Virginians played various roles during the Revolutionary War. Enslaved Africans from Virginia fought for both sides in the war. Some Virginians remained neutral and hoped for reconciliation with the king.
Virginians played various roles during the Revolutionary War. Enslaved Africans from Virginia fought for both sides in the war. Some Virginians remained neutral and hoped for reconciliation with the king.
Virginians played various roles during the Revolutionary War. Enslaved Africans from Virginia fought for both sides in the war. Some Virginians remained neutral and hoped for reconciliation with the king.
VS 5b Virginians Play Various During the Revolutionary War
Virginians played various roles during the Revolutionary War.
Virginia patriots from all walks of life served in the Continental Army. Brave farmers, merchants, traders, craftsmen, and even ministers joined the fight for independence. Soldiers were not the only citizens supporting the war. Enslaved Africans from Virginia fought for both sides. They fought in hopes of gaining their freedom. James Armistead Lafayette, an enslaved African American from Virginia, served as a spy in the Continental army. He became famous for delivering letters to other spies. At the end of the war his request for freedom was granted. Many free African Americans also fought for independence in the American Revolution. Women also took on more responsibilities to support the war effort. They drove wagons, rode with army supply trains, made gunpowder, sewed and repaired uniforms for the troops, and worked as nurses and cooks. Even the women who remained at home contributed to the war. These women ran their family farms and grew food for the men and women on the battlefields. In addition to enslaved Africans and women, many American Indians participated in the Revolutionary War. They fought alongside both the Virginia patriots and the British. Although many Virginians supported the war, some Virginians remained neutral. They did not take sides in the conflict. Still others remained loyal to the king and their homeland of England. These colonists were called Loyalists. Loyalists hoped for reconciliation with Great Britain.
VS5c Virginias Role in the Revolutionary War
On a brisk December morning in 1775, seven months before the colonies signed the Declaration of Independence from Britain; the American Revolution came to Virginia. The bustling village of Great Bridge was built along the only road from the south that led to the harbor at Norfolk. It sat at the end of a bridge across the marshes of the Elizabeth River and it was here that Lord Dunmore, royal governor of Virginia, decided to teach the rebellious colonists a lesson in who was in charge. Dunmore was convinced that at the sight of well-trained British soldiers in their crisp red coats, the Virginia militia would crumple in fear, so Dunmores soldiers marched toward the town, sure of victory. If it had not been for the narrow bridge they had to cross, they might have succeeded. Because the bridge was narrow, the soldiers had to break down into narrow rows, just 5 or 6 across. They made perfect target for Virginia militiamen waiting on the other side to fire upon. The shooting only lasted half an hour, but when the fighting stopped, the British troops were shocked. The casualty count said it all: One colonist slightly injured over 100 British troops dead and wounded. What happened next? Kind-hearted people from the town of Great Bridge came and tended to the wounded with care and compassion. Americas victory forced Lord Dunmore to flee the City of Norfolk and he soon left Virginia for good. This was the first land battle of the American Revolution fought in Virginia. Later during the war, the actions of Jack Jouett prevented the capture of key members of the Virginia General Assembly. Jack Jouett rode on horseback through the backwoods of Virginia to Charlottesville to warn Thomas Jefferson, then the governor of Virginia, that the British were coming to arrest him and members of the General Assembly. On October 19, 1781, after 6 long years of fighting, the British General Cornwallis surrendered to General George Washington of Continental Army at Yorktown, Virginia. This was the last major battle and the most important American victory of the Revolutionary War. The American victory at Yorktown resulted in the surrender of the British army, which led to the end of the war.