One of the first units raised in western Pennsylvania to serve in the Continental army was a company of riflemen recruited from the area near Fort Pitt claimed by Virginia as the District of West Augusta. This company would be incorporated into one of the two regiments being organized by Virginia in 1775. In August, the Third Virginia Convention had directed the “raising and embodying a sufficient force for the defence and protection of this colony … That there shall be forthwith raised, and taken into the pay of this colony, from the time of their enlistment, two regiments complete….”[1]
George Gibson Appointed Captain
George Gibson was appointed captain of the company of riflemen from West Augusta, which was assigned to the 1st Virginia Regiment commanded at that time by Colonel Patrick Henry. Gibson was born 1747 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.[2] He was a well-respected fur trader at Fort Pitt along with his brother John, both of whom had served in the Virginia militia during Dunmore’s War of 1774.
Gibson’s first lieutenant was William Linn, born 1734 in New Jersey. His family moved to Maryland about 1750[3] and he eventually settled in western Pennsylvania sometime in the 1760s, residing along the Monongahela River at the site of present day Fayette City. Like the Gibson brothers, Linn also served in the Virginia militia during Dunmore’s War and was wounded during a skirmish with the Shawnee at Wakatomika on the Muskingum River.[4]
In late summer 1775, Gibson was busy recruiting his rifle company in the area near Fort Pitt, during which time a number of enthusiastic Native Americans wanted to enlist in his company:
“The Indians appear so friendly that they insisted on enlistg a number of their young men under Capt. Gibson on which the Commrs [Commissioners] for Indian affairs … gave it as their opinion none should be taken…” [5]
The commissioners were at Fort Pitt in September and October of 1775 conducting a conference with Ohio country nations (including the Shawnee, Delaware, Mingo, Seneca, and others). They likely discouraged enlisting any Native Americans because the commissioners were at that time negotiating with the Ohio nations to remain neutral in the conflict between the colonies and Great Britain.
March to Williamsburg
Gibson’s company marched to Williamsburg in the September, October, and November timeframe,[6] stopping at a number of locations, including Winchester, Virginia, to obtain arms, equipment, and supplies. On December 12th, Colonel William Woodford informed the Virginia Convention that Capt. George Gibson and his company of West Augusta riflemen had reached Williamsburg:
“Two companies of choice riflemen have arrived at headquarters this week, who are well armed, commanded by Captain Campbell, of Fincastle, and Captain Gibson, of West-Augusta… As fine men we have here as ever were seen.” [7]
Woodford was writing from the Great Bridge where his 2nd Virginia Regiment recently had defeated a British force under Lord Dunmore on December 9th 1775.
The following day, December 13th, Gibson was issued fabric, buttons, thread, knives, and hats from the Public Store at Williamsburg, including over 200 yards of Osnaburg linen, likely to be made into hunting shirts for the company.[8] Named for the city of Osnabrück, Germany where it originated, Osnaburg was made from flax or hemp fibers in the 18th century.[9] It was a course, inexpensive, but durable fabric primarily used by the working-class and enslaved to make clothing and was equally suited for hunting shirts, which served as an informal uniform for many units, rifle companies in particular, early in the war.
The Public Store at Williamsburg (also known as the Virginia Public Store or Commissary of Stores) was one of several logistics centers throughout the state that supplied Virginia’s military with clothing, equipment, and provisions during the Revolution. Gibson was issued additional supplies from the Public Store on December 16th, 20th, 29th and January 9th, 15th, and 27th, including more fabric, pairs of hose, buttons, hats, shoes, and other supplies.[10]
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Reenactors portraying the 1st
and 2nd Virginia regiments demonstrate drilling exercises that were conducted in Williamsburg during the autumn of
1775. Gibson’s men likely were dressed in similar attire of hunting shirts and
leggings |
Alert at Yorktown
Not long after settling into camp at Williamsburg, Gibson and his company of West Augusta riflemen were dispatched to Yorktown, VA on January 4th 1776. Several ships had been sighted sailing up the York River and officials at Yorktown were concerned that Lord Dunmore’s fleet was coming to cannonade and set fire to the town, which they had done to Norfolk several days earlier. Dunmore’s fleet had opened fire on Norfolk at about 3 o’clock in the afternoon of January 1st, with the cannonade continuing the rest of the day and throughout the night. The British landed a small contingent of troops and set fire to a number of buildings along the waterfront and American troops burned other parts of the city to drive out loyalists and also to prevent Norfolk from being used as a British naval base.
