Hostilities in Canada and Along the East Coast
September 1 — King George III refused to receive the Olive Branch Petition from the Continental Congress.
- Olive Branch Petition — The Olive Branch Petition was a final attempt by the Second Continental Congress in July 1775 to reconcile with Britain and avoid a full-scale war. Written largely by John Dickinson, it declared colonial loyalty to King George III while requesting an end to hostilities. The petition was rejected by the King, who soon declared the colonies in rebellion, which pushed Congress toward declaring independence.
- King George III (1738–1820) — King of Britain from 1760 to 1820. He was the first Hanoverian monarch born in Britain and a native English speaker. George III was the last British monarch to rule over the American Colonies, which declared independence in 1776. His reign continued through the War of 1812 and the renewal of hostilities with the United States.
September 1 — Boston’s Liberty Tree Cut Down
Boston — The enemies to liberty and America, headed by Tom Gage, lately gave a notable specimen of their hatred to the very name of liberty. A party of them, of whom Job Williams was the ringleader, a few days since repaired to a tree at the south end of Boston, known by the name of Liberty Tree, and armed with axes, &c., made a furious attack upon it. After a long spell of laughing, and grinning, sweating, swearing, and foaming with malice diabolical, they cut down a tree, because it bore the name of liberty. Be it known to this infamous band of traitors, that the Grand American Tree of Liberty, planted in the centre of the United Colonies of North America, now flourishes with unrivalled, increasing beauty; and bids fair in a short time to afford under its wide-spreading branches, a safe and happy retreat for all the Sons of Liberty, however numerous and dispersed. — Constitutional Gazette, September 9, 1775.
September 2 — General George Washington chartered the 78-ton schooner, Hannah, out of Beverly, Massachusetts, under Captain Nicholas Broughton, to attack British transports and supply vessels off Boston Harbor. Some consider the Hannah to be the first warship in the American Navy.
September 5 — American forces led by General Philip Schuyler and General Richard Montgomery assembled at Ile aux Noix, Quebec, before proceeding down the Richelieu River to Fort St. John.
September 6 — In the Province of Quebec, General Guy Carleton ordered one-tenth of the militia in each of the parishes in the Province of Quebec to mobilize. However, most people refused to obey the orders, and even if they did, they often refused to follow the assigned officers.
September 6 — General Montgomery advanced on Fort St. John with a small force. The fort was defended by roughly 200 British soldiers and some Native American Indians led by Major Charles Preston. After landing near the fort, the Americans were ambushed by Indians and forced to withdraw. Mongomery returned to Ile aux Noix for the night.
- 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.
September 7 — The armed schooner Hannah seized the transport HMS Unity, marking the first time a British ship was captured. The Hannah’s supply of gunpowder and arms was sent to American forces outside Boston.
September 8 — Connecticut Militia, led by Brigadier General David Wooster, joined General Schuyler in Canada. Wooster’s forces included New York Militia units and an artillery unit led by Captain John Lamb.
- 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.
- John Lamb (1735–1800) — Lamb was a prominent leader of the New York Sons of Liberty and fought in the American Revolutionary War as an artillery commander. Lamb participated in the Invasion of Quebec (1775–1776), served as commander of West Point, and was involved in the Yorktown Campaign (1781).
September 8 — Lord Dunmore Recalled
Virginia — It is reported and generally believed, that Lord Dunmore is called home, with what view we have not yet learned, but probably it is to render an account of his sagacious and spirited conduct in Virginia, which can hardly fail to attract the attention of Lord North, and the Butonian Junto, so as to have his eminent services recompensed with some higher department in the state, perhaps Lord Dartmouth’s. His lordship has this satisfaction upon his departure, that he will leave Virginia with the universal consent of the inhabitants of all ranks and denominations. — Pennsylvania Journal, September 20, 1775.
- William Legge (1731–1801) — Legge was the Second Earl of Dartmouth and the Secretary of State for the Colonies at the start of the American Revolutionary War. Dartmouth is most well-known for ordering General Thomas Gage to use military force to arrest leaders of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress and restore order in Massachusetts.
