Page 1 of 4 LC : AWS : JAA 0011430248 HOUSE OF

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Page 1 of 4 LC : AWS : JAA 0011430248 HOUSE OF SPONSOR: Rep. Smith & Sen. Cook HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 143rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE BILL NO. 120 AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAWS OF DELAWARE RELATING TO THE ESTABLISHMENT AND DUTIES OF THE DELAWARE REVOLUTIONARY WAR MONUMENT COMMISSION. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE: 1 WHEREAS, Delaware takes justifiable pride in its status as the first state to ratify the Constitution of the United States of 2 America on December 7, 1787; and 3 WHEREAS, the state is equally proud, with equal justification, of the famous ride of Caesar Rodney to Philadelphia in 4 1776 to break an impasse among the Delaware delegation in support of the Declaration of Independence; and 5 WHEREAS, the great emphasis placed on these proud chapters in the state’s history, significant though they are, has 6 tended to obscure a perhaps even more illustrious part of Delaware’s Revolutionary War heritage, namely the part played by the 7 Delaware Regiment and other Delaware Continental Army troops between the activation of the original Delaware Regiment under 8 the command of Colonel John Haslet in January, 1776, and the cessation of hostilities in 1783; and 9 WHEREAS, many Delawareans, including most of our school children, know little or nothing about the important role 10 played by these Delaware troops in the Continental Army during the Revolution, men who were drawn from every corner, and from 11 all three counties, of our state; and 12 WHEREAS, unbeknownst to most Delaware citizens of the present day, the Delaware Regiment was considered by 13 contemporaries in the Continental Army to have been one of the finest, if not the finest, regiments in the entire army; and 14 WHEREAS, the late Delaware historian Christopher Ward, in his great 1940 work, The Delaware Continentals, admirably 15 summarized the record of these troops when he wrote 16 “From January, 1776, to January, 1783, this regiment had borne the burden of as hard service as was 17 ever imposed upon soldiers. For four years in the North and three years in the South these men had 18 marched in broken shoes or shoeless, on rutted roads and where there were no roads at all, through 19 mud and sand, through swamps and streams, in Summer’s heat and Winter’s cold, thousands of weary 20 miles. They had slept, or tried to sleep, in tents in zero weather, or without tents or any shelter, Page 1 of 4 LC : AWS : JAA 0011430248 21 without blankets or any covering, on the bare ground in rain and snow. They had gone without 22 clothing, food and drink, without pay for years on end. And they had fought in every battle, except 23 Princeton, in which Washington’s army in the North and Gates’s and Greene’s in the South had been 24 engaged; on Long Island, at White Plains, Mamaroneck, Trenton, Brandywine, Germantown, Fort 25 Mifflin, Monmouth, Stony Point, Paulus Hook, Camden, Cowpens, Guilford, Hobkirk’s Hill, Ninety- 26 Six, Eutaw Springs, Yorktown, and in skirmishes and minor engagements without number. They had 27 met on the field of battle, bayonet to bayonet, the veterans of Great Britain and of Germany, the best 28 soldiers the world could furnish. 29 Time after time they had been chosen for the most difficult and dangerous service, at advance 30 posts in battle and as rear-guards in retreat. They had been beaten again and again, but never disgraced. 31 They had been publicly thanked by their general commanders and by the Congress. Their comrades in 32 arms and the contemporary historians had praised them unstintingly, and they had been applauded by 33 all writers of the history of the Revolution from that time to this. 34 Haslet, their colonel in the first year, and Kirkwood, their commander after Camden, have been 35 singled out of the multitude of Revolutionary regimental officers for especial commendation by all 36 who have recorded the military events of those seven years . 