The threat to Yorktown was reported in the January 5th edition of the Purdie Virginia Gazette:
“Yesterday afternoon an express arrived from York, with intelligence that two topmast vessels, and one of a smaller size, had hove in sight, which were suspected to be two men of war and a tender, coming up to cannonade that town; upon which capt. Gibson, with his West Augusta boys, were immediately ordered to reinforce the troops stationed there, and prevent any of Dunmore’s hell-hounds from landing to set fire to the houses. Many gentlemen volunteers likewise went from this city to assist their brethren of York; and our worthy delegates, then sitting in Convention, formed themselves under that old intrepid warrior, col. Andrew Lewis, for the protection of the city. Capt. Gibson had marched but a little distance from town, when he was met by col. Henry, from York, with the agreeable intelligence, that the two large vessels were, one a provision vessel from Corke, deep laden with beef, butter, potatoes, &c. the other from the Grenades, loaded with rum, sugar, and several other necessaries, and the small vessel the brave capt. Barron, carrying them up the river, out o reach of the men of war.” [11]
After learning of the false alarm, Gibson’s company would have returned to the camp at Williamsburg.
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A painting of 1781 Yorktown |
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Tidewater region of Virginia showing Williamsburg, Yorktown,
and Norfolk in red |
Detachment to Jamestown
In early March, a detachment of Gibson’s company was sent to Jamestown Island to locate a new vantage point from which to scout for enemy vessels coming up the James River. They were to secure a location further south from the existing post on the island in order to provide for an earlier warning of enemy forces attempting to land:
“Capt. Gibson will order Subaltern and Sixteen Men to go to James Town To-morrow fore-Noon. They are, if possible, to percure a House Lower Down in the Island than where the men Now are, as they can make a Discovery sooner and Prevent an Enemy from Landing on that Part.” [12]
The location they procured at Jamestown is unknown.
Mutiny in the Williamsburg Camp
The West Augusta riflemen quickly earned a reputation in camp for being rowdy and undisciplined and were sarcastically nicknamed “Gibson’s lambs.” George Gibson’s son, John Bannister Gibson, who would become a renowned Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, described them in his memoirs: “Gibson’s men were for the most part the Wildest kind of frontiersmen, who had never been subjected to any species of discipline. … Their captain had no end of trouble with them, for while they listened to him they obeyed neither him nor any other commander, hence they were jocularly called “Gibson’s lambs.” [13]
An incident that occurred at the Williamsburg camp in early March 1776 may have been the particular event which earned the company its nickname. The disturbance was quickly suppressed by Col. Hugh Mercer, however, the men considered his response to be excessive. Mercer had placed two of Gibson’s company in irons, presumably the ring leaders, and stripped the rest of the company of their arms, placing them on fatigue duty (manual labor). Additionally, if any refused to perform this duty, they too were to be put in irons and if they resisted, were to be shot! These commands were included in the After Orders of March 11th 1776:
“In consequence of the seditious behaviour of some of Capt. Gibson’s Comp’y, two of them were Confin’d, and a General C’t Martial of the Line instituted, the Sentence of which the Comm’d’g officer Totally Disapproved. It is ordered that the Two Prisoners be Laid in Irons, and Remain so, under a proper Guard, till the arrival of Gen’l [Robert] Howe. The Rest of the Comp’y, None-Com’d officers and Rank and File, having Discovered on Sundry occations the Same Seditious and Mutinous Spirit, Shall be Stript of their arms and ammunition, and Put upon Duty of Fatigue under the Direction of the Q’r-Master Gen’l, who shall be Supported in the Execution of his Duty by a Captain's Guard, Properly Furnish’d with ammunition. The Captain of that Guard is to have orders, that if any of these Seditious and Mutinous Soldiers Shall dare to Refuse to Perform the Duty which the Q’r-Master Gen’l Shall direct, such offenders shall be put in Irons, to which Necessary Piece of Duty, if any obstruction arise from the same Mutinous Disposition, the Guards is to fire on the offenders With such Effect as to kill them if possible.
H. MERCER, Col. Third Reg’t.” [14]
Col. Mercer did not disclose the specific “seditious behaviour" committed by Gibson’s men, however, it may have been an incident recounted by Gibson’s son in his memoirs: “Shortly after their arrival in camp, finding the commissariat not up to their ideas, at least as regarded quantity, they proceeded to forage on the farmers on their own account….” [15] Apparently, the ration proportions provided by the commissary were considered inadequate by Gibson’s men and so they took it upon themselves to supplement their provisions by plundering local farms.
“HEAD QUARTERS, March 17, 1776.