- Pennsylvania Journal — First published by William Bradford in 1742, the Journal supported the Patriot Cause. Bradford famously printed a masthead with the “emblem of the Effects of the Stamp Act” on October 31, 1765, the day before the Stamp Act took effect. He also printed key documents issued by the Continental Congress and Thomas Paine’s The American Crisis.
September 10 — General Montgomery led a second advance on Fort St. John. 1,700 Americans tried a nighttime attack but collided in the darkness, became confused, and fired on each other. Montgomery was able to organize his men, and they marched on the fort. They came under heavy fire and were forced to fall back. Montgomery returned to Isle aux Noix on September 11.
September 10 — Pennsylvania riflemen, upset over the discipline and order required by the army, briefly mutinied and were relocated from Cambridge to Prospect Hill. Surrounded by regular troops, the riflemen surrendered their leaders, who were tried for insubordination and fined. Afterward, the Pennsylvania men were sent back to the siege lines.
September 10 — HMS Nautilus, grounded off Beverly, Massachusetts, while chasing the schooner Hannah, was fired on by American troops. The ship eventually freed itself and escaped.
September 11 — General Washington convened a Council of War to discuss the possibility of a direct attack upon Boston. After a lengthy discussion, the officers decided it was impractical to attack the city without sufficient artillery.
September 11 — The first troops for Benedict Arnold’s Expedition left Cambridge and marched to Newburyport. They were led by Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Greene.
September 11 — New Hampshire Fort
New Hampshire — The people of New Hampshire are building a strong fort at Pierce’s Island, in the Piscataqua River, in order to prevent their capital, the town of Portsmouth, from being attacked by the piratical ships-of-war which now infest this coast.
In the late exploit of cutting down the Liberty Tree in Boston by Gage’s men, a soldier in attempting to dismantle it of one of its branches, fell on the pavement, by which he was instantly killed.
General Gage, it is said, has hanged three of the provincials, for breaking open and plundering some of the houses in Boston evacuated by the inhabitants; so that the great thieves, it seems, begin to hang the little ones. O! glorious times indeed! But what then? Why, then, the fate of these petty rogues is, in some respects, like that of the little fish that are occasionally devoured to fatten and keep alive the larger ones. Besides, administration have herein verified the ancient aphorism, viz.: set a rogue to catch a rogue. Well, what next? Why the next thing is, a short but fervent petition, that Jack Ketch, Esq., might go forward in the business of hanging with despatch, till the world is filled with great thieves as well as little ones.
One of the royal sloops at anchor near Norfolk was lately kept in constant alarm a whole night, with her matches burning, tomkins out, guns loaded with grape shot, and all hands. — Constitutional Gazette, September 16, 1775.
September 13 — Congress reconvened in Philadelphia. Delegates from Georgia joined the proceedings. It was the first time all 13 Colonies were in attendance.
September 15 — Putnam’s Gift to Howe
Boston — A British officer in Boston wrote to his father in London: “Why should I complain of hard fate? General Gage and his family have for this month past, lived upon salt provisions. Last Saturday, General Putnam in the true style of military complaisance, which abolishes all personal resentment and smooths the horrors of war when discipline will permit, sent a present to the General’s lady of a fine fresh quarter of veal, which was very acceptable, and received the return of a very polite card of thanks.” — Constitutional Gazette, September 16, 1775.
September 15 — South Carolina Militia seized Fort Johnson before British troops could dismantle it. The fort overlooked Charleston Harbor. By occupying it, the Americans controlled the harbor. The garrison unfurled an early American Flag consisting of a dark blue background with a white crescent in the upper left corner and the word “Liberty” across it in white letters. Royal Governor William Campbell escaped and sought refuge on the HMS Tamar. In his absence, the South Carolina Provincial Congress took control of the city and started strengthening defenses, anticipating a British attack.
September 16 — General Schuyler, who had health issues, wrote to the Continental Congress and informed them that his health was so poor he could barely hold his pen. He informed Congress he was going to return to Fort Ticonderoga and turn command over to Montgomery.
September 16 — Colonel Seth Warner joined Montgomery at Ile aux Noix, boosting American troop strength up to 2,000. Meanwhile, the British garrison at Fort St. John received reinforcements, increasing its strength to 500 men. Montgomery sent American ships upriver toward the fort.
