Defending the Old Dominion

Virginia and Its Militia in the War of 1812

Stuart L. Butler

• Publisher: University Press of America
• Year: 2012
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9780761860402
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: 19th Century History
• Index: History

Defending the Old Dominion describes historical events in Virginia during the War of 1812, examining how Virginia's militia was organized, supplied, and financed by the Commonwealth. The book discusses the militia's unpreparedness in training, its lack of adequate ordnance and arms, and how that affected its ability to defend the state against British incursions during the war. Political activities of the Virginia legislature and the U.S. Congress are examined with special reference to how the state financed the war and its relationship with the U.S. government. The book includes the fascinating story of nearly two thousand former slaves who fled to British ships to fight in Virginia with British forces.

Table of contents

• Preface
• List of Illustrations and maps
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Chapter One Prologue to War
• Chapter Two Wrongs so Daring in Character
• Chapter Three The Year of the Five Governors
• Chapter Four May God Desert Those Who Now Desert Their Country
• Chapter Five Thirty Years of Neglect
• Chapter Six The Militia the Great Bulwark of Our Liberty
• Chapter Seven Virginians Debate the War
• Chapter Eight We Shall Be Victorious Because We Are Right
• Chapter Nine A Brigade of Hearty Athletic Men and Fine Soldiers
• Chapter Ten We Find This Place in a Most Defenceless Situation
• Chapter Eleven British Strategy and the Defense of Norfolk
• Chapter Twelve Legislative Initiatives
• Chapter Thirteen To the Mercy of Any Invader
• Chapter Fourteen The Result Has Been Most Glorious to Our Arms
• Chapter Fifteen They Acquitted Themselves as Becomes Virginians
• Chapter Sixteen Richmond Threatened
• Chapter Seventeen We have a Savage Enemy at our Threshold
• Chapter Eighteen There is reason to believe that he will be reinforced
• Chapter Nineteen Taxes and Embargoes
• Chapter Twenty The Internal Foe
• Chapter Twenty One Our Weakness is Alarming
• Chapter Twenty Two Determined to Ruin the Northern Neck
• Chapter Twenty Three The Donation of Alexandria and the Battle of the White House
• Chapter Twenty Four To Repel and Chastise the Invaders
• Chapter Twenty Five Richmond in Peril
• Chapter Twenty Six Those Gallant Virginians
• Chapter Twenty Seven The Last Months of the War
• Chapter Twenty Eight Its Conditions are Honorable to our Country
• Chapter Twenty Nine To the Tented Field
• Chapter Thirty Epilogue
• Appendix One (Abbreviations)
• Appendix Two: Select Chronology
• Bibliography