Convention Army

[1] In November 1778, the Convention Army began marching south 700 miles (1,100 km) to Charlottesville, Virginia, arriving in uncharacteristically snowy weather in January 1779.

[3] They were held at the hastily and poorly constructed Albemarle Barracks until late 1780, under the guard of Lt. Col Joseph Crockett's Western Battalion.

The Virginia troops assigned to guard duty were generally better fed and equipped than any other forces, so that prisoner letters would reflect a strong Continental Army.

Money sent by the prisoner's families in Britain and Germany provided a lot of hard currency and coin for the back-country area.

The rank-and-file, however, dealt with miserable living conditions as the small amount of money appropriated to build the barracks proved inadequate.

This practice is positively forbid in future..." In late 1780, when British forces became active in Virginia, the army was again moved, this time being marched north by the Western Battalion to Frederick, Maryland.