Virginia
Documentary reveals roots of revolution in Southwest Virginia
The year 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Cardinal News has embarked on a project to tell the little-known stories of Virginia’s role in the march to independence. This project is supported, in part, by a grant from the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission. Find all our stories from this project on the Cardinal 250 page. You can sign up for our monthly newsletter:
Feeling oppression from the British crown and longing for freedom in their new land, a group of leaders gathered to sign a historic document stating their intention to break ties with England and fight for independence.
However, this pivotal moment in the American Revolution was not what you might expect — it occurred more than a year before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and it didn’t happen at Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
This declaration of liberty was the Fincastle Resolutions, signed in January 1775, right here in Southwest Virginia.
A new PBS documentary, “Resolved to Live and Die,” was filmed on location throughout the region and brought to life through historical reenactments “that vividly capture the peril, passion, and patriotism” of those fighting for freedom during the Revolutionary War era in Southwest Virginia, according to the filmmakers.
The film’s goal is to honor the region’s pivotal — and often overlooked — role in shaping the Revolution.
The documentary is part of the ongoing Virginia 250 celebration, focusing on the state’s involvement in the American Revolution. It is a co-production of Blue Ridge PBS, PBS Appalachia, the Wilderness Road Regional Museum in Dublin and the Willowbrook Jackson/Umberger Homestead Museum in Wytheville.
The film debuts at 7 p.m. Sunday on Blue Ridge PBS.
“I hope people will realize that Southwest Virginia played a huge part in the fight for independence,” said Michael Gillman, manager of historic sites for Wytheville Museums. “From 1776-1781, all major events in Virginia were west of the Blue Ridge Mountains.”
At the time, Southwest Virginia was the western edge of the colonies.
The 15 frontiersmen who signed the Fincastle Resolutions did so in support of the Continental Congress’ boycott of British goods in protest of the Intolerable Acts. It was written as an address to Virginia’s delegates to the First Continental Congress.
“These men, many of them frontier leaders and militia captains, risked everything — family, land and even their lives — by publicly defying the British Crown,” Blue Ridge PBS said in an announcement of the documentary’s premiere. “Their commitment would ripple through history and contribute directly to the birth of the United States.”
The title of the film is taken directly from the closing words of the Fincastle Resolutions. The document defended the colonists’ “inestimable privileges” as rightful British subjects, which they swore “never to surrender … to any power upon earth, but at the expense of our lives … These are our real, though unpolished sentiments, of liberty and loyalty, and in them we are resolved to live and die.”
April Martin of the Wilderness Road Regional Museum said the two museums involved “have written, arranged, filmed, edited, recruited all the living historians for scenes, organized all the filming locations, and in general are the two organizations responsible for the documentary.”
She and Gillman are partners in the production.
Martin said her museum had worked with Blue Ridge PBS previously on the “Story of the New River” documentary, and a producer asked Martin if she had other ideas.
“I immediately offered up this one,” she said.
Coincidentally, Gillman also had contacted PBS Appalachia at the same time about a short documentary on the Fincastle Resolutions. So, they joined forces to create “Resolved to Live and Die.”
“I started the ball rolling on some VA250 sponsorship money, which came through,” Martin said. “Pulaski County came through [with funding] and Wytheville Museums had some sponsors and grants, as well, to help the project along.”
They also received some money from Virginia Tech’s history department, along with other sources from Blue Ridge PBS and PBS Appalachia.
A war on many fronts
Martin said the film touches on a variety of topics related to the war — the Tory Uprising, the pivotal Battle of King’s Mountain in 1780, the Guilford Courthouse Campaign — as well as other aspects of life from that period, such as religious freedom on the frontier, what life was like for the common soldier, the experiences of women and enslaved people, the Cherokee War of 1776, and the importance of Southwest Virginia resources such as lead and gunpowder for the war effort.
(See previous Cardinal 250 stories on many of these topics, including King’s Mountain, Guilford Courthouse, the Cherokee War, the role of women and enslaved people.)
“We also explore life in the area, from settlers moving into the area to having to choose sides in the war. … I also think it’s very interesting to see the war through the viewpoint of the enslaved and native Americans,” said Carol Jennings of Blue Ridge PBS, producer of the documentary.
Leaders such as William Christian, William Preston, William Campbell, William Ingles, James McGavock, Joseph Cloyd, George Pearis, William Madison, Hugh Crockett and many more were included in the filming, Martin said.
Blue Ridge PBS notes that Campbell and Crockett “emerged from this rugged landscape to lead Virginian Overmountain Men in the decisive 1780 Battle of Kings Mountain, defeating British Major Patrick Ferguson and helping turn the tide of the war.”
Jennings said that Fincastle leader William Preston “is a thread that runs through the doc … which helps tie things together. He was definitely a mover and shaker of the era.”
