The Virginia Syllabus
Here are the best books, articles, and other works on Virginia in the Revolution and the Founding Era. Emphasis is placed on the most important, most recent, most complete, and most Virginia-focused books on a given topic. Biographies of Washington and Jefferson are excluded. Out-of-print items may be available at Archive.org or HathiTrust.org. Academic articles often require a (free) subscription to JSTOR.
Colonial Virginia
Warren R. Hofstra, The Planting of New Virginia: Settlement and Landscape in the Shenandoah Valley (Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 2004). This is the best history of the settlement, economy, and culture of the Shenandoah Valley in the 18th century. Half of the 8th Virginia's ten companies came from the Shenandoah Valley.
Klaus Wust, The Virginia Germans (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1969). Like the Scotch-Irish, large numbers of Germans emigrated down the Wagon Road from Pennsylvania to the Shenandoah Valley and many of their sons became soldiers in the 8th Virginia Regiment. This is their story.
Parke Rouse, Jr., The Great Wagon Road: from Philadelphia to the South (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1973). The vast majority of Shenandoah Valley and south-Appalachian settlers came down the Great Wagon Road from Philadelphia after immigrating from Ireland and Germany. The Great Philadelphia Wagon Road extended all the way to Georgia, and the Wilderness Road Branched off of it through the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky. That makes it at least as important as the Oregon Trail. It is also important here because it ran right through most of the counties that raised companies for the 8th Virginia.
Klaus Wust, The Virginia Germans (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1969). Like the Scotch-Irish, large numbers of Germans emigrated down the Wagon Road from Pennsylvania to the Shenandoah Valley and many of their sons became soldiers in the 8th Virginia Regiment. This is their story.
Parke Rouse, Jr., The Great Wagon Road: from Philadelphia to the South (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1973). The vast majority of Shenandoah Valley and south-Appalachian settlers came down the Great Wagon Road from Philadelphia after immigrating from Ireland and Germany. The Great Philadelphia Wagon Road extended all the way to Georgia, and the Wilderness Road Branched off of it through the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky. That makes it at least as important as the Oregon Trail. It is also important here because it ran right through most of the counties that raised companies for the 8th Virginia.
Articles & More
Warren R. Hofstra, “Land, Ethnicity, and Community at the Opequon Settlement, Virginia, 1730-1800." Virginia History of History and Biography. A readable academic look at early Scotch-Irish settlement in the lower (northern) Shenandoah Valley.
Kenneth W. Keller, “The Origins of Ulster Scots Emigration to America: A Survey of Recent Research," American Presbyterians. A useful overview.
Charles E. Kemper, “The Settlement of the Valley," Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. More on immigration into western Virginia.
Walter Allen Knittle, Early Eighteenth Century Palatine Emigration. The start of German emigration to the New World.
Edward Ingle, “Justices of the Peace of Colonial Virginia,"Bulletin of the Virginia State Library. A look at county governance in the colonial era, which can be confusing for modern readers. County-level authorities were essential to militia, state, and even Continental recruiting in the early war.
Richard MacMaster, “Ulster-Scots in Virginia," Discover Ulster-Scots. A good overview of Protestant Irish settlement with a focus on Virginia.
Kenneth W. Keller, “The Origins of Ulster Scots Emigration to America: A Survey of Recent Research," American Presbyterians. A useful overview.
Charles E. Kemper, “The Settlement of the Valley," Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. More on immigration into western Virginia.
Walter Allen Knittle, Early Eighteenth Century Palatine Emigration. The start of German emigration to the New World.
Edward Ingle, “Justices of the Peace of Colonial Virginia,"Bulletin of the Virginia State Library. A look at county governance in the colonial era, which can be confusing for modern readers. County-level authorities were essential to militia, state, and even Continental recruiting in the early war.
Richard MacMaster, “Ulster-Scots in Virginia," Discover Ulster-Scots. A good overview of Protestant Irish settlement with a focus on Virginia.
Anti-Catholicism & the French & Indian War
David Preston, Braddock’s Defeat: The Battle of Monongahela and the Road to Revolution (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015). This is the most recent study of the event that reverberated for decades in the west and deeply impacted the lives of many 8th Virginia soldiers even though few if any were there for it.
