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Chapter 2
DINWIDDIE COUNTY ON THE MAP
IN 1752 Dinwiddie was cut from Prince George. The act creating the
county reads as follows:
Be it therefore enacted,
by the Lieutenant - Governor, Council, and Burgesses, of this
present General Assembly, and it is hereby enacted, by the
authority of the same, That from and immediately after the first
day of May next ensuing, the said county of Prince George be
divided into two counties; that is to say: All that part
thereof, lying on the upper side of the run which falls into
Appomattox river, between the town of Blandford, and Bolling's
point warehouses, to the outermost line of the glebe land, and
by a south course to be run from the said outermost line of the
glebe land, to Surry county, shall be one distinct county, and
called and known by the name of Dinwiddie, and all that other
part thereof, below the said run and course, shall be one other
distinct county, and retain the name of Prince George.
The new county honored by its
name the governor who reached Virginia November 20, 1751. John Jones
and Isham Eppes were Dinwiddie's first delegates to the House of
Burgesses. Mr. Jones served through the session of 1758, when he
resigned to accept the position of tobacco inspector. Mr. Eppes was
succeeded in 1756 by Robert Bolling. Governor Dinwiddie, a Scot and
prompted perhaps by the well - known thrift of the clans,
inaugurated a policy that was so immediately unpopular that his
namesake joined with Henrico, Chesterfield, Cumberland, Albemarle,
and Amelia in entering protest. For affixing his signature to a
patent, he required a fee of one pistole - a former gold coin
equivalent to approximately $4 of American money. When the petition
from the six counties was presented in November 1753, the Houseof
Burgesses prepared an address that was delivered to the governor.
Diniddie's answer not being satisfactory, a stronger address was
prepared, expressing "Concern to find by his Honour's Answer to the
Address of the House, That the Demand of a Pistole, as a Fee for the
Use of the Seal, is made by his Directions," and acquainting "his
Honour, that it is the undoubted Right of the Burgesses, to inquire
into the Grievances of the People, of which we take the above Demand
to be one." Furthermore, the address clearly stated that "the Terms
and Conditions upon which his Majesty, and his Royal Predecessors,
have been pleased to grant their lands to the Inhabitants of this
Colony" could not be "altered or infringed.'' The fee, moreover, was
said to deter settlers from taking up land in the frontier counties.
Because the governor was unyielding, the burgesses framed an address
to the king and commissioned the attorney general, Peyton Randolph,
to deliver it. Meanwhile, they passed a resolution declaring "That
whoever shall hereafter pay a Pistole, as a fee to the Governor, for
the use of the Seal to Patents for Lands, shall be deemed a Betrayer
of the Rights and Privileges of the People." The descendants of men
who had "thrust out" Governor Harvie in 1635 and had rebelled
against Berkeley in 1676 were not afraid to defy a governor. As
usual the battle was eventually won by the colonists.
FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR
One initial mistake, however, was not enough wholly to mar an
administration that was on the whole progressive. Under Governor
Dinwiddie, Virginia was divided in 1752 into four military
districts, each with its own officer. The troops of Dinwiddie
County, which fell in the Southern District, were commanded at first
by George Washington. There was reason indeed to strengthen defenses
and military organizations: France - seeking to gain possession of
the West and Northwest, which belonged to Virginia by the royal
charter granted to the London Company in 1609 - was planning a line
of forts to extend from the Great Lakes to the Spanish Floridas.
Without fortifications on the Virginia frontiers, settlers in the
western part of the colony were not safe, and additional lands would
certainly not be patented. Having obtained from the Indians
permission to erect a fort at the confluence of the Monongahela and
Allegheny rivers, Dinwiddie in 1753 appointed the 21 year - old
George Washington to acquaint the French with his plans. The young
man delivered the warning message that paved the way for the French
and Indian War, in which he was later to achieve his first fame and
the military preparation that enabled him later to command the
American forces during the Revolution. By the death first of Colonel
Joshua Fry and then of the British General, Edward Braddock,
Washington succeeded to the command of two important expeditions.
Dinwiddie County undoubtedly furnished its share of volunteers to
accompany Washington. One of these, whose name was Peter Brown,
suffered a mishap quite as serious as a wound inflicted by an enemy
but far less glamorous. He enlisted as a soldier in the expedition
to the Ohio; but while he was boarding a transport at Blandford on
his way to join other soldiers at Fredericksburg "the Fall of a
Tree" broke "both his Legs and one of his Thighs." His captain sent
him to the home of one Walter Boyd, "where he lay more than a year
unable to stir without assistance." On April 9, 1756 Mr. Boyd,
saying that he had been at great Expense and Trouble . . ." and had
"not yet received any satisfaction for the same," petitioned the
House of Burgesses for payment. Walter Boyd was allowed 612 for his
year's work; but Peter Brown, though the committee of the House
reported that he had been rendered "utterly incapable of getting a
livelihood," was given only L6.
Peter Brown was only a humble soldier, overtaken by a misfortune
that caused his name to survive in the records. Arthur Watts of
Dinwiddie, however, served George Washington well during the
Northwest campaign and later was made a member of the county's
committee of safety.
Another man who had come to the county prior to the French and
Indian War was Howell Briggs (1709 - 1775), made famous by his
posterity. As a very young man he had come to the future Dinwiddie
and, with his bride, had established his home at a place he named
Wales in honor of the crown prince of England. Here was born his
son, Gray Briggs, who in 1754 became one of the first burgesses from
Sussex County.
