July 1775 in the American Colonies

Washington Takes Command and the War Spreads

July 1 — The Legend of Israel Putnam

Cambridge, Massachusetts —  The Pennsylvania Packet reported: General Putnam, who commanded the Connecticut troops, is a veteran soldier of great experience. He served during the whole of the last war against the French and was wounded fifteen different times in the service of his country. He was once taken prisoner by the Indians, who first scalped, then tied him to a tree, and were about to make a stroke at his head, which would have put an end to his existence, when a French officer, happening at the instant to pass by, saved his life.

When he heard of the Battle of Lexington, he was following his plough. As soon as he was satisfied of the truth of the news, he took one of his horses out of the plough, and bid his servant take the other and follow him with his arms to Boston.

Should the boasting General Burgoyne ridicule the simplicity of our American Cincinnatus, and be asked at the same time where his master’s orders found him when he was commanded to repair to Boston, the answer would most probably be, “in a gambling house or brothel.”

• John Dunlap (1746–1812) — An Irish-born printer, Dunlap was the publisher of the Pennsylvania Packet, or General Advertiser. He is famous for printing the first copies of the Declaration of Independence, known as the “Dunlap Broadsides.” He also served in the Continental Army and was involved in the Battle of Trenton (December 26, 1776) and the Battle of Princeton (January 3, 1777). Dunlap also printed and published the first copies of the United States Constitution.

July 3 — Washington Takes Command of the Continental Army

Cambridge — As the Siege of Boston continued, General George Washington arrived at Cambridge, Massachusetts. In his first orders, issued the next day, he expressed his hope “that all distinctions of colonies will be laid aside so that one and the same spirit may animate the whole.”

Washington’s first task was to replace Artemas Ward as commander of the Continental Army, a force of approximately 14,000 poorly armed and untrained troops. Ward handed over the command, and Washington imposed military and logistical order by dividing the army into three wings. They were led by Artemas Ward, Israel Putnam, and Charles Lee. He ordered the extension of the line of fortifications surrounding the city between Dorchester and the Mystic River to further enclose the British in Boston.

As Washington and his officers worked to transform the army, the most significant challenge they faced was that the enlistments for most of the troops were set to expire on January 1, 1776.

July 3 — The New York Gazette printed a letter from London that said: “Though the American soldiery perhaps may not be so regularly disciplined as the king’s troops, yet it must be considered that there is a very material difierence between a man who fights for his natural liberty, and the man who only fights because he is paid for it. The former defends himself in a just cause; the latter is the mere dupe of power. The former is animated by the zeal of his attachments to the public weal; the latter has no attachments at all, except to his pay for slaughter and bloodshed.”

• Hugh Gaine (c. 1726–1807) — A New York printer who published the New York Mercury and the New York Royal Gazette. He held a neutral view of the American Revolution, which created conflicts with Loyalists and Patriots. In November 1775, the New York Sons of Liberty threatened to destroy his print shop. During the war, Gaine’s position shifted, depending on who was perceived to be winning the war.

July 3 — Gaine’s Mercury reported, “This night died of the wounds he received in the battle of the seventeenth of June, the amiable, the gallant Colonel Thomas Gardner, of Cambridge, Massachusetts.”

July 3 — A letter written to John Murray stated, “None of the men who have been raised by the several colonies, are, in future, to be distinguished as the troops of any particular colony, but as the forces of ‘The United Colonies of North America,’ into whose joint service they have been taken by the Continental Congress, and are to be paid and supported accordingly.”

• AHC Note — The source of the letter is a “Dr. Leonard,” and the recipient is likely John Murray, Lord Dunmore, and the Governor of Virginia.

July 3 — In New York City, Colonel John Lasher’s battalion was reviewed by Philip Schuyler, Richard Montgomery, and David Wooster. A report of the event said, “Colonel Lasher’s battalion was reviewed at New York by Major-General Schuyler, accompanied by the Brigadier-Generals Montgomery and Wooster, in the presence of a very respectable number of the principal gentlemen and ladies. They went through the exercises and evolutions with the greatest order, alertness, and decorum. That country can never be enslaved, whose rights are defended by the hands of its citizens.”

• John Lasher (1724–1806) — A New York merchant who served as a Colonel in the New York Militia during the war. Afterward, he was the Surveyor of the Port of New York from 1784 to 1789.
• Philip Schuyler (1733–1804) — A wealthy New York patroon and one of the four original major generals of the Continental Army. He played a key role in the American victory in the Battle of Saratoga and in maintaining relations with the Six Nations.
• Richard Montgomery (1738–1775) — Montgomery was a Brigadier General in the Continental Army during the early days of the American Revolutionary War. He led part of the American forces during the failed Invasion of Canada and captured key positions before he was killed during the Battle of Quebec.
• David Wooster (1711–1777) — Wooster was a Connecticut militia leader who served in King George’s War, the French and Indian War, and the American Revolution. He died in 1777, during the American Revolution, soon after the Battle of Ridgefield.

July 4 — Washington issued General Order No. 1, informing the troops that they were now part of the Continental Army and under the control of Congress. Some officers resigned, upset over the change.

July 5 — Washington authorized the adoption of insignia to indicate military rank. The first system required officers of various grades to wear different-colored ribbons and cockades.

