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Queen’s Own Loyal Virginia Regiment |
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The original Queen’s Own Loyal Virginia Regiment (QOLVR) was raised in the fall of 1775 on the orders of Governor Dunmore, in an effort to retain control of Virginia in the face of rising anti-government sentiment. Recruited largely from Princess Anne County and the area around the city of Norfolk, the QOLVR quickly grew to several hundred men at arms, representing all walks of life in tidewater Virginia. Volunteers from Norfolk accompanied Dunmore and a force of regular soldiers at the battle of Kemps Landing on November 15, 1775, defeating a similarly sized force of Whig militia. Following this victory Dunmore chose to entrench his small army near the village of Great Bridge, in order to control the approach to Norfolk. Disaster befell the British force on December 9th, when they were defeated after attempting to dislodge a force of Virginians and forced to retreat towards Norfolk. Norfolk itself was abandoned on New Year’s Day, 1776 and the remaining soldiers of the QOLVR, along with the regulars, Ethiopians, and hundreds of loyal civilians evacuated to British ships off shore. Dunmore’s ragtag fleet ranged throughout the Chesapeake Bay, from Portsmouth to the Potomac, wreaking havoc on Whig property, skirmishing with local militias, and providing refuge for other loyalists. During this time a number of Maryland loyalists augmented the numbers of the QOLVR. By August Dunmore and the remains of his refugee army arrived in British-held New York. The QOLVR was disbanded at this time, their officers and men being absorbed into other loyalist units. It is known that the some of the QOLVR who remained in service were adopted into the Queen’s Rangers. Formed in 2010, the recreated QOLVR participates in battle reenactments and living history events up and down the east coast. Our mission is to portray loyalist volunteers from the greater Chesapeake Bay area throughout the war. The primary QOLVR impression consists of civilian clothing and government stands of arms. Outside of the Chesapeake we adapt our impression to portray local loyalist militias in support of our British and German allies. We travel light and typically portray a military force on campaign. We are always looking for enthusiastic recruits who are interested in a flexible, high quality loyalist militia impression.
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The On-Line Institute for Advanced Loyalist Studies Copyright Restrictions Document Formatting Optimal Viewing |
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