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RSSThe Essex County Museum and Historical Society Presents “On the Road in Essex County”
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Take a tour with us while we visit the fascinating sights and the historical riches that make up the County of Essex.
PHOTO of N-39 Side A and Side B
Location: Rt. 360 West, near Queen Street
Historical Marker N-39 is a bit of an anomaly because it is officially entitled British Raid on Tappahannock/The War of 1812. Normally the two sides would be the same except for the Z Markers which you will find at the County Line; however, in this case, the British Raid on Tappahannock which is on the western face of the plaque is one of the key events of The War of 1812, on the eastern face of the marker.
If you are travelling west across the bridge, you will find N-39 behind Historical Marker N-21 Historic Tappahannock. The text is rewritten below because the marker is situated at a busy location which may make it difficult to stop, and because you might not be aware that one side is a continuation of the other:
N-39 War of 1812
Impressment of Americans into British service and the violation of American ships were among the causes of American War of 1812 with the British, which lasted until 1815. Beginning in 1813, Virginians suffered from a British naval blockade of the Chesapeake Bay and from British troops plundering the countryside by the Bay and along the James, Rappahannock, and Potomac Rivers. The Virginia militia deflected a British attempt to take Norfolk in 1813 and engaged British forces throughout the war. By the end of the war more than 2,000 enslaved African Americans in Virginia had gained their freedom aboard British ships.
N-39 British Raid on Tappahannock
On 2 Dec. 1814, British naval forces commanded by Capt. Robert Barrie shelled and seized the town of Tappahannock during the War of 1812. Aiding the British were three companies of African American Colonial Marines composed of escaped slaves. By 4 Dec., when the British
departed and Essex County militia reentered the town, the raiders had ransacked private houses, blown up a tannery, and burned two jails, the customs warehouse and the courthouse. They also desecrated the burial vault of the prominent Ritchie family. This was one of the last British raids before the Treaty of Ghent was signed on 24 Dec. 1814.
The War of 1812 received the moniker, the "Second War of Independence” because, in addition to the demand that Americans be forced into British service and the blockades that imposed fees and restricted trade with other countries, mostly with France, America was expanding westward from the original 13 colonies and the British wanted the expansion to cease.
The Chesapeake Bay was the site of many incursions by the British navy including, the invading fleet navigating the Potomac River right up to Washington, D.C. where troops burned the White House in August of 1814. They also looted Alexandria and their departing ships groaned under the weight of the pilfered furniture and silverware.
Tappahannock received an unusual degree of destruction for a small town. There is some uncertainty as to why it was the target of such extensive damage. Speculation by some, in an essay by Robert Alexander Armour, posits several varying theories: it was the largest town between Urbanna and Fredericksburg where militia might be based; or possibly that the wharf held valuable hogsheads (barrels) of tobacco ready for transport; or some think that the militia may have thought the British would not attack in the bitter cold of winter but the British took advantage to attack when the troops were unprepared. Another theory was that the British were exacting revenge on the locally prominent Ritchie family for loyalty to the new American experiment.
The damage did not end there; buildings at Bowler’s Wharf were also left in flames. For whatever reason, Essex County suffered, nevertheless it rebuilt to become a thriving county. Tappahannock rebuilt to become a busy crossroads and the Americans, who had rebuffed the British, reconfirmed their commitment to a sovereign nation.
Historical Marker N-39 was dedicated in October of 2014. The Essex County Museum website, http://www.essexmuseum.org has wonderful, in depth information about the War of 1812. Extensive information about the damage that the County and Tappahannock suffered is included in the essays of Robert Alexander Armour in the ECMHS Bulletin. Also, ECMHS produced a video, "War of 1812 in Tappahannock and Essex County” which may be viewed at https://essexcountymuseumessexmillstour.shutterfly.com/pictures/1413. Or, come by for a visit; the museum is located at 218 Water Lane in Tappahannock, Virginia. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. except Sundays and Wednesdays.
Zorine Shirley is a volunteer Board Member and handles public relations for the Essex County Museum and Historical Society.
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