July 5 — American Officers Dine in the Fields

New York City — General Wooster and the officers of the Connecticut forces at New York, dined at Mr. Samuel Frances, in the Fields, where an elegant entertainment was provided by the members of the New York Military Club. The day was spent in the utmost harmony, everything conspiring to please, being all of one mind and one heart. The following loyal toasts were drunk:

1. The King — better counsellors to him. 
2. The honorable Continental Congress.
3. General Washington and the army under his command.
4. The several provincial congresses and committees in the confederated colonies.
5. A speedy union on constitutional principles between Great Britain and America.
6. Conquest and laurels to all those heroes who draw their swords in support of freedom.
7. Confusion and disappointment to the friends of despotism and the enemies of America.
8. May the disgrace of the rebels against the constitution be as conspicuous as that of the rebels against the House of Hanover.
9. All those worthies in both Houses of Parliament, who stood forth advocates of America and the rights of mankind.
10. The Lord Mayor and worthy citizens of London.
11. The glorious memory of King William.
12. The immortal memory of Hampden, Sydney, and every patriot who fell in defence of liberty.
13. May the enemies of America be turned into saltpetre, and go off in hot blasts.
14. May Great Britain see her error before America ceases in affection.
15. May America ever be the dread and scourge of tyrants.
16. The daughters of America, in the arms of their brave defenders only.
17. Death and jack-boots, before dishonor and wooden shoes.
18. The glorious nineteenth of April, when the brave Americans convinced General Gage and the friends of tyranny that they dare fight and conquer also.

These toasts were printed in Rivington’s Gazetteer on July 6.

July 6 — Outside of Boston, American officers were forced to discipline three soldiers from Colonel Richard Gridley’s artillery regiment. They were court-martialed for desertion and theft.

July 6 — Declaration of the Causes and Necessities of Taking up Arms

Philadelphia — Congress adopted the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms, which was written by Thomas Jefferson and John Dickinson. It justified colonial resistance to Great Britain, and declared the intentions of Americans “to die free men rather than live as slaves.” The document was sent to be read to the Continental Army outside of Boston. Together with the Olive Branch Petition, it laid out the divided sentiments and loyalties of the delegates.

• Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) — Jefferson was a Founding Father and the third President of the United States. He is the author of the Declaration of Independence and the founder of the University of Virginia. He also served as Governor of Virginia, Virginia Congressman, Minister to France, Secretary of State under George Washington, and Vice President under John Adams.
• John Dickinson (1732–1808) — Dickinson was a Founding Father, known as the “Penman of the Revolution” for his Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania and involvement in other key documents. Although he refused to sign the Declaration of Independence, he did sign the United States Constitution.

July 8 — Olive Branch Petition

Philadelphia — Moderates in Congress, led by John Dickinson, sent the Olive Branch Petition to Britain. Congress ignored the authority of Parliament and sent it directly to King George III.

The Petition acknowledged the responsibilities to the Crown as loyal subjects and requested that the King end military hostilities and schedule further negotiations. It was taken to London by Arthur Lee and Richard Penn. Lee was a Patriot, while Penn was a prominent Loyalist and descendant of William Penn.

• Arthur Lee (1741–1792) — Lee was a doctor, politician, and abolitionist who is most famous for serving as the liaison between the Secret Committee of Correspondence and European diplomats in the early days of the war. He helped secure aid for America from Spain and France, but fell out of favor after accusing Silas Deane of illegally profiting from his work as a foreign minister. After returning to the United States, Lee continued his political career, serving in the Confederation Congress and helping negotiate key treaties with Native American Indians.
• Richard Penn (1735–1811) — Penn was the grandson of William Penn and served as Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania. In 1775, he carried the Olive Branch Petition to London. Following the war, Congress compensated him for the loss of his property, and he sold his home in Philadelphia to Robert Morris. Both George Washington and John Adams resided there during their presidency.

July 8 — Burgoyne Contacts Lee

Boston — The New York Gazette reported: This forenoon, a trumpeter came from the regular’s army, with a letter from General Burgoyne to General Lee; and was conducted blindfolded by the guards, to the head-quarters, in Cambridge. After delivering the letter, he was permitted to return. 

The contents of this letter has occasioned much speculation and is variously reported; but we hear the substance of it is nothing more than this: That General Burgoyne laments being obliged to act in opposition to a gentleman for whom he formerly entertained a great veneration; but that his conduct proceeds from principle, and doubts not that General Lee is actuated by the same motive; he wishes affairs may be accommodated, and desires to have a conference with General Lee.

This has been proposed to the general officers, and to the Provincial Congress, but they declare against it, as it has given rise to suspicions and jealousies among the men, who are not ignorant that a politeness of this kind one hour, is quite consistent with cutting throats the next.

• John Burgoyne (1722–1792) — A General in the British army during the American Revolutionary War. He is most well-known for leading a failed invasion of the Hudson River Valley in 1777 and his surrender at Saratoga.

July 8 — Skirmish at Boston Neck

Boston — American forces led by Major Benjamin Tupper and Captain John Crane attacked British defenses on Boston Neck by overrunning a small detachment and burning a guardhouse. The guardhouse was located at Enoch Brown’s tavern on Boston Neck. A portion of a letter was printed in Holt’s Journal, describing the Attack on Brown’s House:

Yesterday morning, about half-past two o’clock, we were called up and informed that the regulars had attacked the lines at Koxbury. We heard distinctly the firing of small arms and artillery on Roxbury Neck, and soon discovered a great fire in that quarter, but two hours elapsed before we knew the cause, which was as follows:

Two hundred volunteers, from the Rhode Island and Massachusetts forces, undertook to burn a guard-house of the regulars on the Neck, within three hundred yards of their principal works. 

