Burning of Norfolk
- When
- 1775–1777
- Where
- Town of Norfolk, Virginia; Norfolk's harbor, Virginia; Unspecified location of acknowledgment; Norfolk, Virginia, and surrounding Virginia coastal areas
- Episodes
- 5
On January 1, 1776, Royal Navy ships shelled Norfolk, Virginia, while landing parties burned selected properties; the Patriot occupiers repelled the landings but themselves burned and looted Loyalist property, destroying the town. Norfolk was the last significant British foothold in Virginia, and Lord Dunmore abandoned the colony for good in August 1776.
Episodes
- Dunmore withdraws his force to ships in Norfolk's harbor
After a battle and British retreat into Norfolk, Dunmore and his entire force withdrew to Royal Navy ships in the harbor with most remaining Loyalists.
- Royal Navy shelling and landing parties burn Norfolk
Royal Navy ships began shelling Norfolk on January 1, 1776, while landing parties came ashore to burn specific properties in the town.
- Patriot occupation of a largely abandoned Loyalist town
Norfolk's significantly Loyalist population had fled, and Patriot forces from Virginia and North Carolina occupied the town before the burning.
- Norfolk as the last British foothold and Dunmore's final departure
Norfolk was the last significant foothold of British authority in Virginia; after coastal raiding, Lord Dunmore left the colony for good in August 1776.
- Patriot participation in the burning acknowledged only in 1777
Although Patriots burned and looted Loyalist property during the destruction, the full extent of their participation was not acknowledged until 1777.
Background and detail
Background. Tensions in the British Colony of Virginia rose in April 1775, around the time war broke out in Massachusetts with the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Rebellious Patriots controlling the provincial assembly began recruiting troops in March 1775, sparking a struggle for control of the colony's military supplies.
Dunmore's Flight and Escalation. After an incident resolved without violence, Dunmore, fearing for his safety, left Williamsburg in June 1775 and placed his family aboard a Royal Navy ship. Skirmishes between Patriots and Tories continued until October, when Dunmore had gathered enough military support to begin organized operations against the Patriots.
British Withdrawal to the Harbor. Following a battle, the British retreated into Norfolk, and Dunmore then withdrew his entire force to Royal Navy ships anchored in Norfolk's harbor, accompanied by most of the town's remaining Loyalist population. The town, whose significantly Loyalist population had fled, was occupied by Patriot forces from Virginia and North Carolina.
Aftermath. Norfolk remained the last significant foothold of British authority in Virginia. After raiding Virginia's coastal areas for a time, the colony's last royal governor, Lord Dunmore, left for good in August 1776. The full extent of Patriot participation in the burning was not acknowledged until 1777.
People involved
- Lord Dunmore · Last royal governor of Virginia, commanding British forces
- Patriot forces from Virginia and North Carolina · Occupying force in Norfolk
- British Royal Navy · Naval force that shelled Norfolk and landed parties
Sources
- Burning of Norfolk Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-13
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.