The Invasion of Virginia 1781

The Invasion of Virginia 1781 PDF Author: Michael Cecere
Publisher: Journal of the American Revolu
ISBN: 9781594162794
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
By the sixth year of the American Revolution, Britain determined that Virginia would be the key to subduing the entire rebellion. The American War for Independence was fought in nearly every colony, but some colonies witnessed far more conflict than others. In the first half of the war, the bulk of military operations were concentrated in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Following the battle at Monmouth Courthouse, New Jersey, in 1778, British strategy moved to the South, where their armies clashed with Continental troops in Georgia and South Carolina. Surprisingly, Virginia saw little fighting up to this point in the war. This changed suddenly in 1781, when the turncoat Benedict Arnold led 1,600 seasoned British troops on a successful raid up the James River to Richmond, destroying Patriot property along the way. Arnold's bold stroke demonstrated Virginia's vulnerability to attack and the possibility that the colonies could be divided and subdued piecemeal. British General Henry Clinton decided to reinforce Arnold in Virginia, while events in North Carolina, including the battle of Guilford Courthouse, convinced British General Charles Cornwallis that defeating the Patriots in Virginia was the key to ending the war. As historian Michael Cecere relates in The Invasion of Virginia 1781, the war's arrival in the largest colony had unintended consequences for Cornwallis and his powerful British force. -- Inside jacket flap.

The Invasion of Virginia 1781

The Invasion of Virginia 1781 PDF Author: Michael Cecere
Publisher: Journal of the American Revolu
ISBN: 9781594162794
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
By the sixth year of the American Revolution, Britain determined that Virginia would be the key to subduing the entire rebellion. The American War for Independence was fought in nearly every colony, but some colonies witnessed far more conflict than others. In the first half of the war, the bulk of military operations were concentrated in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Following the battle at Monmouth Courthouse, New Jersey, in 1778, British strategy moved to the South, where their armies clashed with Continental troops in Georgia and South Carolina. Surprisingly, Virginia saw little fighting up to this point in the war. This changed suddenly in 1781, when the turncoat Benedict Arnold led 1,600 seasoned British troops on a successful raid up the James River to Richmond, destroying Patriot property along the way. Arnold's bold stroke demonstrated Virginia's vulnerability to attack and the possibility that the colonies could be divided and subdued piecemeal. British General Henry Clinton decided to reinforce Arnold in Virginia, while events in North Carolina, including the battle of Guilford Courthouse, convinced British General Charles Cornwallis that defeating the Patriots in Virginia was the key to ending the war. As historian Michael Cecere relates in The Invasion of Virginia 1781, the war's arrival in the largest colony had unintended consequences for Cornwallis and his powerful British force. -- Inside jacket flap.

A Universal Appearance of War

A Universal Appearance of War PDF Author: Michael Cecere
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780788455940
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 434

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Book Description
"The troops in town are in high spirits, and wish for [another] attack in this quarter; they are all excellent marksmen, and fine, bold fellows... Lord Dunmore may now see he has not cowards to deal with!" Pinkney's Virginia Gazette 26 October, 1775 This bold statement, written in response to the outbreak of warfare in Virginia in late October 1775, conveyed both a sense of confidence, and a sense of relief, that Virginians had finally stood firm against the forces of the Royal Governor, Lord Dunmore. Six months after the bloodshed of Lexington and Concord (and the inauguration of the Revolutionary War), Virginians had fired their first shots in anger and repulsed a small squadron of British ships bent on burning the town of Hampton. The fighting that occurred in Hampton spread to the James River and Virginia's Southside, where engagements at Kemp's Landing and Great Bridge led to the eventual destruction of Norfolk, Virginia's largest town. Combat continued sporadically into the summer of 1776, but ended in July when Lord Dunmore was driven off Gwynn's Island and abruptly sailed for New York. Dunmore's departure ushered in four years of relative peace in Virginia (except for the settlers on the frontier). Thousands of Virginians continued to fight, but they did so on distant battlefields to the north, south, and west of Virginia. Except for an occasional British raid or frequent engagement on the frontier, Virginia was relatively unscathed by warfare. This changed in 1781 with the arrival of General Benedict Arnold, the notorious traitor and turncoat, and 1,600 British troops. Ten months of nearly continuous warfare commenced with Arnold's arrival, during which British troop levels in the state eventually surpassed 7,000. It was time for Virginia to suffer through her fair share of the war. This book chronicles the war in Virginia from start to finish (1775-81), shedding light, and recognition, on many overlooked Virginia engagements. Readers will discover that although the war started off modestly in Virginia, it concluded with a dramatic flourish that required bold action and some good fortune for the allies to succeed.