September 16 — To avoid the outbreak of civil war in South Carolina, Patriot leader William Henry Drayton met with Loyalist leader Colonel Thomas Fletchall. The two agreed that the Patriots would respect Loyalist lives and property and that the Loyalists would not join an invading British Army. The truce was short-lived because the South Carolina Council of Safety ordered the arrest of Loyalist Robert Cunningham and sent a wagon carrying weapons and ammunition to Cherokee Villages on the frontier.
- AHC Note — This contributed to the Battle of Ninety-Six (November 19–21, 1775), also known as the Siege of Savage’s Old Fields.
September 17 — Major John Brown and 135 Americans ambushed a British supply train near Fort Chambly, Quebec. Brown seized wagons and supplies and was reinforced by Colonel Timothy Bedel with 500 men. Together, they repelled a British attack that attempted to recapture the supplies.
- 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).
September 17 — Last week, the Reverend Doctor Morrison received a call to the elegant new church in Brattle Street, in Boston, vacated by the flight of Doctor Cooper; and today he delivered an excellent discourse to a genteel audience. His discourse tended to show the fatal consequences of sowing sedition and conspiracy among parishioners, which this pulpit has been most wickedly practising ever since the cornerstone was laid. — Virginia Gazette, October 28, 1775.
- Brattle Street Church — A Congregational church in Boston. Reverend Samuel Cooper served as the pastor from 1747 to 1783. During the American Revolution, his congregation included John Adams, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Joseph Warren.
September 18 — The Siege of Fort St. John Begins
Fort St. John — Montgomery deployed 350 men on the Richelieu River to block the HMS Royal Savage from entering Lake Champlain. He sailed upriver with 1,400 men and landed near Fort St. John. The Americans attacked, and the British repelled them. However, they were unable to force the Americans to withdraw, and Montgomery ordered his men to entrench themselves around the fort, starting a siege.
September 18 — At Boston, Admiral Samuel Graves ordered all merchant vessels to be searched for flint, a quartz stone used as ballast, that could be used for musket flints by the Americans. Graves ordered his men to throw any they found overboard, into the water. Graves also learned that he was to be replaced as commander in North America at the end of the year.
September 18 — Naval Hostilities Along the East Coast
An article was printed in the Constitutional Gazette that criticized the Royal Navy for its hostilities:
We are much astonished at the behavior of some of those captains of men-of-war, who are stationed upon our coasts. They seem greedily to anticipate the horror of bloodshedding; and although war is not yet proclaimed, nor any hostilities ordered by Parliament against the colonies in general, yet, confiding in their strength, they daringly assault our towns, and destroy lives upon the least provocation whatever.
When Porto Bello was restored to the Spaniards, it was agreed that the English should have a free trade there; before some of the people of the town destroyed one of the English vessels there in the night, and murdered the men on board her. When this was known, ships were sent to demand satisfaction, which was refused.
Orders were then given to beat down the town. The commander in that service sent a boat on shore to inform the inhabitants of his business and desire the women and children to remove out of the city. He allowed them a whole day for the purpose — sent ashore again to see if it was done, and then battered down only some of the houses, and a church or two, and that in the daytime.
Such was the true old British spirit, even when dealing with Spaniards and executing positive orders! How different from this is the conduct of those inhuman commanders now upon our coasts! How detestable their character!
A Wallace and an Ayscough disgraced humanity and brought reproach upon the British Navy by wantonly employing it to terrify women and children. But the conduct of a Vandeput is more surprising and cruel than even theirs. They only threatened — he actually fired upon a defenceless town, and his previous preparations showed that he was not actuated by a sense of duty, but by the cold-blooded barbarity of an assassin.
He acknowledges in his first letter that he was informed of the design of taking away the cannon from the battery; why then did he not, by a letter to the magistrates, let the city know he esteemed it his duty to defend those guns? In that case, the town, apprised of his determination, might have thought it more prudent to desist than to provoke him. But upon his own principle of protecting the battery, what right had he to elevate his guns and fire heavy balls at random upon the city, a great part of whose inhabitants must consist of children and women.
