Monthly Archives: February 2024

The Great Siege of Gibraltar is lifted

The Great Siege of Gibraltar is lifted

 

On this day in history, February 7, 1783, the Great Siege of Gibraltar is lifted after peace agreements are signed ending the American Revolution. The Great Siege of Gibraltar was a combined Spanish and French effort to take Gibraltar back from Britain. The entrance of France and Spain into the war on the American side stretched British forces thinly across much of the world as they tried to protect their interests in multiple locations.

 

Spain and France agreed to help each other take back territories lost to Britain in earlier battles. In particular, France agreed to help Spain take back the peninsula of Gibraltar in the south of Spain, which the British had owned since 1713. Gibraltar is critical to the movement of ships from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. It is only 2.6 square miles large, but it has been fought over for centuries because of its location. The main feature of Gibraltar is a 1,400 foot high mountain known as the Rock of Gibraltar. The territory shares a small border with Spain on the north end that is only .75 miles long.

 

The Great Siege of Gibraltar began on June 24, 1779 and would last 3 years and 7 months. 5,300 British soldiers were stationed there. A force of 13,000 Spanish forces camped on the north end of the peninsula, while a fleet of Spanish and French ships blocked the island from receiving reinforcements. By the winter, food was running low, but a British fleet was able to penetrate the blockade. In fact, several times over the course of the siege, British fleets were able to break the blockade and bring in vital supplies and reinforcements.

 

On September 13, 1782, nearly a year after the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, the Spanish and French mounted their largest attack. 5,000 soldiers manned “floating batteries” armed with cannons, 30,000 sailors manned 78 ships, while 35,000 troops amassed to storm the British fortifications. 80,000 civilians watched from nearby hills across the border in Spain, expecting to see their armies victorious over the British. The ships bombarded the British positions, but the British bombarded them back, causing great damage to the fleet and the floating batteries.

 

After several weeks of little progress, another British fleet showed up under the command of Admiral Sir Richard Howe, the same Admiral who had been in charge of the British fleet in North America earlier in the war. A strong gale on October 10th blew the Spanish and French fleets off, allowing Howe’s 65 ships in to the peninsula with food, supplies and ammunition. Howe’s fleet left and the siege continued for several months more.

 

The preliminary Treaty of Paris that would end the American Revolution was signed on November, 30, 1782. Parliament ratified the Treaty in January, 1783 and Congress ratified it in April. Spain and France ended the Siege of Gibraltar on February 7. In the terms of the Treaty, Britain was allowed to keep Gibraltar. Nearly a half million bullets were fired during the conflict and the British used up 8,000 barrels of gunpowder. Over 1,200 British soldiers were killed or wounded and 6,000 British and French were killed or wounded in the largest and longest action of the war.

 

http://www.revolutionary-war-and-beyond.com    

 

Jack Manning

President General

2019 – 2021

National Society Sons of the American Revolution

www.sar.org

 

“Wisdom, and good examples are necessary at this time to rescue the political machine from the impending storm.”
George Washington

 

 

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Anna Maria Lane receives a Revolutionary War veterans pension

Anna Maria Lane receives a Revolutionary War veterans pension

 

On this day in history, February 6, 1808, Anna Maria Lane receives a Revolutionary War veterans pension. Anna Maria is the only known Virginia woman who fought as a soldier in the Revolution. Scholars believe she was born in New Hampshire and that she became a “camp follower” when her husband, John Lane, joined the Continental Army’s Connecticut Line in 1776. Camp followers were women who traveled with the army and did tasks such as cooking, laundering clothes and tending to the wounded.

 

John served under General Israel Putnam and fought at the battles of White Plains, Trenton, Princeton, Germantown and later in Georgia. Anna Maria was apparently with him the whole time. We do not know when Anna Maria first fought as a soldier, but the one thing that is known for certain is that she was dressed as a soldier and fought at the Battle of Germantown in 1777 during George Washington’s attempt to retake Philadelphia from the British. Anna Maria was wounded in the leg during the battle and this made her lame for the rest of her life. Later in the war, John joined the Virginia Light Dragoons and fought in Georgia.

