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Post by Aurelia on Oct 22, 2019 9:06:42 GMT -5
October 22nd 1746 : Esther de Berdt Reed is born . Esther would become the leader of a group of women patriots who provided much needed supplies, ammunition and food to the Continental Army. She wrote an article for the newspaper, explaining by what means women could be as patriotic as men - by purchasing or making the essential items that the fighting men needed as well as helping them with their personal expenses. Women in Philadelphia and across Pennsylvania responded by sending over 300,000 Continental dollars. Esther used the surplus money to purchase cloth and had over 2000 shirts made for soldiers. She died in September 1780, before she could see the benefit her labor afforded. After her death, Sarah Franklin Bache took over the organization and continued the work Esther had started.  |
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Post by Aurelia on Oct 24, 2019 12:59:50 GMT -5
October 23rd 1777 : British forces invading Pennsylvania are halted by the defenders of Fort Mifflin and the Pennsylvania State Navy. In the fall of 1777, British General William Howe captured the capitol city of Philadelphia, marching 17,000 soldiers from Maryland overland to take the city. Forts Mifflin and Mercer on the Delaware River controlled the waterway going into the city, which impacted Howe's supply lines into the city - the forts were positioned so that any ship sailing up river would be caught between in their canon fire. George Washington hoped to hold the forts and choke off Howe's supplies, forcing him to abandon the city. The Pennsylvania State Navy and the Continental Navy provided ships to patrol the river, all under the command of Pennsylvania Commodore John Hazelwood. A series of formidable chevaux de frise were constructed in the river bed between the forts. After a failed initial attack on fort Mercer by Hessian troops on the 22nd, the following day, the British tried to sail a small fleet up river - headed by the 64 gun HMS Augusta. Both the Augusta and the HMS Merlin had their hulls damaged by the chevaux de frise and were fired on by canon; Augusta exploded when the ship's magazine caught fire and the Merlin was so damaged that it was abandoned and burned. The British were unable to take the forts - though Howe was determined to have control of the Delaware River and in November would begin a artillery bombardment of the forts to soften up there defenses. The delay in taking the forts kept Howe from moving in and destroying the Continental Army, who would winter in Valley Forge. Valley Forge is often described as the crucible in which the Continentals would become a cohesive force, with the disciplined training of Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand Steuben.  |
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Post by Aurelia on Oct 24, 2019 13:21:43 GMT -5
October 24th 1775 : Hampton, Virginia fends off an attack by the British Navy. The state of Virginia was divided between Tories (loyalists) and Whigs (rebels) and tensions rose to a boiling point at the end of October 1775. John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore, the royal governor of Virginia had sanctioned the raiding of towns suspected of housing rebel supplies. The rebels then captured a small British ship that had run aground in Hampton, Virginia. On October 24th, the British Navy sent several ships to Hampton in retaliation, but the effort to punish the town was rebuffed as a firefight broke out between the colonial militia in the town and the British forces - resulting in the killing and capture of several British sailors. These actions would in turn cause Dunmore to declare martial law on November 7th, 1775, which in turn would finally culminate in the Battle of Great Bridge on December 9th. John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore  |
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Post by Aurelia on Oct 25, 2019 12:41:55 GMT -5
October 25th 1774 : The First Continental Congress send a petition to King George III, addressing their grievances. The Coercive Acts (called the Intolerable Acts by the colonists) were four punitive measures meted out on colonists in an attempt to reestablish order and stamp out opposition to British rule. The first targeted Boston, Massachusetts - as Boston had the reputation of being the source of the spreading rebellion - with the Boston Port Bill, closing the port until restitution had been made for the destroyed tea in the Boston Tea Party. The second act was the Massachusetts Government Act, which abrogated the colony's charter of 1691 and reduced it to the level of a crown colony. This called for the removal of the elected council, to be replaced with an appointed one, gave extra military powers to General Thomas Gage, the military governor, and forbidding town meetings without approval. The third act was the Administration of Justice Act, which allowed British officials charged with capital offences to be tried in another crown colony or in Britain. The fourth act was the Quartering Act, which permitted the requisition of American barracks, public houses, stables, inns, and even private homes if need be for housing British troops. In response to the Coercive Acts, the First Continental Congress convened, drafted a respectful petition to the King, informing him of the hardships put on the American colonies by Parliament. Their address closed with the words: We therefore most earnestly beseech your Majesty, that your Royal authority and interposition may be used for our relief, and that a gracious Answer may be given to this Petition.
That your Majesty may enjoy every felicity through a long and glorious Reign, over loyal and happy subjects, and that your descendants may inherit your prosperity and Dominions till time shall be no more, is, and always will be, our sincere and fervent prayer.
