On this day in 1772, the “first bold blow” of the American Revolution occurred. Maybe you thought the “shot heard ‘round the world” carried that honor? Well, not exactly. An earlier blow was dealt in the so-called Gaspee Affair. This blow was dealt by the independent-minded Rhode Island, which was sometimes called Rogue’s Island. Perhaps it is unsurprising that the state would take the first hit at Britain?! Burning of the Gaspee Schooner by W. W. May Rhode Island merchants s

On this day in 1756, the so-called “Patriot-Artist of the Revolution” is born in Connecticut. You may know of John Trumbull’s many famous paintings, but did you also know that he was arrested as a prisoner of war during the American Revolution? The paintings in the collage are: The Signing of the Declaration of Independence, Surrender of Lord Cornwallis, General George Washington Resigning His Commission to Congress, and The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker’s H

On this day in 1794, George Washington appoints six captains for the new United States Navy. One of these men, John Barry, would later be named Commodore. Is Barry rightfully called the Father of the Navy or should the title go to John Paul Jones? You will hear arguments made for both men. The Army & Navy, Genl. Washington presenting Captain Barry with his Commission, by Alfred M. Hoffy Barry came from poor beginnings in Ireland, where he learned a love of ships from his un

On this day in 1813, Thomas Jefferson writes John Adams, informing him that their mutual friend Benjamin Rush had passed away. The two men had only just begun communicating after more than a decade of silence. It would take Abigail Adams a bit longer to relent, but she finally did a few weeks later. “Abigail’s voice, as always,” historian Joseph Ellis writes, “was the surest sign. Jefferson had been forgiven. The friendship, so long in storage, had never completely died.

On this day in 1755, Tench Coxe is born in Philadelphia. Was he a Patriot or a Loyalist? People weren’t so sure at first. But he rehabilitated himself—or at least his reputation—and later served in four presidential administrations. He also became a prolific writer on the importance of an armed citizenry. Perhaps it’s unsurprising, given his background. Coxe’s father was once a stamp (tax) collector in New Jersey. Patriot threats and protests caused him to resign, but then

At about this time in 1775, a Patriot begins a long horseback ride from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Philadelphia. The ride was long and exhausting—but urgent. The rider, Captain James Jack, has been called “Charlotte’s Paul Revere.” One historical problem? To this day, no one is entirely sure what message Captain Jack carried. It’s said that he carried a document called the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, allegedly approved on May 20, but was there actually such a

On this day in 1766, a little-known Revolutionary War heroine is born in South Carolina. At the age of 15, Dicey Langston would make a Paul Revere-like dash in the middle of the night. Revere was fortunate to have a horse: Dicey had only her feet! She also had the swift currents of a local river standing between her and her destination. Dicey made her run even though she’d already been admonished to quit passing intelligence on to Patriot groups. Her father was getting worr

On this day in 1778, American naval captain John Paul Jones captures HMS Drake—and he does it in British waters. He would soon return to a French port with the captured vessel and American colors flying above inverted British ones. The capture was welcome news, to say the least. Jones had been having a generally difficult time. He was then commanding USS Ranger with the stated mission of “distressing the Enemies of the United States by Sea, or otherwise . . . .” A near-mu

On this day in 1782, a small American sloop faces off against HMS General Monk . The sloop’s captain was just 22 years old. He was outgunned and outmanned. Naturally, he outwitted—then defeated—the British in a mere 30 minutes. “This action has been justly deemed one of the most brilliant that ever occurred under the American flag,” historian James Fenimore Cooper concludes. “It was fought in the presence of a vastly superior force . . . [the ship taken was] superior to h

On this day in 1794, the United States begins building the first ships for its Navy. They weren’t the first ships built for an American Navy, of course, but they were the first since the Constitution had been adopted. Would you be surprised to hear that the Continental Navy created during the American Revolution did not have universal support? “It is the maddest idea in the world,” Samuel Chase of Maryland stormed, “to think of building an American fleet . . . we should m

