250 and Counting

Tag: American Revolution

  • Sam Adams Also Has Concerns–January 15, 1776

    Cover art for January 15, 1776: Samuel Adams in 1772, painted by John Singleton Copley. via Wikimedia Commons and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
    Samuel Adams in 1772, painted by John Singleton Copley. via Wikimedia Commons and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

    Samuel Adams made a point of telling his second cousin John Adams that he didn’t have a lot of time to write. Then he cranked out 570 words of worries about the language in the New Hampshire constitution, which had been ratified ten days earlier.

    Then the next day he tacked on another 250 words. If he’d typed all 820 words out, it would be about three pages (double-spaced). The script for this episode is 219 words; even when Adams was in a hurry he was verbose.

    But Samuel Adams kinda-sorta had a point, in that the New Hampshire constitution hedged its bets a little bit. Clearly he had this in mind when he worked on the original Articles of Confederation (the document that preceded the US Constitution), and when he joined the Constitutional Convention for Massachusetts a couple of years later.

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

  • Washington Has Concerns–January 14, 1776

    Cover art for January 14, 1776: correspondence from Charles Thompson, Secretary to the Second Continental Congress, to George Washington. via Library of Congress.
    Correspondence from Charles Thompson, Secretary to the Second Continental Congress, to George Washington. via Library of Congress.

    As George Washington’s aide-de-camp, Joseph Reed was privy to a lot of things on his Commander-in-Chief’s mind. And it shows in the level of prose that Washington uses when writing to Reed, because it’s much less formal.

    Compare that to the letter he sent to the Continental Congress the same day. In both cases he was expressing concerns regarding his troops, but in one case it’s a criticism of their readiness (Joseph Reed), and in the other it’s concern for their well-being (John Hancock).

    Washington’s troops would remain relatively undisciplined for several months, until the winter encampment at Valley Forge. But I’m getting waaaaay ahead of the story, so stick around. Meanwhile, put this in your ears.

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

  • Prudence Island Under Attack–January 12, 1776

    Cover art for January 12, 1776: Prudence Park on Prudence Island, from a 1930s-era postcard. Via Wikimedia Commons.
    Prudence Park on Prudence Island, from a 1930s-era postcard. Via Wikimedia Commons.

    Prudence Island, in the Narragansett Bay off Rhode Island, didn’t have a lot of strategic value to anyone. What it DID have was livestock, and the British were hard-pressed to get supplies, especially for Boston, which had been under siege since mid-April.

    And, as Mike notes during the episode, neither army was really shy about stealing what they needed to advance their cause.

    While the residents of Prudence Island managed to repel the British on their second engagement, everyone just pretty much noped out of there, with only a few ever returning. So in the long run, it was a win for the British.

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

  • Rush To The Altar–January 11, 1776

    Cover art for January 11, 1776: Portrait of Julia Stockton Rush by Charles Willson Peale, painted in 1776.
    Portrait of Julia Stockton Rush by Charles Willson Peale, painted in 1776. Sure, most of the episode is about Benjamin Rush, but who would YOU rather look at? Right.

    Although she was quite young when she married Benjamin Rush, Julia Stockton was probably as brilliant and opinionated as her husband was.

    Not long after they married on this day in 1776, Benjamin was appointed Surgeon General to his friend George Washington, and as the war got more intense and involved, and American losses began to pile up, Benjamin would occasionally hear soldiers complaining about them, and he would repeat that information to her in both letters and in conversation.

    But sooner or later, she warned him in early 1778, some of this backbiting was going to get back to General Washington. He did promise to take this advice to heart, but it was already too late. One of his letters did get back to Washington’s camp, and he was never forgiven for it.

    Benjamin Rush is perhaps more well-known for being America’s answer to Hippocrates, because of his popularity as both a doctor (especially for the poor) and as a teacher. But there’s so much more to him, and his relationship with Julia, than most might consider. If you get an opportunity and you enjoy reading about history, consider picking up a copy of Rush: Revolution, Madness & the Visionary Doctor Who Became a Founding Father, by historian Stephen Fried. It’s about $20 via Amazon, or the Kindle edition is under $5, quite the bargain.

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

  • It’s Just…You Know…–January 10, 1776

    Cover art for January 10, 1776: the original cover of Common Sense. via Wikimedia Commons.
    The original cover of Common Sense. via Wikimedia Commons.

    Okay, so here’s the thing about Common Sense:

    It’s not as though Thomas Paine came up with prose so extraordinarily clear that everyone suddenly smacked their foreheads and said, “My God! Independence! Of COURSE!”

    In fact, many people thought Common Sense was crazy, and others considered it an incitement to the all-out war that everyone was trying to avoid. There were complaints that what Paine had written was dangerous, even violent.

    But the pamphlet was heavily advertised, and Paine was involved in a very ugly, very public feud with his publisher Robert Bell. Those two things, combined with the accusations of scandalousness, meant that sales were going through the roof. And people weren’t just buying it, they were reading it.

    And as time went on, the argument made by Paine became more and more palatable. And by the time July came around, Paine’s ideas largely stood up to reason.

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

    P.S. One time years ago, when I lived in New York, I came home from work in a powerful rainstorm. When I entered the house, rather than track my wet feet throughout the house, I opened up my newspaper and dropped it on the floor, and I stepped lightly a few times on it. When my wife asked what I was doing, I told her, “These are the Times that dry men’s soles.”
    I’ll let myself out, now.

