July 1776 in the American Revolutionary War

Timeline

July 1 — Debate on Independence

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — The topic of independence sparked a heated debate in the Continental Congress, with only nine colonies fully pledging support. Supporters on both sides began intense lobbying efforts over the next day and evening.

July 1 — Cherokee War of 1776

Southern Backcountry — Bands of Cherokee warriors and Loyalist militia carried out attacks on settlements from Georgia to Virginia, starting the Cherokee War of 1776. Major Andrew Williamson and Colonel Andrew Pickens started mobilizing their South Carolina Militia forces to counter the attacks. They were joined by contingents of the Virginia Militia, and even some Loyalists who responded by joining the Patriot Cause.

• In early July, Captain Matthias Barringer and some of his men from the Catawba County Militia were on a scouting mission at Quaker Meadows, in Burke County, North Carolina, near McDowell’s Station, when they were attacked and massacred by Cherokee warriors who were said to have been armed by the British.
• On July 1, Captain James McCall and his men were ambushed at Seneca, after being invited to dinner with the town’s chief. While most of the militia escaped, McCall and six others were taken as prisoners.

AHC Notes

• Andrew Williamson (1730–1786) — Williamson was a South Carolina Militia Officer who supported the Patriot Cause during the early years of the American Revolutionary War. He fought in the Battle of Ninety Six (Savage’s Old Fields), participated in the “Snow Campaign,” and served in South Carolina’s Provincial Congresses and Assembly. After surrendering to the British, he encouraged former followers to give up the fight, faced accusations of treason, and had his property confiscated before General Nathanael Greene reported that he had passed information to the Americans.
• Andrew Pickens (1739–1817) — Pickens was a prominent South Carolina militia officer during the American Revolutionary War. He fought in early frontier conflicts and played key roles at battles such as Ninety Six, Kettle Creek, and Cowpens. Known for his leadership in guerrilla warfare with Francis Marion and Thomas Sumter, Pickens also served in the state and national legislatures after the war. His military and political service helped shape South Carolina’s early history and relations with Native American Indian nations on the western frontier.

July 2 — The United States Declares Independence

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — Congress ratified the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain 12-0, with New York abstaining. This founding document, drafted by Thomas Jefferson, remains a cornerstone of American political philosophy and tradition.

AHC Notes

• Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) — Jefferson is a Founding Father, principal author of the Declaration of Independence, and the 3rd President of the United States. His career included service as governor of Virginia, Secretary of State, and Minister to France. He advanced ideas about religious freedom, territorial expansion through the Louisiana Purchase, and public education with the founding of the University of Virginia.

July 2 — Caesar Rodney rode his horse furiously through thunderstorms from Delaware to Philadelphia to vote in favor of independence.

AHC Notes

• Caesar Rodney (1728–1784) — Rodney was a Delaware politician, soldier, peace officer, and judge. He won election to the colonial legislature for many years and served as speaker. He joined the Stamp Act Congress in 1765 and later led Delaware’s Committee of Safety. Sent to the Continental Congress, he returned on July 2, 1776, enabling Delaware to support independence, and later served as president of Delaware.

July 2 — New Jersey adopted a new state constitution, along with the first statute granting women’s suffrage.

July 3 — General William Howe started disembarking 10,000 troops on Staten Island in preparation for offensive operations against General George Washington and the Continental Army, stationed on Long Island.

AHC Notes

• William Howe (1729–1814) — A veteran of the French and Indian War, Howe was a cautious yet skilled British officer. He succeeded Thomas Gage as commander-in-chief of British forces in North America in 1775. He held overall command of forces during the New York Campaign, the New Jersey Campaign, and most of the Philadelphia Campaign, before being replaced by General Henry Clinton. Although he captured Philadelphia in 1777, his cautious strategy and failure to coordinate with General John Burgoyne during the Saratoga Campaign contributed to the survival of General George Washington’s Army and the American war effort. One of his brothers was Admiral Richard Howe.
• George Washington (1732–1799) — Washington led the Continental Army to victory over the British in the American Revolutionary War. Afterward, he presided over the Philadelphia Convention that produced the United States Constitution. Washington was then elected as the first President of the United States and served two terms. He is often referred to as the “Father of Our Country” for his role in establishing the United States as an independent republic.

