He gave strict orders to
Captain McLeod to suffer nothing to be injured. The troop failed in
one of their objects, as we had notice of their coming, so that the
two Speakers had gone off about two hours before their arrival at
Monticello, and myself, with my family, about five minutes. But Captain
McLeod preserved every thing with sacred care, during about eighteen
hours that he remained there. Colonel Tarleton was just so long at
Charlottesville, being hurried from thence by the news of the rising of
the militia, and by a sudden fall of rain which threatened to swell the
river and intercept his return. In general he did little injury to the
inhabitants on that short and hasty excursion, which was of about sixty
miles from their main army, then in Spotsylvania, and ours in Orange. It
was early in June, 1781. Lord Cornwallis then proceeded to the Point of
Fork, and encamped his army from thence all along the main James River,
to a seat of mine called Elk-hill, opposite to Elk Island, and a little
below the mouth of the Byrd Creek. (You will see all these places
exactly laid down in the map annexed to my Notes on Virginia, printed by
Stockdale.
Pages:
706
707
708
709
710
711
712
713
714
715
716
717
718
719
720
721
722
723
724
725
726
727
728
729
730