Articles & More
David L. Preston, on “Braddock's Defeat," (ERW). The story of the failed campaign that changed Virginia, America, and the world forever.
Pre-War Indian Conflict
Brady J. Crytzer, Guyasuta and the Fall of Indian America (Yardley: Westholme, 2013). An excellent explanation of Native politics and diplomacy in the Ohio Valley on the eve of the Revolution.
Robert G. Parkerson, Heart of American Darkness : Bewilderment and Horror on the Early Frontier (New York: W.W. Norton, 2024). Like the Francis Ford Coppola did in Apocalypse Now, Parkinson adapts elements of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness to investigate imperialism and savagery on the early American frontier, mostly through the eyes of Michael Cresap.
Glenn F. Williams, Dunmore’s War: The Last Conflict of America’s Colonial Era (Yardley, Pa: Westholme, 2012). Dunmore's War was the last colonial Indian war and was personally led by Virginia's last royal governor. A large number of 8th Virginia soldiers saw their first large-scale combat experience in this conflict and it explains a lot about their mindset and attitudes. This well-researched book, along with James Rife's master's thesis on the same subject, are important background for Virginia - especially western Virginia - in the Revolution.
James Rife, “‘So Calamitous a Situation,' The Causes and Course of Dunmore's War, 1744-1774," master's thesis, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Virginia's 1774 war against the Shawnee was conducted at the same time as the First Continental Congress and served as a dress rehearsal for the much larger war that quickly followed.
Robert G. Parkerson, Heart of American Darkness : Bewilderment and Horror on the Early Frontier (New York: W.W. Norton, 2024). Like the Francis Ford Coppola did in Apocalypse Now, Parkinson adapts elements of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness to investigate imperialism and savagery on the early American frontier, mostly through the eyes of Michael Cresap.
Glenn F. Williams, Dunmore’s War: The Last Conflict of America’s Colonial Era (Yardley, Pa: Westholme, 2012). Dunmore's War was the last colonial Indian war and was personally led by Virginia's last royal governor. A large number of 8th Virginia soldiers saw their first large-scale combat experience in this conflict and it explains a lot about their mindset and attitudes. This well-researched book, along with James Rife's master's thesis on the same subject, are important background for Virginia - especially western Virginia - in the Revolution.
James Rife, “‘So Calamitous a Situation,' The Causes and Course of Dunmore's War, 1744-1774," master's thesis, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Virginia's 1774 war against the Shawnee was conducted at the same time as the First Continental Congress and served as a dress rehearsal for the much larger war that quickly followed.
Articles & More
“Glenn Williams on Lord Dunmore's War” (ERW)
“‘Fight and Be Strong,’ the Battle of Point Pleasant, October 10, 1774.” (Mark Wilcox, ERW)
“‘Fight and Be Strong,’ the Battle of Point Pleasant, October 10, 1774.” (Mark Wilcox, ERW)
Troubles in Late Colonial Virginia
Michael Cecere, March to Independence: the Revolutionary War in the Southern Colonies, 1775-1776 (Yardley: Westholme, 2021). This is an important corrective to the traditional Boston- and Philadelphia-centric narrative of the war's early days, providing overviews of events in each of the southern colonies including East Florida, which did not join the rebellion.
Patrick Spero, Frontier Rebels: The Fight for Independence in the American West (New York: W.W. Norton, 2018). This might be the best work to date when it comes to correcting the Boston-centric account of the war's beginning we all learned in school. If armed resistance to the King's soldiers constitutes rebellion, the Revolution started in western Pennsylvania in 1769. Two of the 8th Virginia's companies were raised in Western Pennsylvania, which was claimed by Virginia at the time.
Patrick Spero, Frontier Rebels: The Fight for Independence in the American West (New York: W.W. Norton, 2018). This might be the best work to date when it comes to correcting the Boston-centric account of the war's beginning we all learned in school. If armed resistance to the King's soldiers constitutes rebellion, the Revolution started in western Pennsylvania in 1769. Two of the 8th Virginia's companies were raised in Western Pennsylvania, which was claimed by Virginia at the time.
