In mid-May 1776, Boston Harbor was the site of two notable skirmishes between colonial privateers and the departing British fleet. These actions occurred two months after the British evacuation of Boston but while the Royal Navy still maintained a presence in the harbor’s outer waters.

The Capture of the Hope (May 17, 1776)
On May 17, Captain James Mugford of the colonial armed schooner Franklin captured the British transport ship Hope without a fight. The Hope had sailed from Ireland and was unaware that the British had abandoned Boston. It carried a highly valuable cargo, including roughly 1,500 barrels of gunpowder and an assortment of military stores desperately needed by the Continental Army.

The Battle of Shirley Gut (May 19, 1776)
Two days later, on May 19, the Franklin and another colonial vessel, the Lady Washington, became grounded in the tidal flats near Deer Island and Shirley Gut (between Winthrop and Point Shirley). British naval forces from a man-of-war ship anchored nearby launched an attack using 12 to 13 boats filled with armed men.

Despite being heavily outnumbered, the combined American crews repelled the British attack, sinking several of the enemy boats and killing a number of British sailors. However, Captain Mugford was mortally wounded during the hand-to-hand combat. His crew successfully defended the ships, and the Franklin floated free the next morning, carrying Mugford’s body back to Marblehead.

Source:nps.gov

On this date, the Fifth Virginia Revolutionary Convention met at the Capitol in Williamsburg and began debate on independence from the Crown. Although some delegates questioned whether the colonies should first secure foreign alliances before declaring independence, the growing demand for liberty and self-government will ultimately prevail. By formally directing its delegates to advocate for independence,

Meanwhile, with rumors of a growing loyalist plot taking hold in New York, Fairfield attorney, Connecticut House of Representatives member and patriot Jonathan Sturges sent a letter to George Washington warning that local militia had captured several men aboard a small sloop who confessed they were bound for Long Island to join British forces.

Sources:

https://www.lva.virginia.gov/collections/educator-resources/online-classroom/stc/entries/fifth-virginia-revolutionary-convention-called-for-independence-may-15-1776

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/4568168/on-this-day-the-american-defense-is-stretched-thin/

https://www.fairfieldhistory.org/fairfield-museum-exhibitions-commemorating-the-250th-anniversary-of-the-declaration-of-independence/

The American invasion of Quebec from August 1775 to July 1776 was driven by colonial fears of the province as a cultural and military threat and a simultaneous belief that it should join a unified American nation.

General Richard Montgomery advanced from Fort Ticonderoga, capturing key positions including Fort St. John’s and Montreal; meanwhile, The newly appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, George Washington ordered Colonel Benedict Arnold to lead an overland expedition through Maine to Quebec City, where his reduced force joined Montgomery’s troops. Together, they attempted an assault on December 31, 1775, but the attack failed disastrously due to harsh winter conditions and strong defenses, resulting in Montgomery’s death, Arnold’s wounding, and heavy American losses.

On May 6, 1776, the American siege of Quebec collapsed once British reinforcements arrived, marking the end of the failed invasion of Canada. Simultaneously, British reinforcements arrived in Quebec, forcing American troops to retreat.

Meanwhile, in Virginia, the House of Burgesses in Williamsburg met for the last time, ending 157 years of legislative history, as colonial governance shifted toward revolutionary, independent conventions.

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/american-revolution-faqs

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/maps/arnolds-expedition-quebec-city-sep-11-dec-31-1775

https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/revolutionary-war/250-years-ago-day

https://archive.org/details/adiscoursedeliv00griggoog

Connecticut – The “Provisions State”

With the exception of the raids along the coast and some British incursions into the interior, Connecticut remained free of major battles and was never occupied by the British. That, along with its rich farmland, meant the colony became a major supplier of food for Washington’s army.

In 1775, Joseph Trumbull, son of the governor, was appointed commissary general and tasked with overseeing supplies to the troops. His effectiveness at carrying out his duties proved to be pivotal to the army’s success, as hunger was a constant problem. Encamped at Valley Forge during a notoriously brutal winter, Washington desperately appealed to Trumbull for cattle to feed his men. When that herd finally arrived, it was supposedly “devoured within five days.”

“For the war as a whole, Connecticut’s total contribution of supplies greatly surpassed what could be expected from a state of such small size and population and earned it the title of “the Provisions State.” – The Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution

Between the growing rebellion in the American colonies and in his holdings in the Caribbean and elsewhere, King George grows worried that his army will be stretched too thin. He initially asks Catherine the Great of Russia to lend him a few thousand fighting men, but she turned him down with the excuse that she wouldn’t want anyone to think he couldn’t handle his own rebellions. Instead, George turns to the various states of Germany, and thus approximately 30,000 Hessians, from Hesse-Cassel and Hesse-Hanau, join the British to fight the rebelling colonists.

Described as “barbarous strangers” by writer and activist Mercy Warren of Massachusetts, the Hessians were actually landless, impoverished peasants rented to Britain by their landgrave, Frederick II. These soldiers were paid well, with the British doling out more money for Hessians who were killed rather than those wounded or captured.

General George Washington issues a series of General Orders, one warning that British troops who had recently evacuated Boston could arrive in New York at any moment.

Washington urged engineers to speed up fortifications, with additional soldiers assigned to help complete defensive works as quickly as possible.

Also on this day, John Adams noted in his diary growing concern over reports of secret correspondence between the British government and Maryland’s royal governor, Robert Eden.

In response, the Continental Congress ordered officials to seize both the governor and his papers, fearing his actions could threaten American liberty. This underscores the mounting tensions and deepening mistrust as the colonies moved closer to independence.