|
|
Post by Aurelia on Oct 12, 2019 9:44:54 GMT -5
October 12th 1776 : The British send 90 flat boats carrying more that 4,000 soldiers up the East River to Manhattan, landing at Throgg's Neck, in an attempt to encircle Washington and the Continental Army. At that time, Manhattan was a swampy, unpredictable terrain, dotted with boat slips and home to diverse wildlife. General Howe was hoping to trap Washington between his forces and British troops on the southern side of Manhattan, forcing him up against the Hudson River at his back. Washington's scouts observed the landing at Throgg's Neck and were ordered to burn the bridge leading from the peninsula to the mainland, essentially marooning Howe's troops on the island for 6 days, until they were able to reload the flat boats and sail further up the coast. British flat boats - image of the invasion of Long Island  Map of New York and Long Island from the 1770's  |
|
|
|
Post by Aurelia on Oct 13, 2019 16:35:42 GMT -5
October 13th 1795 : William Prescott dies at the age of 69, at his home in Pepperell, Massachusetts; he was famed for giving the order to his men: "Do not shoot until you can see the whites of their eyes." Prescott was in command of the Pepperell, Hollis and Groton minutemen - he was ordered to fortify Breed's Hill (where the majority of the fighting was happening during the Battle of Bunker Hill). Twice Prescott's men repulsed British assaults on the redoubt; they were also coming under fire of the HMS Lively throughout the night . Upon discovering that their ammunition was running out, Prescott urged his men to wait till they could see the whites of their opponents' eyes, so as to make the most of the few shots they had left. Prescott was credited for keeping the militia - who were usually poorly trained and unruly - under control; they were key in inflicting 50% causalities on Howe's force at Breed's Hill.   |
|
|
|
Post by Aurelia on Oct 14, 2019 11:18:54 GMT -5
October 14th 1780 : George Washington write to Nathanael Greene that he was appointed as commander of the Southern Army, replacing General Gates (who's conduct was called into question after the Battle of Camden). From George Washington to Nathanael Greene, Head Qrs Passaic Falls Oct. 14th 1780 Dear Sir,
By a letter received yesterday afternoon from His Excellency, the President of Congress, of the 6th Instt, inclosing the copy of a resolution of the preceeding day, I find it has been their pleasure, to direct me to order a Court of enquiry to be held on the conduct of Major General Gates, as Commander of the Southern army; and also to direct me to appoint a Officer to command it in his room, untill the enquiry is made.
As Congress have been pleased to leave the Officer to command on this occasion to my choice, it is my wish to appoint you—and, from the pressing situation of affairs in that quarter, of which you are not unapprised, that you should arrive there, as soon as circumstances will possibly admit.
Besides my own inclination to this choice, I have the satisfaction to inform you that, from a Letter I have received, it concurs with the wishes of the Delegates of the three Southern States most immediately interested in the present operations of the Enemy. and I have no doubt it will be perfectly agreeable to the Sentiments of the whole. Your ulterior Instructions will be prepared when you arrive here.
I expect that General Heath if not already at West point, is on his way from Rhode Island—I write to him to take the command of the Post. If he is with you, you will be pleased to communicate to him your instructions with respect to it, and any other matters you may judge it material for him to know. If he is not arrivd General McDougal will command till he comes—to whom I also write for the purpose—and to whom you will make the communications I have requested, which he will transfer to General Heath.