Articles & More
“How the Stamp Act Did Not Affect Virginia," (Bob Ruppert, JAR) John Adams said the "revolution" was over before the war ever started. Virginia's reaction to the Stamp Act is part of what he was referring to.
“The Virginia Nonimportation Association Broadside of 1770 and Fairfax County: A Study in Local Participation" (Donald M. Zweig, VMHB) The Virginia Association of 1770 was a precursor to the First Continental Congress's Articles of Association (boycott of British goods).
“The Summer of Discontent” (Jim Bish, RV) - An in-depth look at the resolves and resolutions of 1774.
“The Fincastle Resolutions," (Jim Glanville, Smithfield Review). The sentiments of Virginia in 1774 and 1775 are best understood from the various resolves and resolutions written by county committees of safety. Despite its title, Glanville's essay surveys all of the surviving country resolutions.
“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.
“A Posture of Defense: Virginia's Journey from Nonimportation to Armed Resistance" (Michael Cecere, JAR) Virginia crosses the Rubicon.
“Take Them at Their Word: Virginia's Opposition to the Townshend Duties" (Michael Cecere, JAR) Like the Stamp Act, the Townsend Duties further alienated Virginians from Britain.
“Religious Liberty in Virginia: How 'Dissenters' Parlayed Oppression into Freedom" (Alex Colvin, JAR) Baptists and others were treated poorly in Anglican Virginia before the war. Patrick Henry and others persuaded revolutionary leaders to stop discriminating against religious minorities.
“The Westmoreland Rangers and 'The Suffering Fruntears” (Robert Guy, JAR) Events in the West Augusta District from a Pennsylvania perspective.
“The Connolly Plot" (Eric Sterner, JAR) One-fifth of the 8th Virginia's recruits came from the West Augusta District around Pittsburgh, which was then claimed by Virginia. Eric Sterner provides a look at the political intrigue around the frontier's most important fort in 1775.
"Reaction to the 1775 Gunpowder Episode by the Independent Company of Albemarle County" (Bill Reynolds, JAR) "Independent" companies of volunteers from all over Virginia responded to the the Powder Alarm by marching toward Williamsburg. Bill Reynolds tells the story of men from Albemarle County.
Virginia in the Revolution (General)
John H. Gwathmey, Historical Register of Virginians in the Revolution (Richmond: Dietz Press, 1938). This book comes close to achieving the impossible job of creating a comprehensive list of all Virginians known to have fought in the Revolution. It wisely makes no attempt to reconcile duplicate or similar names, necessarily resulting in individual men being listed repeatedly. It gives only very basic information: names, ranks, units and dates. The book is best for Continental and State soldiers for whom rosters were kept and for whom postwar benefits were available. Minute and militia service are spotty at best. The work is available as a two-volume reprint, but is not worth the expense for researchers interested in individual soldiers. Genealogists should look for it in a library.
Michael A. McDonnell, The Politics of War: Race, Class and Conflict in Revolutionary Virginia (Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 2007). More up-to-date and a bit more academic than Selby's Revolutionary Virginia, this book satisfies modern academia's fascination with race and class while also producing very good history.
E.M. Sanchez-Saavedra, Guide to Virginia Military Organizations in the Revolution, 1774-1787 (Richmond: Virginia State Library, 1978). Though it contains a few errors and omissions, this book produced during the Bicentennial remains the best reference for Virginia military units in the war, covering Continental, State, minute, volunteer, and militia. It includes lists of offers (captains and above) and very brief unit histories.
John E. Selby, The Revolution in Virginia, 1775-1783 (Williamsburg: Colonial Williamsburg, 1988). Selby's book is still regarded as the standard history of Virginia in the Revolutionary War. It provides a straightforward narrative of the war.
Michael A. McDonnell, The Politics of War: Race, Class and Conflict in Revolutionary Virginia (Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 2007). More up-to-date and a bit more academic than Selby's Revolutionary Virginia, this book satisfies modern academia's fascination with race and class while also producing very good history.
