The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-12-23

! duck" Two years later Governor SPOTS
| Wood awoke the echoes IN PamlicO nd{
] by the thunder Of Lis ships guns TOOK
! captive the famous buccaneer Biack-
/ beard with Pll Ills crew, and the VIZ
| GINA ccmmcdsre, Captain Maynard, en-
| tered James river with the bloody head OF
! the prvatc-chlef stuck on the boWspfit
! OF his ngg-ship.
\ half century Of peaceful and pros.
| porous commerce now interviewed. IN Itf
| a British man-of-war fred q royal saIute
| Of uu-shuttod guns In Norfolk harbor ~
! hO1Cr Of celebration by the cltlIchs OF
! the anniversary Of saint IdinmHh{' the
/ Wtelar saint OF the American colonies.
| Two years Afterwards Jyord DunHOre'
! frantic over the defeat Of Captain For
/ minutc-mcn at Great Bridge, (whcre the
! Confederate troops one hundred years
! later repulsed Burnside's advance under
I GCneTaI Reno, repaired 20 Norfolk with
/ his feet. poured hot shot into the de-
[ fencclcss town and burned II 10 ashes.
( Pursued 10 G"ynne's island on the Ches-
/ apeake by the colonial troops. his vessels
| perforated with avenEing balls from the
outraged sons OF Tammany, his lOrdship
spread, hasty sail for New York thence
/ 70 Albion. and laid eyes no more upon the
HEiild coast But heuceforth during
ithSthy period Of time. the Mother OF
"lrIS ana her tributary children were
20 t'souHd with angry cannonading and
40 4oEc me sides Of hostile vessels.
IN l,Nl the traitor Arnold sailed up
James river 20 Colonel Byrd's plantation
n NestOYer marched 20 Richmond by
1.
( afterwards essayed In vain. and sacked
the town. The following spring q more
formidable fleet under General phillips
landed at city Point. Ohe precursor Oh
the greater invasion a century ldttT) ana
spread az Petersburg the first meshes of
the net in which CORVALLIS himself was
eventually TO be entanglcd During the
ensuing months life on the plantations
bordering The river was fun Of excite
meut and alarm. The masters we're as
THic absent serving in the Continental
armies. and the laws of conquer were
har- hiy applied 30 their families and pro-
perry. supplies were Impressed, the to-
bdccp was stolen ana hundreds Of slaves
were kidnapped by unprinClpled officers
or cutoti away under promises OF free
dom only TO be dcDOrtcd and sold in
NIhd. The destruction of property IN
IdoNator Virginia Appropriated thirty
I'VE millions Of dollars in gold while
thirty thousand negroes were carried off.
But Phillips died IN the old Boiling house
on East Hul I'm Petersburg, La Eayctte's
cannon balls from across the AffOmattoX
disturbing his last hours. exclatming iu
ms last moments, 'They VIII not even
gusted with Aruold's excuses. ordered
him tO take ship and bcgOue to New
YORK, while the former with the main
amy re'rrated down the peninsula be-
tween the James and York rivers. fighting
his pursuers first at williamsburg and
taon. al jamestown island. and halted for
hi- last stand ar Yorktown with head
quarters dt the Temple farm. the former
residence of Governor SpottsWoOd. This
place was, however known in rcvolu-
u"3af. annals as she Moore house and IS
nv this time the waters Of Virginia
were free of British ships except a few
l0 the York river. and soon they were 90
De- white with the sails Of American
transports and French cruisers. While
the Marquis La Fayette held CORVALLIS
fast ina cul de- sac by land, Washington,
after forced march from the Hudson.
