Fluvanna County militia
Encyclopedia
The Fluvanna County militia was a component of the Virginia militia
during the American Revolutionary War
. It was based in Fluvanna County, Virginia
for the majority of the war and only saw action near the end of the conflict, in 1781.
asked for one quarter of the county's militia, 65 men, to fight at Green Spring, West Virginia
in 1781, near the end of the war.http://books.google.com/books?vid=0VDXDnuBWtWphbv1AfP5f41&id=5NslKixw0-QC&pg=PA412&dq=fluvanna+militia&as_brr=1
What is known is that Fluvanna was the site of Point of Fork Arsenal, a major center of arms manufacturing for the Virginia government during the Revolution.http://www.wscottsmith.com/VirginiaCampaign/pointoffork/index.htm
In order to join the militia, men were required to take a "Test Oath" renouncing King George III and pledging themselves to defend the Commonwealth.http://www.pennhistoryreview.com/archives/98/davis.html
held the arsenal at Point of Fork, where the James River and Fluvanna River meet. Stationed at Point of Fork were elements of the 5th Virginia (Gaskins' Battalion)http://www.wscottsmith.com/VirginiaCampaign/gaskins/history.html as well as elements of the local militia. Von Steuben complained of the status of the militia found at Point of Fork, stating that there were few men and fewer provisions. Immediately, von Steuben set about refitting the 5th Virginia for deployment south with General Greene in South Carolina, this despite some controversy with the Virginia General Assembly after von Steuben's plan to reinforce the American armies in South Carolina was rejected for fear of leaving Virginia's rivers undefended.
By May 1781, Cornwallis
was determined to break the back of the Virginians and sent Lt. Col. Simcoe
and a detachment of rangers to capture Point of Fork. Alongside this effort was a force under Col. Tarleton's cavalry, seeking to sack the Virginia General Assembly, capture then-Governor Thomas Jefferson, and burn out any warehouses or potential stores for the Marquis de Lafayette and his army to use in pursuit of Cornwallis.
When Simcoe reached the arsenal, he expected to surprise the American forces and seize the stores. Von Steuben, believing that Simcoe's detachment was a sign that the entire British army under Cornwallis was nearby abandoned Point of Fork Arsenal, leaving it to the British detachment as they made their way towards Charlottesville and Governor Jefferson.
Tarleton, after failing in his mission of capturing Jefferson and the Virginia General Assembly, "destroying one thousand new muskets, four hundred barrels of powder, several hogsheads of tobacco, and a quantity of soldier’s clothing"http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~wcarr1/Lossing1/Chap45.html returned to Point of Fork to Elk's Hill, a plantation owned by Jefferson, thoroughly destroying the stores and wares, even to the point of slitting the throats of the horses on the plantation.
Von Steuben carried the large part of the blame for the abandonment of Point of Fork arsenal, to the point Virginia's General Assembly ordered an investigation into von Steuben's conduct. Von Steuben was adamant that the provisions and men were not as stated by the legislature, and given both the condition of his hurried preparations, the sudden arrival of Cornwallis, and his belief that the entire British army was nearby, von Steuben exasperation was summarized; ”Every farmer is a general … but nobody wishes to be a soldier.”
Further rising to the defense of von Steuben is the notable action of the 5th Virginia Regiment during the 1781 Virginia Campaign, despite the notable lack of clothing, muskets, bayonets, and other equipment. Despite this, the 5th Virginia pushed to within 350 yards of the British lines at Yorktown before Cornwallis surrendered on October 19, 1781.
Virginia Militia
The Virginia militia is an armed force composed of all citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia capable of bearing arms. The Virginia militia was established in 1607 as part of the British militia system. Militia service in Virginia was compulsory for all free males...
during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. It was based in Fluvanna County, Virginia
Fluvanna County, Virginia
As of 2002, Fluvanna County's population was 20,047. There are 7,387 households, and 5,702 families residing in the county. The population density was 70 people per square mile . There were 8,018 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile...
for the majority of the war and only saw action near the end of the conflict, in 1781.
