Elisha Warden, my great-great-great-great-grandfather and one of my Revolutionary War ancestors, in 1776, at the age of 15, served in the Reg. Virginia Militia under Captain Thomas Pollard on an expedition to protect General Washington’s estate at Mount Vernon from destruction by the British. In September 1777, he again enlisted in the Reg. Virginia Militia, in the stead of William Simpson, for a three month tour of service as a private.
Within a few days after this enlistment, he and the regiment marched to Pennsylvania to join the main Army passing through Georgetown and Fredericksburg MD, then through York and Lancaster PA to join the American Army on its retreat from the Battle of Germantown. His detachment was then sent to scout the movements of the British. He was discharged December 1777.
He later served again, as a sergeant in Capt. James Waugh’s Company in the Colchester, Va., defending it from the British. In 1781, he again served in Waugh’s company, marching to join the Continental Army at Yorktown. His company was ordered by General Washington to clear out and repair the road from Colchester to Yorktown for the northern army and artillery to pass on to the siege.