Meeting Notes: November 14, 2012

"The British Raids in Virginia, 1781," Bert Dunkerly

On January 1, 1781 all was quiet throughout modern-day Virginia in terms of Revolutionary War fighting. There were no British combat troops anywhere on Virginia soil, and Virginia’s primary war contributions were sending troops and war supplies to military campaigns in other states. However, everything changed in a matter of days with the first of three major British raids against Central Virginia.

Park Service historian Bert Dunkerly reviewed these three raids at ARRT-Richmond’s November 2012 meeting. Dunkerly has served as a ranger for approximately 14 years in a variety of Park Service locations and is currently on the staff at Richmond National Battlefield Park. He is the author of several books on the American Revolution and teaches history courses at the Virginia Historical Society and the University of Richmond. Dunkerly is also a member of ARRT-Richmond and serves as chairman of the organization’s preservation committee.

The first 1781 raid which Dunkerly described was led by none other than the infamous Benedict Arnold. After the British navy sailed up the James River and landed his 1,600 troops at Westover Plantation, Arnold marched his troops toward Richmond via Darbytown Road and Main Street.

Since most Virginia troops were fighting in other states, only small numbers of militia were available to defend Richmond. The Virginia militia made a brief defensive stand on Chimborazo Hill but retreated and abandoned the City after firing a few shots against the much larger British army. Governor Thomas Jefferson and most of Virginia’s other elected officials also fled the City and tried to move and/or destroy important records and supplies before they could fall into British hands.

On January 5, 1781 Arnold’s troops entered Richmond. For 24 hours the British destroyed a foundry, powder magazines, military stores, tobacco and other warehouses and various mills. They also broke into private homes and stole stocks of liquor, especially rum. In just 24 hours Arnold’s troops marched approximately 15 miles, fought a skirmish, tore up Richmond’s industries, stole from Richmond’s residents and got drunk. The next day the British navy took Arnold’s troops to Portsmouth where they made their winter quarters.

The second British raid of 1781 took place in April. Approximately 2,300 troops under the command of William Phillips landed at what is now Hopewell. They marched along what is today Route 36 toward Petersburg where on April 25 they fought with Virginia militia on the east side of the City who were under the overall command of Baron Frederick von Steuben. The militia defended well and gave ground gradually but they eventually retreated across the Appomattox River and left Petersburg to the British.

Phillips’ troops burned Petersburg’s tobacco and later pushed north toward Richmond, getting as close as Manchester. Slowing the British advance were troops under the command of the Marquis de Lafayette. After burning warehouses in Manchester the British returned to Petersburg where Phillips became very ill with a fever and died. His body is buried in an unmarked grave somewhere in Blandford Cemetery. 

While Phillips’ troops were raiding the Petersburg area, Lord Charles Cornwallis was moving his army from Wilmington, NC to Petersburg. The new, much larger British army overwhelmed Petersburg and then Richmond after crossing the James River near what is today the Civil War battlefield of Malvern Hill. The British continued their march northward into Hanover County and camped at what is today the Civil War battlefield of North Anna.

Cornwallis detached his cavalry under the command of Banastre Tarleton on a series of raids that went as far north as the Rappahannock River near The Wilderness and as far west as the Lynchburg area. Tarleton also raided Charlottesville where Governor Thomas Jefferson and the Virginia General Assembly fled after evacuating Richmond. If not for the heroic 40-mile ride of Jack Jouett to warn Jefferson and the legislators of Tarleton’s plans, they would have been captured or killed. The elected officials escaped to Staunton but Tarleton’s cavalry seized over 3,000 muskets and considerable supplies of powder and shoes in the Charlottesville area.

After their raids to the north and west of Richmond the British returned to the Capital City. On June 21 they evacuated Richmond and marched toward Williamsburg, and later to Yorktown where they surrendered in October.

In closing, Dunkerly noted that school children in England and Canada who study the American Revolution are taught that the British lost the War as a result of the battles in America’s southern colonies. Certainly the year 1781 was a critical one for the Revolution and in the history of Virginia.

Dunkerly’s program was a substitute for the one originally planned by Tim McGrath on naval hero John Barry. Unfortunately McGrath’s New Jersey home was damaged by Superstorm Sandy and he was forced to cancel his trip to Richmond.

-Bill Seward

Meeting Notes: September 19, 2012

"From Cuckoo to Charlottesville: Jack Jouett's Ride," Rick Britton

Meeting Notes: July 18, 2012

"Paul Revere's Midnight Ride: Myth and Reality," Carl Zellner

Meeting Notes: May 23, 2012

"Spies in the Continental Capital: Espionage across Pennsylvania," John Nagy

Meeting Notes: March 21, 2012

"A Change of both Men and Measures: British Reaction to Saratoga, 1777-78," Kevin Weddle

Our March 21 speaker was Kevin J. Weddle, PhD, who is a retired Colonel of the U. S. Army. After a distinguished service in the Army, including Desert Shield and Desert Storm, he now serves as professor of Military Theory and Strategy at the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Weddell has published a book titled Lincoln’s Tragic Admiral: The Life of Samuel Francis Du Pont and is currently working on a strategic history of the Saratoga campaign.

Weddle’s topic was “A Change of Both Men and Measures: British Reaction to Saratoga, 1777-1778.” His talk dealt with the reassessment of British strategy following Saratoga which is considered the turning point of the American Revolution. 

