Day-By-Day America – Page 4 – Relive the Revolutionary War!

Two Ships, Six Men, and a Cow

The American defenders of New York had spent a lot of time fortifying and preparing against a British attack. There were trenches and artillery emplacements along the shoreline, and even obstacles in the river to keep ships from sailing up it. But on July 12, 1776, the Royal Navy showed that the Americans couldn’t even stop a couple of British warships. And although the only thing killed by British fire that day was a cow, six American artillerymen were killed from their own carelessness in handling their cannon.

The British warships *Phoenix* and *Rose* forced their way up the Hudson River despite the Americans’ best efforts to stop them. It’s a bit hard to see, but all the clouds of smoke in the background are from American cannon shooting at the ships. This picture was made by Captain Archibald Robertson, a British army engineer, from a viewpoint on Staten Island.

That afternoon, the Phoenix, which had 44 guns, and the Rose, which had 20, sailed up the Hudson River with a couple of tenders (small vessels that often accompanied the larger ships). The American artillery blazed away at them and inflicted some damage, but couldn’t stop them, and the obstacles in the river turned out to not be a problem for them. American lieutenant Isaac Bangs described it in his journal:

New York: The New Battleground

The British had abandoned Boston. New York was the new battleground. Americans fortified the town and the surrounding shores, and prepared for the British to come — which they did. And when they came, they came in force. Warships, troop transport ships, and supply ships arrived by dozens in New York harbor, carrying not only British soldiers but also German mercenaries (generally known as Hessians). With each new ship, the odds against the Americans increased. But it seems that many of the American soldiers were quite confident that they would win.

Why? I don’t know. The British and Hessians outnumbered them; they had better equipment, better training, and more experience. They had a powerful navy, while the Americans had a tiny one. And they still had plenty of supporters in America.

But the American soldiers were still confident — some of them too confident, it seems to me. One of them wrote, “We fear not Tory George, & his War-worn Army! — We fear them not”, and added that he had never been “so full of Certainty that we shall prevail” — even though at the time he could see the impressive British fleet from the door of his rented room.

Maybe it was because of their victory at Boston that they were so confident. Maybe it was because they were convinced of the righteousness of their cause, and that justice and Providence were on their side, so there was no way the enemy could win. Maybe it was because they were now fighting for their independence.

Whatever the reason, they were in for a rude awakening during that summer of 1776 at New York…

“The God of This World Has Blinded the Mind”

Though some American soldiers were devout and dedicated in attending church and so on, it’s not surprising that some were quite the opposite. Philip Vickers Fithian, a Connecticut chaplain who was serving in New York, wrote in his journal on August 11, 1776:

The Lords Day is come once more. But the Sabbath is scarcely known in the Army. Profaned is all religious Exercise. Dreadful is the thought that Man who expect an Engagement every Day with a obstinate, wise, & powerful Enemy, should dare be so ungodly. But the God of this World has blinded the Mind.

It’s worth noting that one reason Fithian considered religious observance important corresponded with what Washington had said to the troops about a month earlier — namely, that they needed the “blessing and protection of Heaven”, and in order to get it, they needed to “live, and act, as becomes a Christian soldier”.

Sources

The American Revolution: Writings from the War of Independence, p. 171.
“General Orders, 9 July 1776,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-05-02-0176. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol. 5, 16 June 1776 – 12 August 1776, ed. Philander D. Chase. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1993, pp. 245–247.]

Sunday Adventures of Isaac Bangs

Among the notable features of the city of New York, this 1776 map lists 16 churches and a synagogue.

23-year-old American lieutenant Isaac Bangs kept an interesting and informative journal of his service in New York during the spring and summer of 1776, as he and the rest of the army waited and prepared for a British attack. Among other things, he described and critiqued the various church services he attended. Being from New England (specifically, Massachusetts), he was used to the Congregational church, but he wasn’t opposed to attending the meetings of other denominations. (One Saturday, out of curiosity, he even went to the synagogue in New York “to observe the Method of the Jewish Worship”, and wrote about the building and the worship service in detail.) Here are a few of his experiences.

The first time he attended church in New York, he got quite a surprise:

The Leaden George

A mob pulled down a lead statue of King George III in New York on July 9, 1776.

What do you think about pulling down statues? That and similar things happened during the American Revolution. Sometimes it was done by mobs, sometimes by the civil authorities. In New York City, for example, a mob pulled down a statue of King George III. Symbols of royal authority in government buildings were taken down and destroyed. A tavern in Worcester, Massachusetts, called the King’s Arms, used the royal coat of arms for its sign; the sign was taken down (and I’m guessing that the owner changed the name of the tavern thereafter). Many of these things happened just after the Declaration of Independence, which makes sense.

The Declaration of Independence

What do you know about the Declaration of Independence? Here are some trivia questions for you:

Who wrote it?
When and where was it written?
What was the purpose of it?
When was it approved by the Continental Congress?
Who made the first printed copies of it, and when?
How many accusations does it have against the king?
When was it signed by the members of Congress?
How many people signed it?

The Hatter

Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence

After the Continental Congress set a date to decide whether to declare independence, they appointed five men to draft a formal declaration that could be published to the world. They wanted to be ready ahead of time so that they could move quickly if the decision was made. One of those five was Thomas Jefferson.

The other members of the committee — John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston — chose Jefferson to be the writer. During the month of June, he worked on writing a declaration that would show to the world why they were deciding to become independent. At the same time, he was working on a constitution for Virginia, and of course he had other Congressional duties as well.

After he finished writing it, the document was reviewed by the other members of the committee. Adams and Franklin made some minor changes. The committee reported to Congress on Friday, June 28, and the declaration was “laid on the table”.

Independence at Last

In the State House in Philadelphia, later known as Independence Hall, the Continental Congress voted on July 2, 1776, to become independent from England.

The final vote for independence was taken in the Continental Congress on July 2, 1776. Twelve of the thirteen colonies voted for it. One (New York) didn’t vote at all, because the delegates hadn’t yet been authorized by their constituents to do so (but soon thereafter, they received authorization and gave their vote for independence).

To Be or Not To Be Independent

John Dickinson of Pennsylvania was one of the members of the Continental Congress who opposed declaring independence in the summer of 1776.

July 1st, 1776: The final debate began on whether to declare independence from Great Britain. Most delegates in the Continental Congress were in favor of it, but a few were still against it. They had postponed the debate for three weeks, but now the time was up, and the decision had to be made.

Why were some people still opposed to declaring independence? Here are some of the reasons they gave:

Who Beat the British?

Who beat the British at Fort Sullivan? According to Major Barnard Elliott of the South Carolina artillery, it wasn’t really the Americans:

The expression of a Sergeant McDaniel, after a cannon ball had taken off his shoulder and scouped out his stomach, is worth recording in the annals of America: ‘Fight on, my brave boys; don’t let liberty expire with me to-day!’ … Now, my dear wife, let us not forget to whom we are indebted for this success against our enemy. Let us return God thanks for it. It is He that does all for us — He inspires our officers and men with courage, and shields their heads in the day of battle — He is the wonderful God of victory.

It pays to remember that we’re not alone. There are so many things beyond our control that to take credit for our victories is rather arrogant.

Whether or not you believe in God, and whether or not you believe that God (or Providence, as they often said at the time) had a hand in the outcome of the American Revolution, I suggest that you think twice before taking full credit for anything that you’ve ever achieved in your life. A healthy dose of humility is good for everyone.