The Road to Yorktown: Jefferson, Lafayette and the British Invasion of Virginia

The Road to Yorktown: Jefferson, Lafayette and the British Invasion of Virginia PDF Author: John R. Maass
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
ISBN: 1625849214
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Book Description
In 1781, Virginia was invaded by formidable British forces that sought to subdue the Old Dominion. Lieutenant General Charles, Lord Cornwallis, led thousands of enemy troops from Norfolk to Charlottesville, burning and pillaging. Many of Virginia's famed Patriots--including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry and Nathanael Greene'struggled to defend the commonwealth. Only by concentrating a small band of troops under energetic French general the Marquis de Lafayette were American forces able to resist British operations. With strained support from Governor Jefferson's administration, Lafayette fought a campaign against the veteran soldiers of Lord Cornwallis that eventually led to the famed showdown at Yorktown. Historian John R. Maass traces this often overlooked Revolutionary struggle for Virginia and details each step on the road to Yorktown.

Journal of the American Revolution

Journal of the American Revolution PDF Author: Todd Andrlik
Publisher: Journal of the American Revolu
ISBN: 9781594162787
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The fourth annual compilation of selected articles from the online Journal of the American Revolution.

General Peter Muhlenberg

General Peter Muhlenberg PDF Author: Michael Cecere
Publisher: Journal of the American Revolu
ISBN: 9781594163425
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The Story of the Legendary Clergyman-Turned-Soldier for the American Cause Standing at the pulpit in his church in the Shenandoah Valley, the preacher borrowed from Ecclesiastes, declaring in a firm voice that "To every thing there is a season . . . ." He then announced, "that there is a time to fight, and that time had now come," and abruptly removed his clerical robe to reveal his colonel's uniform. There is little doubt that this clergyman-turned-soldier uttered words to this effect, but whether he threw off his robe to reveal a gleaming uniform may be embellishment. In General Peter Muhlenberg: A Virginia Officer of the Continental Line, historian Michael Cecere cuts away the romanticism surrounding this fascinating character to present him as a highly capable and dedicated officer who served for seven long years in America's War for Independence; a man of faith who held the high ideals of that office in his conduct with fellow officers and regular soldiers alike. First appointed to lead the 8th Virginia Regiment of the Continental Army, Muhlenberg and his troops served under General Charles Lee in the defense of Charleston in 1776. Sent north and promoted to brigadier-general, Muhlenberg participated in the ensuing battles of Brandywine, Germantown, the winter at Valley Forge, and the major clash at Monmouth Courthouse. In 1780, he returned to Virginia and stood at the forefront of Virginia's defense when the British invaded in 1781. At Yorktown, Muhlenberg commanded the continental light infantry troops that stormed Redoubt No. 10, sealing Cornwallis's fate. Focusing on the military career of Muhlenberg, and relying on a judicious amount of primary source material, the author follows Muhlenberg and his troops as they battled some of the most storied adversaries of the war, including John Graves Simcoe's Queen's Rangers, Captain Johann Ewald's German Jaegers, and Banastre Tarleton's British Legion. Admired by George Washington and his fellow officers and men, Muhlenberg was an American patriot who sacrificed much for his country's cause, and truly "lived respected and died regretted by all good men."

