March 1776 – The Spring of Growing Discontent
United Colonies
The siege of Boston ended as General Washington fortified Dorchester Heights and placed a good portion of the artillery which Henry Knox brought from Fort Ticonderoga in a commanding position overlooking Boston overnight March 4-5, 1776. British General Howe is said to have exclaimed, “My God, these fellows have done more work in one night than I could make my army do in three months” on March 5.
On March 17, 1776, the British loaded approximately 9,900 troops and 1,100 Loyalists aboard 120 ships to leave Boston for Halifax, Nova Scotia.
March 3-4, 1776, the Continental Navy and Marines under the command of Essek Hopkins conducted their first ever amphibious and combat mission, landing 200 Marines in Nassau, Bahamas, capturing two forts and a supply of gunpowder and other military munitions. After two weeks they departed with these much-needed supplies for the Continental Army in New England.
During March of the same year, Continental Congress made several appointments of general officers, appointed Benjamin Franklin to head a diplomatic mission to Canada, passed a resolution permitting privateers to attack British shipping, and issued a resolution calling for a day of “humiliation, fasting, and prayer” (set for May 17) across the Colonies to seek divine favor amid the conflict.
Virginia
On March 1, 1776, Congress appointed Andrew Lewis of Botetourt County as Brigadier General in the Continental Army’s “Virginia Line.” The Virginia Line was those regular Army troops of the colony under the command of the Continental Army. During the Revolution, Massachusetts and Virginia provided the largest contingents of troops to the regular Continental Army. Three types of troops were raised in Virginia during the Revolutionary War, Continental troops, State troops and County militias.
On March 6, 1776, the ship “Liberty” first appeared in the records of the Committee of Safety as part of the Virginia Navy. She began life as a square‑stern schooner of about 60 tons and was outfitted with 10 two-pound swivel guns. The Liberty had a crew of 22 under the command of James Barron of Hampton.
In the absence of a formal legislature, the Committee of Safety, led by Edmund Pendleton, governed the colony. They spent March frantically raising money, procuring gunpowder and supplies, as well as organizing the Virginia Line to reinforce the Continental Army. Through the network of local Committees, they were also conducting surveys of military age men for potential military service.
Botetourt County
On March 12, 1776, the County Court, comprised of Gentlemen Justices Benjamin Estill, Philip Love, William McClenachan, Adam Smyth and Andrew Woods met in Fincastle. They took up matters having to do with roads. They ordered William Kinnin, John Aiken and John Blackburn to survey and report as to whether a bridle way could be made from Camp Union (near current Lewisburg, W.Va.) to the mountain. In a separate order they appointed Edward Springer and Thomas McAdam Smyth to oversee the road from Breckinridge Mill on Catawba Creek over the mountain.
Numerous deeds were recorded at the Court House during March 1776. Among them were transfers of land from Benjamin and Catharine Estill to William Christian of 344 acres on the James River; from James Neelly to William Neelly (James’s son) of 48 acres on the Roanoke River; from James and Elisabeth Millikin of 44 acres on the Cowpasture River to William Griffith; from James McAfee to Luke Pryor of 32.5 acres on the north side of the James; and from David Robinson to Thomas Rutledge of 620 acres on both sides of the Goose Creek branch of the Roanoke River.
Particular land transfers of note are that from the Executors of James Patton, William Thompson and William Preston, to James Gilmore of 120 acres on the Cedar Fork branch of the James River. Cedar Creek is the stream that carved out and flows beneath the Natural Bridge. Today we recognize Gilmore’s Mill as that area on the current Botetourt/Rockbridge County line where the historic home Annandale and Alpine Farms are located.
A second transfer of note is that from James Neelly to Jane Love (wife of Philip Love) consisting of 200 acres on the Roanoke River. It was highly unusual for women to own property at this time and could only be done so under certain circumstances
~ Submitted by Ed Holt, Historic Research Chair, Botetourt Preservation Partnership
