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Greetings, during this tumultuous week Continental Congressman John Dickinson submitted the first draft of the United State’s first form of government, the Articles of Confederation.

Before starting, I want to announce that my book The American Revolution - 1776 is now available in softbound, ebook and audio book formats on Amazon and many other online book sellers. Listeners will find a link to the book in the description of this podcast.

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Sitting as a committee of the whole Congress considered the printed draft of John Dickinson’s “Articles of Confederation,” which he had submitted on July 12, 1776.
John Dickinson (November 8, 1732– February 14, 1808)
The son of Samuel and Mary Cadwalader Dickinson, John was native to Trappe, Maryland. Mary was Samuel’s second wife. His first, Judith Troth, had passed away in 1729 after bearing nine children. He would marry Mary Cadwalader in 1731, with whom he would have three sons, of which John was the eldest. Primarily educated at home by his parents and tutors, John read law under John Moland in Philadelphia, beginning in 1750. He would travel to London, England in 1753 to study law at The Honorable Society of the Middle Temple. The Middle Temple is one of the four Inns of Court to which all English barristers must belong to one. He returned to Pennsylvania and gained admittance to the colony’s bar in 1757. He would marry Mary (Polly) Norris, in 1770. The couple would have five children, only two of whom would survive until adulthood.

Dickinson held land in Delaware, and his wife had extensive holdings in Pennsylvania. Dickinson lived in Polly’s home on Philadelphia. His law practice thrived and he became a respected lawyer. He gained election to the Delaware assembly in 1760. Because he was also a resident of Philadelphia, he gained election to the Pennsylvania assembly in 1763. Because of a political feud with Benjamin Franklin, he would lose this seat in 1764. His reputation intact, the Pennsylvania assembly chose him as a delegate to the Stamp Act Congress in 1765.
The Pennsylvania Assembly chose John Dickinson to represent them in the Stamp Act Congress despite his losing his seat in the assembly because of a political spat with Benjamin Franklin. Dickinson had become one of the leaders in the fight against the Stamp Act and had written a pamphlet called The Late Regulations Respecting the British Colonies . . . Considered, earlier in the year. The pamphlet urged the colonists to use economic pressure against Britain to make them repeal the Act. The booklet was widely read, leading the Assembly to appoint Dickinson to attend the Stamp Act Congress in New York, beginning on October 07, 1765. He became the de facto leader of the assembly and largely drafted the Declaration of Rights and Grievances.
Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania
When the British Parliament approved the Townsend Acts, beginning in 1767, Dickinson wrote a series of letters he called the Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania. In these letters Dickinson warned the colonists that if they allowed Parliament to enforce these acts, more taxation by that body would follow. The “Letters,” were published initially by the Pennsylvania Chronicle and later by other colonial newspapers. Letters became one of the leading pre-revolutionary works. In the letters he conceded that Parliament had the right to regulate colonial commerce, however they did not have the right to tax them.
Continental Congress
He gained election from Pennsylvania in 1774 to the First Continental Congress and then again to the Second Continental Congress in 1775 - 1776. His rewriting of the “Olive Branch Petition,” and then his draft of the Articles of Confederation in 1776 gained him the sobriquet “Penman of the Revolution.” He also drafted numerous other documents during this turbulent time.
Months of Consideration
The Congress studied the draft for many months, with many debates concerning the powers of the states and the powers of the Confederation. It would be mid-November before they completed draft was submitted to the states for ratification.

Admiral Richard Howe had departed Halifax on June 23 for what should have been a six-day voyage to New York. Adverse weather conditions had delayed his arrival until July 12. During the three weeks on board ship Howe wrote a declaration to the colonies that stated that he and his brother William were empowered to offer amnesty to any that would pledge an allegiance to the king. He next drafted a circular letter that he would dispatch, with the petition, to the Royal governors. In the letter he instructed them to publicize the declaration. On July 12 he arrived at Staten Island with 82 ships and thousands of additional troops. Observes in New York reported that the masts of this massive fleet in the harbor resembled a “forest of pine trees,” spread across the water.

July 12, 1776 - British Foray Up the North River
General Washington dispatched a letter to the Continental Congress informing him that two British ships had sailed through the gauntlet of American cannon and ascended the North River. One of the ships had 40 guns, the other 20. Washington’s fear was that the British were either attempting to capture the river crossings which the rebels depended upon for communications or to bestow arms on Loyalist forces in the area.

On July 13, 1776, Admiral Richard Howe dispatched a letter to General George Washington in which he offered to meet him on a frigate in New York harbor to discuss terms in which peach might be restored. He addressed the letter to George Washington, Esquire. Washington refused to accept the letter, replying that there was no one here of that name and any letter addressed to a general should not be addressed in such a fashion.

As the King had given the brothers authority to grant pardons to any such person that would sign an oath of allegiance to the Crown, they issued a proclamation on July 14, 1776, offering pardons to any such people that fulfilled the requirements.

July 15, 1776 - Attack at Fort Lindlay
Lindlay’s fort was near the current town of Laurens, South Carolina, in Laurens County. James Lindley had constructed the fort in the latter phases of the French and Indian War. The fort had been refurbished and was defended by a force of about 150 militia led by Major Jonathan Downs. On July 15 a force of about 190 Cherokee and British Loyalists attacked the fort.

Two men riding horses brought the Declaration printed by John Dunlop on July 5 and sent out by John Hancock on July 6 arrived at Exeter, New Hampshire on July 16. The state treasurer’s son, 22-year-old John Taylor Gilman, received the honor of reading it from the steps of the town hall.

Washington received a second letter from General Howe on July 16, 1776, addressed to George Washington Esquire, etc., etc., etc. Washington rejected this letter for the same reason as the first. He did agree to see one of Howe’s subordinate officers.

A privateer captain named John Fisk reported taking a British prize vessel named the Dispatch on July 17, 1776. Fisk’s crew took the schooner after a battle that lasted one and one half hours, after which the crew struck her colors and surrendered.

On July 18, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read publicly for the first time on the balcony of the Town Hall on King Street. An armed regiment fired celebratory volleys, accompanied by the firing of several batteries of artillery. A jubilant crowd tore down the King’s arms, broke it up and carried it off.

Congress received a copy of the Howe Proclamation on July 18, 1776.

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The book 1776 includes much more detail about the events given here. You can find the book on my website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. You will find links to Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other online book retailers where it is available in soft bound, ebook and audiobook formats.

I would encourage you to visit and subscribe to the Mossy Feet Books You Tube channel for more great content. If you like my videos, please hit the “Like,” button. The more likes I get the more You Tube will show it to other people, allowing me to grow the channel. I also invite you to visit my website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. There you will find sample chapters, podcasts, a slew of content and links to where you can buy my books. While visiting the web site you can subscribe to it and receive email notifications of when I publish a new book or other content, like this video and podcast. If you like what I am doing, please purchase a book, as it helps fund my work.
I hope you enjoyed this podcast and thank you for listening

Council of War at Crown Point
Greetings, today I will talk about a council of war held at Crown Point in New York.
From the Book
The American Revolution - 1776

Before starting, I want to announce that my book The American Revolution - 1776 is now available in softbound, ebook and audio book formats on Amazon and many other online book sellers. Listeners will find a link to the book in the description of this podcast.

On July 7, 1776, five generals met at Crown Point to hold a council of war. The danger to the fledgling rebel cause was serious. General Guy Carleton’s forces, arrayed in Canada, threatened to sweep south and join the British force led by General Howe now threatening to invade New York. If successful, the action would slice the New England colonies away from those to the south. The American generals at Crown Point desperately needed to slow the British advance. The four generals were:
Commanding Northern Department - Major General Philip Schuyler,
Commander of the Canadian army - General Horatio Gates
Major General John Sullivan
General Benedict Arnold
General Frederick William, Baron de Woedtke

The fort at Crown Point was in a sorry condition. General Gates wrote Washington, stating that, “the ramparts are tumbled down, the casemates are fallen, the barracks burnt, and the whole so perfect a ruin that it would take five times the number of our army, for several summers, to put it in defensible repair.”
The assembled generals drafted these four resolutions:

Resolved, That under our present Circumstances, the Post of Crown Point is not Tenable, & that with our present Force, or one Greatly Superior to what we may reasonably expect, It is not Capable of being made so, this Summer. ー
Resolved therefore, That It is prudent to retire Immediately to the Strong Ground, on the East Side of the Lake opposite to Ticonderoga, with all the healthy & uninfested Troops, & that the Sick & Infected with the small Pox be removed to Fort George, It appearing Clearly to the Council, that the Post opposite to Ticonderoga, will the most Effectually secure the Country & removing the infected With the small Pox, obviate Every Objection that May at present retard the Militia, (Ordered by Congress) from Joining the Army. ー
Resolved, That the most Effectual Measures be taken to secure our Superiority on Lake Champlain, by a Naval Armament of Gundolas, Row Gallies, Armed Batteaus.
Resolved, That one or more Surveyors be immediately Employed, to trace out a Road, between the High Ground opposite to Ticonderoga, & the Road leading from Skenesborough to the Northern Settlements. ー
Ph: Schuyler
B. Arnold
Horatio Gates
B. D. Woedtke
Jno Sullivan

Other events of the week include the following summaries.

The Convention of Maryland declared formal independence from Great Britain on July 6, 1776. The delegates began preparation for the election of a Constitutional Convention to draw up a Declaration of Rights and a plan for the government.

The Pennsylvania Evening Post, published by Benjamin Towne, became the first newspaper to print the news that the Continental Congress had declared independence from Great Britain in its July 6 edition.

In a letter dated July 7, 1776, Washington reported that he had learned from four prisoners that General Howe had about 10,000 British soldiers on Staten Island and was awaiting the arrival of Admiral Howe.

At the council of war held at Crown Point the American army was in a tenuous situation. Smallpox had infested the soldiers, leaving many unable to fight. The fortifications as Crown Point were in disrepair and was almost undefendable. Major General Phillip Schuler decided to abandon the fort at Crown Point and concentrate their forces at Fort Ticonderoga. He then decided to augment the four American vessels at the lake by building nine more on July 7.

On July 8 Colonel John Nixon stepped to a platform outside Independence Hall in Philadelphia to read the Declaration of Independence officially for the first time before a crowd that had assembled.

General George Washington received a copy of the Declaration of Independence and had it read in front of the troops on July 9, 1776. After the reading, troops and citizens alike went to Bowling Green Park in Manhattan where they pulled down a stature of King George III that had been erected in 1770. They used the lead statue to pour 42,088 musket balls for use during the war.

July 09, 1776 - General Howe Reads Declaration of Independence to his Troops

July 09, 1776 - American Force Fire Upon British Ships Near Gwynn’s Island

Patriot forces attacked the British in Virginia during the July 9, 1776 - Battle of Gwynn’s Island. A patriot victory drove the last remaining British forces from the colony.

July 11, 1776 - Continental Congress Directs General Schuyler to Construct Forts on Lake Erie
The Continental Congress directed General Phillip Schuyler to secure the northern frontier by constructing forts at Oswego, Presque Isle, Le Beuf, and Kittanning.

The book 1776 includes much more detail about the events given here.

I would encourage you to visit and subscribe to the Mossy Feet Books You Tube channel for more great content. If you like my videos, please hit the “Like,” button. The more likes I get the more You Tube will show it to other people, allowing me to grow the channel. I also invite you to visit my website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. There you will find sample chapters, podcasts, a slew of content and links to where you can buy my books. While visiting the web site you can subscribe to it and receive email notifications of when I publish a new book or other content, like this video and podcast. If you like what I am doing, please purchase a book, as it helps fund my work.
I hope you enjoyed this podcast and thank you for listening

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Note the section he wrote on slavery

When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for a people to advance from that subordination in which they have hitherto remained, & to assume among the powers of the earth the equal & independant station to which the laws of nature & of nature’s god entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the change.