STORM CLOUDS GATHER
And Dinwiddie, like all Virginia, needed strong men, for at the
close of the French and Indian War, Revolution was already in the
air and troublous times were ahead. In the very year of 1763 when
England signed with France the Treaty of Paris, thus ending the
conflict that was echoed in America, a young Virginian by the name
of Patrick Henry argued in behalf of the people against the
pivileged clergy of the Church of England and startled the world by
declaring that the king was no longer the father of his people but a
tyrant and had forfeited all right to his subjects' obedience. In
1765 Patrick Henry went still further in his denunciation of British
policy. The Mother Country had passed the Stamp Act, which imposed a
tax upon American commodities, and the young patriot had introduced
into the House of Burgesses resolutions condemning the legislation.
Henry, in proposing the resolutions, merely said again what the
colonists had claimed from earliest days - that the General Assembly
should "have the only and sole exclusive right and power to lay
taxes and impositions upon the inhabitants of this colony." Warming
to his own oratory, however, he exclaimed, "Caesar had his Brutus,
Charles the First his Cromwell, and George the Third - " "Treason!
Treason!" cried members of the House of Burgesses. Then Henry
continued, " - and George the Third may profit by their example. If
this be treason, make the most of it!"
Sitting as delegates from Dinwiddie County were Robert Bolling and
Leonard Claibome, who carried back to their constituents news of the
stormy session. Both were veteran legislators, for Mr. Claiborne had
been in the House since 1758 and Mr. Bolling from 1756 to 1758 and
again since 1762. Robert Ruffin had represented the county from 1758
to 1762. He lived at Mayfield in Dinwiddie and was prominent here
until 1769, when he moved to King William.
A year after Patrick Henry delivered his Caesar - Brutus speech, the
political philosophy of the Revolution was summed up in a pamphlet,
written by Richard Bland of Prince George County - close by
Dinwiddie. The title of the paper was An Inquiry Into the Rights of
the British Colonies. Bland was called by Jefferson "the wisest man
south of the James River." Certainly his pamphlet had a profound
effect upon the thinking of the colonists and also upon the future
colonial policy of Great Britain and the territorial policy of
America. The colonies, said Bland, were "coordinate kingdoms" and
not subordinate to England. All the dominions of the Empire,
however, were held together bv allegiance to the crown. More than
150 years later Great Britain incorporated Bland's ideas into the
Statute of Westminster, which defined the British Empire as a
"Commonwealth of Nations" composed of independent units, voluntarily
united.
Bland's pamphlet was widely read. That citizens of Dinwiddie were
alert to what was being written and said, not only in their
neighboring county but also through the country, is proved by the
resolutions they passed when in 1767 the Parliament of Great Britain
suspended the legislature of New York. England had been sending
Royal troops to the colonies and requiring that they be comfortably
quartered. New York, resisting, was penalized, and little Dinwiddie
championed her cause. On April 2, 1768 the House of Burgesses took
under consideration a petition of "sundry Freeholders of the
Counties of Chesterfield, Henrico, Dinwiddie, and Amelia, . . .
setting forth, that the Act of Parliament lately passed, suspending
the legislative Power of the Colony of New York? had such a fatal
Tendency, and seemed destructive of the Liberty of a free People,
that the Petitioners are impressed with the deepest sense of the
Danger of losing their ancient Rights and Privileges, as Freemen,
dependent on and Subjects to the Crown of Great Britain; and praying
that the House will be pleased to take the said Grievance under
their Consideration, and implore his Majesty, in the most humble
manner, for the Repeal of the said Act of Parliament; and that such
other Measures may be pursued as shall be agreeable to the House."
During the terrible days that followed, Dinwiddie joined with the
"up country" in alignment against the privileged aristocracy of the
Tidewater.
TOWNS OF DINWIDDIE
Though the county had now a
number of wealthy landholders, it was not so old and not so rich as
other counties to the east, south, and north. Plantations and farms
covered most of the area. Three towns, clustered near the falls of
the Appomattox, were the trading and shipping centers for a vast
inland country. These were, of course, Petersburg, formally laid out
in 1748; Blandford, established the same year; and Pocahontas, which
received its recognition in 1752. The settlement of Ravenscroft had
grown up on a triangle enclosed today by Halifax, Sycamore, and
Shore Streets. The places were described just before the Revolution
by John Ferdinand Dalziel Smyth, who traveled through Virginia
between 1769 and 1772. Smyth crossed the Appomattox "by a lofty
wooden bridge at the town of Pocahontas.'' He found an excellent
tavern at Boyd's "in Blandford, the charming, pretty town of
Blandford, in a beautiful D lain on the river brink, on a very
pleasant and delightful spot.'' Of Petersburg, however, he spoke
less kindly:
On the southside of the
river is the town of Petersburg, situated under a hill, amongst
rocks, and is extremely unhealthy.
. . . Petersburg is in the county of Dinwiddie, in the lower
corner; and Blandford stands in the upper end of Prince George's
county; but neither of them is a county - town.
The principal tobacco trade in America centers at Petersburg, or
Bolling's Point, which it is generally called, from the name of
a family to which the greater part of the town and adjoining
lands belong.
It is something remarkable that no child born at the place ever
grew up to maturity, excepting the present proprietor, Mr.
Bolling, whose seat overlooks Petersburg and the adjacent
country and river; which is occasioned by the insalubrity of the
air, and the extreme unhealthiness of the situation.
There are also valuable mills in the vicinity of this place,
erected by Mr. Bannister, a very public spirited man, who
resides in an elegant house near Petersburg, which are carried
on by means of a canal, cut from the neighboring falls of the
Appomattox. . . .
I purchased two horses at Petersburg; for the best I gave
fifteen pounds, and the worst cost me twenty - five pounds; and
a negro boy, whose price was forty pounds.
I began to prepare for my journey southward, having had the
honour to visit . . . Mr. Buchanan's, Mr. Bolling's, Mr.
Bannister's, Mr. Eppes's, Mr. Bland's, etc.
