The Battle of Great Bridge - Norfolk, VA December 1775

Guest Blogger: Barbara Blythe

Today we welcome special guest, Barbara Blythe who is celebrating her new historical romance release, Far Grander Than Paradise. Welcome, Barbara!

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Picture a sleepy, farming village in December 1775, situated on the edge of the Great Dismal Swamp. Residents aren’t decorating Christmas trees—it’s not yet a custom in colonial Virginia—nor wrapping lavish gifts for Christmas morning as their means are modest. In the village of the Great Bridge, located along the Great Road (Battlefield Blvd. in modern day Chesapeake, Virginia) Lord Dunmore, the royal governor, having forbidden the Burgesses to meet has recently been pushed from Williamsburg by mounting unrest. He has commanded British soldiers to construct a fort along a southern branch of the Elizabeth River, a waterway that leads to the port town of Norfolk. Dunmore has decided to send his troops, composed of those belonging to the 14th Regiment of Foot, emancipated enslaved men belonging to Dunmore’s Ethiopian Regiment, and the Queen’s Loyal Regiment comprised of local loyalists and formerly indentureds, to engage the Patriots. Had you been a witness to those events, you would likely have thought any patriot force foolish enough to confront the British were lacking in sense. But...

For the past two years, I’ve volunteered at the Great Bridge Battlefield and Waterways History Museum as a docent, and I discover something new about this battle nearly every time I step inside the building. I have discovered what many considered untrained, undisciplined though zealous patriots, inferior to highly trained and seasoned British soldiers, surprised everyone. Not in a skirmish or minor ambush, but in an orchestrated attack.

Map of Great Bridge and Fort Murray

After escaping Williamsburg, Dunmore sought refuge on a British naval ship and sailed to Norfolk. The governor knew that many of the town’s residents were loyal Scots (Dunmore was Scottish) and would support his efforts on behalf of King George III. Tensions mounted through the fall of 1775 at which time, the British 14th Regiment summoned from St. Augustine, Florida to assist Dunmore, arrived. Hence, the necessity of a fort built along a navigable strip of the Elizabeth River. The Great Road village had prospered from its location near the river and the fact the area claimed the only passable land route taking one from northeastern North Carolina and terminating in Norfolk—and vice versa—without using a ferry or crossing shallow waterways on horseback or wheeled conveyance.

British Fort

By early December 1775, the British had taken up residence in the hastily constructed fort, having grown in number to approximately 600 men. Dunmore, certain his force would have little trouble subduing the patriots, underestimated the number assembled by the opposing force—nearly 900 in total. He also underestimated the marksmanship and superior rifles the patriots had brought to the battle, of note the Culpepper Minutemen, waving their battle flag proclaiming “Don’t Tread on Me” which bore the image of a snake.

Lord Dunmore

When December 9, 1775 dawned, Lord Dunmore commanded his troops to advance, the 14th Regiment the first line to march toward the Patriots. As they reached the wooden bridge, sentries from the patriot side confronted them, among their number a freed black man, William Flora, from Portsmouth, Virginia, who’d volunteered to fight with the patriots. He and his companions pulled boards from the bridge to restrict the soldiers’ progress. Eventually only Flora remained, firing numerous shots at the advancing British force. But once across the bridge, the British encountered a problem far worse than a sentry shooting at them. The narrow strip that connected the bridge to the village, a causeway, was narrow and limited the progress of the British as they collapsed to six men across to fit within the fourteen feet of width provided by the causeway. Surrounded on all sides by swampy wet lands—marsh, reeds, muck, and mire—the 14th Regiment faced a deadly assault from the riflemen protected by breastworks across the southern end of the causeway.

The battle lasted thirty minutes. The British retreated to the fort and by that evening had marched back to Norfolk. It was a Patriot victory no one expected.

Why was this win a major turning point in the pursuit of freedom from England? News of the victory spread throughout the colonies and across the Atlantic. Throughout the colonies the realization that obtaining independence from Great Britain was more than a dream. And that dream became reality, but not without extreme sacrifice. We should all value the efforts of those 900 men who gathered along the Great Road and the Great Bridge 250 years ago.

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ABOUT BARBARA:

   Bitten by the writing bug in sixth grade, Barbara was further encouraged in middle and high school. Upon graduating from college, she was in banking for 25 years and later, was an administrative assistant with a local school system. Life events altered Barbara’s dreams—unfinished manuscripts ended up in a file cabinet for many years. In 2023, after retiring, she joined a local ACFW group and dusted off her unfinished manuscripts with hopes of bringing to life fascinating historical stories. 

     Barbara’s priority is to honor God and share her commitment through her writing. Her stories are faith-driven, entwining actual historical events with her characters who discover love in spite of all that threatens to drive them apart. 

     Previously published novels are: Fire Dragon’s Angel, Ransom for Many, and Dance of Life. Newest release: Far Grander than Paradise. Website: https://www.barbarablythebooks.com/