Captain Samuel Shield’s Company of Militia during the War of 1812

Frank Green

For most people there is a large void in local history between the victory in Yorktown in 1781 and the Battle of Big Bethel in 1861. Not many people know much about the War of 1812 and even less realize that York County and Poquoson had a role in this conflict.
In February 1813, Governor Barbour of Virginia ordered the companies of the Virginia State militia to be mobilized and sent to Norfolk and Hampton to propel a possible British invasion. Captain Samuel Shields Company of Militia was the one of the York County units sent to the Little England part of Hampton. Soon units from many other parts of the Commonwealth joined them. By June, there were nearly 500 men camped at Little England.
One of these men was Aaron Tennis. He was nearly 50 years old when the call to arms was given. He was a widower and his only two children died in infancy. He was very popular among his fellow militiamen and was soon elected Sergeant Major. He was an aide to the company adjutant Robert Anderson.
In May, Captain Shield was called to serve in the Virginia House of Delegates. This left Lt. Presson in charge of the company.
On the morning of June 25, several British barges began shelling American positions at Blackbeard’s Point. The artillerymen under Sgt.Pryor returned fire. It was not known at the time that this attack was only a feint. The main force of nearly 2000 British soldiers and Marines landed about two miles west near the sight of the present Riverside Rehab.
Still angry from their recent defeat at Craney Island, the British attacked the flank of the American position. At first the Americans held, but soon the superior numbers and training of the British began to overwhelm them. As the fighting neared a woods line, many of the Americans began to break and run from the field to the relative safety of the woods and many of them went on to their homes. It was at this time that Aaron Tennis was wounded.
The Hampton-Yorktown Halfway House in York County was the designated area for the 115^th to try to have the unit to re-form. It was at the Halfway House that the commanding officer of the 115^th had the unenviable task to notifying the governor of the results of the battle. In his letter, Crutchfield describes the action as a route.
Crutchfield also mentions the conduct of Captain Shield’s company during the battle. While most of the other militiamen broke and ran, Capt. Shield’s company acted in a brave and orderly manner. In Crutchfield’s words " I take pride in mentioning Capt. Sam’l Shield’s company, who executed the given orders in a very ready and spirited manner". Capt. Shield’s group also took the brunt of the American casualties with five killed and six wounded. This was about half of the total American casualties for the entire Battle of Hampton.
Aaron Tennis was wounded during this engagement. He was taken to the Halfway House then probably to his home which was nearby. He wrote his will on July 3^rd and passed away on July 14,1813. The will was officially probated until the early 1820s.
Yorktown served as an American headquarters and was garrisoned by the 68^th Virginia Militia. This unit seemed to be undermanned and overworked. The unit’s commander wrote the governor that he had noted many troops marching through Yorktown on their way to Hampton and Norfolk. He asked if some of these could be spared for Yorktown as his own troops were exhausted from extra work and additional guard duty.
Armigar Parsons was one who was killed in Hampton. In 1827 his wife petitioned the Commonwealth for a pension as he left her and several children after his death. Tyler also lost his life in this battle. He was a young man and a native of Tangier Island. Carter Longest was from King and Queen County and very little is currently now known about him. James Martin also died in the Battle of Hampton. I am hoping to learn more about him. Curtis Hunt was slightly wounded during the battle. It is very fortunate for this author that Hunt recovered from his wounds as he was my fives great grandfather twice over.
It is very unfortunate that the bicentennial of the War of 1812 falls at the same time as the sesquicentennial of the Civil War and the historical spotlight tends to fall on the latter event. But we should all remember York County’s forgotten heroes in the our nation’s forgotten war