William Woodford of Virginia (October 6, 1734 – November 13, 1780), southern aristocratic plantation owner, was born to a prestigious family of military tradition. At the very start of the American Revolution, he commanded the 2nd Virginia militia during the Battle of Great Bridge, resulting in a decisive victory labeled the southern Bunker Hill. Among the first brigadiers commissioned in the Continental Army, he joined Washington and led his men of the Virginia Line in some of the war’s most crucial battles. At Brandywine Creek, his regiment sustained heavy casualties, including Woodford, who returned to duty quickly to command his men at the Battle of Germantown. He led his men to distinction at the Battle of Monmouth, which proved to be the Continental army’s ‘coming of age’ as professional soldiers. In 1780, one month after the Virginia Line arrived to reinforce American troops at Charleston, S. Carolina, Woodford and his men were among the over 5,000 soldiers forced to surrender. For the next several months, while waiting for exchange, Woodford faced nightmarish horrors languishing on one of the infamous prison ships anchored at New York City. There, at the age of forty-six, he joined fifteen other American generals who, during the war, perished from disease or other non-battlefield causes; six additional generals would be killed in action.
Early Life
William Woodford was born on October 6th, 1734, to Major William Woodford (c. 1700 – 1755) and Anne Cocke (1704-1744) in Caroline County, Virginia. Woodford’s father emigrated from England to Essex County Virginia (later Caroline County, established 1728) around 1700. The senior Woodford, like his father and father before, was a professional soldier; a Major in the British army who later was designated Colonel of the Caroline County militia. A good friend of Virginia’s Royal Governor Alexander Spotswood, the father was among the fifty select men of influence who accompanied Royal Governor Alexander Spotswood on his Knights of the Golden Horseshoe Expedition (Aug. 29 – Sept. 10, 1716) that crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Shenandoah Valley, this to encourage settlements in what was then wilderness.
Major Woodford acquired large land holdings and built an estate named Windsor on the Rappahannock River near present day Fredericksburg, Virginia. A member of the aristocratic class of southern planters, Major Woodford’s plantation acquired several slaves to grow tobacco on a large scale. The father was also engaged in merchant shipping. His first two marriages produced no children and only by his third wife, Anne Cocke, married in September, 1722, were five sons born; General William Woodford being the eldest.
Seven Years War (French and Indian War)
Born into wealth and the expectations of a southern gentleman, especially as the eldest son, young Woodford followed in the steps of his father. When senior Woodford died in June, 1755, William, aged 21, took over the plantation. Within a month, on July 9, 1755, British General Braddock’s Expedition was soundly defeated by a combined French and Native American force. This defeat rallied Virginia colonials to enlist in local militias, fearing Native American attacks and invasion by the French. Subsequently, Woodford enlisted in the Caroline County militia. By 1756, as the war raged, Woodford helped organize a company of volunteers for Colonel George Washington’s Province of Virginia Regiment.
Under Washington’s supervision, in 1756 and 1757, the Virginia regiment constructed Fort Loudoun, at present day Westchester, Virginia. The fort became Washington’s headquarters which he named for John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun, Governor General of Virginia in command of all British forces in America. Loudoun was highly influential with whom Washington sought favor; hoping for a commission in the British army. Woodford served as his company’s ensign and later, in 1761, was promoted to lieutenant.
Woodford accompanied Washington and the regiment during Brigadier John Forbes’ Expedition in 1758 to capture French held Fort Duquesne (present day Pittsburg). This is evidenced by a letter Woodford and other officers of the regiment signed on December 31, 1758, in appreciation of Washington’s leadership, after learning that Washington had resigned his commission as their colonel.
Woodford remained with Washington’s former command and was present in 1760 when the regiment was called upon to rescue the garrison at Fort Loudoun (or Loudon, also named for the Earl of Loudoun); at the head of the Tennessee River near present day Knoxville. British and colonial militias constructed forts in the Cherokee nation to counter French construction of fortifications. Fort Loudoun was constructed by South Carolina militiamen in 1757 and was garrisoned by colonials and British regulars. Hostilities broke out between the once allied Cherokee and British Colonies in 1759. Friction between the two parties (encouraged by French diplomacy) spiraled into sporadic back country violence and escalated into an outright war.