During this period many people, apparently, did not pay their bills,
for in 1769 the county felt the need of a new debtors' prison and
advertised in the Virginia Gazette for bids to be entered on the
third Monday of October. That debtors were not considered dangerous
criminals is shown by the specifications, which said simply that the
building was to be of wood.
REVOLUTIONARY CONVENTlONS
John Banister, whom Smyth met on his visit to Dinwiddie, represented
the county in the five Revolutionary conventions that crystallized
sentiment and governed Virginia from the time the House of Burgesses
ceased to exist until the adoption of the state constitution in 1776
and the election of a governor and a new general assembly. At the
first convention the other Dinwiddie delegate was Robert Bolling; at
the second William Watkins; at the third and fourth John Ruffin; and
at the fifth Bolling Starke. John Banister, who became increasingly
prominent as the years of the Revolution progressed, was the son of
the man of whom William Byrd had spoken in 1733 and the grandson of
the minister-botanist who in 1690 had settled in the future
Dinwiddie. Robert Bolling - (1730 - 75) of Bollingbrook was
serving with Banister in the House of Burgesses in 1775 when that
body was dissolved by Governor Dunmore and would likely have
attended all the conventions had he not died in 1775. Since he was
only 45 at the time, perhaps Smyth - the traveling diarist - would
have attributed his death to the unhealthfulness of Bollingbrook.
Though his life was not long, it had been sufficiently eventful, for
he not only had large business interests but was elected to the
House of Burgesses in 1757 and, with the exception of four sessions,
had served continuously until his death. He was a descendant of the
Robert Bolling who married Jane Rolfe, Pocahontas's granddaughter,
but his ancestress was Robert Bolling's second wife, Anne Stith.
Like most men of his day, Robert Bolling of Bollingbrook was married
twice. His second wife, Mary Marshall Tabb, will enter the story a
bit later. William Watkins' roots were sunk deep in Virginia soil,
for his immigrant ancestor was one James Watkins, who had landed at
Jamestown in 1608. John Ruffin was the son of the Robert Ruffin of
Mayfield, who had served as member of the House of Burgesses.
Bolling Starke was the son of William Starke and Mary Bolling
Starke. After the establishment of the Republic he served as member
of the State Council and later as Auditor of Virginia.
The Revolutionary Conventions were epoch - making in the history of
Virginia and of America. Boston, because of its well - known tea
party at which tea was dumped into the water as a protest against
the British tax, had been penalized by having its port closed. At
the First Revolutionary Convention, which was called to order in
Williamsburg on August 1, 1774, Virginia delegates voted to send
supplies to Boston, suspended transatlantic debts and commerce, and
elected delegates to a continental congress. Richard Bland of Prince
George, close friend and neighbor of Dinwiddie folk, was one of the
delegates to the Continental Congress. The others were Benjamin
Harrison, Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, Edmund Pendleton, and
George Washington - all well known to Dinwiddie.
To attend the Second Virginia Convention, John Banister and William
Watkins did not have far to travel, for the meeting was held - not
in Williamsburg - but in a place thought to be safe. The little
village of Richmond, quite near Petersburg, was chosen as the place
for the convention. When the delegates gathered in St. John's
Church, the air was charged. John Banister aligned himself with the
liberal forces, of which Patrick Henry assumed leadership. Speaking
in behalf of "embodying, arming and disciplining" Virginia militia,
he made the speech that all people know. "Gentlemen may cry 'Peace!
Peace!' " said the orator, "but there is no peace. The war is
actually begun! . . . Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be
purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty
God! I know not what course others may take, but, as for me, give me
liberty, or give me death!" When the resolutions were adopted, the
war virtually began.
At the Third Virginia Convention John Banister and John Ruffin were
in attendance from Dinwiddie. Provision was made for dividing
Virginia into 16 military districts, for raising regular regiments,
and for a committee of safety. The Fourth Convention, also attended
by Banister and Ruffin, declared that Virginia was ready to protect
itself "against every species of despotism." The Fifth Convention,
at which Banister had Bolling Starke as his fellow delegate from
Dinwiddie, declared Virginia a free and independent state and
instructed Virginia delegates in Congress to propose separation from
Great Britain. Whereupon, a state constitution was adopted. On July
4, 1776 the Declaration of Independence - based upon resolutions
proposed by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia and phrased by Thomas
Jefferson - was approved by the Continental Congress. The 13
colonies were indeed at war with the Mother Country.
WAR FOR AMERICAN
INDEPENDENCE
Dinwiddie County had already
begun to prepare for the conflict. On June 10, 1775 the "Volunteer
Company of Dinwiddie County" had advertised in the Virginia Gazette
that it "would willingly engage with an expert ADJUTANT to instruct
them in military Discipline." The county committee of correspondence
was soon seriously about the business of running down people
suspected of giving information to the enemy. One Thomas Irving, who
lived in Petersburg and served as deputy postmaster, was carefully
watched. On January 2, 1776 the Dinwiddie Committee of
Correspondence addressed the following letter to Edmund Pendleton,
President of the Virginia Convention:
Hon'ble Sir:
The committee of correspondence for Dinwiddie County beg leave
to inform you that a certain Thomas Irving an inhabitant of this
town is deputy post - master for Mr. Dixon that he is also an
agent for Neil Jameison, who we understand is inimical to this
country, and a partisan of Lord Dunmore's. The committee would
not chuse to be officious in acting without authority from the
Convention, but are clearly of opinion it is highly improper and
may be of great prejudice to suffer the said Irving to continue
post - master which may give him an opportunity by opening
letters - - of conveying intelligence of the most dangerous
nature to the welfare of this Colony.
We are fully persuaded that in no other part of America would an
agent for an avowed enemy, at this time assisting Lord Dunmore
in the most atrocious acts of violence and despotism be suffered
to keep open store in the heart of that very country on which
they are using every diabolical measure in their power to bring
ruin and desolation. Tho' solicitous to serve our country ever
ready to offer the right hand of friendship in the cause of
Liberty, yet we are anxious not to exceed the line of our duty
and therefore beg, Sir, you would be pleased to point it out to
us.