General Orders.
COL. Mercer, sensible that he exceeded the line of duty in his treatment of Capt. Gibson’s company, has requested the commanding officer to declare, in orders, that he had no personal Intention in any thing he did, and in this public manner desires to acknowledge he was wrong, and assures the company he is sorry for what happened. The commanding officer is of opinion that this officer like acknowledgment of the Colonel’s ought to be satisfactory to the company.” [16]
“l AM informed that a report has gone abroad much to the prejudice of Capt. Gibson’s company of regulars, whereof I have the honour to be first Lieutenant, and at present command (the Captain being absent) respecting what happened betwixt Col. Hugh Mercer, of the third battalion, and them. Therefore I think it my duty to clear up their characters, and am of opinion that subjoining of General [Robert] Howe's orders, given the 17th of March, will be thought sufficient for that purpose.
WILLIAM LINN.” [17]
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| Dixon and Hunter Virginia Gazette, Mar 30th 1776, pg 3, col 2-3 |
Col. Mercer would have the final word in a letter dated April 10th from Fredericksburg, Virginia, published by the Gazette on April 19th, in which he asserted that his actions were warranted:
Burwell’s Ferry
By early April, Gibson’s men, or perhaps only a detachment of them, were stationed at Burwell’s Ferry landing on the James River near Williamsburg. A member of Gibson’s company, John Polke, had discovered a small boat at Burwell’s Ferry, perhaps while on patrol and published a notice in the Dixon and Hunter Virginia Gazette, seeking the boat’s owner:
“Williamsburg, April 6, 1776.
WAS taken up at Burwell’s Ferry, a small BOAT, which the Owner may have on applying to the subscriber, in Capt. Gibson’s Company, proving his Property, and paying Charges. JOHN POLKE” [19]
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| Dixonand Hunter Virginia Gazette, Apr 6 1776, pg 3, col 3 |
John Polke’s role in Gibson’s company is unclear. Records from the Williamsburg store indicate that he received 24 pair of shoes on December 29th 1775 as part of a requisition of supplies by Gibson, so Polke possibly was a subaltern or non-commissioned officer in the company. He may have been the John Polke who was granted land on Raccoon Creek in 1774, in what would become Washington County, Pennsylvania, and was killed in Foreman’s Defeat along the Ohio River in September 1777 while serving in an independent company of rangers .[20]
Whether Gibson’s company or only a detachment was stationed at Burwell’s Ferry at that time is unknown. On April 14th the Quarter Master-General was ordered to send someone to Burwell’s Ferry to identify quarters for two complete companies (a tavern, storehouse, warehouse, and ferry house were located near the landing).[21] Perhaps Gibson’s entire company was there and about to be joined by another company. They may have been sent to guard the landing following the incident with Col. Hugh Mercer in early March.
Burwell's Ferry landing was a vital port for Williamsburg. In November 1775, it was the site of an early Revolutionary War skirmish in Virginia in which riflemen guarding the landing had fired at British naval vessels on the James River, who responded by bombarding the shore.[22] Two earthen redoubts were later constructed at Burwell’s Ferry to protect the landing and were in work during late April as General Andrew Lewis reported on April 26th 1776: “At Burwell’s Ferry the work goes on expeditiously.” [23]
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Burwell’s Ferry (in red) and the road leading to Williamsburg (in yellow) |
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Close-up of Burwell’s
Ferry - redoubt fortifications can be seen near the riverbank
|
Return to Fort Pitt
In the summer of 1776, Capt. Gibson would return to Fort Pitt and conduct a daring expedition to the Spanish territory of New Orleans in order to procure gun powder for the Virginia frontier. He was provided with letters from the Virginia Convention and General Charles Lee requesting assistance from the Spanish and authorizing him to secure supplies.
Apparently, only Gibson, Linn, and a handful of men from the company returned to western Pennsylvania for the New Orleans expedition. The remainder of Gibson’s men may have been detached to other companies until their enlistments were over in late 1776, such as Elias Tolin, who enlisted with Gibson but was discharged by Captain William Campbell in the fall of 1776.[24]
More to come on Gibson’s gun powder expedition to New Orleans!
