Miles Standish

Captain Miles Standish was a military leader among the Mayflower pilgrims during their first desperate winter. He led armed men through freezing woods as they searched for a place to settle. Under his command, the group found buried baskets of corn, faced a dawn attack of arrows, and survived a storm that snapped their boat's mast. The same dangerous voyage carried them into the harbor where New Plymouth would rise. Standish's readiness and courage helped protect settlers who had no permanent home and little strength to spare. He met uncertainty with practical action, keeping watch while exploration, illness, grief, and hunger threatened the colony. His part in the journey reflects the pilgrims' struggle to endure until friendship with Samoset, Squanto, and Massasoit brought new hope.