They detached six men, about ten o’clock in the evening, with orders to cross on a marsh up to the rear of the guard-house, and there to watch an opportunity to fire it. The remainder of the volunteers secreted themselves in the marsh on each side of the Neck, about two hundred yards from the house. 

Two pieces of brass artillery were drawn softly on the marsh within three hundred yards, and upon a signal from the advanced party of six men, two rounds of cannon shot were fired through the guard-house. Immediately, the regulars, who formed a guard of forty-five or fifty men, quitted the house and were then fired on by the musketry, who drove them with precipitation into their lines. 

The six men posted near the house set fire to it, and burnt it to the ground. After this, they burnt another house nearer the lines, without losing a man. They took two muskets and accoutrements, a halbert, &c., all which were bloody, and showed evident marks of loss on the part of the regulars. 

The houses have been a long while made use of by the regulars as an advanced post, and has given them an opportunity of discovering our operations at Roxbury.

• Benjamin Tupper (1738–1792) — Tupper served in the French and Indian War (1754–1763) and was a militia officer in Chesterfield. He participated in several raids during the Siege of Boston. Afterward, he saw action in New York and Rhode Island and was at Valley Forge. He fought at Monmouth Courthouse and then served at West Point. Following the war, he helped defend Springfield during Shays’ Rebellion (1786–1787). He helped form the Ohio Company of Associates and led the first settlers to Marietta, Ohio.
• John Crane (1744–1805) — A veteran of the French and Indian War (1754–1763), Crane was a member of the Boston Sons of Liberty and participated in the Boston Tea Party. He served from the Siege of Boston through the end of the war, and saw action in New York, Rhode Island, and New Jersey.

July 9 — Washington held a Council of War at Cambridge to discuss the status of the siege. He and his officers decided against fortifying Dorchester Heights to avoid provoking a British attack. Dorchester Heights remained unoccupied. Washington also reorganized the army into three divisions under Major General William Heath, Major General Artemas Ward, and Major General Nathanael Greene.

• William Heath (1737–1814) — Heath was an officer in the Massachusetts Militia and Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Although he rose to the rank of Major General, General George Washington lost faith in him. At the time of his death, Heath was the last surviving Major General of the Continental Army.
• Artemas Ward (1727–1800) — Ward was an officer in the Massachusetts militia at the outset of the American Revolution. He assumed command of the colonial forces during the early days of the Siege of Boston and directed operations until General George Washington arrived in July 1775.
• Nathanael Greene (1742–1786) — Greene was an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He was one of George Washington’s most trusted officers and led American forces to a strategic victory in the Southern Campaign.

July 9 — The Suffering in Boston

Boston — A gentleman who came out of Boston today, says the inhabitants have been numbered, and amount to six thousand five hundred and seventy-three. The soldiers number, including women and children, thirteen thousand six hundred. 

Three hundred Tories are chosen to patrol the streets; forty-nine at night. It is very sickly there; from ten to thirty funerals in a day, and no bells allowed to toll; Master Lovell has been taken up and put in jail, in consequence of some letters found in Dr. Warren’s pockets.

The regular officers say: “Damn the rebels, they will not flinch.” 

A great number of floating batteries are building, and five transports and three sloops are sailed for hay and wood to the eastward.

This gentleman also says that the officers and soldiers triumph very much at the death of Dr. “Warren, saying, it is better to them than five hundred men.”

AHC Notes

• Gaine’s Mercury published this report. 
• “Mr. Lovell” refers to James Lovell, a schoolmaster.
• Joseph Warren was killed during the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775.

July 9 — Battle of Bloody Point

South Carolina — The South Carolina Council of Safety was informed that a shipment of gunpowder was being sent to Georgia, where it would be used to arm Native American Indians. The ship carrying the gunpowder was escorted by the HMS Phillippa. The Council of Safety sent two barges to intercept the gunpowder. When they reached Bloody Point, they were joined by a third ship, the Liberty, which was from Georgia and armed with guns. On July 9, the three American ships pursued the British ships on the Savannah River, and the Liberty anchored near the Philippa that night. The following day, the Philippa was surrounded by men in boats from the South Carolina Militia, and the Americans seized the gunpowder and military stores that were being carried by the supply ship.

• AHC Note — Captain Richard Mailtand commanded the Philippa.

July 10 — Brigadier General Horatio Gates outlined instructions for recruiting men into the Continental Army. The following instructions for recruiting were published in the Pennsylvania Journal:

“As the cause is the best that can engage men of courage and principle to take up arms, so it is expected that none but such will be accepted by the recruiting officer. The pay, provision, &c., being so ample, it is not doubted but that the oflicers sent upon this service will, without delay, complete their respective corps, and march the men forthwith to camp.

You are not to enlist any person who is not an American born, unless such person has a wife and family, and is a settled resident in this country. The persons you enlist must be provided with good and complete arms.”

