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New Kent County - Four Centuries of Historic Driving Tours Lafayette and Cornwallis 1781 Driving Tour
In February
1781, General George Washington sent the Marquis de Lafayette south with a
picked force of 1,200 New England and New Jersey troops to counter British
forces under Benedict Arnold. This small command was to be complemented by 1,200
French troops. The young
Marquis faced Cornwallis’s much larger force, but Lafayette proved to be a
good strategist in avoiding defeat while harassing his formidable opponent to
withdraw to Yorktown. In early May
1781, Lafayette with an army he termed “not strong enough even to be beaten”
moved to Bottoms Bridge to be in a position to protect Richmond and
Williamsburg. Meanwhile
Cornwallis moved into Virginia from North Carolina reaching the Chickahominy
River at Bottoms Bridge just behind Lafayette Cornwallis
then moved east, again through Bottom’s Bridge, arriving at New Kent
Courthouse on June 23 followed by Lafayette who passed through on June 25.
Both Cornwallis and Lafayette stayed at Bird’s Tavern near New Kent
Courthouse. In July and
August 1781 when Cornwallis was carrying on raids to the west of New Kent,
Lafayette shadowed him, blocking his route north should the British decide to
seek reinforcements. Cut off from
the main British force in New York, Cornwallis moved east to occupy Yorktown.
Lafayette again passed through New Kent Courthouse to camp at Montock
near present day West Point. It was during
this maneuver that Lafayette received help from James, a slave on the New Kent
Armistead farm, who pretended to serve Cornwallis in Yorktown, but was sending
valuable military information to Lafayette and Washington.
James later adopted the name James Lafayette, and lived on his own farm
in New Kent County Throughout his operations in
Virginia, Lafayette traveled through New Kent County crossing the Chickahominy
River several times at Bottoms Bridge and camping at Providence Forge and New
Kent Courthouse. When it was
apparent that Cornwallis was going to stay at Yorktown, Lafayette notified
Washington and the Yorktown campaign was launched bringing an end to British
rule of the colonies. Lafayette's
Campaign in Virginia
Virginia Indians - Virginia's First People Captain
John Smith Capture and Travels 1607-08
Driving
Tour
Copyright 1998-2008 by Stran L. Trout |
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