Category: Revolutionary War

George Washington paused and said, “Gentlemen, you must pardon me.”

But I get ahead of myself.

It was 1782. Except for some skirmishes, hostilities in the Revolutionary War had ended with the surrender of British General Cornwallis at Yorktown.

But a peace treaty had not not yet been negotiated and signed, and British garrisons were still on American soil.

The nation did not yet have a constitution. The Continental Congress acted under the authority of the Articles of Confederation, relying solely on the States for funds.

Those States were now very reluctant to pay for the expenses of the Army, and many of the soldiers had not been paid for months.

An anonymous letter circulated calling for the soldiers to issue an ultimatum. It was proposed that if Congress didn’t comply, the army would either threaten to disband and leave the new country unprotected, or refuse to demobilize after a peace treaty was signed.

The last was a threat to use military force to impose the Army’s will.

Word of all this reached George Washington. He called for a meeting of officers in four days. Matters could be discussed, though he implied he would not be present.

When the officers gathered they were surprised to see General Washington enter the room.

He was not pleased with the mutinous proposals.

Washington denounced the author of the letter, saying his plan had “something so shocking in it, that humanity revolts at the idea.” He went on:

“My God! What can this writer have in view, by recommending such measures! Can he be a friend to the army? Can he be a friend to this country? Rather, is he not an insidious foe?”

Washington said it was true that the army had suffered, but he pointed out to them that he had been with them through every hardship. He also told of his own efforts to ensure the Army would be paid.

Washington asked the officers if they were willing to leave their wives, children, and property unprotected and defenseless in the face of the British army. Or if they might “sully their glory” by acting as a lawless mob.

As he prepared to end, the General told them he wanted to read a letter from a member of Congress, one who was supportive of getting the men paid.

After stumbling through the first paragraph, Washington reached into his pocket for a pair of spectacles.

Up to this time, only his personal staff had ever seen him with glasses:

“Gentlemen, you must pardon me. I have grown not only gray, but almost blind in my country’s service.”

The officers were so moved that some had tears in their eyes.

After Washington left, the officers decided to present him “the unanimous thanks of the officers” adding that they “reciprocate his affectionate expressions, with the greatest sincerity of which the human heart is capable.”

The mutinous threat was over.

Washington continued his actions to see that all of his soldiers were paid in full for their service, and was ultimately successful.

Thanks for reading! We hope you enjoyed our post. Please share with all your fellow patriots. Brought to you by: Ultimate Flags

Patriotic American Flag (Betsy Ross) Buy Now!	Vintage 1776 American Flag Buy Now!
George Washington 2nd Amendment GW Quote Flag-Buy Now!	Bennington 1776 Flag Nylon Embroidered – Buy Now!

No one today can doubt how important George Washington’s leadership was in the battle for American freedom. But he had enemies who wanted to take him down.

After a couple of battlefield defeats, some thought they saw their chance. One of them was Dr. Benjamin Rush, the Father of American Psychiatry.

In January of 1778, Rush hand-wrote two unsigned letters, saying Washington should be replaced. One of these was to Patrick Henry. The letter insulted Washington’s military and administrative competence. It contained gossip and rumor, stating Washington’s forces were undisciplined.

The other letter was to John Adams (future 2^nd U.S. President), saying there was “no order” in Washington’s army, and “universal disgust.”

Ah, the cowardice of a man who will not speak openly.

Rush recommended two other officers as a replacement for Washington

But this was the “Give Me Liberty, Or Give Me Death” Patrick Henry, Governor of Virginia and a key Patriot. He was no backstabbing traitor. Henry forwarded the letter to Washington.

At the time, Rush was the chief physician of a key military hospital. Just the previous month, Rush had written a letter to General Washington accusing army surgeon general John Shippen of neglect and bad administration. Shippen was court martialed and dismissed, but Congress later cleared Shippen of the charges.

Because of that scathing letter about Shippen, Washington had no trouble recognizing the anonymous letter as written by Rush.

General Washington took swift action, and Rush resigned.

