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.