We are
Your Honours most
obed't and very humble Servants,
WILLIAM HARRISON
BOLLING STARKE
JOSEPH JONES
Though the fighting of the
Revolution was for the first years in the North, far South, and
Northwest, Virginia furnished provisions, leaders, and companies of
soldiers and strove at the same time to strengthen home defenses.
Prominent among the men who were engaged in Revolutionary activities
were Lieutenant Colonel Francis Eppes, John Banister, Richard Taylor
and Captain Edward Walker.
Because Richard Taylor has not appeared earlier in this story of
Dinwiddie and because both he and his sons played no insignificant
part in the affairs of the county, perhaps it is well to pause and
identify this man who had much to do with supplying provisions for
the soldiers of the Revolution. His home was Spring Garden, actually
in Prince George County but very near Petersburg. His son by the
same name, however, lived within the town. Another son, George Keith
Taylor, has been called the father of penal reform in Virginia - but
more of him later! The elder Richard Taylor was a merchant and the
owner of a mill. Shortly before the Revolution, Roger Atkinson of
Mansfield in Dinwiddie County wrote that "Dick Taylor is erecting
and hath begun a fine Merc't mill . . . Dick will be rich and I
think he deserves it."
So the Council resolved on June 7, 1776 that this successful
merchant should "be employed to furnished (sic) the minutemen
ordered to Rendezvous at Petersburg, with provisions while they
remain at that place." These minutemen served as patrols along the
James. Vessels came to the town for arms and provisions or to seek a
place of safety.
The following orders from the Journals of the Council of the State
of I Virginia reveal the strategic importance of the port on the
Appomattox:
Fryday the 7th of June 1776.
Resolved that Mr. Richard Taylor be employed to furnished (sic) the
minutemen ordered to Rendezvous at Petersburg, with provisions while
they remain at that place.
Monday the l0th of June 1776.
Resolved that the Elizabeth City Committee be desired to engage
proper persons to remove the several vessells now lying in Hampton
River to some place of Security in Appomattox River, recommended to
the care of the Committee for Dinwiddie County to be by them safely
kept 'til the farther order of this Board. And the former Committee
are requested to send to Burwells Ferry, by the said vessells four
of the eighteen Pounders and Hampton; and if any of the Cannon there
should burst in proving them to send such to Appomattox.
Tuesday the 11 th of June 1776.
Ordered that Mr. Richard Taylor do deliver to Captain James Cocke.
out of the provisions at Petersburg, such as he may want for the use
of his Cruiser.
Monday the 24th of June 1776.
Ordered that John Bannister do deliver, out of the Rifles which he
contracted to furnish for the public use, to Captain Walker, of
Dinwiddie twenty three, for the use of his Company. Ordered that a
warrant issue to Captain ,Edward Walker of Dinwiddie for forty five
pounds five shillings and five pence half penny, for advanced pay to
four men, and for necessaries furnished the whole Company.
Tuesday the 25th of June 1776.
Resolved that the Committee for the County of Brunswick be allowed
to dispose of the salt in that County belonging to the public among
the inhabitants thereof, upon their replacing the like quantity in
the hands of Mr. Richard Taylor at Petersburg.
Tuesday the 2d of July 1776.
Ordered that Mr Richard Taylor of Petersburg deliver to Colo. Russel,
for the use of Thomas Madison, Contractor of Provisions to the
Frontier Rangers, fifty Bushels of Salt.
Saturday the 13th July 1776.
Ordered that a Warrant issue to Robert Nicolson for the use of
William Buchanan & Co for Fourteen pounds eight Shillings and Eleven
pence - And for the use of Andrew Johnson & Co five pounds thirteen
Shillings & eight pence for Sundry Goods, by them furnished Captain
Edward Walkers Company of Militia from Dinwiddie.
Thursday August the 29th 1776.
A permit was issued to Captain John Marnex of the Boat Smallhope
burthen 15 Tons, Virginia built, the property of Messrs Robertson &
Oldham Merchants of Petenburg laden with Tobacco Bread and Flour as
per manifest filed to proceed to the Island of Curracoa, or other
port allowed of by Congress he having given Bond with Security for
that. purpose which is ordered to be recorded.
Thursday [Tuesday] November 12th 1776.
Resolved that Thomas Shore Esquire be impowered and requir'd to take
into his possession the Sloop Agatha now lying at Petersburg and
that formerly belonged to Robert and John Shedden and John Syme and
have the Sloop appraised advertised and sold for the benefit of the
Public and return to this Board an Account of the said Sale.
Saturday August the 31st 1776.
Ordered that a Warrant issue to Captain Edward Pegram for the use of
Captain Edward Walker for Thirty pounds and four pence 1/2 for pay
of his Company of Volunteers and for their rations and Forage.
Though the theater of war continued to be far from Virginia, in
Dinwiddie - as elsewhere in the state - lack of preparedness was a
cause for increasing apprehension. The British might arrive at any
moment; the people must be ready. Rightly, of course, Virginia
soldiers had gone to states where they were needed; but the Old
Dominion should be protected. Accordingly, on August 29, 1776
militia of Dinwiddie County, "who with laudable zeal for the public
service" had enlisted in a company then stationed at Hampton, were
discharged in order that they might return home to train companies
there. Toward the end of September the Council took cognizance of
"the present naked and defenceless situation of this Country
occasioned by the late Removal of three Battalions of Continental
Troops to New Jersey" and ordered the organization of volunteer
companies of militia - two of these to be formed in Dinwiddie
County.
