Media Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 10, 2015
Contact: Ryan Downey, 757/728-5328
[email protected]
Seamus McGrann, 757/727-6841
[email protected]
The Land and Sea Battle that started the
Revolutionary War in Virginia
Presented by the Hampton History Museum on October 24 & 25
Hampton, Virginia- The Hampton History Museum will present the first-ever
reenactment of the Battle of Hampton on Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25
from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in and around downtown Hampton’s waterfront and parks.
The two-day event will bring to life the land and sea battle that started the Revolutionary
War in Virginia.
According to Hampton History Museum executive director Luci Cochran, “This truly
will be a unique reenactment experience. It won’t be a fight between two armies in a
remote field somewhere. This is a land and sea battle, with Colonists fighting from the
shore, and the British firing cannons onto the shore from ships in the harbor, and
close combat in the city’s streets.”
Nearly 100 reenactors will portray troops involved in the battle. Reenactors on the
-More-
The Land and Sea Battle that started the Revolutionary War in Virginia Presented
by the Hampton History Museum on October 24 & 25- Page 2
American side include the 6th Virginia Regiment, 7th Virginia Regiment, 2nd North
Carolina Regiment and the 6th North Carolina Regiment. These patriots will clash with a
small flotilla of period boats determined to land British Redcoats from the 14th
Regiment, 64th Regiment, 76th Regiment and the Queen’s Own Loyalists in an effort to
burn Hampton to the ground.
“The Battle of Hampton that occurred 240 years ago on October 26-27, 1775 marked the
beginning of warfare in Virginia. Six months had passed since Lexington and Concord,
but blood was not shed in Virginia until shots were fired in Hampton between Virginia
patriots and forces aligned with Britain. Hampton is where the Revolutionary War began
in Virginia!” says Mike Cecere, of the 7th Virginia Regiment, the hosting reenactment
group.
Boats and ships enlisted for the sea battle reenactment include the 16’5” Renascent from
Smithfield, VA; the 27’ Explorer from Deltaville, VA; the 29’6” Moon from
Johnsonburg, NJ; the 54’ Meka II from Beaufort, NC. The Ranascent is being portrayed
as one of the boats from the HMS Otter. The Otter was the Sloop of War that Captain
Squires commanded during the occupation of Hampton Roads by Lord Dunmore.
Both days commence at 10:00 a.m. with activities at both the British and patriot’s camps
in Mill Point Park. Visitors will get to hear both sides of the story, experience daily life of
the soldiers, and be invited to participate in activities including muster and drill.
At 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, focus moves on to historic St. John’s Church for
interpretations of some of the conflict’s most pivotal figures.
Each day at 1:00 p.m. brings the naval battle off the wharf and in the harbor. Following
-More-
The Land and Sea Battle that started the Revolutionary War in Virginia Presented
by the Hampton History Museum on October 24 & 25- Page 3
the spectacle of British vessels firing at the defending patriots onshore, activity will shift
to military skirmishes out in the streets of downtown Hampton.
Throughout the day, food vendors, period craft demonstrations, living history and music
will take place in Carousel Park. Educational hands-on activities will be offered by event
partners the Casemate Museum, Mariners’ Museum, and Norfolk Naval Museum.
It is often taken for granted that after Lexington and Concord the other colonies fell into
line, but the truth is, six months passed after Lexington before blood was shed in Virginia
and that conflict occurred in Hampton.
The fighting that occurred in Hampton marked a pivotal moment in Virginia history.
Unlike Falmouth Massachusetts (present day Portland Maine which was burnt to the
ground ten days before the engagement at Hampton), the Virginia forces at Hampton
boldly resisted and repulsed the attempted destruction of their town by the British navy.
The Hampton History Museum is located at 120 Old Hampton Lane in downtown
Hampton. For more information, dial 757/727-1610.
Partially bordered by the Hampton Roads harbor and Chesapeake Bay, Hampton, with
the 344,000 sq. ft. Hampton Roads Convention Center, is located in the center of the
Hampton Roads metropolitan area. Hampton is the site of America's first continuous
English-speaking settlement and is home to such visitor attractions as the Virginia Air &
Space Center and Riverside IMAX ® Theater, Hampton History Museum, harbor tours
and cruises, Hampton University Museum, Fort Monroe, award-winning Hampton
Coliseum, The American Theatre, among others.
###