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Jefferson, believing himself a private citizen since his term of office had officially ended, left the legislature to its own devices. He first sent his family off by carriage along the main roads. According to a 1786 autograph of Jefferson’s diary, he remained at “Monticello, making arrangements for my own departure.”  Jefferson stayed at Monticello until “Lt. Christopher Hudson…informed me that the enemy were ascending the hill of Monticello.” He then “departed immediately…through the woods along the mountains.” Jefferson stopped at Blenheim*, the Carter family plantation six miles below Monticello, before continuing eight miles further to Colonel Cole’s estate, Enniscorthy. Jefferson met his family at Enniscorthy and dined there before heading to Captain Thomas Jopling’s inn on the Rockfish River. After spending the night at Jopling’s inn, Jefferson took his family “to Colo. Hugh Rose’s in Amherst.” He “left them there on the 7th and returned to Monticello.”

Tarleton occupied Charlottesville only eighteen hours before moving on down the Rivanna River. Jefferson returned to an unblemished Monticello, thanks to the supervision of Captain McLeod. Tarleton ordered McLeod to see that British troops did not plunder Jefferson’s home.


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