The Culpeper Minutemen
In the summer of 1775, Virginia organized a statewide system of Minute battalions. It was done at Congress's behest but failed as a system of recruitment and defense. Of the 16 Minute districts, only the Culpeper District (Culpeper, Orange, and Fauquier counties) succeeded in raising a full battalion of ten companies. Even there, there were only enough weapons to equip half the men. The Culpeper Minutemen nevertheless played a critical role in Virginia's first military engagements.
“‘Liberty or Death:‘ The Culpeper Minutemen” (Jim Bish, ERW) Jim Bish tells the story of Hampton, Great Bridge, and the Culpeper Minutemen—the one shining success amid the failure of Virginia's 1775 experiment with Minute battalions.
"The 250th Anniversary of the Battle of Great Bridge" (Pat Hannum, ERW) Pat Hannum walks us through Virginia's first combat of the Revolution.
“Eleven Patriot Company Commanders at Great Bridge, December 9, 1775" (Pat Hannum, JAR)
New & Notable
"The Soldiers of 1776: Virginia's 2nd Force Authorization" (Gabe Neville, RV) - When Virginia fully committed to war in late 1775, it authorized 7 new regiments. This how they were organized and how they went to war. Gabriel Neville presenting at Mount Vernon to the Virginia Revolutionary War Roundtable of DC.
"The New Dominion: Virginia's Land in the Northwest" (Gabe Neville, JAR)
"Dunmore County in the Revolution, Part 1: The Committee and the Powder Alarm" (Gabe Neville, RV)
"The Loudoun Resolves" - An annotated transcription of Loudoun County's 1774 declaration.
"Book Review: The Last Men Standing" (Eric Sterner, ERW)
"Alexandria's Tomb of the Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier Honored in DAR Ceremony" (Lisa-Helene Lawson, The Zebra)
"The Mecklenberg Declation of Independence: The Present Status of the Controversy" (Scott Syfert, JAR) - Did Charlotte, North Carolina, declare independence a year before any of the colonies? Scott Syfert's investigation suggests there's more to it than many historians like to admit.
