December, 2025
Washington — A new twelve-hour documentary, "The American Revolution," is spellbinding. It continually invites viewers to ask deeper questions about the war, how it was fought, and by whom.
That would be by our own ancestors. The following list identifies several who served in the patriot cause, with research assistance from AI (in italics) when it corroborates family genealogical and other evidence from our Susan Wimer (1860-1941) ancestry line in the family tree. She was born in Virginia before the Civil War and died in Red Willow County, Nebraska, where my father was born.
After watching "The American Revolution," it is especially gratifying to learn more about ancestors who fought with Greene and Lafayette against the brutal Tarleton and prevailed over Cornwallis at Yorktown.
John Smith
John L. Smith (1698-1776), seventh great-grandfather, served as a British officer in the French and Indian War under George Washington. Captain Smith led the defense of Fort Vause in southwest Virginia in 1756 but was captured and later exchanged in Canada for French prisoners.
Because John Smith was roughly 78 years old at the outbreak of the American Revolution, his role was primarily that of a political patriarch and a mobilizer, rather than a frontline combatant. Despite his age and the physical toll of his prior two-year captivity in Canada and England, his final year was defined by a shift from being a British Crown officer to a committed Patriot. One of his most significant roles was in the political groundwork for independence.Smith supported the election of delegates to the Virginia Conventions of 1775 and 1776. These conventions eventually instructed Virginia’s delegates to the Continental Congress to propose independence. His role was essentially that of a "Elder Statesman" of the Shenandoah Valley, providing the institutional weight necessary to make rebellion feel like a legitimate legal action rather than a lawless riot.
John Smith died in the summer of 1776, just as the Declaration of Independence was being signed. Because he died so early in the war, he is often credited with "Revolutionary Service" in lineage societies (like the DAR) primarily based on his Civil Service (Justice of the Peace) and his role in the 1775 Resolves.
Eastham contributed to provisioning campaigns, including furnishing cattle and supplies for American troops under Lafayette and Greene in 1781. His company guarded against Loyalist threats and participated in regional mobilizations.
Captain Peter Hull led troops under General Lafayette during the Virginia Campaign in 1781. Hull commanded a troop of cavalry in the Augusta County militia and participated in the Yorktown campaign, which was part of Lafayette's overall military efforts during that year. His militia company was involved in actions such as pursuing British cavalry under Tarleton and fighting at key engagements in Virginia during Lafayette's campaign to contain Cornwallis and secure victory for the American cause. Records confirm Hull's leadership role in the Augusta County militia and his active service under Lafayette's command in the final phase of the Revolutionary War in Virginia.
Captain Hull fought in the Battle of Green Springs in Virginia in 1781. His company from the Augusta County militia was involved in this engagement, which was part of the attempts to repel British forces under Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton.
The Battle of Green Spring occurred on July 6, 1781, near Green Spring Plantation in James City County, Virginia. It was an ambush set by British forces under Earl Charles Cornwallis against American troops led by the Marquis de Lafayette. American advance units, commanded by Brigadier General "Mad" Anthony Wayne, were nearly trapped while attempting to harass the British rear guard during their crossing of the James River. The battle ended with an American retreat after a bold bayonet charge, but it delayed British movements and boosted American morale ahead of Yorktown.Leonard Simmons
Leonard Simmons (1738-1808), fifth great-grandfather, was a private with Captain Hull's company.
Leonard Simmons of Augusta County militia was present at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in 1781 as part of the Virginia militia forces serving under General Nathanael Greene and Lafayette. Muster rolls from Captain Peter Hull's company, to which Leonard Simmons belonged, list him as a private, indicating his participation in the militia forces at that battle.
In March 1781, militia companies from Augusta County assembled under commander Colonel Moffett and marched through Lynchburg, Virginia, to Guilford County, North Carolina, where they fought at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse alongside Lafayette’s forces. These Augusta County militia units were involved in engagements to block British movements and protect Virginia during Lafayette’s efforts to contain Cornwallis’ troops. Later, Augusta County militia companies joined the larger Continental Army under Washington for the Siege of Yorktown, the final decisive campaign in Virginia.
Philip Wimer
Philip Wimer (1757-1839), fourth great-grandfather, born in Frankfurt, Germany, served in the Virginia Militia cavalry during the Revolutionary War, led by Captain Peter Hull of Augusta County. Philip Wimer was present at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse with Virginia militia forces on March 15, 1781, where he was likely in the Second Line of defense (see above). He participated in the Siege of Yorktown in 1781, which was a decisive victory leading to the British surrender and American independence. Philip Wimer was originally sold into indentured servitude (on arrival in America in 1771) but after seven years joined the militia and fought on the Patriot side.
