Admiral Washington?
Blissful Washington’s birthday, or near Washington’s birthday, at any price. Since 1879, the third Monday in February has been celebrated as a federal vacation in america in honor of the Founding Father George Washington, who led the Continental Military to victory within the American Revolutionary Battle, presided on the Constitutional Conference of 1787, and was elected the primary US president. (In lots of states, the third Monday can also be celebrated as “President’s Day”.)
The third Monday was chosen to offer federal workers a three-day weekend. This yr the vacation fell on February nineteenth. George Washington was really born on February 11, 1731, utilizing the Julian calendar or February 22, 1732, primarily based on the Gregorian calendar, which was adopted by the British in 1851, inflicting a lot confusion to all involved.
So we’re near the anniversay of Washington’s birthday, at any time when you could rejoice the occasion, and accordingly, it appears worthwhile to look again on Normal George Washington’s navy of 1775 and 1776.
Washington was given command of the Continental Military on June seventeenth, 1775. The American military had surrounded and outnumbered the British military in Boston, however lacked muskets, flints and gunpowder, in addition to most different provides. The British, however, have been nicely equipped by sea. There have been, nonetheless, quick schooners accessible in close by Gloucester and Washington noticed the chance to raid the British provide traces and provide his troops on the British expense.
In all Washington would ship a complete of eight armed schooners out to prey on British provide vessels. Oddly, these ships have been neither privateers nor a part of the as but unformed Continental Navy. They have been, as an alternative, a part of the Continental Military and of their 26 months of service, they’d seize 55 enemy ships.
Washington started by chartering the 78-ton schooner Hannah from John Glover of Marblehead for “one Greenback pr Ton pr Month.” A crew of 43 was recruited and on September 2, 1775, Washington commissioned Nicholson Broughton captain “within the Military of the United Colonies of North America,” in charge of the Hannah.
Captain Broughton would have a decidedly combined profession, proving more practical at capturing American owned ships than British transports.
John Manley, captain of the schooner Lee, would do a lot better. Captain Manley captured the British brigantine Nancy, loaded with tons of ordnance and navy shops supposed for British troops, on November 28, 1775. The cargo included 2,000 muskets with bayonets, 105,000 flints, over 10,000 spherical shot, and one giant 13″ brass mortar, in addition to all of the gear to produce a a power of two thousand regulars within the subject.
To study extra of “Admiral” Washington’s navy, I can advocate James Nelson’s George Washington’s Secret Navy – How the American Revolution Went to Sea and Chester G. Hearn’s George Washington’s Schooners: The First American Navy.
