The Battle of Great Bridge; A New Beginning for the Old Dominion
by Richard Podruchny
The Battle of Great Bridge, often referred to as the Second Battle of Bunker's Hill, should stand out as one the defining moments of the American Revolutionary War. Although this battle does not match the amount of troops or casualties found in other engagements, nevertheless, its overall impact can no longer be ignored. What elevates this particular battle is that numerous slaves fought alongside the British in exchange for freedom, which openly contradicts those Colonists preaching liberty, who owned slaves themselves. The outcome of this battle would hold a dissimilar importance for the men who fought at Great Bridge, where triumph for one side would prohibit liberty to the other. This battle held the fate of Virginia and the rest of the Southern Colonies in the balance.
Before the battle can be discussed, it is important for the reader to gain some insight into what it was like in the Great Bridge area during the 1700's. Prior to the American Revolution, settlers had been claiming land between the Chesapeake Bay and the Albemarle Sound for at least a century or more. In particular, Great Bridge stood on the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River in Virginia's Norfolk County, not far from the North Carolina border. Great Bridge was a center of activity in marketing products of the forests and fields south of the Chesapeake Bay. Great Bridge had developed markets for shingles, barrel staves, and cypress and juniper headers. Pitch, tar and turpentine, which were extracted from the many pine trees found in the area, were required for their use in the building and upkeep of ships that were critical to the areas economy.[1]
https://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/18thcentury/articles/battleofgreatbridge.aspx