• Horatio Gates (1727–1806) — Gates was an officer in the Continental Army during the war. He led American forces to victory at Saratoga but failed at Camden. He was also involved in the Conway Cabal, a plot against George Washington, and the Newburgh Conspiracy against Congress.

July 10 — Near Tybee Island, off the coast of Georgia, Americans captured a British supply ship carrying 14,000 pounds of gunpowder.

July 11 — The Virginia Gazette reported: A correspondent informs us that one of the gentlemen appointed to command a company of riflemen, to be raised in one of the frontier counties of Pennsylvania, had so many applications from the people Riflemen, in his neighborhood, to be enrolled for the service, that a greater number presented than his instructions permitted him to engage, and being unwilling to give offence to any, thought of the following expedient. He, with a piece of chalk, drew on a board the figure of a nose of the common size, which he placed at the distance of one hundred and fifty yards, declaring that those who should come nearest the mark should be enlisted. Sixty odd hit the object. — General Gage, take care of your nose.

July 11 — Holt’s Journal published a report on the positions of both armies in and around Boston: The regulars are situated on Bunker’s and Breed’s Hills, both on the peninsula, where the late town of Charlestown stood, and within reach and under the cover of the guns, from the batteries in the town of Boston, and the ships in the harbor, and of a number of floating batteries, which they have built, that carry two guns in their bows, two in their sterns, and one on each side.

The Americans are situated near Charles River, about two hundred rods below Harvard College, where they have a redoubt, which begins the line; then about sixty rods from that another redoubt, and lines continued near one hundred rods. At Charlestown Road, on the west side of the road, at the foot of Prospect Hill, another redoubt and strong fortification.

On Prospect Hill, is Putnam^s post, a very strong fortification; and between that and Winter Hill a redoubt.

On Winter Hill, a strong citadel, and lines over Charlestown road, to Mystic; then in Mr. Temple’s pasture, a strong redoubt, that commands to Mystic River, so that they have a complete line of circumvallation from Charles River to Mystic River.

The Americans’ main fortress is on Prospect Hill; the regulars on Bunker’s Hill, within cannon shot of each other. A hill between these two posts, a little to the eastward of Prospect Hill, called Cobble Hill, will soon create a squabble as to which shall have it. It will not be many days before a contest begins, which will probably bring on a general engagement. 

In four or five days more, the Americans will be well prepared, and won’t care how soon the regulars come; the sooner the better. 

At Roxbury side the regulars have dug across the neck, and let the water through, and the Americans in turn, have intrenched across the outer end of the neck, and are strongly fortified there, and on the hill by the meeting-house; so strong, that it is believed every man in Boston, and at Bunker’s and Breed’s Hills mixst fall, before they can force a passage that way into the country.

July 12 — The New York Gazette printed a letter that said: 

During a severe cannonade at Roxbury, last week, a bomb, thirteen inches in diameter, fell within the American lines, and burnt furiously, when four of the artillerymen ran up, and one kicked out the fuse, saved the bomb, and probably some lives — a stroke of heroism worthy of record. 

The regulars have so hardened the provincials by their repeated firing, that a cannonading is just as much minded as a common thunder shower. All things look well. The provincials are now strongly posted, as are the regulars. Neither side are willing to attack each other in their lines.

We have just got over land from Cape Cod, a large fleet of whale boats; in a day or two we shall man them in Cambridge and Mystic rivers, and try to keep the regidars’ boats from insulting us.

July 12 — Earthquake Near Lake George

Jessupborough, New York — This afternoon, at fifty-five minutes past three o’clock, there was a violent shock of an earthquake at Jessupborough, twelve miles southwest of Lake George. The earth was much agitated, with small tossing, agile waves, and the noise thereof as loud as thunder; and it was with difficulty that some people who were building a house could sit on the timber. At fifty-one minutes after six, and forty-one minutes after seven, were two small shocks with less noise.

July 12 — Raid on Fort Charlotte

South Carolina — The South Carolina Militia, led by Major James Mayson, seized supplies at Fort Charlotte, South Carolina, 50 miles inland from Augusta, Georgia, on the Savannah River. As Mayson returned to Fort Ninety-Six, he was met by a contingent of Loyalists. Mayson returned the supplies to Fort Charlotte and then marched back to Ninety-Six.

July 13 — Congress appointed commissioners to meet with the leaders of the Iroquois Confederacy, hoping to prevent them from forming an alliance with the British. 

July 14 — King George III received a petition from John Wilkes, Lord Mayor of London, calling on him to end military operations against the American Colonies and pursue reconciliation with them.

• John Wilkes (1725–1797) — A British politician and journalist, Wilkes became a key figure in the fight for civil liberties in England. Though controversial and often self-serving, he opposed general warrants, championed freedom of the press, and promoted parliamentary reform. He helped establish legal protections for individual rights, expanded public participation in the political process, and openly supported the Patriot Cause.

July 15 — Last Saturday, July 15th, the several Regiments quartered in this Town being assembled upon the parade, the Revered Doctor Langdon, President of the College, read to them. “A Declaration by the Representatives of the United Colonies of North America, now met in General Congress at Philadelphia, setting forth the causes and necessity of their Taking up arms.” It was received with great applause, and the approbation of the Army, with that of a great number of other people, was immediately announced by three huzzas. His Excellency the General, with several other General Officers, &c, were present on the occasion.