E.M. Sanchez-Saavedra, Guide to Virginia Military Organizations in the Revolution, 1774-1787 (Richmond: Virginia State Library, 1978). Though it contains a few errors and omissions, this book produced during the Bicentennial remains the best reference for Virginia military units in the war, covering Continental, State, minute, volunteer, and militia. It includes lists of offers (captains and above) and very brief unit histories.
John E. Selby, The Revolution in Virginia, 1775-1783 (Williamsburg: Colonial Williamsburg, 1988). Selby's book is still regarded as the standard history of Virginia in the Revolutionary War. It provides a straightforward narrative of the war.
Articles & More:
“La Petite Guerre and American Indian Irregular Warfare: Siblings, but Not Twins” (Brian Gerring, JAR). Frontier riflemen did not fight "Indian style," but there were similarities.
“Martin Mylin, Gunsmith: Fact or Fancy?” (Steven K. Friesen, Journal of the Lancaster County Historical Society). The origins of the weapon every 8th Virginia man carried in 1776 and early 1777.
“Pennsylvania Rifle: Revolutionary Weapon in a Convention War?" (Neil L. York, PMHB). Rifles were specialized weapons that were almost useless in close combat. Every Virginia regiment had two or more companies of riflemen.
“Martin Mylin, Gunsmith: Fact or Fancy?” (Steven K. Friesen, Journal of the Lancaster County Historical Society). The origins of the weapon every 8th Virginia man carried in 1776 and early 1777.
“Pennsylvania Rifle: Revolutionary Weapon in a Convention War?" (Neil L. York, PMHB). Rifles were specialized weapons that were almost useless in close combat. Every Virginia regiment had two or more companies of riflemen.
The Continental Army (General)
Joseph Plumb Martin, Diary of a Revolutionary War Soldier (various editions). This is the only book on the list that has nothing to do with Virginia, but it is so good and so valuable it needs to be recommended anyway. It is the sole full-length autobiography written by an enlisted soldier. It is a delightful book that should be required reading in every high school. Used editions may be titled Private Yankee Doodle.
Robert K. Wright, Jr., The Continental Army, (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1983). This is a well-researched, detailed, matter-of-fact study of the evolution of the Continental Army with attention to unit origination, state-level contributions, training, and changes over time. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to really understand the Continental Army. It was produced by the U.S. Army's Center for Military History after the Bicentennial. It is still available from the Government Printing Office but may be easier to find used.
Robert K. Wright, Jr., The Continental Army, (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1983). This is a well-researched, detailed, matter-of-fact study of the evolution of the Continental Army with attention to unit origination, state-level contributions, training, and changes over time. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to really understand the Continental Army. It was produced by the U.S. Army's Center for Military History after the Bicentennial. It is still available from the Government Printing Office but may be easier to find used.
1775: Virginia Enters the War
The Virginia State Line
The Old Dominion began with provincial troops in 1775 and 1776, raising 9 regiments before transferring all of them into Continental service. It continued to raise troops for defense of the state throughout the war, including George Rogers Clark's famous Illinois Regiment. Learn more at our dedicated page.
“250 Years Ago: Virginia Starts Down the Road to Revolution” (Jim Bish, ERW) - When the Crown governor dissolved the House of Burgesses for voicing support for Boston, the legislature's members simply went to a tavern and resumed their business.
“The Beeline March: The Birth of the American Army." (John Grady, JAR) - The rush to recruit and march to Boston.
“The Beeline March Begins 250 Years Ago” (Kevin Pawlak, ERW)
“Patriot Riflemen During the Ammunition Crisis at the Siege of Boston, 1775” (Hugh T. Harrington,AmericanRevolution.org) - What they did when they got there.
“‘The Sword is Not Drawn..." The Powder Incident, Lexington and Concord Moves Virginia to Revolution" (Rob Orrison, ERW). Despite cultural differences and the 600 miles between them, Virginia was strongly supportive of Massachusetts when the war broke out.