Size
The exact size of the Fluvanna militia at different times during the war is unknown. Local writings list the station of Revolutionary War units at six companies.http://www.fluvannachamber.org/fluvanna_history.aspx As of January 13, 1781 Thomas Jefferson knew there to be 260 men enlisted in the militia. It is known that Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
asked for one quarter of the county's militia, 65 men, to fight at Green Spring, West Virginia
Green Spring, West Virginia
Green Spring is an unincorporated census-designated place and railroad town in Hampshire County, West Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 census, its population was 218. Green Spring is located north of Springfield on Green Spring Road near the confluence of the North and South Branches of the Potomac...
in 1781, near the end of the war.http://books.google.com/books?vid=0VDXDnuBWtWphbv1AfP5f41&id=5NslKixw0-QC&pg=PA412&dq=fluvanna+militia&as_brr=1
What is known is that Fluvanna was the site of Point of Fork Arsenal, a major center of arms manufacturing for the Virginia government during the Revolution.http://www.wscottsmith.com/VirginiaCampaign/pointoffork/index.htm
Origins
Like other county militias, the Fluvanna militia was formed as a local branch of the Virginia militia. It was led by Captain Richard Napier.In order to join the militia, men were required to take a "Test Oath" renouncing King George III and pledging themselves to defend the Commonwealth.http://www.pennhistoryreview.com/archives/98/davis.html
Known members
This is a list of known members of the militia and their rank, if appropriate.http://www.pennhistoryreview.com/archives/98/davis.html&http://fordgen.tripod.com/&http://www.virginians.com/redirect.htm?topics&7050| LAST NAME | FIRST NAME | RANK | KNOWN SERVICE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adams | James, Jr. | 2d Lieutenant | Sep 4 1777 |
| Anderson | Benjamin | 1st Lieutenant | Sep 4 1777 |
| Beckley | John | 1st Lieutenant | Sep 4 1777 |
| Bibee | William | ||
| Duncan | George | Captain | Sep 4 1777 |
| East | James | ||
| Ford | John, Sr. | Private | |
| Grant | Robert | ||
| Haden | Anthony | Ensign | 1779 |
| Haden | Anthony | Captain | April 2, 1779 |
| Haden | Joseph | Captain | Sep 4 1777 |
| Haden | John Mozeley | 1st Lieutenant | Sep 4 1777 |
| Haden | John M. | Ensign | April 2, 1779 |
| Haden | William | Ensign | April 2, 1779 |
| Hall | Richard | 1st Lieutenant | April 2, 1779 |
| Hancock | Benj. | Ensign | April 2, 1779 |
| Haslip | Henry | 2d Lieutenant | Sep 4 1777 |
| Henry | William | Lieutenant | Sep 4 1777 |
| Johnson | William | Ensign | Sep 4 1777 |
| Johnson | Walter | Ensign | |
| King | Sackville | 2d Lieutenant | Feb 1 1781 |
| Lee | Benjamin | Ensign | Sep 4 1777 |
| Logan | Alexander | Private | |
| Martin | Benjamin | Ensign | Sep 4 1777 |
| Martin | Henry | 1st Lieutenant | Sep 4 1777 |
| Martin | John | 2d Lieutenant | Sep 4 1777 |
| Martin | William | 2d Lieutenant | Sep 4 1777 |
| Mays (Mayo?) | Joseph | 2d Lieutenant | May 6, 1779 |
| Moore | Jesse | 2d Lieutenant | Sep 4 1777 |
| Moss | Alexander | 1st Lieutenant | Sep 4 1777 |
| Napier | John | Captain | Sep 4 1777 — April 4, 1779 |
| Napier | Richard | Captain | Sep 4 1777 |
| Napier | Thomas | Colonel | Sep 4 1777 |
| Omohundro | Richard | Ensign | June 4, 1778 |
| Quarles | Tunstall | Major | |
| Rice | Holman | Captain | |
| Rishardson | Samuel | Captain | |
| Thompson | George | Major | Sep 4 1777 |
| Thompson | Leonard | Captain | Nov 6 1777 |
| Thompson | Roger | Lieutenant Colonel | Nov 6 1777 |
| Thurmond | Thomas | Captain | Sep 4 1777 |
| Tilman | Daniel | 1st Lieutenant | Sep 4 1777 |
| Tilman | Daniel | Captain | Dec 3 1778 |
| Tinsdale | Thomas | 2d Lieutenant | Sep 4 1777 |
| Williamson | John | 2d Lieutenant | Sep 4 1777 |
| Woody | William | 2d Lieutenant | April 2, 1779 |
| Wynne | Thomas | Ensign | Sep 4 1777 |
Timeline of Events
| 1775 | Capt. Thos. Holt was recruiting men in this County for several months. |
| 1777 | Capt. Joseph Hayden's Company was in service about three months. |
| 17 — | Capt. Saml. Richardson's Company was in service at Hampton. |
| 17 — | Capt. Samuel Richardson's Company was in service at Williamsburg. |
| 1779 | Capt. Samuel Richardson's Company was in service at Albemarle Barracks. |
