Battle of the Great Bridge
| date | December 9, 1775 |
|---|---|
| place | Great Bridge , Virginia |
| output | Major American victory that resulted in a complete withdrawal of British forces from the Virginia colony. |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 409 men | 861 men |
| losses | |
|
102 dead and wounded |
1 wounded |
The Battle of Great Bridge was a battle in the American Revolutionary War that took place near Chesapeake , Virginia on December 9, 1775 . The victory of the Continental Army resulted in the British commander Lord Dunmore and other remaining Crown officials withdrawing from Virginia. The supremacy of the patriots in Virginia was further secured when they succeeded a little later in taking Norfolk , which until then had been an important base for the loyalists .
background
The complete defeat of Great Britain at the Battle of Great Bridge, seven months before the American Declaration of Independence , was referred to by contemporaries as the "Second Battle of Bunker Hill ". It enabled the patriots to conquer Norfolk. With their victory, the reign of the British Crown in Virginia ended.
The Virginia Colony Governor Lord Dunmore had already withdrawn from Williamsburg , but Norfolk was still considered a " Tory nest" and Dunmore hoped he could contain the rebellion by looting the Patriots' plantations and in this way not only get to printing presses, but also draw the slaves to his side. Although he had only one regiment and a few battalions, he wrote on November 30, 1775: I really believe we should reduce this colony to a proper sense of their duty. (German: "I really think we should force this colony to a reasonable sense of duty.").
On the opposing side, the Commander of the Continental Army , George Washington , urged that Dunmore should be "instantly destroyed" so that his strength would not grow. From New England he wrote to the President of the Continental Congress : I do not mean to dictate, I am sure they will pardon me from freely giving them my opinion, which is, that the fate of America a good deal depends on his being obligated to evacuate Norfolk this winter or not. (German: "I don't want to dictate, I'm sure you will forgive me for my openly telling you my opinion, according to which the fate of America depends to a large extent on whether Norfolk will be evacuated this winter or not." )
Course of the battle
According to contemporary witnesses in the Virginia Gazette , Lord Dunmore moved ten miles south to Great Bridge on the southern arm of the Elizabeth River after fighting the resistance at Kemp's Landing (now Kempsville ) . Great Bridge was a loading point for clapboard, tar potash, and turpentine from the Carolinas. Facing increasing resistance, he built a palisade on the north (Norfolk) side, removed the bridge planking, destroyed five or six houses on the opposite bank, and secured the narrow dams leading to the bridge with two 12-pound cannons .
The commander of the patriotic troops - the 2nd Virginia Regiment - was Colonel William Woodford . When he concentrated his forces at Great Bridge, he had minutemen from the Fauquier, Augusta and Culpeper counties in the west of the colony, but also volunteers from Princess Anne and Norfolk counties. Woodford reported that under Colonel Vail 250 men had arrived from the Carolinas, "regular soldiers, minutemen and volunteers." The Virginia Gazette wrote: 150 gentlemen volunteers had marched to Virginia from North Carolina on hearing of Lord Dunmore's insolences and outrages. (German: "150 men marched from North Carolina as volunteers to Virginia after hearing of Lord Dunmore's insolence and outrage.")
Dunmore, who was inappropriately informed about the strength of the enemy, sent sailors from his Norfolk ship Otter and "a good 60 residents" to a surprise attack on Great Bridge. In the early morning of December 9th, after the patriots had given the signal to wake up, British Captain Fordyce led a group of 60 grenadiers and a corps of regular and militia soldiers across the bridge. With two cannons brought to the island, they fought their way towards the patriots' redoubt. On their side, Lieutenant Travis ordered his men not to shoot the 120 or so British until they were within 50 yards of the jump . Since their attack did not seem to meet any resistance, the British believed that the hill was deserted. Lieutenant Fordyce waved his hat and shouted: The day is our own. (German: "The day is ours.") and stormed towards the hill with his soldiers. While this was happening, a good 80 patriots rose up in the hill and fired well-aimed and therefore devastating shots at the British. Fordyce was hit by 14 bullets and ended just 15 paces from the parapet of the hill. Numerous British fell with him, the rest withdrew in disorder. The British continued their cannon fire at the bridge, but could not advance further because the patriots shot them from the parapet of the rampart and from side positions. After a good 25 minutes, Dunmore's attempt to destroy the position of the Patriots had failed and turned into the opposite.
A truce during which the British rescued their wounded and fallen from the island was followed by their retreat and return to ships in Norfolk that night. The Patriots had several wounded British to look after and gave Lieutenant Charles Fordyce a funeral with full military honors near the battlefield. The losses in this battle are quantified inconsistently. While Dunmore "officially" reported 62 dead and wounded, one Patriot reported 102 British casualties. Of Fordyce's 60 grenadiers, only eleven survived. In the ranks of the Patriots there was only one wounded man who was slightly injured in the thumb.
consequences
The British Crown's rule over Virginia was ended by the battle. The British were completely routed and withdrew to Norfolk. At the same time that George Washington was writing to the Continental Congress from New England, Colonel Woodford was able to report to the President of the Virginia Convention , Edmund Pendleton , that he and Colonel Robert Howe had taken control of Norfolk with 1,275 men and that the Loyalists with their families boarded the Otter .
The site today
The establishment of a Battle of Great Bridge State Park is currently being discussed in Virginia. At the scene of the battle, where there is still a bridge today, the events of the battle are re-enacted by costumed people in early December every year.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Great Bridge Lock Park ( Memento of the original from September 3, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ; Battle of Great Bridge ( Memento of the original from January 6, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
See also
literature
All book titles given are in English:
- Theodore P. Savas, J. David Dameron: A Guide to the Battles of the American Revolution , Savas Beatie, 2006, ISBN 1-932714-12-X
- Elizabeth Wingo: The Battle of Great Bridge , Norfolk County Historical Society of chesapeake, Va. And Chesapeake Public Schools, 1998 (28-page booklet)
Web links
All listed websites are in English:
- The Battle of Great Bridge
- The Battle of Great Bridge, December 9, 1775
- The Battle of Great Bridge; A New Beginning for the Old Dominion
- The Battle of Great Bridge, December 9, 1775 at Great Bridge, Virginia
- The Legend of Betsy Dowdy
Coordinates: 36 ° 42 ′ 49.5 " N , 76 ° 14 ′ 19.8" W.