‘The Virginia Conventions of the Revolution’ (W.F. Dunaway, Jr., Virginia Law Register) - The role of the five revolutionary Virginia Conventions gets glossed over in most histories, despite their very important contributions. The Continental Association, the Association's boycott of British goods, the 1st Continental Congress, the Virginia Declaration of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence all had their origins in or were made possible by the conventions' actions.
“Lord Dunmore's Ethiopian Regiment" (Andrew Lawler, JAR) - The last days of Lord Dunmore and his effort to arm slaves in exchange for freedom.
“The Coming of War in Culpeper, Virginia” (Jim Bish, ERW) - The origins of the Culpeper Minute Battalion.
“Virginia's 1775 Regular Company-Level Military Force Structure" (Pat Hannum, JAR) - A look at early Virginia provincial company organization.
“‘It is Incredible How Much They Dread a Rifle’: Col. William Woodford’s 1775 James River Crossing” - (Pat Hannum, JAR)
“The Seizure of the Virginia Gazette, or Norfolk Intelligencer” (Gerald Holland, JAR) - The day when the Royal Governor seized a Whig newspapers printing press to suppress criticism.
“The Beeline March: The Birth of the American Army." (John Grady, JAR) - The rush to recruit and march to Boston.
“The Beeline March Begins 250 Years Ago” (Kevin Pawlak, ERW)
“Patriot Riflemen During the Ammunition Crisis at the Siege of Boston, 1775” (Hugh T. Harrington,AmericanRevolution.org) - What they did when they got there.
“‘The Sword is Not Drawn..." The Powder Incident, Lexington and Concord Moves Virginia to Revolution" (Rob Orrison, ERW). Despite cultural differences and the 600 miles between them, Virginia was strongly supportive of Massachusetts when the war broke out.
‘The Virginia Conventions of the Revolution’ (W.F. Dunaway, Jr., Virginia Law Register) - The role of the five revolutionary Virginia Conventions gets glossed over in most histories, despite their very important contributions. The Continental Association, the Association's boycott of British goods, the 1st Continental Congress, the Virginia Declaration of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence all had their origins in or were made possible by the conventions' actions.
“Lord Dunmore's Ethiopian Regiment" (Andrew Lawler, JAR) - The last days of Lord Dunmore and his effort to arm slaves in exchange for freedom.
“The Coming of War in Culpeper, Virginia” (Jim Bish, ERW) - The origins of the Culpeper Minute Battalion.
“Virginia's 1775 Regular Company-Level Military Force Structure" (Pat Hannum, JAR) - A look at early Virginia provincial company organization.
“‘It is Incredible How Much They Dread a Rifle’: Col. William Woodford’s 1775 James River Crossing” - (Pat Hannum, JAR)
“The Seizure of the Virginia Gazette, or Norfolk Intelligencer” (Gerald Holland, JAR) - The day when the Royal Governor seized a Whig newspapers printing press to suppress criticism.
The Virginia Continental Line
Virginia transferred all nine of its provincial regiments in to Continental service in 1776, and raised six more Continental regiments in 1777. From this high point of 15 regiments, recruiting became more difficult as the war continued, the units were consolidated three times in 1778, 1779, and 1780. Learn more at our dedicated page.
War in the East in 1776
Edwin C. Bearss, The Battle of Sullivan's Island and the Capture of Fort Moultrie (National Park Service, 1968). This is an older work, authored by legendary National Park Service historian Ed Bearss for the Park Service. Though dated in some ways, it still provides a good narrative. Readers may want to pair it with Mark Maloy's book on Charleston listed below.
William L. Kidder, Ten Crucial Days: Washington’s Vision for Victory Unfolds (Lawrence Twp., NJ: Knox Press, 2018). Published 14 years after David Hackett Fischer's Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington's Crossing, Kidder's book has the benefit not only of Fischer's research but also of the work done by the Battle of Princeton Mapping Project.
William L. Kidder, Ten Crucial Days: Washington’s Vision for Victory Unfolds (Lawrence Twp., NJ: Knox Press, 2018). Published 14 years after David Hackett Fischer's Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington's Crossing, Kidder's book has the benefit not only of Fischer's research but also of the work done by the Battle of Princeton Mapping Project.
