George Divers and the Convention Army

George Divers and the Convention Army

September 17, 2019



The surrender of the British Army at the Battle of Saratoga in October 1777 was a turning point in the American Revolution. The captured soldiers, known as the Convention Army, were initially sent to Massachusetts but were subsequently marched to an encampment in Albemarle County. This presentation expounds upon the Convention Army, their encampment, and a possible relationship to George Divers of Farmington.

Speakers include Dr. Joseph W.A. Whitehorne, a retired United States Army officer who served as a staff historian in both the United States and Europe, and Dr. George Sanborn, who coauthored a soon-to-be released book with Whitehorne on the history of the Civil War in West Virginia. Dr. Whitehorne, post retirement, was a professor of history at Lord Fairfax Community College until 2010. He has written the history portions of 16 major reports on Civil War military sites in the Shenandoah Valley and is the author or coauthor of 19 books and numerous military history articles. Dr. Sanborn grew up in Charlottesville, graduated from the Virginia Military Institute and attended medical school at the Institute and attended medical school at the University of Virginia