We hold these truths to be sacred & undeniable; that all men are created equal & independant, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent & inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these ends, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government shall become destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, & to institute new government, laying it’s foundation on such principles & organising it’s powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety & happiness. prudence indeed will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light & transient causes: and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. but when a long train of abuses & usurpations, begun at a distinguished period, & pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to subject them to arbitrary power, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government & to provide new guards for their future security. such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; & such is now the necessity which constrains them to expunge their former systems of government. the history of his present majesty, is a history of unremitting injuries and usurpations, among which no one fact stands single or solitary to contradict the uniform tenor of the rest, all of which have in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. to prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world, for the truth of which we pledge a faith yet unsullied by falsehood.

he has refused his assent to laws the most wholesome and necessary for the public good:

he has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate & pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has neglected utterly to attend to them.

he has refused to pass other laws for the accomodation of large districts of people unless those people would relinquish the right of representation, a right inestimable to them, formidable to tyrants alone:

he has dissolved Representative houses repeatedly & continually, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people:

he has refused for a long space of time to cause others to be elected, whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise, the state remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, & convulsions within:

he has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither; & raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands:

he has suffered the administration of justice totally to cease in some of these colonies, refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers:

he has made our judges dependant on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and amount of their salaries:

he has erected a multitude of new offices by a self-assumed power, & sent hither swarms of officers to harrass our people & eat out their substance:

he has kept among us in times of peace standing armies & ships of war:

he has affected to render the military, independant of & superior to the civil power:

he has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitutions and unacknoleged by our laws; giving his assent to their pretended acts of legislation, for quartering large bodies of armed troops among us;

for protecting them by a mock-trial from punishment for any murders they should commit on the inhabitants of these states;

for cutting off our trade with all parts of the world;

for imposing taxes on us without our consent;

for depriving us of the benefits of trial by jury;

for transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offences: for taking away our charters, & altering fundamentally the forms of our governments;

for suspending our own legislatures & declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever:

he has abdicated government here, withdrawing his governors, & declaring us out of his allegiance & protection:

he has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns & destroyed the lives of our people:

he is at this time transporting large armies of foreign merce naries to compleat the works of death, desolation & tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty & perfidy unworthy the head of a civilized nation:

he has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes, & conditions of existence:

he has incited treasonable insurrections in our fellow-subjects, with the allurements of forfeiture & confiscation of our property:

he has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating it’s most sacred rights of life & liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivating & carrying them into slavery in another hemisphere, or to incur miserable death in their transportation thither. this piratical warfare, the opprobrium of infidel powers, is the warfare of the CHRISTIAN king of Great Britain. determined to keep open a market where MEN should be bought & sold, he has prostituted his negative for suppressing every legislative attempt to prohibit or to restrain this execrable commerce: and that this assemblage of horrors might want no fact of distinguished die, he is now exciting those very people to rise in arms among us, and to purchase that liberty of which he has deprived them, & murdering the people upon whom he also obtruded them; thus paying off former crimes committed against the liberties of one people, with crimes which he urges them to commit against the lives of another.

in every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms; our repeated petitions have been answered by repeated injury. a prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a people who mean to be free. future ages will scarce believe that the hardiness of one man, adventured within the short compass of 12 years only, on so many acts of tyranny without a mask, over a people fostered & fixed in principles of liberty.

Nor have we been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. we have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend a jurisdiction over these our states. we have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration & settlement here, no one of which could warrant so strange a pretension: that these were effected at the expence of our own blood & treasure, unassisted by the wealth or the strength of Great Britain: that in constituting indeed our several forms of government, we had adopted one common king, thereby laying a foundation for perpetual league & amity with them: but that submission to their parliament was no part of our constitution, nor ever in idea, if history may be credited: and we appealed to their native justice & magnanimity, as well as to the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations which were likely to interrupt our correspondence & connection. they too have been deaf to the voice of justice & of consanguinity, & when occasions have been given them, by the regular course of their laws, of removing from their councils the disturbers of our harmony, they have by their free election re-established them in power. at this very time too they are permitting their chief magistrate to send over not only soldiers of our common blood, but Scotch & foreign mercenaries to invade & deluge us in blood. these facts have given the last stab to agonizing affection, and manly spirit bids us to renounce for ever these unfeeling brethren. we must endeavor to forget our former love for them, and to hold them as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends. we might have been a free & great people together; but a communication of grandeur & of freedom it seems is below their dignity. be it so, since they will have it: the road to glory & happiness is open to us too; we will climb it in a separate state, and acquiesce in the necessity which pronounces our everlasting Adieu!

We therefore the representatives of the United States of America in General Congress assembled do, in the name & by authority of the good people of these states, reject and renounce all allegiance & subjection to the kings of Great Britain & all others who may hereafter claim by, through, or under them; we utterly dissolve & break off all political connection which may have heretofore subsisted between us & the people or parliament of Great Britain; and finally we do assert and declare these a colonies to be free and independant states, and that as free & independant states they shall hereafter have power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, & to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, & our sacred honour.

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The American Revolution - 1776

The colonies suffered emotional ebbs and flows as the fateful year of 1776 unfolded. In the north the British army drove the American invasion force slowly back south. Henry Knox struggled over icy rivers and frozen terrain as he hauled his “Noble Train of Artillery,” south to aid Washington’s siege of Boston. When he arrived, Washington used Knox’s hard-fought cannon to force General Howe to abandon Boston. Elation swept the new nation as July 4 brought in the long-anticipated Declaration of Independence. Elation turned to despair as the British invaded New York and slowly drove Washington’s inexperienced army to the brink of disaster, starting with the Battle of Long Island.

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The American Revolution - 1776

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Today the author talks about the evolution of the Declaration of Independence in honor of the nation’s 250th birthday.

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The American Revolution - 1776

Independence Day

On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee Introduced Resolution for Declaration of Independence that helped lead to the Declaration of Independence almost a month later.
Richard Henry Lee (January 20, 1732 – June 19, 1794)
The son of Colonel Thomas and Hannah Harrison Ludwell Lee, Richard was native to Westmoreland County, Virginia. The Lee family had served as military officers and diplomats, which provided the growing boy with a template for his later political life. During his early years he received his education from a tutor at the family home in Stratford, Virginia in Stratford Hall. Lee voyaged to England in 1748 to attend the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, in Yorkshire, England. After finishing school, he toured Europe and then returned to Virginia in 1753 to help his brothers settle his parents’, who had died in 1750, estate.

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Political Career
He received appointment as a justice of the peace in 1757 and gained election to the Virginia House of Burgesses the next year. At his legislature he met Patrick Henry. During the turbulent years after the Stamp Act in 1765, he became an early supporter of independence for the colonies. He was one of the originators of the Committees of Correspondence in Virginia and receives credit for writing the Westmorland Resolution in 1766. He attended the First Continental Congress and later the Second Continental Congress. On June 7, 1776, he introduced the Resolution that helped lead to the Declaration of Independence less than a month later.
Text of the Resolution:
“That these United Colonies are, and of right out to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved; that measures should be immediately taken for procuring the assistance of foreign powers, and a Confederation be formed to bind the colonies more closely together.”

On June 11, 1776, the delegates of the Second Constitutional Congress appointed a committee of five to draft a Declaration of Independence. The committee Included:
Thomas Jefferson
John Adams
Benjamin Franklin
Roger Sherman
Robert R. Livingston

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June 28, 1776 - Committee Submits Declaration of Independence Draft
As the Battle of Sullivan’s Island raged, another important development took place in Philadelphia. Thomas Jefferson had finished the initial drafts of a document that would become the most important document in the history of the emerging United States and presented it to the committee in charge of drafting it. The “Gang of Five” committee finished their first draft of the Declaration by June 28 and submitted it to the full Congress on the same day. They titled the document “A Declaration by the Representatives in General Congress Assembled.” Thomas Jefferson read the document before Congress and submitted it to the delegates for debate and revisions. John Dunlap of Philadelphia made printed copies of the Declaration.

Richard Henry Lee introduced his resolution declaring independence from Britain in June 1776, however at that time most delegates either did not favor it or were unsure of the desires of their state legislatures. The consensus among the delegates was that the vote should be unanimous. They had delayed the debate until July 1. Debate on the resolution began on July 1, as planned.

The Congress held the vote to adopt the independence resolution on July 2, 1776. Twelve states voted in favor of Independence. Only New York, whose state legislature had not informed the delegates of their stance, abstained from voting. John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail, predicting that July 2 would become a great holiday. However, that prediction proved wrong.

Richard Henry Lee, a delegate to the Continental Congress from Virginia, had introduced a resolution on June 7, 1776, that urged the Congress to declare Independence from Great Britain. Weeks of debate followed. Congress appointed a committee composed of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston to write the Declaration. More debate followed and finally, on July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the resolution, thus declaring the United States free and independent of Great Britain. Twelve of the thirteen colonies voted in favor of independence, with the New York delegation abstaining from the vote. New York’s delegates claimed that the New York Provincial Congress had not authorized them to vote. This authorization came about a week later. The Congress then worked on the wording and draft of the final Declaration of Independence. Congress approved the final draft for the Declaration on July 4, 1776, and sent the document to the printers for publication. Thus, July 4 is regarded as the nation’s birthday.

After the delegates signed the approved Declaration of Independence, the Congress sent the document John Dunlap’s print shop on the corner of Second and Market Streets. Dunlap spent all night setting the print and running off copies. He printed approximately 200 copies. On the morning of the 5th, he delivered them to John Hancock, President of the Congress. Hancock, in turn, sent them out to the various state governors, assemblies, Committees of Safety and newspapers.
John Dunlap (1747 – November 27, 1812)
The son of James and Agnes Service Dunlap, John was native to Strabane, County Tyrone, Ireland. At age ten Dunlap migrated to Philadelphia and took a printing apprenticeship with his uncle William Dunlap. William’s wife was Debra Read’s niece. Debra Read was the wife of Benjamin Franklin. In 1766 William left the shop to pursue a life in the ministry, leaving John to take over the shop. In 1771 he began printing a weekly newspaper, The Pennsylvania Packet or The General Advertiser. John and Elizabeth Hayes Ellison married in 1773. The couple would have seven children. He enlisted as an officer in the 1st Troop of Philadelphia City Cavalry when it was organized in 1774 as an officer. In 1776 he signed contracts with the Philadelphia assembly and the Continental Congress, making him the official printer of both bodies.

August 2, 1776 The Congress engrossed the Declaration of Independence
Engrossing is the act of preparing a document for signing. The engrosser did this by copying the text of the document in large, clear handwriting on new paper. The document that was passed by Congress on July 4, 1776, was not the same physical document that delegates began signing on August 2, 1776. On July 19, 1776, the Congress had decreed that the document be engrossed with the title, “the unanimous declaration of the thirteen united states of America.” The Congress also directed that, “be signed by every member of Congress.” Historical lore assigns an assistant to the Secretary of Congress Charles Thomson, Timothy Matlock, to this task. He copied the Declaration onto a sheet of parchment that was 24¼ by 29¾ inches in size. He would have used a quill pen and probably an ink made from iron-gall mix blended with charcoal. John Hancock, President of the Congress, was the first to sign the document. He signed with a large signature. Others followed. Not everyone signed the document that day. Others followed in the days following, however not everyone signed. The delegates signed, grouped by state, from north to south. New Jersey was first and Georgia last.

It would take until August 10 before the people of Georgia became the last state to receive the news.

Georgia President and Commander in Chief Archibald Bulloch received the manuscript of the Declaration of Independence on August 8, 1776. Bulloch presented the document, and accompanying letter from John Hancock to the board. The men agreed that a public reading would take place on Saturday, August 10. The men met again on the 10th, after which they read it publicly four times at four locations. In an era where only about half of the population was literate, public readings were an important way to impart news to the public.

I would encourage you to visit and subscribe to the Mossy Feet Books You Tube channel for more great content. If you like my videos, please hit the “Like,” button. The more likes I get the more You Tube will show it to other people, allowing me to grow the channel. I also invite you to visit my website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. There you will find sample chapters, podcasts, a slew of content and links to where you can buy my books. While visiting the web site you can subscribe to it and receive email notifications of when I publish a new book or other content, like this video and podcast. If you like what I am doing, please purchase a book, as it helps fund my work.

Battle of Sullivan’s Island
Greetings, today I will talk about one of the most important battles that took place during the early years of the American Revolution, the Battle of Sullivan’s Island near Charleston, South Carolina. South Carolina at the time was the riches of the 13 colonies and supplied most of rice and indigo for the colonies.
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The American Revolution - 1776

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Battle of Sullivan’s Island
Greetings, today I will talk about one of the most important battles that took place during the early years of the American Revolution, the Battle of Sullivan’s Island near Charleston, South Carolina. South Carolina at the time was the riches of the 13 colonies and supplied most of rice and indigo for the colonies.
From the Book
The American Revolution - 1776

Battle of Sullivan’s Island

Greetings, today I will talk about one of the most important battles that took place during the early years of the American Revolution, the Battle of Sullivan’s Island near Charleston, South Carolina. South Carolina at the time was the riches of the 13 colonies and supplied most of rice and indigo for the colonies.
Before starting, I want to announce that my book The American Revolution - 1776 is now available in softbound, ebook and audio book formats on Amazon and many other online book sellers. Listeners will find a link to the book in the description of this podcast.
From the Book
The American Revolution - 1776

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After several aborted attempts due to unfavorable winds and tides, British Admiral Parker managed to maneuver his fleet into position to attack Fort Sullivan, in Charleston Harbor on June 28, 1776. Commodore Parker had to have the cannons removed from the two largest warships to allow them to pass over the shoals that led to the harbor.
British Fleet
The British had two 50-gun warships leading the fleet, Parkers flagship, the HMS Bristol and the HMS Experiment. The flotilla also had six frigates that had between 20 and 28 guns each. There were three smaller ships that carried between six and eight guns each. The flotilla had 30 transports to ferry invasion troops ashore. The combined firepower of this fleet was well over 250 guns.