Articles & More
Patrick H. Hannum, “Norfolk, Virginia, Sacked by North Carolina and Virginia Troops," Journal of the American Revolution. It was long believed that Lord Dunmore had Norfolk burned to the ground. Who actually did it was not revealed for decades after the war.
Michael Cecere, “Battle of Gwynn's Island: Lord Dunmore's Last Stand in Virginia," Journal of the American Revolution. The final ouster of the royal governor from the Old Dominion.
Michael Cecere, “Battle of Gwynn's Island: Lord Dunmore's Last Stand in Virginia," Journal of the American Revolution. The final ouster of the royal governor from the Old Dominion.
War in the East in 1777
Michael C. Harris, Brandywine: A Military History of the Battle that Lost Philadelphia but Saved America, September 11, 1777 (El Dorado Hills, Ca.: Savas Beatie, 2014). Building on important earlier works by Tom McGuire and others, this is the most recent full treatment of the Battle of Brandywine.
Michael C. Harris, Germantown: A Military History of the Battle for Philadelphia, October 4, 1777 (El Dorado Hills, Ca.: Savas Beatie, 2020). Like his book on Brandywine, Michael Harris's book on Germantown is the latest full treatment and includes some important corrections to our understanding of what happened there.
Michael C. Harris, Germantown: A Military History of the Battle for Philadelphia, October 4, 1777 (El Dorado Hills, Ca.: Savas Beatie, 2020). Like his book on Brandywine, Michael Harris's book on Germantown is the latest full treatment and includes some important corrections to our understanding of what happened there.
War in the East from 1778 to 1779
Mark Edward Lender and Gary Wheeler Stone, Fatal Sunday: George Washington, the Monmouth Campaign, and the Politics of Battle (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2017). The Battle of Monmouth was the 8th Virginia's last engagement before being folded into the 4th Virginia and ceasing to exist. Though some believe it is too kind to Maj. Gen. Charles Lee, this remains the fullest and best treatment of the most important battle of 1778.
The Southern Campaign of 1780-1782
“Colonel Abraham Buford's Virginia Battalion, 1780-1781” (John Settle, JAR)
The Yorktown Campaign of 1781
“Action at Charles City Courthouse—January 8, 1781" (Mark Wilcox, ERW) The Queen's Rangers are fooled by Virginia militia at Charles City Court House.
"Observations Concerning the Yorktown Surrender Documents" (Bill Reynolds, JAR) A close look at what was agreed to in the articles of capitulation, drawn directly from the docuents retained by the two governments.
Demise of the Albemarle Barracks: A Report to the Quartermaster General" (Bill Reynolds, JAR). A prisoner camp or "barracks" was built for the 4,000 British and Hessian soldiers captured at Saratoga near Charlottesville, Virginia. It was evacuated after the British invaded, and quickly deteriorated.
“The French Army in Williamsburg, Virginia, 1781-1782” (Michael Cecere, JAR)
War in the West from 1776 to 1782
Colin G. Calloway, The Shawnees and the War for America (New York: Penguin, 2007). The Shawnee were for decades the primary nemeses of settlers living on Virginia's northwest frontier.
Eric Sterner, Till the Extinction of This Rebellion: George Rogers Clark, Frontier Warfare, and the Illinois Campaign of 1778-1779 (Westholme, 2024). For Virginia, the Revolution was a two-front war. At its end, the Unite States extended to the Mississippi because of the events in this book.
Hammon, Neal and Richard Taylor, Virginia’s Western War, 1775-1786 (Mechanicsburg, Pa: Stackpole Books, 2002). The war in the west did not end in 1783. This book provides an overview of Kentucky settlement and the war in the west through 1786. It has been criticized for some small inaccuracies.
Eric Sterner, Anatomy of a Massacre: The Destruction of Gnadenhutten (Westholme, 2020). Perhaps the ugliest event of the Revolutionary War had nothing to do with American independence.
Eric Sterner, The Battle of Upper Sandusky, 1782 (Westholme, 2023). The last American campaign of the Revolution was far from familiar ground and did not end well.