I have only to add—that I wish your earliest arrival—that there may be no circumstances to retard your proceeding to the Southward—and that the command may be attended with the most interesting good consequences to the States—and the highest honor to yourself. I am Dear Sir With great regard & esteem Yr Most Obedt Servt
Go: Washington
Read the rest of this Letter at the National Archives
|
|
|
|
Post by Aurelia on Oct 15, 2019 9:20:51 GMT -5
October 15th 1778 : The Affair at Little Egg Harbor - also called the Massacre of Count Pulaski's Legion. During the first hours of darkness on October 15th, Patrick Ferguson led a group of 150 British troops to a farmhouse where members of Pulaski's Legion were sleeping. Their location had been betrayed by Gustav Juliat, a Hessian officer who deserted to join the Legion only to find himself at odds with his superior officer - in retaliation he informed Ferguson as to the rebel's whereabouts. 50 men were bayoneted in their sleep. Rebel sentries were killed before they could raise the alarm to rouse their fellow soldiers. The main body of Pulaski's Legion was a mile away at Willets Farm - upon hearing gunfire, Casimir Pulaski and his cavalry headed to the neighboring farm - their pursuit of Ferguson was quickly ended when they found that the British had, with the help of a few locals, destroyed the bridge between them and Pulaski and escaped by boat. Casimir Pulaski  Patrick Ferguson  |
|
|
|
Post by Aurelia on Oct 16, 2019 9:51:06 GMT -5
October 16th 1780 - The Royalton Raid - one of the last Indian raids of the war. Lieutenant Houghton of the British Army's 53rd Regiment of Foot and a single Grenadier, along with 300 Mohawk warriors from Quebec raided several towns in the White River area of Vermont Republic. The militia caught up with the raiders and fired several volleys, but they allowed the raiders to escape for fear that if the fighting continued, the Mohawk would take the lives of their Vermont prisoners. Hannah Hunter Handy (Hendee) was the mother of one of the young men taken in the raid - she caught up with the British-Mohawk raiding party and pleaded for the return of her son and several other boys that had been taken, insisting that they would not survive the arduous trip to Canada and that the men didn't want the blood of children on their hands. The British leader ordered the boys be free to Hannah's custody. The names of the boys she saved were Michael Hendee, Roswell Parkhurst, son of Capt. Ebenezer Parkhurst, Andrew and Sheldon Durkee, Joseph Rix, Rufus and ___ Fish, Nathaniel Evans and Daniel Downer.  |
|
|
|
Post by Aurelia on Oct 17, 2019 9:12:56 GMT -5
October 17th 1777 : British General John Burgoyne surrenders to the Americans at the Battles of Saratoga. Nearly 6,000 British troops are taken prisoner. Burgoyne's plan was to invade New York from Canada - but early on in the campaign luck turned against him as his Indian allies deserted him and nearly 1,000 men were lost while foraging for food and supplies (what became the Battle of Bennington). The American ranks were amassing new recruits and soon their numbers swelled to over 20,000. Burgoyne hoped that General Henry Clinton, also in New York, would arrive in time to salvage the battle, but there was no way to get the men and materiel there in time. The British won the Battle of Freeman's Farm while trying to flank the Americans - Continental General Horatio Gates forced the British to withdrawal after smashing through their line in the Battle of Bemis Heights. By October 17th, the Continental Army had surrounded the British and Burgoyne knew he had to surrender. The American success at the Battles of Saratoga convinced the French that the Continental Army was a competent fighting force - and that the Americans were a viable ally.  |
|
|
|
Post by Aurelia on Oct 18, 2019 8:23:05 GMT -5
October 18th 1775 : The Burning of Falmouth was part of the British campaign of retribution on coastal towns that supported rebels and refused to do business with the British. British Vice Admiral Samuel Graves dispatched ships to seek much needed supplies for the British army surrounded during the Battles of Lexington and Concord (their only means of getting supplies was by sea). The small New England towns that they encountered did not want to sell their goods to the British. The citizens of Falmouth (modern Portland, Maine) apprehended Lieutenant Henry Mowat of the HMS Canceaux; and in Machias, (now Maine) the HMS Margaretta was seized and it's captain killed; and the citizens of Gloucester, Massachusetts, engaged in battle with the HMS Falcon. Vice Admiral Graves authorized Lt. Mowat to embark on an expedition of retribution against the offending towns. On October 18th, Mowat sent a messenger