Surely the blood of innocents will rise in judgment against him. It was not owing to his wishes or endeavors, but only to the goodness of Almighty God, that hundreds of men, totally ignorant of what was doing at the battery, were not murdered. O! had this happened in the days of good old King George, that father of his people, it would have cost Vandeput not only his character and his ship, but his head would atone for his horrid barbarity.
September 19 — The besieged army in Boston have pulled down a number of houses between the Haymarket and the old fortification; but whether from the want of fuel, or to make room for erecting any new defence, or digging a canal, we have not been able to learn. One of the impressed seamen, who Boston. had the good fortune to make their escape from there last night, says that the sailors on board the men-of-war are very sickly, and almost all of them very feeble and greatly emaciated, owing to bad provisions. — Gaine’s Mercury, October 2, 1775.
- 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.
September 19 — This morning the mayor of New York informed the Committee of Safety, that Governor Tryon acquainted him he had received a letter from Lord Dartmouth, informing him that orders had been given to the commanders of his majesty’s ships in America, that in case any more troops should be raised, or any fortifications erected, or any of his majesty’s stores taken, the commanders of the ships-of-war should consider such cities or places in a state of rebellion. — Constitutional Gazette, September 20, 1775.
- William Tryon (1729–1788) — Tryon served as the Royal Governor of North Carolina and then New York during the American Revolution. Despite personally opposing Parliament’s policy of Taxation Without Representation, he still enforced British measures. Tryon was also an officer in the British Army and defeated the Regulators at Alamance in 1771. During the American Revolutionary War, he organized Loyalist forces and led destructive raids in Connecticut. He returned to England in 1780.
September 19 — James Smith Tarred and Feathered
New York — Last Saturday night, in Duchess County, New York, James Smith, Esq., a judge of the Court of Common Pleas for that county, was very handsomely tarred and feathered, for acting in open contempt of the resolves of the county committee, as was Coen Smith, of the same place, for the like behavior. They were carted five or six miles into the country. The judge undertook to sue for, and recover the arms taken from the Tories by order of said committee, and actually committed one of the committee, who assisted at disarming the Tories, which enraged the people so much, that they rose and rescued the prisoner, and poured out their resentment on this villainous retailer of the law. — Upcott Collection of Newspaper Extracts, Vol. 4.
- William Upcott Collection of Newspaper Extracts — A collection of newspaper articles from the era, primarily from British printers.
September 19 — Secret Committee of Congress Established
Philadelphia — Congress appointed the Secret Committee of Congress, led by Thomas Willing and Robert Morris, to secretly conduct trade with foreign nations for military arms and supplies.
Other original members of the Secret Committee of Congress were Benjamin Franklin, Silas Deane, Robert R. Livingston, John Alsop, John Dickinson, Thomas McKean, John Langdon, and Samuel Ward. Merchants who worked on the Secret Committee of Congress were criticized for profiting from the war and for engaging in Privateering.
The Secret Committee collaborated with the Committee of Secret Correspondence, which conducted negotiations with France and other nations.
- Robert Morris (1734–1806) — Morris was a key financial leader during the American Revolution. As a delegate to the Continental Congress, he supported independence and helped acquire supplies for the military. He served as superintendent of finances from February 20, 1781, to September 1784, working to stabilize the economy and establish the Bank of America. Morris played a vital role in funding the war and is often referred to as the “Financier of the American Revolution.”
- Privateering — Privateering was the government-sanctioned practice of using private ships to attack enemy trade. It was a key method by which Americans challenged British naval power during the war. The colonies issued letters of marque (written permission), allowing Privateers to capture British vessels, which disrupted British commerce and boosted support for the Patriot Cause.
September 19 — Benedict Arnold’s Canadian Expedition Begins
Massachusetts — Benedict Arnold’s Expedition left Newburyport, Massachusetts, and marched to the coast, where the men boarded ships and sailed to the mouth of the Kennebec River in Maine. Over the next three days, the ships landed the troops at Gardiner, Massachusetts (Maine), where Colonel Reuben Colburn’s shipyard was located. By this time, Colburn had built 200 flat-bottomed boats for Arnold’s men to take with them.
