Black Revolutionary War hero Agrippa Hull is born

Black Revolutionary War hero Agrippa Hull is born

 

On this day in history, March 7, 1759, black Revolutionary War hero Agrippa Hull is born to a free black family in Northampton, Massachusetts. Agrippa’s family attended the church of Great Awakening preacher Jonathan Edwards. As a young boy, he was sent to Stockbridge to live with another free black family when his birth family experienced economic hardship. Agrippa lived in Stockbridge, a unique town made up of English and Dutch settlers, free slaves and a large number of Indians, all living peacefully together, for the rest of his life.

 

In 1777, at the age of 18, Agrippa joined the Continental Army and became an orderly for General John Paterson. In this role, Hull was present at the surrender of British General John Burgoyne at Saratoga. He spent the winter of 1777-78 at Valley Forge and participated in the Battle of Monmouth Courthouse.

 

In May, 1779, Hull was reassigned to Colonel Thaddeus Kosciuszko, a Polish engineer who was constructing the defenses at West Point at the time. Hull would remain with Kosciuszko for the last four years of the war and they would become fast friends. Hull was particularly known for his wit, quick humor and practical jokes. One time Kosciuszko even found Hull wearing Kosciuszko’s uniform and throwing a party for his black friends.

 

During their time in the south, both Hull and Kosciuszko got a firsthand look at the effects of slavery that would mark them for the rest of their lives. Kosciuszko would denounce slavery and become an ardent abolitionist. For the last two years of the war, Hull often worked with the medical staff and learned how to do amputations and simple surgeries. He served in nearly every major battle of the southern campaign, including Cowpens, Guilford Courthouse, the Siege of Charleston and Eutaw Springs.

 

In July, 1783, after six years of service, Agrippa Hull was discharged personally by George Washington at West Point. He returned to Stockbridge and became a servant in the home of lawyer and politician Theodore Sedgwick who had been a member of the Continental Congress and would later be a US Senator. Sedgwick was known for representing Elizabeth Freeman, the first slave to win her freedom under Massachusetts’ new Constitution, in her freedom suit. Freeman, known as “Mum Bet,” worked alongside Hull for many years in the Sedgwick household.

 

Hull married and had several children. He used extra money from his employment to buy land and eventually became the largest black landholder in Stockbridge. He was well regarded by the entire town and viewed of as a father figure to all. In 1797, he had a warm reunion with Thaddeus Kosciuszko on his return visit to America. In 1831, he made a memorable journey to West Point to visit the US Military Academy, where he had served with Kosciuszko 50 years before. Hull entertained the cadets, who had recently erected a monument to Kosciuszko, with stories of the Polish hero’s exploits.

 

Agrippa Hull died on May 21, 1848, the last surviving veteran of the American Revolution in Stockbridge. He treasured his discharge paper signed by George Washington for his entire life. He was viewed in Stockbridge and beyond as a philosopher, father and patriot and is another example of an heroic African-American who fought for the freedom of his country.

 

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Jack Manning

President General

2019 – 2021

National Society Sons of the American Revolution

www.sar.org

 

“If we move in mass, be it ever so circuitously, we shall attain our object; but if we break into squads, everyone pursuing the path he thinks most direct, we become an easy conquest to those who can now barely hold us in check.”
Thomas Jefferson (1811)

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Casimir Pulaski is born

Casimir Pulaski is born

 

On this day in history, March 6, 1745, Casimir Pulaski is born, one of a handful of foreigners who played a key role in the American Revolution. Pulaski was born into an aristocratic Polish family and was part of the Polish army that resisted Prussian and Russian efforts to take over his country. Only in his twenties, Pulaski became an important cavalry expert and rose to be one of the highest ranked military leaders of the resistance, earning him a reputation of valor throughout Europe.

 

When Russia conquered Poland in the early 1770s, Pulaski was driven into exile. He participated for a time with raising resistance to the Russian war with the Ottoman Empire, but when the Turks were defeated, he returned to France. In France, Pulaski met Benjamin Franklin and the Marquis de Lafayette, who encouraged him to sail to America to join the American Revolution.