But the plot was not over. There were other scheming officers involved, as we will see in Part 2 of this story. America’s first Commanding General was not done cleaning house.

 

Thanks for reading! We hope you enjoyed our post. Please share with all your fellow patriots. Brought to you by: Ultimate Flags

Appeal to Heaven Flag	Gadsden Dont Tread on Me Flag
Washington Headquarters Flag	III 1776 George Washington Quote Flag

     

 

Paul Revere’s famous ride: every schoolchild learns of it. But who sent Revere to warn the British were coming?

This man was a member of the Sons of Liberty. He was a member of the Committee of Safety, and made sure gunpowder and firearms were stored in towns throughout Massachusetts.

An outspoken Patriot, he wrote, “When the prize is liberty, who shun the warfare?”

Counties in 14 states bear his name. We are familiar with names like John Hancock and Sam Adams, but in his time this man was far more celebrated than they were. For ten years after his death, more towns and streets were named for him than George Washington.

This man was Joseph Warren.

For years, Warren had been one of the most outspoken critics of British abuses and the denial of Colonial liberties. He wrote, made persuasive speeches, and had a leading role in struggle for freedom.

Days before the Battle of Bunker Hill, Warren was commissioned a Major General in the Massachusetts militia. But he insisted on fighting as a private, making sure he was in the middle of the heaviest fighting.

When the Patriots’ ammunition was exhausted, Warren stayed to give other militiamen time to escape during the final British assault. He died defending the earthworks.

You may not know his name, but it is likely you have seen a painting depicting his death in battle.

John Trumbull also fought at Bunker Hill. After the war, Trumbull immortalized the moment of Warren’s death in a piece of art that is still famous today. You see it above, the Patriot dying beneath the famous Continental Flag of Liberty.

 

Thanks for reading! We hope you enjoyed our post. Please share with all your fellow patriots. Brought to you by: Ultimate Flags

Grand Union Flag	Dont Tread on Me Flag
Appeal to Heaven Flag	Culpeper Minute Men Liberty or Death Flags

           

 

The USS Constitution is one of the most renowned warships in American history. The ship was among the first six frigates authorized to be built to form the new United States Navy. Launched for the first time in Boston on October 21, 1797 the USS Constitution holds the distinct honor of being the oldest commissioned warship afloat.

Here is on of the many stories about the ship’s service in battle.

The USS Constitution and the British frigate HMS Guerriere were enemies in the War of 1812. On the afternoon of August 19, a mortal combat took place 750 miles off the coast of Massachusetts. The day was overcast, winds blowing hard as the warships neared each other.

Captain Hull was in command of the Constitution, and we have his report:

“The Gallant crew gave three cheers” when Hull ordered the ship into battle.Guerriere  raised her flag and “fired a broadside, but without effect, the shot all falling short…” Constitution raised her 15-star American flag, “hoisted at the Mizen Peak,” and her “Jack at the Fore.” The fight was on.

Constitution came alongside the Guerriere. At a distance ”less than Pistol Shot, we commenced a very heavy fire from all of our guns.”Within 15 minutes, the Guerriere had lost a mast and had heavy damage to her sails. The Constitution “had received but little damage.”When a sailor on the Guerriere saw a cannonball bounce off the hull of the Constitution, he exclaimed, “her sides are made of iron!”

Constitution’s sides were American oak, denser than English oak. Reinforcing ribs behind the outside oak were only 4 inches apart. Normally, ribs were eight or ten inches apart. The USS Constitution’s hull was tough!

Just as Captain Hull decided to send boarders over, two more of the Guerriere’s masts went down. She was totally disabled.

Captain Hull backed the Constitution away. It became dark, and Hull ordered a boat sent “to see whether she had surrendered or not, and if she had to see what assistance she wanted.”About 20 minutes later the boat returned, with Guerriere’s captain on board.

