pomattox, where Petersburg now is, for the defence of the inhabitants on the south side of James river.

In 1675, war being declared against the Indians, 500 men were ordered to proceed to the frontier, and eight forts garrisoned. Among these was the one near the falls of the Appomattox, at Major General Wood's, "or over against him at one ffort or defensible place at fleets, of which Major Peter Jones be captain or chief commander."

In 1728, fifty-three years after, Col. Byrd, on his return from the expedition in which he was engaged as one of the Virginia commissioners, in running the line between this state and North Carolina, mentions the site of Petersburg, as follows: "At the end of thirty good miles, we arrived in the evening at Col. Bolling's, where from a primitive course of life we began to relax into luxury. This gentleman lives within hearing of the falls of Appomattox river, which are very noisy whenever a flood happens to roll a greater stream than ordinary over the rocks. The river is navigable for small craft as high as the falls, and, at some distance from them, fetches a compass and runs nearly parallel with James River, almost as high as the mountains."

By an act passed in 1646, it appears that 600 acres of land adjacent to Fort Henry, together with all the "houses and edifices" appurtenant thereto, were at that time granted to Captain Abraham Wood in fee-simple; yet he was not the earliest settler; for, by the same act, it appears that the land on which the fort stood, together with part of the adjacent 600 acres, had been granted to Thomas Pitt. He may, therefore, be considered the earliest proprietor of the site of Petersburg, it having been granted to him previous to 1646. The town derived its name from Peter Jones, who opened a trading establishment with the Indians at an early day, a few rods west of what is now the junction of Sycamore and Old streets. The locality was called Peter's Point, subsequently changed to Petersburg.

This Peter Jones was an old friend and fellow-traveller of Col. William Byrd, of Westover; and in 1733, accompanied the latter on a journey to Roanoke, on which occasion the plan of establishing Richmond and Petersburg was conceived. Byrd says, in his journal, "When we got home, we laid the foundation of two large cities-one at Shacco's, to be called Richmond, and the other at the point of Appomattox River, to be called Petersburg. These Major Mayo offered to lay off into lots, without fee or reward. The truth of it is, these two places being the uppermost landing of James and Appomattox rivers, are naturally intended for marts, where the traffic of the outer inhabitants must centre. Thus we did not build castles only, but cities, in the air."

In the October session, in 1748, in the 22d year of the reign of King George II., the towns of Petersburg and Blandford were established. Four years later an act was passed, allowing a bridge to be built by subscription over the Appomattox, at Bolling's Point, "to the land of John Bolling, gentleman;” which was probably the first bridge ever built over the river. In 1762, in the preamble to an act enlarging the town, it is stated that it "had very greatly increased, and become a place of considerable trade." At that time Robert Bolling, Roger Atkinson, William Eaton, John Bannister, Robert Ruffin, Thomas Jones, Henry Walker, George Turnbull, and James Field, gentlemen, were appointed trustees for laying out the town. In 1784, Petersburg was incorporated, and Blandford, Pocahontas, and Ravenscrofts, united with it.

In the war of the revolution, Petersburg was twice visited by the enemy. On the 22d of April, 1781, the British, under Gen. Phillips, left Williamsburg, sailed up the James, and on the 24th landed at City Point. "The next day," says Girardin's Hist. of Va., "they marched up to Petersburg, where Baron Steuben received them with a body of militia, somewhat under 1000 men. Although the enemy were 2,300 strong, Steuben opposed their progress. For two hours, he skilfully and bravely disputed the ground with them; the assailants were twice broken, and precipitately ran back until supported by fresh troops. During the interval of time just stated, they gained but a mile, and that by inches. The inferiority of the Virginians in numbers obliged them to withdraw about 12 miles up the Appomattox, till more militia should be assembled. They retired in good order over a bridge, which was taken up as soon as the militia passed, so as to secure their retreat. The whole loss of the Virginians, in killed, wounded, and taken, amounted to about 60. That sustained by the enemy, was conjectured to be more considerable."*

From an article entitled "Reminiscences of the British at Bol

Lieut.-Col. Simcoe, in his "Journal of the operations of the Queen's Rangers," states the loss of the British at one man killed and 10 wounded, of the light infantry.