Preston was a military commander, politician, surveyor and planter. During the war, he held British loyalists, known as Tories, from an uprising in Southwest Virginia, and later fought Cornwallis’ British troops in the Carolinas.
Gillman said the film doesn’t focus on specific people as much as “a group of prominent men from the area who united to join the fight for independence. It will touch on their struggles with the natives and the British crown and what ethnicities settled in this area. It will also share the story of Loyalists in the area who remained loyal to England.”
That America’s rebellion against England was not supported by all colonists is often glossed over in historical accounts of the Revolutionary War.
“For me, I think the most compelling aspect is that the war was truly a civil war, where families and people who were once friends found themselves on opposite sides of a very thorny issue — to support the crown or not,” Jennings said.
Reenacting the Revolution
“It was a challenge to come up with the visuals for the program,” Jennings said. “Photography didn’t come along until the mid-1800s and so there is limited imagery for the Revolutionary War period.”
When it came time to film reenactments, though, the museums found they had plenty of resources available.
“Luckily, both museums had many knowledgeable living historians eager to help out and many contacts for land access and filming privileges,” Martin said.
On Jan. 18 — just two days shy of the event’s 250th anniversary — the kitchen house at the Willowbrook Jackson/Umberger Homestead Museum in Wytheville was converted to the Fincastle Courthouse to film the Jan. 20, 1775, signing of the Fincastle Resolutions. Later, the museum was transformed into McGavock’s Tavern for a recreation of a trial of suspected Tories.
At the Abingdon Muster Grounds, the crew filmed a scene of the Overmountain Men mustering to march to King’s Mountain.
At the Wilderness Road Regional Museum, a skirmish between Patriots and Tories was filmed, in addition to a Tory conspiracy meeting and scenes of women doing 18th-century activities, Jennings said.
The film crew shot various scenes with an actor playing William Preston at Historic Smithfield.
Other sites filmed included Ingles Tavern, Belle-Hampton Farm, Howe/Hoge Cemetery, McGavock Cemetery, St. John’s Church, New Dublin Presbyterian Church, Fort Witten and Fotheringay, as well as highway markers, cemeteries, memorials “and so many other places throughout Southwest Virginia that were once part of Fincastle County,” Martin said.
Until she sees the final version of the film, though, Martin doesn’t know which scenes will be used.
“These cinematic scenes immerse viewers in the tension of the times, where even fellow colonists were divided — Tories loyal to England clashing violently with patriots seeking independence,” according to Blue Ridge PBS. “This rift often escalated into brutal vigilante justice, reminding us that the revolution was not only fought on battlefields, but also in backyards and town halls.”
Understanding the region’s role
The filmmakers said they hope to shine a light on the essential but little-known contributions of people from Southwest Virginia to the fight for freedom.
Jennings expects that some viewers will get a geography lesson, as she did.
“Before working on this project, I had no idea that Fincastle County had ever existed,” she said. “I suspect I’m not the only one. I think most people would assume the Fincastle Resolutions are tied to the present-day town of Fincastle in Botetourt County, when they’re not. Fincastle County only lasted four short years and covered a huge area.”
(See our previous Cardinal 250 story on Fincastle County.)
She also hopes the audience “will come to appreciate how difficult it was to pick sides.”
Martin said she wants viewers to gain an understanding of what this region’s people stood for during the war.
“I want people to learn that our region was an active part of the Revolution and an oftentimes dangerous place with mixed loyalties,” she said. “And how the war impacted the multicultural melting pot of Appalachia during that time. It wasn’t just Patriots versus the British, but layers of complicated history that need to be remembered and understood in order to better understand the larger context of the overall war.”
She hopes they come away with “an appreciation of what the people of Southwest Virginia did for our new nation.”
Public screenings
Blue Ridge PBS will hold two public screenings of “Resolved to Live and Die: The Revolutionary Roots of Southwest Virginia.” Each event includes a Q&A session and a preview of “The American Revolution,” the new film by acclaimed documentarian Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt.
Dates and locations include:
• Tuesday at the O. Winston Link Museum in Roanoke. Doors open at 6 p.m. to explore the museum’s exhibits. The preview and screening begin at 7 p.m.
• Thursday at the Millwald Theatre in Wytheville. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; the preview and screening begin at 7 p.m.
Each showing will include a Q&A session. According to a post by the Millwald, the film will be followed by “an engaging panel discussion featuring the filmmakers and historians, offering behind-the-scenes insights, historical context, and a deeper look at the stories that shaped our nation’s founding.”
Support for the documentary was provided by VA250, Pulaski County, the Town of Wytheville Museums, Bank of Marion, Visit Wytheville, Virginia Tech Department of History, Wytheville Community College and donations from PBS viewers.
To watch a trailer:
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Virginia Tech men’s basketball head coach Mike Young spoke to the media after the Hokies’ 78-75 victory over California. Here’s the entirety of what Young had to say Saturday.
