Instead, Clark concentrated on
Indians closer to Kentucky. In August 1780 with 1,000 riflemen he
destroyed the principal Shawnee towns of Chillocothe and Piqua, but could
not break the Shawnee strength. The invasion of eastern Virginia in 1781
ended hopes for the Detroit project, drew men from the west, and opened
the way for the Ohio Indians to go on the offensive. Bitter fighting
continued in the west after Yorktown. Clark's troops finally broke the
Shawnees in November 1782 when they again leveled Chillocothe and Piqua.
Hostilities and the British presence in the Northwest Territory remained
a contentious issue until after the War of 1812.

The War and Eastern Virginia, 1776-1779

Initial British war strategy did not call for a direct attack on the
Chesapeake states. They were too hard to hold once conquered. There were
no towns to occupy, no natural defense positions, too many rivers to
cross, too little to be gained in comparison to New York, Philadelphia,
or Charleston. Furthermore, there was no sizeable loyalist population to
rise up and assist the British as in the Carolinas and the middle states.

The war effort was men, material, and money. Under Governor Henry the
executive branch functioned reasonably well. There were no emergencies,
no need for quick decisions which only the executive can make, and little
sapping of morale which a long, inconclusive war can bring. Still, Henry
recognized the restrictions placed on the governor, whom he called a
"mere phantom". Fortunately for him, he left office in June 1779 before
the inherent weakness of the executive branch became apparent. Jefferson
was not to be so fortunate. From time to time in the administrations of
Henry, Jefferson, and Thomas Nelson, Jr., persons talked of making the
governor a "dictator" (in the Roman use of this word, not the modern
connotation). These were mostly speculative discussions, not serious
attempts to change the government. Only in the dire crises of Summer 1781
was it even a remote possibility.

The most direct threat to Virginia in these early years was on the seas.
To meet that threat Virginia established a state navy in 1776. Eventually
the Virginia navy had "72 vessels of all classes, including many ships,
brigs, and schooners; but apparently most of them were small, poorly
manned, and lightly armed; and were used largely for commerce."[44] Never
intended to meet the British fleet in combat, the Virginia navy did
succeed in