The national policy of the colonies was, of course, independence. The national policy of Britain was to suppress the rebellion and return to the status quo. Initially it was Britain’s plan to seek and execute a decisive battle and end the matter quickly. The Carlisle Peace Commission in 1778 offered an olive branch to the Americans and this authorized almost anything – short of independence. Of course, these terms were not acceptable to the Americans.

Dr. Weddell went into the history and details of the principal players in the Saratoga campaign. The campaign ended with Burgoyne’s surrender on 17 October 1777 with King George expressing a desire to end the war by 20 November. Still many British leaders thought that Saratoga was bad but that they could recover.

We eagerly await the publication of Dr. Kevin Weddle’s book on this subject. 

Meeting Notes: January 18, 2012

"Religion and the Founding Fathers," John Fea

President Welsch reported that we have sixty-five dues paying members. Mark Groth and Charlotte Forrester are collecting dues for the new year. They are $15 per year. Bill said that he would like to see folks attend two or three meetings as a guest but then hopefully join our group at that point. He said you can pay cash tonight or bring a check or cash to our next meeting. Please don’t send your dues to Jerry Rudd at present.

He mentioned "Patriots of the American Revolution" magazine. For new subscriptions, if you subscribe through the club we make a little money in return.

Bill said that the board decided that we want to do something for preservation in some way.  Tonight’s book raffle proceeds will go into the preservation fund. He also elicited suggestions on how we should use preservation fund money. Great Bridge is a possible idea.

Other ideas and suggestions for the club are encouraged. Please get in touch with any member of the board.

John Millar gave an interesting historical report of when he and his wife decided to get the fifer license plates and then he brought a painting he had acquired and discussed the unique history of it.

Bill Welsch announced that Bruce Venter is conducting a Revolutionary War weekend conference on March 23 – 25, 2012 and encouraged folks to sign up for this.

Tonight’s presentation was by John Fea who is the head of the history department at Messiah College, Grantham, Pennsylvania near Mechanicsburg. John does daily blogs on religion on the internet. This was one of our largest attended meetings.

John’s presentation was on his recent book Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? A Historical Introduction, Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky 2011.

I think that we can all agree that this was a historical introduction to this topic and that we should all read the book and draw our own conclusions. 

Fea reported that Witherspoon was the only minister to sign the Declaration of Independence.

He said that politically neither the left nor the right has a true understanding of the founding fathers and that both sides cherry pick the facts to fit their own agendas.

The book is a historical introduction and the founding is greatly used in politicized ways.  It has three parts.

1.       The idea that America is a Christian nation.

2.      The role of religion in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Articles of Confederation.

3.      A look at some of the founders and he concentrates on Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, John Adams and then goes on to discuss evangelical founders.

John’s presentation tonight focused on item 3.

John indicated that his book has received attack and praise from folks of every conceivable viewpoint. He said audiences would often come to his presentations with their minds already made up. John said the topic is much more complex than the nailing down of a definitive answer.

He said he tried to distinguish between the founders personal beliefs and their religious attitudes as perceived by the public.

What did the founders believe about the role of religion in society? We are hard pressed to find a unity among them. Ethan Allen was the only person he labeled clearly as a Deist. The founders were varied in their beliefs. He labeled Franklin and Jefferson as skeptics. Jefferson did not believe in the trinity and rejected many Christian concepts.

Benjamin Franklin donated money to every religious group in Philadelphia. When asked about his standing Franklin indicated that God will punish us and that His providence is absolutely essential. When questioned further, being of old age, Franklin said that he would soon know.

Sam Adams indicated that God allows us to drink and brew beer.

George Washington. John said he still can’t figure him out. He was a statesman, politician and a great military man. He rarely attended communion. He only mentioned Christ once and this was in talking with the native Americans. Martha was very devout and George would attend church with her. Nellie Custis would often take George home before the communion was offered. Still he was a very active vestryman but he rarely spoke about his religious beliefs.

One concept that held the founders together was that of Providence. This was a concept of a god who could intervene at times in human affairs  You could believe in Providence without necessarily being a Christian. John called this a middle belief.

He went on to define Deist. This was an 18^th century concept that there was a God who created the world and then stepped away not intervening in human affairs. He said that we have to be very careful in calling any founding father a Deist.

At one point in the continental convention Ben Franklin called that we should pray. He was concerned about the whole process falling apart. There is 19^th century historical text that Hamilton said we must reject Franklin’s stand here. Fea said this text was not true.

So John Fea that Franklin could certainly not be considered a Deist in the purest sense. George Washington made reference to Providence 277 times. All of the founders upheld a deep belief in religious freedom any way you saw fit as long as you were obeying the law.

Twelve of the thirteen states had strict requirements as to who could vote and run for office. An idea here in Virginia was to replace the Anglican church with complete religious freedom.  Patrick Henry thought that government should support a religion through taxation.

John Fea admitted the that the whole subject is full of irony after irony. 

All the founding fathers thought and embraced republicanism (small r).  Virtue was a political term meaning to sacrifice one’s own self interest. Religion was important to the establishment of a good society and essential for making us a good republic.

The Q and A session was extremely lively. John is currently working on a book about Presbyterianism in the American Revolution. On his last visit to us he spoke about his book

The Way of Improvement Leads Home: Philip Vickers Fithian and the Rural Enlightenment in Early America. When I searched for this exact title I came upon John’s blog which is quite interesting.

John Fea has the ability to make us think. We bought his book and plan to read it and know that many in attendance also purchased his book. I apologize for anything I misinterpreted in this summary.

Brent Morgan