 

Pulaski left France in June, 1777, with a letter of recommendation from Franklin stating, “Count Pulaski of Poland, an officer famous throughout Europe for his bravery and conduct in defense of the liberties of his country against the three great invading powers of Russia, Austria and Prussia… may be highly useful to our service.”

 

Pulaski arrived at Marblehead on July 23, 1777, and met with George Washington near Philadelphia in August. Pulaski was not given a position immediately, but in September at the Battle of the Brandywine, he helped orchestrate the retreat of the Continental Army without disaster, some believe even saving Washington’s life. For this, Congress made him a brigadier general of the cavalry. He was only 34 years of age at the time.

 

The American cavalry was very small at this point and Pulaski began recruiting and training more soldiers with the best practices of European cavalry. Pulaski and his cavalry distinguished themselves at the Battle of Germantown and during the defense of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. For his efforts, Pulaski was nicknamed “The Father of the American Cavalry.”

 

Pulaski’s cavalry was sent south in early 1779 and participated in the defense of Charleston in May. Through the summer, they participated in numerous reconnaissance missions and skirmishes in South Carolina. In the fall, Pulaski’s cavalry was assigned to join the mission to retake Savannah, Georgia, which had been captured by the British the previous year.

 

The joint American-French attack on the city lasted for nearly a month. On October 9, during a major assault on the city, with Pulaski leading the American and French cavalry, Pulaski was severely wounded with grape shot from a cannon. He was removed from the battlefield and placed on board the Wasp, a privateer merchant vessel, on its way to Charleston. Pulaski would die from his wounds two days later.

 

The Siege of Savannah failed and the British would remain in the city until the end of the Revolution. Pulaski took his place, however, as one of a few foreigners who played an important leadership role in the American Revolution. He is considered a freedom fighting hero in both Poland and America, with numerous towns, counties, celebrations, ships and more named in his recognition.

 

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

 

Jack Manning

President General

2019 – 2021

National Society Sons of the American Revolution

www.sar.org

 

“I came here, where freedom is being defended, to serve it, and to live or die for it.”
Casimir Pulaski.

 

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The Boston Massacre leaves five dead civilians

The Boston Massacre leaves five dead civilians

 

On this day in history, March 5, 1770, the Boston Massacre leaves five dead civilians on the streets of Boston after British soldiers fire on them. The Boston Massacre is often thought of as one of the pivotal events leading up to the American Revolution because it galvanized colonial opinion against the British.

 

British soldiers were stationed in Boston after the creation of the Townshend Acts, which taxed various items in the colonies. The colonists protested the taxes because they had no representatives in Parliament and deemed it against the law to be taxed by a body in which they had no representation. They began harassing customs officials and the soldiers were sent to protect the officials.

 

Bostonians were outraged that their city was occupied and constantly harassed the soldiers. On March 2, 1770, a fight broke out between soldiers and employees of Gray’s Ropewalk, where ropes were made for ships. The soldiers lost the fight and began planning revenge on the city. On the evening of March 5, bands of soldiers roamed the city, harassing anyone they met. Many citizens were struck or knocked down, even struck with swords. The citizens finally began to organize for protection.

 

At the Custom House on King Street, a teenage boy yelled epithets at a passing soldier. Private Hugh White was guarding the Custom House and got angry with the boy. He struck him in the face with his gun and this caused a crowd to gather which started pelting White with anything they could find. Several other soldiers gathered to defend White, but as the crowd pressed in and threw things at them, someone fired into the crowd.

 

The first shot encouraged the other soldiers and several rounds were fired. Eleven civilians were shot, five of whom died within days. This tragic event brought thousands of Bostonians into the streets and an all-out war nearly broke out as the entire Boston regiment was called out. Things finally simmered down though when officials promised to take the soldiers from the Custom House into custody.

 

After many months, the soldiers were tried in court. Captain Preston, the leader, was acquitted, the jury determining he did not give the order to fire. Six of the eight soldiers were acquitted for lack of evidence, but two were convicted of a lesser charge of manslaughter. They were, however, allowed to go free after using an arcane defense that let them be branded on the thumb instead.