  • A Plan Is Hatched–January 9, 1776

    Cover art for January 9, 1776: a miniature portrait of Josiah Martin, artist unknown, circa 1775.
    A miniature portrait of Josiah Martin, artist unknown, circa 1775.

    Josiah Martin was the last Royal Governor of North Carolina, and while he spent the first few months of the job in New York, he probably wouldn’t have a reputation as an especially bad governor if he hadn’t been hampered so much by circumstances that were in place before he got the job.

    There were money issues that his predecessor had left behind, and the rest of the government was plagued by internal squabbling that pretty much ensured nothing got done. It’s actually kind of amazing that there were any Loyalists left in North Carolina by the time 1776 rolled around.

    But there were, and so Josiah Martin began to put together a nearly foolproof plan to get himself back in power.

    Nearly.

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

    P.S. You know you watched a lot of The West Wing when you hear the name “Josiah” and your mind immediately goes to “Bartlet.” Just sayin’.

  • Preparing To Defend New York–January 7, 1775

    Cover art for January 7, 1775: Portrait of Jonathan Trumbull and his wife Faith, painted by his son John Trumbull, 1778. via New York Public Library.
    Portrait of Jonathan Trumbull and his wife Faith, painted by his son John Trumbull, 1778. via New York Public Library.

    There are many letters between George Washington and Connecticut Governor Jonathan Trumbull. Presumably something as simple as proximity to another leader was attractive to both of them, especially in an age where letters took several days to go a hundred miles.

    We have to presume that the two men had very reliable people transporting these letters, given how much detail is in this one regarding Washington’s guesses about British troop movements and exactly what he was going to do about it. It’s certainly been the case before that correspondence has been intercepted by the British in the past, and the Postal Service hadn’t been up and running for very long by that point.

    At any rate, Washington was correct in that the British were taking a hard look at New York City (still mostly just the southern tip of Manhattan, mind you) and the palisades along the Hudson River, which was still called the North River then. Where he was likely incorrect was in the timing of that move, which may have resulted in a little complacency.

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

  • Retreat From Charleston–January 6, 1776

    Cover art for January 6, 1776; Oil painting of William Moultrie, who was a General when this was painted by Charles Wilson Peale in 1782.
    Oil painting of William Moultrie, who was a General when this was painted by Charles Wilson Peale in 1782.

    From a strategic standpoint, Charleston Bay was probably much more attractive to the British than Boston Harbor was. The northern harbor was more open to the sea, there were a bunch of small islands to navigate around, and the weather could get quite treacherous.

    Meanwhile in South Carolina, there was a definite entry/exit point, there were fewer islands to deal with, and while it can still get cold in that area, the winters are still much milder.

    But from a shipping standpoint, both cities were attractive and needed to be controlled, as far as the British were concerned.

    It’s interesting, in retrospect, that the Patriots would attack the British ships as they departed the harbor area in Charleston, though. If nothing else, they more or less gave away the fact that Sullivan’s Island was fortified, which wasn’t necessarily common knowledge. And sure enough, there was an attack there by the British, which we’ll talk about in June. Stay tuned!

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

  • The First State Constitution–January 5, 1776

    Cover art for January 5, 1776: the manuscript for the first New Hampshire constitution. Via New Hampshire Secretary of State social media account.
    The manuscript for the first New Hampshire constitution. Via New Hampshire Secretary of State social media account.

    It’s fun to say that the New Hampshire Constitution was the first time that an American commonwealth constitution, and that several of the others quickly followed, as though a dam had broken.

    But the fact is, the various colonies were putting together their own constitutions at the urging of the Second Continental Congress, and New Hampshire just happened to be the first.

    That said, let’s not take away from them the fact that they managed to get it done with a great deal of efficiency, and I’m also impressed at the way they got the subsequent documents done. But you’ll have to listen to the episode to hear that.

    Oh, yes: I promised you the recipe for Martha Washington’s cake she served for her Twelfth Night party. This comes from the New England Historical Society.

    Take 40 eggs and divide the whites from the yolks and beat them to a froth. Then work four pounds of butter to a cream and put the whites of eggs to it a Spoon full at a time till it is well work’d. Then put 4 pounds of sugar finely powdered to it in the same manner then put in the Yolks of eggs and 5 pounds of flour and 5 pounds of fruit. 2 hours will bake it. Add to it half and ounce of mace and nutmeg half a pint of wine and some fresh brandy.

    It was a big honkin’ cake.

    Bon appetit!

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

  • Marines On A Mission–January 4, 1776

    Cover art for January 4, 1776: Historic Marine Corps portrait of Samuel Nicholas, artist and date unknown.
    Historic US Marine Corps portrait of Samuel Nicholas, their first Commandant. Artist and date of creation unknown.

    Although he held the title “Captain of Marines” at this point, Samuel Nicholas was the first officer commissioned to the Continental Marines (later the US Marine Corps), and by tradition is therefore considered to be the first Commandant of the Marines.

    Hey, are YOU going to argue with the USMC? I didn’t think so. Not me, either.

    Nicholas was commissioned on November 28, 1775, and almost immediately began setting up his recruitment operations in Philadelphia.

    His first major mission, which began on this day in 1776, took him hundreds of miles from the action in America, but with good reason.

    We’ll hear from Samuel Nicholas again in the future, as he was involved in at least one other important battle.

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed