I notice how you say "failing entirely" which is exactly my point about Virginians :)
What I was thinking of was that the situation at Jamestown remained precarious even after Capt. John Smith left...at one point the settlers all abandoned the colony and sailed down the James River, only to encounter an expedition on its way to Jamestown with fresh supplies, whereupon they went back to Jamestown. It didn't really prosper until they learned to produce tobacco as a cash crop.