Articles and More
“Samuel Brady, a Frontier Legend, Rescues Jane Stoops” (Eric Sterner, JAR) - Brady was a courageous patriot, but like many western warriors, it is hard to know what is history and what is legend. Sterner, rightly, does ot let that stop him from telling the story.
The Post-Revolutionary Frontier
Brady J. Crytzer, The Whiskey Rebellion: A Distilled History of an American Crisis (Yardley: Westholme, 2023). Alexander Hamilton's unfair whiskey tax prompted a western tax rebellion that quickly spun out of control. Many Virginia veterans were involved...on both sides.
Gwynne Tuell Potts, George Rogers Clark and William Croghan (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2020). 8th Virginia captain William Croghan married the sister of George Rogers Clark and they lived and the two men worked closely together in Kentucky after the war.
Patrick Spero, The Scientist Turned Spy: André Michaux, Thomas Jefferson, and the Conspiracy of 1793 (Charlottesville, University of Virginia Press, 2024) In 1793, the French recruited Westerners, including Revolutionary War heroes, to join a plot to out the Spanish from Louisiana and found a French vassal state.
Gwynne Tuell Potts, George Rogers Clark and William Croghan (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2020). 8th Virginia captain William Croghan married the sister of George Rogers Clark and they lived and the two men worked closely together in Kentucky after the war.
Patrick Spero, The Scientist Turned Spy: André Michaux, Thomas Jefferson, and the Conspiracy of 1793 (Charlottesville, University of Virginia Press, 2024) In 1793, the French recruited Westerners, including Revolutionary War heroes, to join a plot to out the Spanish from Louisiana and found a French vassal state.
The Empire of Liberty
Biographies
Michael Cecere, A Brave, Active and Intrepid Soldier: Lieutenant Colonel Richard Campbell of the Virginia Continental Line (Berwyn Heights, MD: Heritage Books, 2020). 8th Virginia captain Richard Campbell continued on in service, was promoted twice, and died in battle in 1781. He was Virginia's second-highest-ranking officer to die in combat.
Michael Cecere, Peter Muhlenberg, A Virginia Officer of the Continental Line (Yardley, Pa: Westholme Publishing, 2020). The most recent biography of the 8th Virginia's first colonel celebrates his real achievements and corrects some mythology.
Michael Cecere, Second to No Man But the Commander in Chief, Hugh Mercer (Berwyn Heights, Md: Heritage Books, 2015). From his immigration from Scotland to the French and Indian War and his final service at Princeton, Gen. Hugh Mercer's career parallels the lives of several 8th Virginia men. Mercer was a leading martyr in the American cause and should be better remembered.
Harry M. Ward, Adam Stephen and the Cause of American Liberty (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1989). Not only did Adam Stephen command the 8th Virginia as a major general at Brandywine and Germantown, he was also a neighbor to many of its men in the Shenandoah Valley. (Out of print.)
Harry M. Ward, Charles Scott and the ‘Spirit of ’76’ (Charlottesville, University Press of Virginia, 1988). Another Virginian who rose from private to general, and then to governor of Kentucky, Scott was the 8th Virginia's brigadier general in 1777 and 1778. (Out of print.)
John W. Wayland, The Bowmans: A Pioneering Family of Virginia, Kentucky, and the Northwest Territory (1943; repr. Harrisonburg: C.J. Carrier, 1974). 8th Virginia lieutenant colonel and lieutenant colonel Abraham Bowman is remembered in this book about his service and that of his three equally notable brothers. (Out of print.)
Albert Louis Zambone, Daniel Morgan: A Revolutionary Life (Yardley: Westholme, 2018). Several 8th Virginia men were detached to serve in Morgan's Rifles in 1777. Like Adam Stephen, Morgan lived in the Shenandoah Valley and many 8th Virginia men knew him very well as a neighbor.
Michael Cecere, Peter Muhlenberg, A Virginia Officer of the Continental Line (Yardley, Pa: Westholme Publishing, 2020). The most recent biography of the 8th Virginia's first colonel celebrates his real achievements and corrects some mythology.