July 3–12 — Siege of McDowell’s Station

Morgantown, South Carolina — Cherokee warriors attacked and killed nearly 40 settlers along the Catawba River. Afterward, they attacked and laid siege to McDowell’s Station at Quaker Meadows, which was under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Charles McDowell. General Griffith Rutherford led South Carolina forces to the fort and broke the siege. Rutherford retaliated for the attacks by marching into Cherokee territory, where he destroyed more than 30 towns and villages in the Middle Settlement.

AHC Notes

• Griffith Rutherford (c. 1721–1805) — Rutherford was an Irish-born North Carolina Patriot who served as a Captain of Militia, Colonel of the Rowan County Militia, and Brigadier General of State Troops during the American Revolutionary War. He led forces against Backcountry Loyalists, commanded troops in the Cherokee War of 1776, supported efforts to defend Georgia, and fought at Camden. Rutherford also served in North Carolina politics and later moved to Tennessee.

July 4 — Dunlap Broadsides

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — President John Hancock and Secretary Charles Thompson of the Second Continental Congress signed a copy of the Declaration of Independence and forwarded it to the state legislatures.

AHC Notes

• John Hancock (1737–1793) — A leader of the Patriot Cause in Massachusetts, President of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress, and President of the Second Continental Congress. He was also aligned with the Sons of Liberty. Hancock is widely regarded as one of the wealthiest men in the colonies.

July 5 — General Horatio Gates arrived at Crown Point, New York, and succeeded General John Sullivan as head of the Northern Department.

AHC Notes

• Horatio Gates (1727–1806) — Gates was an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary 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, a plot against Congress.
• John Sullivan (1740–1795) — Sullivan was a politician and soldier from New Hampshire who served as an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Sullivan served under General George Washington in several major campaigns and led the 1779 campaign against the Iroquois in New York, known as “Sullivan’s Expedition.” Following the war, he served as the Governor of New Hampshire and as a U.S. district judge.

July 5 — This day, the Virginia Convention resolved that the following sentences in the morning and evening church service shall be omitted: “O Lord, save the king, and mercifully hear us when we call upon thee.” That the fifteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth sentences in the Litany, for the king’s majesty, and the Royal Family, &c., shall be omitted. That the two prayers for the king’s majesty and the Royal Family, in the morning and evening service, shall be omitted.

That the prayers in the communion service, which acknowledge the authority of the king, and so much of the prayer for the church militant as declares the same authority, shall be omitted, and this alteration made in one of the above prayers in communion service: “Almighty and everlasting God, we are taught by thy holy word, that the hearts of all rulers are in thy governance, and that thou dost dispose and turn them as it seemeth best to thy goodly wisdom; we humbly beseech thee to dispose and govern the liearts of the magistrates of this commonwealth, that in all their thoughts, words, and works, they may evermore seek thy honor and glory, and study to preserve thy people committed to their charge in wealth, peace, and godliness. Grant this, O Merciful Father, for thy dear Son’s sake, Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.”

That the following prayer shall be used instead of the prayer for the king’s majesty, in the morning and evening service: “O, Lord, our heavenly Father, high and mighty, King of kings, Lord of lords, the only Ruler of the universe, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers lapon earth, most heartily we beseech thee with thy favor to behold the magistrates of this commonwealth, and to replenish them with the grace of thy Holy Spirit, that they may always incline to thy will, and walk in thy way; endue them plenteously with heavenly gifts; strengthen them, that they may vanquish and overcome all their enemies; and finally, after this life, they may obtain everlasting joy and felicity, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.”

In the twenty-sixth sentence of the Litany, use these words: That it may please thee to endue the magistrates of this commonwealth with grace, wisdom, and understanding.”

In the succeeding one, use these words: “That it may please thee to bless and keep them, giving them grace to execute justice and maintain truth.?

Let every other sentence of the Litany be retained, without any alteration, except the above sentences recited. — New York Gazette (July 29, 1776).

AHC Notes

• Virginia Convention — The Virginia Convention was the Patriot government that opposed and then replaced Lord Dunmore, the Royal Governor, and the House of Burgesses. The First Virginia Convention was convened in 1774 to protest the Intolerable Acts and to show support for the people of Boston.