 

In spite of the fact that the citizens wanted to see a guilty verdict, the town remained calm. They were justly alarmed at the actions of the British soldiers, but they also did not want mobs exacting justice on people. A young John Adams represented the soldiers in court and, though it hurt his career initially, he later said defending the soldiers was the most generous act of his life.

 

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

 

Jack Manning

President General

2019 – 2021

National Society Sons of the American Revolution

www.sar.org

 

“Our country is in danger, but not to be despaired of. Our enemies are numerous and powerful; but we have many friends, determining to be free, and heaven and earth will aid the resolution. On you depend the fortunes of America. You are to decide the important question, on which rest the happiness and liberty of millions yet unborn. Act worthy of yourselves.”
Joseph Warren
 

 

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George Washington takes Dorchester Heights

George Washington takes Dorchester Heights

 

On this day in history, March 4, 1776, George Washington takes Dorchester Heights, forcing the British to abandon Boston within weeks. After the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the local militia and the Continental Army surrounded the British troops in Boston in a siege which lasted an entire year.

 

There were two sets of hills surrounding Boston with natural views of the town and its harbor, Bunker Hill and Breed’s Hill to the north and Dorchester Heights to the south. The British captured Bunker Hill and Breed’s Hill during the Battle of Bunker Hill in June, 1775, in a very costly action which lost over a thousand men killed or wounded.

 

In Boston, General William Howe did not have a lot of options. The only way in or out was by sea. Any movements he made would be quickly detected. He had to be careful not to get into another costly fight like Bunker Hill, which, though a victory, had little strategic significance.

 

George Washington wanted to capture Dorchester Heights, but was reluctant. Taking the heights would give the Americans the ability to rain down fire on the city and prevent ships from re-supplying them by sea. General Gage would be forced to either try to retake the heights or to leave the city. Washington hesitated for months though because his army was very inexperienced. He didn’t know if they could withstand a major British assault and they were very low on ammunition and arms.

 

Colonel Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen captured a huge supply of weapons at Fort Ticonderoga, New York on May 10, 1775. In November, Washington sent Colonel Henry Knox to bring the weapons to Boston. It took him 3 months to transport 60 tons of cannons, mortars and howitzers across the wintry Berkshires on sleds pulled by oxen. When they arrived, Washington had the tools he needed to bring the occupation of Boston to an end.

 

He first created a diversion by placing a few of the cannons in Cambridge and Roxbury and fired them on Boston during the nights of March 2 and 3. On the night of the 4th, the cannon fire continued, but 2,000 American troops began hauling the rest of the cannons up to Dorchester Heights, muffling the wagon sounds with straw wrapped around the wheels. The soldiers built earthworks for protection and by morning, the hills were filled with weapons pointing down on the city and the harbor.

 

General Howe began making plans for an immediate attack because of this untenable position. The planned assault was stopped, however, that evening when a severe snowstorm rolled in. During the next few days, Admiral Molyneaux Shuldham informed the General that he could not leave his ships in this vulnerable position. Howe realized an attack on the heights at this point would probably result in another disaster like Bunker Hill with heavy British losses. He decided it was wiser to withdraw from Boston to save his army for another day.

 

On March 17th, General Howe pulled all his troops from the city and sailed for Nova Scotia. Washington let them go unhindered in exchange for Howe’s promise not to destroy the city when he left. Washington’s army marched for New York and would meet Howe again when he attacked that city in the fall.

 

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

 

Jack Manning

President General

2019 – 2021

National Society Sons of the American Revolution

www.sar.org

 

“Your love of liberty — your respect for the laws — your habits of industry — and your practice of the moral and religious obligations, are the strongest claims to national and individual happiness.”
George Washington (1789)

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Patriots lose the Battle of Brier Creek

Patriots lose the Battle of Brier Creek

 

On this day in history, March 3, 1779, patriots lose the Battle of Brier Creek. British Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell had captured Augusta, Georgia in January, 1778. Gathering American troops across the Savannah River made Campbell nervous, however, and he abandoned Augusta after only three weeks to return to the coast. Archibald was hoping Tory leader John Boyd would join him, but on the march, he learned Boyd was killed and his army of Loyalists routed at the Battle of Kettle Creek.

