I will provide this story in its original form with no editing. It was described as a gift from Miss Anne Harris Patteson to Elizabeth Whitney Putnam. "The reminiscences were given as they were related by the widow of Lieutenant John Harris (i.e. Rebecca (Britton) Harris) to her grandson, James A. Patteson, who recorded this story in 1905, in his eighty-fifth year."
In the 178- (exact date not known) after Benedict Arnold's treason, he, being appointed to the command of the British forces in Virginia, ravaged the country around Richmond, and gradually dispersed the Continental forces in that vicinity.
His headquarters was established at Westham, in the County of Henrico, on the north bank of the James, and feeling secure in his position, he was in the habit of riding to breakfast to a plantation some miles from his headquarters.
This becoming known to a party of gentlemen of the County of Chesterfield, on the south bank of the James, most of whom were Officers and men of the Continental Army on furlough and sick leave. Some fifteen or twenty of them conceived the idea that it might be possible by crossing the James, and lying in wait in a piece of woods near the farm to which he was in the habit of going, to shoot most of his bodyguard, which usually consisted of a handful of troopers, overpower the rest, and to seize Arnold, alive if possible, and to carry him off to Chesterfield County, where they proposed to forward him to the Continental headquarters, or, if it were found impossible to secure him alive, to kill him, and deliver this country from one of its most bitter enemies.
Among those gentlemen were Lieut. John Harris, whose plantation, known as Southwestham, was situated almost opposite to Arnold's headquarters; his brother-in-law, Major Obadiah Smith; Major Smith's overseer, Mr. John Scott, known in the County as "Flannel-head Scott" on account of his custom of wearing a flannel nightcap instead of a wig; and an old gentleman named William Brittain.
An old Negro, the body-servant of Lieut. Harris, was entrusted with the secret, and undertook to collect a certain number of boats at Lieut. Harris' plantation, before daybreak to ferry the party over the river, which at that point was full of rapids, and very difficult to cross.
When the party met at the river bank on the morning appointed, they found the number of boats short by one, and the Negro missing; old Mr. Brittain, suspecting treachery on the part of the Negro, which afterwards proved correct, refused to proceed further with the expedition, but upon their taunting him with cowardice, told them that if they still insisted on making the attempt, he would post himself on a bluff on the plantation, which commanded a good view of the country on the north shore of the river, and if he saw any movement of troops there, he would signal them by discharging his piece in the air, on which they must make the best of their way back to the river.
The rest of the party agreed to this, and after some difficulty succeeded in crossing the rapids of the James, and landed, but when they had gone perhaps halfway to their intended point of ambuscade, they heard the old man's piece.
They were about to return but knowing that Mr. Brittain was old, and thinking he was unnecessarily alarmed, they went on deeper into the country, crossing on their way a bridge over a creek. About a mile further on, they were surprised by a squadron of Tarleton's horse, commanded by Col. Simcoe, and were obliged to scatter across country for the river. Luckily, the first platoon of the horse on crossing the bridge, broke through, and the rest were obliged to go around some distance for a ford.
The fugitives reached the James in time to shove off before the squadron came up, and were halfway across the river in the rapids, which prevented their making much headway, when Col. Simcoe drew up his men on the bank and called for their immediate surrender, assuring them of good treatment.
On this, a Mr. Smith, brother of Major Obadiah Smith, who had been previously captured by the British and was then released on parole, called to his brother, "Oby, you can't surrender me or I'll be sure to hang," when Major Smith's overseer, who was considered a dead shot, said, "Let me rest my piece on your shoulder, Major, and I'll bring the damned rascal down." He fired, but at the moment Col. Simcoe's horse reared up and received the ball in his head.
The Colonel jumped up in a rage, and making his men wade their horses in the river as far as possible, ordered them to show no quarter but to kill every mother's son of the rebels.
The party of Americans in the meantime jumped overboard on the rocks in the rapids and managed to float their boats over and finally escaped to the south shore with only a few wounded and none killed.
After the surrender at Yorktown, Col. John Crittenden, the father of John J. Crittenden, afterwards Governor of Kentucky, accompanied Lieut. Harris home, where he married his sister and removed with her to Kentucky, where his several distinguished sons were born.
Lieut. John Harris, of the above record, was an original member of the Cincinnati, in the State of Virginia, and direct ancestor of Anne Harris Patteson, member of the Daughters of the Cincinnati. Mr. William Brittain was Lieut. Harris' father-in-law, and therefore gg grandfather of Anne Patteson."
Footnotes to the story from Frances M. Fletcher who is descended from Lt. John Harris and Rebecca Britton:
"Enjoyed the tale you sent - makes history come alive all right. The old Mr. William Britton was undoubtedly Anderson Britton, father of Rebecca. Anderson was the only surviving son of William Britton, born about 1700 and his second wife, Elizabeth Anderson.
William the father md. 1.) Mary Owen and 2.) Elizabeth Anderson. This William Britton ran the ferry from Westham across the river...Anderson Britton had an older half brother named William Britton, born about 1728, married a Mildred and lived in Halifax County, Va. He might have been the old Mr. Britton referred to...but I doubt it. Keep up the good work.