American Revolution
When the American Revolution began, Governor Dunmore prorogued the Burgesses. The Whigs (soon to become American rebels) formed a provisional congress. Both Andrew Lewis and his brother Thomas were delegates. The Continental Congress created a Continental Army in 1775, and George Washington asked that Lewis be made a brigadier general. However, the Continental Congress had decided there should be only one general from each state, and Virginia's position had already gone to Charles Lee.
In March 1776, Lewis was appointed a Brigadier General in the Continental Army. He oversaw the defense of Virginia and raised men for the Continental Army. Governor Dunmore still launched attacks along the coast, and the Committee of Safety called on Lewis to stop them. On July 9, 1776 he led Virginia's forces to capture Dunmore's last stronghold, a fortified position on Gwyn's Island in the Chesapeake Bay. Lord Dunmore escaped by sea to sail to the Caribbean, never to return.
On April 15, 1777, Lewis resigned his commission because of poor health. He remained active in the Burgesses, and in 1780, Governor Thomas Jefferson appointed him to the Council. The following year, Lewis fell ill while returning home from a council meeting; he died of a fever in Bedford County on September 26. He was buried in the family plot at his home. In 1887 General Lewis' remains were re-interred in the East Hill Cemetery at Salem, Virginia.
Read more about this topic: Andrew Lewis (soldier)
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