The Revolutionary Record

The governor barely escaped

1781

Tarleton's Raid on Charlottesville

1781

Virginia Legislature Meets in Charlottesville (May 1781)

1781

Jefferson Flees Monticello

1818

Jefferson Proposes the University of Virginia (1818–1819)

Charlottesville

VA · American Revolution

British raiders nearly captured Governor Thomas Jefferson at Charlottesville in 1781.

Charlottesville, VA

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American Revolution

Charlottesville's role in the American Revolution.

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**Charlottesville in the American Revolution: The Piedmont Town That Nearly Lost a Nation Its Leaders**

PEOPLE

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Banastre Tarleton

British Lieutenant Colonel, Cavalry Commander, Raid Leader

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Isaac Jefferson

Enslaved Person at Monticello, Blacksmith, Memoirist

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Jack Jouett

Virginia Militia Captain, Midnight Rider, Patriot

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Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson

Governor's Wife, Monticello Mistress, Wartime Refugee

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KEY EVENTS

Full Timeline →

Tarleton's Raid on Charlottesville

Jun 1781

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Virginia Legislature Meets in Charlottesville (May 1781)

May 1781

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Jefferson Flees Monticello

Jun 1781

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Jefferson Proposes the University of Virginia (1818–1819)

Aug 1818

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Jack Jouett's Midnight Ride

Jun 1781

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Virginia Legislature Flees to Staunton

Jun 1781

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STORIES

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HISTORICAL VOICE

The Ride Nobody Remembers

Jack Jouett was at Cuckoo Tavern in Louisa County on the night of June 3, 1781, when he saw a column of British cavalry halt for a rest. Tarleton's green-jacketed dragoons were unmistakable, and Jouet...

MODERN VOICE

The Mountain and Its Contradictions

Visitors come to Monticello expecting the home of a founding father, and they find that, but they also find a plantation where over 600 people were enslaved over the course of Jefferson's lifetime. Th...

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