37 The regiment was few in numbers, never, in battle, more than 550, as at Long Island, and, at the 38 last, less than 100 as at Eutaw Springs. But, even at its fewest, it was a force to be reckoned with. 39 Forged on the anvil of hardship under the hammer of experience, the Delaware Regiment was a 40 weapon which any of the great captains of history would have been glad to launch at his foe. It is not 41 too much to say that no other single regiment in the American army had a longer and more continuous 42 term of service, marched more miles, suffered greater hardships, fought in more battles or achieved 43 greater distinction than this one of Delaware.” (Christopher Ward, The Delaware Continentals, pp. 44 483-484); and 45 WHEREAS, despite this remarkable record of achievement, a record which was of inestimable value in the establishment 46 and survival of the Delaware State, the story of these fine Delaware patriots and their unparalleled sacrifices for freedom and 47 democracy is largely forgotten among rank and file Delawareans of the present day; and Page 2 of 4 LC : AWS : JAA 0011430248 48 WHEREAS, most, if not all, of the original states of the United States have suitable monuments and statuary on the 49 grounds or within the walls of their state capitol buildings which stand as permanent reminders of the importance of the role played 50 by their state’s troops in the Revolution; and 51 WHEREAS, Delaware, whose troops established one of the proudest records of service of any in the entire struggle, has no 52 such historical monument or statue; thereby denying our citizens, most particularly our school children, hundreds of whom visit 53 Legislative Hall each year, an opportunity to learn of and be instructed by the great achievements of our forefathers; and 54 WHEREAS, a number of suitable locations are to be found on the grounds of Legislative Hall on which to place a proper 55 historical monument or statue commemorating the great achievements of the troops of the Delaware Line; 56 NOW, THEREFORE: 57 Section 1. The purpose of this Act is to establish on the grounds of Legislative Hall a commemoration to the Delaware troops 58 who fought in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War by erecting a monument or a statue, along with appropriate 59 descriptive material, of a Delaware Continental soldier, which accurately represents the dress, arms, and accoutrements of the 60 soldier for that time period. 61 Section 2. The Delaware Revolutionary War Monument Commission is hereby established to plan, coordinate, and implement 62 the erection of a Continental soldier monument or statue on the grounds of Legislative Hall. The Commission consists of: 63 (1) one member appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; 64 (2) one member appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate; 65 (3) one member who is the Director of Legislative Council, or the Director's designee; 66 (4) one member who is the Director of the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, or the Director's designee; 67 (5) one member who is the Director of the Delaware Public Archives; 68 (6) one member who is the chair of the Delaware Heritage Commission, who shall serve as chair of this Commission; 69 (7) one member who is the president of the Delaware Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, or the president's 70 designee; 71 (8) one member who is the president of the Delaware State Society Daughters of the American Revolution, or the 72 president's designee; and 73 (9) one member who is the Adjutant General of the Delaware National Guard, or the Adjutant General's designee. 74 Section 3. The Delaware Revolutionary War Monument Commission shall exist until such time as its purpose is fulfilled. Page 3 of 4 LC : AWS : JAA 0011430248 SYNOPSIS This Act creates the Delaware Revolutionary War Monument Commission, which is charged with placing a monument or statue on the grounds of Legislative Hall to commemorate the heroism and sacrifice of the Delaware troops who fought with the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. The idea of having a statue honoring Delaware’s Revolutionary War Soldiers at Legislative Hall has been presented to two Delaware first grade classes. The students thought a law to bring this about was a good idea and have enthusiastically endorsed this bill. The classes are Mrs. Elsje Kumpon’s First Grade of Room 105, Mount Pleasant Elementary School in the Brandywine School District and Mrs. Grace Overstreet’s First Grade Class 1A of Holy Cross Elementary School in Dover. The members of Mrs. Kumpon’s class are: The members of Mrs. Overstreet’s class are: Benjamin Smith Lauren Alava Brett Leichtman Kaitlyn Bergold Duncan McRae Nicholas Biddle Eric Moore Kayce Boller Elysia Stevenson Mark Bonnie Harrison Borders Gwendolyn Borer Hewitt Hallberg Madison Cole Jack Marshall Morgan Cook Jacob Newschaffer Lindsay Cote Jan van Amerogen Lauren Derocili Janice Scott Matthew Gsell Melody Zheng Marissa Johnson Nathan Nickerson Mikayla Kremer Nayah Tilghman Darien Manges Patricia Tse Joshua McNulty Rachel Loney Adam Messner Rachel Ragan Tyler Moore Thomas Lam Hannah Morris Madison Northshield Joanna Petrosky Evan Postle Gabrielle Renzi Elizabeth Schofield Page 4 of 4 LC : AWS : JAA 0011430248.