British troop strength at the time of the battle consisted of the 15th, 28th, 33rd, 37th, 54th, and 57th regiments and a part of the 46th regiment. British troop strength totaled approximately 2500 troops. The British fleet had been short on supplies, however, and the crews of the ships had subsisted on 2/3 rations for the four weeks they had been deployed. They had had no meat during that time, thus many of them were weakened and too sick unfit to man their stations. With some difficulty, Parker found 50 sailors fit enough to man the troop transports that would carry the British troops ashore.

The Americans had removed all navigational aids like buoys that indicated water depth, etc. The British, hindered by inadequate charts of the complicated coastline, had to waste valuable time sounding the bay and placing buoys. The South Carolinians had recruited six regiments of militia as well as three companies of artillery, which totaled about 2000 men. Continental troops at the battle site included two regiments of North Carolina and one Virginia regiment, which totaled another 2000 men. The Charleston militia included about 700 men. Thus, the Americans had about 6500 soldiers to counter the British threat.

Admiral Parker did not anticipate any problems capturing Fort Sullivan. He expected that once his naval guns had taken out the fort’s cannons, he could land seamen and marines to take the fort and hold it until General Clinton’s troops could take possession. He planned to move three of his frigates into positions to control key roads around the fort and prevent patriot forces from deploying fire ships to disrupt his fleet. The frigate’s position would also allow him to use the ship’s guns to keep the defenders from abandoning the fort after the British began firing.

On the morning of the attack, the Colonel Moultrie had about 435 men inside the fort to defend it from the British attack. The Americans had also deployed another 780 soldiers to defend the northern end of Sullivan’s island against Clinton’s expected attempt to land troops on the island. Moultrie had dug a morass in the center of the fort to absorb British cannon fire. Only the south and north walls were completely done. The fort had 31 cannons, but only enough gunpowder for about 35 rounds for each cannon. The cannon ranged from French 28 pounders to many smaller ones. Admiral Parker finished the final positioning of his troops by 9:00 AM. When the last ship moved into position, the gunner fired a signal shot, indicating that all was ready. Sometime around 10:30 AM Parker ordered the cannonade to begin, with the British bomb ketch Thunder opening fire first. Immediately after the Thunder opened fire, three other ships, the 50-gun Bristol, 50-gun Experiment, the 28 gun Active and the 28-gun Solebay added to the crescendo. The cannonade had little effect, as the cannonballs bounced off the spongy palmetto wood. The morass in the center of the fort swallowed up most of the cannonballs that entered the fort, preventing the explosions from causing much damage. With limited gunpowder available, Moultrie ordered his gunners to fire only after careful aiming. Thus, Moultrie’s cannon returned fire in a slow, deliberate manner. They used chain shot, which consists of two cannonball halves held together with a short length of chain, to fire into the rigging of the British ships. When Parker tried to land two boatloads of seaman to attack the island, the defenders used cannon loaded with grape shot to repel the attack. The frigates Parker had deployed to harass the defenders and prevent them from retreating from the fort ran aground. The British managed to free two of the ships but had to burn the third. Several thousand cannon shots hit the fort; however, the palmetto logs did not splinter. The 16-foot sand barrier between the two log walls also played an important role in absorbing the fury of the attack. Parker’s fleet did not fare nearly as well. American cannon fire cut the anchor chains of two of the ships, allowing them to drift lengthwise to the defender’s fire. The Americans fired two rounds that hit the stern of the ships. The cannonballs careened down the entire length of the ships, causing much damage and killing or maiming many sailors. The chain shot continued cutting away the ship’s rigging. General Lee visited the fort in the afternoon, noted that the defenders were doing well and sent another 700 pounds of gunpowder to the fort. It appears that the fort was well supplied with cannonballs. The slow, deliberate fire of Moultrie’s guns had a devastating effect on the British ships. Apparently, Parker had not anticipated the precise cannon fire of the American gunners, nor did he expect the fort to survive his bombardment. He had anchored his ships too close, with the effect that the American guns inflicted heavy damage and caused much loss of life. He continued the battle until 11:00 PM. at that point, he broke off the engagement and had his ships sail out of the range of American guns.
The Aftermath
British casualties included 40 dead and 71 wounded. American casualties were 17 dead and 20 wounded. The British fleet limped off and remained for several weeks, repairing their ships while Parker and Clinton decided upon a course of action. At length, the fleet departed, heading to New York where they would take part in the attack on that city. Word of the first major victory of the fledgling War of Independence filtered back to Philadelphia. An exuberant Congress thanked Fort Moultrie’s defenders and named the fort after its commander, Colonel William Moultrie. The British would not return to attack Charleston again until 1780.

Other events of the week included:

On June 28, 1776 the Maryland Provincial Congress held an emergency meeting during which they rescinded their order to their delegates to the Continental Congress to oppose independence. The Provincial Congress voted to support independence, becoming the 12th state to support independence.

The Fifth Virginia Convention convened on May 6, 1776, and continued in session through July 5, 1776. On June 12 the Convention adopted the Declaration of Rights, which defined individual rights in the colony. The document passed on June 29 established a framework of government for the new state that replaced their subservience to England. By adopting this new constitution, Virginia essentially became an independent state.

June 29, 1776 - British Fleet Arrives Near Staten Island
The long-anticipated arrival of the British fleet in New York Harbor occurred when British General Richard Howe arrived in Lower New York Bay. Sentinels keeping watch on the east side of Staten Island notified General George Washington by signaling the arrival of the fleet. By day’s end over 45 British ships had arrived to drop anchor just off Staten Island. Washington reported the occurrence in a letter to John Hancock, the President of Congress, the same day.

June 30, 1776 - New York Provincial Congress Abandons New York
With the approach of the British fleet, the New York Provincial Congress abandoned New York. It would next meet on July 9, 1776, in White Plains, New York.
July 01, 1776 - American Forces Arrive Crown Point and Fort Ticonderoga
By late June and early July, the retreating American army had reached Crown Point and Fort Ticonderoga, which is about 100 miles south of Montreal on Lake Champlain. Meanwhile, the British, commanded by General Guy Carleton, had taken up positions further up the Richelieu River on the northern part of Lake Champlain. Both the American forces and the British forces knew that Lake Champlain was an important strategic point. Whoever controlled the Lake controlled eastern New York and western New Hampshire.

July 1, 1779 - Cherokee War Parties Begin Raiding South Carolina Frontier
Settlers pushing into Kentucky and the frontier areas of South Carolina had encroached on Cherokee land. The Cherokee Chief Dragging Canoe urged his tribe to drive the settlers out. The British Governor of Detroit had encouraged an entourage of Shawnee, Lenape, Iroquois, Ottawa and other tribes to travel to South Carolina to join the Cherokee in a war against the settlers.

Upon the arrival of the British fleet, General Washington had requested Congress to send more reinforcements. General Nathaniel Heard arrived on July 2, 1776, with his brigade, the first large force to arrive from the colonies to the south.

As you can see, I have omitted the most important event of the week. I will publish a special edition on Saturday, July 4 that chronicles the Continental Congress’ treasonous act, issuing the Declaration of Independence.

I would encourage you to visit and subscribe to the Mossy Feet Books You Tube channel for more great content. If you like my videos, please hit the “Like,” button. The more likes I get the more You Tube will show it to other people, allowing me to grow the channel. I also invite you to visit my website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. There you will find sample chapters, podcasts, a slew of content and links to where you can buy my books. While visiting the web site you can subscribe to it and receive email notifications of when I publish a new book or other content, like this video and podcast. If you like what I am doing, please purchase a book, as it helps fund my work.

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Clearing the Last Ships from Boston Harbor

Today the author talks about how General Benjamin Lincoln cleared the last British ships from Boston Harbor and other important events of the week of June 14 - 20.
From the Book
The American Revolution - 1776

It is part of the
United State History Series

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Before starting, I want to announce that my book The American Revolution - 1776 is now available in softbound, ebook and audio book formats on Amazon and many other online book sellers. Listeners will find a link to the book in the description of this podcast.

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The British had evacuated Boston in mid-March; however, the remnants of the fleet still lingered in Boston Harbor, keeping ships from leaving or entering the harbor. The British fleet in the harbor consisted of 8 ships, 2 brigs, one schooner and 2 of a type of three-masted ship called a snow.
General Benjamin Lincoln, who had been appointed to the Committee of Safety of Boston and part of the executive committee earlier in the year, resolved to drive the British from the harbor.
Benjamin Lincoln (January 24, 1733 - May 9, 1810)
The son of Benjamin Lincoln and his second wife Elizabeth Thaxter Lincoln, Benjamin was native to Hingham, Massachusetts. Lincoln worked on his father’s farm and attended the local schools as a child. He entered politics in 1754 with his election to be the town constable.
French and Indian War
After the onset of the French and Indian War he enlisted in the 3rd Regiment of the Suffolk County militia, which his father commanded. He and Mary Cushing married in 1756. The couple would have eleven children. During this time, he gained election to the town clerk position of Hingham and in the militia. His regiment saw no action during the war; however, he received promotion to major during the war.
Interim Years
Lincoln held several local political posts during the ensuing years and gained election to the Massachusetts General Court in 1772. Two years later British General Thomas Gage dissolved the provincial assembly, however the assembly reformed as the Massachusetts Provincial Congress. Lincoln, a supporter of the Patriot cause, received election to the Congress after it was reformed. In the early months of the conflict, he was appointed to the committee of safety for the Congress and helped oversee the movement of gunpowder and other supplies to the Continental troops besieging Boston.
Revolutionary War
Lincoln received appointment to major general in January 1776.
Placing Cannon
Lincoln made use of some of the cannon brought down to Boston as part of Colonel Henry Knox’s “noble train of artillery,” in January. He had cannon placed at strategic points in the harbor, beginning on June 11, 1776. By June 13, Lincoln was ready. He ordered his drummers to beat a notification to the citizens that some military action was about to take place. Next, he had several hundred Continental troops and militia occupy strategic places on islands in the harbor and at other important sites. By June 14, Lincoln was ready.
Driving the British from Boston Harbor
The rebel cannonade began at Long Island, which the captain of one ship answered. However, Colonial cannon fire began inflicting damage on his ship, so he ordered the fleet to take to sea. The colonials captured some of the ships along with several hundred British troops. The blockade of Boston began on June 14, 1774. It ended with Lincoln’s cannonade on June 14, 1776.

Other events of the week included:
The Pennsylvania Assembly convened one last time on June 14 and entered into the legislative record a new set of instructions for the colony’s delegates to the Continental Congress the body had approved on June 8.

The Connecticut Assembly authorized its delegates in the Continental Congress to support independence the same day.

General Benedict Arnold began the American retreat from Canada on June 15 when he abandoned Montreal.

The Delaware assembly authorized its delegates to the Continental Congress to support independence from Great Britain on June 15, 1776, the seventh colony to support the movement.

The New Jersey Provincial Congress declares Benjamin Franklin’s Son, William “an enemy to the liberties of this country…” and had him arrested on June 18.

After the Battle of Three Rivers the American army was in full retreat up the Richelieu River on June 18. The generals exhausted every effort to remove critical supplies the army would need and destroy what they could not take.

Led by John Jay, at the request of General George Washington, the Committee to Detect Conspiracies began hearings to uncover the British plot to recruit soldiers in New York and assassinate General Washington on June 19.

I would encourage you to visit and subscribe to the Mossy Feet Books You Tube channel for more great content. If you like my videos, please hit the “Like,” button. The more likes I get the more You Tube will show it to other people, allowing me to grow the channel. I also invite you to visit my website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. There you will find sample chapters, podcasts, a slew of content and links to where you can buy my books. While visiting the web site you can subscribe to it and receive email notifications of when I publish a new book or other content, like this video and podcast. If you like what I am doing, please purchase a book, as it helps fund my work.
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June 7, 1776 - Richard Henry Lee Introduced Resolution for Declaration of Independence
This week the author discusses the events of the week of June 7 - 13. This was the week that Richard Henry Lee introduced the Resolution of Declaration of Independence to Congress.
From the Book
The American Revolution - 1776

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Greetings, today I will talk about Richard Henry Lee introducing the resolution for the Declaration of Independence and other events of the week of June 7 - 13.
Before starting, I want to announce that my book The American Revolution - 1776 is now available in softbound, ebook and audio book formats on Amazon and many other online book sellers. Listeners will find a link to the book in the description of this podcast.

Richard Henry Lee introduced the resolution on June 7, 1776, that helped lead to the Declaration of Independence almost a month later.

