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CHAPTER XXVII.
The condition of affairs in Virginia, when General Greene took command
•of the southern army, has already been briefly noticed. Fully aware of the
importance of securing this State, Sir Henry Clinton, as early as December 21,
1780, had dispatched the traitor, General Arnold, with a fleet of fifty sail,
and sixteen hundred soldiers, to replace General Leslie, who had sailed for
Charleston to reinforce Cornwallis. The land force was composed of British,
Hessians and tories; and as Clinton distrusted Arnold, he sent with him
Colonels Dundas and Simcoe, two experienced British officers, who were to
he consulted in every movement. After a tempestuous voyage, Arnold and
his force arrived in the Chesapeake Bay, and ascending the James River in
some small vessels, landed at Westover, on the 4th of January, 1781, and on
the following day marched into Richmond " with eight hundred and thirty
men, and about thirty horse, without receiving a single shot." *
Having boasted that he would "shake the continent," Arnold set fire to
all the public buildings, stores and workshops ; private houses were pillaged,
and a great quantity of valuable material consumed. This work of devastation accomplished, Arnold re-embarked his forces and moved slowly down
the James, landing occasionally to burn, plunder and destroy. Petersburg,
Chesterfield Court House, and other important places were captured, and all
the shipping, tobacco, corn, horses and other property, public or private,
which he found, were either taken or destroyed. General Smaliwood, who
was in Virginia at the time, hastily gathering about two hundred poorly
armed militia, pursued the enemy and annoyed their progress. Upon
■one occasion, with a small force, he compelled a number of the enemy's
armed vessels to abandon a prize they had captured at Broadways,
•on the James. Obtaining two small cannon, on the following day he
1 " Counting a militia of fifty thousand, thir- number in service, engaged for the war, was
teen thousand of whom inhabited the country only 204!—" the rest for various, and generally
adjacent to the seat of war," Virginia might, in very short terms of service." Mr. Hamilton
one campaign, have rescued the Carolinas from says: " The field-return of the army exhibited
the enemy, and expelled the invaders from her a different result. The Virginia brigade showed
soil. In vindication of the Government of Vir- a total rank and file, fit for duty, of 534 men,
ginia, Jefferson, on the 10th of February, 1781, thirty matrosses, and seventy-four cavalry,
prepared an official statement, representing that This was about one-half of the number claimed
Virginia had in the field 2,321 men, and ac- by .Jefferson. The cavalry, computed at 300,
knowledged a deficiency below her quota of never equalled 100, from a State abounding in
3,188. The number of men actually with horses and in horsemen."—History of the Republic,
-Greene, he stated to be 1,260, and the whole ii., p. 239, etc.
| Title | History of Maryland - 2 |
| Creator | Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas) |
| Publisher | J. B. Piet |
| Place of Publication | Baltimore |
| Date | 1879 |
| Language | eng |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Title | 00000471 |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Transcript | CHAPTER XXVII. The condition of affairs in Virginia, when General Greene took command •of the southern army, has already been briefly noticed. Fully aware of the importance of securing this State, Sir Henry Clinton, as early as December 21, 1780, had dispatched the traitor, General Arnold, with a fleet of fifty sail, and sixteen hundred soldiers, to replace General Leslie, who had sailed for Charleston to reinforce Cornwallis. The land force was composed of British, Hessians and tories; and as Clinton distrusted Arnold, he sent with him Colonels Dundas and Simcoe, two experienced British officers, who were to he consulted in every movement. After a tempestuous voyage, Arnold and his force arrived in the Chesapeake Bay, and ascending the James River in some small vessels, landed at Westover, on the 4th of January, 1781, and on the following day marched into Richmond " with eight hundred and thirty men, and about thirty horse, without receiving a single shot." * Having boasted that he would "shake the continent," Arnold set fire to all the public buildings, stores and workshops ; private houses were pillaged, and a great quantity of valuable material consumed. This work of devastation accomplished, Arnold re-embarked his forces and moved slowly down the James, landing occasionally to burn, plunder and destroy. Petersburg, Chesterfield Court House, and other important places were captured, and all the shipping, tobacco, corn, horses and other property, public or private, which he found, were either taken or destroyed. General Smaliwood, who was in Virginia at the time, hastily gathering about two hundred poorly armed militia, pursued the enemy and annoyed their progress. Upon ■one occasion, with a small force, he compelled a number of the enemy's armed vessels to abandon a prize they had captured at Broadways, •on the James. Obtaining two small cannon, on the following day he 1 " Counting a militia of fifty thousand, thir- number in service, engaged for the war, was teen thousand of whom inhabited the country only 204!—" the rest for various, and generally adjacent to the seat of war," Virginia might, in very short terms of service." Mr. Hamilton one campaign, have rescued the Carolinas from says: " The field-return of the army exhibited the enemy, and expelled the invaders from her a different result. The Virginia brigade showed soil. In vindication of the Government of Vir- a total rank and file, fit for duty, of 534 men, ginia, Jefferson, on the 10th of February, 1781, thirty matrosses, and seventy-four cavalry, prepared an official statement, representing that This was about one-half of the number claimed Virginia had in the field 2,321 men, and ac- by .Jefferson. The cavalry, computed at 300, knowledged a deficiency below her quota of never equalled 100, from a State abounding in 3,188. The number of men actually with horses and in horsemen."—History of the Republic, -Greene, he stated to be 1,260, and the whole ii., p. 239, etc. |
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