[1] Proceedings of the Convention of Delegates March 1775 to July 1776, pg.20, 29 https://books.google.com/books?id=bQEtAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
[3] Beattie, H. P. and Beattie, G. W., Pioneer Linns of Kentucky, Part III, Colonel William Linn-Soldier Indian Fighter, https://filsonhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/publicationpdfs/20-3-4_Pioneer-Linns-of-Kentucky_Beattie-George-William-Helen-Pruitt-Beattie.pdf
[4] Hassler, E. W., Old Westmoreland: A History of Western Pennsylvania During the Revolution (1900), Chapter V, https://www.pa-roots.com/westmoreland/oldwestmoreland/chapter05.html
[5] Francis Peyton (Winchester, VA) to Leven Powell (Loudoun Co., VA), 18 October 1775, https://n2t.net/ark:/81220/w2k06x36m
[6] Journal of the Council of the State of Virginia, Vol 1 (Jul 12 1776 - Oct 2 1777), 15 October 1776, pg, 198, https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924007115037&seq=210
[7] Col. Woodford (Great-Bridge, VA) to the Virginia Convention (Richmond, VA), 12 December 1775, American Archives, Series 4, Vol 4, pp. 244-245. https://archive.org/details/americanarchives04forc/page/n187/mode/1up
[8] Sandor, G. B. (2015). Journal of the Public Store at Williamsburg 1775-1776, pgs. 57, ISBN: 9780990609803
[9] What is Osnaburg? https://blog.americanduchess.com/2013/03/what-is-osnaburg.html
[10] Sandor, G. B. (2015). Journal of the Public Store at Williamsburg 1775-1776, pgs. 58, 60, 66, 71, 74, 79; ISBN: 9780990609803
[11] Purdie Virginia Gazette: Jan. 05, 1776 (supplement) https://research.colonialwilliamsburg.org/DigitalLibrary/va-gazettes/VGSinglePage.cfm?IssueIDNo=76.P.03&page=2
[12] ORDERLY BOOK OF THE COMPANY OF Captain George Stubblefield, FIFTH VIRGINIA REGIMENT, Collection of the Virginia Historical Society, New Series, Vol. 6, https://www.wikitree.com/photo.php/c/c0/Men_of_the_5th_Virginia_Regiment_Continental_Line.pdf
[13] Memoirs of John Bannister Gibson, late chief justice of Pennsylvania https://digital.library.pitt.edu/islandora/object/pitt%3A31735056287570/viewer#page/24/mode/2up
[14] ORDERLY BOOK OF THE COMPANY OF Captain George Stubblefield, FIFTH VIRGINIA REGIMENT, Collection of the Virginia Historical Society, New Series, Vol. 6, https://www.wikitree.com/photo.php/c/c0/Men_of_the_5th_Virginia_Regiment_Continental_Line.pdf
[15] Memoirs of John Bannister Gibson, late chief justice of Pennsylvania https://digital.library.pitt.edu/islandora/object/pitt%3A31735056287570/viewer#page/24/mode/2up
[16] ORDERLY BOOK OF THE COMPANY OF Captain George Stubblefield, FIFTH VIRGINIA REGIMENT, Collection of the Virginia Historical Society, New Series, Vol. 6, https://www.wikitree.com/photo.php/c/c0/Men_of_the_5th_Virginia_Regiment_Continental_Line.pdf
[17] Dixon and Hunter, Mar 30 1776, pg. 3, col 2-3 https://www.virginiachronicle.com/?a=d&d=VGNG17760330.1.3
[18] Purdie, April 19 1776, pg 4, col 1, https://www.virginiachronicle.com/?a=d&d=VGGZT17760419.1.4
[19] Dixon and Hunter, Apr 6 1776, pg 3, col 3 https://www.virginiachronicle.com/?a=d&d=VGNG17760406.1.3
[20] Kester, John G., Charles Polke: Indian Trader of the Potomac, 1703-1753, Maryland Historical Magazine, Winter 1995, pg. 459, https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc5800/sc5881/000001/000000/000361/pdf/msa_sc_5881_1_361.pdf
[21] ORDERLY BOOK OF THE COMPANY OF Captain George Stubblefield, FIFTH VIRGINIA REGIMENT, Collection of the Virginia Historical Society, New Series, Vol. 6, https://www.wikitree.com/photo.php/c/c0/Men_of_the_5th_Virginia_Regiment_Continental_Line.pdf
[22] Kingsmill Plantation, National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form, Historic American Buildings Survey, prepared by Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission, March 1972. https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/VLR_to_transfer/PDFNoms/047-0010_Kingsmill_Plantation_1972_Final_Nomination.pdf
[23] Gen. Andrew Lewis to Gen. Charles Lee, April 26th 1776, The Lee Papers, Vol 1, pg. 452, https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.31822027356377&seq=470
[24] Pension application of Elias Tonlin (S37492) https://revwarapps.org/s37492.pdf
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