Recommended publications
  • Delaware in the American Revolution (2002)
    Delaware in the American Revolution An Exhibition from the Library and Museum Collections of The Society of the Cincinnati Delaware in the American Revolution An Exhibition from the Library and Museum Collections of The Society of the Cincinnati Anderson House Washington, D. C. October 12, 2002 - May 3, 2003 HIS catalogue has been produced in conjunction with the exhibition, Delaware in the American Revolution , on display from October 12, 2002, to May 3, 2003, at Anderson House, THeadquarters, Library and Museum of the Society of the Cincinnati, 2118 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, D. C. 20008. It is the sixth in a series of exhibitions focusing on the contributions to the American Revolution made by the original 13 he season loudly calls for the greatest efforts of every states and the French alliance. Tfriend to his Country. Generous support for this exhibition was provided by the — George Washington, Wilmington, to Caesar Rodney, Delaware State Society of the Cincinnati. August 31, 1777, calling for the assistance of the Delaware militia in rebuffing the British advance to Philadelphia. Collections of the Historical Society of Delaware Also available: Massachusetts in the American Revolution: “Let It Begin Here” (1997) New York in the American Revolution (1998) New Jersey in the American Revolution (1999) Rhode Island in the American Revolution (2000) Connecticut in the American Revolution (2001) Text by Ellen McCallister Clark and Emily L. Schulz. Front cover: Domenick D’Andrea. “The Delaware Regiment at the Battle of Long Island, August 27, 1776.” [detail] Courtesy of the National Guard Bureau. See page 11. ©2002 by The Society of the Cincinnati.
    [Show full text]
  • Appendix a Detailed Historical Research in Support of the Battle of the Clouds Project
    Appendix A Detailed Historical Research in Support of the Battle of the Clouds Project Detailed Historical Research in Support of the Battle of the Clouds Project Robert Selig, Thomas J. McGuire, and Wade Catts, 2013 American Battlefield Protection Program Grant GA-2255-12-005 Prepared for Chester County Planning. John Milner Associates, Inc., West Chester, PA Compiled August 17, 2013 This document contains a compilation of technical questions posed by the County of Chester as part of a project funded by the American Battlefield Protection Program in 2013 to research and document the Battle of the Clouds which took place September 16, 1777. Nineteen questions were developed in order to produce a technical report containing details of the battle such as order of battle, areas of engagement, avenues of approach and retreat, and encampment areas. Research was conducted by John Milner Associates of West Chester under the guidance of Wade Catts and his research team consisting of Dr. Robert Selig and Thomas J. McGuire. Due to the obscurity of the battle and the lack of detailed first-hand accounts, some of the questions could not be answered conclusively and are so noted. Following is a summary of the questions: Intro Q1 - Were the troop strengths in this battle the same as Brandywine? After Brandywine Q2 - Did George Washington make his headquarters at the Stenton House in Germantown during the Continental encampment on September 13? Q3 - Were any troops left to cover Levering’s Ford or Matson’s Ford after Washington crossed back to the west
    [Show full text]
  • 114Th PENNSYLVANIA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY
    TThhee DDEELLAAWWAARREE RREEGGIIMMEENNTT Of the American Revolution CITIZENS ARISE! LIBERTY and INDEPENDANCE! COL JOHN HASLET’S DELAWARE REGIMENT History of the DELAWARE REGIMENT The Delaware Regiment was approved by the Continental Congress in 1776 and commanded by Colonel John Haslet. With the death of Col. Haslet at the battle of Princeton in 1777, David Hall was made Colonel and commander of the Regiment, followed by Col. Kirkwood in 1780. The Regiment has a long battle record, and participated in long marches up and down the Eastern coast. Engagements included Long Island, White Plains, Mamaronek, Trenton, Brandywine, German town, Monmouth, Camden, Cowpens, Guilford Courthouse, Hobkirk’s Hill, Ninety-Six, Eutaw Springs, and Yorktown. The Delaware earned unstinted praise for steadfastness and valor. Captain Enoch Anderson tells us “Let it be observed here, once and for all, the Delaware Regiment was never broken, no, not in the hottest fire!” General Henry Lee declared, “No Regiment in the Army surpasses it in soldiership!” Their enemies knew the Delawares as “The Regiment Sterling”. Contemporary chronicles acclaimed the Delaware Regiment as the most efficient in the Continental Army. DELAWARE REGIMENT Information National Membership in Delaware, California and other states Members of the Brigade of the American Revolution (www.brigade.org/) DELAWARE REGIMENT Northern California Clerk John Hess [email protected] (530) 620-5017 Currently 14 Northern Calif. Delaware members Additional 33rd Reg. of Foot and volunteers Delaware Regiment Website: www.delawareregiment.org DELAWARE REGIMENT Mission The mission of the DELAWARE REGIMENT is educating the public about the American Revolution, igniting interest in American History, and having fun.
