Billy Flora

Private William "Billy" Flora, a free Black man from the Portsmouth area and a member of the Norfolk County Militia, served as a sentry for Colonel Woodford’s army at the Battle of Great Bridge. In the early morning of December 9, 1775, stationed behind a pile of shingles more than 300 yards from the patriot line, he fired his musket eight times at the approaching enemy before retreating toward the breastwork. As he ran across the causeway with redcoats close behind, he stopped and, under heavy fire, went back to remove a loose plank from a narrow foot bridge in front of the breastwork to slow the enemy’s advance. He survived unscathed and was the last sentinel to return to the breastwork’s protective barrier, and his courage amid a shower of bullets helped achieve victory. Flora later served in the 15th and 16th Virginia Regiments in other battles of the American War for Independence, including the Battle of Yorktown, and in 1806 received a grant of land for his Revolutionary War service. His former commanding officer recalled that he was held in high esteem as a soldier. After the war, Flora lived in Portsmouth, Virginia, where he owned a livery stable on Middle Street and a home at the corner of Washington and King Streets. In 1807, after the attack on the U.S.S. Chesapeake by H.M.S. Leopard off the Virginia Capes, he was briefly called back into service with troops from Norfolk and Portsmouth and reported for duty with "Old Betty," the same musket he had used at Great Bridge. Billy Flora died in 1820 and is believed to be buried in Portsmouth.

Chesapeake, Virginia · United States