- Benedict Arnold (1741–1801) — Arnold was an officer who rose to prominence for his bold leadership in battles such as Quebec, Valcour Island, and Saratoga. Despite his military talent, Arnold was driven by personal grievances and ambition that put him at odds with many of his contemporaries. Feeling slighted by the Patriot Cause, Arnold famously committed treason in 1780 when he tried to turn West Point over to the British. After the plot was discovered, Arnold defected, received a commission in the British Army, and led raids in Connecticut and Virginia. Following the war, he moved to England, where he struggled as a merchant.
September 20 — Virginia Ports Threatened
The Virginia Gazette reported that measures were being taken to block trade at ports in Virginia, similar to those taken in Boston with the closure of the Port of Boston:
A system of justice similar to that adopted against the devoted town of Boston is likely to be established in Virginia by the renowned commander of the fleet there. He has in the course of this week, as a reprisal for the loss of a tender, seized every vessel belonging to Hampton that came within his reach, and thereby rendered himself the terror of all the small craft and fishing boats in this river, especially the latter, having brought some of them under his stern, by a discharge of his cannon at them.
He has likewise seized a vessel belonging to the Eastern shore, and having honored the passengers so far with his notice, as to receive them on board his own vessel, took the liberty of sending one of their horses as a present to Lord Dunmore. This act of generosity, we doubt not, will gain him considerable interest with his lordship, it being an instance of his industry in distressing a people, who have of late become obnoxious to his excellency for their spirited behavior.
We hope that those who have lived under and enjoyed the blessings of the British Constitution will not continue tame spectators of such flagrant violations of its most salutary laws in defence of private property. The crimes daily committed by this plunderer, we would not willingly brand with the odious name of piracy, but we are confident they come under those offences to which the English laws have denied the benefit of clergy.
- British Constitution — During the Colonial Era, it was a collection of laws, customs, and legal precedents established over a period of approximately 500 years. The Constitution was significantly affected by the Glorious Revolution, which led to the addition of the English Bill of Rights. Following the French and Indian War, the ideology of the American Revolution was partially shaped by the legal principles found in the British Constitution.
September 21 — At Fort St. John, Montgomery received guns from Fort Ticonderoga and fired on the fort. However, the guns were too small and caused minimal damage. Montgomery decided he needed more men to launch a direct assault on the fort, so he sent Ethan Allen and John Brown northward to find Canadians who were sympathetic to the Patriot Cause and willing to fight the British.
September 22 — It is whispered that government has ordered General Gage to offer five thousand pounds to any person or persons, who will bring him General Putnam’s head; this has been privately communicated to most of the royalists in and about Boston, who can be confided in. — Constitutional Gazette, October 4, 1775.
September 22 — Governor Martin’s Infernal Magazine
New Bern, North Carolina — This week will ever be remembered as the most remarkable epoch in the annals of this country, for the discovery of the grand repository and dark depositum of Governor Martin’s infernal magazine, which in cool deliberation he intended to deal out in weapons of death to the good people of North Carolina.
In the Palace Garden, at Newbern, and under a fine bed of cabbages, was discovered and dug up, a barrel containing about three bushels of gunpowder; in the palace cellar was also dug up, two quarter casks of the same commodity, the casks quite new, and marked, “R. B.” In the Palace Garden was also dug up, about one thousand pounds of musket balls, lately cast, and about five hundred pounds of iron swivel balls, a large quantity of small shot, lead, iron worms for the cannon, with swabs, rammers, artillery, boxes, matches, and the whole apparatus for his park artillery which he would certainly have mounted at the palace, had not the appearance of the people of the town of Newbern, on his attempting to move the palace guns, driven him from the trenches before he had made them quite tenable.
‘Tis said his excellency, the night before he took his precipitate flight from the palace, buried those engines of death, that they might remain in places of safety till he or his creatures might have an opportunity of using them.
The palace cannon were spiked up after his excellency left the palace, by a person who no doubt will be obliged to answer for his conduct. As it is improbable the governor could procure these deadly weapons without assistance, the committee of the town and county are using their utmost endeavors to discover the authors of so black a treachery. — Constitutional Gazette, October 28, 1775.