TORIES ARE WATCHED
Meanwhile, the "defenceless situation" of the patriots was
emboldening Tories to give no end of trouble. Dinwiddie, however,
was keeping a watchful eye. John Banister was hard at work and
informing the Governor. With a company of 70 men, in August 1776, he
was attempting "to apprehend the Delinquents." He wailed, however,
that he "never knew so great a change among men . . . since the
Enemy have been posted at Petersburg." Because there were a few
Tories giving trouble and a consequent "impropriety of political
conduct," he inquired just how far he was permitted to go in dealing
with the miscreants and added, "I have not seen any of the Laws."
But Dinwiddie had already handled one Richard Hanson, who had
violated a day set apart by the Continental Congress for fasting.
The committee of Dinwiddie County ordered the culprit to appear and
faced him with his crime - the feasting of friends at a dinner
prepared and served on the very day that the Congress had requested
citizens to eat no food. Hanson, either penitent or pretending to
be, apologized profusely. Then he and his guests inserted in the
Virginia Gazette, at their own expense, a statement declaring "that
at the time of his giving the invitation to his neighbors . . . he
did not recollect that it was the day set apart for that purpose,
until it was so late in the day that he apprehended his
countermanding the invitations might be supposed to arise rather
from a want of hospitality than a religious attention to the
appointed solemnity." He professed great respect for the orders of
the "Hon. Assembly," declared that, since his "first residence in
this colony," he had been obedient to the laws; promised never by
"word or deed" to "give cause for complaint in future;" and
concluded - by expressing the hope "that the present contest may be
ended with honor and advantage to the United Colonies of America."
SOLDIERS RECRUITED
So the curtain drops upon Richard Hanson but not upon the Revolution
in Dinwiddie. By order of Council dated February 12, 1777, soldiers
were recruited from Dinwiddie and neighboring counties to be
enrolled in the Fifth Battalion. Virginia's rather violent interest
in military activity had been brought about through the insistence
of John Peter Muhlenburg, a clergyman who had become the most
brilliant of Revolutionary generals. The Reverend Mr. Muhlenburg had
first been a Lutheran, who practiced his ministerial profession in
Shenandoah County. He went to London, however, in 1772 and was
ordained a clergyman of the Church of England. His entrance into the
army of the American patriots had been dramatically staged in
January 1776, when on a Sunday morning he ascended his pulpit,
dressed in the robes of a clergyman, and chose as a text, There is a
time for every purpose . . . a time of war and a time of peace." His
eloquence had risen to a great height when he cried out, "The time
to fight has come." Then he threw aside his black robe and stood
before his parishioners in the uniform of a Continental Colonel.
Immediately he began to enroll the members of his church in the
Eighth Virginia Regiment. From that time forward he urged
preparedness. It was due to his insistence that Dinwiddie and her
neighbors recruited soldiers for the Fifth Battalion.
Meanwhile, Washington was battling in the North, Nathanael Greene in
the South, and George Rogers Clark of Virginia had gone to the
Northwest in order to prevent England from annexing Virginia
territory to Canada and in order to capture Hamilton - the governor
of Canada. On all fronts Virginians were in the leadership or
prominent in the ranks of fighting men. Peter Francisco, a giant of
a fellow, who was landed in Prince George County very near
Petersburg was covering himself and his state with a glory to which
legend has added much. Daniel Morgan of course, the hero of the
Battle of Saratoga.
That Virginians were fighting on several fronts outside of their
state does not mean, however, that the citizens who remained at home
sat in idleness, because Virginia knew full well that its time was
to come. For Dinwiddie County that time came during 1781 - as it did
in varying degrees for the rest of the state. All the while the
county had been doing its part, as the records show full well. The
Jenny, for instance, had been employed to carry provisions to the
"head of the Elk." That was in 1779. Two years later John Banister
was still diligently at his post. Captain Callender reported in 1781
that he "went to Petersburg," where he found three vessels had
already been dispatched and "two others had been up that were sunk."
The Governor wrote in following kindly fashion:
At Hood's I Engag'd a Large Vessel to go up and take a Load of
Meal & flower Collo: Bannister was so kind as to interest
himself in getting flower & meal Down from all Quarters. I find
at this place one Vesel is gone Down with a Load & another will
go off immediately with 200 barrels, so that I hope the Army
will not be in want of bread.
The year 1781, however, saw the British reach Virginia in full
force. Governor Thomas Jefferson, the man who had phrased the
Declaration of Independence and who had been a leader in
Revolutionary thinking, was a prize worth taking back to England. So
it happened that General Cornwallis, having had one success in the
Carolinas and some failures and determining to take the war into
Virginia, advanced northward and dispatched Colonel Banastre
Tarleton to capture Jefferson, then sitting with the General
Assembly in Charlottesville. The raiding Tarleton cut his way
through Dinwiddie County. Meanwhile, General Benedict Arnold had
landed at Westover, just below Dinwiddie County, and had marched
against Richmond - then only a village with small chance to resist
an invading force. The Continentals around Petersburg, now in real
danger, had long been lacking supplies of all kinds. The following
sad letter that James Patillo, descendant of an early patentee in
Dinwiddie, wrote to Colonel Davies reflects a plight which many
other soldiers suffered :
July 6th
When a man is destitute of money, cloaths and friends; he is in my
opinion an object of pity - whether this may be my case or not, I
will leave it you to judge, when I tell you that I am realy
destitute of the two former, and if I don't find the latter in you,
I am absolutely lacking of the whole - My dear Sir, you was an eye
witness to the hard duty I perform'd at Chesterfield & you may well
know likewise that I have never drawn a farthing of pay since I have
been in service: & when cloathing was to be had, I would get nothing
but a shirt & pr. of shoes - The cloathing I brought from home is
now worn out & I can scarce hide my nakedness, and as you are the
only person that can befriend me in this case, I most humbly request
you to give me an order for such necessarys, as you may think
proper, as you are well acquainted with my circumstances, as also
with what cloathing I have already drawn - if you are kind enough to
give me an order please to send it by Capt. Darby, as I shall have
an opportunity of seeing Capt. Peyton soon.