July 5 — Rejection of Titles

Titles are the offspring of monarchical and arbitrary governments. While the object of the present war with Great Britain was reconciliation, the titles of excellency, honorable, &c., were submitted to by the people of America; but since the Declaration of Independence, the colonies have divorced monarchy forever, and become free, independent states. It becomes then necessary to adopt the simple language of free governments.

The Roman Senate in the height of its glory and happiness had no other title than Senatus populous que Romanus, that is, the senate and people of Rome. Scipio was addressed by the name of Scipio, at the head of his army. Aristides was called Aristides, in the councils and public streets of Athens. Let us leave the titles of excellency and honorable to the abandoned servants of a tyrant king, — the King of England, while we satisfy ourselves with beholding our senators, governors, and generals rich in real excellence and honor. — Pennsylvania Evening Post (July 13, 1776).

July 5 — William Franklin in Connecticut

Day before yesterday. Governor Franklin, of New Jersey, passed through Hartford, in Connecticut, on his way to Governor Trumbull, at Lebanon. Mr. Franklin is a noted Tory, and ministerial tool, and has been exceedingly busy in perplexing the cause of liberty, and in serving the designs of the British King and his minions. The people of the Jerseys, on account of his principles, connections, abilities, and address, viewed him as a mischievous and dangerous enemy in that province, and consequently thought it expedient to remove him, under a strong guard, to Connecticut. He is safely arrived, and will probably have leisure to reconnoiter his past life. He is son to Doctor Benjamin Franklin, the genius of the day, and the great patron of American Liberty. If his excellency escapes the vengeance of the people, due to the enormity of his crimes, his redemption will flow, not from his personal merit, but from the high esteem and veneration which this country entertains for his honored father. — Constitutional Gazette (July 13, 1776).

AHC Notes

• William Franklin (1731–1816) — Franklin, the son of Benjamin Franklin, was the last Royal Governor of New Jersey. Loyal to Britain during the American Revolution, he was imprisoned by Patriot forces and later organized the Board of Associated Loyalists in New York. After the war, he went into exile in England, where he received a pension from the British government and lived until he died in 1813. His loyalty to the Crown created a rift with his father that was never resolved.

July 5 — The Declaration Read in Trenton

At Trenton, New Jersey, the Declaration was this day proclaimed, together with the new constitution of the colony, lately established, and the resolve of the Provincial Congress for continuing the administration of justice during the interim. The members of the Provincial Congress, the gentlemen of the committee, the officers and privates of the militia under arms, and a large concourse of the inhabitants attended on this great and solemn occasion. The Declaration and other proceedings were received with loud acclamations.

The people now are convinced of what we ought long since to have known, that our enemies have left us no middle way between perfect freedom and abject slavery. In the field, we trust, as well as in council, the inhabitants of New Jersey will be found ever ready to support the freedom and independence of America. — Pennsylvania Journal (July 17, 1776).

July 6 — The Continental sloop Sachem captured the British privateer Three Brothers off the Delaware River.

July 7 — Silas Deane arrived in Paris on a mission to solicit military and financial support from France.

AHC Notes

• Silas Deane (1737–1789) — Deane was a Connecticut-born lawyer, merchant, and Patriot leader who played a key diplomatic role during the American Revolution. As the first U.S. envoy to France, he helped secure critical military supplies and promote the Franco-American Alliance. However, he became entangled in political controversy and accusations of profiteering and treason. Despite his early contributions to the war effort, he died in exile in 1789.

July 7 — John Johnson was authorized by Governor-General Guy Carleton to recruit the King’s Royal Regiment from among fellow Loyalists.

AHC Notes

• John Johnson — Johnson was the son of William Johnson and a Loyalist leader who inherited his father’s title and estates in 1774. During the American Revolutionary War, he raised the Royal Greens regiment, worked with Joseph Brant in frontier raids, and led forces against the Patriots in New York. After fleeing to Canada, he became Superintendent of Indian Affairs and a leading figure among Loyalist refugees who helped shape early Canadian society.
• Guy Carleton (1724–1808) — Carleton was a prominent British officer and politician during the 18th Century. He is most famous in America for being the Governor of Quebec during the American Revolutionary War and commanding British forces during the Invasion of Canada (1775–1776).