• Samuel Langdon (1723–1797) — Langdon was a Congregational minister who served as the President of Harvard College from 1774 to 1780.

July 16 — Suffering in Boston Continues

Boston — The New York Gazette published a portion of a letter that described the ongoing suffering inside the city of Boston:

As to intelligence from Boston, it is seldom we are able to collect any that may be relied on, and to repeat the vague flying rumors would be endless. We heard yesterday by one Mr. Rolston, a goldsmith, who got out from Boston in a fishing schooner, that the distress of the troops increases fast, their beef is spent, their malt and cider all gone; all the fresh provisions they can procure, they are obliged to give to the sick and wounded; that thirteen of the provincials who were in jail, and were wounded at Charlestown, are dead; that no man dared to be seen talking to his friend in the street; that they are obliged to be within every evening at ten o’clock according to martial law, nor can any inhabitant walk the streets after that time withoiit a pass from Gage; that Gage has ordered all the molasses to be distilled mto rum for the soldiers; that he has taken away all licenses for selling of liquors, and given them to his creatures; that he has issued an order that no one else shall sell under a penalty of ten pounds; that the spii’it which prevails among the soldiers is that of malice and revenge; that there is no true courage to be observed among them; that their duty is hard, always holding themselves in readiness for an attack, which they are in continual fear of; that Doctor Eliot was not on board of a man-of-war as was reported; Mr. Lovel, with many others, is certainly in jail; that last week a poor milch cow was killed in town and sold for a shilling sterling a pound; that the transports from Ireland and New York arrived last week, but eveiy additional man adds to their distress.

• AHC Note — “Doctor Eliot” refers to Andrew Eliot, the pastor of a church in Boston.

July 17 — Loyalists, with the help of Moses Kirkland, seized control of Fort Ninety-Six in South Carolina. Kirkland was a Patriot, but switched sides when 200 Loyalists approached the fort. Major James Mayson and the Patriots were imprisoned in the fort’s jail. With the fort under Loyalist control, Colonel Thomas Fletchall and his Loyalist militia forces marched to Ninety-Six to occupy it.

July 18 — General Philip Schuyler arrived at Fort Ticonderoga to find the garrison undermanned, poorly supplied, and unprepared for ongoing military operations.

July 18 —  Putnam’s Celebration

Prospect Hill — According to orders issued…by Major General Putnam, all the continental troops under his immediate command assembled on Prospect Hill, when the declaration of the Continental Congress was read, after which an animated and pathetic address to the army was made by the Reverend Mr. Leonard, chaplain to General Putnam’s regiment, and succeeded by a pertinent prayer; when General Putnam gave the signal, and the whole army shouted their loud amen by three cheers; upon which a cannon was fired from the fort, and the standard lately sent to General Putnam was exhibited, flourishing in the air, bearing on one side this motto, An Appeal to Heaven, and on the other side. Qui Transtulit Sustinet. The whole was conducted with the utmost decency, good order, and regularity, and to the universal acceptance of all present. And the Philistines on Bunker’s Hill heard the shout of the Israelites, and, being very fearful, paraded themselves in battle array.

• Israel Putnam (1718–1790) — Putnam was a military veteran who was affectionately known as “Old Put.” He served bravely at the Battle of Bunker Hill, but fell out of favor with George Washington after he failed against British forces in New York and Philadelphia.

AHC Notes

• This article was printed in the Virginia Gazette on August 12, 1775.
• “Declaration of the Continental Congress” refers to the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms.
• “Reverend Mr. Leonard” refers to Abiel Leonard.

July 18 — Congress recommended that the Colonies pass uniform organization and equipment standards for the State Militias. It also recommended that they provide armed vessels for the protection of harbors and coasts. 

July 18 — Josiah Martin, the Governor of North Carolina, found out the Patriots were planning to attack Fort Johnston. He fled to the HMS Cruizer on the Cape Fear River. That night, militia forces led by Colonel Robert Howe and Colonel John Ashe burned Fort Johnston to the ground.

• Josiah Martin (1737–1786) — Martin was the last Royal Governor of North Carolina. A British army officer, he became Governor in 1771 but struggled with colonial resistance and legislative conflicts. He fled the colony in 1775 as Patriot forces rose. Martin later served under General Charles Cornwallis in the Southern Campaign.

July 19 — Rumors of the British Leaving Boston

Boston — A report circulated, saying:

The troops will not winter at Boston, but the province they are to remove to is not clear. Some say Rhode Island will be the head-quarters, others New York, with Long Island, as it lies so contiguous. 

It is to be remarked, that either of these provinces is a more desirable and proper climate for troops to winter in than Boston, and at Boston no good can be expected from the winter campaign, whereas there is a chance of doing something on new ground, and among new people, not so expert in arms or so inured to the field.

What adds to the probability of the report is, that such a measure would embarrass the Provincials more than any other whatever, for the men, who still look on themselves as trained militia only, would think they had a right to be discharged when they had no enemy to oppose, and the peace of their province as it were totally restored.

Whereas, according to the principles and spirit of the leaders of that unfortunate town and province, they must by all means persuade the men to follow tlie regulars to any distant province, in order to stir up the same spirit of opposition there, that has reigned in Boston; for it is an undoubted fact, that if government gains any one province over to its side, the business is done, and the others would soon follow.