“Our Boats were immediately hoisted out and sent for the prisoners, and were kept at work bringing them and their baggage on board, all night.”British Captain James Dacres wrote this in his report:

“…the conduct of Captain Hull and his officers to our men has been that of a brave enemy, the greatest care being taken to prevent our men losing the smallest trifle, and the greatest attention being paid to the wounded…”The next morning Captain Hull could see the Guerriere was beyond salvage: “At daylight we found the enemy’s ship a perfect wreck.”It was not the first victory for Old Ironsides, nor would it be the last.

 

Thanks for reading! We hope you enjoyed our post. Please share with all your fellow patriots. Brought to you by: Ultimate Flags

Born a British citizen and a former Redcoat, George Washington had, by the 1770s, joined the growing ranks of colonists who were dismayed by Britain’s exploitative policies in North America.

In 1774, Washington joined the Continental Congress as a delegate from Virginia.

State representatives of the Continental Congress did not really want a national army, but the clashes at Concord and Lexington changed their minds. On June 15, 1775, Congress appointed George Washington commander-in-chief. (You can see an actual recruiting poster above.)

Washington had been managing his family’s plantation and serving in the Virginia House of Burgesses when the second Continental Congress unanimously voted him to lead the Revolutionary Army.Washington had been battle-tested veteran in the French and Indian War. His courage and leadership were well established. But in the summer of 1775 there was no American army and there were few men to be found with experience in battle.

On July 3, 1775, Washington officially took command of the poorly trained and under-supplied Continental Army. Somehow, Washington managed to forge a military force that defeated one of the most disciplined and well-trained armies in the world.

The Continental Army was a mixed bag of diversity: Germans, Dutch, Scottish, and Irish, as well as English volunteers took up arms. As many as 10% were African Americans: one Rhode Island regiment was over 50% black.Many Native Americans supported their neighbors. Some volunteered as Minutemen even before fighting broke out. When it did, Native Americans joined the Siege of Boston, and served in New York, New Jersey, Canada and elsewhere.

After six years of struggle and despite frequent setbacks, Washington managed to lead the American army to key victories forcing Great Britain to eventually surrender in 1781. General Washington with a kind of persistence required for the task, never relented, even when it all seemed so impossible.

When Washington stepped down as Commanding General in 1783, he wrote: “The unparalleled perseverance of the armies of the United States, through almost every possible suffering and discouragement for the space of eight long years, was little short of a standing miracle.”

 

Thanks for reading! We hope you enjoyed our post. Please share with all your fellow patriots. Brought to you by: Ultimate Flags

Even in the 1700’s women could be patriots and heroines. There are numerous accounts of brave women who nobly and courageously performed their patriotic duty during the American Revolution.

Here is the story of one such woman of South Carolina, Emily Geiger.

General Nathaniel Greene had retreated before Lord Rawdon who had divided his forces.. When Greene passed the Broad River, he wanted to send an order to General Thomas Sumter to join him so they could go on the attack against Lord Rawdon. But it seemed General Greene couldn’t find a man with the boldness to take on this mission and the danger involved.  The areas he traveled through was full of bloodthirsty Tories, eager to take out the Whigs  Finally, a teenage girl named Emily Geiger went to self to General Greene to offer her services a his messenger.

Why would a young girl be willing to put her life in danger for the cause? Her father John was not well enough to serve on the battlefield and so she wanted to serve her country in any way she could.

The general, surprised but delighted, agreed to let take on the mission of going past enemy lines to deliver a message. He  wrote a letter and gave it to her, telling  her about the contents just in case of an accident or capture.

Emily rode sidesaddle on horseback, traveling under the guise of taking a trip to her uncle’s house many miles away.

On the second day of her ride, Lord Rawdon’s scouts stopped her near the Congaree River. Emily who could not tell a lie without blushing, and was coming from the direction of Green’s army, was immediately held under suspicion and confined to a small room the size of a shed.        

The officer sent for an old Tory matron to search her for papers. Emily knew immediately she should destroy the letter, but didn’t know what to do with the pieces.