On March 20, 1760, the Cherokee attacked the fort of around 200 defenders and settled into a long siege. In June, 1760, a British force of 1,300 regulars under General Archibald Montgomerie failed to rescue the fort. Meanwhile, Colonel William Byrd III, influential planter, led the Virginia militia, including Woodford’s regiment, down the Holston Valley in Virginia to rescue the besieged garrison. Their progress was slow; never having reached the fort in time. The garrison, without food and limited ammunition, surrendered on Aug. 8th. While retreating under the terms of surrender, the garrison was ambushed at Cane Creek. Those not killed or captured scattered into the forest. Only one British officer survived the deadly assault.
Woodford’s regiment remained with Colonel Byrd’s force along the North Carolina, Tennessee frontiers of the Cherokee Nation. In November of 1761, a peace settlement was signed between the Cherokee and Byrd’s men at Long Island of the Holston (Holston River in eastern Tennessee). This was the last action Woodford and his regiment would see in the war. Woodford remained with the regiment until it was disbanded in the early months of 1762, returning home to his plantation at Windsor.
Marriage and March to War
In the spring of 1762, Woodford returned home to his estate and on June 26th, promptly married Mary Thornton (1743 – 1792) of Spotsylvania. Mary was the daughter of George Washington’s first cousin Mildred Gregory. This alliance of prominent Virginian ‘southern plantation class’ families earned Woodford Washington’s attentive ear; the two developing a long and lasting friendship. Mary and William were to have two sons, John (1763-1845) and William (1766-1820).
As relations between England and the colonies worsened, Woodford, along with many of the southern elite, aligned with the patriot cause. In 1774, Woodford became a member of the county’s Committee of Correspondence, early provincial assemblies to unify the colonies. The next year, from July 17th to August 9th, he sat as Edmund Pendleton’s alternate in the third Virginia Convention; there would be a total of five Conventions. On August 17th, Woodford was appointed colonel of the 2nd Virginia Provincial Regiment; Patrick Henry led the 1st Regiment.
In 1775, conditions worsened between British and patriot colonials; both sides digging in their heels. The spark that torched open conflict, the Battle of Concord and Lexington, April 19th, also ignited open hostilities in Virginia between the patriotic elite and Royal Governor John Murray, Lord Dunmore. As Dunmore concentrated his British regulars and loyalist militia around Norfolk, conditions worsened in New England. The Battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775, was a turning point in which many believed there was ‘no going back;’ war was imminent. With open hostilities spreading throughout the colonies, it was only a matter of time before British forces clashed with Virginia militiamen in numerous skirmishes.
The key to Dunmore’s hope to retain Virginia for England lay in maintaining control of the King’s Highway, the economic breadbasket between North Carolina and Virginia. This road led through a critical junction at Great Bridge, that spanned the Elizabeth River. Woodford’s 2nd Regiment was sent to defend and or claim the region for the patriot cause and, if successful, drive Dunmore out of Norfolk and Virginia. Though Patrick Henry, as commander of the 1st regiment, was senior in command of Virginia militia and rightfully, should have commanded troops dispatched to Great Bridge, saner heads thought it prudent not to send a politician when a military commander was needed. While Henry steamed in Williamsburg, nursing his wounded pride, Woodford marched his men down to Norfolk. Interestingly, when the Continental Army was later reorganized and Patrick Henry was not given command of the Virginia Line, the man who claimed “Give me Liberty or Give me Death,” chose the liberty to put pride before country. He resigned to stay home while many of his fellow Virginians marched to face death in the name of true liberty.
