Timeline of Revolutionary Era Events

• Dr. William Cabell dies at Liberty Hall in Warminster, Virginia, leaving 28 living descendants living in five plantations along both sides of the James River (Cabell homes). When the Revolution comes, all four of his sons and seven grandsons answer the call for American independence.
• Sons William, Joseph, John, and Nicholas join the Patriot cause, alongside grandsons William Jr., Robert, John Horsley, Samuel Jordan, Landon, and Joseph Jr.—a family united in the fight for freedom.

• After the adoption of the Virginia Association, counties across Virginia form local committees—often called committees of inspection and observation—that turned revolutionary policy into day-to-day action by monitoring and enforcing the Continental Association (boycotts and trade rules), investigating and publicly calling out violations or Loyalist behavior, and—especially as war began—coordinating local security, supplies, and militia readiness, effectively acting as a bridge/“shadow government” as royal authority broke down.
• William Cabell chairs the Amherst committee and John Cabell chairs in Buckingham.

• • Upon hearing that Dunmore has moved the gun powder, a volunteer militia from Amherst County, led by Capt. James Higginbotham, Lt. Joseph Cabell, and Ensign Nicholas Cabell gather at Nicholas Cabell’s home, Liberty Hall, and begin their march to Williamsburg to recover it. They join Patrick Henry and march to Williamsburg together.

• Just outside of Williamsburg, rather than attacking, Henry demands compensation for the gunpowder removed by Lord Dunmore.
• Royal officials pay for the gunpowder, and the militia peacefully goes home. Virginia proves it will stand up to British authority—even if it means taking up arms.

• In Amherst County, two minutemen militias are formed—one under Capt. Nicholas Cabell and 3rd Lt. Robert Horsley, and another under Capt. Gabriel Penn; their flag reads “Virginia for Constitutional Liberty” and “Buckingham District,” with daily pay set by rank.
• In Rockfish Gap, VA, Capt. Nicholas Cabell and Capt. Gabriel Penn lead their militias to train with other local units near Afton Mountain, and after two weeks they began their march to Williamsburg.

• Richmond, VA: William and Joseph Cabell attend the Fourth Virginia Convention again held at Henrico Parish Church as it is a safer location to meet.
• The meeting focuses on defensive measures, including dispatching the Second Virginia Regiment to the outskirts of Norfolk and enlarging Virginia’s armed forces from two to nine regiments.

• After the Second Continental Congress voted on December 28, 1775 to raise Virginia’s troop quota, the Virginia Convention approved the increase on January 11, 1776.

• To meet the new requirement, Virginia authorized dozens of new companies, forming the Virginia Line that would march north to join General Washington’s army.

• Read more about the Continental Army here.

• Williamsburg, VA: William and John Cabell attend the Fifth Virginia Convention, meeting in the House of Burgesses Chamber.
• John Cabell is appointed to the Virginia Committee of Correspondence, which coordinates Virginia’s grievances and communications in  response to British actions.

• Later in the session, the Convention unanimously adopts a resolution instructing their delegates to the Continental Congress to introduce a motion declaring the colonies “free and independent states.”
• They also adopt the Virginia Declaration of Rights, the state’s first written constitution, and elect Patrick Henry as the first Governor.

• As chairman of the Amherst County Committee of Safety, William Cabell enforces revolutionary policies and manages local government from late 1775 to mid-1776. The Committee acts as Amherst County’s executive authority after Royal Governor Dunmore flees Virginia, maintaining order and supporting the war effort during this transitional period.
• When Virginia adopts its first state constitution on June 29, 1776, the Committee of Safety is no longer needed. The new constitution creates a formal government with an elected governor and legislature, replacing the emergency committee system with permanent, constitutional governance based on independence rather than British authority.

• Our understanding of the Cabell family’s Revolutionary War homefront is drawn largely from the preserved journals of William Cabell Sr.—the day-to-day record of one man whose careful notes offer a rare window into how wartime pressures shaped ordinary family life.
• In these journals, the Revolution’s homefront is not heroic scenery; it is families coping with absence, shortage, unstable money, and the unending work of keeping life going.

On the Homefront

• Saratoga, NY: Captain Daniel Morgan’s Riflemen including Samuel Jordan Cabell are sent to Major Horatio Gates forces near Stillwater and battle for victory over the British at the Battles of Saratoga on October 7.
• Morgan’s Riflemen play a key role in the Second Battle of Saratoga in which they stopped General Burgoyne’s advance leading to his surrender on October 17.
• This secures a turning point that brings French support to the American cause.
• Saratoga Campaign (Coming Soon)

• After leaving winter quarters at Valley Forge, George Washington’s army attacks British forces retreating across New Jersey.

• Although indecisive, the engagement forces the British to continue retreating and boosts American confidence.

• • For the rest of the war, Virginia faces persistent danger and growing demands on its militia. In July 1779, William Cabell and others travel to Amherst Court House to organize and divide the county’s militia under an Assembly act calling out men for the Commonwealth’s defense.