But as soon as the door closed, she started to eat the pieces of the letter, and got them all down before the matron Mrs. Hogabook arrived. After carefully searching Emily, the matron found nothing. The officer apologized for the error and allowed her to leave, even giving her an escort to her uncle’s house.

The next day, Emily set off taking a route that would avoid interception and soon arrived safely at Sumter’s camp. Emily delivered Greene’s verbal message, and how she had been stopped by the enemy scouts  Sumpter immediately went to join Greene and the main army at Orangeburgh.

Job well done, young and brave Patriot Emily, for helping make America free!

 

Thanks for reading! We hope you enjoyed our post. Please share with all your fellow patriots. Brought to you by: Ultimate Flags

Most Americans think about the fight for independence and sacrifices made by our Founders on the 4th of July. It’s summertime and the weather is usually hot while we are vacationing and visiting Independence Hall or Boston. But the story of the American Revolution is best told in the freezing days of winter.

“The oldest people now living in the country do not remember so hard a winter.”  

Those are the words of General George Washington, written as he and over 7000 patriots were holed up In January 1780.  Washington had decided to place his army at Morristown, New Jersey for the winter. When they arrived at the site in November 1779 there was already a foot of snow on the ground.  The temperature only made it above freezing a couple times. But that was before the blizzard struck in the new year.  As it did, James Thacher wrote in his journal:

“No man could endure its violence many minutes without danger of his life.” If a tent blew down, soldiers were “buried like sheep under the snow…almost smothered in the storm.”It was impossible to get supplies. George Washington wrote in a letter dated January 8.  “…the Troops, both Officers and Men, have been almost perishing for want.”

One might think this was Valley Forge, but it was a two-year old memory at this point. No, this was Morristown and it was much worse. Major General Johann de Kalb was there and wrote:

“Those who have only been in Valley Forge and Middlebrook during the last two winters, but have not tasted the cruelties of this one, know not what it is to suffer.”Private Martin was also there:

“We were absolutely, literally starved. I do solemnly declare that I did not put a single morsel of victuals into my mouth for four days and as many nights, except a little black birch bark which I gnawed off a stick of wood.”

That winter of 1780 was so severe that the waters around New York City completely froze and closed down navigation for several weeks (the only time in recorded American history that this has occurred).

Officers remembered ink freezing in their quill pens and one surgeon recorded:

“we experienced one of the most tremendous snowstorms ever remembered; no man could endure its violence many minutes without danger to his life. … When the storm subsided, the snow was from four to six feet deep, obscuring the very traces of the roads by covering fences that lined them.”

The cold and lack of food went on for months. Yet despite such severe hardships, men like these, the truest of Patriots, kept on for three more years. Private Martin said of those men:“They were truly patriotic, they loved their country, and they had already suffered everything short of death in its cause.”If they had not, the liberties they forged may never have spread across our land.

 

Thanks for reading! We hope you enjoyed our post. Please share with all your fellow patriots. Brought to you by: Ultimate Flags

What comes to mind when you think of the American War of Independence? Paul Revere and Lexington? Bunker Hill? Washington crossing the Delaware? Northern states are rightly proud of these spots and more. But did you know the British campaign in the South was in fact the final turning point in the war?The British forces had failed to crush the rebellion up north, so they decided to retake Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia.At first they scored big.  They knocked down three American armies, as they captured Savannah and Charleston. The Parliament were cheerful. Lord George Germain announced that the Southern victories meant a “speedy and happy termination of the American war.”The British had a lot of early success in the North, too. But hold on. They were about to find out how a determined militia could mess up their plan.Southern guerrillas came out from the South Carolina swamps and forests, ambushing the Redcoats left and right. In no time this so called “pacified” territory was declared by British high command to be “in an absolute state of rebellion.” And it got worse for the Brits. Southern militia and back-country riflemen wiped out an army of 1,000 at Kings Mountain, South Carolina.British General Cornwallis then figured he’d better march an army of over 4,000 to North Carolina and end this once and for all. But American General Greene was not about to let that happen. So he led him on a merry chase, stopping for battles at Cowpens and Guilford Courthouse, exhausting Cornwallis and inflicting savage losses on his troops.Cornwallis decided he’d have better luck in Virginia, but is was not meant to be. In Yorktown, Virginia, Cornwallis finally surrendered to George Washington on October 17, 1781. (Depicted in image above.) Americans have held onto their arms ever since.