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Richard Henry Lee (January 20, 1732 – June 19, 1794)
The son of Colonel Thomas and Hannah Harrison Ludwell Lee, Richard was native to Westmoreland County, Virginia. The Lee family had served as military officers and diplomats, which provided the growing boy with a template for his later political life. During his early years he received his education from a tutor at the family home in Stratford, Virginia in Stratford Hall. Lee voyaged to England in 1748 to attend the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, in Yorkshire, England. After finishing school, he toured Europe and then returned to Virginia in 1753 to help his brothers settle his parents’, who had died in 1750, estate.
Political Career
He received appointment as a justice of the peace in 1757 and gained election to the Virginia House of Burgesses the next year. At his legislature he met Patrick Henry. During the turbulent years after the Stamp Act in 1765, he became an early supporter of independence for the colonies. He was one of the originators of the Committees of Correspondence in Virginia and receives credit for writing the Westmorland Resolution in 1766. He attended the First Continental Congress and later the Second Continental Congress. On June 7, 1776, he introduced the Resolution that helped lead to the Declaration of Independence less than a month later.
Text of the Resolution:
“That these United Colonies are, and of right out to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved; that measures should be immediately taken for procuring the assistance of foreign powers, and a Confederation be formed to bind the colonies more closely together.”

On June 11, 1776, the delegates of the Second Constitutional Congress appointed a committee of five to draft a Declaration of Independence. The committee Included:
Thomas Jefferson
John Adams
Benjamin Franklin
Roger Sherman
Robert R. Livingston

Summaries of other events of the week follow. Read the book for a complete account of these events.

In Canada the Americans prepared to do battle at Three Rivers as Brigadier General William Thompson devised a battle plan on June 7. The battle took place the next day with disastrous results for the Americans.

British General Henry Clinton prepared to attack Fort Sullivan near Charleston in South Carolina. Prior to attacking, he attempted to parley with the fort’s defenders, however a soldier mistakenly fired on the boat as it approached while flying a white flag on June 7. The next day he issued a proclamation imploring the Americans to lay down their arms before he invaded. The defenders of the fort ignored the proclamation.

General Charles Lee arrived at Charleston on June 8, 1776, and assumed command of the South Carolina troops.

British General Henry Clinton landed 500 troops on June 9. The few Americans on the island offered no resistance. Clinton would eventually land 2200 troops on the island and establish his headquarters there.

On June 11 Local patriots in New York, hearing of the Tory plots against their fledgling rebellion, took to roaming the streets, searching for people they suspected of cooperating with the British governor Tryon.

The Virginia Assembly ratified the Declaration of Rights on June 12, 1776.

The Congress had been appointing temporary committees to deal with the continuing operations of the Continental Army. The system, or lack of one, had presented numerous problems. In hopes of dealing with the problem the Congress created a permanent Board of War on June 12, 1776.

On June 13 The officers of the Canada expedition held a council of War at General Sullivan’s headquarters near Sorel. The army in Canada was in pitiful straits at this point. Morale was low, smallpox had decimated the troops, and they were short on supplies.

I would encourage you to visit and subscribe to the Mossy Feet Books You Tube channel for more great content. If you like my videos, please hit the “Like,” button. The more likes I get the more You Tube will show it to other people, allowing me to grow the channel. I also invite you to visit my website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. There you will find sample chapters, podcasts, a slew of content and links to where you can buy my books. While visiting the web site you can subscribe to it and receive email notifications of when I publish a new book or other content, like this video and podcast. If you like what I am doing, please purchase a book, as it helps fund my work.

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Thomas Hickey Joins Conspiracy to Kill George Washington
Today the author talks about the beginning of the plot to assassinate, or kidnap, General George Washington. I will also relate some of the other events that happed that week. To read the full versions, purchase and read my book, The American Revolution - 1776.

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It is part of the
United State History Series

Transcript:

Thomas Hickey Joins Conspiracy to Kill Washington
Early June 1776 - Thomas Hickey Joins Conspiracy to Kill Washington
General Washington had arrived at New York on April 13, 1776, to take charge of the defenses of New York against the expected British invasion of the city. Washington occupied a mansion called Richmond Hill, in Manhattan, to use as his headquarters. The approximately 150-man Commander-in-Chief’s Guard made camp on the 26-acre estate. Three taverns in the vicinity served as gathering places for these soldiers, Lowrie’s Tavern, The Highlander, and Corbie’s Tavern.

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Wider Plot
Washington had learned earlier of a plot hatched by British Royal Governor William Tryon, holed up in the HMS Halifax in New York Harbor, and New York Mayor David Matthews to recruit regiments to resist rebel forces in the New York area. The plot went much deeper than that, though details are sketchy. Apparently, the larger plot involved recruiting members of the Commander-in-Chief’s Guard to kidnap, or kill, General George Washington, Israel Putnam and other senior members of Washington’s staff on the eve of the British invasion. They were also to spike cannon and blow up ammunition supplies. The plot included the activation of the Loyalist forces and blowing up bridges and other strategic structures. Tryon had also employed an engraver to print counterfeit bank notes to aid in disrupting the rebel effort. Matthews had recruited a local gunsmith, Gilbert Forbes, to supply guns to Tryon’s efforts and supply intelligence on rebel troop movements. If successful, the plot would probably have dealt a fatal blow to the Patriot cause.
Members of the Commander-in-Chief’s Guard
Several members of the Commander-in-Chief’s Guard met sometime in early June at Corbie’s Tavern. It was here that a key part of Governor Tryon’s plot began to take shape. Five members of the guard, William Green, Thomas Hickey, James Johnson, Matthew Lynch and John Barnes gathered to share a drink or two. Gilbert Forbes also attended the meeting at the tavern. Details are murky; however, it is apparent that Forbes recruited the members of Washington’s Guard to either kill or kidnap Washington, paying them 10 shillings apiece for their efforts. He also recruited them to pass some of the counterfeit money.
Thomas Hickey (? - June 28, 1776)
Historians know little about Thomas Hickey other than that he was an Irishman that had come to the colonies as part of the force attached to Major General William Johnson’s command during the French and Indian War. Hickey deserted from the British Army. When hostilities erupted between Britain and the colonies, Hickey joined the Patriot cause. He resided in Wethersfield, Connecticut and had enlisted in Knowlton’s Rangers. The commander of that unit had selected Hickey to serve on the Commander-in-Chief’s Guard. Washington had met, and liked, Hickey and considered him one of his favorites. At some point he became disillusioned with the Patriot cause and began exploring ways in which he might undermine it.

Other Events from the week

General John Sullivan arrived at the American positions along the St. Lawrence and Richelieu Rivers on June 1. He had about 6000 men, bringing the total in the American force up to about 6,082 soldiers.

The same day, British General John Burgoyne lands at Quebec with 1000 soldiers, supplies and an ample supply of monies to conduct the campaign to drive the Americans out of Canada.

Like many of the men under his command, American Major General John Thomas died of smallpox near Sorel in Quebec, Canada on June 6.

Fearing impending British invasion, the Continental Congress voted to raise an additional 13,000 troops to defend the city on June 3.

On June 3, 1775, Continental Congress resolved to establish a “Flying Camp,” battalion. This battalion was to consist of 10,000 men drawn from Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware.

Commodore Parker’s naval squadron arrived off the Charleston, South Carolina coast and began preparing to invade on June 4.

John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Edward Rutledge, James Wilson, and Robert Livingston received appointment on the Committee on Spies from Congress to study methods of dealing with people charged with supplying intelligence or supplies to the British on June 5.

On June 4, 1774, the President of the Continental Congress wrote a letter to the Annapolis Convention, which would convene again on June 21. In the main body of the letter, Hancock expresses his fear of the British enslaving the colonists. He goes on to report that the British have lined the colonists coast with warships, hoping to starve them into submission and preparing to send in an army of foreigners to subdue them.

After his return to Virginia, Clark spent some time reflecting upon the plight of the settlers in Kentucky. Conversation with various Virginians about the colony and Henderson’s plants gradually shaped his opinion. He had concluded that Kentucky would be better off as part of Virginia, so he returned to Harrodstown and called the settlers together to hold a meeting to decide what to do on June 6.

I would encourage you to visit and subscribe to the Mossy Feet Books You Tube channel for more great content. If you like my videos, please hit the “Like,” button. The more likes I get the more You Tube will show it to other people, allowing me to grow the channel. I also invite you to visit my website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. There you will find sample chapters, podcasts, a slew of content and links to where you can buy my books. While visiting the web site you can subscribe to it and receive email notifications of when I publish a new book or other content, like this video and podcast. If you like what I am doing, please purchase a book, as it helps fund my work.

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A Busy Week During the Revolutionary War
Today the author relates a series of events in May 1776.
No big events occurred during the week of May 24 - 31, however a potpourri of smaller, consequential events took place that would have important results later on.
This an excerpt from my book, 1776.
The book is now finished and is available on Amazon in softbound, ebook and audio book formats.
It is part of the
Time Line of United States History Series
You can enjoy the preceding book 1775, which is available on the website,

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Greetings, today I will relate a series of events in May 1776.
No big events occurred during the week of May 24 - 31, however a potpourri of smaller, consequential events took place that would have important results later on.
This an excerpt from my book, 1776.
The book is now finished and is available on Amazon in softbound, ebook and audio book formats.
It is part of the
Time Line of United States History Series
You can enjoy the preceding book 1775, which is available on the website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. Just click the “Timeline of United States History” on the lower left hand side of the home page.
A box set that includes all six volumes of the series is available at that link at an economical price.

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The struggle between the Pennsylvania Assembly and the radicals that wanted independence intensified when the Pennsylvania Committee of Inspection and Observation passed a resolution calling for the convening of a congress to draft a constitution for the colony of Pennsylvania on May 24, 1776.
The Committee presented this resolution to the Continental Congress the next day.

The success of the German sharpshooters and the recommendation from General George Washington to raise a company of German troops led Congress to act. On May 25, 1776, the Congress adopted a measure that authorized the raising of a battalion of German troops that would consist of 8 companies. 4 of the companies would originate from Pennsylvania and 4 from Maryland.

The members of the Council of Indian Affairs wished to discourage the tribes of the Iroquois League from allying with Britain during their war of independence from Britain. They extended an invitation to the League to meet with them in Philadelphia. A delegation of chiefs traveled to New York, arriving there by May 16. They continued to Philadelphia, arriving there on May 25, 1776, and requested to meet with the Congress. The Congress voted to meet with them on May 27 at 11:00 AM.

Parker’s scouting expeditions had revealed a potential weakness in Continental defenses. He discovered that a key outpost in Charleston’s harbor, Fort Sullivan on Sullivan’s Island, was unfinished and undermanned. Clinton had been planning to occupy several positions in the Chesapeake Bay. The positions he had in mind were easily defended and could serve as bases from which to launch attacks into the interior. General Sir William Howe was planning an offensive against New York. Clinton had planned to launch his offensive against the southern colonies and then join with General Howe on his offensive in New York. The delay in British ships had made this plan impossible. He felt he could accomplish establishing beach heads from which to operate on the Chesapeake, then join Howe on the New York operation. After Parker’s assessment of Fort Sullivan, he convinced Clinton that it would be best to capture Fort Sullivan, in South Carolina, finish the fort and use it to launch future operations against Charleston and the south. Parker managed to convince Clinton to attack Fort Sullivan on May 26, 1776.

Indian deputies of the Six Nations hold an audience with Congress on May 27, 1776. The delegates stage a military parade with 2000 Continental troops from the local Association. George Washington, Generals Gates and Miflin, as well as many other officers attended the conference. 21 of the Iroquois attendees staged a war dance for the delegates.

In Canada British Captain George Forster had moved his troops to a position closer to Montreal and left the prisoners he had taken at the Cedars in a stockade there. He learned that General Benedict Arnold was gathering forces at Lachine, which is near Montreal, to rescue the captives. Forster’s force had dwindled in size, so he negotiated a trade of American with British prisoners with Arnold, to take place at Quinze-Chênes, which is also near Montreal. The two forces agreed to exchange prisoners at the village. The exchange parties met, exchanged a brief volley of cannon fire, then exchanged the prisoners on May 27, 1776.
After deleting all insulting references to the King of England, the London Post began publishing portions of Thomas Paine’s inflammatory pamphlet, Common Sense on May 28, 1776.

The leaders of the American force in Canada met at Fort Chambly on May 30, 1776.
General Benedict Arnold wanted to lead an attack on the British forces across the Ottawa River, however Moses Hazen noted that the American force would not surprise the Indian force allied with the British and would kill the American prisoners held there. After deciding not to attack, the officers decided to keep the main body of American forces at Fort Chambly and to reinforce the troops at St. Anne.

By May 30, Commodore Parker had convinced General Henry Clinton to implement his plan of capturing Fort Sullivan. The British fleet slipped out of Chesapeake Bay and sailed south for Charleston.

I would encourage you to visit and subscribe to the Mossy Feet Books You Tube channel for more great content. If you like my videos, please hit the “Like,” button. The more likes I get the more You Tube will show it to other people, allowing me to grow the channel. I also invite you to visit my website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. There you will find sample chapters, podcasts, a slew of content and links to where you can buy my books. While visiting the web site you can subscribe to it and receive email notifications of when I publish a new book or other content, like this video and podcast. If you like what I am doing, please purchase a book, as it helps fund my work.

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Governments
Today the author talks about the steps Congress and Virginia took to replace the governance provided by the Royal Governors, who had either deserted the colony they governed or had become largely impotent.
This an excerpt from his book, 1776.
The book is in the final edit phase and publishing will begin on May 11
It will be part of the
Time Line of United States History Series
Meanwhile, you can enjoy the book 1775, which is available on the website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. Just click the “Timeline of United States History” on the lower left hand side of the home page.
A box set that includes all six volumes of the series is available at that link at an economical price.