I am Dr. Colo., with all due respect
your very humble
Servt.
WAR COMES TO DINWIDDIE
Though Tarleton failed to
capture Thomas Jefferson, General Benedict Arnold, having reached
Virginia, pillaged his way up the James and reached Petersburg.
Despite the valiant resistance of General von Steuben and General
Muhlenburg, he created much havoc and destroyed the stores upon
which the American army depended. To make matters worse, Major
General Phillips, another British officer, arrived with fresh troops
and more provisions and established headquarters at Bollingbrook -
the home of the late Robert Bolling and of his widow, who was a
match for British or Continentals. Mrs. Bolling was imprisoned in
the east wing of her house - and in a back room at that. In the yard
were planted two sentries, who stood guard with crossed bayonets.
Over and over the British - perhaps merely to annoy the Americans -
set fire to the fences about Bollingbrook; and sometimes, the story
goes, all around was in a light blaze."
General Phillips became ill at
the Bolling home. Soon after Lafayette cannonaded the town, Phillips
breathed his last, exclaiming in despair that the Americans would
not even let him die in peace. General Arnold then assumed command
of the British forces in Virginia but was relieved by General
Cornwallis, who marched through Dinwiddie probably along the Stage
and Halifax roads - and who reached Petersburg soon thereafter. So
it happened that from Dinwiddie County the British set out for
Yorktown and for the defeat that led to the permanent establishment
of these United States of America. Thus it came about that the
county figured prominently toward the end of this war and of another
- more tragic - that resulted in cementing the Union. From the pen
of John Banister there survives an account of those days in
Petersburg that preceded the surrender at Yorktown. Thus he wrote to
his friend, Mr. Bland:
Richmond, 16th May, 1781
My Dear Sir:
Notwithstanding I have written four letters to you, since I have
had the pleasure of one from you, I cannot forbear to acquaint
you of the late very distressing scenes that have taken place,
at and near Petersburg. We were not, as I wrote you, visited by
Arnold, in his first expedition into the country, but General
Phillips, coming to Portsmouth with a reinforcement, enabled
them to come up the river, with about 2,500, at a time when the
militia were all discharged to about 1000. On Wednesday, the
24th, they approached Petersburg, by the way of my White - Hall
plantation, where they halted in the heat of the day, and
refreshed; then proceeded at about two o'clock, to advance in
two columns - - one by the old road, leading to the church, the
other along the lane and across the ravine at Miller's old mill;
here they received a fire from Captain House of Bsk. county, at
the head of forty militia, which was supposed to do execution,
but only a Jauger was known by us to have been killed. Capt.
House continued to retreat and fire, until he came to Taylor's
mill, where he joined Col. Dick, at the head of 300 picked
militia, who kept up a constant fire, and prevented their,
taking the heights for upwards of half an hour, but attaining
these, they, with cannon and three times the force, dislodged
Dick from his ground, but, notwithstanding, he made a regular
and steady retreat through Blandford, and formed behind a
battalion posted at Bollingbrook warehouses, their right
extending to Mrs. Bolling's gate, their left to the warehouse,
their front the morass, opposite to the warehouse, terminating
at Blandford bridge, which Dick had taken up as his infantry
crossed. This was our last resistance. The enemy advanced in
front, their infantry and German Riflemen; against these, our
battalion kept up a steady and constant fire, until they were
ordered to retreat, which was not until four pieces of cannon
from the hill, between Dr. Black's and Mrs. Bolling's, flanked
them effectually; they then retreated in order, along the
causeway, by the river to Pocahontas bridge, which they took up,
but ascending the hill to gain the Heights, by T. Shore's house,
the enemy played their cannon with such skill, that they killed
and wounded ten of our men.
All of the wounded are
since dead. Our cannon was served well from Baker's but the
enemy's extreme caution, has prevented our getting an account of
their killed and wounded; the former though, it is clear, was
not less than fourteen. The latter were sent down the river in
their gun - boats. By the way, these gun - boats are of infinite
use to the enemy, bringing them up in force to the shallowest
landing. They carry from fifty to eighty men. After our militia
had gained the hill, they retreated towards Chesterfield court
house, where they halted the next day. This little affair shows
plainly the militia will fight, and proves that if we had force
to have occupied the Heights, they would not with that force
have entered the town. In consequence of this action, I was
obliged to abandon my house, leaving all to the mercy of the
enemy. The enemy, the next day, ordered the inhabitants to move
out the tobacco, or the warehouses should be consumed with it.
By the exertions of the people, the tobacco was removed, and by
the soldiery burnt, and the houses spared, except Cedar - Point,
which was put in flames by a soldier without order. The day
after this business, the whole army crossed the
Appomattox, and then after burning the bridge, proceeded to
Osborne's, and having there destroyed the shipping to a great
amount in value and number, shipped off the tobacco, they
marched on to Manchester, where, on Richmond - hill, we remained
with a superior force, (I mean to the detachment sent for this
purpose) quiet spectators of the destruction of all the
warehouses and tobacco, with several dwelling houses adjoining.
. They marched that evening to Osborne's and on Tuesday, the
31st, they embarked at the Hundred, and sailed down the river,
as far as Burwell's, where upon the arrival of an advice - boat,
they all stood up the river, and arrived in the night of last
Thursday, again in Petersburg, and I was again obliged to
retreat, leaving them in possession of all my estate. They have
not as yet burned my mills, but have taken all the bread and
flour, to the amount of E800, or E100 - eleven of my best
negroes the first time, and now I expect they will get the rest.
