PART THREE
From the march from Byrd’s plantation to Richmond and return.
After General Arnold had collected favorable information form the countryside, and was provided with reliable guides with the help of the Byrds, the corps set out in the direction of Richmond toward evening. I had the advanced guard, which I arranged in the following order, since I did not want to use any flankers at night in order not to reveal the march.
- Four jägers, two of whom marched along the fences on the right and two on the left.
- At a distance of twenty-five paces behind I had six jägers follow in the same manner, where I was myself.
- An officer and twenty jägers at a distance of fifty paces.
- An officer with thirty horse of the Queen’s Rangers at a distance of fifty paces.
- The jägers and Althouse sharpshooters in six platoons at a distance of one hundred paces.
- The light infantry of the rangers.
Since we had to be fearful of ambuscades, especially since the night was very dark, with this information I could never get into disorder if the outermost point fell into an ambuscade, for each group had room to help the other if it was alarmed. I had directed the first four men to let everyone pass through that they met, and in case of emergency to use only their hunting swords.
Colonel Simcoe followed with the mounted rangers, and then came the corps on foot.
The grenadier company of the 80th regiment.
The 80th regiment.
Four light 6-pounders.
Robinson’s Corps
The light infantry company of the 80th Regiment.
An officer with ten horse of the rangers.
We passed the defile of Turkey Island Creek, which cut through two steep heights, over which was a bridge. A half dozen men could have easily defended this pass at night.
Toward midnight a major of the Virginia volunteers with his orderly and two captains gradually fell into my hands, safe and sound. Their horses, which were very handsome, were put to good use among my men on foot. They had their pockets filled with orders from Baron Steuben for assembling the militia. The major had goon out to observe exactly
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where we were in our march. I had marched so quietly that he was quite astonished when several men grabbed his horse by the bridle and knocked him off. Toward morning the corps halted on the left bank of the Four Mile Creek and rested for an hour.
On the 5th, about four or five o’clock, the corps set out again and arrived at Bailey’s Creek, where the enemy had completely demolished the bridge. But it was rebuilt within a half an hour.
Toward two o’clock in the afternoon we reached the heights of Richmond, where several battalions of the enemy with cannon had taken up positions to the left of the town. To the right lay a very steep hill, overground with brushwood, which General Arnold thought was occupied by riflemen. The general pointed there with his hand—“That’s a task made for you!” I deployed at once, formed two ranks well dispersed, and climbed up the hill. The enemy left after firing a volley which wounded one jäger, but three others who had gone too far up the right were captured.
On the crest of the hill, I formed my men as quickly as possible in order to come up with the enemy, who had withdrawn to a wood behind a deep ravine, where he made a new stand. But since I would have had to cross it under his fire, I tried to detain him by skirmishing until more troops came up for my support. On the whole, it was a crucial moment for me. I was on barren, level ground and the enemy could count my men. I discovered that he had no riflemen, but infantry equipped with bayonets. My men appeared to be so tired and worn out that I no longer dared to rely on their legs for a hurried flight. Meanwhile, the firing drew me forward on the left, whereupon this party of the enemy fell back towards Westham. I moved to my left to the main corps, which by this time had dislodged the enemy from Richmond.
Here I ran into Colonel Simcoe, who immediately drew me to one side and asked whether my men were still able to march, since he intended to destroy a cannon foundry and powder magazine of the enemy at Buckingham, three hours from Richmond.
Hereupon I called for volunteers form among the jägers and Althouse sharpshooters, of whom 53 came forward as well as 150 rangers, 9 of the 80th Regiment, and the cavalry of the rangers. This detachment set out at once under Colonel Simcoe.
The colonel then took the cavalry and one hundred foot soldiers, went with them toward Westham in order to cover us, and ordered me to proceed with the rest of the men. I was to destroy as much as possible until his return, for which purpose an artillery officer was given to me. I then tried to attack the place, which lay in a valley close to the left bank of the James River, from all sides. All the people of the foundry fell into my hands, including the inspector and engineer Lieutenant Colonel Baron
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Werneck. This man was a German noble and had served as an artillery officer in the Hanoverian service during the Seven Years’ War.
I had left half the men under arms in the hills, and with the other half I damaged and made unserviceable as much of the machinery and tools I found at the smelter as was possible. During this time the artillery officer blew up the powder magazine, consisting of seven hundred barrels of powder and two mills.
The cannon foundry had been laid out by an Englishman according to the Woolwich plan, whereby much was driven by the aid of a waterfall.
Toward ten o’clock in the evening, Colonel Simcoe sent an officer to me with instructions to fall back to Richmond as quickly as possible. He could no longer hold out, for he had information that a strong American corps was approaching.
I assembled my men at once, of whom two thirds were drunk because large stores of wine and beer had been found in the houses. They were now so noisy that one could hear us two hours away. Meanwhile, I ran into Colonel Simcoe about halfway back, whereupon we withdrew to Richmond, where General Arnold and his men were cantoned in sweet repose. We were quartered here in order to rest up.
On the morning of the 6th, Colonel Simcoe and the light troops moved forward a half an hour and took the post in the direction of Westham. During this time General Arnold set fire to all the magazines and workshops for shipbuilding, which was carried on vigorously here, including all the vessels still on the blocks. Forty-two vessels were loaded with all kinds of merchandise for the corps’ booty and sailed down the James River.
Toward midday, after half the place was in flames, the corps set out for Westover and remained overnight on the left bank of Four Mile Creek.
Early on the morning of the 7th the corps marched off again. But we had not yet marched a half an hour when a report arose that an enemy corps had occupied the pass of Turkey Island Creek in order to cut off our retreat. At the moment when this alarm occurred, an American corps appeared which threatened to attack our rear guard. Colonel Simcoe was immediately ordered to rush with the jägers and rangers to Turkey Island Creek. But we discovered there that it had been a false alarm, originated by people who wished to get us out of the neighborhood quickly. Toward evening the corps arrived back at Westover, where it cantoned quite spaciously in the buildings of Byrd’s plantation.
Since the march took place rather hastily, some sixty men—too fatigued to keep up—fell into the hands of the enemy. Meanwhile, however, the swiftness of the marches, which amounted to fourteen German miles in all, led to the successful outcome, for we had really caused very great damage to the enemy’s magazines. Moreover, we met
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With very little resistance, since the enemy did not expect such an audacious stroke and had divided his forces.
On the whole, this expedition greatly resembled those of the freeboot[illegible], who sometimes at sea, sometimes ashore, ravaged and laid waste to everything. Terrible things happened on this excursion; churches and holy places were plundered.
On the 8th the news arrived that a party of enemy cavalry, about 150 horse, had just arrived at Byrd’s Court House, two good hours form Byrd’s plantation. The colonel immediately took his cavalry and ordered [illegible] to follow with two companies of rangers, in order to surprise this party. The colonel ran into a vedette which fired and withdrew. Following this the rangers charged into the enemy picket, which could hardly [illegible] to their horses. They cut down some thirty men and captured one captain, one lieutenant, and sixteen men. One ranger was killed and three wounded. On the morning of the 9th we returned.
