Albemarle Barracks facts for kids

Albemarle Barracks was a special camp where British soldiers were kept as prisoners of war during the American Revolutionary War. This war was fought between Great Britain and its American colonies from 1775 to 1783.

History of Albemarle Barracks

The Convention Army Arrives

After a big battle in 1777, called the Battle of Saratoga, a British general named John Burgoyne and his army were defeated. Thousands of British and German soldiers were captured. These German soldiers were often called Hessians.

These captured soldiers, along with some women and children, were known as the Convention Army. They were first marched to Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Moving South to Virginia

The American government, called the Continental Congress, wanted to move these prisoners further south. A member of Congress, Colonel John Harvie, offered some of his land near Charlottesville, Virginia.

So, in late 1778, about 2,000 British soldiers, 1,900 German soldiers, and 300 women and children began a long march. They arrived at the new camp site in January 1779. This site was near a place called Ivy Creek.

Life at the Camp

The buildings at Albemarle Barracks were not very good. They were barely finished when the prisoners arrived. Because of this, the officers were allowed to live outside the camp in nearby towns like Richmond, Virginia and Staunton, Virginia. They promised not to escape.

The camp often didn't have enough supplies, like food or clothing. Even so, the prisoners tried to make the best of it. They even built a theater to entertain themselves!

Escapes and Relocation

It was hard to keep so many prisoners in one place. There weren't enough guards at Albemarle Barracks. Because of this, hundreds of prisoners managed to escape from the camp.

Later, in late 1780, the British army started moving north from the Carolinas. The remaining prisoners at Albemarle Barracks were then moved again. They were sent to other places like Frederick, Maryland and Winchester, Virginia.

Current Status of the Site

Today, the land where Albemarle Barracks once stood is private property. It is located northwest of downtown Charlottesville, at the bottom of Barracks Farm Road.

There is a special marker from the state of Virginia that shows where the barracks used to be. In 1983, a local historical group placed another marker. This one shows the burial site for some of the people who died at the barracks. This spot is now on Ivy Farm Drive. It marks where several graves were found when the land was developed for homes.

To find the marker, you can drive west from Charlottesville on Barracks Road. Then turn onto Barracks Farm Road. The marker is on the north side of Ivy Farm Drive, in a private yard, a short distance from where the road splits.