Richard Campbell of Virginia is one of thousands of Revolutionary War veterans whose service and sacrifice in America’s War for Independence is largely unknown to his countrymen today. Lieutenant Colonel Campbell did not leave behind a detailed diary or a trove of letters from which to remember his life. Campbell’s legacy was his service and ultimately, his sacrifice for the American cause of independence.
Campbell’s nearly six years of service in the continental army included engagements in New Jersey and Pennsylvania as well as on the frontier and in the southern states of Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. A veteran of six major battles, (Brandywine, Germantown, Guilford Courthouse, Hobkirk’s Hill, Ninety-Six, and Eutaw Springs) and numerous smaller engagements on the frontier and in the South and mid-Atlantic, Campbell’s service and sacrifice for his country is an accomplishment in its own right and a testament to his courage and patriotism.
As such, he deserves to be remembered as General Washington described him, as one who, sustains the character of a good and brave Officer and has behaved as such during his service. Washington was not alone in his high regard for Campbell, General Nathanael Greene, who commanded Lieutenant Colonel Campbell at Guilford Courthouse, Hobkirk’s Hill, Ninety-Six, and Eutaw Springs, proclaimed that Campbell, was the great Soldier and the firm patriot, who was a brave, active, and intrepid Soldier. Such high praise from the two leading military commanders of the continental army, surely warrant a closer look into the life and service of the soldier being praised. Such is the purpose of this book.
Maps, a bibliography, and an index to full-names, places and subjects add to the value of this work.