Your man I sent to Amelia I believe he is yet safe. Your father
received the following protection from General Phillips :
It is Major General
Phillips' positive orders, that no part of the property of
Col. Theodorick Bland, receive any injury from his Majesty's
Troops.
J. W. NOBLE,
Aid de Camp, Major G. Phillips.
April 25th, 1781
Major General Phillips is
very happy to show this favor, on account of Col. Bland Junior's
many civilities to the troops of convention, at Charlottesville.
The troops still continue
at Petersburg, and expect Lord Cornwallis from Halifax, where
the van of his army, under Tarleton, is arrived. It is very
clear, without naval aid the enemy will be possessed of the
lower country, as the people are tired of the war, and come to
the field most reluctantly. This, added to our exhausted
finances, and bad councils, with a powerful enemy in the
country, are prognostics of no favorable complexion. In my last,
I touched largely upon the conduct of Eastern friends, in this
day of peril, compared with our conduct to them, in their day of
trial. Greene is in South Carolina, but how employed, we are not
informed. Before you receive this, it is probable the enemy will
have penetrated to Fredericksburg, and have destroyed all the
tobacco in their route. I beg to hear if we are to expect any
assistance from the eastern confederates, or our allies. If you
write, Geo. Nickolson, who is in Philadelphia, will give a ready
conveyance to the letter. Jack, who is the only one of my family
with me, joins in affectionate regards to Mrs. Bland, and Bob,
with your sincere friend,
J. Banister
Soon the Revolution was
officially at an end. Then it was that Dinwiddie County settled down
to the progress for which pioneer years had paved the way. On
October 22, 1779 the "Freeholders Merchants and House Keepers of the
Towns of Petersburg, Blandford, & Pocohuntus" had sent the following
petition to the House of Delegates:
That they are persuaded it
will be of Publick Benifit to Incorporate into One Borough, the
aforesaid three Towns to be call'd Petersburg, together with
some Lands adjoining belonging to the Estate of Colo Robert
Bolling deceased John Tabb Esq., the Land known by the name of
Ravenscrofts Town, & a small part of the Land adjoining
belonging to the Heirs of Peter Jones deceased, which small part
of land, they conceive will be no way injurious to the Heirs of
the said Jones - allso all the Land not included in the Town of
Petersburg which lies between the aforementioned Lands &
Appomattox River known by the name of the "Subberbs," great part
of which Lands is already improved.
Your petitioners are of
opinion that the said Town will be very much improved in few
years, principally oweing to the proprietors of the vacant Lands
(never until now) chooseing to lay off the said -
vacant Lands in Lotts & dispose of the said Lotts in fee simple.
The three towns and the one
settlement were not incorporated, however, until 1784. Then they
were "stiled the town of Petersburg." There are many vivid stories
that have to do with the gay little town, but the most interesting
of these were penned by travelers. Thomas Anburey, a British officer
who was among the captives at the Battle of Saratoga and interned in
Albemarle County, later toured Virginia and wrote -
graphically of his travels. He went to Petersburg, of course; and
this is what he said:
The town of Petersburgh is
situated on the borders of the Apamatock River, and on the -
opposite side are a few houses, which is a kind of suburb,
independent of Petersburgh, called Pocahunta. The principal
trade of Petersburgh arises from the exporting of tobacco,
deposited in warehouses and magazines, . . .
At Petersburgh resides a
Mrs. Bowling, who has considerable warehouses, besides a very
extensive plantation and estates, whose son has married a very
agreeable young lady, lineally descended from Pocahunta, . . .
The tobacco warehouses at
Petersburgh, as well as at Richmond, are crowded with that
commodity, as they cannot find purchasers, and the planters will
not export it themselves, on account of our numerous privateers;
some few merchants have ventured small sloops to the Bermuda
islands, and have been successful; . . . and I cannot help
making the same reflection, at seeing such places as Petersburgh
and Richmond in the same state as that of Lancaster, all trade
being at a stand in these places, where no doubt, before the
war, it must have been very considerable, . . .
The Marquis de Chastellux also
traveled in America just after the Revolution; and he, too, went to
Petersburg - naturally enough. His comments, like those of everyone
else who wandered through Dinwiddie in those days, had to do not
only with the town and county but also with the remarkable Mrs.
Bolling. Here, in part, is what the count had to say:
The town of Petersburgh is
situated on the right bank of the Apamatock; there are some
houses on the opposite shore, but this kind of suburb is a
district independent of Petersburgh, and called Pocahunta. We
passed the river in a ferry - boat, and were conducted to a
little public - house about thirty steps from thence, which had
an indifferent appearance; but, on entering, we found an
apartment very neatly furnished; a tall woman, handsomely
dressed, and of a oenteel figure, who gave the necessary orders
for our reception, and a a young lady, equally tall, and very
elegant, at work. . . . The mistress of the house, already twice
a widow, was called Spencer, and her daughter, by her first
husband, Miss Saunders. . . . We were very good friends with our
charming landladies before we went to bed, and breakfasted with
them the next morning. We were just going out to take a walk,
when we received a visit from Mr. Victor . . . He told us he was
come to pass a few days with Mrs. Bowling, one of the greatest
landholders in Virginia, and proprietor of half the town of
Petersburg. He added, that she . . . hoped we would come and
dine with her, which invitation we accepted, and put ourselves
under the guidance of Mr. Victor, who first took us to the ware
- - houses or magazines of tobacco. These
warehouses, of which there are numbers in Virginia, though,
unfortunately, great part of them has been burned by the ~nglGh,
are under the direction of public authority. There are
inspectors nominated to prove the quality of the tobacco brought
by the planters, and if found good, they give a receipt for the
quantity. The tobacco may then be considered as sold, these
authentic receipts circulating as ready money in the country.
