Top of page

Battle at Monmouth Court House, NJ

In Memoriam

History of the

10^th VA Regiment

Engagements & Encampments

Archive of Documents

Image Gallery

About This Webpage

IN MEMORIAM

This web page is dedicated to the memory of our 4^th great-grandfather Samuel Scott Scruggs, Sr.  (aka. Scott Martin), and the Patriots he served with in the 10^th Virginia Regiment during the War for Independence.

     Our Great Grandfather Samuel Scott Scruggs. Sr. was born between March 28, 1757 and March 27, 1758 most likely in Albemarle County, Virginia.  On August 22, 1777 Samuel enlisted in James Franklin's Company of Foot (infantry) under the alias of Scott Martin. Captain Franklin's company was mustered in Amherst County as Company 3 of the 10th Virginia Regiment. 

     Until September 28, 1778 the 10th VA Regiment was part of the 3rd (Weedon's) Brigade of the Continental Army.  Three weeks after he enlisted the Battle of Brandywine was fought just west of

Philadelphia on September 11, 1777. Samuel may have arrived from Virginia either just before or after this battle. Three weeks later, on October 4, 1777, just north of Philadelphia, the 10th VA Regiment fought at the Battle of Germantown as part of Col. Weedon's 3rd Brigade under Nathaniel Greene's division of the Left Wing Continentals.

Most likely Samuel Scott Scruggs fought with Greene on the day, even though the first locales in his service records show Samuel at Valley Forge in March 1778.

        There is little doubt that Samuel spent the infamous winter at Valley Forge

when   General Washington chose to winter the Continental Army not far from Philadelphia.  Lack of food, clothing and shoes at Valley Forge caused troops, like Samuel, to suffer and in many cases to die of exposure. John and James Scruggs of the Powhatan Company of the 10th VA Regiment, likely relatives of Samuel, died at Valley Forge sometime that winter.

     On June 28, 1778, General Washington attacked the British forces at Monmouth, New Jersey. Weedon's Brigade, to which the 10th VA Regiment was attached, fought as one of the 14 brigades in the Main Army. Samuel may have been wounded in this battle. His service records show that he was in the North River Hospital on August 3, 1778.

     After Monmouth, Gen. Washington took the Continental Army to White Plains, New York. There the badly depleted regiments were reorganized. The 10th VA Regiment became part of the 6th VA Regiment on September 28, 1778. From December 1778 to March 1779 his service record shows that Samuel was at Camp Middle Brook in New Jersey. He is reported at Camp Haverstraw, NY in November 1779, and present at Morristown Nov-Dec 1779, the 1779-80 winter headquarters for the Continental Army.  This winter was as hard or harder on the troops than the winter at Valley Forge.  In his pension application Samuel Scruggs indicated that he had served for two years and was discharged in Pennsylvania. It is likely that he was discharged shortly after the Nov-Dec 1779 service records and that he returned directly to Virginia.  Soon after he returned home Samuel married Miss Jane Childress of Albemarle  County. He and Jane settled, on a farm at the juncture of Rockfish Creek and Dutch Creek in Nelson County, Virginia and remained there until he died sometime between 1830 and 1831 at the age of 73 years old.

History

     The 10th Virginia Regiment of the Virginia Line was initially raised on December 28, 1775 in western Virginia for service with the Continental Army.  The regiment was formally authorized as a unit of the Continental Army on September 16, 1776.  On December 27, 1776 it was assigned to the Southern Department, then under the command of General Robert Howe.  The Southern Department included Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia along with the western frontier south of Virginia.

     The 10^th Regiment was then re-organized on February 12, 1777 to consist of 10 companies from Augusta, Amherst, Caroline, Culpepper, Cumberland, Fairfax, Fauquier, Orange, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and King George Counties.  Subsequently on May 22, 1777 it became a part of the General George Weedon’s 2nd Virginia Brigade, an element of the Main Continental Army.   The regiment maintained a brief role in the Northern New Jersey Campaign. 

     During September and October the 10^th Regiment participated in the 1777 defense of Philadelphia, as a part of General Nathanael Greene’s Division of the Continental Line.  It was involved in the Battle of Brandywine on September 11th.  Subsequent to this event the Regiment distinguished themselves while suffering many casualties during the Battle of Germantown on October 4^th.  As a result of this engagement it was again reorganized on November 1, 1777 to consist of 8 companies, under the command of Colonel John Green.  The 10^th Regiment encamped at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania on 19 December 1777 as a part of Weedon’s Brigade.

     On June 18, 1778 the 10^th still a part of Greene’s Division marched out of Valley Forge toward the east to follow the retreating British Army.   Ten days later they encountered the enemy at Monmouth Court House in New Jersey.  Weedon's Brigade, to which the 10th Virginia Regiment was attached, fought that day as one of the 14 brigades in the main army. 

     Following the battle of Monmouth, Washington took the American Army north to the New York Highlands to guard the Hudson River against the British Army that had moved back into New York City.  During the winter of 1778-79 he decided to place the main portion of the army in New Jersey, near the village of Middlebrook in Somerset County. The 10^th Regiment along with the other Virginia troops were posted just west of the gap where Middlebrook creek flows out of the mountains, at Chimney Rock. The Virginia position extended along today's Foothill Road.  During the encampment at Middlebrook the 10^th Regiment was      reorganized and re-designated on May 12, 1779 along with the  6th Virginia Regiment, to consist of 9 companies of the 2nd Virginia Regiment.

