The
May meeting of the American Revolution Round Table of Richmond was deferred from
the third Wednesday until the 28th due to a scheduling conflict with
the University’s graduation ceremonies. It was held in the Heilman Dining
Center, at the University of Richmond.
In
May of 1781, Colonel Robert Goode's militia, with around 150 men, camped at old
Ezekiel Sudbury’s farm in eastern Chesterfield County, establishing outposts
towards Petersburg, Virginia. A major skirmish with Cornwallis'
foragers, known as the Battle of Sudbury's Farm, occurred on May 23, 1781,
resulting in significant militia casualties. This event is considered
Chesterfield County's bloodiest day of the war and was the subject for the
evening’s presentation “Defeat at Sudbury” by John Pagano.
John
has worked extensively in public history at various museums and sites and is
now Chesterfield County’s Division of Historic Sites Interpretation Supervisor.
He is an advisor for Chesterfield County’s 250th Anniversary Committee and
is an assisting advisor to Henrico County’s 250th Committee. John has
written, advised, and consulted on approximately twenty historical
documentaries, including a Revolutionary War documentary video, “Von Steuben’s
Continentals” that focuses on how Steuben’s tactics transformed the Continental
Army at Valley Forge. He is also founder and an officer of a local living
history organization, the “Virginia Line”, which does programs portraying
Virginia militia and Continental soldiers in the American Revolution.
On
May 20, 1781, Lieutenant General Charles Earl Cornwallis’ forces arrived at the
City of Petersburg. Virginia was the hub for most materials and supplies that
went south to support America’s war effort there. Britain’s
objective was to move northward through North Carolina to reach Virginia and
destroy all products that financed America’s fight, and capture Virginia’s
leadership. As the British advanced towards Richmond, the Virginia government
withdrew to Charlottesville. The Marquis de Lafayette moved his army around
Richmond and eastern Henrico, mostly at Wilton, keeping the James River between
his army and Cornwallis. Colonel Robert Goode, who led the Chesterfield
Battalion, moved his local militia across the James River into Chesterfield
County. The battalion consisted of 120 men and very few calvary troops.
Lafayette was leading Virginia’s Continental Army troops. Brigadier General John Peter Gabriel
Muhlenberg was leading the Virginia militia. Lafayette was camped at Wilton on
the northern side of the James River. Colonel Goode’s orders were to scout the
British movements in advance of Lafayette’s main force, which was moving
southward, and to provide early warning and reconnaissance, as a defensive
measure, about the British forces moving northward from North Carolina. Colonel
Goode quartered his men near Chesterfield Courthouse. Tarleton
and his troop received intelligence about Goode’s camp and attacked in
the morning on May 23rd.
Lt. Col. Banastre
Tarleton led the British dragoons, called “Tarleton’s Legion”, on a raid of Goode’s troops which were
bivouacked near Chesterfield Courthouse. Tarleton surprised
the militia. They arrived on horseback swinging their swords. It was raining
and most of the militias’ muskets could not fire. The “Battle of Sudbury’s Farm”
was a skirmish of epic significance as it allowed Lafayette’s army to retreat
from Cornwallis’s army and remain in the fight. It was Chesterfield’s bloodiest
day of the war with 6 killed and 40 prisoners taken. Lafayette wrote [edited
for clarity], “…profiting by the heavy rain which rendered the sentinels arms
unfit to fire, and having intercepted the videttes, surprising a party of
militia in Chesterfield about 2 Miles SW of Colonel Cary’s Mill.” One
militiaman wrote [edited for clarity], “…we were kept between the enemy and our
army (a forlorn hope indeed) until Colonel Tarleton
came…” Militiaman John Johnston wrote [edited for clarity], “one hundred sixty
men went to the British lines, and were attacked by Colonel Tarleton’s Troop of
Horse, a severe battle was fought in which we lost sixty men taken as prisoners
and killed altogether, I myself escaped by charging with bayonets and together
with my fellow soldiers breaking through the British horse and running for our
lives…” This action marks the last Revolutionary War combat in Chesterfield County.
Because
of the Chesterfield Militia’s actions, of putting themselves in harm’s way and
doing their job, Lafayette received warning in time to retreat his army at
Wilton northward to the North Anna River, keeping out of Cornwallis’ reach
while awaiting the arrival of General Anthony Wayne with 800 Pennsylvania
Continental Line troops. He would resume his campaign towards Cornwallis’ army and
participate in the Virginia Campaign against General Cornwallis after joining General
George Washington’s engagement of Cornwallis at Yorktown in the most important
battle of the Revolutionary War and the surrender of General Cornwallis’
British Army. The defeat was, indeed, signaled at Sudbury’s farm.
Fred
Sorrell
Secretary