Another thing in favor of the troops moving is, that it would probably alarm the Congress so much, that that august and respectable assembly would soon break up, there being a great deal of diflerence between holding such meeting with a body of troops in the neighborhood, and in having no forces near them for hundreds of miles.

July 20 — The first national day of public humiliation, fasting, and prayer, adopted by Congress on June 12, was observed. This article was published in the New York Gazette on July 21:

Yesterday, agreeably to the recommendation of the delegates in the honorable Continental Congress, was observed with the utmost solemnity, by fasting, abstinence, and devotion.

In all the churches in New York were large congregations, and excellent discourses, delivered from the several pulpits, expressive of the truly calamitous situation of this unhappy continent.

At New Castle, in Delaware, the Reverend Aeneas Ross delivered a discourse in the morning from Deuteronomy 23, 9th verse, “When the host goeth forth against the enemy, then keep thee from every wicked thing!”

And in the afternoon, the Reverend Joseph Montgomery preached from Deuteronomy 29, 9th and 10th verses transposed, “Ye stand this day all of you before the Lord your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders and your officers, with all the men of Israel; keep therefore the words of this covenant and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do!”

Both of the services were attended by all the militia, with their proper officers in their uniform, and a numerous concourse of the other inhabitants.

July 20 — Raid on Turtle Bay

New York — A swift raid conducted by Marinus Willett and Alexander McDougall captured Royal stores at Turtle Bay (East 42nd Street) on Manhattan Island. The supplies were sent to American forces besieging Boston.

• Alexander McDougall (1732–1786) — McDougall was a prominent leader of the New York Sons of Liberty and served as a General in the Continental Army during the war. He is perhaps most famous for publishing the broadside that contributed to the outbreak of the Battle of Golden Hill (1770).
• Marinus Willett (1740–1830) — Willett was another prominent New York Son of Liberty. A veteran of the French and Indian War, he supported the Patriot Cause. He served in the army during several key campaigns, including Quebec, New York, Saratoga, Philadelphia, and Sullivan’s Expedition.

July 21 — Franklin’s Articles of Confederation

Philadelphia — Benjamin Franklin’s proposed plan for the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was received by Congress. However, it was set aside for future consideration, as were recommendations that American ports be opened to trade, which would violate the non-exportation measures of the Continental Association. 

July 21 — Massachusetts militia under Major Joseph Vose raided Nantasket Point in Boston Harbor and destroyed the lighthouse on Great Brewster Island (see Great Brewster Island Raids of 1775).

July 22 — Alarm at Newport

Newport, Rhode Island — The Pennsylvania Packet printed an article about British hostilities in Rhode Island:

Last Monday night, two men belonging to the Swan, Captain Ayscough, being on shore at Newport, Rhode Island, saw fit to attempt an escape from their old and detested habitation.

The next morning, two or three of the ferry boats which pass between Newport and Conanicut were fired upon and brought to, an event so singular that two respectable members of the committee waited upon Captain Ayscough to know the reason.

He told them that two of his men, the night before, were sent on shore upon some errand, and had not returned, and added that he was confident the inhabitants knew where they were, and that they were detained by them purposely. The two gentlemen declared themselves ignorant of the matter and believed the whole town to be.

However, to pacify Captain Ayscough, they assured him that they would summon the committee together, inquire into the matter, and, at the same time, desired Captain Ayscough to write a letter to the committee, stating his grievance. This he did, and they promised to wait on him in the afternoon with an answer.

As the captain’s letter was rather in the threatening style, the committee could not help inquiring what he meant thereby, and assured him in their reply that they were not to be intimidated, and did not think themselves by any means accountable for the desertion of any of his men. 

Captain Ayscough read the letter with considerable composure, folded it up, and then gave it to Wallace, captain of the Rose; Ayscough, at this time, being on board Wallace’s ship.

• Captain James Wallace — Wallace was a veteran of the Seven Years’ War who was given command of the 20-gun frigate HMS Rose in December 1771. He sailed to America in 1774, and Vice Admiral Samuel Graves sent him to Narragansett Bay to replace the HMS Gaspee, which had been destroyed in 1772. Wallace patrolled the bay and surrounding waterways with the Rose, and four other ships, including the HMS Swan and the HMS Glasgow. 

Captain Wallace immediately flew into a most terrible passion, threw the letter down in a violent fit of rage, damned the committee and the Congress, and swore at Ayscough for writing to such a parcel of damned rebels, and declared that if he knew the two gentlemen who were then present to bo of the committee they never should go on shore again.

They endeavored to pacify him, but in vain. He swore, repeatedly, that if there was a God in heaven, the town should be destroyed before morning; that he was the king’s officer and would not be insulted.

Hereupon, the two gentlemen left the ship. A signal gun was instantly discharged, and the three pirates in the harbor and their tender immediately weighed anchor and came close in with the town. Their tomkins were taken out, the marines on board beat to arms, and all the hostile preparations imaginable going forward against a defenceless seaport, consisting (exclusive of the men) of not less than six thousand women and children. 

About half-past nine in the evening, a cannon was discharged from the Rose, when many really thought the firing on the town was begun. Several women fainted away; others went into fits, and a few absolutely miscarried by the fright.

