Category: The American Revolution

Rhodes, Roade, and Roads in the Virginia 1783 Personal Property Tax or 1783 Land Tax List

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Rhodes Benjamin Surry Dist 5 – Nicholas Faulcon
Rhodes Charles Amherst
Rhodes Henry Hampshire List 15 – Michael Stump
Rhodes James Shenandoah
Rhodes John Hampshire List 10 – Michael Gresap
Rhodes John Mecklenburg Cluverius Coleman
Rhodes John Orange Benjamin Grymes
Rhodes John Surry Dist 5 – Nicholas Faulcon
Rhodes Joseph Loudoun Third Battalion
Rhodes Robert Rockbridge
Rhodes Thomas Hampshire List 10 – Michael Gresap
Rhodes William Lunenburg
Roade Henry Rockingham Capt. George Chrisman
Roads Abraham Berkeley Henry Whiting (2nd Bat)
Roads George Berkeley Henry Whiting (2nd Bat)
Roads Jacob Frederick M. Williams
Roads Sholemish ? Berkeley James Nourse (2nd Bat)

Samuel Whittemore, the Revolutionary War’s 78-year-old Badass

On April 19, 1775, after Whittemore killed three of the redcoats, other British soldiers left 78-year-old Samuel Whittemore in a pool of blood alongside a stone wall in Menotomy, Mass. As they retreated from the Battles of Lexington and Concord, they had shot the old farmer in the face. Then they bayoneted him at least six times and clubbed him, apparently, to death, but this is not the end.

Whittemore was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, in 1696, the second son by that name of Samuel Whittemore and Hannah Rix, also of Charlestown. He served as a private in Col. Jeremiah Moulton’s Third Massachusetts Regiment, where he fought in King George’s War (1744–48).[2] He was involved in the capture of the French stronghold, the Fortress of Louisbourg in 1745. He moved to Menotomy, Massachusetts (present-day Arlington). Recent sources suggest he fought in the French and Indian War (1754–63) at the age of 64, once again assisting in the capture of the Fortress of Louisbourg, and later in a military expedition against Chief Pontiac in 1763. None of them offer documentation to support such claims, though a nineteenth century reference mentions that he had served as a “Captain of Dragoons.”


Battles of Lexington and Concord


On April 19, 1775, British forces were returning to Boston from the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the opening engagements of the war. On their march they were continually shot at by American militiamen.
Whittemore was in his fields when he spotted an approaching British relief brigade under Earl Percy, sent to assist the retreat. Whittemore loaded his musket and ambushed the British Grenadiers of the 47th Regiment of Foot from behind a nearby stone wall, killing one soldier. He then drew his dueling pistols, killed a second grenadier and mortally wounded a third. By the time Whittemore had fired his third shot, a British detachment had reached his position; Whittemore drew his sword and attacked. He was subsequently shot in the face, bayoneted numerous times, and left for dead in a pool of blood. He was found by colonial forces, trying to load his musket to resume the fight. He was taken to Dr. Cotton Tufts of Medford, who perceived no hope for his survival. However, Whittemore recovered and lived another 18 years until dying of natural causes at the age of 98

~ In part from wikipedia.org

Revolutionary War Vocabulary

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Here are two examples taken from the post:

Aide-de-camp: a military officer acting as secretary and confidential assistant to a superior officer of general or flag rank.

Jaeger corps: in the German army, one belonging to a body of light infantry armed with rifles, resembling the chasseur of the French army. Sharpshooter. Also Yager and Jager.

Source: www.karenfurst.com/blog/revolutionary-war-vocabulary/

The Boston Coffee Party of 1777

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Alvan Fisher - Coffee clap
The following was recorded in the journal of John Boyle on that date: A Female Riot. ~ About 100 Women from the North-Part of the Town, getting information of a Quantity. of Coffee being in the Store of Thos. Boylston, Esqr. which he refused to sell at the regulated Price, attacked him in King-Street, and demanded the Keys of his Store, which he refusing to deliver, they immediately placed him in a Cart, and threatened to Cart him out of Town, upon which he delivered them the Keys. — A Committee was appointed to keep him Custody while the Body was employed in getting the Coffee out of the Store, which they speedily effected, and went off with their booty.
Writing from Boston, on July 31, 1777, Abigail Adams wrote to her husband John, away attending the Continental Congress in Philadelphia wrote on the account:
“There is a great scarcity of sugar and coffee, articles which the female part of the state is very loath to give up, especially whilst they consider the great scarcity occasioned by the merchants having secreted a large quantity. It is rumored that an eminent stingy merchant, who is a bachelor, had a hogshead of coffee in his store, which he refused to sell under 6 shillings per pound.
“A number of females—some say a hundred, some say more—assembled with a cart and trunk, marched down to the warehouse, and demanded the keys.
“Upon his finding no quarter, he delivered the keys, and they then opened the warehouse, hoisted out the coffee themselves, put it into a trunk, and drove off. A large concourse of men stood amazed, silent spectators of the whole transaction.”