into the town of Fallmouth informing them that he would begin bombardment of the city within 2 hours. The citizens of Fallmouth tried to negotiate with Mowat, who in return stated he would only offer amnesty if they would swear pledges of loyalty to the crown. The people of Falmouth refused, and began evacuating the town. Mowat's fleet bombarded the town from 9:30 AM until 6 PM; later he sent a landing party to set fire to any buildings that hadn't been destroyed. The inhabitants of Falmouth, numbering nearly 1,000, were left homeless. This action solidified the need for rebellion in many wavering colonialists - in France and even in England itself, the news an enlightened, 'modern' nation destroying an entire town was seen as shocking.  |
|
|
|
Post by Aurelia on Oct 19, 2019 13:29:00 GMT -5
October 19th 1781 : General Charles Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown. The Battle of Yorktown was the major last battle of the Revolutionary War. Cornwallis had effectively conquered Georgia and South Carolina, but could not break North Carolina as easily as he had predicted. This forced him to march up through Virginia towards the coast, halting at the Chesapeake Bay to establish a center where he could receive supplies and reinforcements from British held New York. George Washington and French General, the Comte de Rochambeau, began moving their 7,000 fighting men from New York to Virginia. They combined forces with the Marquis de Lafayette and his army in Virginia - while French Admiral, the Comte de Grasse, attacked the British fleet as they attempted to bring reinforcements to Cornwallis. The French were the greater naval power in the bay and in the end landed thousands more French soldiers. All told, 17,000 French and American troops surrounded Yorktown. In this small corner, Cornwallis had essentially trapped himself. For two weeks, the American and French allies bombarded Yorktown, keeping the town under siege so that Cornwallis was soon running out of food and ammunition. On October 19th, the British General conceded defeat and sent out a drummer with a white flag. As the British surrendered their arms to the American and French allies, their drummers and fifers played a popular British song, aptly entitled "The World Turned Upside Down".  |
|
|
|
Post by Aurelia on Oct 21, 2019 9:21:11 GMT -5
October 20th 1777 : Robert Howe promoted to Major General in the Continental Army. Howe was from a prominent family in North Carolina society - his early military experiences came during the French and Indian War and War of Regulation, where he backed the Royal government and became an trusted friend of Royal governor, William Tyrone. He became active in organizing bodies of the southern colonies, serving on North Carolina's Committee of Correspondence, Committee of Safety and in several of its early rebel congresses. When Howe was promoted in October 1777, one could hardly guess that the remainder of his career would soon become marked by political and personal conflicts with leaders in South Carolina and Georgia. His reputation as a womanizer, his very public duel with Christopher Gadsden of South Carolina as well as other highly contentious interactions would cause the Continental Congress to strip Howe of his command of the Southern Dept. Later Howe would be called on to help put down post-war mutinies in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and was involved in politics until his untimely death in 1786.  |
|
|
|
Post by Aurelia on Oct 21, 2019 9:41:32 GMT -5
October 21st 1797 : The U.S.S. Constitution, one of the oldest naval ships in the world still sailing, is launched in Boston. At the end of the Revolutionary War, the Continental Navy was effectively shut down - but in the 1790's the activity of pirates operating off the North African states of Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Libya were causing a real threat to American shipping interests in the Mediterranean. To counter the pirates, Congress commissioned a small navy - just six new ships were to be built. Though the U.S.S. Constitution was built to combat the Barbury pirates, she would earn most of her fame during the War of 1812, where she outran 5 British ships, captured the H.M.S. Guerriere and earned the nickname "Old Ironsides". Built larger and heavier than most ships of the era, the U.S.S. Constitution was purposefully made to be more powerful than her adversaries - though there were only six ships in the new American navy, the intention was to assure that they were a daunting force to reckon with. After renovations in the 1930's and the 1990's the U.S.S. Constitution can still sail under her own power - though she is now anchored in Boston Harbor as a U.S. Navy museum.  |
|