This morning about one or two o’clock, one of the Swan’s men returned, and in order, it is supposed, to save himself from a fiogging, as it was necessary for him to give some account of himself, he invented the following lie, and swore to it upon the Holy Evangelist, namely: “That the Rhode Island rebels had taken him and his companion, and wanted that they should enlist among them to fight against the king, but that they refused, and because they did, the rebels gagged them and then carried them to Providence jail, but that he broke away and travelled thirty miles to get on board again; ” with much of the same stuft.

The captains of the pirates either believed this gross and inconsistent falsehood, or fain would make the inhabitants think so; accordingly, it was taken down in writing, sent on shore, and satisfaction demanded, or the town should certainly be laid in ashes that very day. 

Another cannon was now discharged, four ferry boats and two wood sloops seized, quantities of tar and other inflammatory and combustible matter put into the same, in order to set on fire and send into the wharves, as a more expeditious way of destroying the town than by cannon only; the cannon at the same time were to be fired on every part of the town. 

The courthouse, Doctor Stiles’ meeting-house, and the printing office were first of all to feel the effects of this horrid plot. The most terrible parade was kept up by these low ministerial tools till near two o’clock this afternoon, when two persons of undoubted veracity (farmers within two or three miles of the town) went on board the Swan.

• Ezra Stiles (1727–1795) — Stiles was a Congregationalist minister in Newport, Rhode Island. During the American Revolution, Stiles kept a detailed diary that documented events in Narragansett Bay, along with information about significant events occurring in other colonies. He was the pastor of the Second Congregational Church in Newport.

One of these gentlemen assured the captains of the three ships, that he saw the stragglers, for whose desertion such terrible confusion had ensued, in his com-field yesterday morning, and described them; the other gentleman declared that he saw them in the afternoon near where he was making hay, and likewise described them. After fully proving that they knew the men, by pointing out the one who had returned, notwithstanding four others were first produced in order to deceive them, they came on shore; when, all at once, the boats and prisoners were dismissed, the ships weighed anchor and stood up the river.

Let every honest American rise up in opposition to such inhuman, and must we add, when speaking of Britons too, worse than savage cruelty. To prepare, after so hostile a manner, to destroy thousands of lives and ruin vast estates, merely because two drunken wretches had fled from a ship under the command of a petty tyrant, is what will make a considerable figure in some future page, when our many trials are handed down to posterity by some able historian.

• Operations in Narragansett Bay (1775) — A series of military actions that took place on land and sea, on and around the waters and islands of the Province of Rhode Island. The operations took place during the Siege of Boston and contributed to the establishment of both the Rhode Island Navy and the Continental Navy. British threats to towns around Narragansett Bay also helped solidify Rhode Island’s support for independence.

July 23 — Patriot leader William Henry Drayton was sent to Ninety-Six to negotiate with the Loyalist leaders and “settle all political disputes between the people.” Drayton had permission to use force, if necessary, and arrest Loyalist leaders, including Thomas Fletchall, Joseph Robinson, Moses Kirkland, and Robert Cunningham. Drayton started his march to Ninety-Six. At the same time, Thomas Fletchall and his Loyalist contingent were also headed to Ninety-Six.

July 24 — General Schuyler sent a small scouting party led by Major John Brown into Canada to gather intelligence about Montreal and the attitudes of the Canadians regarding support for an invasion.

• John Brown (1744–1780) — Brown was a lawyer and soldier from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, who rose to prominence in the early days of the American Revolutionary War. Brown is most famous for his role in the Capture of Fort Ticonderoga (1775) and the Canada Campaign (1775–1776).

July 24 — Georgia Chooses Delegates for Congress

Georgia — Holt’s Journal reported: By authentic accounts from South Carolina, we are informed that the colony of Georgia has appointed delegates to the Continental Congress now in Philadelphia, where they may be expected daily to arrive. The same accounts inform that the people of Carolina have taken into their possession about one hundred and thirty barrels of gunpowder imported in the ship, [unnamed], Captain Maitland, from London, on government account.

AHC Notes

• This ship was the Philippa.
• On August 14, the Pennsylvania Packet reported that the delegates from Georgia arrived in Philadelphia on August 13. The delegates arrived on a ship called the Georgia Packet. They were John Houston, Archibald Bullock, Noble Wimberly Jones, Lyman Hall, and John J. Zubley.

July 25 — Doudel’s Riflemen Arrive

Cambridge — The Pennsylvania Journal reported: Captain Michael Doudel, with his company of riflemen, from York, Pennsylvania, arrived at Cambridge about one o’clock today, and since has made a proposal to General Washington to attack the transport stationed at Charles River. He will engage to take her with thirty men. The general thinks it best to decline it at present, but at the same time commends the spirit of Captain Doudel and his brave men, who, though they just came a very long march, offered to execute the plan immediately.

• AHC Note — This was the first rifle company to arrive and join the Continental Army. Doudle was forced to resign due to illness on August 13, 1775, and was replaced by Henry Miller.

July 25 — Congress formally assumed command and control over the Continental Army. It also established the New York Department of the Continental Army, with Schuyler in command. Later, the New York Department was renamed the Northern Department.

July 25 — Dr. Benjamin Church was appointed as the first Surgeon General of the Continental Army, even though Paul Revere insisted that he was working with the British. Church was eventually exposed as a British spy.

