Author: Patrick H. Hannum

Dr. Patrick H. Hannum served twenty-nine years as a U.S. Marine and sixteen years as a civilian professor at the National Defense University, specializing in Phase II Joint Professional Military Education. He is a member of the Sons of the American Revolution based on the service of his fifth great-grandfather, James Hannum, in the Pennsylvania Militia and is a frequent contributor to the Journal of the American Revolution.
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The Battle of Gwynn’s Island

The Battle of Gwynn’s Island, also known as the Battle of Cricket Hill, was fought on July 9–10, 1776, between Patriot forces and the forces of Virginia’s last royal governor, John Murray, fourth earl of Dunmore. After being driven from Norfolk and Portsmouth, Dunmore established a base on Gwynn’s Island in the Chesapeake Bay, where disease and dwindling resources weakened his force of British regulars, Loyalists, and formerly enslaved Black troops. Patriot soldiers under Brigadier General Andrew Lewis constructed artillery batteries opposite the island and opened fire on July 9, damaging several vessels and forcing Dunmore and Royal Navy commander Andrew Snape Hammond to evacuate. When Patriot troops crossed to the island the next day, they found evidence of a devastating smallpox outbreak that had killed hundreds of Dunmore’s supporters, including many members of Lord Dunmore’s Ethiopian Regiment. The battle ended Dunmore’s attempt to maintain a military foothold in Virginia and effectively marked the collapse of royal authority in the colony during the American Revolution.

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The Battle of Hampton (October 26–27, 1775)

The first fighting of the Revolutionary War south of Massachusetts occurred on October 26–27, 1775, in Hampton. British naval forces under the command of Matthew Squire entered Hampton Harbor intent on bombarding and burning the town in revenge for the burning and looting of a Royal Navy tender that had gone ashore during a hurricane. Squire’s assault was met by determined opposition from Patriot forces, including riflemen from the Culpeper District Minute Battalion under the command of Colonel William Woodford, who arrived from Williamsburg early on the morning of October 27 after riding all night in a rainstorm. British and Loyalist forces withdrew after suffering multiple casualties, while the Patriot forces recorded no casualties and Hampton emerged largely unscathed. The Battle of Hampton increased the animosity between white colonists and royal governor John Murray, fourth earl of Dunmore, and emboldened Patriot leadership.

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The Burning of Norfolk

In 1775, Norfolk had a population of about 6,250, making it the most populous community in Virginia and the sixth-largest city in British North America. With its access to the Chesapeake Bay and numerous rivers reaching into Virginia, the flourishing settlement played a key role in maritime commerce and possessed strategic military importance. After going down to defeat at the Battle of Great Bridge, British and Loyalist forces under royal governor John Murray, fourth earl of Dunmore, relocated to a flotilla in Norfolk Harbor. In mid-December 1775, Norfolk was occupied by Patriot forces under the command of Colonel Robert Howe. After being harassed by Patriot troops and refused provisions for the flotilla, the British fleet opened fire on the Norfolk waterfront at about three o’clock on the afternoon of January 1, 1776. As the bombardment continued, Patriot troops, fueled by copious supplies of abandoned alcohol and encouraged by their commanders, torched the largely abandoned city, which had long challenged the influence of the colony’s planter-enslaver elite. After three days, about two-thirds of the city had been destroyed. On February 6, the Virginia Committee of Safety ordered the burning of the remainder of the city to prevent it from falling into British hands. However, the Patriots’ narrative that the city had been destroyed by the British prevailed, helping build support for the revolutionary cause over the next few months.

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The Battle of Great Bridge

The Battle of Great Bridge, fought on the morning of December 9, 1775, was the first major battle of the American Revolution (1775–1783) in Virginia and a significant victory for early Patriot military mobilization. Virginia’s Patriot government ordered a regiment of soldiers to cross from Williamsburg to the south side of the James River to attack and destroy the forces of the royal governor, John Murray, fourth earl of Dunmore, and secure Norfolk and Princess Anne counties. The armies converged in the village of Great Bridge in Norfolk County on the causeway and bridge crossing the Elizabeth River. Fearing reinforcements from North Carolina, Dunmore instructed his forces to attack the entrenched Patriot forces on the south end of causeway. Forced to attack six men abreast on the narrow bridge, the British 14th Regiment took devastating fire from the front and flank, and the attack collapsed. The surviving British forces retreated to warships in the Elizabeth River, with Dunmore having abandoned the strategic borough of Norfolk and the Patriots having been emboldened in their campaign to oust him from Virginia.

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