March to Independence

March to Independence PDF Author: Michael Cecere
Publisher: Journal of the American Revolu
ISBN: 9781594163685
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 248

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Book Description
The American Revolutionary War began when Massachusetts militiamen and British troops clashed at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. Two months later, a much larger engagement occurred at Bunker Hill in Boston. The conflict then expanded into a continent-wide war for independence from Great Britain. Or so we are taught. A closer look at events in the South in the eighteen months following Lexington and Concord tells different story. The practice of teaching the Revolutionary War as one generalized conflict between the American colonies and Great Britain assumes the South's support for the Revolutionary War was a foregone conclusion. However, once shots were fired, it was not certain that the southern colonies would support the independence movement. What is clear is that both the fledgling American republic and the British knew that the southern colonies were critical to any successful prosecution of the war by either side. In March to Independence: The American Revolution in the Southern Colonies, 1775-1776, historian Michael Cecere, consulting primary source documents, examines how Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia ended up supporting the colonies to the north, while East Florida remained within the British sphere. South Carolina, Georgia, and East Florida all retained their royal governors through the summer of 1775, and no military engagements occurred in any of the southern colonies in the six months following the battles in Massachusetts. The situation changed significantly in the fall, however, with armed clashes in Virginia and South Carolina; by early 1776 the war had spread to all of the southern colonies except East Florida. Although their march to independence did not follow the exact route as the colonies to the north, events in the South pulled the southern colonists in the same direction, culminating with a united Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. This book explores the crucial events in the southern colonies that led all but East Florida to support the American cause.

Notes on the State of Virginia

Notes on the State of Virginia PDF Author: Thomas Jefferson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Indians of North America
Languages : en
Pages : 400

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A Devil of a Whipping

A Devil of a Whipping PDF Author: Lawrence E. Babits
Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Press
ISBN: 0807887668
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
The battle of Cowpens was a crucial turning point in the Revolutionary War in the South and stands as perhaps the finest American tactical demonstration of the entire war. On 17 January 1781, Daniel Morgan's force of Continental troops and militia routed British regulars and Loyalists under the command of Banastre Tarleton. The victory at Cowpens helped put the British army on the road to the Yorktown surrender and, ultimately, cleared the way for American independence. Here, Lawrence Babits provides a brand-new interpretation of this pivotal South Carolina battle. Whereas previous accounts relied on often inaccurate histories and a small sampling of participant narratives, Babits uses veterans' sworn pension statements, long-forgotten published accounts, and a thorough knowledge of weaponry, tactics, and the art of moving men across the landscape. He identifies where individuals were on the battlefield, when they were there, and what they saw--creating an absorbing common soldier's version of the conflict. His minute-by-minute account of the fighting explains what happened and why and, in the process, refutes much of the mythology that has clouded our picture of the battle. Babits put the events at Cowpens into a sequence that makes sense given the landscape, the drill manual, the time frame, and participants' accounts. He presents an accurate accounting of the numbers involved and the battle's length. Using veterans' statements and an analysis of wounds, he shows how actions by North Carolina militia and American cavalry affected the battle at critical times. And, by fitting together clues from a number of incomplete and disparate narratives, he answers questions the participants themselves could not, such as why South Carolina militiamen ran toward dragoons they feared and what caused the "mistaken order" on the Continental right flank.

Battles of the American Revolution. 1775-1781

Battles of the American Revolution. 1775-1781 PDF Author: Henry B. Carrington
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : United States
Languages : en
Pages : 818

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A Bibliography of the Virginia Campaign and Siege of Yorktown, 1781

A Bibliography of the Virginia Campaign and Siege of Yorktown, 1781 PDF Author: Colonial National Historical Park (Yorktown, Va.). Historical Division
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : United States
Languages : en
Pages : 180

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