Battle of Hampton

A recent Revolutionary War reenactment down in Hampton, VA, gave us an opportunity to do more exploring down in the Tidewater/coastal region of Virginia.  

Our own members of the 1st VA Musket Company

We were transported back to 1775, and the 1st Virginia Regiment of the Continental Line was joining several other revolutionary war reenactment groups to take part in the first ever reenactment of the Battle of Hampton. 

This battle was noteworthy in that it was the first battle of the revolutionary war on Virginia soil. Reenacting what was generally a sea battle was also an ambitious undertaking!

Watching for the British Royal Navy

Young Patriot ready for action!

British Royal Navy ships sailed up the Hampton river, intent on burning Hampton to the ground in retaliation for the looting and burning of a British ship that ran aground in the river a couple of months prior.  

The Patriots fought from the shore as the British ships lobbed artillery rounds from the deck of the ship.  

The battle then moved on shore, where the Patriots engaged in close combat on the city streets.  (Technically, this is historically inaccurate because the British never really landed on shore, but the event organizers included the land battle for more exciting spectating and because they wanted to provide a view of what might have happened if the British did make a landing.)  You will notice that much of downtown Hampton is comprised of modern buildings, but there are a few historic structures around town and the encampment Mill Point Park was on an actual historic campsite of the Patriot militia.

Marching off to continue the battle on land

The battle was fierce (and loud!).  The video clips below don't do it justice but will give you the flavor of the battle.

Patriot line (rifles, muskets and artillery)

Artillery fire

Musket fire through artillery smoke

Ultimately, the colonists prevailed and turned the lobster-backs away in defeat, saving the city and solidifying Virginia's resolve to join the list of states taking part in the rebellion.

Mustering for inspection after the battle

Two generations of Patriots, fighting for freedom

Musicians playing period instruments in the encampment

We also took in a few other nearby historic sights while we were down in the Hampton area. 

The St. John's Episcopal Church, established in 1610, is the oldest English-speaking parish in America.  The church pictured below was built in 1728 and is the 4th home for this parish.  It suffered damage in three different wars and has endured many restorations over the years.  We enjoyed wandering around the vast churchyard looking at the many gravestones dating back several centuries.

St. John's Episcopal Church

We also visited "Freedom's Fortress" (a/k/a Fort Monroe), which is the largest stone fort ever built in the United States.  

View down one side of the fort

It's strategically located on Old Point Comfort in the Chesapeake Bay, which has long been recognized as an important location for defense of our nation's coastline.  The first fort was built on this location in 1609, back in the days of John Smith and the Virginia Company.  

View of Chesapeake Bay from the ramparts at the top of the fort

Entrance gate to Fort Monroe

Casemate No. 2, where Jefferson Davis was imprisoned after the Civil War

The stone fortress that stands today was completed in 1831 and earned it's name as "Freedom's Fortress" because of the contraband camps that were set up by Union forces stationed at the fort to shelter slaves seeking freedom during the Civil War.   Despite being in Virginia, the fort never fell out of Union control during the Civil War.  The fort remained a key location in our national defense and an operational fort until it was BRAC'd (closed) in 2011.  

With Colonial Williamsburg and the Historic Triangle only about 20 minutes away (both among our favorite places in VA), we will definitely be making an effort to see more of this beautiful and historic coastal Virginia area in the year to come.