250 and Counting

Tag: 2/2/1776

  • The NC Royal Governor is Defiant–March 2, 1776

    Cover art for March 2, 1776: miniature portrait of Josiah Martin, artist unknown, ca. 1775. via Wikimedia

    Oh, that Royal Governor Josiah Martin. He might be defiant, he might be delusional. He might be in denial.

    What he was not, apparently, was cognizant of the effect that the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge had on Loyalist morale. Or, perhaps he did. At any rate, his order to raise the British flag anywhere a flag could be raised was more performative than anything else.

    This was Martin’s second big push to restore North Carolina to British control, but it wasn’t his last. Many months later the Carolina Campaign began. It went on for a long time and they very nearly succeeded. However, Martin finally had to leave, first for Long Island and then for Britain.

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  • Salisbury Iron Furnace–February 2, 1776

    Cover art for February 2, 1776: A typical iron factory setup, This image is generally used to represent the Salisbury Furnace. via National Park Service.
    A typical iron factory setup, This image is generally used to represent the Salisbury Furnace. via National Park Service.

    In early 1775 when hostilities first broke out, the Salisbury Iron Furnace was owned by an Englishman named Richard Smith. By the end of the year he’d cleared out and gone back home to England, and remained there for the rest of the war.

    After an inspection in early January, the Committee of Safety formally recommended that the Salisbury Iron Furnace be confiscated and made ready for the production of cannon. The first cannon rolled out on May 27, and by the time the war ended, about 850 cannon—about 75% of all the cannons made in the colonies—had come from Salisbury, not to mention ammunition and other armaments.

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