Of the Sea & Skies: Historic Hampton & It's Times 
by Gene Williamson 

A tale related by Charles Campbell had to do with three Elizabeth City County boys standing on the bank of the James River watching the Virginia schooner Patriot pursue a British privateering sloop. Two were white brothers and the third was a young black called "Captain" Starling because of his talent as a river pilot. Hoping to see the Virginians seize the privateers as they pulled alongside the sloop, the boys were dismayed when suddenly "fifty British marines jumped out and captured the Patriot" The younger of the brothers burst into tears. Captain Starling, according to Campbell was to die a slave a few years later. The two brothers, destined for celebrated naval careers, were sons of James Barron.
Among the town's other seafaring men to distinguish themselves in Virginia's navy were Joseph Meredith who commanded the privateer Lafayette and George Hope in charge of constructing gunboats. Pascow Herbert and William Cunningham, who served on the schooner Liberty which participated in twenty naval encounters and was one of the few Virginia ships to survive the war.
Hampton aided the war effort in less dramatic ways. The need for salt was supplied by John Cary whose salt works was located between Buckroe and Fox Hill in an area known as Salt Ponds. Cary was paid two shillings for every bushel of salt produced, and because of its importance to the war, his salt works was placed under guard of the local militia.
The colony's original parish church was used as a barracks for soldiers and a shelter for livestock, until burned by the British.