Reading The Politics of War: Race, Class, and Conflict in Revolutionary Virginia, I came across an interesting bit.
Some backstory: by 1781, Virginia's defense had collapsed. The militia refuesd to turn out, the state was broke, Jefferson had fled in advance of British troops, etc.
By May, even our old buddy Jefferson was calling for martial law in the state and the use of more forceful measures agains the state's citizens. Jefferosn wrote to Washington and claimed that he was the state's last hope, and asked Washington to come to the state in person.
Now Washington did come, and this is how we got Yorktown. But there were other calls for Washington to take a more, ah, assertive role. The Virginia legislature had to flee Charlottesville in advance of a British raid, and once they relocated to Staunton, one George Nicholas moved to appoint a dictator, suggesting either General Greene or General Washington.
This wasn't the conjecture of one legislator who was watching his state collapse. Patrick Henry seconded it, stating it was immaterial "whether the Officer was called a Dictator or a Govenrnor. " Richard Henry lee also warned that Washington, with flul dictattorial power, could yet save the state.
Now, obviously this didn't go anywhere; the motion ot appoint a dictator was debated in secret, and failed. But it does show the possibility.
Actually, given that Patrick Henry almost ended up as a Continental General, things could get very interesting, in the Chinese sense, for Virginia...
Some backstory: by 1781, Virginia's defense had collapsed. The militia refuesd to turn out, the state was broke, Jefferson had fled in advance of British troops, etc.
By May, even our old buddy Jefferson was calling for martial law in the state and the use of more forceful measures agains the state's citizens. Jefferosn wrote to Washington and claimed that he was the state's last hope, and asked Washington to come to the state in person.
Now Washington did come, and this is how we got Yorktown. But there were other calls for Washington to take a more, ah, assertive role. The Virginia legislature had to flee Charlottesville in advance of a British raid, and once they relocated to Staunton, one George Nicholas moved to appoint a dictator, suggesting either General Greene or General Washington.
This wasn't the conjecture of one legislator who was watching his state collapse. Patrick Henry seconded it, stating it was immaterial "whether the Officer was called a Dictator or a Govenrnor. " Richard Henry lee also warned that Washington, with flul dictattorial power, could yet save the state.
Now, obviously this didn't go anywhere; the motion ot appoint a dictator was debated in secret, and failed. But it does show the possibility.
Actually, given that Patrick Henry almost ended up as a Continental General, things could get very interesting, in the Chinese sense, for Virginia...
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