• Governor Thomas Jefferson on December 4, 1779 authorizes the formation of a student artillery company—often called the William & Mary College Company—composed of students, faculty, and local volunteers.

  
  
  

• After the fall of Charleston, the war in South Carolina became a brutal, civil-war-like partisan struggle—British forces held the main towns and outposts, while Patriot militias and leaders fought guerrilla-style campaigns across the backcountry, with control of the state constantly shifting.

• On 23 Feb 1781, William Cabell provides Capt. Young Landrum with two well-fitted smoothbore guns for his militia.
• Four days later, William Cabell spots Capt. Landrum and his militia of about 80 men marching South past Union Hill to join Nathanael Greene near the mouth of the Tye River. He hears the remainder of the lower battalion was sent more than 50 miles out of the way to Harper’s Ferry and Moore’s Ordinary in Prince Edward County to rendezvous.

• William Cabell records his frustration in his diary, writing, “Strange orders and conduct when the enemy are almost at our doors.”

• 12 May 1781, William Cabell, Sr. sets out to attend the Assembly in Richmond and stops at the home of George Carrington (Boston Hill, Cumberland County) where he learns the Assembly has adjourned to meet in Charlottesville on May 24.
• He returns home on 13 May 1781.

• William Cabell, Joseph Cabell, and John Cabell travel about 40 miles to attend the General Assembly meeting at Swan Tavern in Charlottesville. At the opening session of the assembly a letter is read read from Gen. George Washington requesting supplies of men, arms, ammunition and clothing for southern army.

• June 3, 1781 (Sunday evening): Jack Jouett Jr. is near Cuckoo Tavern in Louisa County when he spots Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton’s cavalry moving out on a fast strike toward Charlottesville.

• Recognizing a surprise attempt to seize Virginia’s leaders, Jouett rides about 40 miles through the night on back roads to reach Charlottesville on the morning of June 4th and spread the warning of Tarleton’s approaching cavalry to Thomas Jefferson at Monticello and the Legislature at Swan Tavern.

• Upon receiving the warning, the House resolves to adjourn until Thursday, June 7 and to meet in the Town of Staunton. The legislatures remove to Staunton or go home immediately.
• Tarleton’s cavalry reaches Charlottesville but arrives too late, narrowly missing Jefferson and the majority of Assembly members.

William Cabell, Sr. remains at Union Hill. This is unusual for him to be tardy for attendance on the opening day of the Assembly meetings. In his diary, he does not record a reason for remaining at home.

• William Cabell, Jr. succeeds in raising a substantial local force.
• His roster of this mobilization includes five captains, six lieutenants, three ensigns, and 277 non-commissioned officers and privates.
• After providing local defense for about 2 weeks (during Jefferson’s visit) this force continues in active field service—joining Capt. Morrison’s Company and marching to reinforce Honorable Major-General the Marquis de Lafayette during the Virginia campaign of 1781.

• Jefferson prepares to leave Col. Rose and records a few transactions in Amherst including paying for whiskey at Capt. Martin’s (16/) and making at payment at Amherst Courthouse (£30)
• On June 13, 1781 Jefferson leaves with his family for his home, Poplar Forest.

• July 1781: Marquis de Lafayette follows Charles Cornwallis eastward as the British army move toward the Tidewater, closely shadowing it while deliberately avoiding a major engagement.
• Amherst volunteers: Capt. Morrison’s company from Amherst County, serving under Meriwether and Lafayette, is placed at the front as a guard for the artillery.
• Near Jamestown: Before daylight, the unit marchs to the vicinity of Jamestown and discovers that Cornwallis has already taken shipping; they remain on a nearby hill for two to three days. The company then marches to Malvern Hill, where it remains until being discharged at the end of August.
• Early August 1781 – Yorktown: Cornwallis establishes a fortified base at Yorktown, beginning major fortifications around August 2 as he seeks a defensible coastal position.
• Containment: Lafayette deployes his forces around the Virginia Peninsula, cutting off British foraging parties and effectively containing Cornwallis by land while coordinating with incoming French naval and army forces.

• September 28, 1781 — Yorktown, Virginia: The Siege of Yorktown begins as American and French forces under George Washington and Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau complete their march, encircle Yorktown, and cut off the British by land.

• Cabell family presence: Joseph Cabell commands a militia regiment during the siege. Attached to his command is the College of William & Mary student company, which includes his son Joe (19) and Landon Cabell (16), youngest son of William Cabell. Nicholas Cabell also leads a militia unit including William Cabell Jr.

• October 19, 1781 — Yorktown, Virginia: Charles Cornwallis and his army surrender to George Washington, bringing the siege to an end.

• October 29, 1781 – Union Hill: William Cabell, Sr records in his diary  “Killed my stag and invited company to rejoice on the surrender of Cornwallis and his Army. On the 27th instant (Oct 8) Cornwallis and his Army surrendered to his Excellency General Washington.”

• The Treaty of Paris (1783) was signed on September 3, 1783, in Paris formally ending the Revolutionary War
• Britain acknowledged the United States as “free, sovereign and independent.”