• Benjamin Church (1734–1778) — Church was a physician, a member of the Boston Sons of Liberty, and a member of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress. While participating in the Patriot Cause, he passed military intelligence to British forces. Caught in 1775 after a coded letter was intercepted and deciphered, he was found guilty of espionage and imprisoned. Paroled due to illness, he later disappeared at sea in 1777 en route to the West Indies.

July 26 — Benjamin Franklin was named Postmaster General of the new Post Office Department, having served in the position for many years with the British Government.

July 27 — At a meeting in Dorset, New Hampshire, Seth Warner was selected to lead the Green Mountain Boys and appointed Lieutenant Colonel, replacing Ethan Allen. The regiment became known as “Warner’s Regiment.” Allen, who had become unpopular with the political leaders in Vermont due to his brash attitude, was also passed over for the rank of Captain and Lieutenant. Embarrassed, Allen still wanted to be involved in the fight against the British, so he volunteered to serve under General Richard Montgomery.

• Seth Warner (1743–1784) — Warner was an officer in the Continental Army during the war and led the Green Mountain Boys. He led his men during the Canada Campaign and fought in the Battle of Hubbardton and the Battle of Bennington, which led to the surrender of the British army at Saratoga.
• Ethan Allen (1738–1789) — Allen was a Revolutionary War hero and a leader of the Green Mountain Boys. He was also a key figure in the push for independence and statehood for Vermont.
• Green Mountain Boys — A militia group formed by Ethan Allen and others to keep the New Hampshire Grants from becoming part of New York. During the American Revolutionary War, they captured Fort Ticonderoga. The group was eventually added to the Continental Army and commanded by Seth Warner.

July 27 — Congress established the Army Medical Department. 

July 28 — Rumors of Gage’s Resignation

Boston — The Pennsylvania Journal reported:

A deserter from Boston says that yesterday morning. General Gage surrendered in the orders of the day, his command of the army to General Howe, and now acts only as a Civil Governor; that he is lampooned and despised by the whole army; that Howe is much censured for his mode of attack on our lines last month; that their artillery was wretchedly served; and, what is more strange, that all their spare cartridges which they brought out, were twelve-pounders, and they took only nine-pounders cannon, so that when the Americans were obliged to quit their lines, the regulars had not one round of artillery.

• AHC Note — Howe replaced Gage in April 1775, but did not officially take command of British forces until October 10, 1775.

July 30 — Skirmish on Charlestown Neck

Charlestown — The Constitutional Gazette printed the following report:

The regulars cut several trees, and were busy all night in throwing up a line and abatis in front of it. In the evening, orders were given to the York County Riflemen to march down to our advanced post on Charlestown Neck, to endeavor to surround the advanced guard, and to bring off some prisoners, from whom we expected to learn their design in throwing up the abatis on the Neck.

The rifle company divided and executed their plan in the following manner: Captain Doudel, with thirty-nine men, filed off to the right of Bunker’s Hill, and creeping on their hands and knees, got into the rear without being discovered.

The other division of forty men under Lieutenant Miller were equally successful in getting behind the sentinels on the left and were within a few yards of joining the division on the right, when a party of regulars came down the hill to relieve their guard, and crossed our riflemen under Captain Doudel, as they were lying on the ground in an Indian file. 

The regulars were within twenty yards of our men before they saw them, and immediately fired. The riflemen returned the salute, killed several, brought off two prisoners, and their arms, with the loss of Corporal Creuse, who is supposed to be killed, as he has not been heard of since the affair.

In return for this, the regulars alarmed us last night in their turn. At one o’clock this morning, a heavy firing of small arms and cannon occasioned our drums to be beat to arms, and the corps was immediately ordered to their posts. 

The firing continued in three different quarters: Roxbury, Sewell’s Point at the mouth of Cambridge River, and at the advanced post at Charlestown Neck. Some hours elapsed before we knew the design of the enemy, which was this: We had surrounded some of their out-guard the night before, which induced them to serve our sentinels in like manner.

They sent two flat-bottomed boats to Sewell’s Point to attack our redoubt there. The boats, after a useless fire of several hours, retired. The pickett guard of the enemy on Charlestown Neck, attacked and drove in our advanced guard, who, being reinforced by General Lee’s orders, recovered their ground and beat the enemy, killed several, and brought off seven muskets without losing a man, although our men engaged them under their guns, within point blank shot of their lines.

July 29 — Congress issued a plan for printed currency and mandated that individual colonies must each assume responsibility for their respective share of the payments. Congress also established the Chaplain Department and Judge Advocate General Department for the Continental Army.

July 31 — Congress rejected Lord Frederick North’s Reconciliation Proposal. The plan called for ending all taxes on the colonies that raised revenue to support British officials and military personnel. Congress continued to insist that only colonial legislatures could determine the use of money raised from taxes. 

• Lord North’s Conciliatory Proposal (1775) — A proposal from Lord Frederick North in which Parliament agreed to end taxation, provided each colony provided for its own defenses. However, the proposal was addressed to each colony, not the Continental Congress. Parliament refused to acknowledge the Congress as a legal authority, even though the colonies had accepted it as a de facto government.

July 31 — Second Raid on Great Brewster Island

Boston — Major Benjamin Tupper led another attack against the lighthouse on Great Brewster Island. Tupper and his men engaged British forces who were working to repair the lighthouse, drove them off, and destroyed what remained of the lighthouse.