The Fourth of July has passed, but the 250th anniversary of American independence is much bigger than a single day. America 250 gives us an opportunity to remember the ordinary men and women whose sacrifices carried the country from a declaration of independence on paper to independence in fact.
One of those men was our sixth great-grandfather, William Pace of Virginia, who served for most of the Revolutionary War in an unusually trusted military unit: General George Washington’s Commander-in-Chief’s Guard, commonly called Washington’s Life Guard.
From Virginia to Washington’s Headquarters
William Pace enlisted on January 23, 1777, in Captain Henry Conway’s company of the 14th Virginia Regiment, commanded by Colonel Charles Lewis.
Only a few months later, in May 1777, he was transferred at Morristown, New Jersey, to the Commander-in-Chief’s Guard under Captain Caleb Gibbs. Records differ slightly on whether the transfer occurred on May 6 or May 8, but they agree that William joined the Guard early that month and remained connected with it for the rest of the war.
The transfer placed him close to the center of the Continental Army.
The Guard protected General Washington, but its responsibilities went far beyond serving as a personal bodyguard. Its soldiers guarded army headquarters, Washington’s baggage, military papers, money, equipment, and the people who worked within headquarters. They stood sentry, controlled access to the commander-in-chief, accompanied Washington and important visitors, and helped secure headquarters whenever the army moved.
This was not simply a ceremonial honor guard. The men remained active soldiers and accompanied Washington’s army during military campaigns.
What kind of soldiers were chosen?
Washington established the Commander-in-Chief’s Guard in March 1776. His surviving orders show that he wanted men known for:
- honesty;
- sobriety;
- good behavior;
- cleanliness and neatness;
- physical fitness and military bearing;
- previous military training; and
- willingness to serve in the Guard.
Each regiment was asked to nominate several men for consideration. Washington preferred men approximately five feet eight inches to five feet ten inches tall, describing them in the language of the time as “handsomely and well made.”
The candidates were instructed to appear without their uniforms or weapons, which may have allowed officers to judge their natural appearance and bearing rather than the condition of their military clothing and equipment.
Some family accounts say that members of the Guard also had to be married landowners and that Washington personally interviewed each candidate. I have not found those requirements in Washington’s original written orders, so I would not treat them as certain. The qualities that are documented—honesty, sobriety, discipline, neatness, fitness, and good behavior—already show that the Guard was intended to include dependable men.
William Pace’s selection suggests that his officers considered him trustworthy enough to serve close to the commander-in-chief and to protect information and property that could affect the entire Continental Army.
What might William’s life in the Guard have been like?
We cannot know William’s personal thoughts or feelings, but we can form a careful picture of his daily life from what is known about the Guard.
Much of his service probably involved routine sentry duty. He may have guarded roads, entrances, tents, houses, baggage wagons, military papers, and supplies. He may have checked the identity of people approaching headquarters or stood watch while Washington met with officers, messengers, foreign visitors, or political leaders.
The work was not always dramatic. Guard duty often meant long hours of standing, waiting, and remaining alert through darkness, rain, snow, mud, summer heat, hunger, and exhaustion.
Falling asleep while on sentry duty was treated as a serious offense because one careless guard could expose headquarters to theft, surprise attack, or espionage.
Although William served near Washington, his own living conditions would still have been those of an enlisted soldier. He would have experienced shortages of food, clothing, shelter, medicine, and pay. Being stationed near the commander-in-chief did not protect the Guardsmen from the hardships faced by the rest of the army.
Illness Early in His Service
William’s service record states that he was sick in the hospital during June and July 1777, only weeks after joining the Guard.
That brief entry on a muster roll may represent a dangerous period in his life. Disease and infection killed more Revolutionary War soldiers than combat did. Military hospitals were often overcrowded, poorly supplied, and vulnerable to outbreaks of illness.
William recovered and returned to duty in time to take part in the campaigns later that year.
The Battle of Brandywine
On September 11, 1777, William was present during the Battle of Brandywine in Pennsylvania.
Washington’s army attempted to stop British forces from advancing toward Philadelphia. The British outmaneuvered the Americans and forced them to withdraw, but the Continental Army was not destroyed.
As a member of the Guard, William may have helped protect Washington, headquarters personnel, papers, or baggage during the battle and the difficult retreat that followed. The Guard also fought when necessary, so his role was not necessarily limited to standing behind the lines.
The Battle of Germantown
Only a few weeks later, on October 4, 1777, William was present at the Battle of Germantown.
Washington attempted a complicated surprise attack on British troops occupying the area near Philadelphia. Fog, smoke, confusion, and poor coordination caused the American attack to break down.
Although Germantown ended in defeat, the willingness of the Continental Army to attack so soon after Brandywine impressed some foreign observers and demonstrated that Washington’s army was still capable of fighting.
The Winter at Valley Forge
During the winter of 1777–1778, William Pace was with the army at Valley Forge.
Valley Forge was not the site of a major battle, but it became one of the most important tests of the Continental Army. Soldiers suffered from shortages of food, clothing, shoes, blankets, and medical supplies. Disease spread through the camp, and many soldiers died.
The Commander-in-Chief’s Guard was quartered near Washington’s headquarters so its members could protect him, his staff, and his records.
During that winter, Baron Friedrich von Steuben introduced a more organized system of military drill. The Commander-in-Chief’s Guard and other selected soldiers were used to demonstrate his methods before the training was spread throughout the army.
