I Don't Need to Deliberate!
This Week in 1776
“This Week in 1776” is an ongoing almanac of events from the American Revolution, mostly political and military in nature. I drew on these very loosely for my Engines of Liberty series of YA novels.
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Congress in Philadelphia
The Committee of Five (Franklin, Adams, Jefferson, Sherman, Livingston) presents its first draft of the Declaration of Independence. There is some argument over verbiage, and they make around 80 edits to the text. Meanwhile Congress continues to manage the logistics of the war, they receive reports from Canada, and the Iroquois continue to hang out and observe.
Arnold in Canada
I thought a map would be helpful to show that Arnold & Co were directly north of Washington down in New York. The red dotted line is the outline of Lake Champlain, a natural obstacle that Arnold used to cover his retreat, and will be the stage of another conflict later in the war. For now, they’re still limping away as fast as they can on empty stomachs and bare feet, in many cases.
Washington in New York
The Thomas Hickey plot—wherein some of Washington’s Life Guards (proto-Secret Service) plotted to betray him—comes to its conclusion. Future SCOTUS Justice John Jay carried out the trial and convicted Thomas Hickey on charges of “mutiny, sedition, and treacherous correspondence with the enemy.”
The trial was on June 26, and Washington approved the death sentence on June 27. Hickey was hanged by the neck until dead on June 28, at what is now the intersection of Grand and Chrystie Streets in New York. 20,000 spectators turned out to watch. Although Hickey wasn’t the only one involved, he was the only one executed, and the others were transported or exchanged for valuable prisoners. Washington wanted to make sure the whole army got the message.
Elsewhere
The South finally sees some action when Charleston’s Sullivan Island takes heat from the Brits, and a huge battle takes place between Royal ships and Patriot militia. The Patriots are some 800 strong under Colonel William Moultrie, while the British commander is—I excrement you not—Commodore Peter Parker.
British guns pounded the Patriot fortifications, basically a fort made out of palmetto logs, and even knocked down the Patriots’ flag (a South Carolina flag.) Limey cannonballs may have been accurate that day, but they were no match for Sergeant William Jasper’s huge brass ones as he went out under heavy fire, retrieved the flag, and hung it back up, which must have been extremely hard to do with both middle fingers raised. That’s just South Carolina for you. They still celebrate Carolina Day in remembrance of the Battle of Sullivan Island.
American losses ranged between 12 and 35, while the Brits were repelled and took over 200 casualties. It was the biggest victory until that point and the most significant morale boost for the colonies since Boston a few months ago. The Patriots would hold South Carolina until 1780 after this huge W.
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