 

Thanks for reading! We hope you enjoyed our post. Please share with all your fellow patriots. Brought to you by: Ultimate Flags

 

13 Star American Flag	Dont Tread on Me Flag
Culpeper Minute Men Flag	George Washington & Thomas Jefferson Quote Flag

     

There were plenty of courageous and intelligent women who served and fought for independence during the American Revolutionary War. These” Daughters of Liberty” did more than their share to help win America’s freedom. Here’s a story of another who played a significant role.

Abigail Adams is best known as the wife of our second President of the United States John Adams, the mother of John Quincy Adams, the sixth president, and for for her extensive correspondence.  

Abigail Adams was the wife of American Patriot and Founding Father John Adams. John Adams was known to be cranky, ill-tempered, and just plain grumpy at times.  But he probably would have been a lot grumpier without the care and support of Abigail, his wife of fifty-four years, who he called his “Portia”. (If you’ve ever read William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, then you know that Portia is the beautiful and smart heroine of the play.)

In 1775 the Massachusetts Colony General Court appointed Abigail Adams, Mercy Warren, and the governor’s wife, Hannah Winthrop, to question fellow Massachusetts women who pledged by their word or deed to remain loyal to the British crown and worked against the independence movement.  

John Adams wrote to his wife saying, “you are now a politician and now elected into important office, that of judges of Tory ladies…As the Second Continental Congress was debating the Declaration of Independence, Abigail wrote in her letters to John her argument that now, with the a new form of government, it was the perfect time to start the effort to make the legal status of women equal to that of men.Abigail remained in Braintree to manage the farm and household and raise their children while John carried on his work as statesman and leading advocate for American independence. At that time women did not normally handle business affairs, but Abigail kept everything going at home. She traded livestock, hired help, bought land, oversaw construction, and supervised the planting and harvesting, no small tasks for anyone.

She once wrote, “I hope in time to have the reputation of being as good a Farmess as my partner has of being a good Statesman.”

Abigail served as unofficial advisor to John throughout his entire career. Their letters to each other clearly show how he sought her counsel on many issues, including his aspirations to be President. Thankfully, their extensive collection of correspondence allows us to learn what an extraordinary woman Abigail Adams was.Two of Abigail Adams’ more notable quotes are:

“Great necessities call out great virtues.”

“If we mean to have heroes, statesmen and philosophers, we should have learned women.”

 

Thanks for reading! We hope you enjoyed our post. Please share with all your fellow patriots. Brought to you by: Ultimate Flags

Thomas Jefferson once referred to George Washington as:

“the best horseman of his age, and the most graceful figure that could be seen on horseback.”

Washington’s friend, the Marquis de Chastellux, a French national, also observed that Washington:

“is a very excellent and bold horseman, leaping the highest fences, and going extremely quick, without standing upon his stirrups, bearing on the bridle, or letting his horse run wild.”

Jefferson knew a good horseman when he saw one, and this was the age when being an accomplished horseman was taken as a mark of a true gentleman.

A good horseman needs a good horse, and Washington had many magnificent ones to ride. During the American Revolutionary War, the two horses prominently connected to him were Blueskin, and “Old Nelson.”

Blueskin was a dashing stallion “of a dark iron-gray color, approaching to blue.”He was a spirited animal, known for his endurance during a long chase.  Blueskin was a gift to Washington from Colonel Benjamin Tasker Dulany of Maryland.

“Old Nelson” was a chestnut with a white blaze and white feet. He was described as a “splendid charger,” standing sixteen hands high.  He was a gift from Thomas Nelson, Jr., a signer of the Declaration of Independence and later governor of Virginia.