Subscribe now

Greetings, today I will talk about the steps Congress and Virginia took to replace the governance provided by the Royal Governors, who had either deserted the colony they governed or had become largely impotent.
This an excerpt from his book, 1776.
The book is in the final edit phase, and publishing will begin on May 11
It will be part of the
Timeline of United States History Series
Meanwhile, you can enjoy the book 1775, which is available on the website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. Just click the “Timeline of United States History” on the lower left-hand side of the home page.
A box set that includes all six volumes of the series is available at that link at an economical price.
https://mossyfeetbooks.com/2021/11/02/2658/
By mid-May 1776 the Continental Congress and the colony of Virginia took several important steps towards the independence of the 13 colonies.

By mid-May 1776 the movement for independence from Great Britain had coalesced across the colonies. Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense,” which had been published in January and advocated independence sold thousands of copies. Colonial assemblies in eight of the colonies had passed resolutions advocating independence. The discovery that Britain had contracted to use German mercenaries to fight against them, a practice generally employed against foreign enemies, had encouraged the movement. On May 11, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the “Resolution for the Formation of Local Governments.” The resolution stated, “Congress recommends to the colonial assemblies and conventions, where no government sufficient to the exigencies of their affairs have been hitherto established, to adopt such government as shall . . . best conduce to the happiness and safety of their constituents in particular, and America in general.”
Many members of Congress hoped that the resolution would help persuade those supporters of independence in Pennsylvania to gain the upper hand. Many considered Pennsylvania, New York and Virginia key to independence.
The process of becoming a nation independent of Britain had passed another step.

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The Fifth Virginia Convention passed a resolution on May 12, 1776, that stated, “a Committee be appointed to prepare a Declaration of Rights, and such a plan of Government as will be most likely to maintain peace and order in this Colony, and secure substantial and equal liberty to the people.”
The committee appointed 4 men to draft this declaration, George Mason, John Blair, Edmund Randolph and James Madison.
December 11, 1725 - George Mason Born
George Mason (December 11, 1725 – October 7, 1792)
The son of George and Ann Thomson Mason, George was native to Fairfax County, Virginia. His father drowned in a boating accident in 1735, leaving Ann to raise George and his siblings alone, in addition to running the plantation. He received his education from tutors and later attended a private academy. At twenty-one years of age, he took over management of the 20,000-acre estates left by his father. He married Ann Eilbeck in 1750. The couple would have nine children that survived until adulthood. He built Gunston Hall, where the newly married couple took up residence. Mason served intermittently in various public offices. In 1750 he became an investor in the Ohio Company in 1749 and later served as its treasurer. Ann died in 1773. Mason would not remarry until 1780. During the French and Indian War, Mason served as a colonel in the Virginia Militia. His duty as a supply agent for George Washington’s troops did not involve any field duty. When the tensions between the British and Colonies began to increase after the war, Mason sided with the Patriots. In 1774, he would collaborate with George Washington and Patrick Henry to write the Fairfax Resolves.
Edmund Randolph (August 10, 1753 – September 12, 1813)
The son of John and Ariana Jennings Randolph, Edmund was native to Tazewell Hall, Williamsburg, Virginia. After attending the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Randolph studied law with his father and uncle Peyton. At the outbreak of the American Revolution, his father remained loyal to Britain and migrated to Britain. Edmund joined the Continental Army and served as aide-de-camp to General George Washington. His uncle passed away in October 1775, so Randolph returned to Williamsburg to attend his affairs. While there, he gained election to the Fourth Virginia Convention, which began in December 1775. Several other political positions followed, including mayor of Williamsburg and Virginia’s Attorney General of the new government. He and Elizabeth Nicholas married on August 29, 1776. The couple would have six children. He gained election to the 17 Continental Congress, serving until 1782. In 1786 he became governor of Virginia. As governor he led a delegation of representatives to the Annapolis Convention in September 1786. The Convention’s purpose was to attempt a fix on some of the numerous defects in the Articles of Confederation. Election to the Constitutional Convention followed, where he introduced his Virginia Plan for government to the Constitutional Convention on May 29, 1787.
James Madison (March 16, 1751 – June 28, 1836)
Known as the “Father of the Constitution,” Madison played an influential role in the formation of the early government of the United States. He, in concert with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, authored the Federalist Papers, a series of essays that explained the function behind the new Constitution before the states ratified it.
James Madison (March 16, 1751 – June 28, 1836)
The oldest of twelve children born to James Madison, Sr. and Frances Taylor, James was a native of Orange County, Virginia. A small child with delicate health, his father eschewed sending him to public schools. Instead, he sent him to private tutoring with Donald Robertson, an instructor at the Innes Plantation in the Virginia Tidewater area. His education included mathematics, geography, modern and ancient languages. From Robertson, Madison gained a lifelong love of learning.
Higher Education
At sixteen, James returned to his father’s plantation, Montpelier, to further his studies under Reverend Thomas Martin. He studied with Martin for two years and then enrolled in the College of New Jersey. After completing studies in Latin, Greek, science, geography, mathematics, rhetoric, and philosophy he did not end his studies. Madison graduated in 1771. He stayed in New Jersey for a time, furthering his studies under the tutelage of school’s president, Reverend John Witherspoon. From Witherspoon he learned Hebrew, law and political philosophy. Many historians attribute the ill health that plagued him the rest of his to the long hours he spent studying.
Return to Montpelier
In 1773, Madison had completed his studies and returned home to Montpelier. At five feet, four inches tall, Madison was diminutive in stature. When he returned the rigors that would constitute the American Revolution were beginning. Madison’s would use his intellect to form the nation that would come out of that Revolution. He was ready to begin the political career that would begin with his appointment to the Orange County Committee of Safety in December 1774.
Political Career
Madison gained election to the Fifth Virginia Convention in 1776, where he played a role in the drafting of the first Virginia Constitution. After this document took effect, he was elected to the new Virginia House of Delegates, where he met Thomas Jefferson.
John Blair (April 17, 1732 – August 31, 1800)
The son of John Sr. and Mary Munro Blair, John was native to Williamsburg, Colony of Virginia. Blair attended the College of William and Mary, graduating with a BA in 1754. Blair traveled to England in 1755 to attend Middle Temple, where he attained a law degree. After his return he opened a law practice in Williamsburg. He gained election to the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1766, where he would serve until 1770. During the first struggles against Britain, Blair was moderate. When the Royal Governor suspended the House of Burgesses, he quickly joined the patriot cause. Blair was elected as part of the Fifth Virginia Convention in 1776.

I would encourage you to visit and subscribe to the Mossy Feet Books You Tube channel for more great content. If you like my videos, please hit the “Like,” button. The more likes I get the more You Tube will show it to other people, allowing me to grow the channel. I also invite you to visit my website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. There you will find sample chapters, podcasts, a slew of content and links to where you can buy my books. While visiting the web site you can subscribe to it and receive email notifications of when I publish a new book or other content, like this video and podcast. If you like what I am doing, please purchase a book, as it helps fund my work.

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General Charles Cornwallis Arrives America
Today the author talks about General Cornwallis’ arrival in America and some of the other events of May 2 through May 9.
This an excerpt from his book, 1776.
The book is in the final edit phase and publishing will begin on May 11
It will be part of the
Time Line of United States History Series
Meanwhile, you can enjoy the book 1775, which is available on the website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. Just click the “Timeline of United States History” on the lower left-hand side of the home page.
A box set that includes all six volumes of the series is available at that link at an economical price.

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Transcript:

Greetings, today I will talk about General Cornwallis’ arrival in America and some of the other events of May 2 through May 9.

May 01, 1776 - Cornwallis Arrives America
General Charles Cornwallis, along with squadron of about ten warships accompanied by a fleet of thirty transports, arrived off the coast of Cape Fear on May 3, 1776.
Fleet Disbursed
The fleet had departed Cork, Ireland on February 12, but had run into storms five days after departure. The storms scattered the fleet, which included Ethan Allen, held prisoner below deck of HMS Soledad. The Fleet, commanded by Commodore Peter Parker, was still incomplete, as many ships were still at sea.
Charles Cornwallis - (December 31, 1738 – October 5, 1805)
The son of Charles Cornwallis, 5th Baron Cornwallis and Elizabeth Townsend, Charles was native to Governor Square in London, England. Cornwallis received his secondary education at Eton College and Clare College, Cambridge.

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Military Career Begins
He enlisted in the army in 1757, receiving his first commission as an ensign. He gained permission to obtain further military education on the Continent. He studied at the Military Academy of Modena at Turin, Italy. During the Seven Years War he participated in the Battle of Minden in Germany, after which he purchased a commission in the English military, becoming a captain. He would receive a promotion to Lieutenant-Colonel. The regiment he commanded participated in several battles, mostly in Germany, during this conflict.
Politics and Marriage
In 1760 Cornwallis gained election to the House of Commons. A year later he succeeded to his father’s title of the 2nd Earl Cornwallis. Subsequently, he became a Member of Parliament’s House of Lords. He and Jemina Tullikens Jones married in 1768. The couple would have two children. During the early years of the rising tensions with the North American colonies, Cornwallis was a supporter of the colonial cause. He was one of only five peers in the House of Lords to vote against the Stamp Act in 1765. During these years, Cornwallis remained out of active military service but continued to support it as a Member of Parliament. Out the outbreak of war between the colonies and Britain, he sought, and received, active status. He gained promotion to major general on September 29, 1775. The following year Cornwallis received orders to deploy to the war in America.

The day before Alexander Hamilton, who commanded an artillery company, sent a letter to Congress.
Alexander Hamilton’s artillery company was understaffed and underpaid. On May 2, Hamilton tried to rectify both situations by writing the New York Provincial Congress a letter in which he compared the pay rates of other artillery companies with his own. The letter stated:
“You will discover a considerable difference. My own pay will remain the same as it is now, but I make this application on behalf of the company, as I am fully convinced such a disadvantageous distinction will have a very pernicious effect on the minds and behavior of the men. They do the same duty with the other companies and think themselves entitled to the same pay.”
The Congress complied with his request. The number of enlisted men rose to 69 which was twice as many as he needed.

Captain John Butler, a Canadian British Loyalist, held a conference with several hundred Iroquois tribesmen on May 1, 1776. Using liquor and stories of the glory of combat, he attempted to convince them to break the neutrality vows they had taken in the conflict between the colonies and Britain the previous year. Butler, who led some of the forces in play at the Battle of the Cedars, managed to convince some 50 warriors to join him; however, historians are unsure if any of these men participated in the battle.

Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes had presented his plan to fund the American Continental Congress in mid-April to King Louis XVI. Vergennes would set up a front company, the Roderigue Hortalez et Compagnie. The Royal Treasury would loan one million livres to this company. The Royal Treasurer would make the check out to Vergennes’ fifteen-year-old son, who would endorse it and give it to the front company. This would conceal the French government’s role in the affair. He would use half of the money to purchase outdated arms the French had and convert the remainder to Portuguese currency to loan the Continental Congress to purchase the arms. the arms would first be shipped to the French West Indies. From there, The Americans were responsible for providing the ships to transport the arms to America.
King Louis XVI studied the plan for about two weeks, giving his final approval to the plan on May 2.

General Henry Clinton’s fleet with 2800 British soldiers lay offshore of North Carolina ready to begin an invasion. On May 5, he issued a proclamation that condemned the rebellion as wicked and counter to the British Constitution. He offered a full pardon to all that laid down their arms, for their own and their posterities happiness, excepting General Robert Howe and president of the North Carolina Provincial Council, Cornelius Harnett.

May 06, 1776 - Howe Brothers Given Authority to Pardon Rebels
King George issued letters to Admiral Richard Howe and General William Howe that authorized them to pardon all the Americans in rebellion and then to negotiate peace. The Howe brothers had both opposed the king’s policies as well as the war against the colonies. Both had displayed favorable intentions towards them. Admiral Howe was especially keen on reconciliation with the colonials; however, this desire would not interfere with his duty to obey the wishes of the king.

Richard Henderson arrived in Boonesborough on April 20, 1775, and began laying plans for his fourteenth colony, Transylvania. By May 8, he had gathered men from the surrounding settlements to form a government.

I would encourage you to visit and subscribe to the Mossy Feet Books You Tube channel for more great content. If you like my videos, please hit the “Like,” button. The more likes I get the more You Tube will show it to other people, allowing me to grow the channel. I also invite you to visit my website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. There you will find sample chapters, podcasts, a slew of content and links to where you can buy my books. While visiting the web site you can subscribe to it and receive email notifications of when I publish a new book or other content, like this video and podcast. If you like what I am doing, please purchase a book, as it helps fund my work.

