Virginia played a decisive role in the fight for independence, from the fiery debates in Williamsburg to the climactic Siege of Yorktown. Its people, lands, and resources shaped the course of the Revolution and helped secure America’s ultimate victory.
Explore the many guided tours of The Liberty Trail
Tarleton, active in the Southern Campaign, came to be known as the ‘butcher’ after Continental soldiers accused his dragoons of disregarding a Patriot surrender by attacking the Americans after they laid down their arms at the Battle of Waxhaws.
In 1779, after a stalemate in the north, Cornwallis went south as second in command to Sir Henry Clinton. Clinton captured Charleston in May 1780. Cornwallis pressed on to defeat General Horatio Gates at Camden, South Carolina, on August 16, 1780.
A career military officer under the French crown, the Comte de Rochambeau led 5,500 French troops to North America to aid in the Patriots' fight for independence from Britain.
Anthony Wayne, dubbed "Mad Anthony," was a bold Revolutionary War general, key in victories like Stony Point and Fallen Timbers. His fiery reputation earned him his nickname. He died in 1796 in Presque Isle, Pennsylvania.