  The 2^nd Regiment was relieved, on December 4, 1779, from the 2nd Virginia Brigade and assigned to the 1st Virginia Brigade and sent to the Southern Department.  The 2^nd would see action at the Siege of Charleston, South Carolina where the British Army captured most of the regiment, on May 12, 1780.  

Engagements & Encampments

Northern New Jersey

• Time Period: 20 November 1776 - 26 June 1777
• Area: Staten Island and Northern New Jersey
• Explanation: Engagements from capture of Fort Lee to British withdrawal to start the invasion of Pennsylvania

Defense of Philadelphia

• Time Period: 25 August - 19 December 1777
• Area: Eastern Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware
• Explanation: Engagements from British landing at Head of Elk to Washington's encampment at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

September 11th – The Battle of Brandywine

October 4^th – The Battle of Germantown

December 5^th to 8^th - The Battle of White Marsh

Philadelphia - Monmouth

• Time Period: 20 December 1777 - 10 July 1778
• Area: Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey
• Explanation: Operations relating to the British occupation of Philadelphia and withdrawal to Sandy Hook

Dec 1777 to Mar 1778 – Winter Encampment at Valley Forge, PA

June 28, 1778 - The Battle of Monmouth Court House

Nov. 1778 to June 1779  - Winter Encampment at Middlebrook, NJ

Charleston Campaign

Time Period: March 29- May 12, 1780
Area: Charleston, South Carolina

March 29 - May 12 1780 - Seige of Charleston

Battalion Records

The following is a listing of the documentation we’ve collected  regarding

the wartime record of this military unit, and the persons who served therein.

·          10^th VA Regiment – Veteran Roster (Partial)

·          10^th VA Regiment – 1778 Muster Records

·          Officers Who Took Oath of Allegiance at Valley Forge

·          List of Units at the Valley Forge Winter Encampment

·          Thomas Brummet– Pension App. & Genealogical Info.

·          John Cason – Pension App. & Genealogical Info.

·          William Christian -  Pension Application

·          Samuel Scott Scruggs – Pension Application

Compiled service records of Virginia soldiers who served in the 10^th Regiment during the Revolutionary war [microform]

·         1062 -  Ninth Regiment: V – Y, Tenth Regiment: A)

·          1063 - Tenth Regiment: B – C)

·          1064 - Tenth Regiment: D – H)

·          1065 - Tenth Regiment: I – M)

·          1066 - Tenth Regiment: N – R)

·          1067 - Tenth Regiment: S – Y)

Click on this LINK to view our  entire

collection of documents for this military unit.

Image Gallery

During our research we have collected and images and photographs that may be of interest to the history of this military unit.  Some of them are presented on this website because we believe they tend to provide the reader with additional information which may aid in the understanding of our ancestors past lives and war experiences.

Winter at Valley Forge, 1778

Use this LINK to see the picture gallery

 that pertains to this military unit.

Use the power of Google™ to find more interesting images about this topic. A Click on this button will link you to the Google Images Search page. 

Enter the topic you are searching in the box and click “Search Images”. At the “Images” display page you will see the image, as well as the website of which it is associated.

We Information Websites b resources

This search engine may

provide you with additional

information to assist with

your research about this topic.

The following are links to websites that will provide you with

specific information to assist with your research this topic.

·        10th Virginia Regiment

·        Oath of Allegiance at Valley Forge - 10th VA Regt. Officers    

·        The Virginians Who Fought in the Revolutionary War

·        John Chesher's Co., pay muster roll – 10th & 6th VA Regt.

·        George Weedon - Wikipedia

·        Middlebrook Winter Encampment – Dec., 1778 to Jun 1779

• Revolutionary War Battles 1775-1783
• 10th Virginia Regiment - Article Index
• 10th Virginia Regt. - Reenactment Group
• 10th Virginia Regiment - Wikipedia
• New Jersey during the Revolution
• Peter Francisco, Giant of the American Revolution

Within our Genealogy Reference Library (U.S.A.) page where you will find U.S. military histories from the American Revolution to World War One at the following link.   If you are looking for the history of a specific state or local U.S. military unit take a look in the Genealogy Reference Library U.S.A. Locations pages.   In addition, we have general military reference texts as well as other books that will assist you with your research.

This Link will take you to our

collections of military reference books.  

All of the records and databases listed on our Military webpage are FREE and can be accessed and searched online without having to pay for a subscription.   We try not to list any sites that have only a few records for the purpose of getting you to a website that will charge a fee to actually see the record beyond just a name.  

This Link will take you to our

collections of FREE Records.  

CONTACT INFORMATION

CONTACT INFORMATION

-- Email us with your comments or questions.

We do like to hear from others who are researching the same people and surnames.

We need your help to keep growing!  So please Email us your

photos, stories, and other appropriate information about this topic.

RULES OF USE
You are welcome to download any information on this page that does not cite a copyright.

We only ask that if you have a personal website please create a link to our Home Page.

-- This webpage was last updated on --

06 Nov 2013