VA-Q17 Jack Jouetts Ride

Marker text: JACK JOUETT'S RIDE

On 4 June 1781, John "Jack" Jouett Jr. arrived at the Albemarle County Courthouse to warn the Virginia legislature of approaching British troops. The state government under Governor Thomas Jefferson and retreated from Richmond to reconvene in Charlottesville because of the threat of British invasion during the Revolutionary War. Jouett had spotted Colonet Banastre Tarleton and his 180 dragoons and 70 cavalrymen 40 miles east at Cuckoo Tavern, and rode through the night to reach here by dawn. Jouett's heroic ride, which allowed Jefferson and all but seven legislators to escape, was later recognized by the Virginia General Assembly, which awarded him a sword and a pair of pistols.

Department of Historic Resources, 1998.</font>