Opening statement:
“Night in, night out. That’s just the way it’s going to be. I was texting with coach [Jim] Boeheim, who I admire tremendously. Eric Devendorf, one of his former many great players, was on the call today for the ACC Network and I was texting back and forth with Coach about a couple of things. And he said [that] it’s such a balanced league and such a good league. Again, there are a lot of opportunities to compile good wins. Got to take care of home. You got to go on the road. You got to find ways to win and we’ve got a haul on the road. But a quality win for the Hokes and to Dallas we go on Tuesday to compete against the [SMU] Mustangs on Wednesday.”
On the final play, where Justin Pippen got a good shot:
“I think the rules are so new now, okay? And they’re going to rip that thing up the floor. The continuation rule has really disrupted a lot of people’s thinking. He turns and you are a split-second late and he throws that thing at the rim and that’s called. The official’s going to come to me every time in that situation. Are you going to foul? And I have done it more often than not. I have fouled just to negate that three from going in. The only way you lose is that thing to go in the basket and you also foul. All right. Heaven forbid. I’ve never had that one happen. But the continuation, you get turned and Dai Dai Ames is really smart, been around a long time. Pippen’s been around a long time. That kid catches that ball maybe with his back to his basket and turns real quick and shoves it, knowing that you’re going to hit him. That’s a disaster. Uh he got a pretty good shot. I thought it was pretty well contested. I’ll see it several times tonight on film. Caught a break.”
On Tech’s 23-10 advantage on points from turnovers:
“Well, we flipped that on the glass in the first half. We got our ass handed to us on the glass and that is that’s hard to stomach. They don’t have a very big front line other than [Lee] Dort and we thought that that was a real advantage for our team and I think it was 19-8 or something like that in the first half [Editor’s note: It was.]. Second half, we did a much better job. But the turnover part, they had seven more shots in the first half. That’s a big deal. They have seven more shots on goal than your team has. It’s going to come back to your rebounds. It’s going to come back to your turnovers. We’d handled the ball. So, obviously, we didn’t rebound it well enough. I hope I answered your question.”
On Cal’s 14-0 run, which was subsequently countered by an 11-point run from Virginia Tech:
“We were in good shape and I remember it going up 11. We had a media timeout in there. I thought we were fine. “Certainly, no time to panic. But right back, we come offensively. Had a really nice flurry, and I think, tied it up pretty quickly. I guess it was tied at the half. We’re 17 games in. Now, this thing comes at you fast. We’ve seen a lot of situations. Next best action. What’s next? Not too high when you have a 10-0 run, not too low, when you have a 10-0 run the other way. Just the next play, just move on to the next play. And this team has been pretty good with that.”
On what lessons Young learned from the Stanford game, a one-point loss for Virginia Tech:
“You better have a short memory in college athletics. You better have a short memory in any athletic endeavor. It was a kick in the pants. Now you can pout, all right, and feel sorry for yourself or you can suck it up and come back the next day in practice and prepare for Cal. That game today was every bit as important as the Wednesday game. That one [against Stanford] hurt. There’s no getting around that. But you’ve got a choice to make and we got high character people in that locker room. And right back they come. Cal was desperate. We were desperate and feel great about winning.”
[Editor’s note: Viriginia Tech On SI staff writer Josh Poslusny started off his question with: “You talked a little bit about rebounding-” after which Young said, “Josh, I can’t see your eyes.” Poslusny then took off his hat.]
Q: There was a stretch you guys were out rebounded 18 to three and y’all shot five for 23 for three. I mean, what do you have to do to overcome that adversity?
“We’ve got a good rebounding team, Zach. Right. Zach? [Editor’s note: Poslusny corrected him by saying “Josh.”]. I was close. We have a good rebounding team, Josh. We have a good rebounding team. [Amani] Hansberry is awesome. Tobi [Lawal] being back in the lineup obviously really helps us. Our guards have to rebound better. Where we’re getting in trouble, and I’m going to get way into it, Duffy Bear has no idea what I’m talking about. But when there’s dribble penetration and a post player has to step over, that takes him out of where he’s supposed to be on the glass. The shot gets up on the rim. You’ve got to have a guard cracking down on his matchup who’s a post player, who’s a big person, Dort or 17 [Mantas Kocanas] or eight [Milos Ilic]. And we did a poor job with that. Much, much better in the second half. Guarded the ball better in the second half.”
On Virginia Tech’s play down the stretch after taking the lead for good with slightly less than four minutes remaining:
“Well, again, 17 games in and I think back to the Providence game, that game had some moments where it didn’t look real good for the Hokes. South Carolina, on the road. Virginia, here in triple overtime. You click them off. Those experiences are invaluable for moments like that and I thought they had a good look about them and I thought the response was quite encouraging.”
