The Names of the Fallen

Death came often for the soldiers of the 8th Virginia. Some died in battle, but most often it came in the form of diseases that were still poorly understood and for which there were no cures. Malaria was the number-one killer. All told, 121 8th Virginia soldiers are known to have died while in service--a number almost equal to two entire companies. The real number is higher than that. 

The cemetery in Sunbury, Georgia. The 8th Virginia was overwhelmed by malaria in the summer of 1776 and a great many of them died here. There are no markers or monuments for them. (Author)

There is no roster of Capt. John Stephenson's company, so we have no way of knowing who most of those men were or what happened to them. Fifteen men were left behind in the Carolinas, too sick to return home. Another seventy were discharged early or dropped from the rolls, usually for unspecified reasons.  What percentage of these men died is unknowable, though we know the most senior of them was Maj. Peter Helphenstine. Three men were listed as missing. Thirty men were captured by the enemy, mostly at Germantown. Though some survived and some even escaped, we know that others died in miserable British prisons. At least one man died of smallpox, possibly induced by inoculation.

The 8th Virginia saw hard service. It is hard to imagine that the mostly young men who first signed up in the winter of 1775-1776 had any idea what was really in store for them. All of the numbers above add up to about 240 men. Another 90 deserted--many of them when the still technically Provincial regiment was taken out of the province by Maj. Gen. Charles Lee in May of 1776. When the terms of the regiment's original two-year men neared their ends as the snow melted at Valley Forge there were only about fifty of them left. Heroes to be sure. Like all war survivors, though, they would no doubt have ascribed greater heroism to their fallen comrades.

Listed below are the names of the 121 men known to have died while in service.

Casualty Statistics
Because new enlistees came on board at various times during the regiment's existence, calculating precise casualty statistics is complicated. Nearly all (but not all) of the events connected with data below occurred during the 2-year original enlistment period. There are no records for Capt. John Stephenson's one-year company. Captain Knox's company was not fully recruited. Percentages are based on nine theoretically full companies and assume all men are original enlistees. Percentages should therefore be taken as estimates and may be refined in the future.

1% wounded/discharged (6)
5% captured (35)
14% deserted (85)
20% died (120)
21.5% sick/discharged early (132)
48% casualty rate (no desertions)
62% total attrition rate

Capt. Thomas Berry's Company:
 
1st Lieut. John Jolliffe, April 6, 1777
Ens. William Mead, Nov. 20, 1776
Sgt. Reese Bowen, Sept. 6, 1776
Pvt. William Buckley, Sept. 16, 1776
Pvt. Hugh Burns, Oct. 21, 1776
Pvt. Jesse Chamblin, Oct. 31, 1776
Pvt. Peter Fletcher, Nov. 10, 1776
Pvt. Thomas Hankins, Nov. 29, 1776
Pvt. Joseph Hickman, May 18, 1777
Pvt. Luke Hines, Nov. 10, 1776
Pvt. Dennis Kingore, Sept. 8, 1776
Pvt. Neil McDade, Nov. 25, 1776
Pvt. Thomas McVay, Oct. 1, 1776
Pvt. Louis Routt, Nov. 10, 1776
Pvt. Garett Trotter, Oct. 19, 1776
Pvt. Peter Vandevourt, Dec. 31, 1776
 
Capt. Richard Campbell's Company:
 
Lt. Col. Richard Campbell, Sept. 8, 1781 (Eutaw Springs)
Sgt. John Bowman, Aug. 19, 1779
Pvt. William Davis, Sept. or Oct., 1777 (Brandywine or Germantown)
Pvt. Frederick Long, Sept. or Oct., 1777 (Brandywine or Germantown)
 
Capt. Jonathan Clark's Company
 
Sgt. Maj. John Hoy, Dec. 3, 1776
Sgt. George Parrott, Nov. 6, 1776
Sgt. Humphrey Price, Nov. 24, 1776
Cpl. William Brown, March 30, 1777
Cpl. Mathew Toomey, Dec. 20, 1776
Pvt. Nicholas Bowder, June 13, 1776
Pvt. Nathan Brittain, Oct 17, 1776
Pvt. Thomas Brittain, Sept. 29, 1776
Pvt. Isaac Dent, Nov. 3, 1776
Pvt. Mathias Funk, Dec. 20, 1776
Pvt. Martin Honey, Sept. 20, 1776
Pvt. John Maxwell, Dec. 25, 1776
Pvt. Henry Moore, Sept. or Oct., 1777 (Brandywine or Germantown)
Pvt. Isaac Pemberton, Jan. 12, 1778
Pvt. Meredith Price, Jan. 3, 1777
Pvt. Simon Siron, unknown date (left in Georgia)
Pvt. Michael Wall, unknown date (before June 13, 1777)
Pt. Walter Warner, Oct. 4, 1776
 