The Battle of Great Bridge Dec. 9, 1775

9 Dec.1775, the Revolutionary War Battle of Great Bridge VA was fought, which was one first battles of the American Revolution in the south. Fighting on the Continental side the 2nd VA Reg., and the Culpeper Minutemen, with Colonel Vail NC men. At least one Rhodes was there, namely, Pvt. William Rhodes of the 2nd Virginia. See: http://rhodesfamily.org/getperson.php?personID=I1&tree=Carls. On the Crowns side was 14th Reg. of Foot, Royal Ethiopian Reg., and Queen’s Own Loyal Virginia Reg. The Continentals where the victors. Was called by some of the time as the second Battle of Bunker Hill. See: http://www.continentalline.org/articles/article.php?date=0003&article=000301

A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier by Joseph Plumb Martin in MP3

Journals from the American Revolution are few and far between, and ones from the common soldier are almost nonexistent. Pvt. Joseph Plumb Martin, was one of latter, that suffered and sacrificed as many of our ancestors had to make the country what it is today. The journal is called “A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier by Joseph Plumb Martin”. It was originally published in the 1830, when Martin was an elderly man, but his diary begins in the early days of the war when he was a young spirited teenager and follows him through to the the war. The journal was lost to history but was rediscovers in the 1950s, after which it has been reprinted in one form or the another since. Thank in part to the internet we can now download the book in its entirety absolutely free. This following link is audiobook but in MP3 format, A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier by Joseph Plumb Martin

A Revolutionary War soldiers Thanksgiving

In my last post I wrote of my favorite book, and one I recommend, the journal of a Revolutionary War Private, called “A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier by Joseph Plumb Martin. The following is an exert of the book where he wrote of a Thanksgiving day celebration of 1777.

While we lay here (in "the Gulf") there was a Continental thanksgiving ordered by Congress; and as the army had all the cause in the world to be particularly thankful, if not for being well off, at least that it was no worse, we were ordered to participate in it. We had nothing to eat for two or three days previous, except what the trees of the fields and forests afforded us. But we must now have what Congress said–a sumptuous thanksgiving to close the year of high living we had now nearly seen brought to a close. Well–to add something extraordinary to our present stock of provisions–our country, ever mindful of its suffering army, opened her sympathizing heart so wide, upon this occasion, as to give us something to make the world stare. And what do you think it was, reader? -Guess.- You cannot guess, be you as much of a Yankee as you will. I will tell you: it gave each and every man half a gill of rice, and a table spoon full of vinegar!!

After we had made sure of this extraordinary superabundant donation, we were ordered out to attend a meeting and hear a sermon delivered upon the occasion. We accordingly went, for we could not help it. I heard a sermon, a “thanksgiving sermon,” what sort of one I do not know now, nor did I at the time I heard it. I had something else to think “And the soldiers said unto him, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, nor accuse any one falsely.”

The preacher ought to have added the remainder of the sentence (from Luke 3:14) to have made it complete: "And be content with your wages.” But that would not do, it would be too apropos; however, he heard it as soon as the service was over, it was shouted from a hundred tongues.

Well– we had got through the services of the day and had nothing to do but to return in good order to our tents and fare as we could. As we returned to our camp, we passed by our Commissary’s quarters; all his stores, consisting of a barrel about two thirds full of hocks of fresh beef, stood directly in our way, but there was a sentinel guarding even that; however, one of my messmates purloined a piece of it, four or five pounds perhaps. I was exceeding glad to see him take it; I thought it might help to eke out our thanksgiving supper; but, alas! how soon my expectations were blasted! The sentinel saw him have it as soon as I did and obliged him to return it to the barrel again. So I had nothing else to do but to go home and make out my supper as usual, upon a leg of nothing and no turnips.

The Food that Fueled the American Revolution

With many of our holidays food makes can make up an essential part of the festive celebrations like Easter’s eggs, and the Thanksgiving turkey, but what of Independence Day? I likely candidate for the 4th of July is a good old cookout of burgers, hotdogs and the like, huh? It is true our forefathers in the American Army during the Revolution would have mostly been cooking over an open fire, but many times the vittles would have been less that appetizing, sometimes nauseating and often nonexistent. With the our enlisted men living on “fire cakes” which was nothing more flour mixed with water, rapped around a bayonet then cooked over an open fire, and meat if they got may be spoiled. The Smithsonian.com has a short article of the food during the war that is worth a look. Remember all what our ancestors suffered and sacrificed for on this up and coming Independence Day.
Here is the link: The Food that Fueled the American Revolution