It is possible that William saw or participated in this training. We cannot claim that he personally served in every demonstration without more specific evidence, but he belonged to the unit closely associated with von Steuben’s early training efforts.
William’s original enlistment eventually expired, but he reenlisted and continued serving. After surviving illness, battle, and the winter at Valley Forge, he chose—or accepted the obligation—to remain in the army for the duration of the war.
The Battle of Monmouth
William was present at the Battle of Monmouth in New Jersey on June 28, 1778.
The battle was fought in intense summer heat as Washington’s army attacked the British during their withdrawal from Philadelphia toward New York.
Monmouth ended without a clear victory for either side, but it demonstrated how much the Continental Army had improved. The troops performed with greater discipline than they had shown during the previous year’s battles.
For William, the day would likely have involved exhausting marching, confusion, smoke, noise, heat, and the need to protect headquarters while remaining ready to fight.
Furlough and Return to Service
William reenlisted and received a furlough in January 1779. His service chronology says that he later rejoined the Guard on September 1, 1779.
A furlough may have allowed him to return temporarily to Virginia, although the surviving summary does not tell us precisely where he went or what he did during that time.
What is clear is that he returned to military service and remained with the army through the final years of the Revolution.
Connecticut Farms
On June 7, 1780, William was present during the fighting at Connecticut Farms, now part of Union Township, New Jersey.
British and Hessian forces advanced toward the American positions near Morristown in an attempt to threaten Washington’s army and military supplies.
The Americans resisted the advance, and the British eventually withdrew. The campaign showed that, even several years into the war, Washington’s headquarters and the army’s supply network remained vulnerable.
King’s Bridge
William’s service record also places him at the skirmish or operation at King’s Bridge, New York, on July 3, 1781.
King’s Bridge stood at the northern end of Manhattan Island and was an important route into British-held New York City.
During the summer of 1781, Washington created the impression that he intended to attack New York. Meanwhile, American and French forces were preparing for the movement south that would eventually lead to Yorktown.
William, as a member of the Guard, would have moved with Washington’s headquarters during this period of secrecy, planning, and rapid military movement.
Yorktown
William was present during the Yorktown campaign in Virginia in the fall of 1781.
At Yorktown, American and French forces trapped the British army commanded by General Charles Cornwallis. French naval forces prevented the British from escaping or receiving help by sea.
After weeks of siege operations and bombardment, Cornwallis’s army surrendered on October 19, 1781.
The surrender did not formally end the Revolutionary War, but it effectively ended major British offensive operations in the United States.
For William, Yorktown may have carried special meaning. After years of service far from home, he had returned to Virginia as part of the army that secured the war’s decisive victory.
Service after Yorktown
William did not leave the army immediately after Yorktown.
The British still occupied New York City, the peace treaty had not yet been completed, and the Continental Army had to remain prepared in case negotiations failed or fighting resumed.
William continued serving until 1783.
On June 4, 1783, he was promoted to sergeant, an indication that after years of service he had earned additional responsibility and the confidence of his officers.
Two days later, at Newburgh, New York, he was furloughed while the army waited for the final peace arrangements.
William Pace was formally discharged on November 3, 1783.
By that time, he had served for nearly seven years—from the uncertain winter of 1777 through major campaigns in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia, and into the final months of the Continental Army.
Our Family Connection
William Pace’s story comes through Grandpa Aldridge’s family line.
Grandpa Aldridge’s paternal grandmother was Mary Elizabeth Jane Bellamy. William Pace was her second great-grandfather, making him our sixth great-grandfather.
This branch of the family had deep roots in Scott County, Virginia, where William lived after the Revolution and where later generations of our family also lived.
Knowing the exact family connection makes his story feel more personal. He is not simply a name in a military record, a history book, or an application to a lineage society. He is one of the people whose life and choices became part of our own family story.
The William Pace Memorial Bridge
William Pace is also remembered in Scott County through the William Pace Memorial Bridge.
The bridge is located on Virginia Route 632 near the Yuma community and Jones Cemetery, where William is buried. The Commonwealth of Virginia officially approved the bridge’s commemorative name in 2004.
The bridge was not one that William used during his lifetime. It was named in his honor nearly two centuries after his death as a memorial to his Revolutionary War service.
Its location is fitting. It stands in the same part of Virginia where William settled and where several generations of his descendants lived.
Remembering William Pace
William Pace did not become a famous general, politician, or statesman. His name survives in military records, muster rolls, family histories, lineage applications, a cemetery memorial, and the bridge that now bears his name.
That may be exactly why his story matters.
The American Revolution depended upon men who stood watch through the night, marched while hungry and exhausted, endured disease, guarded wagons and papers, fought in difficult battles, reenlisted after their original terms expired, and remained in service even after the victory at Yorktown.
William’s position in the Commander-in-Chief’s Guard placed him unusually close to George Washington, but he was still an enlisted soldier. His service required years of discipline, patience, courage, and sacrifice.
His selection for the Guard suggests that he was known as a dependable man. His promotion to sergeant near the end of the war suggests that he continued to earn the trust of his officers.
As our country commemorates 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, I am grateful to know the name and story of one of the men who helped defend that declaration:
Sergeant William Pace of Virginia, soldier of the Continental Army, member of George Washington’s Commander-in-Chief’s Guard, and my sixth great-grandfather.
His life reminds me that independence was not secured in a single battle or moment. It was achieved through years of ordinary duties performed faithfully under extraordinary circumstances.