 

After the Revolution, John Lane took a job at the Virginia state arsenal at Point of Fork, Virginia. In 1801, he and Anna Maria moved to the capital of Richmond when he took a job with the public guard, which was the equivalent of the national guard today. The public guard in Richmond was responsible for the security of the capital city’s public buildings.

 

Anna Maria volunteered as a nurse at the military hospital in Richmond where she met Dr. John Foushee. Dr. Foushee was so impressed with Anna Maria’s work that he petitioned then governor (and future President) James Monroe to give Anna Maria a salary for her work at the hospital, which he agreed to.

 

By 1804, John and Anna Maria were both aging and retired from work. They joined a group of other war veterans and petitioned the state to receive veterans’ pensions. A letter dated January 28, 1808 from Governor William Cabell to the Virginia Speaker of the House recommends giving pensions to several veterans and he draws special attention to Anna Maria, saying she was “very infirm, having been disabled by a severe wound which she received while fighting as a common soldier, in one of our Revolutionary battles, from which she never has recovered, and perhaps never will recover.”

 

The typical Virginia veteran received a pension of $40 a year at the time. The Virginia legislature paid John and several others $40 a year in the legislation passed on February 6, 1808, but it took the extraordinary measure of paying Anna Maria Lane $100 a year – two and a half times the typical soldiers’ pension! Because of this extremely oversized salary, many historians speculate that Anna Maria must have done something truly extraordinary at the Battle of Germantown. Unfortunately, no one took the time to write down exactly what she did and the facts are lost to us today. Maybe she fought in hand to hand combat? Maybe she led a charge against the enemy? We will never know.

 

Anna Maria died in 1810. An historical marker was erected in her honor near the Capitol in Richmond in 1997.

 

http://www.revolutionary-war-and-beyond.com    

 

Jack Manning

President General

2019 – 2021

National Society Sons of the American Revolution

www.sar.org

 

“If we desire to avoid insult, we must be able to repel it; if we desire to secure peace, one of the most powerful instruments of our rising prosperity, it must be known that we are at all times ready for war.”
George Washington (1793)

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Brigadier General Moses Hazen dies

Brigadier General Moses Hazen dies

 

On this day in history, February 5, 1803, Brigadier General Moses Hazen dies. Hazen was born to a Jewish family in Haverhill, Massachusetts, in 1733. When the French and Indian War broke out, he became a member of the local militia and embarked on a lengthy military career, fighting in numerous actions of the French and Indian War. Hazen was known for his bravery and willingness to participate in the most dangerous missions. He eventually became a lieutenant and retired from the service in 1763.

 

Hazen settled in the Richelieu River valley south of Montreal and went into business with another British officer, Gabriel Christie. They purchased extensive landholdings and Hazen ran the business while Christie was often away. Hazen developed the land, but went into heavy debt to accomplish his schemes and support a lavish lifestyle, building a 20 room mansion for himself. By 1770, Christie was upset with Hazen’s liberal spending and sued him. The two were in and out of lawsuits for the next ten years and their property was divided.

 

When the American Revolution began, Hazen was in a quandary. An American invasion was coming into Canada right through his valley. He had to decide which side to favor. British Governor, Sir Guy Carleton, authorized him to raise a regiment to fight the Americans, but he met with the American General Philip Schuyler instead, and tried to persuade him not to attack Fort Saint Jean, telling him the Fort was well defended and would be difficult to take.

 

Other locals, however, told him the opposite and Hazen was taken prisoner. Shortly after, his captors were captured by the British who then threw him in prison in Montreal for helping the Americans. Hazen was kept in harsh conditions for two months and then captured by the Americans again when he was being transported. After this, he sided with the Americans permanently and joined them in the Siege of Quebec.

 

Hazen was sent to Philadelphia with the news of General Montgomery’s death and the failure to capture Quebec. Congress made him a colonel and gave him command of the 2nd Canadian Regiment. Hazen was placed in charge of the captured Montreal for a time and his unit would fight in the battles of Staten Island, Brandywine and Germantown. In 1779, several disputes would erupt and Hazen would be involved in several court-martials and counter charges, but he was exonerated.

