<P> The Raid on Richmond was a series of British military actions against the capital of Virginia, Richmond, and the surrounding area, during the American Revolutionary War . Led by American turncoat Benedict Arnold, the Richmond Campaign is considered one of his greatest successes while serving under the British Army, and one of the most notorious actions that Arnold ever performed . </P> <P> Clinton hoped that sending an American - born commander to Richmond would convince more Loyalists in the area to join the British cause, which would subsequently give the British Army the upper hand in the Southern Theatre of the war . </P> <P> Prior to the beginning of the raid, Thomas Jefferson, the then - Governor of Virginia, had moved the capital of Virginia from Williamsburg to Richmond, because of its strategically central, defensible location . In the event of an attack, Jefferson moved all of the town's military supplies to a foundry five miles outside of Richmond . Little did Jefferson know how big of an attack would soon follow . </P> <P> From the 1st to the 3rd of January, Arnold's fleet sailed up the James River, laying waste to plantations and settlements along the way . On the 4th of January, the British reached their destination, Westover Plantation, where they would ready themselves for the assault against Richmond . In the afternoon, Arnold and his men disembarked on foot towards Richmond . </P>

Who was governor of virginia when british forces burned richmond