July 7 — General John Sullivan rowed the length of Lake Champlain and arrived at Crown Point, New York, with 8,000 exhausted men. General Philip Schuyler responded by ordering them to fall back an additional 10 miles to Fort Ticonderoga.

AHC Notes

• 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.

July 8 — First Public Reading of the Declaration of Independence

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — The first public reading of the Declaration of Independence occurred outside the Pennsylvania State House (Independence Hall), Philadelphia. The crowd reacted with applause, church bells rang in celebration, and parades were held.

July 8 — Gwynn Island

Gwynn, Virginia — General Andrew Lewis gathered 10 infantry companies of Virginia Militia, backed by a battery of 18-pounder cannon, in preparation for storming Gwynn Island at the mouth of the Rappahannock River. 

Since May, John Murray, Lord Dunmore, the former Royal Governor of Virginia, had been using Gwynn Island as his headquarters. From this location, Dunmore launched numerous raids against the coastline with two small warships, the Dunmore and Otter. He also had his own artillery; however, his men were suffering from disease, and many were not in fighting condition.

Lewis and his men built an artillery battery at Fort Crickett Hill and started bombarding Gwynn Island on July 8. Dunmore was wounded in the attack, and his ships started fleeing from Gwynn Island, moving up the Potomac River, on July 9. Some of the ships ran aground, while others were set on fire to keep the Americans from seizing them.

American forces occupied Dunmore’s former camp on July 10, but found that the men he had left behind, including roughly 30 men from the Ethiopian Regiment, were suffering from smallpox.

The American victory at Gwynn Island ended Dunmore’s resistance to Patriot forces in Virginia.

July 9 — The Declaration Read to the Continental Army

New York City, New York — The Declaration of Independence was read in public to the assembled Continental Army in New York. The New York Provincial Congress then initiated work on a new constitution while the statue of King George III at Bowling Green was pulled down, taken to Connecticut, and melted into 40,000 musket balls.

The following article appeared in the Pennsylvania Journal on July 17, 1776:

This afternoon, the Declaration of Independence was read at the head of each brigade of the Continental Army, posted at and in the vicinity of New York. It was received everywhere with loud huzzas, and the utmost demonstrations of joy; and to-night the equestrian statue of George III., which Tory pride and folly raised in the year 1770, has, by the Sons of Freedom, been laid prostrate in the dirt — the just desert of an ungrateful tyrant! The lead wherewith the monument was made is to be run into bullets, to assimilate with the brains of our infatuated adversaries, who, to gain a pepper-corn, have lost an empire.

A gentleman who was present at this ominous fall of leaden majesty, looking back to the original’s hopeful beginning, pertinently exclaimed, in the language of the Angel to Lucifer,

“If thou be’st he! But ah, how fallen! how changed!”

July 9 — This evening Nassau Hall, at Princeton, in New Jersey, was grandly illuminated, and Independency proclaimed under a triple volley of musketry, and a universal acclamation for the prosperity of the United States. The ceremony was conducted with the greatest decorum. — Pennsylvania Evening Post (July 13, 1776).

July 11 — Captain Lambert Wickes and the brig Reprisal commenced a cruise that seized four British merchant ships by month’s end.

July 12 — Admiral Richard Howe’s fleet of 150 ships, carrying 11,000 troops for his brother, General William Howe, arrived off Staten Island.

AHC Notes

• Richard Howe (1726–1799) — Howe was an Admiral in the British Royal Navy and commanded the British Royal Navy’s North American Station during the American Revolutionary War from 1776 to 1778. He is often criticized for failing to take advantage of situations that may have ended the war as early as 1776. Following the British defeat during the Saratoga Campaign, he resigned his commission. Before returning to England, Howe briefly engaged the French fleet at the Battle of Rhode Island. One of his brothers was General William Howe.

July 12 — Dickinson’s Draft of the Articles of Confederation

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — John Dickinson outlined his plans for a confederation government to the Continental Congress with a draft consisting of 13 Articles of Confederation.