Michael Cecere, Second to No Man But the Commander in Chief, Hugh Mercer (Berwyn Heights, Md: Heritage Books, 2015). From his immigration from Scotland to the French and Indian War and his final service at Princeton, Gen. Hugh Mercer's career parallels the lives of several 8th Virginia men. Mercer was a leading martyr in the American cause and should be better remembered.
Harry M. Ward, Adam Stephen and the Cause of American Liberty (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1989). Not only did Adam Stephen command the 8th Virginia as a major general at Brandywine and Germantown, he was also a neighbor to many of its men in the Shenandoah Valley. (Out of print.)
Harry M. Ward, Charles Scott and the ‘Spirit of ’76’ (Charlottesville, University Press of Virginia, 1988). Another Virginian who rose from private to general, and then to governor of Kentucky, Scott was the 8th Virginia's brigadier general in 1777 and 1778. (Out of print.)
John W. Wayland, The Bowmans: A Pioneering Family of Virginia, Kentucky, and the Northwest Territory (1943; repr. Harrisonburg: C.J. Carrier, 1974). 8th Virginia lieutenant colonel and lieutenant colonel Abraham Bowman is remembered in this book about his service and that of his three equally notable brothers. (Out of print.)
Albert Louis Zambone, Daniel Morgan: A Revolutionary Life (Yardley: Westholme, 2018). Several 8th Virginia men were detached to serve in Morgan's Rifles in 1777. Like Adam Stephen, Morgan lived in the Shenandoah Valley and many 8th Virginia men knew him very well as a neighbor.
Battlefield Guides
Phillip S. Greenwalt, The Winter That Won the War: The Winter Encampment at Valley Forge, 1777-1778 (El Dorado Hills, Ca.: Savas Beatie, 2021). The enlistments of the 8th Virginia's original volunteers expired near the end of the Valley Forge encampment. New recruits and those who reenlisted continued on. Part of the Emerging Revolutionary War series.
William R. Griffith IV, A Handsome Flogging: The Battle Monmouth, June 28, 1778 (El Dorado Hills, Ca.: Savas Beatie, 2020). Monmouth was the last engagement for the original 8th Virginia regiment. Part of the Emerging Revolutionary War series.
Mark Maloy, To the Last Extremity: The Battles for Charleston, 1776-1782 (El Dorado Hills, Ca.: Savas Beatie, 2023). Charleston was the site of many 8th Virginia soldiers' first and last major engagements: the Battle of Sullivan's Island in 1776 and the Siege of Charleston in 1780. Part of the Emerging Revolutionary War series.
Mark Maloy: Victory or Death, the Battles of Trenton and Princeton, December 25, 1776-January 3, 1777 (El Dorado Hills, Ca.: Savas Beatie, 2018). About 100 men from the 8th Virginia participated in the Ten Crucial Days as part of detachment serving with the 1st Virginia Regiment. Part of the Emerging Revolutionary War series.
William R. Griffith IV, A Handsome Flogging: The Battle Monmouth, June 28, 1778 (El Dorado Hills, Ca.: Savas Beatie, 2020). Monmouth was the last engagement for the original 8th Virginia regiment. Part of the Emerging Revolutionary War series.
Mark Maloy, To the Last Extremity: The Battles for Charleston, 1776-1782 (El Dorado Hills, Ca.: Savas Beatie, 2023). Charleston was the site of many 8th Virginia soldiers' first and last major engagements: the Battle of Sullivan's Island in 1776 and the Siege of Charleston in 1780. Part of the Emerging Revolutionary War series.
Mark Maloy: Victory or Death, the Battles of Trenton and Princeton, December 25, 1776-January 3, 1777 (El Dorado Hills, Ca.: Savas Beatie, 2018). About 100 men from the 8th Virginia participated in the Ten Crucial Days as part of detachment serving with the 1st Virginia Regiment. Part of the Emerging Revolutionary War series.
Reference
The Revolutionary City (American Philosophical Society)
Revolutionary War Pension Statements and Rosters (Southern Campaigns)
Virginia Gazettes, digitized (Colonial Williamsburg)
Revolutionary War Pension Statements and Rosters (Southern Campaigns)
Virginia Gazettes, digitized (Colonial Williamsburg)