Green Spring

The Battle of Green Spring, fought near Williamsburg, Virginia, on July 6, 1781, saw British General Charles Lord Cornwallis attempt to ambush American forces under the Marquis de Lafayette. After marching into Virginia and joining with troops under Benedict Arnold, Cornwallis positioned his army near Green Spring Plantation. Lafayette, believing he had encountered the British rearguard, advanced with about 4,000 men, only to realize too late that Cornwallis had arranged a trap.

General Anthony Wayne’s troops struck directly into veteran British regiments under Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Dundas, who drove through the American right with a bayonet charge as light infantry pressed the left. Lafayette ordered a withdrawal, and Wayne’s men fought a short but intense rearguard action before retreating to Richmond. Though technically a British victory, Lafayette’s leadership prevented disaster and kept his army intact. Today, the battlefield is marked near Green Spring Plantation, offering visitors interpretive information about one of the final clashes before Cornwallis moved on to Yorktown.