 

North Carolina General John Ashe followed Archibald to the bridge over Brier Creek at its confluence with the Savannah River. Archibald had destroyed the bridge and continued south to Ebenezer where he turned his 900 troops over to Lieutenant Colonel Mark Prevost and went on to Savannah.

 

General Ashe, meanwhile, was camped out in the fork between Brier Creek and the Savannah. Military experts have criticized him for this because it was too easy to be trapped in the fork with no way of escape. Ashe left on February 28 to meet with other generals in South Carolina for orders, leaving command to his subordinates.

 

Lt. Col. Prevost then devised an attack plan. He would leave a force south of the creek to act as a diversion and march the main body of his troops up the east side of the river during the night. They would cross at Paris’ Mill Bridge upriver from the patriots, surprise them and trap them in the fork. Prevost’s plan worked like a charm. It has been called one of the smartest movements of the entire Revolution.

 

On March 2, he arrived at Paris’ Mill Bridge to find it destroyed. He knocked down Francis Paris’ home and mill and used the wood to rebuild the bridge. Some of his cavalry skirmished with a small contingent of Ashe’s men on the opposite side of the river, but they did not get back to camp in time to warn them.

 

General Ashe returned to camp on March 2 as well, not knowing Prevost and 1,500 men were crossing the river a few miles upstream. Ashe had been instructed to wait for the arrival of Generals Lincoln, Williamson and Rutherford. The plan was to destroy the British and drive them back to the coast in an effort to bring the southern occupation to a quick end.

 

Instead, on March 3, a rider came into Ashe’s camp frantically warning that the British were approaching. The Americans scrambled to get ready, but the British arrived minutes later and quickly overtook the American defenses. Withering cannon and gunfire decimated the Americans. Many green militia members fled into the swamps.

 

In the end, the Battle of Brier Creek was a disaster. At least 150 Americans were killed and over 200 captured, many drowning in the swamps trying to escape. The British suffered only 5 dead and 11 wounded. The battle destroyed American hopes to quickly end the war in the south. General Ashe was formally charged with cowardice, but exonerated in a court martial. General William Moultrie later wrote that the defeat at the Battle of Brier Creek unnecessarily extended the war by an entire year.

 

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 public are bound to yield obedience to laws to which they cannot give their approbation, they are slaves to those who make such laws and enforce them.”
Samuel Adams (1772)

 

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The Battle of the Rice Boats begins

The Battle of the Rice Boats begins

 

On this day in history, March 2, 1776, the Battle of the Rice Boats begins. After the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the British army retreated to Boston and was held captive there by the Continental Army for almost an entire year. Troops in the city could only get in or out or get supplies by sea. In December of 1775, a fleet was sent to Georgia to buy rice and provisions for the isolated troops.

 

When the ships began arriving in Georgia in January, the local patriots were alarmed, thinking they had come to capture Savannah. They immediately arrested the Royal Governor, James Wright and put him under house arrest. Wright, however, escaped on the evening of February 11 and made his way to the HMS Scarborough on the coast where he took up residence.

 

For the next month, he attempted to negotiate with the Provincial Committee of Safety and was able to buy some supplies for the immediate needs of the fleet. The larger mission, however, of buying much needed supplies for the troops in Boston was at a standstill. Local merchants had agreed to a continent-wide ban on trade with the British in protest against British policies and actions. The agreement not to trade with the British would end on March 1, however, and that’s when the British made their move.

 

They had already talked with the owners of some of the rice stored on boats at Savannah who agreed to sell their rice on March 1 when the non-trade agreement ended. On that day, several ships of the fleet sailed up the Savannah River from the coast. The local militia, who had taken up positions around the town, assumed they were attempting to take Savannah and fired on one of the ships, beginning the Battle of the Rice Boats.

 

During the night of March 2, soldiers snuck onto several of the rice boats, but word did not get out until the next morning when some of the rice boat hands got away and warned Colonel Lachlan McIntosh of the Georgia militia. McIntosh sent a negotiating party, but they were arrested. He sent a second party that was fired on and at this point he began raining cannon and gun fire down on the ships from the nearby Yamacraw Bluff in a gunfight that lasted four hours. For this reason, the battle is also called the Battle of Yamacraw Bluff.

