The Battle of Spencer's Ordinary
A Quick and Small Skirmish in Virginia During the Revolutionary War
Nov 12, 2009
While British General Lord Cornwallis was headquartered in Williamsburg , he ordered John Simcoe and his Queens Rangers, along with some Hessian soldiers, to raid an American supply depot near the Chickahominy River.
The current Route 633 was the Chickahominy Road that Simcoe used. He likely traveled on it between the river to the point where it connects with the present Route 614 (then part of the Jamestown Road but now this section also is known as Centerville Road). When the Marquis de Lafayette and General Anthony Wayne learned about the raid, Colonel Richard Butler was dispatched with infantry and cavalry to strike Simcoe as he made his way back to Williamsburg.
After an all-night march, an advance unit of Butler’s men caught up with Simcoe at Spencer’s Ordinary on June 26, 1781. Spencer’s Ordinary was on the high ground off the Jamestown Road that was reachable via the Chickahominy Road.
Fences along the main road had been knocked down by Simcoe’s men to permit the dragoons to ride their horses into the open fields. The British and Hessians were “collecting” cattle from the Lee farm, which no longer exists, when Butler’s advance unit surprised them. It was the sound of this preliminary engagement that alerted Simcoe to the enemy’s approach.
The Battle Begins
Details about the engagement come from Simcoe's map of the area and the description he entered into his journal. His notes describe the high ground and the open field nearby. An open field also was located on the opposite side of the main road. The America forces gathered on the high ground and straddled the Chickahominy Road. Simcoe’s men were along the road below and facing the Chickahominy Road.
Butler engaged Simcoe immediately. Hessians moved to the right up through what are now woods but was an open plowed field at the time. They pivoted to their left and moved in a flanking movement against the American left. Simcoe used a three-pound cannon during the skirmish.
Simcoe was getting the better of the fight when he became concerned that Lafayette’s main force might have followed Butler. So, he broke off the engagement and withdrew to Williamsburg.
While this action was occurring, Cornwallis started moving toward Simcoe with reinforcements. Butler decided to withdraw since he was not anxious to get involved with the main British forces.
The results of the engagement was a loss of 33 men for Simcoe and nine dead, 14 wounded and 14 missing for Butler. Both Simcoe and Butler claimed victory. The outcome more likely was a draw.
The Site Today
Most of the fighting occurred on the high ground. This land stands today behind a Baptist church that was not present at the time of the battle. By walking up the road next to the church, the visitor advances with Simcoe who led his men in a column. He deployed across the American front and charged as the Hessian pressed on the flank.
Simcoe’s map corresponds with the site in every detail, covering the roads, the high ground and the small hills in the area. It also shows where two farms were located close to a fork along the Chickahominy Road. Either one of these farms could have been the “ordinary” where travelers stopped to purchase refreshments from the farmer. Further along this road was another ordinary, Six Mile Ordinary, where a fight occurred when Captain Thomas Mathews and his militia met British Colonel Banastre Tarleton during August 1781.
The fighting at Six Mile Ordinary and Spencer’s Ordinary are not marked. When driving by on the main road, only the modern Baptist church is visible. Facing the church, the battle road is immediately to the right next to what was the open field. The road takes some winding turns and ends up among several small homes. The markers for these engagements, along with one for the nearby battle at Green Spring, appear on a main road several miles away in the hamlet of Lightfoot, Virginia.
