https://www.abbevilleinstitute.org/blog/the-midnight-ride-that-saved-jefferson-and-henry/
40 mile ride by this 6'4" man
"...Jouett was a captain in the Virginia militia and was deployed outside of Charlottesville, Virginia. Late in the night on June 3, 1781, Jouett was sleeping in front of a famous watering hole — the Cuckoo Tavern. He and his unit were bivouacked on the lawn of the building when they were awakened by a sound of several horses approaching the location quickly.
As Jouett roused himself, he saw a large number of “White Coats,” the name given by locals to the British dragoons under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Banastre ‘the Butcher” Tarleton, a notoriously brutal man sent by Lord Cornwallis to retake Virginia as part of the wider British “southern strategy” to isolate the South from the rest of America and win the war piece by piece.
To Jouett’s surprise and shock, the Butcher himself rode at the front of the White Coat force, composed of 180 dragoons and 70 mounted infantry ready to carry out their commander’s orders with precision and ferocity.
Jouett instantly understood the reason for the British presence at the Cuckoo Tavern: to capture Governor Thomas Jefferson (and likely hang him for treason for having written the Declaration of Independence) and to disrupt the deliberations of the Virginian legislature.
Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and the other “rebels” in the Virginia General Assembly were meeting in Charlottesvlle, just 40 miles from where the British cavalry stood surrounding Jouett and his small detachment of the Virginia milita.
Most of that force was deployed up north, fighting with George Washington, leaving the lawmakers of the Old Dominion — including Jefferson and Henry — practically undefended and helpless in the face of Tarleton’s mounted force of British regulars.
Jouett realized what he had to do: He had to find a way to evade Tarleton and the scouts he undoubtedly deployed along the road to Charlottesville and warn Jefferson and the others to flee from what would be a sure slaughter and likely the hangman’s noose.
Just before midnight on June 3, 1781, Jack Jouett set out on his horse (described as “the best bred and fleetest of foot of any nag in seven counties”) to cover the more than 40 miles between the Cuckoo Tavern and Charlottesville.
Jouett rode through the middle of the night and through the thick and tangled backwoods of Virginia. The trail was rough and the mission was critical.
Jouett and every other patriot understood that the capture of Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry would be not only devastating for the American morale, but also a powerful public relations coup for Cornwallis and the crown that he served.
Narrowly escaping capture on several occassions, Jouett rode with urgency through the nearly impassible byroads and Indian trails he was forced to travel..."
40 mile ride by this 6'4" man
"...Jouett was a captain in the Virginia militia and was deployed outside of Charlottesville, Virginia. Late in the night on June 3, 1781, Jouett was sleeping in front of a famous watering hole — the Cuckoo Tavern. He and his unit were bivouacked on the lawn of the building when they were awakened by a sound of several horses approaching the location quickly.
As Jouett roused himself, he saw a large number of “White Coats,” the name given by locals to the British dragoons under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Banastre ‘the Butcher” Tarleton, a notoriously brutal man sent by Lord Cornwallis to retake Virginia as part of the wider British “southern strategy” to isolate the South from the rest of America and win the war piece by piece.
To Jouett’s surprise and shock, the Butcher himself rode at the front of the White Coat force, composed of 180 dragoons and 70 mounted infantry ready to carry out their commander’s orders with precision and ferocity.
Jouett instantly understood the reason for the British presence at the Cuckoo Tavern: to capture Governor Thomas Jefferson (and likely hang him for treason for having written the Declaration of Independence) and to disrupt the deliberations of the Virginian legislature.
Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and the other “rebels” in the Virginia General Assembly were meeting in Charlottesvlle, just 40 miles from where the British cavalry stood surrounding Jouett and his small detachment of the Virginia milita.
Most of that force was deployed up north, fighting with George Washington, leaving the lawmakers of the Old Dominion — including Jefferson and Henry — practically undefended and helpless in the face of Tarleton’s mounted force of British regulars.
Jouett realized what he had to do: He had to find a way to evade Tarleton and the scouts he undoubtedly deployed along the road to Charlottesville and warn Jefferson and the others to flee from what would be a sure slaughter and likely the hangman’s noose.
Just before midnight on June 3, 1781, Jack Jouett set out on his horse (described as “the best bred and fleetest of foot of any nag in seven counties”) to cover the more than 40 miles between the Cuckoo Tavern and Charlottesville.
Jouett rode through the middle of the night and through the thick and tangled backwoods of Virginia. The trail was rough and the mission was critical.
Jouett and every other patriot understood that the capture of Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry would be not only devastating for the American morale, but also a powerful public relations coup for Cornwallis and the crown that he served.
Narrowly escaping capture on several occassions, Jouett rode with urgency through the nearly impassible byroads and Indian trails he was forced to travel..."
posted from Bloggeroid
No comments:
Post a Comment