Revolutionary Virginia

The Shot Heard Round the World

For the 250th Anniversary of Lexington and Concord, here is an old but insightful essay on why the war mattered and how that “shot" really was heard around the globe.

“What Europeans Thought of Our Revolution" (Henry Fairlie, The New Republic, 1988)

The Rifle Companies of 1775

Two companies of Virginia riflemen under Hugh Stephenson and Daniel Morgan were recruited in 1775 and taken directly into Continental service. The marksmen were asked to reenlist for two years into the Maryland and Virginia Rifle Regiment. Most of these men were captured at Fort Washington in November 1776. Some who evaded capture helped form Daniel Morgan's 11th Virginia Regiment during the winter of 1777, and many went into Morgan's Provisional Rifle Corps.

“The Beeline March: The Birth of the American Army." (John Grady, JAR) The rush to recruit and march to Boston.

“Patriot Riflemen During the Ammunition Crisis at the Siege of Boston, 1775," (Hugh T. Harrington, AmericanRevolution.org) What they did when they got there.

“Unit History of the Maryland and Virginia Rifle Regiment (1776–1781): Insights from the Service Record of Capt. Adamson Tannehill" (Tucker F. Hentz, VMHC) A good analysis of the rifle companies from Maryland and Virginia from their origins as independent units through their later service in the Maryland & Virginia Rifle Regiment and Daniel Morgan's Provisional Rifle Corps.

New & Notable

“The War is Here: The Politics of Continental Army Dispositions on the Upper Ohio" (David P. Ervin, JAR) 13th Virginia Regiment recruits were promised they would stay in the west, but they were taken east anyway.

“Crickett Hill and Gwynn's Island: Captain Arundel's Only Fight" (Pat Hannum, JAR)

“Scott's Levies: The Virginia Detachments, 1779-1780" (John Settle, JAR) After the Virginia Continental Line was captured at Charleston, survivors and recruits were thrown together into ad hoc "detachments."

“Revolution Revisited" (VMHC) A new podcast series about the Revolution from the Virginia Museum of History and Culture.

“How a Now-Defunct County in Southwest Virginia Became the First to Declare its Willingness to Fight Britain" (Randy Walker, Cardinal News) The story behind the strongly-worded Fincastle Resolutions of January, 1775.