Billy Flora at the Battle of Great Bridge Edward Villis, in the Thigh, Arm & Belly, Ball lodged in his Bowels, judged Mortal. Buford immediately claimed in his official report that many of his men who had surrendered were killed without mercy. Peace negotiations began in 1782, and on Sept. 3, 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed, formally recognizing the United States as a free and independent nation after eight years of war. Records of Mexican War veterans might exist in a state where the veteran later resided. Previous Engagements: Northern New Jersey, Defense of Philadelphia, Philadelphia-Monmouth. In 1784 he purchased two lots in Portsmouth and is believed to be the first African-American to own land in that town. After the taking of Norfolk, Billy probably went home for awhile. Coal from Mid-Lothian Mines is used to make American cannons at Westham, located eight miles downstream from Richmond. Virginians played a pivotal role in the struggle for American independence, 1775-1783. Billy and the other men who had fought at Great Bridge that morning probably never realized it, but they had just won a critical victory which, though tiny, indeed almost insignificant as battles go, was of immense importance to the Patriot cause. Both Virginia Continental and State Line units are represented in I also appreciated your argument as to why this tiny battles importance transcended the action of one cold December day. Consists of bound photostats of monthly payrolls from Virginia regiments during the Revolutionary War. United States. . 15th Virginia Regiment In the days that followed the Patriot forces drove Dunmore and the British out of Norfolk and subsequently out of Virginia. He was crouched in the lee of a pile of shingles next to a burnt out building in the early hours of December 9, 1775, with a musket in his hands and a rime of ice forming in the marshes of the Great Dismal Swamp that lay on both sides of the narrow spit of land on which he and the other forward sentries were stationed. The 15th Virginia Regiment was authorized on September 16, 1776, as a part of the Virginia Line for service with the Continental Army under the command of David Mason. Within minutes, 66 of the 120 men of the 14th Foot who had embarked on the assault were dead or wounded. 12th Virginia Regiment (Revolutionary War) FamilySearch Muster rolls, pay rolls, and index of the Virginia militia in the War of 1812, United States, Mexican War Pension Index, 1887-1926, United States Colored Troops in the Civil War, Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865, United States Confederate Officers Card Index, 1861-1865, United States Military Old Soldiers Home Records, United States, General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934, United States, Index to Service Records, War with Spain, 1898, United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, United States, YMCA World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919, Virginians who lost their lives in the World War, United States, World War I American Expeditionary Forces Deaths, 1917-1919, Virginia, World War I American Expeditionary Forces, deaths, 1917-1919, Virginia war history commission supplement (1923) 4v. Billy Flora has all the hallmarks of an American legend, from his over the top performance at The Battle of Great Bridge, to his continued service through the Revolution and beyond. If you know the unit a person served in and are trying to determine where men for that unit were recruited, the following book can help: While there are several published sources on Virginia in the Revolutionary War, there is no comprehensive list of all Revolutionary veterans. 1776-1778, 3rd Virginia Regiment, MicroBios. 14th Virginia Regiment (Revolutionary War) FamilySearch I must apologize for the hurry in which I wrote you yesterday, since which nothing of moment has happened but the abandoning the fort by the enemy. Finally, after being fired on by an entire platoon[20] of British, he broke cover and ran for the protection of the Patriot breastwork. Entered Valley Forge with 307 assigned, 68 fit for duty. Complete military records do not exist for Virginia before the French and Indian War (1754-1763). Home - Virginia Revolutionary War Service Records - Research Guides in 1, Virginia World War memorial records, city of Buena Vista, 1926-1970, Virginia World War memorial records, city of Fredericksburg, 1931-1957, Virginia World War memorial records, city of Newport News, 1926-1952, Virginia World War memorial records, city of Petersburg, 1948-1950, Virginia World War memorial records, county of Tazewell, 1928-1964, Virginia World War memorial records, county of Amelia, ca. 20, 8 April-31 May 1779, ed. 1777-1778, 1st & 10th Virginia Regiment, Members of the county militia fought in the battles of Camden, Guilford Courthouse, Petersburg, and Yorktown. Home Battles 1775 to 1783 Campaigns Continental Army Continental Navy British Army Flags of the Revolution War Facts War Leaders Patriot Leaders British Leaders The Mexican War was caused by the annexation of Texas by the United States in 1845. George Washington left Philadelphia where the Continental Congress was meeting for Boston. 7th Virginia Regiment - Wikipedia War Department. 1780-1784, A Guide to the United States War Department, Revolutionary War Payrolls1776-1784. The 15th Virginia Regiment in the Revolutionary War American Revolutionary War Battles Battles Campaigns Leaders Facts Documents Documents Records Time-Line Regiments American Regiments British Regiments P.O.W. and casualties or remarks (includes furlough and sick). Left Valley Forge as part of Lafayette's Division. The 15th Virginia Regiment was raised on December 28, 1775 in eastern, Virginia for service with the Continental Army. Field officers at Valley Forge were Colonel James Wood,[1] Lt. 1776-1779, 7th Virginia Regiment, Thanks again! 