There was to be no formal reply to the petition. |
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Post by Aurelia on Oct 27, 2019 17:02:09 GMT -5
October 26th 1776: Benjamin Franklin is selected as an agent to the Continental Congress in France. While France was already secretly supporting the American war efforts, France was hoping to negotiate a formal alliance. For his discovery of electricity in the 1750's, Franklin was already a household name in Europe and it was this celebrity status that helped Franklin achieve his goal of soliciting both military and financial support from the French. The French enjoyed the mental image of the American colonies being a rugged and wild frontier, and Franklin, clad in a fur cap and simple clothing embodied the romantic spirit of the New World. His attire must have stood out in stark contrast to the highly ornate wigs and accouterments found in the court of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. While his French was not perfect, the famous American soon was the toast of French society - his visage appearing on everything from snuff boxes to marble busts. A portrait of Franklin wearing a fur cap, French snuff box, c. 1790.  |
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Post by Aurelia on Oct 27, 2019 17:25:21 GMT -5
October 27th 1775: King George III addresses the Houses of Parliament to discuss the growing concern about the rebellion of the American Colonies. October 27th 1776: While in White Plains, New York, Washington included in his General Order for this day: "...the army seems unacquainted with the enemy's Horse;...any party attaching them may be sure of doing it to advantage in the woods by the roads or along stone walls." This order was in response to the apparent terror the untrained militias had of mounted troops. One hundred dollars was offered for every downed "Trooper". British Light Dragoon Uniform  |
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Post by Aurelia on Oct 30, 2019 11:15:07 GMT -5
October 28th 1775 : John Hancock marries Dorothy Quincy While Hancock was engaged to Dorothy Quincy, the British blockaded Boston, forcing the couple to flee to Lexington, Massachusetts. When Paul Revere came to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock that the British were hunting patriot leaders, John and Dorothy absconded to the home of Thaddeus Burr in Fairfield, Connecticut (uncle of Aaron Burr) and were married there on this day in 1775. :max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/johnhancock-5bce0dbec9e77c0051703030.png)  |
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Post by Aurelia on Oct 30, 2019 11:26:08 GMT -5
October 29th 1775 : Four armed American vessels sail from Cambridge as part of a fleet created to cruise the coast in search of enemy transports carrying arms and provisions.  October 29th 1781 : Continental Congress authorizes the Yorktown Victory Monument at York, Virginia - to commemorate the surrender of Cornwallis and British forces at Yorktown. The monument was not built until 100 years afterwards, on the centennial celebration of the victory in 1881. |
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Post by Aurelia on Oct 30, 2019 11:51:49 GMT -5
October 30th 1770 : The verdict was returned in the case of Captain Thomas Preston - he was found not-guilty for his role in the Boston Massacre. Captain Preston and eight of his men had been indicted for murder, following a the fatal incident that occurred on March 5 1770. A mob of Americans armed with clubs, stones and snowballs harassed British troops who in turn fired upon them, killing five men and injuring an additional six. Preston and his men had been in custody since their arrest on March 27th. John Adams, a future member of the Continental Congress and American President, defended the British soldiers in court. Preston was tried separately from his men, and after a week long trial, was acquitted. Very little is known about Thomas Preston, other than he was an officer of the 29th Regiment of Foot who was present at the Boston Massacre. His age and year of birth and death are disputed - and his history leading up to and following the "Incident on King Street" is vague at best. Preston was "honorably acquitted" of all charges - within a month, Preston left Boston, penning in his farewell to General Thomas Gage: "I take the liberty of wishing you joy at the complete victory obtained over the knaves and foolish villains of Boston." "The Bloody Massacre" - engraved, printed and sold by Paul Revere.  |
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Post by Aurelia on Nov 6, 2019 9:16:36 GMT -5
October 31st & Nov 1st 1776 : In his memoirs, William Heath recalled the finish of the Battle of White Plains in terms that are highly reminiscent of a tale later told by Washington Irving. The themes of fleeing "the hollow", the Hessian who is beheaded and repeated warning to "take care that you do not loose them" may have directly inspired the Tale of Sleepy Hollow. 31st.—The British continued as before, throwing up a work, &c. At night, the Americans evacuated their works on the plain, near late Head-Quarters, setting fire to several barns, and one house, which contained forage, and some stores that could not be removed.
November 1st.—In the morning, the British advanced with a number of field-pieces, to the north of the road, near late Head-Quarters, (a heavy column appearing behind on the hill, ready to move forward) and commenced a furious cannonade on our General's division, which was nobly returned by Capt. Lieut. Bryant and Lieut. Jackson, of the artillery…
At this instant, Gen. Washington rode up to the hill. His first question to our General was, "How is your division?" He was answered, "They are all in order." "Have you," said the Commander in Chief, " any troops on the hill over the hollow?" He was answered, "Malcolm's regiment is there." "If you do not call them off immediately," says the General, "you may lose them, if the enemy push a column up the hollow." He was answered, that even in that case, their retreat should be made safe; that a strong regiment was posted at the bead of the hollow, behind the wall; that this regiment, with the oblique fire of the division, would so check the enemy, as to allow Malcolm to make a safe retreat. The Commander in Chief concluded by saying, "Take care that you do not lose them." The artillery of the division was so well directed as to throw the British artillery-men several times into confusion; and finding that they could not here make any impression, drew back their pieces, the column not advancing. The British artillery now made a circuitous movement, and came down toward the American right. Here, unknown to them, were some 12 pounders; upon the discharge of which they made off with their fieldpieces as fast as their horses could draw them. A shot from the American cannon at this place took off the head of a Hessian artillery-man. They also left one of the artillery horses dead on the field. What other loss they sustained was not known.
- Memoirs of Major General William Heath by Himself. 1798, Edited by William Abbatt, 1901.  |
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