General James Hoge

General James Hoge, born on July 23, 1783, in Pulaski County, Virginia, was the son of early settlers James Mayo Hoge and Elizabeth Howe Hoge. He married his first cousin Eleanor Howe in 1810, both grandchildren of Joseph Howe. After his father’s death, Hoge bought his siblings’ shares in the family property and owned Hayfield, later called Belle-Hampton.

Hoge gained his rank through service in the Virginia militia, not the U.S. Army. He served in the War of 1812 and became brigadier general of Virginia’s 19th Brigade in 1831. He was also a delegate and senator in Virginia’s General Assembly, making him a key military, political, and civic figure in Southwest Virginia.

Belle-Hampton’s history depicts Hoge as a tall, well-dressed leader who drew crowds with his speeches. He was a successful farmer, raising cattle and hemp on roughly 9,000 acres. Hoge died on July 29, 1861, at the start of the Civil War. His will left land to his sons and the Hayfield estate to his grandson, James Hoge Tyler, later Virginia’s governor, who renamed it Belle-Hampton.