AHC Notes

• John Dickinson (1732–1808) — Dickinson was a conservative Patriot leader who gained fame as the “Penman of the Revolution” for writing Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania (1768), which opposed British taxation. Although he voted against the Declaration of Independence, he later served in the American Revolutionary War, helped draft the U.S. Constitution, and advocated for a strong national government. He also founded Dickinson College and played a key role in shaping early American political thought.

July 12 — Colonel Elijah Clarke and a detachment of Georgia Militia routed a band of Cherokee warriors at the juncture of the Broad and Savannah Rivers.

July 12 — British Naval Maneuver on the Hudson River

New York City, New York — Two British warships, the Phoenix and the Rose, sailed up the Hudson River. Despite intense cannon fire from American artillery batteries, the ships, aided by strong winds, safely passed Fort Washington and Fort Lee and anchored 30-40 miles north of New York City, near Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow, in the area of the river known as Tappan Zee. 

The ships bombarded the city as they passed, causing damage to buildings, but no people were injured. Many people fled the city afterward.

The maneuver showed the British could command the Hudson River with their ships, allowing them to:

• Provide aid to Loyalists.
• Disrupt American communication lines and supply lines between New York City and Albany.
• Threatened the construction of American frigates, which was taking place further north.

July 13 — Howe Attempts Peace Talks with Washington

New York City, New York — On July 13, Admiral Howe initiated peace talks with General Washington. Howe sent a naval officer, on a barge under a flag of truce, to deliver a letter to Washington. The barge was detained by an American ship.

• Washington discussed the matter with some of his officers. They agreed the letter needed to be appropriately addressed to him as “General.”
• Colonel Joseph Reed and Colonel Henry Knox went to meet with Howe’s messenger, who said he carried a letter from “Lord Howe to Mr. Washington.”
• Reed replied, “Sir, we have no person in our army with that address.”
• The messenger showed Reed the letter, and Reed insisted he could not accept it because it was addressed to “George Washington, Esq.”
• The messenger eventually left and returned to the British fleet.

July 15 — New York Votes for Independence

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — The New York delegation to Congress, having previously abstained, presented a resolution from the state convention approving the Declaration of Independence.

July 15 — Lindley’s Fort

Laurens County, South Carolina — On July 14, settlers took refuge in Lindley’s Fort on Rabon Creek. Later that evening, Captain Jonathan Downs of the Little River Militia arrived with 150 and joined the garrison. Downs and his men were on their way to join Major Andrew Williamson, who was preparing to engage Cherokee forces.

Around 1:00 a.m. on July 15, a band of Cherokee warriors and Loyalists attacked the fort. They were led by Captain David Fanning of the Upper Saluda Loyalist Militia.

Downs and his men successfully defended the fort for three hours. When Fanning learned that Williamson was marching to reinforce the fort, he called off the attack and withdrew. The Americans pursued them, scattered them, and took prisoners.

July 16 — St. George’s Island

St. George’s Island, Maryland — After fleeing from Gwynn Island, Lord Dunmore sailed toward New York City. On July 16, he landed troops on St. George’s Island, Maryland, apparently intending to raid Mount Vernon and capture Martha Washington. However, they were intercepted by the local militia and driven off.

July 18 — By order of the Convention of the State of New York, the Declaration of the Independency of the United States of America was read at the State House in New York, to a numerous and respectable body of the freeholders and principal inhabitants of the city and county, and was received with general applause and heartfelt satisfaction; and, at the same time, our late king’s coat of arms was brought from the City Hall, where his courts were commonly held, and burned, amidst the acclamations of thousands of spectators. 

The same day, the Declaration was proclaimed from the State House, in Boston, Mass., amidst the acclamations of thousands, who assembled on the occasion. — Pennsylvania Journal (July 24, 1776).

July 18 — John Adams framed the “Model Treaty” for anticipated diplomatic relations with other countries.

AHC Notes

• Model Treaty — Approved by Congress on September 17, 1776, it served as a template for securing foreign alliances during the American Revolutionary War. It focused on reciprocal trade terms without direct military support. The Treaty of Amity and Commerce with France in 1778 was based on it, alongside the Treaty of Alliance, which included military provisions. The Model Treaty influenced future trade agreements, notably the Convention of 1800, which ended the Quasi-War with France.

July 19 — Congress voted unanimously to have the Declaration of Independence signed by all delegates.

