A June Event- Jefferson’s Escape
It was in June of 1781 that Thomas Jefferson narrowly escaped being captured by British forces at Monticello. At the start of that year led by traitor-turncoat, Benedict Arnold, British troops raided farms and villages along the James River. By May, Arnold’s troops had joined a larger British force under Lord Cornwallis that had moved into Virginia from the south. This invading army would frighten the Virginia government into abandoning Richmond, and create turmoil before ultimately surrendering to the combined French and American forces at Yorktown.
Action by an heroic Virginian prevented the British capture of Jefferson, then Virginia’s governor, and members of the Virginia Assembly. That hero was John “Jack” Jouett, Jr., a 26-year-old resident of Charlottesville near Jefferson’s Monticello.
Upon learning that Virginia’s legislature was reconvening in Charlottesville after the Colnial defeat in Richmond, Cornwallis dispatched Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton to capture the governor and assemblymen. Hoping to catch the Virginians by surprise, Tarleton traveled swiftly, mostly at night. He pushed hard before stopping to rest men and horses somewhere in the vicinity of the Louisa Court House (some 30 miles from Monticello) on the evening of June 3. It was there that Jouett, whose family farm was nearby, observed the British and surmised what their destination was.
According to Jefferson’s account, Jouett, a captain in the 16th Virginia militia regiment and who knew every nook and cranny of the area, was able to bypass the enemy’s encampment, ride all night, and before sunrise of the next day (June 4) arrive at Monticello to warn Jefferson.
Jefferson calmly ordered a carriage for his family and offered breakfast to the members of the legislature who were staying at Monticello. He sent his family to at a neighboring farm but remaining behind it is believed to gather needed papers, he received a second warning from a neighbor, a Christopher Hudson, that British troops were ascending Monticello Mountain. Hudson related that he found Jefferson “perfectly tranquil, and undisturbed”, but urged him to leave immediately. According to Hudson, Monticello was surrounded “in ten minutes at farthest by a troop of light-horse.” Jefferson later described how he avoided the main road and traveled through the woods to join his family.
Tarleton did not remain long in Charlottesville. While he captured seven legislators, the rest of them escaped across the Blue Ridge Mountains to the town of Staunton. Meanwhile, believing his term as governor had expired, Jefferson escorted his family to safety at their farm, Poplar Forest, near Lynchburg, and remained there until the middle of the summer.
The members of the General Assembly reconvened in Staunton. While they voted Jouett a pair of pistols and a sword as symbols of gratitude, a proposal was put forth for an inquiry into Jefferson’s actions. In spite of the inquiry being dropped, Jefferson insisted on appearing before the Assembly members to respond to charges of mishandling his duties and abandoning leadership at a critical moment. He reported that he had believed it understood that he was leaving office and that he had discussed with other legislators the advantages of commander of the state militia, Gen. Thomas Nelson’s being appointed governor. He stated that he felt “unprepared for the command of armies” and that given the critical conditions, “the union of the civil and military power in the same hands, at this time would greatly facilitate military measures.” Nelson was named Jefferson’s successor later in June, and effectively carried out his duties – both civil and military – through the end of the war.
The events surrounding the British invasion of Virginia would be a recurring problem for Jefferson. In subsequent national elections, virulent Federalist newspapers and political opponents would accuse him of incompetence, negligence, and even cowardice in his handling of the governorship during the events of 1781. For the rest of his life he found himself responding to these accusations, and strived to assure that his place in the country’s history would not be marred by them.
As for Jack Jouett, he did not receive his award, the promised pistols and sword, until several years later. Though sometimes referred to as the “Paul Revere of the South,” he never gained the widespread fame given Revere by Longfellow’s poem. I guess:
“Listen my children and you shall get
The midnight ride of Jack Jouet”.
doesn’t quite make it.
Arnie Silverman
Laguna Niguel
