Charles City in Charles City County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Eye Witness to a Revolution

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, March 28, 2009

1. Eye Witness to a Revolution Marker

Inscription. Charles City Courthouse was an eye witness to the American Revolution (1775-1783). Soldiers enlisted here before marching off to join the Continental Army. Local militia encamped on the grounds, and armies marched by throughout the course of the war. The area was even the site of a small battle between Queen’s Rangers and Virginia militia - an engagement that ended in defeat for the patriots. After the war old and disabled warriors and their widows came here to claim bounties and pensions for wartime service.

On January 8, 1781, General Benedict Arnold sent Lt. Col. John Graves Simcoe and the Queen’s Rangers to attack militia encamped at Charles City Courthouse. The Virginia militia, commanded by Col. Dudley, was surprised and fled. One ranger and four or five members of the militia were killed in the engagement.

(sidebar)
Discovery Center
Raverly Going enlisted in the 6th Virginia Regiment of the Continental Army. He died in service, during the northern campaign, and his heirs were awarded a bounty for his service. Would it surprise you to know that he was a free African American?
Correspondence or bounty papers.

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

Courtesy Library of Virginia.

Erected by Charles City Courthouse, Waste Management.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Revolutionary. A significant historical date for this entry is January 8, 1781.

Location. 37° 20.505′ N, 77° 4.353′ W. Marker is in Charles City, Virginia, in Charles City County. It can be reached from the intersection of Courthouse Road (Virginia Route 155) and Watermelon Fields Road. The marker is on the lawn of the old Charles City Courthouse. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Charles City VA 23030, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Coastal Virginia.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Tidewater.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within

American Revolution panel and nearby War Memorial. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, March 28, 2009

2. American Revolution panel and nearby War Memorial.

walking distance of this marker: Veterans Memorial (here, next to this marker); Shifting Ground (a few steps from this marker); Confederate Memorial (a few steps from this marker); John Tyler (a few steps from this marker); Three Courthouse Essentials (a few steps from this marker); America’s 3rd Oldest Courthouse (within shouting distance of this marker); Isaac Brandon Lynched, 6 April 1892 (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Black Political Activism in Charles City (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Charles City.

More about this marker. On the upper left is a "Jean-Batiste-Antoine de Verger water-color drawing of American foot-soldiers during the Yorktown campaign, 1781. Courtesy Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection, Brown University Library."
On the upper right is a page from "Charles City Militia Book. Courtesy Library of Congress." Also on the upper right are portraits of “Gen. Benedict Arnold” and “Lt. Col. Simcoe”.

Credits. This page was last revised on March 3, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 8, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,634 times since then and 36 times this year. Last updated on March 3, 2025, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 8, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.