 

In June, 1781, Hazen was finally made a Brigadier General and placed under Lafayette in Virginia. His unit was involved throughout the Yorktown engagement and was involved in the pivotal taking of the redoubts around the city.

 

After the war, Hazen settled in upstate New York and continued in land speculation. On paper, he was a wealthy man, but he was continually involved in lawsuits over his debts. In fact, he was arrested 14 times after the war because of his debts. One of his redeeming qualities, however, was that he fought constantly for the rights of Canadian refugees in America who had been forced to leave Quebec after the war. He lobbied Congress continuously for reimbursing them (and himself) for lost property and income. Hazen passed away at Troy, New York on February 5, 1803 and Congress finally awarded a small portion of what he claimed to his estate after his death.

 

http://www.revolutionary-war-and-beyond.com    

 

Jack Manning

President General

2019 – 2021

National Society Sons of the American Revolution

www.sar.org

“Man, once surrendering his reason, has no remaining guard against absurdities the most monstrous, and like a ship without rudder, is the sport of every wind. With such persons, gullibility, which they call faith, takes the helm from the hand of reason and the mind becomes a wreck.”
Thomas Jefferson (1822)

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King George III declares a permanent ceasefire to the American Revolution

King George III declares a permanent ceasefire to the American Revolution

 

On this day in history, February 4, 1783, King George III declares a permanent ceasefire to the American Revolution. After the surrender of General Charles Cornwallis’ army at Yorktown, Virginia in October, 1781, many members of Parliament decided it was time to end the war. The House of Commons first voted to end the war on February 27, 1782 and in March, Prime Minister North resigned.

 

By April 4, General Henry Clinton was replaced as Commander of British forces in North America by Sir Guy Carleton, who was charged with implementing a withdrawal. Informal peace negotiations began in April in Paris between Ben Franklin and Richard Oswald, the representative of the new Prime Minister, Charles Watson Wentworth, the Marquess of Rockingham.

 

By September, 1782, John Jay had arrived in Paris from Spain and John Adams had arrived from Holland. They joined the now formal peace negotiations and on November 30, a preliminary peace treaty is signed, in which Britain acknowledges the sovereignty of the United States, the boundaries of the United States are determined and Britain agrees to withdraw its forces from US territory.

 

The preliminary treaty is ratified by Parliament on January 20, 1783 and a ceasefire is declared by King George on February 4. The American Congress declares a ceasefire on April 11 and ratifies the preliminary treaty on April 15, 1783.

 

On September 3, 1783, the final Treaty of Paris is signed in Paris by representatives John Jay, John Adams and Ben Franklin from America and representative David Hartley from Great Britain. Congress ratifies the Treaty of Paris on January 14, 1784 and Parliament ratifies it on April 9, 1784. The final act of the road to peace is a formal exchanging of the signed documents in Paris on May 12, 1784, finally bringing the American Revolution to a close.

 

http://www.revolutionary-war-and-beyond.com    

 

Jack Manning

President General

2019 – 2021

National Society Sons of the American Revolution

www.sar.org

 

“Neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt.”
Samuel Adams (1749)

 

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General William Moultrie wins the Battle of Beaufort

General William Moultrie wins the Battle of Beaufort

 

On this day in history, February 3, 1779, General William Moultrie wins the Battle of Beaufort, also known as the Battle of Port Royal Island, when the British attempt to take this island at the mouth of the Broad River in South Carolina during the beginning stages of their invasion of the south.

 

After Savannah, Georgia fell, American Commander Major General Benjamin Lincoln gathered his forces at the small town of Purrysburg, just over the South Carolina border. British Brigadier General Augustine Prevost in Savannah, immediately sent a small force to take Port Royal Island, hoping to establish a base from which he could cut off the supply lines from Charleston to Lincoln’s army.

 

General Prevost sent 200 men to capture the small town of Beaufort on the island and its only protection, Fort Lyttleton, which was guarded by a handful of militia and 20 Continental soldiers. As soon as word came that the British were assaulting the island, however, the militia guarding the fort fled. Captain John DeTreville knew he could not defend the fort with only 20 men, so he spiked the fort’s cannons and blew up the main defensive bastion to prevent it from being captured by the British.

