This week in Revolutionary War history, let’s check up on what was going on 250 years ago in the Thirteen Colonies. Last week, the Secret Committee’s investigations led to numerous arrests and the thwarting of an assassination attempt on George Washignbton, the Continental Congress provided a long-awaited review of the military campaign in Canada, and 10,000 troops led by British General William Howe near New York Harbor.
On June 28, 1776, British ships assault Fort Sullivan near Charlston, South Carolina. British General Henry Clinton and Admiral Sir Peter Parker sailed 9 ships and 2200 troops to besiege Sullivan’s Island where the American Colonel William Moultrie maintained control of a partially-constructed wooden fort, which had been hastily constructed using local palmetto logs.
Due to poor weather and abysmal landing conditions, the battle would prove a disaster for invading forces. A frigate would be grounded, and the naval bombardment would prove useless against the damp, sponge-like soil. That, as well as the fort, meant the amphibious landing was also thwarted, leading to the wounding of 170 and death of 91 British. 12 Americans were killed, and in remembrance of the Battle of Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina’s flag today hosts a palmetto tree in its center, highlighting the importance of the log fort that guarded Charlton.
The next day, the naval Battle of Turtle Gut Inlet took place off the southern coast of New Jersey. Two British ships held a blockade of Delaware Bay and thus, Philadelphia. Four ships of the Continental Navy under Commodore John Barry led an attempt to break through. The battle was hectic, and towards the end, the American brig, the Nancy, would run aground. The crew lit a fuse for the remaining powder aboard and lowered the ship’s flag. The British, believing the ship had surrendered, attempted to board the ship before a massive explosion heard for miles around the bay obliterated the ship and killed seven British. The British would move their blockade further out to sea, making this costly victory, but a victory, nonetheless.
Also on June 29, a fateful day has arrived. Washington writes to John Hancock, noting that from a lookout on Staten Island, 45 British ships are nearing. This included General William Howe aboard the flagship the HMS Greyhound.
On July 1, the Continental Congress convenes for lengthy discussions on American Independence from the Crown. Each and every delegate from across the Thirteen Colonies is called upon to participate. Talks end with a vote: 9 colonies vote in favor of independence, 2 against (Pennsylvania and South Carolina), 1 abstaining (New York), and 1 in deadlock, unable to arrive at a consensus (Delaware). Due to this disagreement, talks are pushed to the following day.
The next day, discussions continue and another vote is held: 12 colonies in favor of independence, one against (New York). Congress declares the Lee Resolution, originally proposed by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia on June 7 and also known as “The Resolution for Independence,” is in effect. This passage effectively formed the United States, a wholly separate government declared from Britian. Now all there is left is an official declaration… Congress would begin reading, debating, and editing Thomas Jefferson and the Committee of Five’s Declaration of Independence that day.
On July 3, General William Howe’s men make landfall on Staten Island, landing unopposed. Many of the Redcoats landing had previously fled Boston with Howe roughly three-and-a-half months prior. With the British is the accompanying Hessians, German mercenaries. Howe’s landing would see 10,000 men sprawl out over the island, capturing it and awaiting the arrival of thousands more.
Now, the moment you’ve been waiting for: July 4. In the prior days, Congress had spent hours in-session mulling over Jefferson’s draft. In the end, they would remove nearly 1/4 of the original text and changed various wording across the document. The final draft was approved by the congress on July 4 and signed by congressional delegates, writing, “Resolved, That the Declaration passed on the 4th, be fairly engrossed on parchment, with the title and stile of ‘The unanimous* [this word was added to the paper a few weeks later] declaration of the thirteen United States of America,’ and that the same, when engrossed, be signed by every member of Congress.”
And thus, a new sovereign nation was born: The United States of America. The preamble to its declaration showcased a groundbreaking vision to the world, “”We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
A way of revolution no more. Now, it was officially a war for independence. Congress ordered 200 copies of the declaration to be printed in Philadelphia by John Dunlap that day, with 15% of them surviving to this day.
This Week in Revolutionary War History
By Sam Bishop