new, substantial houses were built in the local area. local the in built were houses substantial new, runaway slaves, slaves, runaway Rebuilding” occurred throughout Virginia and some some and Virginia throughout occurred Rebuilding” wouldn’t return return wouldn’t new nation strengthened and took hold. A “Great “Great A hold. took and strengthened nation new announced that he he that announced After a period of stagnation, the economy of the the of economy the stagnation, of period a After F. Butler Butler F. General Benjamin Benjamin General some buildings. some Union Army Army Union at Jamestown, where they looted and damaged damaged and looted they where Jamestown, at Proclamation, Proclamation, landed on the Peninsula. They also came ashore ashore came also They Peninsula. the on landed Emancipation Emancipation Martha W. McCartney, Jody Puckett, and Dave Purschwitz. Purschwitz. Dave and Puckett, Jody McCartney, W. Martha influence. During the War of 1812, British invaders invaders British 1812, of War the During influence. Long before the the before Long David K. Hazzard, Adam Kinsman, Nan and Ralph Maxwell, Maxwell, Ralph and Nan Kinsman, Adam Hazzard, K. David resulted in the Tidewater region’s losing political political losing region’s Tidewater the in resulted Photo credits: Patricia Burnett, Colonial National Historical Park, Park, Historical National Colonial Burnett, Patricia credits: Photo Relocation of Virginia’s capital city to Richmond Richmond to city capital Virginia’s of Relocation warfare occurred. occurred. warfare for supplies they had furnished to the Allied Army. Army. Allied the to furnished had they supplies for elected to stay in the area. the in stay to elected in 1865, but sporadic skirmishes and guerilla guerilla and skirmishes sporadic but 1865, in reimbursement for wartime losses or payment payment or losses wartime for reimbursement Some local farmers hired black sharecroppers, who who sharecroppers, black hired farmers local Some philanthropic groups provided support for education. education. for support provided groups philanthropic was occupied by Union troops until the war ended ended war the until troops Union by occupied was lost their main breadwinner. Others sought sought Others breadwinner. main their lost shifted to less labor-intensive forms of agriculture. agriculture. of forms labor-intensive less to shifted farmland they could use for sharecropping. Northern Northern sharecropping. for use could they farmland quietly withdrew toward Richmond. The local area area local The Richmond. toward withdrew quietly Some local families were destitute, for they had had they for destitute, were families local Some disabled men. Throughout the region, rural families families rural region, the Throughout men. disabled provided assistance by assigning them small plots of of plots small them assigning by assistance provided of Williamsburg. Afterward, the Confederate Army Army Confederate the Afterward, Williamsburg. of City County’s citizens tried to rebuild their lives. lives. their rebuild to tried citizens County’s City of farming fell to women, children and elderly or or elderly and children women, to fell farming of means to make a living. The Freedmen’s Bureau Bureau Freedmen’s The living. a make to means Army assaulted this line on May 5, 1862, the Battle Battle the 1862, 5, May on line this assaulted Army After the French and British went home, James James home, went British and French the After Due to a shortage of able men, much of the work work the of much men, able of shortage a to Due former slaves lacked food, clothing, shelter and the the and shelter clothing, food, lacked slaves former the heads of College and Queens Creeks. The Union Union The Creeks. Queens and College of heads the at Appomattox in 1865, many of the state’s 360,000 360,000 state’s the of many 1865, in Appomattox at was a large redoubt called Fort Magruder, spanned spanned Magruder, Fort called redoubt large a was summer. all-time high. high. all-time they had sustained. After the Confederate surrender surrender Confederate the After sustained. had they Peninsula. The westernmost line, whose centerpiece centerpiece whose line, westernmost The Peninsula. in the local area and withdrew in the following following the in withdrew and area local the in currency was worthless, and inflation reached an an reached inflation and worthless, was currency former slaves’ pent up resentment of the indignities indignities the of resentment up pent slaves’ former three lines of fortifications were erected across the the across erected were fortifications of lines three October 19, 1781. The French army wintered-over wintered-over army French The 1781. 