
He helped construct the fort in Plymouth county and controlled the deployment of the colony’s cannons. He was said to have led or participated in all of the exploratory missions when they arrived in Cape Cod. Standish was an active military leader. Some described Miles Standish as “short, stout, with a quick temper”. Miles led at least two attacks on different groups of Native Americans--the Nemasket raid and the Wessagusset massacre. In both of these he exhibited courage and strength as a soldier and leader. Miles Standish became a well respected member of the community. Not only was Standish first commander, he was also assistant governor and treasurer for Plymouth