September 23 — Arnold’s Expedition started leaving Gardiner. The divisions moved out one at a time, and one day at a time. By the third day, the entire expedition was marching through the wilderness, moving west toward Quebec. Arnold and his men had minimal supplies and limited knowledge of the terrain. The march was estimated to take 20 days, but it took 45 days and covered 350 miles — twice the distance that General Washington and Colonel Arnold expected.
September 24 — The British cabinet under Lord North vowed to pursue war with America “with the utmost vigor.”
- Frederick North (1732–1792) — The 2nd Earl of Guilford. Lord North served as British Prime Minister (1770–1782) for most of the war. He supported measures like the Intolerable Acts, which intensified colonial resistance.
September 25 — Battle of Montreal at Longue-Pointe
Montreal, Quebec — During their recruiting mission, Allen and Brown decided to attack Montreal. However, General Guy Carleton was warned about the attack and sent Captain Walter Butler and a contingent to engage them. Allen led his men into position on September 24 and was prepared to attack, but Brown failed to appear, leaving Allen undermanned. The British attacked on September 25 and quickly overwhelmed Allen’s force, taking him prisoner. Allen was the first significant Prisoner of War. Brown and his men rejoined Montgomery at Fort St. John.
On October 23, 1775, the New York Gazette reported:
By accounts from Canada we learn, that on the twenty-fifth of September last, Colonel Ethan Allen, prompted by ambition, had imprudently, without orders, crossed over from Lougueuil with thirty of his own men and fifty Canadians, in order to get possession of Montreal. Colonel Prescott, hearing of his coming, engaged a number of people from the suburbs, at half a joe per man, to join a party of regulars from the garrison, and to go out against him. They met about two miles from the town, when a smart engagement ensued, which lasted upwards of two hours. The enemy had two field-pieces. After a long engagement, the Americans were obliged to retire. Colonel Allen and two or three of his men were taken prisoners, and about as many were wounded; the rest returned to their friends. By the best accounts, we learn that a considerable number of the regulars were killed and wounded.
On November 2, the New England Chronicle published a letter that said:
The expedition was a thing of the colonel’s own head, without orders from the general; and from whom, as well as others, he receives much censure. If they had been apprised of it, they could have put him in a situation to have succeeded without much danger. But Allen is a high flying genius, pursues every scheme on its first impression, without consideration, and much less judgment. It was with the utmost difficulty, and through the greatest entreaty, that General Schuyler permitted him to go with the army, knowing his natural disposition; and, indeed, his fears have proved not groundless, and though trifling our loss and the detachment, yet it gives a check to our progress.
September 26 — In Boston, General Thomas Gage, disliked by his soldiers, who called him “Granny” due to lack of action, was relieved of command and ordered to return to Britain. General William Howe replaced him as Commander-in-Chief.
- William Howe (1729–1814) — A veteran of the French and Indian War, Howe was a cautious yet skilled British officer. He played a central role early in the war, leading British forces during the Siege of Boston, the New York Campaign, the New Jersey Campaign, and the Philadelphia Campaign. Despite notable victories, his strategic hesitations, logistical challenges, and flawed leadership hindered British success and led to his removal.
September 26 — American and Indian delegates held a peace conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In attendance were leaders from various Ohio Valley tribes, Congress, and the British Indian Department. The Indians agreed to remain neutral, and Congress recognized the Ohio River as the boundary between the American Colonies and the Western Frontier.
September 30 — The “Loyal Fencible Americans”
Rumors spread that General Gage was assembling Loyalist forces to fight in the war. This article appeared in the Constitutional Gazette on October 7, 1775.
That grand rebel to his king and country, Thomas Gage, and his desperate band of traitors and military butchers, intends raising a regiment of “loyal fencible Americans;” the command of which is already given to one Gorham, who served last war in America.
We are told that some head Tories, a few negroes, and convicts have already enlisted. Whether a regiment of such beings can be called “loyal fencible Americans,” the world can judge. We are likewise informed by a Boston paper that regiments similar to the above are forming in the other colonies.
