Battle of Gwynn's Island facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Gwynn's Island |
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| Part of the American Revolutionary War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States |
 Great Britain Loyalists |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Andrew Lewis |
Lord Dunmore |
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| Strength | |||||||
| Infantry brigade 2 × 18-pound cannons 4 × 9-pound cannons |
Naval squadron 500 soldiers |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 1 killed | "Sizable" from combat hundreds died of disease |
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The Battle of Gwynn's Island happened during the American Revolutionary War from July 8 to 10, 1776. In this battle, Andrew Lewis led American Patriot soldiers from Virginia. They fought against Lord Dunmore and his small British navy and Loyalist troops.
The Patriots used powerful cannons from the nearby Virginia mainland. Their accurate shots forced Lord Dunmore to leave his base on Gwynn's Island. While staying on the island, many Loyalists got sick with smallpox and another serious illness. This was especially true for the enslaved people Dunmore had recruited to fight for the British. Gwynn's Island is located on the western side of Chesapeake Bay in Mathews County, Virginia.
In late 1775, Dunmore and his Loyalist forces were defeated near Norfolk. They had to retreat to their ships. American troops stopped them from getting food near Norfolk. So, Dunmore sailed north and set up his base at Gwynn's Island for about six weeks.
The Loyalists on the ships were not well-fed and were crowded together. This caused smallpox to spread among them. After being forced off Gwynn's Island, Dunmore's ships stayed in Chesapeake Bay for a while. Later, his ships sailed away to New York and other places. With Dunmore gone, Virginia's troops were able to join General George Washington's main army.
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Why Did the Battle of Gwynn's Island Happen?
Even before the news of the first battles of the war (the Battles of Lexington and Concord) reached Virginia, Governor Dunmore was already clashing with local Patriots. This happened during the Gunpowder Incident in Williamsburg in April 1775. On May 2, Dunmore even threatened to free enslaved people and burn Williamsburg.
Relations between the governor and the colonists got worse that summer. In October, Dunmore tried to destroy Hampton with his ships, but it didn't work. He kept threatening to free enslaved people who belonged to Patriots. He also started actively recruiting Loyalist forces to fight for the British.
The Battle of Great Bridge and Burning of Norfolk
On December 9, William Woodford's Patriot militia (citizen soldiers) defeated Dunmore's forces. This was at the Battle of Great Bridge. Five days later, the Patriots took control of Norfolk.
Robert Howe arrived with a North Carolina regiment and took command. Dunmore and his Loyalist followers had to retreat to their ships in Norfolk harbor. The Patriots refused to give Dunmore's people food. They also stopped the Loyalists from looking for food on land. They even shot at the ships.
On January 1, 1776, Dunmore ordered his warships to bomb Norfolk. The city had about 6,000 people. The bombing destroyed the waterfront area. The Patriots responded by burning down homes that belonged to Loyalists. This led to the Burning of Norfolk. A huge fire lasted two days and turned most of the town into ashes. The Patriots then tore down any remaining buildings. Dunmore landed his followers and built shelters, but the Patriots still stopped them from getting food.
Moving to Gwynn's Island
In late May 1776, Dunmore left Norfolk with nearly 100 ships. He sailed about 30 miles (48 km) north to Gwynn's Island. Dunmore's Loyalists were living in unhealthy, crowded conditions on the ships. The governor hoped the 4-square-mile island would be a safe place for them to recover.
On May 26, Dunmore's fleet anchored in Hills Bay. This was at the mouth of the Piankatank River on the west side of Gwynn's Island. Royal marines from warships like HMS Roebuck and HMS Fowey landed with Dunmore's forces. They took control of the island.
They built a fort called Fort Hamond on the part of the island closest to the mainland. This part was only about 200 yards (180 m) from the mainland. The fort was named after the Roebuck's captain, Andrew Snape Hamond. Dunmore set up his main camp behind these defenses.
His forces included about 100 British regular soldiers. He also had the Queen's Own Loyal Virginians and the Ethiopian Regiment, which was made up of formerly enslaved people. At the time, Captain Hamond reported that only about 200 soldiers were healthy enough to fight. Many were sick from diseases on the ships. One historian estimated that Dunmore's Loyalist forces had about 500 soldiers in total, both white and Black.
Patriots Prepare for Battle
An outpost on Burton Point quickly reported Dunmore's landing. Captain Thomas Posey arrived with his company of the 7th Virginia Regiment. Soon, the rest of the 7th Virginia, led by Colonel William Daingerfield, and local militia gathered on the mainland across from Gwynn's Island.