Old Nelson proved to be Washington’s favorite horse to ride into war because he was less skittish during cannon fire and the startling sounds of battle. Blueskin was his favorite hunting horse. Due to his near white hair coat, he was the horse most often portrayed in artwork showing Washington on horseback.

Washington chose to ride Nelson on the day the British army under the direction of Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia in 1781

Both horses served Washington well during the 8 1/2 years of the American Revolutionary War. Nelson and Blueskin survived intact and were retired to Washington’s stables in Mount Vernon to live a life of ease and celebrity.Washington always displayed great respect and affection for his horses, and it was clear that the horses loved him, too. It was reported that Washington would walk around the grounds of the estate, and stop at Nelson’s paddock, “when the old war-horse would run, neighing, to the fence, proud to be caressed by the great master’s hands.”

Blueskin lived at Mount Vernon until Washington returned him to to Mrs. Dulany in November 1785, with along with a letter of gratitude. “Old Nelson” died at the estate in 1790 at about the age of 27, quite old for a horse in that era.

Great men carry the honor and privilege of having great horses.

 

Thanks for reading! We hope you enjoyed our post. Please share with all your fellow patriots. Brought to you by: Ultimate Flags

At the time American society did not easily permit women to take part in the Revolutionary War. But there were many women who definitely had a significant role in the formation of this country. One of them was Catherine (Kate) Moore Barry.

Kate was a true American heroine.When her husband, Andrew, became a captain and commanding officer in the war, she proudly helped him acting as a spy and messenger and even fought in some battles with him.  She is best known for her role in warning the American militia the British were about to invade, just before the decisive Continental Army victory at the Battle of Cowpens, January 17, 1781.

Acting as a scout for the American forces, Kate became known as the “Heroine of the Battle of Cowpens.”  She was an excellent horsewoman and knew every trail and shortcut around her South Carolina plantation.  Although there is no historical proof, it is said that she tied her baby to her bedpost and, using her knowledge and skills, gallantly rode her horse through Indian trails to warn her neighbors that the British were coming.

Kate had single-handedly rounded up an impressive amount of local Patriots to help General Morgan. With her help, Morgan laid a trap for General Corwallis and his men. After the trap proved a success, Cornwallis retreated right into the hands of George Washington in Yorktown, Virginia.

Thanks to the bravery of women like Catherine Barry, the victory at the the Battle of Cowpens became the turning point in the American War for Independence that ultimately led to the American colonies winning their independence. .

Yes, “girl power” from the 1780’s. Even then not all women were stay at home Moms.

 

Thanks for reading! We hope you enjoyed our post. Please share with all your fellow patriots. Brought to you by: Ultimate Flags

British Colonel George Hanger fought the American Continental Army in the Revolutionary War. He later said he had never seen better rifles than those made in America, nor men who could shoot better.

The British troops used the Brown Bess rifle, which could hit a man at 80 to 100 yards. It was unusual for a man to be even wounded by one if hit at 150 yards. But Hit a man at 200 yards?  

About that, Hanger wrote,

“you may just as well fire at the moon and have the same hopes of hitting your object.” As to British marksmanship, he thought little of it:

“excellent as they are to discipline the soldier and form him for parade and actual service in the line, the serjeant is just as capable of teaching him how to solve one of Sir Isaac Newton’s problems as to teach him to be a marksman.” But the Americans with their weapons and abilities, were a whole other story. Colonel Hanger wrote: “I have often asked what was the most they thought they could do with their rifle.  They have replied that they thought they were generally sure of splitting a man’s head at 200 yards, for so they termed their hitting the head.  I have also asked several whether they could hit a man at 400 yards.  They have replied certainly, or shoot very near him.” The Colonel experienced this Patriot marksmanship firsthand. He tells the a story of an American Patriot firing at him from 400 yards. The rifle ball missed him by a foot, but behind him a “horse staggered, fell down, and died.” Sorry about the poor horse, but good shot, indeed!

 

Thanks for reading! We hope you enjoyed our post. Please share with all your fellow patriots. Brought to you by: Ultimate Flags