 

General Lincoln sent 300 militia under the command of South Carolina Brigadier General William Moultrie to confront the assault. Moultrie was the hero of the Battle of Sullivan’s Island that had prevented a British invasion of Charleston in 1776 and the Fort Moultrie Flag is named after him. Moultrie’s small army ferried to Port Royal Island on February 2 and occupied Beaufort on the morning of February 3.

 

Meanwhile the British force also landed on the 2nd on the opposite side of the island. A small force attempted to secure the island side of the ferry, but many of Moultrie’s men were already across and drove them off. The two forces met on the 3rd near the highest point on the island, called Gray’s Hill. In an unusual twist from the typical American/British battles, the Americans were arrayed in an open field, while the British took cover in a forest. The Americans took out the only piece of British artillery at the outset of the firing, leaving the Americans with superior numbers and superior firepower.

 

After 45 minutes of fighting, though, the Americans began to run out of ammunition and General Moultrie ordered a retreat. Just after the retreat began, he was relieved to hear that the British were also retreating. The British were taking a beating and Major William Gardner realized he could not take the island. General Moultrie ordered a pursuit and several British soldiers were captured as they fled to their boats and left the island. In the end, the British lost several dozen men, while the Americans had only 8 killed.

 

The Battle of Beaufort was not a significant battle in the American Revolution. It did however, raise the flagging spirits of patriots in the south who were quite rightly discouraged after the fall of Savannah and the invasion of the south. The stand at Gray’s Hill proved that green South Carolina militia forces could stand up to trained soldiers from the largest military on earth. The engagement would prevent any further incursions of the British into South Carolina for several months longer.

 

http://www.revolutionary-war-and-beyond.com    

 

Jack Manning

President General

2019 – 2021

National Society Sons of the American Revolution

www.sar.org

 

“I think we have more machinery of government than is necessary, too many parasites living on the labor of the industrious.”
Thomas Jefferson (1824)

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Elizabeth Maxwell Steele gives her coins to General Nathanael Greene

Elizabeth Maxwell Steele gives her coins to General Nathanael Greene

 

On this day in history, February 2, 1781, Elizabeth Maxwell Steele gives her coins to General Nathanael Greene. Lt. Gen. Charles Cornwallis was hotly pursuing the remnants of General Daniel Morgan’s army after his victory over British Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton at the Battle of Cowpens a few weeks before.

 

On the morning of February 1, Cornwallis and 5,000 soldiers had crossed the Catawba River at Cowan’s Ford and killed North Carolina General William Lee Davidson. After Davidson was killed, the North Carolina militia scattered and many gathered at Torrence’s Tavern, a few miles to the north.

 

When the locals heard the fighting, many began to flee with their belongings, causing the roads to be flooded with refugees, many of whom gathered at Torrence’s Tavern, expecting the militia to protect them. Tarleton meanwhile heard of the gathering and attacked the tavern in the afternoon, causing the entire group to scatter and killing several militia. The next day, General Cornwallis burned the tavern to the ground.

 

General Greene, who was the top commander of the Continental Army in the South, waited for the militia at David Carr’s farm several miles to the north, where he planned to meet with them and go on to Salisbury, the rendezvous point for the two branches of his southern army. The militia, however, had scattered after the attack at the tavern and did not show up to meet him.

 

Greene was on horseback by himself and decided to go on to Salisbury alone. He rode through the night and arrived in the morning where he went for breakfast at Steele’s Tavern, run by Elizabeth Maxwell Steele. Greene was discouraged, having just learned of General Davidson’s death and the attack at Torrence’s Tavern. He also realized that other parts of his army had not yet arrived and that Cornwallis was very near with thousands of troops.

 

Greene’s personal physician, Dr. Read, happened to be at the tavern when he arrived. Read asked the general how he was doing and Greene replied, “Fatigued, hungry, alone and penniless.” Elizabeth Maxwell Steele was serving breakfast and overheard the comment. She came back with two bags of coins and gave them to the general, saying, “Take these, for you will want them, and I can do without them.” Her gift now made up the entire treasury of the southern army.