July 20 — Washington Rejects Peace Talks

New York City, New York — Howe tried again on July 20 to negotiate with Washington. He sent one of his officers, Lieutenant Colonel James Patterson, to attempt to meet with Washington. 

Patterson’s mission was to convince Washington to accept the letter and discuss prisoner exchanges. Patterson landed on the mainland and was taken to Henry Knox’s headquarters, where Washington was waiting for him.

According to Knox, “General Washington was very handsomely dressed, and made a most elegant appearance. Colonel Patterson appeared awe-struck, as if he was before something supernatural. Indeed, I don’t wonder at it. He was before a very great man, indeed.”

Ultimately, Washington made it clear the Americans were committed to defending their independence and that if Admiral Howe wanted to continue negotiations, he should contact Congress in Philadelphia.

• George Germain (1716–1785) — He replaced Frederick North as Secretary of State for the Colonies in November 1775 and served in that capacity until 1782. Germain was the 1st Viscount Sackville and was usually referred to as Lord Germain or Lord Sackville.

July 20 — Battle of Island Flats

Eaton’s Station, North Carolina — In the first battle of the war fought in the West, Chief Dragging Canoe led Cherokee warriors in an attack on Eaton’s Station on the Holsten River. Captain James Thompson and the local militia successfully defended their positions, forcing the Cherokee to withdraw.

• The Cherokee also attacked settlements at Fort Watauga and Carter’s Valley.
• They intended to drive the settlers eastward, back over the Appalachian Mountains.
• Thompson was warned of the impending attack by Nancy Ward, a Cherokee woman.

July 20–August 2 — Siege of Fort Caswell

Watauga, Tennessee — As the Cherokee attacks in the Backcountry intensified, settlers living in the Sycamore Shoals region took refuge in Fort Watauga, also known as Fort Caswell. 

The fort’s garrison was under the command of Lieutenant Colonel John Carter. He was joined by reinforcements from Fort Lee, led by Lieutenant John Sevier.

• Nancy Ward warned them that the Cherokee were planning an attack.
• The Cherokee were led by Old Abraham and Great Warrior.

On July 20, a group of women was working outside the fort when they saw the Cherokee approaching. They quickly retreated to the fort and raised the alarm. The Cherokee attacked but were unable to breach the walls.

The Cherokee laid siege to the fort for the next two weeks, until Colonel William Russell arrived with reinforcements, forcing the Cherokee to withdraw.

AHC Notes

• John Sevier (1745–1815) — Sevier was a farmer, soldier, and politician who is most famous for the role he played in establishing the territory that became Tennessee, the 16th State in the Union. Sevier helped win the Battle of Kings Mountain during the American Revolutionary War and later was the Governor of Tennessee.

July 21 — Following the American victory at the Battle of Sullivan’s Island, the British fleet under Commodore Peter Parker and General Henry Clinton abandoned Charleston, South Carolina, and sailed for New York.

AHC Notes

• Peter Parker (1721–1811) — Parker was a British Admiral who served in the British Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Appointed Commodore in October 1775, he escorted Charles Cornwallis’s transports to America and later worked with Henry Clinton in the attack on Sullivan’s Island on June 28, 1776. He also supported British operations at New York and Rhode Island, commanded the Jamaica Station, backed expeditions to Honduras and Nicaragua, received a baronetcy in 1783, and later rose to Admiral of the Fleet.
• Henry Clinton (1730–1795) — Clinton was a British soldier and General during the American Revolutionary War. He was placed in command of British forces in 1778. Despite early success, he was unable to defeat American forces, which led to the Surrender at Yorktown in October 1781.

July 21 — Naval Skirmish at Dewee’s Inlet

Dewee’s Inlet, South Carolina — A British transport ship, Glasgow Packet, ran aground on a sand bar in Spencer’s Inlet (present-day Dewee’s Inlet). South Carolina troops, led by Lieutenant Francis Pickering, fired on the ship. Around 4:00 p.m. South Carolina troops boarded the ship, captured it, and took the crew as prisoners. The following day, July 22, another British vessel arrived to rescue the Glasgow Packet, but the Patriots set it on fire.