Capt. William Croghan's Company
 
Sgt. John McDoran, Jan. 30, 1777
Cpl. Michael Kelly, Sept. 11, 1777 (Brandywine)
Cpl. William Penny, before May 18, 1777
Cpl. James Tucker, Dec. 27, 1776
Drummer Francis Prush, before May 18, 1777
Fifer Gabriel Christy, before April 1777
Pvt. John Brock, March 18 or 25, 1776
Pvt. John Brown, before April 1777
Pvt. William Cochran, before April 1777
Pvt. Robert Cochran, Sept. 1776
Pvt. Philip Cole, Jan. 30, 1777
Pvt. John Donnally, April 14, 1777
Pvt. Nicholas Doran, April 13, 1777
Pvt. William Gaddis March 15, 1777
Pvt. Patrick Garry, Nov. 11, 1776
Pvt. Joseph Gonsley, Feb. 1777
Pvt. William Goodman, before April 1777
Pvt. James Gorwin, Feb. 8, 1777
Pvt. Patrick Hall, ca. Jan. 1, 1777
Pvt. David Hanson, before April 1777
Pvt. Lewis Henry, Nov. 1776
Pvt. John Hinds, Aug. 14, 1776
Pvt. Nathaniel Hosier, before April 1777
Pvt. John James, ca. March 1, 1777
Pvt. Jesse Job, before April 1777
Pvt. Able Levesque, March 17, 1777
Pvt. George Martin, Feb. 1777
Pvt. Michael Martin, Feb. 1777
Pvt. Moses Martin, Feb. 1777
Pvt. Thomas Owens, Sept. 11, 1777 (Brandywine)
Pvt. Thomas Ryan, before May 18, 1777
Pvt. Henry Saltsman, Oct. 4, 1777 (Germantown)
Pvt. James Smyth, Oct. 19, 1776
Pvt. John Tuck, before April 1777
Pvt. Daniel Viers, March 3, 1777
 
Capt. William Darke's Company
 
Pvt. Daniel Cameron, Jan. 15, 1777
Pvt. WilliamEngle, ca. March 1776
Pvt. Jonathan Herrin, Dec. 1776
Pvt. Jeremiah Humphreys, Oct. 27, 1776
Pvt. George Ketcher, Oct. 24, 1776
Pvt. William Pingle, Dec. 1, 1776
Pvt. John Polson, Oct. 26, 1776
Pvt. George Pritty, Dec. 1, 1776
Pvt. George Smith, Oct. 11, 1776
Pvt. Samuel Watson, Dec. 8, 1776
 
Captain Robert Higgins' Company

Pvt. Zachariah DeLong, Feb. 1778 (POW)

Capt. James Knox's Company
 
Pvt. James Carr, Nov. 20, 1776
Pvt. Charles Carter, Dec. 24, 1776
Pvt. John Vance, Sept. 16, 1776
Pvt. Henry Wallis, Dec. 1776
Pvt. John Wilson, Nov. 8, 1776
 
Capt. George Slaughter's Company
 
Lt. Philip Huffman, March 15, 1781 (Guilford Courthouse)
Sgt. James Newman, in Georgia, 1776
Cpl. Barnett McGinnis, Nov. 25, 1776
Cpl. Cornelius Mershon, Aug 4, 1776
Fifer Henry Clatterbuck, July or Aug. 1776
Pvt. Thomas Abbett, before Feb. 3, 1777
Pvt. William Abbett, before Feb. 3, 1777
Pvt. Edward Abbott, Oct. 19, 1776
Pvt. John Abbott, Oct. 29, 1776
Pvt. William Cabbage, Nov. 24, 1776
Pvt. William Corbin, Dec. 10, 1776
Pvt. Abraham Field, Aug. 6, 1776
Pvt. Bozel Freeman, Nov. 15, 1776
Pvt. Reuben Hollaway, Aug. 3, 1776
Pvt. Utey Jackson, Aug. 20, 1776
Pvt. John Jinkins, Jan. 13 or 15, 1777
Pvt. Joseph Jones, May 6, 1777
Pvt. Edward Kennedy, Dec. 3, 1776
Pvt. Thomas Newman, in Georgia, 1776
 
Captain David Stephenson

No fatalities recorded.

Captain John Stephenson

No data available.

Capt. Abel Westfall's Company
 
Fifer Patrick Callihan, Sept. 25, 1776
Pvt. Joseph Edwards, June 13, 1776
Pvt. James Galloway, Jan. 1777
Pvt. John Haggen, March 15, 1778
Pvt. John Huff, Sept. 15, 1776
Pvt. Moses Johns, May 20, 1778
Pvt. William Kynets, Sept. 26, 1776
Pvt. Hugh Lewis, Oct. 16, 1776
Pvt. William McCormick, Dec. 28, 1776
Pvt. Zachariah Pigman, Feb. 1778 (POW)
Pvt. Philip Sanders, March 9, 1777

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