 

General Greene was so moved and encouraged at Mrs. Steele’s patriotism and generosity, that he took down a portrait of King George III from the wall and wrote, “O George, Hide thy face and mourn,” on the back of it and then placed it back on the wall with George’s face to the wall.

 

Elizabeth Maxwell Steele earned her place in history by this act of patriotism; General Greene’s disparate forces would soon gather and destroy a quarter of Cornwallis’ army only six weeks later at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse; and the picture of King George with Nathanael Greene’s comment scrawled across the back still remains to this day in the Thyatira Presbyterian Church Museum in Salisbury.

 

http://www.revolutionary-war-and-beyond.com    

 

Jack Manning

President General

2019 – 2021

National Society Sons of the American Revolution

www.sar.org

 

“If the federal government should overpass the just bounds of its authority and make a tyrannical use of its powers, the people, whose creature it is, must appeal to the standard they have formed, and take such measures to redress the injury done to the Constitution as the exigency may suggest and prudence justify.”
Alexander Hamilton (1788)

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North Carolina militia fight at the Battle of Cowan’s Ford

North Carolina militia fight at the Battle of Cowan’s Ford

 

On this day in history, February 1, 1781, North Carolina militia fight at the Battle of Cowan’s Ford. After a string of devastating defeats in the South, the Americans began to turn things around in the fall of 1780. After a stunning American victory at the Battle of Cowpens, American General Daniel Morgan headed north into North Carolina followed in hot pursuit by Lt. General Charles Cornwallis.

 

Cornwallis was forced to camp out at the swollen Catawba River, allowing Morgan to meet with American Commander General Nathanael Greene to decide what to do. Numerous fords across the Catawba had to be protected. They decided Morgan would guard Sherrald’s Ford, while Brigadier General William Lee Davidson would guard the lower fords. Each would wait as long as they could and then proceed to Salisbury where they would meet General Greene and flee north into Virginia. Greene’s strategy was to wear out Cornwallis and pull him away from his supply lines on the coast.

 

General Davidson was a popular North Carolina general who was the chief recruiter for the militia in this region. He had fought at Germantown and been at Valley Forge and was a friend of George Washington. Davidson had only 800 men to guard several fords and he had to spread them out quite thinly to protect them all.

 

Only 25 men were placed at Cowan’s Ford, an unusual ford because it had two fording spots on one side of the river. One route was a horse crossing and the other a wagon crossing. The wagon route went straight across the river and was very deep in the center, making it hard for men on horseback to cross. The other route was much more shallow and suitable for men on horseback, but was longer with the opposite landing spot a quarter mile downriver.

 

The river began to recede on January 31st and Cornwallis made his move the next morning, choosing to cross at Cowan’s Ford. A local Tory served as guide and, knowing the difference between the horse route and the wagon route, began to lead them across the horse route. When the first men were half way across the river, the Americans on the other side noticed them and began firing on them. This spooked the Tory guide, who immediately turned and fled.

 

The British soldiers, not knowing the difference, immediately made their way for the shore at the closest point on the other side. This led them straight into the deep water and greatly hindered the crossing. They had to tie themselves and their horses and equipment together to keep from being swept downriver. Meanwhile, the Americans kept picking them off one by one and a cavalry unit arrived to help them.

 

When the first British troops reached the shore, the Americans began pulling back because the British numbers were too large. Just then, General Davidson arrived to command the forces, but only minutes after arriving, he was struck with a bullet through the heart and died on the spot, causing the remaining Americans to flee.

 

The Battle of Cowan’s Ford was a defeat for the Americans, but the delay it provided allowed General Morgan and General Greene to rendezvous their armies and escape to the north, only to fight Cornwallis six weeks later at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, a battle in which a quarter of Cornwallis’ army would be destroyed.

 

http://www.revolutionary-war-and-beyond.com    

 

Jack Manning

President General

2019 – 2021

National Society Sons of the American Revolution

www.sar.org

 

“The rights of neutrality will only be respected when they are defended by an adequate power. A nation, despicable by its weakness, forfeits even the privilege of being neutral.”
Alexander Hamilton (1787)

 

 

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