accompanied by Count ROchambcan'5
column had embarked his t.copS al the
head of Elkmer and sailed with impunity
down the Chesapeake bay and mp tho
James TO WILLIAMSBURG Mad Anthony
Wayne and General nov governor Mel
SON occupied Norfolk and Portsmouth to
block the path OF escape to North Caro-
lima. The felt of environment was nearly
complete. La FaNettr rubbed his hands
in gee and thanked Heaven for Ne mos
butiful prospect of bag D. cnuemi." Even
the self-C9ntaiucd American commander
betrayed citation Of spirits We'll he might
for constancy and fOrttude were about
- reap as fun reward foa years OF dis
appointment ana disaster
August 18th the American videttes at
ola Point Comfort deserted "a noble spec
tacIe at early morn. For several ddys
ward. Ii was known that the French
feet under DE Grasse had sailed for
Hampton Roads from the West Indies
and II was suspected that Sir Henry
Clinton would dispatch a squadron south
ward from Now YORK 10 the relief of his
holeaguered general So that when M sun
seen 10 Doe dotted with numerous sails
great anNley prevailed lest the British
crulseds should have Outsailed the Mon
siours. A. the hours passed by and the
little specks upon the horizon grew into
towering pyramids of cleaning canvass
and al length sta1-ofhcer arrived upon
the Point with am Old-fashiOued single
baIreled spN-eldss through which the Tiny
speck of color blazing al each masthead
was discovered to Doe Standard Of France
instead of the IuiOuiack of Britain VIII
al.
inland, and ere long swift sloOpe suai
over 70 Norfolk with the glad tidiug-
II was O. great day for our Errat-graud-
fathers,
Meanwhile the stately procession found
no opposition TO its entrance 10 Virginia
waters The only British ships at hand
Gloucester Poirt and were too few In
number ana TOO feeble in armament to
hazard ah encounter. To make sure OF
these, DE Gra-sc detached four first
class frigatcs as a blockading force 10
The mouth OF the York. with The rest of
his fleet the Admiral sought anchorage
In The spacious and protected bay At
Lynn Haven, where ne could convenient
~ be supplied with stores from Norfolk
and whence ne could descend upon the
flank of an enemy attempting 10 pass
inward between Capes Charles and lien
~. Here ne Was visited m state bv his
kXCelleuCy George Washington tO whom
nov attached the dignity OF Marshal OF
tf.ncc as Wen as Of COMMANDMENTS
Chief of the Continental armies. our
great \irElulan was iHHoceHUy fond of
dress ana ceremony and was received
with all The hOnOrS Of naval etiquette AS
Ratuced 10y me polteSt OF all nations
Tie yards We're manned, the rigging was
dressed WIN ndgS among which that of
the new nation was given prominent
place, the marines were formed 40 the
EdnEVdl. and perhaps Tor the first time
I'm history am Official salute from the
guns of "a foreign ship did honor 90 am
American officer. Ia the luncheon which
Followed. though no chronicle of the time
makes mention of the tact. one may be-
cullty played AN important part. Eul |
after the bowling and sCrapiuZ. eating
and tOast-urluklug were over between
the TWO gentlemen in small clothes. silk
e1 W$stco ~ and embroidered coats.
me important business was transacted
For it was at this interview that the
plans were determined which resulted
u the capture of CORVALLIS and his
army
SO back across the roads in his light
sand barge went General Washington, 'Ia
high good humor" saws the ancient re-
cord, and doubtless his noble opponent
slept none the better that night Tor hay
ing heard I'm his narrow quarters an
1oikloMn me cchOcS OF the pedceful
command which hcralded the new cOmbi- |
nation against him.
DE Grasse had indeed come none too
soon. For seven days after mis- arrival, |
previous TO the coming of Washington
and ROchambean, on September 9TH, the |
Brush Admiral tdNNes appeared OF
cape Henry with succor for CORVALLIS. |
The trcnchmdu sailed promptly out TO
sea and a battle enSued win varying
fortunes, but on The whole the victory
Law with De Grasse. For Graves with
drew with the loss OF two ships and
though he lowered about the vicinity for
some days longer, made no further at |
TEMPT to force a passage. The siege OF |