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The First Thirteen Colonies
Greetings, today the author moves away temporarily from our recounting of the events of 1776 and I will talk about my newest book, The First 13, available now on Amazon as well as other online book retailers.
From the Book
The First Thirteen Colonies

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Transcript:

Greetings, today I will move away temporarily from our recounting of the events of 1776 and I will talk about my newest book, The First 13, available now on Amazon as well as other online book retailers. You can also purchase the book direct from me at my website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. The web link for the book is in listed in the description of this video and podcast.

This is the story of the first 13 American colonies, from the time of their first settlement until the eve of the French and Indian War. This was the beginning of the colonial era when the process of creating America as we know it began. The history of the 13 colonies is the beginning of the United States History as many of our traditions, laws and much of our culture began.

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The first chapter of the book describes the three types of colonies that existed during this era.

The classifications of the colonies the British established in the New World consisted of 3 types, proprietary, charter and crown colonies.
Proprietary Colonies
Most of the colonies began life as a proprietary colony. Theoretically, the Crown owned all the land in the colony. Under the proprietary system, the monarch granted a man, or group of men via a charter, the rights to manage a defined region of land. The man, or group, were known as proprietors and the group was called a corporation. He/they had the right to appoint governors, set up courts, organize assemblies and otherwise manage the colony. This was the earliest type of colony. Many of the proprietors did not live in, or even visit, the colony they managed. This type of colony proved inefficient, and most were later converted to royal colonies.
Charter Colonies
In a charter colony the king issued a charter that contained the rules under which the government of the colony operated. Virginia, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts Bay were all charter colonies. Rhode Island and Connecticut used their charters as governing documents after the American Revolutions.
Crown, or Royal Colony
The king, under the advisement of Parliament, appointed the governor that would govern a crown colony. Some would have a limited council, or assembly, to aid in governing. Some of these councils had 2 chambers, one of which was an executive council whose members were appointed by the king. A lower house offered limited representation to the colony’s citizens.
Corporations
The colony was basically a money-making venture that required huge amounts of money to establish, something that only the landed class of aristocrats could afford. To accomplish this the men involved would form “corporations,” or companies, in which they would invest money to launch the venture. Basically, a corporation is a legal entity to which the government grants a charter which is a document that governs the activities of the corporation. Private citizens invest capital, usually cash money, in the corporation in hopes that the activities of the corporation will turn a profit. The corporation allows individuals to invest capital to accomplish a goal while granting limited risk to the investor, who cannot lose more than he invested. This concept is called limited liability and allows investors to undertake risks that otherwise would have been impossible. The corporation has many of the same rights as an individual. It, or the officers that lead it, can sign contracts, sue or be sued, take out loans and own assets. Profits of the corporation are paid out as dividends to the investors.

The earliest known type of corporation was known as the commenda system in the Eleventh Century. In this system an investor, typically a merchant, invested capital with another person, typically a sea captain. The captain would undertake a trading mission and return to home port. If successful, the investor received 3/4 of the profit and the captain 1/4. The investor undertook the financial risk and the captain the physical risk. The system could be applied to other ventures; however, the sea trading mission was the most common. This system arose in Twelfth Century Italy. As the advantages of this system became apparent, multiple investors would add capital to a venture, thus limiting their risk even more. Another form of corporation developed in Toulouse, France along the Garonne River. The section of this river in the city is quite swift, falling 39 feet on its course through the city. The power of this river provided an ideal situation to build gristmills, however the task of building them took a significant amount of capital. A system called the pariage developed in the Fourteenth Century in which several investors would pool resources to build the mill and operate it. The system allowed the arrangement to survive the death of investors, as the shares could be transferred or sold. Several mills were built along the river using this system of management. At the beginning of the Seventeenth Century the first true multinational companies began to emerge. A monarch would issue a charter to a group of investors that would then form a corporation to accomplish a specific task, usually to establish a colony in Asia, Africa or the Americas. These corporations acted as agents of the monarch and were subject to the laws of the chartering company. They could build a military force, mint coins and govern the colony, all in the name of the monarch. Examples of this type of company include the British East India Company, Dutch East India Company and the Hudson’s Bay Company. There were others.

In Britain, the royal charter is the oldest form of incorporation. It is a formal grant by the monarch, under the advisement of the privy council, to an individual or group of individuals as letters patent that confers rights, or powers, to the corporation it governs. Their first use was to establish laws, such as the Magna Carta, but by the 14th Century came to be used to create corporations or public organizations like universities, municipalities or societies. The charter not only created the institution, it also defined its privileges and purposes. The institution created enjoys the same rights and powers as an individual.
Charter colonies were essentially colonies run by corporations.
Privy Council
The Privy Council was the private council to the monarch. The word “privy” derives from the words “private” or “secret.” Thus, a privy council was composed originally of a monarch’s closest and most trusted advisors. Privy councils still exist in many countries and perform several functions.

I would encourage you to visit and subscribe to the Mossy Feet Books You Tube channel for more great content. If you like my videos, please hit the “Like,” button. The more likes I get the more You Tube will show it to other people, allowing me to grow the channel. I also invite you to visit my website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. There you will find sample chapters, podcasts, a slew of content and links to where you can buy my books. While visiting the web site you can subscribe to it and receive email notifications of when I publish a new book or other content, like this video and podcast. If you like what I am doing, please purchase a book, as it helps fund my work.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast and thank you for listening.

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Britain Hires German Mercenaries
Greetings, today I will talk about the Germans agreeing to send mercenary troops to the colonies to fight the American rebels.

This is an excerpt from my book, 1776.
I have finished the book and am in the editing phase. I hope to release it in Mid May.
Timeline of United States History Series
Meanwhile, you can enjoy the book 1775, which is available on the website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. Just click the “Timeline of United States History” on the lower left-hand side of the home page.
A box set that includes all six volumes of the series is available at that link at an economical price.

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Transcript:

Greetings, today I will talk about the Germans agreeing to send mercenary troops to the colonies to fight the American rebels.

To help buttress their Army the British imported large numbers of German mercenary troops to fight. Prince William of Hesse-Hanau had agreed to send troops to America in early February. On April 20, 1776, Prince Frederick Karl August, prince of the German principality of Waldeck, agreed to send 670 infantrymen to America.

At the beginning of hostilities, the British Army consisted of 48,647 soldiers composed of 39,294 infantry, 6,869 cavalry and 2,484 artillery soldiers. These soldiers were well trained, with many veterans that had fought against the French and Spanish armies and had defeated both. Some historians estimate that Britain used up to 50,000 soldiers in the fight against their rebellious colonies during the entire war. During the war a regiment consisted of 600 soldiers organized into companies of 60. The British commonly kept their army small during peacetime, but had these troops well trained, armed and of high quality. They had their army deployed over their vast empire and at the beginning of the Revolution it was stretched pretty thin. Thus, they needed the German mercenaries to fight the rebels. The British arsenal consisted of the following weapons:
Pattern 1776 Infantry Rifles
Ferguson Rifles
British Short Land Service Muskets (aka Brown Bess musket)
Flintlock muskets
Bayonets
Halberds (a long handled ax topped by a long needle like spike)
Spontoons (similar to a pike, the spontoon was a pole type of weapon, about six feet long with a spear type tip and two smaller blades alongside. More symbol than weapon during the Revolutionary War, British officers carried them as an indicator of their rank. They used them primarily to signal troops in battle and like a mace during close combat.)
The British used up to 30,000 German mercenaries during the conflict. Many of these German soldiers deserted and remained in America. Others received permission from the government to remain in the country after the war ended.

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After hostilities began, the Continental Army grew quickly from zero to 37,363 soldiers. The bulk of these, 16,449, were from Massachusetts. A daily ration for each soldier consisted of one pound of beef/fish or three-quarters of a pound of pork, a pound of bread, three pints of dried vegetables, a pint of milk and a quart of spruce beer of cider or a gill of whiskey. A gill was about five ounces. About 230,000 soldiers served during the course of the war, of which only about 48,000 were in the field at any given time. A Continental regiment consisted of regiments of 728 soldiers organized into companies of 90 soldiers. A captain commanded each company, with lieutenants, ensigns and cornets also belonging to the command structure. A colonel commanded the regiment, assisted by lieutenant colonels and majors. The Continentals were not as well trained as their British counterparts; however, many had fought in the French and Indian War which ended about thirteen years earlier. Many also had experiences fighting Indians. At the beginning of the war the colonies did not have their own standing army. The men that had gathered at Boston consisted of militia troops that mainly came from Massachusetts but also traveled in from other colonies. After the Continental Congress formed the Continental Army, local militia troops still supported the Army during the various campaigns. Generally, younger men enlisted in the Continental Army and older men with family and farms to tend served in the local militia.
The British had trained their troops to fight against organized European armies. They were not prepared to fight the Continentals, which employed guerilla tactics learned by fighting the native tribes. They also had to transport their troops over an ocean, which was slow and expensive. The Continentals knew the terrain better than the British.

Other happenings during this week include:

Rufus Putnam arrived in New York to take over the construction of the defensive works in and around the city on April 20, 1776 .

April 22, 1776 - John Adams “Thoughts on Government” Advertised for Sale
Adams’ pamphlet, Thoughts on Government, Applicable to the Present State of the American Colonies,” evolved in Adams’ mind in the early months of 1776. He penned a series of letters early in the year in response to delegates William Hooper and John Penn; of the North Carolina Provincial Congress request his ideas on the formation of a government. Adams developed his ideas on the design of a government over the next several weeks. The pamphlet was first advertised for sale on April 22, 1776 in the Pennsylvania Packet.

British sailors stationed on ships outside New York harbor frequently came ashore at Sandy Hook to replenish their water supply. On April 23 and 24 American soldiers captured British watering parties that had come ashore.

General Washington had suggested that Congress approve an expedition against Detroit and on April 23, Congress approved the operation.

The Continental Congress had chosen Daniel Morgan to act as an agent to the Indian tribes in the Ohio River Valley. Morgan traveled to Pittsburg, arriving in early May. Once there, he sent various messengers into the Indian country inviting various chiefs to travel to Pittsburg for a council. Several of the Shawnee chiefs arrived in Pittsburg in April and met with Morgan.

In a letter from General Washington to John Hancock, Washington indicated that a report issued to him from General Gates reported a total of 10,192 soldiers of the Continental Army had gathered in defense of New York.

I would encourage you to visit and subscribe to the Mossy Feet Books You Tube channel for more great content. If you like my videos, please hit the “Like,” button. The more likes I get the more You Tube will show it to other people, allowing me to grow the channel. I also invite you to visit my website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. There you will find sample chapters, podcasts, a slew of content and links to where you can buy my books. While visiting the web site you can subscribe to it and receive email notifications of when I publish a new book or other content, like this video and podcast. If you like what I am doing, please purchase a book, as it helps fund my work.

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Greetings, in this episode I discuss a dispute over land erupted between the Yankees and Pennamites in 1775.
The Wyoming Valley in the Appalachian area of northeastern Pennsylvania became the focus of warring factions from Connecticut and Pennsylvanians after the French and Indian War ended in 1763. The colonists had driven the Delaware tribe out of the coveted valley after the death of Teedyuscung, King of the Delaware in 1763. Problems among the white colonists arose because of a mistake made one hundred years earlier by King Charles II.

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Conflicting Grants and Interests
King Charles II had granted the region to settlers in the region that became the colony of Connecticut in 1662. The King mistakenly granted the same region to William Penn in 1681. Neither colony felt pressure to settle the area immediately. To compound matters, the area had been the cause of conflict between the Iroquois League, Delaware and other tribes that lived in the area. The Iroquois had sold the region to parties in both Pennsylvania and Connecticut, an arrangement that led to more conflict. By 1753 Connecticut farmers had exhausted their soil and the population of the colony had tripled. Thus, that year they formed the Susquehanna Company to settle the Wyoming Valley area.
Susquehanna Company
It was formed in 1754 to purchase the Valley and settle it. The Company acquired the land from the Iroquois in 1754. When the French and Indian War broke out the same year, the settlement effort into the area paused. The war ended in 1763, and the company began resettlement efforts. Settlers from Pennsylvania, called Pennamites, had also begun settlement. On December 28, 1768 the Susquehanna Company met in Harford, Connecticut. During the meeting they divided the land into five townships of five square miles. This was room for forty settlers in each township. Thus, when settlers began moving into the Valley, they found that several Pennamites families had already located there. A conflict, known as the Yankee/Pennamite Wars, soon broke out and would continue intermittedly through the Revolutionary Wars and after.

After the Yankee/Pennamite War had simmered for several years. The Yankees of Connecticut had taken Fort Durkee, near present Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in 1769. The Pennamites constructed their own fort, Fort Wyoming, nearby and within eyesight. On December 25, 1775 a Pennamite force attack a Pennamite army of about 600 men. The Yankees defeated the Pennamites in the Battle of Rampart Rocks near West Nanticoke, Pennsylvania.

The Continental Congress appealed to both parties to cease their hostilities and join the fight against the British. The Yankees did cease fighting and formed a militia, which then joined the Connecticut Line. The Pennamites, however, were divided in their loyalties. Some chose the Loyalist route, others the rebel route. The Iroquois still wanted their lands in the region back and allied themselves with the British in the hopes of regaining it.