The Loyalists fired cannons at them, and some militiamen left. However, the Continental Army soldiers got used to being under fire. In Williamsburg, General Lewis realized that only powerful cannons could force Dunmore off Gwynn's Island. So, he started gathering artillery. While waiting for the cannons, the Virginians guarded the shoreline to prevent any raids by the Loyalists.
Meanwhile, Dunmore found that the island did not have enough fresh water for the hundreds of people in his camp. Hamond noted that Dunmore had given his African-American troops a vaccine for smallpox, and it worked. However, another deadly fever was quickly killing the Black soldiers. Only about 150 survived. Hamond reported that the Royal Marines had to guard the camp because the British regulars were still weak from sickness. Many of the Queen's Own Loyal Virginians also had smallpox.
In a letter to Lord George Germain, Dunmore complained. He said that if it weren't for the fever, he might have had 2,000 Black recruits. He believed this would have been enough to stop the American rebellion.
How the Battle Unfolded
On July 8, 1776, General Lewis arrived at the American Patriot camp with a brigade of Virginia troops. They set up a battery of two 18-pounder cannons directly across from Fort Hamond. These cannons were close enough to hit Dunmore's main ship, the Dunmore.
A few hundred yards south, they set up a second battery with four 9-pound cannons. These cannons were meant to target the British Loyalist camp and three smaller ships guarding Milford Haven on the south side of Gwynn's Island.
At 8:00 am on July 9, the 18-pounders started firing at the Dunmore from about 500 yards (457 m) away. The first shot went through the ship's back end, and a piece of wood wounded the governor in the leg. The Dunmore had 6-pound cannons and fired back, but didn't hit anything.
The Dunmore kept getting hit by the 18-pound shots. After the ship's boatswain (a senior sailor) was killed and several men were wounded, the crew became scared. They stopped firing their guns. There was no wind to move the ship, so Dunmore ordered the anchor rope cut. The ship was then towed out of range.
Patriot Cannon Fire
While the 18-pounders were hitting the flagship, the 9-pounders fired accurately at Fort Hamond and the Loyalist camp. At first, the fort fired back, but its guns were silenced by the bombardment. The Loyalist ships that were in range quickly cut their anchor ropes and had their smaller boats tow them out of range.
After about two hours, Captain Dohickey Arundel, who commanded the 18-pounders, decided to fire his experimental wooden mortar. The mortar exploded with the first shot, killing Arundel. He was the only Patriot casualty of the battle. This accident caused a temporary stop in the fighting.
By the time firing started again in the afternoon, there were very few targets left. The Loyalist ships had moved further out into the bay, out of range. Fort Hamond and the Loyalist camp were empty. The Patriots claimed that the Dunmore was badly damaged, but Hamond reported that the ship's damage was not serious, even though it had been hit many times. Loyalist losses were described as "sizable."
What Happened After the Battle?
Dunmore and Hamond decided they could no longer stay at Gwynn's Island. They ordered the place to be emptied that evening. During the night, the Loyalists loaded cannons, tents, and other supplies onto their ships.
On the morning of July 10, the Patriot guns targeted the three ships guarding Milford Haven. The crews abandoned these ships, and the Virginians took them over. About 200 men, led by Lieutenant Colonel Alexander McClanahan, crossed to the island in canoes. The remaining Loyalists quickly retreated to their ships with few injuries and were gone by 1:00 pm.
They left behind many sick and dying African-Americans. There were also many unburied bodies, who were victims of the fever. Captain Posey estimated that 400–500 Black people and 150 white people died from disease during the six weeks they were on Gwynn's Island.
Dunmore Leaves Virginia
Dunmore sent several ships to the Potomac River to get fresh water. While there, they burned William Brent's plantation in Stafford County, Virginia. The raiding ships went as far north as Occoquan Falls before turning back.
The Patriots worried that the Loyalists planned to kidnap Martha Washington at Mount Vernon. However, the raiders were stopped by storms and resistance from the local militia. By early August, Dunmore was ready to leave Virginia completely.
His fleet met at Lynnhaven Roads. From there, he sent his ships to St. Augustine, Bermuda, and the Caribbean. The ships were carrying nearly 1,000 enslaved people who had been captured during the raids. Dunmore himself sailed to New York. He later returned to England and became the governor of The Bahamas.
With Dunmore's fleet no longer a threat to Virginia, the authorities could send troops north. These troops joined Washington's Continental army in the New York area. The Virginia troops greatly helped the American cause in the battles that followed.
