HIST 156- Scholary Article Review 1

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Elijah Johnson HIST 156 Scholarly Article Review 1 White, William E. “The Independent Companies of Virginia, 1774-1775.” The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 86, no. 2 (1978): 149–62. Date Accessed: 23 October 2023. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4248201. The journal article begins by bringing up that the independent companies of Virginia are often believed to be part of the main military forces of Virginia but disbanded by the Convention itself. After a thorough read of this well written journal, there was a lot of information gained that was unknown. The Virginia Convention had met and deemed it necessary to form military forces by use of militias in counties to prepare for the threat of the British. Many counties started gathering men and supplies and it was agreed that these forces would take no action unless ordered by the local committees. These forces were well respected and formed by gentlemen who would even receive donations to help better prepare them. “Gifts were presented to the independent companies as a token of one's patriotism. In February 1775 Mr. Carr of Prince William County presented the local independent company of his county with a stand of colors, two drums, and two fifes.” (White 1978) While these companies proved useful for simpler tasks set by the committees like apprehensions, they were soon realized to have no value. The British were made aware of the gatherings and led by Lieutenant Collins from the H.M.S. Magdalen went into Williamsburg and took their gunpowder with no opposition. It is later determined after a gathering of all the militias to try and create a fighting force that these men were not up to the cause. With all the independent companies together, havoc breaks out with no real leadership or order taking place. The Virginia Convention deems it better to disband these militias and create an organized state corp. The importance of this article lets the reader know that while needed, the militias were unable to stand up to the British forces, as well as failed to unite as one.

Elijah Johnson HIST 156 Scholarly Article Review 1 I find the importance of this article for my paper to be contradictory as there are minor and significant points that help my topic. This article allows me to demonstrate that it was determined by the Virginia Convention that the need of militias was present with the growing threat of the British. The militias were able to provide support to the counties they protected after gathering men and supplies. These militias, while separate were able to organize and drill and be of use to the people. “Preparing themselves, purchasing equipment, and basking in the elite notions of being the gentlemen and yeomen defenders of their God-given rights as freemen. They gathered at musters to train and to consider matters relating to the company.” (White 1978) Even at the end when it was deemed that they had to be replaced by an actual army shows that they were the steppingstone to the creation of Virginian regiments that served the Continental Army. The militias were detrimental to the U.S. victory in the Revolutionary War. -

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