Excerpts from Books and Wikipedia
" . . . carrying around 100 colonists, reached the Chesapeake Bay area of Virginia in May. . . unfortunately it had been built on swampy ground and was plagued with malaria. . . . Half of them died during the first winter. . . . Jamestown was eventually saved from ruin by one of the colonists, a seasoned soldier and adventurer named John Smith, who traded with the Native Americans of the area for supplies of food. . . . In 1608 Smith was made president of the colony's council and rapidly started persuading his fellow colonists to clear the ground, plant crops, and work together sensibly." [Furtado: 1001 Days]