Q: Going back to that overtime Elon game… you’ve had five straight close games, and you’ve won three of them. Is that a learned skill to win those close games?
“You’ve got to be able to play in pressure moments, all right? And that’s why that non-conference schedule [matters]. Those moments, who’s going to respond, who may not respond? You got to step up and make foul shots. [Jailen] Bedford missed one. [Jaden Schutt] missed one that we walk out of here comfortably if we get those down. But we shot our fouls great today. Again, I said it earlier, we’re going to have a lot of these [tight games] and I wish it weren’t so. But it’s a really good league. Good, good teams, and we’re going to have to respond time in and time out. So, we look forward to it.”
On how pleased Young was with his team’s physicality:
“We haven’t gotten to the line as much as I’d like for us to, but we’ve got a physical team. David Jackson does a remarkable job with them. They’re men. They’re men and one of our toughest kids, Tyler Johnson, obviously is out of the lineup for the time being. We’ll have him back soon. But very, very encouraged. I really am.”
On the team’s defense down the stretch:
“We did [step up]. [We went] 5-for-23. We are second or third in the ACC in three-point field goal percentage defense, And you got all the damn numbers, so if I’m wrong, correct me. It’s our rebounding, David. It’s our rebounding. We’re getting the stop. But that second one typically finds the bottom of the barrel. You’ve got to rebound the ball. You got to rebound that first carom. much, much better in the second half. But that’ll of critical importance on Wednesday in Dallas against the Mustangs.”
More Virginia Tech Basketball News:
North Carolina QB transfer Bryce Baker has committed to Virginia Tech out of the NCAA transfer portal. Baker was a freshman at UNC this past season and didn’t see any action for the Tar Heels.
Before arriving in Chapel Hill, Baker played high school football at East Forsyth (NC), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 87 overall player and No. 9 QB in the 2025 recruiting cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings which is a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services.
During his senior season in high school, Baker threw for 3,523 yards and 40 touchdowns, while only throwing five interceptions. Moreover, he logged 303 yards and six scores in the ground game.
North Carolina finished at No. 8 in On3’s 2025 Team Transfer Portal Rankings after losing 41 players to it while adding 42. The team will look to have another successful offseason in the upcoming year, but hope for a better outcome on the field.
Meanwhile, Baker will transfer across the ACC to play for James Franklin at Virginia Tech. Franklin arrived in Blacksburg after a successful stint at Penn State, where he’s one year removed from leading the Nittany Lions to a national semifinal.
Franklin now replaces Brent Pry, who worked under Franklin with the Nittany Lions from 2016-21 as the defensive coordinator. Pry was 16-24 as Virginia Tech’s head coach, but was fired after an 0-3 start this season. Pry now works under Franklin and will be the team’s defensive coordinator for the 2026 season.
Franklin will look to turn the program around in short order, and doing well in the NCAA transfer portal is the first step. Could they have possibly found their QB1 in Bryce Baker? For now, that remains to be seen.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
A Virginia man was sentenced to 10 years in prison Friday – far less than the life sentence he faced at trial last year – for the death of a 14-year-old boy.
Ismael Cruz-Delcid was 18 when he shot and killed Michai Malave in a hotel parking lot in Herndon in March 2024.
Michai was shot after he got off the school bus with a friend. The shooter left the scene and hid the gun but turned himself in the next day.
Prosecutors asked a jury to find Cruz-Delcid guilty of first-degree murder. Michai’s family wanted Cruz-Delcid sentenced to life in prison.
During last year’s trial, Cruz-Delcid’s defense attorney told a jury his client believed Michai was affiliated with a gang. Cruz-Delcid was in his car alone that day and, according to testimony, when Michai and a friend got off of the school bus, Cruz-Delcid got out of his car and confronted Michai. A fight quickly ended with gunfire.
Cruz-Delcid argued he shot Michai in self-defense. Michai was unarmed.
That trial ultimately ended with a hung jury. Prosecutors intended to retry the case but told the court Friday they had a witness who wouldn’t be able to testify at the trial, so prosecutors and the family felt it would be too risky to move forward without that witness.
“We kinda had to get ahead of it and offer this deal,” said Michai’s mother, Jenna Malave. “I wasn’t happy about it, but there was no part of me that can sit in a courtroom, and they have to drop the charges.”
Cruz-Delcid got a plea agreement and 10 years, instead.
“Well, Ismael should be facing life, we all know that, but I’ve made peace with it,” Malave said.
Michai’s father testified Friday at sentencing, telling the court his son was his best friend and that he will never be the same again.
Michai’s mother told the court that while she’s made peace with the result of the case, forgiveness is not part of the narrative today.
“I’m just ready for me and my daughter to be able to move on and try to heal without getting that Band-Aid ripped off again every few months,” she said.
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