For example: suppose I have deposited twenty hogsheads of
tobacco at Petersburg, I may go fifty leagues thence to
Alexandria or Fredericksburg, and buy horses, clothes, or any
other article, with these receipts, which circulate through a
number of hands before they reach the merchant who purchases the
tobacco for exportation. . . . You often hear the inhabitants
say, "This watch cost me ten hogshead of tobacco; this horse
fifteen hogshead; or, I have been offered twenty," &c.
The warehouses at
Petersburg belong to Mrs. Bowling. They were spared by the
English, either because the Generals Phillips and Arnold, who
lodged with her, had some respect for her property, or because
they wished to preserve the tobacco contained in them in
expectation of selling it for their profit. Phillips died in
Mrs. Bowling's house, by which event the supreme command
devolved upon Arnold; and I heard it said, that Lord Cornwallis,
on his arrival, found him at great variance with the navy, who
pretended that the booty belonged to them. Lord Cornwallis
terminated the dispute, by burning the tobacco; but not before
Mrs. Bowling by her interest, had time sufficient to get it
removed from her warehouses. She was lucky enough, also, to save
her valuable property in the same town, consisting of a mill,
which turns such a number of mill - stones, bolting machines,
cribbles, &c. and, in so simple and easy a manner, that it
produces about 800 6 a year sterling. . . . It is turned by the
waters of the Apamatock, which are conveyed to it by a canal
excavated in the rock. Having continued our walk in the town,
where we saw a number of shops, many of which were well stocked,
we thought it time to pay our respects to Mrs. Bowling, . . .
Her house, or rather houses, for she has two on the same line
resembling each other, which she proposes to join together, are
situated on the summit of a considerable slope, which rises from
the level of the town of Petersburg, and corresponds so exactly
with the course of the river, that there is no doubt of its
having formerly formed one of its banks. This slope, and the
vast platform on which the house is built, are covered with
grass, which affords excellent pasturage, and are also her
property. It was formerly surrounded with rails, and she raised
a number of fine horses there, but the English burned the
fences, and carried away a great number of the horses. On our
arrival we were saluted by Miss Bowling, a young lady of
fifteen, possessing all the freshness of her age; she was
followed by her mother, brother, and sister - in - law. The
mother, a lady of fifty, has but little resemblance to her
country - women; she is lively, active, and intelligent; knows
perfectly well how to manage her immense fortune, and what is
yet more rare, knows how to make good use of it. Her son and
daughter - in - law I had already seen at Williamsburgh. The
young gentleman appears mild and polite, but his wife, of only
seventeen years of age, is a most interesting acquaintance, not
only from her face and form, which are exquisitely delicate, and
quite European, but from her being also descended from the
Indian Princess, Pocahontas, daughter of King Powhatan, . . . We
may presume that it is rather the disposition of that amiable
American woman, than her exterior beauty, which Mrs. Bowling
inherits. My visit to Mrs. Bowling and her family, having
convinced me, that I should pass part of the day with them
agreeably, I continued my walk, with a promise of returning at
two o'clock. Mr. Victor conducted me to the camp formerly
occupied by the enemy, and testified his regret that I could not
take a nearer view of Mr. Banister's handsome country - house,
which was in sight; there being no other obstacle however than
the distance, about a mile and a half, and the noonday heat, we
determined that this would not stop us; and walking slowly, we
reached, without fatigue, this house, which is really worth
seeing. It is decorated rather in the Italian, than the English
or American style, having three porticos at the three principal
entries, each of them supported by four columns. It was then
occupied by an inhabitant of Carolina, called Nelson. Next day
we were obliged to quit this good house and agreeable company;
but before I left Petersburgh, I observed that it was already a
flourishing town, and must become more so every day, from its
favorable situation with respect to commerce. First, because it
is placed immediately below the Falls, or Rapids of the
Apamatock and the river can here float vessels of fifty br sixty
tons - burthen. Secondly, because the productions of the
southern part of Virginia have no other outlet, and those even
of North Carolina are gradually taking this way, the navigation
of the Roanoke and Albemarle Sound being by no means so
commodious as that of the Apamatock and James river. But these
advantages are unfortunately balanced by the insalubrity of the
climate; for I have been assured, that of all the inhabitants of
the three little burghs of Pocahunta, of Blandford and
Petersburgh, which may be considered as forming one -
town, not two persons are to be found who are natives of the
country. Commerce and navigation, notwithstanding, produce a
concourse of strangers. The situation, besides, is agreeable and
the climate may probably be rendered more salubrious by draining
some morasses in the neighbourhood.
The Mrs. Bolling whose house
was occupied by the British and who elicited much comment from the
travelers through Dinwiddie was none other than the widow of Robert
Bolling, who had represented the county in the House of Burgesses
prior to his death in 1775. She was Mary Agarshall Tabb, as it will
be recalled. Indeed she must have been endowed with business ability
of the sort few modern women possess. The lass of 17 who was the
bride of her son Robert was - as both Anburey and Chastellux pointed
out - a descendant of Pocahontas. The little girl's father was
Robert Bolling of Chellowe, a most learned gentleman, who
wrote in French an account of the Bolling family. His grandfather,
moreover, was the John Bolling who was born at the death of his
mother, Jane Rolfe, the daughter of Pocahontas' son Thomas. Robert
Bolling's young wife, in whose veins flowed the blood of brave and
kindly Powhatan, died in 1787, leaving one daughter - Mary Burton
Augusta Bolling, who married John M. Banister. Robert Bolling - as
was not unusual in those days when women died young - had three
other wives. Of Robert Buckner Bolling - the son of Robert Bolling
and the fourth wife, Anne Dade Stith - we shall hear when we reach
the South's Fiery Epoch, which ushered in the War between the
States.
At Bollingbrook was enacted a
drama that immediately preceded American Independence. Dinwiddie was
soon to be solving new problems. |