Other events during this week included the Fourth North Carolina Provincial took the first official step towards independence on April 12, 1776, when they adopted the Halifax Resolves.

General Washington arrived in New York on April 13 with his 20,000-man army to defend the city against attack.

The Georgia Provincial Congress passed document called the Rules and Regulations on April 15, 1776, which many consider Georgia’s first constitution.

Colonel Henry Knox had received orders on March 31, 1776, to begin moving the artillery to Norwich, Connecticut in anticipation of the expected British invasion of New York. He began moving the artillery on April 16, 1776.

Martha Washington had stayed with George during the winter of 1775 at Cambridge, Massachusetts. When the Continental Army moved to defend to New York, Martha followed George to that city a few days later, arriving on April 17, 1776.

Captain Tobias Furneaux, commanding the HMS Syren was the first British ship to arrive off the coast of Cape Fear with the HMS Mercury and two tenders on April 17, 1776.

I would encourage you to visit and subscribe to the Mossy Feet Books You Tube channel for more great content. If you like my videos, please hit the “Like,” button. The more likes I get the more You Tube will show it to other people, allowing me to grow the channel. I also invite you to visit my website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. There you will find sample chapters, podcasts, a slew of content and links to where you can buy my books. While visiting the web site you can subscribe to it and receive email notifications of when I publish a new book or other content, like this video and podcast. If you like what I am doing, please purchase a book, as it helps fund my work.

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Greetings, today I will talk about the events of April 5 -11, which included the Battle of Block Island.
This an excerpt from my book, 1776.
I am still writing this book, which I hope to release in April or May of this year. It will be part of the
Time Line of United States History Series
Meanwhile, you can enjoy the book 1775, which is available on the website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. Just click the “Timeline of United States History” on the lower left-hand side of the home page.
A box set that includes all six volumes of the series is available at that link at an economical price.

Subscribe now

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Greetings, today I will talk about the events of April 5 -11, which included the Battle of Block Island.
This an excerpt from my book, 1776.
I am still writing this book, which I hope to release in April or May of this year. It will be part of the
Timeline of United States History Series
Meanwhile, you can enjoy the book 1775, which is available on the website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. Just click the “Timeline of United States History” on the lower left-hand side of the home page.
A box set that includes all six volumes of the series is available at that link at an economical price.

Share

Commodore Essex Hopkins, on his mission to the British fort on Nassau, had captured the HMS Bolton and Hawke on April 5, 1776.
After capturing the HMS Hawke and Bolton, the ships of the Continental Navy were overloaded with spoils from Nassau. Since they had captured two British ships, Admiral Hopkins had taken crew members from the American ships and used them to man the captured ships. Thus, the Continental Navy’s ships were undermanned.

Hopkins had decided to search for more easy prizes as he headed back to Rhode Island, thus he divided his fleet into two columns, one headed by his flagship, the twenty gun USS Alfred and the other by the fourteen-gun USS Cabot. The two columns of ships sailed in a southerly direction. As they neared Block Island, just off the coast of Rhode Island, the USS Andrea Doria spotted the HMS Glasgow as it was on its way south to take part in the invasion of Charleston. The Glasgow approached within hailing distance, at which time the commander of the British ship and the USS John Cabot exchanged hails. As they did, a member of the Cabot’s crew tossed a hand grenade onto the British ship. The explosion of the grenade spurred the Battle of Block Island.

The Cabot fired one broadside at the British ship, which had little effect. The Glasgow returned fire with two consecutive broadsides, killing the ships master and wounding Admiral Hopkins’s son, who was on the ship. It also damaged the ships rudder, destroying its ability to steer. The Alfred and the Andrew Doria joined the battle, however a broadside from the Glasgow disabled the Alfred’s lines leading to the tiller, rendering it powerless to steer. Their position made them vulnerable to the marines on the British ships as they raked the deck with fire. The two drifting ships made it difficult for the Andréa Doria to engage, as it had to maneuver in close quarters with the two damaged ships and avoid the fire of the Glasgow. The cannonade from the battle was intense, with people on shore able to hear it and see the cannon flashes. At this point, the commander of the Glasgow decided to break off the battle, as fire from three of the American ships endangered it. The battle counts as an American loss, as some of the fleet pursued the Glasgow for a short distance, however soon broke off. The Americans lost ten men dead in the battle with fourteen wounded. The British had one dead and three wounded.

Other events of the week include:
April 05, 1776 - General Charles Lee arrives in Williamsburg

The Continental Congress passed a resolution that opened Colonial ports to all nations except Great Britain on April 6.

The USS Lexington captures the HMS Edward.

Admiral Hopkins fleet returned to New London, Connecticut on April 8, 1776.

On April 11, 1776 the South Carolina Assembly passed a bill that established a Court of Admiralty to “have jurisdiction of all cases of the capture of ships and other vessels of the inhabitants of Great Britain, Ireland, British West Indies, Nova Scotia, East and West Florida; to establish trial by jury, in the Court of Admiralty, in cases of capture; and for the other purposes therein mentioned.”

In a letter to John Hancock on April 10, 1776, at Philadelphia, General Wooster reported that the troops taking part in the invasion of Canada were in poor condition. He noted that he had between two and three thousand troops to feed and that only about half were fit to fight.

The Lenape Chief White Eyes, or Koquethagechton, addressed the Continental Congress on April 11, 1776.

I would encourage you to visit and subscribe to the Mossy Feet Books You Tube channel for more great content. If you like my videos, please hit the “Like,” button. The more likes I get the more You Tube will show it to other people, allowing me to grow the channel. I also invite you to visit my website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. There you will find sample chapters, podcasts, a slew of content and links to where you can buy my books. While visiting the web site you can subscribe to it and receive email notifications of when I publish a new book or other content, like this video and podcast. If you like what I am doing, please purchase a book, as it helps fund my work.

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Congress Authorized Legalized Piracy
Greetings, today we learn that the Congress authorized legalized piracy during the early days of 1776.
This an excerpt from my book, 1776.
I am still writing this book, which I hope to release in April or May of this year. It will be part of the
Time Line of United States History Series
Meanwhile, you can enjoy the book 1775, which is available on the website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. Just click the “Timeline of United States History” on the lower left hand side of the home page.
A box set that includes all six volumes of the series is available at that link at an economical price.

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Greetings, today we learn that the Congress authorized legalized piracy during the early days of 1776.
This an excerpt from my book, 1776.
I am still writing this book, which I hope to release in April or May of this year. It will be part of the
Time Line of United States History Series
Meanwhile, you can enjoy the book 1775, which is available on the website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. Just click the “Timeline of United States History” on the lower left hand side of the home page.
A box set that includes all six volumes of the series is available at that link at an economical price.

Subscribe now

Congress Authorized Legalized Piracy
On April 3, 1776 Congress passed legislation authorizing the commissioning of privateers, which were essentially legalized pirates.
The Act Title was:
”COMMANDERS of Private Ships or Vessels of War, which shall have Commissions or Letters of Marque and Reprisal, authorising them to make Captures of British Vessels and Cargoes.
The law went on to state:
I. YOU may, by Force of Arms, attack, subdue, and take all Ships and other Vessels belonging to the Inhabitants of Great Britain, on the High Seas, or between high-water and low-water Marks, except Ships and Vessels bringing Persons who intend to settle and reside in the United Colonies, or bringing Arms, Ammunition or Warlike Stores to the said Colonies, for the Use of such Inhabitants thereof as are Friends to the American Cause, which you shall suffer to pass unmolested, the Commanders thereof permitting a peaceable Search, and giving satisfactory Information of the Contents of the Ladings, and aforesaid, to be examined upon Oath, and make Answer to the Interrogatories which may be propounded touching the Interest or Property of the Ship or Vessel and her Lading; and at the same Time you shall deliver or cause to be delivered to the Judge or Judges, all Passes, Sea Briefs, Charter Parties, Bills of Lading, Cockets Letters, and other Documents and Writings found on Board, proving the said Papers by the Affidavit of yourself, or of some other Person present at the Capture, to be produced as they were received, without
Fraud, Addition, Subduction, or Embezzlement.
II. You may, by Force of Arms, attack, subdue, and take all Ships and other Vessels whatsoever carrying Soldiers Arms, Gun powder, Ammunition, Provisions, or any other contraband Goods, to any of the British Armies or Ships of War employed against these Colonies.
III. You shall bring such Ships and Vessels as you shall take, with their Guns, Rigging, Tackle, Apparel, Furniture and Ladings, to some convenient Port or Ports of the United Colonies, that Proceedings may thereupon be had in due Form before the Courts which are or shall be there appointed to hear and determine Causes civil and maritime.

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IV. You or one of your Chief Officers shall bring or send the Master and Pilot and one or more principal Person or Persons of the Company of every Ship or Vessel by you taken, as soon after the Capture as may be, to the Judge or Judges of such Court as
In Congress, Wednesday, April 3, 1776 aforesaid, to be examined upon Oath, and make Answer to the Interrogatories which may be propounded touching the Interest or Property of the Ship or Vessel and her Lading; and at the same Time you shall deliver or cause to be delivered to the Judge or Judges, all
Passes, Sea Briefs, Charter Parties, Bills of Lading, Cockets Letters, and other Documents and Writings found on Board, proving the said Papers by the Affidavit of yourself, or of some other Person present at the Capture, to be produced as they were received, without Fraud, Addition, Subduction, or Embezzlement.
V. You shall keep and preserve every Ship or Vessel and Cargo by you taken, until they shall by Sentence of a Court properly authorised be adjudged lawful Prize, not selling, spoiling, wasting, or diminishing the same or breaking the Bulk thereof, nor suffering any such Thing to be done.
VI. If you, or any of your Officers or Crew shall, in cold Blood, kill or maim, or by Torture or otherwise, cruelly, inhumanly, and contrary to common Usage and the Practice of civilized Nations in War, treat any Person or Persons surprized in the Ship or Vessel you shall take, the Offender shall be severely punished.
VII. You shall, by all convenient Opportunities, send to Congress written Accounts of the Captures you shall make, with the Number and Names of the Captives, Copies of
your Journal from Time to Time, and Intelligence of what may occur or be discovered concerning the Designs of the Enemy, and the Destinations, Motions, and Operations of their Fleets and Armies.
VIII. One Third, at the least, of your whole Company shall be Land Men.
IX. You shall not ransome any Prisoners or Captives, but shall dispose of them in such Manner as the Congress, or if that be not fitting in the Colony whither they shall be brought, as the General Assembly, Convention, or Council or Committee of Safety of such Colony shall direct.
X. You shall observe all such further Instructions as Congress shall hereafter give in the Premises, when you shall have Notice thereof.
XI. If you shall do any Thing contrary to these Instructions, or to others hereafter to be given, or willingly suffer such Thing to be done, you shall not only forfeit your Commission, and be liable to an Action for Breach of the Condition of your Bond, but be responsible to the Party grieved for Damages sustained by such Mal-versation.
By Order of
CONGRESS.
JOHN HANCOCK, President”

The law established privateers, who would play a major part in the American effort against the British. Privateers would eventually number about 2,000 in number. They captured or destroyed about 600 British ships, bringing invaluable supplies to the Americans and causing major economic damage to the British.

Other events of the week included:
Washington Appoints Major General Putnam Commander of New York Troops on March 30

On the 31 Colonel Rufus Putnam Receives Orders to go to New York

Abigail Adams wrote her husband John on March 31, imploring him to “Remember the Ladies,” when they were passing laws for the new nation. The couple would exchange over 2,000 letters over the course of the war.

The Congress created a permanent Treasury Office of Accounts on February 17, 1776.

Americans Begin Shelling Quebec on April 02, 1776.

The Continental Congress established the Eastern Department of the Continental Army using troops from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island On April 4th.

General Washington’s Army Begins March to New York on April 04, 1776

Captain John Whipple of the Continental Navy captures the HMS Hawke on April 04, 1776.

By April 4, 1776 General William Howe had arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia after his retreat from Boston.

I would encourage you to visit and subscribe to the Mossy Feet Books You Tube channel for more great content. If you like my videos, please hit the “Like,” button. The more likes I get the more You Tube will show it to other people, allowing me to grow the channel. I also invite you to visit my website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. There you will find sample chapters, podcasts, a slew of content and links to where you can buy my books. While visiting the web site you can subscribe to it and receive email notifications of when I publish a new book or other content, like this video and podcast. If you like what I am doing, please purchase a book, as it helps fund my work.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast and thank you for listening.

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Greetings, today we visit the week of March 22 - 28, 1776.

This was an eventful week in the nation’s history, not with the occurrence of one huge incident, but with a series of smaller events.

These include:

This was an eventful week in the nation’s history, not with the occurrence of one huge incident, but with a series of smaller events.

The Congress deemed that occupation of Canada was essential on March 24, 1776.

Congress awarded a gold medal to George Washington and his army.

On March 26 the state of South Carolina approved a new state constitution.