July 22 — Independence Declared at Newport, Rhode Island

Day before yesterday, the honorable General Assembly of Rhode Island, being then sitting at the state house in Newport, at twelve o’clock, the brigade stationed there, under the command of Colonels William Richmond and Christopher Lippitt, marched from head-quarters, and drew up in two columns, on each side the parade, before the state house door. His honor, the Governor, and the members of the Assembly then marched through and received the compliments of the brigade; after which the secretary, at the head of the company, read a resolve of the assembly, concurring with the Congress in the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration was then read; next, thirteen cannon were discharged at Fort Liberty, and then the brigade drew up and fired in thirteen divisions, from east to west, agreeable to the number and situation of the United States. The Declaration was received with joy and applause by all ranks, and the whole was conducted with great solemnity and decorum. — Pennsylvania Evening Post (August 1, 1776).

July 23 — Lord Dunmore raided several plantations on the Potomac River before being driven off by the Prince William County Militia at Occoquan Creek, Virginia.

July 27 — The Reprisal and Shark

Martinique — Captain Lambert Wickes and his 18-gun brig Reprisal were approached by the 16-gun sloop of war Shark under Captain John Chapman at St. Pierre Harbor, Martinique. When the British commander declared that he did not recognize Reprisal’s new Grand Union flag, Wickes responded by firing on the Shark. Fighting commenced, and the guns of a nearby French fort eventually intervened. The Shark withdrew under fire, and the British government subsequently protested France’s breach of neutrality.

July 29 — North Carolina General Griffith Rutherford led 2,400 men on an invasion of Cherokee territory, assisted by South Carolina militia under Major Andrew Williamson and Virginia forces commanded by Colonel William Christiansen.

July 30 — Washington’s Effigy

The straggler from Howe’s army at Staten Island, who was taken by our troops a few days ago, at Elizabethtown Point, was brought into camp at New York, this afternoon. He says he was pressed into the King’s service early in September, of last year, and sent to England by Lord Dunmore; that he returned to Charleston with Sir Peter Parker, and was about the only sailor that was left whole, out of the entire fleet, after the fight at Sullivan’s Island; that Sir Peter said he never saw such courage as Moultrie’s men showed; and that in the hottest of the action a ball passed so near Sir Peter’s coat tail as to tear it off, together with his clothes, clear to the buff, without drawing a spot of blood.

He also says, that just before the thunder-storm we had week before last, the troops on Staten Island were preparing figures of Generals “Washington, Lee, and Putnam, and Doctor Witherspoon, for burning in the night, but were prevented from finishing them by the great rain.

The figures had all been erected on a pile of fagots, the generals facing the doctor, and he represented in the act of reading to them a late address. All of them, except General Washington, had been tarred and prepared for the feathers when the storm came on and obliged the troops to find shelter. 

In the evening, when the storm was over, a large body of the soldiers gathered around the figures, which, being prepared, were set on fire, amidst the most terrible imprecations against the rebels. 

One of the party, seeing that Generals Putnam and Lee, and Doctor Witherspoon burnt furiously and were almost consumed, while General Washington was still standing, with the tar burning off, ran away frightened, and was soon followed by most of his companions. 

The next morning, the figure was found as good as it ever was; a fact which caused a good deal of fear among the Hessian troops, most of whom are very superstitious, and it was not until after some of the officers told them the cause of its not burning, that they appeared contented. The reason was, that having no tar upon it before the rain commenced, it became saturated with water, and the tar only would burn. — Letter from Nathan Craig to Lemuel Clift.

July 30 — The representatives of the State of Rhode Island and Providence plantations have passed a resolve. That if any person within that state shall, under pretence of preachmg or praying, or in any other way or manner whatever, acknowledge or declare their late Iving to be their rightful lord or sovereign, or shall pray for the success of his arms, or that he may vanquish or overcome all his enemies, shall be deemed guilty of high misdemeanor, and therefore be presented by the grand jury of the county, where the offence shall be committed, to the superior court of the same county; and upon conviction thereof, shall forfeit and pay, as a fine, to and for the use of that state, the sum of one hundred thousand pounds lawful money, and pay all costs of prosecution, and shall stand committed to gaol until the same be satisfied. — Constitutional Gazette (July 31, 1776).