Yes, ye Judases! for your consolation we would inform you that (exclusive of our army in camp) regiments of truly “loyal fencible Americans,” are now raising in all the colonies from Nova Scotia to the Floridas, who are determined to defend their liberties and properties; and to resist, whilst life lasts, the tyranny of your master, the devil, whose chief vicegerents in the British dominions are Bute and North.
Rebels! remember, that Americans revere their king while he governs righteously — they love their country, and are ready to bleed in its behalf. But ye, ye butchers! disgrace your king, and millions yet unborn will curse your memory.
September 30 — Holt’s Print Shop Raided
Norfolk, Virginia — This afternoon, between two and three o’clock, an officer at the head of a party of marines and sailors landed at the County Wharf, in Norfolk, in Virginia, under cover of the men-of-war, who made every appearance of firing on the town, should the party be molested, and marched up the main street to Mr. Holt’s printing-office, from whence they carried off the types, and sundry other printing implements, with two of the workmen, and, after getting to the water-side with their booty, gave three cheers, in which they were joined by a crowd of rascally negroes.
A few spirited gentlemen in Norfolk, justly incensed at so flagrant a breach of good order and the constitution, and highly resenting the conduct of Lord Dunmore and the Navy gentry, who have now commenced to be downright pirates and banditti, ordered the drums to beat to arms, but were joined by very few; so that it appears Norfolk is, at present, a very insecure place for the life or property of any individual, and is consequently deserted daily by numbers of the inhabitants, with their effects.
Lord Dunmore is exceedingly offended with the Virginia printers for presuming to furnish the public with a faithful relation of occurrences, and now and then, making a few strictures upon his lordship’s own conduct, as well as that of some of his delightful associates, such as Dicky Squire and little white-headed Montagu. Some of their actions have certainly deserved the severest reprehension, to say no more; for which the printers appeal to the whole world, even Freddy North himself, and the immaculate Johnny Bute.
It seems his lordship has it much at heart to destroy every channel of public intelligence that is inimical to his designs upon the liberties of this country, alleging that they poison the minds of the people; or, in other words, lay open to them the tyrannical designs of a wicked ministry, which hath been supported in character by most of their slavish dependents.
It is to be hoped, however, that neither his lordship, nor any other person, however dignified, will have it in his power to succeed in so diabolical a scheme, only fit to be accomplished among Turks, and never could have been devised but by a person of the most unfriendly principles to the liberties of mankind. — Virginia Gazette, October 7, 1775.
September 30 — European Mercenaries
On September 30, 1775, the Constitutional Gazette published an article stating that Britain intended to hire European troops and send them to America.
The following is said to be the plan which will be put in execution for reducing America: — Ten thousand Hanoverians are to be taken into British pay, the expenses to be defrayed out of duties to be laid by Parliament, and levied in America.
This body of men is to be stationed in several parts of that continent, and to be kept on foot in peace as well as in war. Fortresses are to be built in the provinces of New England, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, in which those foreign mercenaries are to be stationed, and accommodated with barracks, firing, etc., at the expense of the several colonies in which they shall happen to be quartered.
Besides this, a fleet of five ships of the line and twenty frigates are always to be stationed in that service, both to prevent smuggling, and, in case of any disturbance, to be ready to cooperate in reducing the rebellious or disaffected to obedience.
Every Hanoverian soldier, who shall have served seven years with the approbation of his superior oflicer or ofiicers, shall have a portion of ground, not more than fifty nor less than twenty acres, rent free, forever. The expense of raising a proper habitation, furnishing same, purchasing implements of husbandry, etc., to be defrayed by the colony in which he shall be then resident.
The whole expense of recruiting to be provided for in like manner — that is to say, fifty pounds for every soldier, and one hundred for every trooper, rating his horse at fifty and himself at as much more. This mercenary army is to consist of thirty battalions of infantry, of five hundred men each, and four regiments of cavalry; twenty battalions and two regiments of which are always to be stationed in the four New England provinces, aud the remaining ten battalions and two regiments at New York, Philadelphia, and Williamsburg in Virginia, and their neighborhoods.
On the whole, as the Germans are known to be a very prolific people, it is supposed that by the beginning of the year 1800, there will be no less than a million of that nation, including their offspring, within the four New England provinces alone.