 

The Committee of Safety met during the gun battle and decided the rice boats had to be destroyed to prevent the British from getting the supplies. They lighted the supply ship Inverness on fire, loaded it with explosives and set it on course to crash with the other occupied boats. As it approached the other boats, their British occupiers jumped overboard to escape. Three other rice boats were caught on fire and burned into the night. Two ships escaped upriver, but their crews were caught. Twelve rice boats, however, escaped downriver, were captured by the fleet on the coast and their provisions confiscated.

 

On March 30, having accomplished their mission, the fleet set sail from Georgia with Governor Wright aboard, ending British rule in Georgia for the time being. The city would be retaken again, however, in 1778. The fleet, which was intended to supply the troops in Boston, was diverted when it was learned the British had abandoned the town. They first went to Newport, Rhode Island where the local militia fired on them when they tried to land and eventually ended up joining the British in Nova Scotia.

 

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

 

Jack Manning

President General

2019 – 2021

National Society Sons of the American Revolution

www.sar.org

 

“The great leading objects of the federal government … are to maintain domestic peace, and provide for the common defense.” Alexander Hamilton (1788)

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Pennsylvania begins a gradual abolition of slavery

Pennsylvania begins a gradual abolition of slavery

 

On this day in history, March 1, 1780, Pennsylvania begins a gradual abolition of slavery, becoming the first state to make official efforts to abolish slavery. The act, called An Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery, did not eliminate slavery all at once. Instead, it gradually reduced slavery through natural death, banning future imports of slaves and freeing newborn children of slaves.

 

The citizens of Vermont had included anti-slavery language in their Constitution of 1777, but Vermont was not a state. For example, there were no signers of the Declaration of Independence or representatives to the Continental Congress from Vermont. Vermont had always been part of New York. Instead, Vermont remained an independent republic until 1791 when it became the 14th state. Pennsylvania, on the other hand, was the first of the original thirteen colonies to make efforts to abolish slavery.

 

People today may have a hard time understanding why slavery would be reduced gradually. If it was evil and should be abolished, then why not just abolish it completely? We have to remember that only some people wanted to abolish slavery. Others, however, were invested somehow or other in the institution of slavery and didn’t want it to go away. In a democratic society, voting representatives of the people must make compromises in order to govern. If you have a governing body of 100 members and 51 of them want to keep slavery and 49 want to abolish it, the majority wins.

 

Anti-slavery legislators saw a crack in slavery’s armor, however. Measures that fell short of complete abolition, such as giving freedom to newborn children of slaves, banning future imports of foreign slaves, or allowing slaves to purchase their freedom, were more palatable to more people. They could get the votes for some of these intermediary measures. Passing these measures would chip away at the institution and eventually it would fail altogether. So, while some people interpret passing measures that only granted partial freedoms to slaves as “shameful” or “cowardly,” in actuality, they were doing all they could to abolish the institution in bite-sized pieces at a time.

 

The Pennsylvania law did just this. It prohibited anyone from importing slaves into the state. It created a “slave registry” in order to verify compliance. All slave owners had to register their slaves every year. Any blacks not registered were automatically considered free. Any slaves not properly registered by their owners were given their freedom.

 

In addition, the act gave freedom to newborn children of slaves, not complete freedom, however. Instead, newborn children of slaves were given the status of indentured servants, meaning they had to work for their owner until the age of 28, at which time they were granted complete freedom. They also had to be equipped with certain things from their owner at the time of their emancipation, such as tools for whatever trade they worked in. People born into slavery before 1780, however, remained slaves.

 

An amendment was made to the act in 1788 to close some loopholes, but generally, the act accomplished its intended effect. By 1800, the number of slaves in Pennsylvania had dropped to only 1,706. By 1840, there were only 64 elderly black slaves left in the state and these were all set free by an act of the legislature in 1847.

 

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

 

Jack Manning

President General

2019 – 2021

National Society Sons of the American Revolution

www.sar.org

 

“I can clearly foresee that nothing but the rooting out of slavery can perpetuate the existence of our nation…”
George Washington

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