Captain Jack Jouett Home
Woodford County, Woodford County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
Captain Jack Jouett Home. Here lived the Revolutionary War hero who made the historic ride from Cuckoo Tavern to Charlottesville in 1781 to warn Jefferson of the approach of the British. Father of famous artist, Matthew Harris Jouett. For more information, see ExploreKYHistory: Capt. John "Jack" Jouett, Jr.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
In the small hours of June 4, 1781, Jack Jouett spurred his horse some forty miles through the Virginia backcountry to reach Charlottesville ahead of Banastre Tarleton's British dragoons, giving Governor Thomas Jefferson and the fleeing legislature the minutes they needed to escape capture. Often called "the Paul Revere of the South," Jouett later crossed the mountains to build a life in Kentucky. This was also home to his son, Matthew Harris Jouett, who became one of the young republic's most admired portrait painters.
Why it matters
A single hard ride kept the author of the Declaration of Independence and Virginia's government out of British hands at a desperate moment, a reminder that the Revolution often turned on the nerve of ordinary people.
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Related people
- · Jack Jouett
- · Thomas Jefferson
- · Matthew Harris Jouett
- · Banastre Tarleton
Related events
- · Jouett's Ride (1781)
Themes & tags
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