3

lingbrook," published in the Southern Literary Messenger of January, 1840, we extract some interesting facts:

There is, perhaps, no house in Virginia connected with a greater number of military revolutionary recollections, than Bollingbrook, in the town of Petersburg.

On the approach of the enemy, a large portion of the people of the town made their escape. General Phillips took up his residence at Bollingbrook. He and the officers of his family are said to have treated Mrs. Bolling with a good deal of courtesy, and (some add) addressed her always as Lady Bolling. Arnold is recollected as a handsome man, that limped in his gait. He was fond of caressing the children of the family, and dandled them on his knee.

Both the houses on Bollingbrook hill were occupied by British officers. Mrs. Bolling was allowed the use of a room in the rear of the east building. Two sentinels were placed at each door of the house with crossed bayonets. The British soldiery repeatedly set on fire the fences about Bollingbrook, and frequently "all around was in a light blaze." Upon these occasions, Mrs. Bolling was obliged to send her servants to arrest the flames, and she was thus kept in a state of continual apprehension and alarm.

On the next day after his arrival, (to wit, the 26th of April,) General Phillips (according to Arnold's letter to Sir Harry Clinton) burnt 4000 hhds. of tobacco. The warehouses which belonged to Mrs. Bolling, at her solicitation, were spared on condition that the inhabitants should remove the tobacco from them, which was accordingly done, by extraordinary exertions, during the night of the 25th. This conflagration must have presented a striking and picturesque spectacle. The scarlet-dressed soldiers moving about amidst the flames, scattering the fire-brands, and officiating in the work of destruction--the burning of the shipping on the river, reflecting its lurid glare on Pocahontas and Blandford-heightened the effect of the scene.

Arnold, on dit, cautioned Mrs. Bolling to be careful in her intercourse with General Phillips, not to irritate him, as he was a man of an ungovernable temper. This lady, during that period of terror, suffered an intense solicitude and anxiety, which discovered itself in her unconsciously darning the needles, with which she was knitting, into the bed by which she sat. Her conduct during this trying crisis, displayed a heroism which doubtless won the respect of the British officers; who are in general "men of honor and cavaliers."

After committing devastations at Osborne's, Manchester, Warwick, &c., the enemy set sail, and proceeded down James River, until, receiving (near Hog Island) countermanding orders, they returned up the river. On the 7th of May, they landed in a gale of wind at Brandon; and on the 9th, marched 30 miles, and entered Petersburg late in the night. They came so unexpectedly as to surprise ten American officers, who were there for the purpose of collecting boats to convey the army of the Marquis de Lafayette across the James River.

General Phillips entered Petersburg this second time, sick of a bilious fever;-he arrived on the 9th of May, and breathed his last on the 13th, at Bollingbrook. He lay sick in the west room front of the east building. During the illness of General Phillips, the town was cannonaded by Lafayette from Archer's hill, and it is commonly reported that he died while the cannonade was going on. It seems, however, more probable, that this cannonade occurred on the 10th, when Lafayette (according to Arnold's letter)" appeared with a strong escort on the opposite side of the river, and having stayed some time to reconnoitre, returned to Osborne's." Cannon-balls fired upon that occasion, were preserved in the town some years ago, and may be yet extant. The Americans being aware that Bollingbrook was head-quarters, directed their shot par

* These reminiscences were written by Chas. Campbell, Esq., of Petersburg, a gentleman better informed upon the history of eastern Virginia than any one we have met in the course of our investigations, and to whom we are indebted for much valuable information.

+ From a wound received at Saratoga, where Phillips was made captive with Burgoyne's army.

There was then a tavern somewhere near the corner of Old and Market streets, called the "Golden Ball," at which a number of the British quartered.

