Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
This marker will be dedicated on February 15. Time and place will be announced when available.
Here is the text of the marker:
Skirmish at James’s Plantation
British forces under Brig. Gen. Benedict Arnold raided Richmond early in Jan. 1781 and established a base in Portsmouth later that month, seeking to control the Tidewater region. Groups of local militia, including 520 men led by Capt. Amos Weeks, disrupted British operations in the area. Arnold ordered Capt. Johann Ewald, commander of Hessian cavalry and riflemen, to pursue Weeks. On 15 Feb. at James’s Plantation in this vicinity, Ewald surprised Weeks and inflicted about 120 casualties. Joined by Lt. Col. John G. Simcoe of the Queen’s Rangers, Ewald followed the remaining militia south to Pungo Chapel before returning to Portsmouth. Weeks’s force regrouped and continued to harass the British.
Sponsor: Christopher Pieczynski
Locality: Virginia Beach
Proposed Location: Corner of Princess Anne Road and Elson Green Avenue, Virginia Beach
