The Patriot Project

What?  No Patriot Spy? Not this week.  Seriously, I decided to use this blog to give a shout out to the Loudoun County Virginia's Patriot Project. Loudoun County is a pivotal county in the 2012 presidential election.  Many pundits say that as Loudoun County goes, so goes Virginia.  And as Virginia goes, so goes the presidential election.

John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun

But more importantly, during the American War for Independence, Loudoun County provided over 1,700 Continentals for George Washington's army.  That's the most provided by any county in the Old Dominion. Originally part of Lord Fairfax's large landholding in northern Virginia, Loudoun County became a separate jurisdiction in 1757 when the Virginia House of Burgesses divided Fairfax County.  The western portion they named after John Campbell, the Fourth Earl of Loudoun. Loudoun served with no distinction as commander in chief of all British and colonial forces in the French and Indian War. During his tenure, the French and Indians reached their apogee of success. British efforts stalled and the Indian tribes terrorized the frontier from present-day Pittsburgh south to the Carolinas.  Lord Loudoun held colonials in disregard - even in contempt.  But to cap it off, Lord Loudoun ignored Washington's request for a "regular" British Army commission.

Col. George Washington in the
French and Indian War

This seemingly small act was catastrophic for the British Empire and the monumental for the history of the world.  Why?  Because this affront to Washington marked the beginning of his questioning whether the American colonies would ever receive fair treatment from the motherland.  You can argue that his long journey from staunch Royalist to a leading advocate for an independent America began with that act. The bombastic and ineffectual Loudoun was eventually recalled an replaced by commanders who were more professional and more successful.  Britain wrested New France from the French.

In colonial times, Loudoun County was the gateway to the west.  It received many settlers from eastern Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.  Among them came Germans, Irish, and Scots-Irish.  English settlers also moved west from the coastal areas to establish tobacco farms, but in the main, it was a county of yeoman farmers, not rich plantations. And it was certainly that yeoman farmer tradition and culture that made Loudoun a key contributor to the war effort. The county’s population then was 18,000. The farmer depicted represents one of 2,000 Loudoun men to enlist in the militia, more than any other Virginia county.