1779, 3rd & 7th Virginia Regiment, Brief History [ edit | edit source] The 9th Regiment was formed in February and March of 1776 on the Eastern Shore. Convention prisoners are sent to New York. James Jarvis Reminiscences, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.) He transformed the Chesterfield Depot into a southern Valley Forge, December 1780-April 1781 but as a field commander, he was outmatched by every British commander Arnold, Philips, Cornwallis. date between 1777 and 1779. (For land in Kentucky and the Virginia Military District in Ohio). The regiment saw action at the Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Germantown, and the Battle of Monmouth. passed an ordinance July 17, 1775, for raising two regiments of regulars and for organizing the militia. For information about how to add references, see Template:Citation. The loses sustained by the 14th Regiment of Foot sent them back to England for nearly the duration of the war. [23] Lieutenant Travis, who commanded in the breast work, ordered his men to reserve their fire until the enemy came within the distance of fifty yards. Virginia Gazette (Pinkney, December 20, 1775) 3. There is usually an additional payroll listing only field and staff officers for that regiment. But before dropping down to safety, he paused to take up the plank and pulled it within the breastwork so as to deny it to the approaching enemy. Revolutionary War History | Chesterfield County, VA William FloraA free-born African American from Virginia who served as a soldier on the Patriot side in the American Revolutionary War. An analysis of the returns for the Continental Army shows that between 10% and 35% of the troops available to Washington from 1776 through 1780 (when most of the Virginia line was captured at Charlestown) were Virginians. They served in various capacities from guarding local depots and the iron mines to being on campaign. Ive posted a link to your article at our 2nd Virginia Regiment (NWTA) page: http://www.2VA.org 1777-1780, 2nd Virginia Regiment, 1777-1778, 15th Virginia Regiment, The Battle of Great Bridge is truly a remarkable moment from that crucible that was 1775 and was even contemporarily refered to as the second Bunker Hill (an exaggeration for sure, but strategically sound). Billy had to cross a plank to get into the breast work, and had fairly passed over it when he was seen to turn back, and deliberately take up the plank after him, amid a shower of musket balls. Press Esc to cancel. At the age of eight he was apprenticed to Joshua Gammon, a carter and wagon master. 1776-1779, 6th Virginia Regiment, I would love to see a picture of Billy Flora. The 15th Virginia Regiment in the Revolutionary War These bound photostats were used by H.J. These applications are also indexed by the Eckenrode source above. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. In his Manners he was the Old Virginia Gentleman. Capt. About a quarter mile behind him, built across the northern end of the island on which the town of Great Bridge was located, stood the Patriot breastwork;[1] a seven-foot high palisade wall fronted with a six-foot wide parapet of earth. The approved application files are in Bounty Warrants, 1779-1860 FS Library Films 29821-51; index on FS Library Film 29850 for A-Payser and FS Library Film 29851 for Pea-Z). Pennsylvania Line Rhode Island Line South Carolina Line Virginia Line 1st Canadian Regiment. In May, 1781, one militiamen wrote, Cln Robt Good got leave of the Marquis to take the militia of Chesterfield County to watch and prevent the deprivations of the Enemy in that County. State government records collection, Commanded by Col.s Jedediah Huntington and Josiah Starr; The regiment was organized Jan-April 1777; ReOrganized July 1779Merged Jan. 1781 with the. Search The British dragoons, using sabers and bayonets, won an overwhelming victory, killing/wounding 300 Americans at the cost of just 20 British killed/wounded. Field officers at Valley Forge were Colonel George Mathews, [3] Lt. [37], But Billy was not through with military service. You may want to start by searching for a person's Military Service Records and Pension and Bounty Land records. Jacob Weaver; Authorized Jan 1777, The regiment was organized Jan.-Aug. 1777, Commanded by Capt. The bulk of the payrolls Their collection is available for free online. On December 22, 1776, Congress authorized an additional 16 regiments. Processed by: He led a group of Grenadiers over that Great Bridge directly into a choke point of Rebel fire. 15th Massachusetts Regiment - Wikipedia The Strange Odyssey of George Merchant, Rifleman, Life in the Southern Colonies (Part 1 of 3), Life in the Southern Colonies (part 2 of 3), David Wooster Kept the Men at Quebec: Giving Credit to a Much-Maligned General, Signals and Pilots: Cooperating with the French Fleet, 1778, This Week on Dispatches: Stuart Lyall Manson on Securing Provisions for American Loyalists in the Upper Saint Lawrence, Sons of Britannia: New Yorks Triumvirate from Colony to Revolution, This Week on Dispatches: Mike Matheny on Remembering Horatio Gates, How Pennsylvania Counties Paid Their Taxes to Congress. List of Continental Army units (1775) - Wikipedia Home; Archivos. He was Captain of the first volunteer company raised in Albemarle, Lieutenant Colonel of the first regiment formed, and afterwards Colonel of the Fourteenth Virginia. Francis Taylor (1747-1799) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree The 15th Virginia Regiment was raised on December 28, 1775 in eastern, Virginia for service with the Continental Army. 1778, Miscellaneous Virginia Organizations, A surveyed map of the Great Bridge area (Stratton, Plan of the Post at Great Bridge ) shows the causeway crossing a small stream about fifty yards from the site of the Patriot fortification. Other Regiments Artillery Units Mounted Units. A published rosters of soldiers who died in the war: Fourth Registration William J. Bahr It was this group of Grenadiers that took the bulk of the casualties, including Captain Fordyce himself. [4], Cold and tired, Billys thoughts drifted. Whatever the facts, American propaganda about a Waxhaws Massacre succeeded in rousing volunteers. Kelly, Kevin P. "The White Loyalists of Williamsburg,", For information about African American troops, see, U.S. Southern Claims Commission Master Index, 1871-1880. 47-48, London, Public Records Office, Letters from various officers serving in South Carolina and Virginia to Commander-in-Chief, and letters from Commander-in-Chief to officers serving in South Carolina and Virginia, 1757-1763, Southern Campaigns of the American Revolution, FS Library book 975.5 M23v 1912, film 928145 item 14, fiche 6051268, Virginia Half Pay and Other Related Revolutionary War Pension Application Files, Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files, Report from the Secretary of War Vol.