Battle of Great Bridge and Continental Army
Early December, 1775, Woodford arrived at Great Bridge and constructed a fortification across the road just south of the bridge and causeway. On the other side of the bridge and northern causeway sat Fort Murray (named for Lord Dunmore), hastily built by the British. The two sides spent a week facing each other before Dunmore decided to attack. On December 9th, Captain Samuel Leslie, leading the 14th Foot, ordered the 14th Grenadiers under Captain Charles Fordyce to attack the earthworks. Believing the barrier to be lightly defended, the Grenadiers charged. They were met with a sheet of lead as nearly 800 militiamen stood and opened fire, tearing into, and cutting down wide swaths of the charging British. Captain Fordyce fell just feet from the earthwork with no less than fourteen bullets riddling his body. It was a resounding victory for Woodford and the beginning of the end for Governor Dunmore.
Over the next several months, Dunmore’s large fleet of over a hundred ships remained off the coast of Virginia. After shelling Norfolk, Royal Governor Dunmore still believed he could launch another attack to reclaim his control over the colony. Militiamen under Colonels Woodford and Andrew Lewis continued to harass Dunmore each time he attempted to establish a firm footing on Virginia soil. By July, 1776, Dunmore gave up and sent most of his fleet to the Caribbean. The rest sailed to New York City where he joined British General William Howe’s invading army.
Resigns Command and Later Promoted to Brigadier
In January, 1776, Congress designated that a total of nine Continental Regiments would be raised in Virginia. On February 13, 1776, Woodford was commissioned colonel of the 2nd Virginia Continental Regiment. In March, 1776, Colonel Andrew Lewis, a close former military friend of Washington, was promoted to Brigadier. By the fall of 1776, Woodford’s fellow Virginia regimental commanders, Colonels Hugh Mercer and George Weedon, had been commissioned Brigadier Generals. When it soon became obvious to Woodford that he had been passed over for promotion, he resigned and returned home.
Meanwhile, in December, 1776, his regiment was ordered to join Washington’s army in New Jersey. The regiment marched to Baltimore, Maryland, where it was equipped and then dispatched to Maryland’s Eastern Shore to suppress local Loyalists. They eventually arrived in Philadelphia for clothing, and finally joined the Main Army as part of Weedon’s Brigade in Greene’s Division. By then, the number of Virginia Regiments increased from nine to fifteen, requiring reorganization and additional brigades and Brigadiers to command. On February 21st, 1777, Congress appointed Woodford as Brigadier General. He would lead the First Virginia Brigade of The Virginia Line – 3rd, 7th, 11th, and 15th Continental Regiments. The esteemed southern gentlemen accepted and returned to active duty.
Battles of Brandywine Creek and Germantown, Valley Forge
At the Battle of Brandywine Creek, September 11, 1777, the 7th Virginia Regiment, with Woodford present, was subjected to a galling fire and literally cut to pieces. At this action, several accounts list Woodford as severely wounded; however, he had received a wound to the hand and three weeks later, was commanding his troops at the Battle of Germantown, Oct. 4, 1777. Here again, his Battalion was in the think of things and by all accounts, served with distinction. After Germantown, the British army settled into winter quarters in Philadelphia and by December, Washington established his winter camp along the Schuylkill River, approximately twenty-five miles northwest of the city at a place called Valley Forge. Here the two armies kept a close eye on each other while clashing from time to time during foraging parties and intelligence gathering raids.
At Valley Forge, due to lack of funds and supplies, the Continental army struggled to remain a coherent, fighting unit; every day was a challenge just to survive, (Though it was far worse two years later at Jockey Hollow’s main army winter camp in Morristown, NJ). Washington and his generals did not give up hope. Diplomats Benjamin Franklyn and John Jay in Europe were actively recruiting military talent. Foreign experts in proper drill and fighting tactics arrived to train the troops; men such as Baron von Steuben and Baron DeKalb. So too, the army was reorganized in January. Regiments that had been decimated by war, sickness, and ending enlistments were reformed. New regimental numbers were assigned and brigade and divisional commands were reordered.
