[1] The 3rd Virginia's initial commander was Colonel Hugh Mercer, who was quickly promoted to brigadier general.
The regiment saw action in the New York Campaign, the Battles of Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth and the Siege of Charleston.
On December 26, 1776, the vanguard was the 6th Company led by Captain William Washington and Lt. James Monroe.
"When the Hessians rolled out a field gun midway on King Street, a half dozen Virginians led by Captain William Washington (a distant cousin of the commander) and Lieutenant James Monroe rushed forward, seized it, and turned it on them."
They Behaved Like Soldiers: Captain John Chilton and the Third Virginia Regiment, 1775 - 1778.