On this day in 1783, George Washington brings the so-called Newburgh Conspiracy to an end. The potential military coup had been festering for a while. At this juncture, the war was basically over, but a peace treaty between Britain and America had yet to be signed. As the soldiers waited, they grew restless. They had been paid only on an irregular basis throughout the war. They were ready to mutiny. On March 10, someone called for a meeting of soldiers. An anonymous letter ac

On this day in 1770, tensions in Boston erupt. Five Bostonians are killed by British soldiers. Others are wounded. The event, as you know, would come to be known as the Boston Massacre. Tension had been mounting for years. Parliament wanted to establish its authority to tax the colonies, and it had approved a series of duties: the much-hated Townshend Acts. Naturally, the colonists didn’t think too much of THAT. What right had Parliament to tax them when the colonists had n

On this day in 1839, Sybil Ludington Ogden, the so-called female Paul Revere, passes away. You know about Revere’s ride, but you may not have heard of Sybil’s. She made it in April 1777, when she was only 16 years old. She rode more than twice as far as Revere did—and through rockier roads and more sparsely settled country! Her goal? To tell the men in her father’s regiment that the British had raided the town of Danbury, Connecticut. The regiment, then on leave, was needed

On this day in 1779, George Rogers Clark demands that the British surrender a fort in modern-day Indiana. Wait. Indiana? A portion of the Revolutionary War was fought in Indiana?! You are used to hearing about Revolutionary War battles in the east, but there were conflicts on the western frontier, too. The British lacked manpower to defend both areas, so they fostered alliances with Indian tribes to help their efforts in the west. Thus, the problem of British-funded Indian

On this day in 1726, William Prescott is born in Groton, Massachusetts. He is best known for his role in the Battle of Bunker Hill. You may remember that Americans besieged the British in Boston following the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775. A few months into the siege, Americans became worried that British General Thomas Gage might try to possess the Charlestown peninsula. They decided to beat Gage to the punch. On June 16, Prescott was thus told to proceed “t

On this day in 1776, General George Washington notifies his troops of a new policy regarding chaplains’ pay. He’d set out to get better treatment for his chaplains—and he’d succeeded. Yes, you read that right. Washington wanted MORE public money to be used for religious purposes. He did not want to skimp on something as important as military chaplains. Hmm. So much for separation of church and state? Depicted is the “Fighting Chaplain,” James Caldwell. At the Battle of

On this day in 1781, Americans lose the Battle of Cowan’s Ford. They also suffer a devastating incident at nearby Torrence’s Tavern. It was a low point for the Patriot cause. Nevertheless, you’ll love the patriotic heroine who makes an appearance at the end of the story! At this point in the Revolution, British forces led by General Charles Cornwallis were working to establish a base in the South. Cornwallis was then opposed by General Nathanael Greene, commander of the sou

On this day in 1832, Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley, one of the patriotic women behind the folk hero “Molly Pitcher,” dies in Pennsylvania. Who on earth is Molly Pitcher?! Have you ever heard of her? The story of Molly Pitcher is partly legend, which makes it difficult to tell where the real story ends and the mythology begins. But the legend appears to be based on the stories of two women: Margaret Cochran Corbin and Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley. In 1778, Mary was married to h

On this day in 1770, the Battle of Golden Hill occurs. The incident has been called “the first bloodshed of the Revolution.” Yes, you saw that date correctly. The “shot heard ‘round the world” at Lexington and Concord was still more than five years in the future. The seeds for conflict were planted in 1766. The Stamp Act had been repealed, and the people of New York wanted to celebrate! Thus, they erected a Liberty Pole on the King’s birthday, June 4. Their pole carried a fla

On this day in 1784, the Treaty of Paris is approved by American officials. Great Britain would soon also ratify the treaty, officially bringing the American Revolution to an end. It had been more than two years since George Washington’s 1781 victory at Yorktown. Peace talks between Great Britain and the United States opened in April 1782, with British negotiator Richard Oswald on one side and Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, and John Adams on the other. The negotiations we