This reordering also required new rankings; and there, as they say, was the rub. The famed Virginia Line began in 1775 with two provincial regiments whose enlistments were short term; 1st and 2nd Regiments. In January, 1776, Congress and the Virginia Convention increased the Line to nine regiments whose enlistments were over by year’s end; numbered 1 through 9, Brigadier Generals John Muhlenberg and George Weedon brigade commanders. On September 16, 1776, Congress authorized the colonies to raise an army of eighty-eight infantry regiments to serve the duration of the war. Virginia added six more regiments; the Virginia line now numbered 1 through 15. With this increase of regiments, so was the need restructure brigade and divisional commands. Renowned historian and Pulitzer Prize Washington biographer Douglas Southall Freeman wrote that at Valley Forge, Woodford quarreled over the relative ranks of fellow Virginians; former Anglican priest General Muhlenberg, and former innkeeper, General Weedon. Freeman described it as a “clash of jealous and ambitious men.”
Battle of Monmouth and Comb’s Hill
Prior to the Battle of Monmouth, June 28, 1778, Woodford’s 3rd Brigade remained n Greene’s Division. Woodford’s command had not changed since his general commission; 3rd, 7th, 11th, and 15th Regiments. In June of 1778, he had four six-pound cannon assigned to his brigade. The artillery was led by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Antoine de Mauduit du Plessis; a twenty-five-year-old Frenchman and artillery expert who had distinguished himself at the Battles of Germantown and Redbank.
On June 18th, 1778, after nine months of occupation, British Commander-in-Chief, General Henry Clinton, evacuated Philadelphia. Ten days later, Washington’s army, after a hastened chase, caught up with Clinton’s rear guard in Monmouth County, New Jersey. When Clinton attacked, the American advance guard met the assault. It was commanded by General Charles Lee who had recently been exchanged and rejoined the army. Lee panicked and abruptly retreated his force. Washington was furious when he met up with Lee, removing him from the field and taking command to rally his men. When the Continental army’s main body reached Tennent’s Meeting House, about two miles east of Englishtown, Washington ordered Major General Nathanael Greene to dispatch one of his brigades to cover the army’s right flank.
Greene ordered the 3rd Brigade under Woodford, along with du Pleissis’ cannon, to take position. Weedon was guided by a young Lieutenant Colonel David Rhea of the 2nd New Jersey Militia. Accounts vary as if Washington sent Rhea to lead Woodford’s troops, or if Wooden ran into the officer. Rhea was a local resident, having grown up on the farms in which the battle was taking shape. In fact, the British position turned out to be on half of his father’s property. Rhea directed Woodford to Comb’s Hill, arriving at 3 PM. Woodford saw that it was high ground which offered a clear view overlooking the British left flank. So too, it was easily defendable; protected on three sides by a swampy stream. Du Plessis’ four six-pound cannon arrived at 3:30 PM and were immediately unlimbered.
Du Plessis’ crew opened with an enfilading fire against the British left line at what has been labeled the hedgerow. It put the English troops in a crossfire between ten or more cannon under Washington and the four cannon with Woodford. British commander Clinton’s only hope was to eliminate du Plessis’ cannon. For that, his men would have to cross open farmland, then a swampy area at the base of the hill, before fighting their way up Comb’s Hill against the veteran Virginia 3rd brigade. Clinton decided the attempt was too costly and began to withdraw his forces. But the Americans were not done.
General ‘Mad’ Anthony Wayne’s brigade attacked, forcing Clinton to send his 1st Grenadiers and the 33rd Foot, General Charles Cornwallis’ pride regiment, forward to push Wayne back. As Wayne’s attack faltered and began to retreat, the British came on, but now were within range of du Plessis’ six-pounders. It was 5:30 PM and the assaulting British were once again subjected to the intense fire from Comb’s Hill. The British infantry faltered and the troops finally retired from the field. The battle had been fought in temperatures over one hundred degrees, resulting in many dead from heat stroke. With both sides exhausted, the British carried onto New York City, while Washington, content with victory, rested his men on the field of battle.