To watch the entire video, visit the link below.

Please visit the author’s web site

www.mossyfeetbooks.com

This an excerpt from my book, 1776.

I am still writing this book, which I hope to release in April or May of this year. It will be part of the

Time Line of United States History Series

Meanwhile, you can enjoy the book 1775, which is available on the website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. Just click the “Timeline of United States History” on the lower left hand side of the home page.

A box set that includes all six volumes of the series is available at that link at an economical price.

Subscribe now

This an excerpt from my book, 1776.
I am still writing this book, which I hope to release in April or May of this year. It will be part of the
Time Line of United States History Series
Meanwhile, you can enjoy the book 1775, which is available on the website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. Just click the “Timeline of United States History” on the lower left hand side of the home page.
A box set that includes all six volumes of the series is available at that link at an economical price.

Share

Transcript:

Greetings, today we visit the week of March 22 - 28, 1776.
This was an eventful week in the nation’s history, not with the occurrence of one huge incident, but with a series of smaller events.

First up, the Congress authorized the states to set up admiralty courts on March 23. Various states had begun issuing letters of marque to privateers almost as soon as hostilities broke out. These letters established the men that received them as sort of legalized pirates. They could attack and seize British ships as prizes, bring them back to port and sell the cargo and the ship. The crewmen served as hostages. After the sale of the cargo, the owner of the ship, the captain and crew received varying percentages of the sale. The issuer of the letters of marque, the state government, received a percentage, as well. It was the task of an Admiralty Court to decide if a prize was legal. During the course of the war 12 of the 13 colonies established admiralty courts. New York, since it was occupied by the British, did not establish one.

The occupation of Canada had, thus far, had proven a failed enterprise. The Congress had sent a delegation to Canada to study the situation and give Congress a report. Congress received this report and studied it. The Congress deemed that occupation of Canada was essential on March 24, 1776.

Congress commenced the practice of issuing gold medals for the “very highest achievements [were] entitled to such a distinction, and that the value of a reward is enhanced by its rarity!”
Congress awarded the first gold medal to George Washington and his army for their “wise and spirited conduct in the siege and acquisition of Boston.”

On March 25 a force led by General Benedict Arnold defeated a Canadian force at St. Pierre during a battle for the village that overlooked Quebec.

On March 26 the state of South Carolina approved a new state constitution. The constitution established a lower house, an upper house, president, vice president and chief justice. Meant to be temporary, this constitution was replaced in 1778.

Washington’s army had driven the British from Boston only a few days before, however Washington knew that the British were by no means finished. He suspected that the British would attack New York. He dispatched General John Sullivan with six regiments of troops to take up defensive position around the city.

Congress had authorized Silas Deane to travel to France to assure the French government that the Americans were going to declare independence and to persuade the French to sting their traditional enemy by supplying aid to the Americans.

I would encourage you to visit and subscribe to the Mossy Feet Books You Tube channel for more great content. If you like my videos, please hit the “Like,” button. The more likes I get the more You Tube will show it to other people, allowing me to grow the channel. I also invite you to visit my website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. There you will find sample chapters, podcasts, a slew of content and links to where you can buy my books. While visiting the web site you can subscribe to it and receive email notifications of when I publish a new book or other content, like this video and podcast. If you like what I am doing, please purchase a book, as it helps fund my work.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast and thank you for listening.

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Today we will visit the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Downtown Indianapolis.
Soldiers & Sailors Monument/Monument Circle
The Soldiers and Sailors Monument is the centerpiece of Monument in downtown Indianapolis and dedicated on May 15, 1902. Retail stores, office buildings, radio and televisions studios surround the Monument.
The monument stands 284 feet tall and is made of Oolitic limestone from Owen County in southern Indiana.
The monument houses the Eli Lily Civil War Museum in the lower level. The museum features exhibits relating Indiana’s role in the Civil War.
After visiting the museum, you will find excellent views of downtown Indianapolis from observation decks just above street level.
The link to watch the entire video is in the description of the video

From the Book
East Central Indiana Day Trips

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Transcript:

Greetings, today we will visit the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Downtown Indianapolis.
Soldiers & Sailors Monument/Monument Circle
Inside the Memorial visitors will find the Colonel Eli Lilly Civil War Museum

The Soldiers and Sailors Monument is the centerpiece of Monument in downtown Indianapolis and dedicated on May 15, 1902. Retail stores, office buildings, radio station and televisions studios surround the Monument. The monument was built using a design commissioned to Bruno Schmidz of Berlin, Prussia. The monument stands 284 feet, six inches tall and is made of Oolitic limestone from Owen County in southern Indiana.

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Numerous sculptures surround the monument. German designer Bruno Schmitz designed the monument, expanding on a design commenced by Alexander Ralston’s 1821 plan. Governor Oliver Morton proposed the idea for the Monument. The Indiana General Assembly created a commission to build it in 1888. The Commission staged an international competition to pick artists to construct the monument. Renowned artists and architects Bruno Schmitz, George Brewster, Nicholas Geiger and Rudolf Schwarz designed various aspects of the cascading fountains, sculptures of sailors and soldiers, and other features of the magnificent monument. The memorial became a symbol of not only Indianapolis, but the State of Indiana as well.

The monument houses the Eli Lily Civil War Museum in the lower level. The museum features numerous exhibits relating Indiana’s role in the Civil War and the stories of some of these soldiers. Opening in 1999 the museum derives its name from Eli Lily, one of Indianapolis’ leading businessmen.
Eli Lily (July 8, 1838 – June 6, 1898)
The son of Gustavus and Esther Lilly, Eli was native to Baltimore, Maryland. \Their abolitionist viewpoint at odds with the slave state, Maryland, the family migrated to Greencastle, Indiana. After the move, Eli enrolled in Asbury University, now Depauw. During his time in the University, Lily also worked as an apprentice at a printer’s shop, serving as a printer’s devil. After his graduation, he traveled to Lafayette to visit an uncle.
Apprentice as a Druggist
While there, he visited the Good Samaritan Drugstore, where the rows of bottles and fragrant herbs fascinated him. He decided to stay in Lafayette and get a job in the store. He worked there for four years, gaining his certificate of proficiency, Lily moved on to work for Perkins and Coons in Indianapolis, then returned to Greencastle to open his own drugstore in 1861.
Marriage and War
After beginning his store, he and Emily Lemon married. The couple would have one son. Soon after he opened his store, the Civil War broke out. Eli, a fervent abolitionist, enlisted in the 21st Regiment of the Indiana Volunteer Militia. After mustering, the army sent the unit to garrison a harbor port in Baltimore. Bored with this duty, Lily resigned his commission and returned to Indiana. During his six-month absence, his wife Emily had given birth to their son. He studied artillery, then petitioned Governor Oliver P. Morton for permission to form an artillery unit. Morton granted him permission, so Lily formed the Eighteenth Indiana Battery of Light Artillery. This unit became known as the Lilly Battery and served as a part of the “Lightning Brigade,” the 17th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, commanded by fellow Hoosier Colonel John T. Wilder. His unit saw extensive service during the war. A confederate force captured him in 1864. He remained a prisoner until January 1865, when the Confederates paroled him. He returned to service, serving garrison duty near Vicksburg. During this time the army promoted him to Colonel. At the end of the war, he mustered out.

He and a business partner leased a 1400-acre cotton plantation near Port Gibson, Mississippi. Lily moved his family there. The plantation suffered setbacks, his family all caught malaria, which Emile died of. Heartbroken, Lily returned to Greencastle with his son.

He sought employment in Indianapolis and found it at the Harrison Daily and Company, where he worked until 1867. That year he formed a partnership with an army friend. The men opened a drug store in Crawfordsville. While at Crawfordsville, Eli met, and married Maria Cynthia Sloan. The couple would have one daughter. Restless, Eli dissolved the partnership in 1876 and moved back to Indianapolis. His application for work at drug manufacturer Augustus Kiefer was refused. Kiefer instead encouraged him to open his own business. Lily took the advice, opening his new business on May 10, 1876. His business would grow into a world leading drug store with thousands of employees.
After his death he was interred at Crown Hill Cemetery
Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, Section 13, Lot 19.

Visiting the Monument
After visiting the museum, you will find excellent views of downtown Indianapolis from observation decks just above street level. From here you can see the impressive tall buildings surrounding the circle and obtain great scenes down north and south Meridian Street, East Market Street towards City Market and West Market as it looks directly at the Indiana State Capitol Building. You may then either climb the 330 stairs; or take the elevator for a stunning vista of the city from the top of the monument.
The Soldiers and Sailors Monument is located at the intersection of Meridian and Market Streets in downtown Indianapolis.
To find more information about the monument and current operation hours, visit:
Soldiers and Sailors Monument
https://www.in.gov/iwm/soldiers-and-sailors-monument/
The episode is based upon my book, East Central Indiana Day Trips, available on the web site, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. The book is the fifth book in the 9 volume Road Trip Indiana Series. The books include all the historical markers, as of 2022, in Indiana with the text and back story. The books also include a nearly complete listing of virtually every tourism destination in the state. The destinations include parks, museums, drive in theaters, bowling alleys, wineries and much, much more. I encourage you to visit the web site and subscribe to it. If you like what I am doing, please purchase a book, as it helps fund my work.
You can find my books locally at the at the Romweber Marketplace in downtown Batesville, Indiana.
I hope you enjoyed this podcast and thank you for listening.

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On March 17, 1776, 250 years ago, the British soldiers began to evacuate Boston under the watchful guns of patriots watching from above.
This an excerpt from my book, 1776.
I am still writing this book, which I hope to release in April or May of this year. It will be part of the
Time Line of United States History Series
Meanwhile, you can enjoy the book 1775, which is available on the website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. Just click the “Timeline of United States History” on the lower left hand side of the home page.
A box set that includes all six volumes of the series is available at that link at an economical price.

Subscribe now

Transcript:

Greetings, on March 17, 1776, 250 years ago, the British soldiers began to evacuate Boston under the watchful guns of patriots watching from above.

This is an excerpt from my book, 1776.
I am still writing this book, which I hope to release in April or May of this year. It will be part of the
Timeline of United States History Series
Meanwhile, you can enjoy the book 1775, which is available on the website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. Just click the “Timeline of United States History“ on the lower left-hand side of the home page. The books include many more details than the summaries included with this podcast.

The British evacuation began at four o’clock AM. By ten o’clock AM they had loaded 10,000 troops and about 1500 Loyalist citizens that wished to depart Boston on ships. Howe issued orders when the evacuation began to burn the city if the rebels interfered with the evacuation. The British had 120 ships on hand to use to transport the people and soldiers to a temporary sanctuary in Halifax, in Nova Scotia. They left a large quantity of supplies behind. A short time after the Union Jack had disappeared; soldiers of the Continental Army marched into Boston, flags flying and fifes playing “Yankee Doodle Dandy.”
A wary General Washington, fearing British attack on New York, dispatched five regiments of his troops towards that city with General William Heath in command.

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The morning after the British departure. During his visit, Continental soldiers spotted what seemed like British soldiers still occupying Bunker Hill; however they found that they were only dummies left by the departing British. Washington ordered Captain John Manley to harass the departing British fleet. The British had left a small flotilla of ships to intercept any British ships attempting to enter Boston Harbor to deflect them. Some ships did not receive the warning and entered the harbor, only to have American forces capture them.

Other happenings of the week included:

March 15, 1776 - Congress Requests Assemblies of Three Colonies Prepare to Defend New York
On March 15 the Continental Congress, in preparation for the expected assault on New York, requests that the assemblies of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut make preparations to send militia forces into New York to repel the British.

Admiral Essex Hopkins ordered his fleet to set sail for Block Island Channel off Newport, Rhode Island on March 17. He had captured far less gunpowder than he hoped, but did have 103 cannon, mortars and munitions. He also took Montfort Browne, Lieutenant Governor of the Bahamas along as a prisoner.

The USS Comet, commanded by Captain Joseph Turpin, spotted the British ship HMS St. James in Charleston harbor on March 21, 1776. The cargo of the St. James was rum and sugar. He attempted to bring the ship into the harbor, however a British ship spotted him and gave chase.

Congress had approved a resolution to send a delegation to Canada to persuade the Canadians to join their cause on February 15. They spent over a month debating the purpose of the delegation, finally settling on a set of instructions that included convincing the Canadians that the Americans wished then good will and that they would not interfere with their religious rights, among other instructions.

I would encourage you to visit and subscribe to the Mossy Feet Books You Tube channel for more great content. If you like my videos, please hit the “Like,” button. The more likes I get the more You Tube will show it to other people, allowing me to grow the channel. I also invite you to visit my website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. There you will find sample chapters, podcasts, a slew of content and links to where you can buy my books. While visiting the web site you can subscribe to it and receive email notifications of when I publish a new book or other content, like this video and podcast. If you like what I am doing, please purchase a book, as it helps fund my work.
You can find my books locally at the at the Romweber Marketplace in downtown Batesville, Indiana.
I hope you enjoyed this podcast and thank you for listening.

Share American History Stories