One of the Mayflower passengers, Miles Standish was an English military officer hired by the Pilgrims as a military advisor for the Plymouth Colony. A defining characteristic of Standish’s military leadership was his appetite for defensive action which resulted in at least two small scuffles on different groups of Native Americans. During these actions, Standish exhibited considerable courage and skill as a soldier, but also demonstrated a brutality that angered Native Americans and disturbed more moderate members of the Colony. One of the best known depictions of Standish in popular culture was the 1858 book, The Courtship of Miles Standish by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Highly fictionalized, the story presents Standish as a timid romantic. It was extremely popular in the 19th century and played a significant role in cementing the Pilgrim story in American culture.
