Posted on by joelarch

June 19, 1776

The Burlington County, NJ Courthouse built in 1796 still stands today. The courthouse bell, removed from the earlier courthouse where support for independence was authorized, was placed in the belfry and rang for liberty after the Declaration of Independence was signed.
https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/nj0353.photos.111245p

Just days after Connecticut endorsed independence, the Fourth Provincial Congress of New Jersey convened on June 19, 1776 in Burlington County and authorized the drafting of a new state constitution. This decisive step effectively dissolved royal authority in the colony and paved the way for New Jersey’s delegates to the Continental Congress to formally support independence.

While the people of Connecticut awaited word on whether the Continental Congress would take the final leap toward independence, towns and ports across the colony were already preparing for war.

With its long coastline and deep maritime tradition, naval defense had become a pressing priority for Connecticut. The colony had already established the Connecticut State Navy, a small but resolute force tasked with protecting coastal commerce and challenging British shipping along New England’s waters.

Rendering of the Connecticut Navy Brig Defence

One of the Connecticut State Navy’s most important vessels was the brigantine-of-war Defence. Purchased, outfitted, and armed by Connecticut, the ship entered service in the spring of 1776 under the command of Captain Seth Harding. By mid-June 1776, Defence had already proven her value, participating in the capture of two British transport vessels, the George and the Annabella—off the coast of Boston.

The Defence would later come under the command of Samuel Smedley of Fairfield, who used the vessel to pursue Loyalists attempting to cross Long Island Sound carrying intelligence and supplies that could aid British forces.

Sources:

https://www.facebook.com/61577395126628/posts/june-19-1776-new-jersey-breaks-with-the-crownby-mid-june-1776-the-colony-of-new-/122173670780913170/

https://www.americanrevolution.org/naval-history-1776-events/

https://allthingsliberty.com/

https://iconicnorwich.org/ocean-vessels/

https://www.co.burlington.nj.us/m/newsflash/home/detail/2770

Posted on by joelarch

June 14, 1776

On this day in 1776, Connecticut chose independence!

Governor Jonathan Trumbull called an emergency session, and the CT General Assembly officially instructed its delegates at the Second Continental Congress to push for freedom from Great Britain:

Resolved unanimously by this Assembly, That the Delegates of this Colony in General Congress be, and they are hereby, instructed to propose to that respectable body to declare the United American Colonies free and independent States, absolved from all allegiance to the King of Great Britain, and to give the assent of this Colony to such Declaration, when they shall judge it expedient and best, and to whatever measures may be thought proper and necessary by the Congress for forming foreign alliances, or any plan of operations for necessary and mutual defence; and, also, that they move and promote, as fast as may be convenient, a regular and permanent plan of Union and Confederation of the Colonies, for the security and preservation of their just rights and liberties, and for mutual defence and security, saving that the administration of Government and the power of forming Governments for, and the regulation of the internal concerns and police of each Colony, ought to be left and remain to the respective Colonial Legislatures, and also that such plan of Confederation be laid before such respective Legislatures for their previous consideration and assent.

Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, President of the Second Continental Congress John Hancock writes to George Washington to provide an update on the latest actions of Congress. Hancock’s correspondence informed Washington of Congress’s efforts to strengthen the colonies’ military readiness and create a more organized structure for directing the war effort, reflecting the increasing realization that the struggle for independence would require not only brave soldiers in the field but also effective leadership and administration behind the lines. With that goal in mind, the Department of War was created on June 12th; a critical step taken to improve the administration, supply, and coordination of the growing Continental Army.

Connecticut General Assembly formal resolution instructing their delegates to support independence
https://www.ccsu.edu/event/ct-1776-revolutionary-event
John Hancock (1737-1793) Signer of the Declaration of Independence, President of the Continental Congress (1775-77), Governor of Mass. (1780-85)
Yale University Art Gallery

Sources:

Pembroke College Oxford
https://www.quillproject.net/resource_collections/411/resource_item/36198

Ashbrook Center
https://americanfounding.org/entries/second-continental-congress-june-14-1776/

Posted on by joelarch

May 8, 1776

Momentum toward a complete separation from the British Crown was moving swiftly by the beginning of May quickly leaving behind any thoughts of reconciliation with the Mother Country. A few days before this date, Rhode Island, originally settled by fiercely independent refugees from Massachusetts Bay, boldly declared its own independence from Great Britain.

“The colony’s general assembly passed a resolution charging King George III with forgetting his dignity and entirely departing from the duties and character of a good king…endeavoring to destroy the good people of the colony, and of all the United Colonies, by sending fleets and armies to America”. (McMillan, pg 107)

And on this day in 1776, “Richard Henry Lee, the great statesman from Virginia, received alarming news that thousands of foreign mercenaries were heading to America to reinforce the British army… including Hessians, Hanoverians and Scotch Hollanders” (McMillan, pg 107)

Within days, eight of the thirteen colonies had pledged their support for pursuing independence. Though there were still five colonies that were withholding outright support for this cause, by the middle of May, the tide was clearly moving in the direction of independence.

A local reflection of this shift could be seen in the town of Fairfield where tolerance for loyalists (those who wished to remain loyal to the crown) was clearly waning as the patriot cause was growing (Connecticut was one of those eight colonies pledging support for independence). “In May of 1776, Benjamin Huntington informed his wife that thirty-nine loyalists were currently imprisoned in the Fairfield jail”. (Farnham, pg. 82)

A few years later, in 1779, Fairfield would pay a very high price for their support of independence at the hands of General Tryon and British and Hessian troops.

The Year that Made America McMillan,Tom Lyons Press, Essex CT. 2025

Fairfield- the Biography of a Community 1639 -1989 Farnam, Thomas J, Fairfield Historical Society, 1988

Posted on by pblagys

April 15, 1776

The British evacuation of Boston began on Sunday, March 17th sailing their forces to their naval base on Nova Scotia. General Washington made the decision to move his newly formed army to fortify New York City and, particularly, to establish control of the Hudson River. He correctly predicted that this would also be the goal of the British forces. The colonial exodus from Boston began in April of 1776.

Lacking the ships that the British had (Abigail Adams counted 170), Washington was forced to move his army over one of the branches of what were then known as the Post Roads. According to Patricia Q. Wall, in her book, Of Life & The American Revolution- The Journals of Joseph Knap of Stratford, CT 1761-1808, Governor Trumbull (the only colonial governor loyal to the patriot cause), requested that the troops follow the coastal road so that they may protect the colony should the enemy make any attempt to attack Connecticut.

The march would have been difficult and slow. Quill writes that in perfect weather, they could have expected to cover about twenty miles. But conditions were never this good as rain, and even snow, would have slowed their progress. For Fairfield (and Black Rock), the troops would have marched along what is today King’s Highway past where today we find Stop and Shop and then through the center of Fairfield on their way to Norwalk, and ultimately Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Residents living in this area in April of 1776 would surely have been busy supplying these troops with a host of provisions including food, shelter for some, firewood, hay for their horses, repairs for their wagons and much more. This must have been a very busy and tense time for these residents as the war, which had begun a year earlier, was quickly moving to their doorstep.