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William Woodford (October 6, 1734 – November 13, 1780) was a Virginia planter and militia officer who distinguished himself in the French and Indian War, and later became general of the 2nd Virginia Regiment in the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
, but was captured at the siege of Charleston, South Carolina and died of disease in New York City about six months later aboard a British prison ship.


Early life

William Woodford was born in Caroline County,
Virginia Colony The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertGilbert (Saunders Family), Sir Humphrey" (histor ...
, in present-day
Woodford Woodford may refer to: Places Australia *Woodford, New South Wales *Woodford, Queensland, a town in the Moreton Bay Region *Woodford, Victoria Canada * Woodford, Ontario England *Woodford, Cornwall * Woodford, Gloucestershire *Woodford, Greate ...
. His father, Major William Woodford, was one of Governor Spotswood's Knights Of the Golden Horseshoe. His grandfather, Dr.
William Cocke William Cocke (1748August 22, 1828) was an American lawyer, pioneer, and statesman. He has the distinction of having served in the state legislatures of four different states: Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Mississippi, and was one of t ...
, served Virginia as the Secretary of the Colony and a member of the governor's Council under Governor Spotswood. Woodford's great uncle was
Mark Catesby Mark Catesby (24 March 1683 – 23 December 1749) was an English naturalist who studied the flora and fauna of the New World. Between 1729 and 1747 Catesby published his ''Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands'', the fi ...
, a famous English naturalist. He married Mary Thornton, daughter of Col. John Thornton, and who would survive him by decades, dying in 1828. His wife's grandmother, Mildred Washington Gregory, was George Washington's aunt and godmother. They had a son, John Thornton Woodford (1765-1845), who would marry and have children, as well as serve in the Virginia House of Delegates, although descendants later moved to Kentucky.


French and Indian War

During the war, Woodford served as an
ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...
in Colonel
George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
's
Virginia Regiment The Virginia Regiment was formed in 1754 by Virginia's Royal Governor Robert Dinwiddie, as a provincial corps. The regiment served in the French and Indian War, with members participating in actions at Jumonville Glen and Fort Necessity in 1754, ...
, and was later promoted to lieutenant in 1761. He served in the Cherokee Expedition, under
William Byrd William Byrd (; 4 July 1623) was an English composer of late Renaissance music. Considered among the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he had a profound influence on composers both from his native England and those on the continent. He ...
and
Adam Stephen Adam Stephen ( – 16 July 1791) was a Scottish-born American doctor and military officer who helped found what became Martinsburg, West Virginia. He emigrated to North America, where he served in the Province of Virginia's militia under Georg ...
.


American Revolutionary War

As war with Great Britain loomed, William Woodford was a delegate to the
Third Virginia Convention The Virginia Conventions have been the assemblies of delegates elected for the purpose of establishing constitutions of fundamental law for the Commonwealth of Virginia superior to General Assembly legislation. Their constitutions and subseque ...
. He there accepted a commission as colonel in command of the 2nd Virginia Regiment, of the Virginia provisional forces. Having fortified a passage across the Elizabeth River on the border of the Dismal Swamp leading into Norfolk, Woodford's forces drove the royal governor,
Lord Dunmore Earl of Dunmore is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. History The title was created in 1686 for Lord Charles Murray, second son of John Murray, 1st Marquess of Atholl. He was made Lord Murray of Blair, Moulin and Tillimet (or Tullimet) and V ...
, from the Norfolk peninsula in the
Battle of Great Bridge The Battle of Great Bridge was fought December 9, 1775, in the area of Great Bridge, Virginia, early in the American Revolutionary War. The victory by colonial Virginia militia forces led to the departure of Royal Governor Lord Dunmore and any r ...
on December 9, 1775. No Virginians died in the first significant battle of the Revolution on Virginia soil, although the Tory forces had 45 casualties. Later in December 1776, the 2d Virginia Regiment was ordered to join Washington's main army in New Jersey. It became part of the
Virginia Line The Virginia Line was a formation within the Continental Army. The term "Virginia Line" referred to the quota of numbered infantry regiments assigned to Virginia at various times by the Continental Congress. These, together with similar contingents ...
of the Continental Army. William Woodford was promoted to brigadier general in February 1777. Woodford was wounded in September 1777 at the Battle of Brandywine, where he and his troops performed well. Recovering by June 28, 1778, Woodford led his brigade at the Battle of Monmouth, where he took control of a rise known as Comb's Hill and was able to pound the British left flank with artillery. In late 1779, Woodford and his brigade were sent to join the Southern Continental Army and fought at the
Siege of Charleston The siege of Charleston was a major engagement and major British victory in the American Revolutionary War, fought in the environs of Charles Town (today Charleston), the capital of South Carolina, between March 29 and May 12, 1780. The Britis ...
, where he and his unit were captured in May 1780.


Death and legacy

The British sent their prisoner William Woodford to
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, where he died of disease, on board a British prison ship, on November 13, 1780. Woodford was buried with military honors at
Trinity Church, New York Trinity Church is a historic parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of New York, at the intersection of Wall Street and Broadway in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. Known for its history, location, architecture and en ...
. In the 1787 Virginia tax census, either his estate or his very young grandson, also William Woodford (1787-1831), was taxed for two horses, and his widow Mary Woodford was taxed for 10 adult and 15 younger slaves, as well as six horses, 19 cattle and a 4-wheeled chariot.Netti Schreiner-Yantis and Florene Speakman Love, The 1787 Census of Virginia (1987, Genealogical Books in Print) vol. 1, p. 753 Their son John Woodford would serve in the Virginia House of Delegates beginning in 1802. Two counties in the United States were named in his honor:
Woodford County, Illinois Woodford County is a county located in the state of Illinois. The 2010 United States Census listed its population at 38,664. Its county seat is Eureka. Woodford County is part of the Peoria, IL, Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its name comes fro ...
, and
Woodford County, Kentucky Woodford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,871. Its county seat is Versailles. The area was home to Pisgah Academy. Woodford County is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metro ...
.


References

*Harry M. Ward. "Woodford, William". '' American National Biography Online'', February 2000.


External links


B.Gen. William Woodford by Jonathan Robert De Mallie
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woodford, William 1734 births 1780 deaths American Revolutionary War deaths American Revolutionary War prisoners of war held by Great Britain Continental Army generals American people of English descent Continental Army officers from Virginia People of Virginia in the French and Indian War British America army officers Virginia colonial people Burials in New York (state) People from Caroline County, Virginia