| 1779 | Capt. Joseph Hayden's Company was in service about Williamsburg. |
| 1780 | Capt. Anthony Henderson's [Haden’s] Company was in service at Albemarle Barracks. |
| 1780 | Capt. Levi [Leonard] Thompson's Company was in service at Cabin Point. |
| 1781 | Capt. Anthony Hayden's Company was in service at the time of Tarleton's Raid. |
| 1781 | At least one of the militiamen was engaged in making gun stocks for the army. |
| 1781 | Capt. Richard Napper's [Napier’s] Company was at the Siege of York. |
Point of Fork
In May 1781 Baron von SteubenFriedrich Wilhelm von Steuben
Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben , also referred to as the Baron von Steuben, was a Prussian-born military officer who served as inspector general and Major General of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War...
held the arsenal at Point of Fork, where the James River and Fluvanna River meet. Stationed at Point of Fork were elements of the 5th Virginia (Gaskins' Battalion)http://www.wscottsmith.com/VirginiaCampaign/gaskins/history.html as well as elements of the local militia. Von Steuben complained of the status of the militia found at Point of Fork, stating that there were few men and fewer provisions. Immediately, von Steuben set about refitting the 5th Virginia for deployment south with General Greene in South Carolina, this despite some controversy with the Virginia General Assembly after von Steuben's plan to reinforce the American armies in South Carolina was rejected for fear of leaving Virginia's rivers undefended.
By May 1781, Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis KG , styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as The Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army officer and colonial administrator...
was determined to break the back of the Virginians and sent Lt. Col. Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe was a British army officer and the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada from 1791–1796. Then frontier, this was modern-day southern Ontario and the watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior...
and a detachment of rangers to capture Point of Fork. Alongside this effort was a force under Col. Tarleton's cavalry, seeking to sack the Virginia General Assembly, capture then-Governor Thomas Jefferson, and burn out any warehouses or potential stores for the Marquis de Lafayette and his army to use in pursuit of Cornwallis.
When Simcoe reached the arsenal, he expected to surprise the American forces and seize the stores. Von Steuben, believing that Simcoe's detachment was a sign that the entire British army under Cornwallis was nearby abandoned Point of Fork Arsenal, leaving it to the British detachment as they made their way towards Charlottesville and Governor Jefferson.
Tarleton, after failing in his mission of capturing Jefferson and the Virginia General Assembly, "destroying one thousand new muskets, four hundred barrels of powder, several hogsheads of tobacco, and a quantity of soldier’s clothing"http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~wcarr1/Lossing1/Chap45.html returned to Point of Fork to Elk's Hill, a plantation owned by Jefferson, thoroughly destroying the stores and wares, even to the point of slitting the throats of the horses on the plantation.
Von Steuben carried the large part of the blame for the abandonment of Point of Fork arsenal, to the point Virginia's General Assembly ordered an investigation into von Steuben's conduct. Von Steuben was adamant that the provisions and men were not as stated by the legislature, and given both the condition of his hurried preparations, the sudden arrival of Cornwallis, and his belief that the entire British army was nearby, von Steuben exasperation was summarized; ”Every farmer is a general … but nobody wishes to be a soldier.”
Further rising to the defense of von Steuben is the notable action of the 5th Virginia Regiment during the 1781 Virginia Campaign, despite the notable lack of clothing, muskets, bayonets, and other equipment. Despite this, the 5th Virginia pushed to within 350 yards of the British lines at Yorktown before Cornwallis surrendered on October 19, 1781.
External links
- Bibliography of the Continental Army in Virginia compiled by the United States Army Center of Military History