Charleston
After Monmouth, Woodford’s Brigade served in General Lafayette’s Division, stationed at White Plains, New York. He and his men would spend the 1778-1779 winter patrolling the Westchester County region of New York, considered a ‘no man’s land’ between the American and British forces occupying New York City. Woodford’s brigade would remain in the White Plains region throughout 1779; however, on December 13th, he received orders to march to Charleston, South Carolina to reinforce the southern army under Major General Benjamin Lincoln. Intelligence indicated British Commander-in-Chief General Henry Clinton intended to sail a large force to attack the city. Washington decided to send the Virginia Line, over two thousand veterans under Woodford’s command.
General Clinton’s army sailed for Charleston from New York with nine thousand infantry troops. He arrived in February, 1780 and began an immediate siege of the city. Meanwhile, the Virginia Line had begun its grueling eight-hundred-mile march to Charleston. Remarkable, is that they did so during the harshest winter conditions of the entire war; the winter of 1779-1780 recorded no less then twenty-eight snow storms. During their four-month trek south, Woodford’s command would be reduced drastically by expired enlistments, sickness, and desertions. By early March, 1780, Woodford’s command reached Petersburg, Virginia. There he received a correspondence from General Lincoln detailing his army’s grave situation, writing “[I] request that you would leave your wagons and spare baggage and hasten your march to this town. Your speedy arrival is most ardently wished for…”
On March 8th, Woodford’s Virginia Line set off in a forced march for Charleston, over four hundred miles distant. Treading an average of nearly twenty miles a day, the Virginian troops covered the distance in just twenty-eight days. Woodford had written to Washington during their slog that “I hope we shall still be there in time to be useful.” On April 7, Woodford arrived at Charleston with 750 troops remaining under his command. The British had nearly encircled the city, leaving only the Cooper River open. The Virginians boarded boats and landed at Gadsden’s Wharf at 2 pm to the cheers of the citizenry. Woodford wrote, “The garrison appears in high spirits, and our arrival seem’d to give them fresh confidence.” One of the defenders, noting the new arrivals, commented that they “wear the appearance of, what they are in reality, hardy veterans.”
Surrender, Prison Ships and Death
As for General Lincoln’s command, as they say, even with the addition of the Virginia Line, it was too little too late; the ship had already sailed. Clinton quickly tightened the noose and cut off Charleston completely from any further supplies or reinforcements. Outnumbered two to one with no hope of relief, Lincoln decided the game was up. He surrendered the entire American force of over five thousand troops on May 12th. The loss of men and equipment was the largest in the war, twice that than the disaster at Fort Washington on 16, 1776. Captive officers were often treated reasonably well while they waited for exchange. Not so for rank-and-file prisoners who found themselves on prison ships anchored in Charleston’s harbor. Of the five thousand or so prisoners of war rowed out to the rotting hulks, over eight hundred would die of disease and malnourishment the first year.
In this instance, many of the officers found themselves confined on these prison ships while they waited for exchange. General Woodford was no exception; however, he was later transported to New York City and found himself confined to the prison ship Packet. It was one of sixteen such ships anchored at New York City’s Harbor; the worst nightmare being the Jersey. Subjected to the horrid conditions of these death pits, Woodford’s health declined. On November 13, 1780, his body gave up. Woodford was buried at Trinity Church in New York City with full military honors.
Aftermath
On October 13, 1789, the Virginia Assembly honored William Woodford by naming a Kentucky County in his honor. Woodford County in Illinois would also be named in his honor by pioneers who relocated there from Versailles, Woodford County Kentucky. His son John Woodford would serve in the Virginia House of Delegates beginning in 1802. By way of extension, the Woodford Reserve Distillery, which bottles fine Kentucky bourbon, is named for William Woodford; its distillery is in Versailles, Woodford County, Kentucky.
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RESOURCE
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