§ Chastellux says, speaking of the enclosure, "It was formerly surrounded by rails, and she raised a number of fine horses there, but the English burnt the fences, and carried away a great number of the horses."

On the north side of the river opposite the town.

The Appomattox.

In the centre of the view is seen the depot of the Richmond and Petersburg railroad; on the right, a glimpse of the Appomattox river, and beyond, the princip al part of Petersburg.

The above view was taken on an eminence about half a mile north of the central part of the town.

ticularly at that house,* a measure which, considering the sickness of General Phillips, would hardly have been justifiable, but for the horrid series of devastations in which he had just been engaged, in company with that odious traitor Arnold. This officer, in the early part of the cannonade, was walking across the yard, until a ball having passed very near him, he hastened into the house, and directed all the inmates to go down into the cellar for shelter. General Phillips was removed down there. Mrs. Bolling also took refuge there, with one or two ladies who were with her. Anbureyt (if memory serves) mentions that during the firing of the American artillery, Phillips, being then at the point of death, exclaimed-"Wont they let me die in peace?"

Gen. Phillips died on the 13th of May, and was buried in the grave-yard adjoining Blandford church. There reposes one, of whom Mr. Jefferson said "he is the proudest man, of the proudest nation on earth."

On the 20th of May, 1781, just one week after the death of Phillips, Lord Cornwallis entered Petersburg on his route from Wilmington, North Carolina. He remained in Petersburg only three or four days, and, as is understood, made his head-quarters at Bollingbrook. General O'Hara, it appears, was quartered at what is commonly styled the Long Ornary,"-about a mile to the west of Petersburg, on the main road. Mrs. Bolling found it necessary to visit this officer at that place, for the purpose of recovering certain negroes and horses, which had been taken from her, and were then there. The general consented to restore the slaves, but with respect to the horses proved quite inexorable. He is described as a harsh, uncouth person. He was wounded at the battle of Guilford, and surrendered Lord Cornwallis' sword at Yorktown.

At the siege of Toulon, in a sortie made by the youthful Napoleon, a grenadier in the darkness of the night drew a wounded prisoner down into a ditch; that prisoner was Major-General O'Hara, of "Long Ornary" memory, commander-in-chief of the British forces.

On the 21st of October, 1812, 103 young men from this place and vicinity embarked in the service of their country, and consecrated their valor at the battle of Fort Meigs, on the 5th of May, 1813. They were extensively known as the "Petersburg Volunteers." They remained in service one year, and on their discharge received the following highly commendatory testimonial of their gallant and soldier-like conduct.

GENERAL ORDERS.

Head-Quarters, Detroit, 17th October, 1813. The term of service for which the Petersburg Volunteers were engaged having expired, they are permitted to commence their march to Virginia, as soon as they can be transported to the south side of the lake.

In granting a discharge to this patriotic and gallant corps, the General feels at a loss for words adequate to convey his sense of their exalted merits; almost exclusively composed of individuals who had been nursed in the lap of ease, they have, for twelve months, borne the hardships and privations of military life in the midst of an inhospitable wilderness, with a cheerfulness and alacrity which has never been surpassed. Their conduct in the field has been excelled by no other corps; and while in camp, they have set an example of subordination and respect for military authority to the whole army. The General requests Capt. M'RAE, his subalterns, non-commissioned officers, and privates, to accept his warmest thanks, and bids them an affectionate fare well.

By command, ROBERT BUTLER,

Acting Assistant Adjutant-General. Herewith is a list of this corps: the italicised letters attached to their names signify * Two balls struck the house, one of which being spent, lodged in the front wall of the house; the other passed through the house, and killed a negro woman (old Molly) who was standing by the kitchen door, in the act of reviling the American troops.

On the approach of the enemy, Old Tom, a house servant, was provident enough to bury certain silver plate, money, &c., in the cellar; there is also a vague rumor of an earthenware tea-pot, full of gold. While Arnold was down in the cellar, he was not aware that he was in such desirable company. There is still in preservation in the town, a set of China-ware, which was interred at this time.

+ In his travels in the interior of North America.