Loudoun County’s new high school will carry the name of an often forgotten revolutionary hero when it opens in Fall 2012.
After a unanimous decision in its March 8 board meeting, the Loudoun County School Board chose to name the school after John Champe, a native of Aldie.
According to loudounhistory.org, Champe was born in 1752. By his early twenties, he was very highly regarded by his peers and was known to be tough, thoughtful and serious.
The website also says he was very well built and a large man and by 1780, he was serving as the Sergeant Major in one of the most prestigious units in the Continental Army, Maj. Henry “Light horse Harry” Lee’s Light Dragoons.
Teresa McCarthy, the regent of the Ketoctin Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution noted that Champe was well thought of by the Continental Army’s leadership.
“[John] Champe was very highly regarded by Maj. Henry ‘Light Horse Harry’ Lee,” McCarthy said. “He was a relatively ordinary man, very well built of large stature, tough, trustworthy and he could read and write.”
Champe is most known for being tasked by General George Washington to capture traitor Benedict Arnold.
When Washington presented his plan to Lee, Champe was the person he immediately recommended.
In secret, the two men hatched a plan that would have Champe fake his desertion and flee to British-controlled New York City.
Champe’s first reaction to the plan was to turn it down cold, but his loyalty to the American cause and his men was too high.
“It should be noted that Champe was not very fond of the plot to capture Benedict Arnold, because it meant he would be seen as a traitor,” McCarthy said. “It was a very complicated plot that required Champe to make it seem in every way possible like he was defecting back to the British.”
Lee convinced Champe that this mission was a great honor and if he refused it would be a great insult to Washington.
Champe agreed to the plan.
During his escape from his unit’s camp, a patrol spotted Champe and reported back to Lee he was defecting and after stalling for as much as possible, Lee sent a patrol after him.
Champe narrowly escaped by deserting his horse and jumping into the Hudson River where he was recovered by British troops and announced his desertion.
After getting close to Arnold, Champe set forth with his plan to kidnap him and take him back to Washington. He was given a room right next to Arnold’s quarters and hatched a plan to grab Arnold from his garden.
However, the British moved Arnold on the day he was to be kidnapped and Champe had to go with Arnold to sell his desertion.
He was then required to board a vessel bound for Virginia to fight the colonials. After arriving in Virginia, Champe was able to escape from the British and return to Lee.
According to ushistory.org, Arnold would return to Britain after the war and proceeded to enter the shipping business, which ultimately failed. He died in 1801.
Lee granted his release from the Army with the fear that if captured by the British during battle, he would be hung for being a spy.
Upon his release from duty, Champe retired to Loudoun County and his six children. His wife Elizabeth had died and Champe married a local girl named Phoebe Bernard, and built a stone house along Little River in Aldie.
Champe died at the age of 46 in 1798.
McCarthy noted that not many people are aware of the story behind Champe.
“I don’t think many people know of the story of John Champe and there are so many new people in our county that aren’t familiar with our long history,” McCarthy said. “I think naming this school after Champe will help bridge that gap and educate our children about the importance of our revolutionary history.
“It is very important for our students to be made aware of this county’s revolutionary war history and I think naming this school after Champe helps to achieve that goal,” McCarthy said.
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hey my name is jessica champ i have figured out through a long line of family that i am related to john champe i was wondering if anyone else can tell me more about his family history would really appreciate it thanks !!!!!!!!!!!!
Wonderful to see John Champe gaining a little well deserved, if much belated, recognition.
Bully? I think not. Bullies tend toward cowardice, something not seen in John Champe’s actions. Champe was willing to risk it all in support of his country. The available evidence indicates that, after his military service he wanted little more than to retire back to the countryside and that he lived out his days quietly.
After John Champe’s death, his widow Phoebe and several of their children spent decades petitioning the U.S. Congress for benefits based on Champe’s service. After 20 years of petitions, Phoebe Champe was awarded a survivor’s pension; sadly it came very late in her life. Their children continued to petition the Congress for further benefits which were not granted. Ultimately, the Civil War hardened resolve in the Congress to cease granting benefits to families of Revolutionary War patriots.
It might be worth noting, that current scholarship says Elizabeth was John Champe’s mother, not his wife. An early biographer made an error and confused the Sergeant Major with his father (also named John.) Adding to the confusion is the fact that his father did remarry and continued having children even while our hero was having children of his own.
Men like Champe and the far more nationally famous Nathan Hale represent persons of character who were willing to undertake dangerous missions and put their individual reputations and lives at stake for a higher cause.
Nathan Hale’s courage and honor even while facing death by hanging made him a national name. Champe probably knew Hale’s story when he took the mission. During the weeks he played at being a British soldier, his life was essentially at risk every day. Even though he was never able to capture Arnold alive, he did provide Washington with reassuring intelligence that none of Washington’s other generals were disloyal.
More students in Loudoun County have probably heard of Nathan Hale than of John Champe. That’s too bad for the local guy. His story is even more daring than Hale’s. Champe deserves this recognition. I hope the students of John Champe High School will be proud of their namesake.
A bully? Hah. A bully thinks only of himself. A bully won’t put himself at risk for any greater cause.
Being tough has nothing to do with being a bully. Most bullies are actually cowards. Being tough means being able to take care of yourself. Being a bully means taking advantage of those who cannot defend themselves. Bullying is an attitude, not a capability. Tough is a capability, not an attitude. Champe sounds like a fine name, an honorable name, for the school.
Champe being tough might make him a bully. Does the County want to reward a bully by giviim the names of a school?
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