19, October it away. Real estate values plummeted, Confederate Confederate plummeted, values estate Real away. it that occurred there in October 1862 reflect some some reflect 1862 October in there occurred that Earthworks were built on Jamestown Island and and Island Jamestown on built were Earthworks when the British surrendered at Yorktown on on Yorktown at surrendered British the when farmers had neither the labor nor the tools to clear clear to tools the nor labor the neither had farmers and at Jamestown Island. The gruesome murders murders gruesome The Island. Jamestown at and just out of reach. The Allied Army camped at Byrd’s Byrd’s at camped Army Allied The reach. of out just Americans, but abandoned. Hostilities only ceased ceased only Hostilities abandoned. but Americans, fields quickly sprouted dense vegetation, but local local but vegetation, dense sprouted quickly fields bands of ex-slaves took refuge on the Neck O’Land O’Land Neck the on refuge took ex-slaves of bands advance up the Peninsula toward Richmond. Richmond. toward Peninsula the up advance paralleling the British Army’s movements, staying staying movements, Army’s British the paralleling Jamestown Island, which had been fortified by the the by fortified been had which Island, Jamestown and to redefine their roles in society. Abandoned Abandoned society. in roles their redefine to and After James City County became occupied territory, territory, occupied became County City James After that it was just a matter of time until they would would they until time of matter a just was it that pursuit of Lafayette, whose strategy consisted of of consisted strategy whose Lafayette, of pursuit Spring on July 7. The British also took possession of of possession took also British The 7. July on Spring deteriorated. Blacks and whites struggled to survive survive to struggled whites and Blacks deteriorated. Hampton and Confederate military leaders realized realized leaders military Confederate and Hampton Barrett’s Ferry. In June 1781 Cornwallis set out in in out set Cornwallis 1781 June In Ferry. Barrett’s their assistance in resisting the British. British. the resisting in assistance their June 26, 1781, was followed by the Battle of Green Green of Battle the by followed was 1781, 26, June gone, and countless homes were damaged or had had or damaged were homes countless and gone, T throngs of cheering blacks. blacks. cheering of throngs Federal troops from Fort Monroe marched into into marched Monroe Fort from troops Federal T British Army crossed the Chickahominy River at at River Chickahominy the crossed Army British in western James City County, where they offered offered they where County, City James western in The Battle of Spencer’s Ordinary, which occurred on on occurred which Ordinary, Spencer’s of Battle The fields were ruined, crops and livestock were were livestock and crops ruined, were fields Williamsburg on May 6, 1862, they were greeted by by greeted were they 1862, 6, May on Williamsburg soon Richmond became the Confederate capital. capital. Confederate the became Richmond soon set ablaze the Virginia Navy’s shipyard. Part of the the of Part shipyard. Navy’s Virginia the ablaze set from Hanover County gathered at Byrd’s Tavern, Tavern, Byrd’s at gathered County Hanover from Reconstruction. Throughout the rural countryside, countryside, rural the Throughout Reconstruction. Union lines. When Union troops marched into into marched troops Union When lines. Union seceded from the Union on April 17, 1861, and and 1861, 17, April on Union the from seceded to Jamestown and Williamsburg converged. Williamsburg and Jamestown to They also sailed up the Chickahominy River and and River Chickahominy the up sailed also They citizens. Thanks to Patrick Henry, militiamen militiamen Henry, Patrick to Thanks citizens. came the hardship of military occupation and and occupation military of hardship the came fled to Fort Monroe, taking refuge behind behind refuge taking Monroe, Fort to fled that sharply divided the nation. Virginia Virginia nation. the divided sharply that toward Spencer’s Ordinary, where the main roads roads main the where Ordinary, Spencer’s toward the Americans’ entrenchments at Burwell’s Ferry. Ferry. Burwell’s at entrenchments Americans’ the precedented resistance on the part of local local of part the on resistance precedented Virginia’s landscape was devastated. Afterward Afterward devastated. was landscape Virginia’s property. As a result, literally thousands of blacks blacks of thousands literally result, a As property. signaled the beginning of a long, bloody war war bloody long, a of beginning the signaled and Cooper’s Mills. Some of Lafayette’s men moved moved men Lafayette’s of Some Mills. Cooper’s and James City County. In April the British fired upon upon fired British the April In