    [Show full text]
  • Focusing on Firsts: Delaware Doctor Was First U.S
    Focusing on Firsts: Delaware Doctor Was First U.S. Army Surgeon General By Stacey Inglis elawareans have become accustomed to being first. We have bragging rights. Caesar Rodney made certain of D that when he rode through the night, signed his name and established Delaware as the First State. In fact, for five or so celebratory days, Delaware basked in the glory of being the only state. Pennsylvania was second, and New Jersey third, to ratify and claim statehood. Since the time of ratification and setting the standard of firsts, Delaware has had a series of them. Delaware’s first permanent doctor was Tyman Stidham, a Swede who came over with Governor Risingh, landing at Fort Casimir (New Castle) on May 21, 1654.1 On June 21, 1768 medical honors were conferred for the first time in America. Ten gentlemen received their Bachelor of Medicine degrees on this occasion and three of the men were from (what would become) Delaware. Not even a country yet, or a state for that matter, and we had three doctors in the first graduating class in the first medical school; John Archer of New Castle, James Tilton of Kent County and Nicholas Way of Wilmington.2 Original bronze sculpture of James Tilton, M.D. One of those three men went on to achieve a lion’s share of firsts. by sculptress Olga Nielsen in 2017. It’s a name familiar to the medical community in the First State: Dr. James Tilton. Tilton was a founder and first President of the Medical Society of Delaware, incorporated in 1789.3 In a letter to George Washington (you know, the first President of the recently elected the first President of the Medical Society of Delaware:4 established United States) dated February 15, 1787, Tilton shared “…..contrary to my opinion & inclination, the state society have the news with his friend, announcing to him that he had been hitherto continued to elect me their President.” Tilton was born on a farm in Duck Creek in Kent County, Delaware, which at the time was still one of the three lower counties of Pennsylvania.
    [Show full text]
  • 1St Delaware Regiment H About 7:30 on the Morning of January 3, 1777, I Was with Washington’S Army South of Princeton After Marching All Night from Trenton
    HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH From the Permanent Collection of the Delaware Historical Society - “Drumbeat of a Nation” by Stanley Arthurs HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Colonel John Haslet 7 1st Delaware Regiment H About 7:30 on the morning of January 3, 1777, I was with Washington’s army south of Princeton after marching all night from Trenton. Washington gave out orders for the attack on the town of Princeton. I, with the few men left in my regiment, was to march with General Mercer’s brigade and follow the main army up a little used road called the Sawmill Road. A little after 8:00 am we passed the house of Quaker farmer Thomas Clarke and learned that a group of British light cavalry had been seen on a hill top about a mile away on the main road to Trenton. Believing this was a morning patrol from the village, Mercer was ordered to take some troops and cross the farm fields to cut off the patrol before it could alert the British troops in Princeton to our approach. As we proceeded to cross the fields, I was concerned that Mercer did not send scouts ahead. However, I marched on foot at the side of Mercer on his horse. Marching was not easy for me because I had fallen into the icy Delaware River the night after the Battle of Trenton on December 26 when we returned to Pennsylvania. This had caused my legs to swell and I was still in great dis- comfort. Nothing, however, was going to stop my leading the mere handful of troops left in my regiment in this battle.
    [Show full text]
  • Battle of Long Island - Wikipedia
    Battle of Long Island - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Long_Island Coordinates: 40°39′58″N 73°57′58″W From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Battle of Long Island is also known as the Battle of Brooklyn and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights. It was Battle of Long Island fought on August 27, 1776 and was the first major battle of Part of the American Revolutionary War the American Revolutionary War to take place after the United States declared its independence on July 4, 1776. It was a victory for the British Army and the beginning of a successful campaign that gave them control of the strategically important city of New York. In terms of troop deployment and fighting, it was the largest battle of the entire war. After defeating the British in the Siege of Boston on March 17, 1776, commander-in-chief General George Washington brought the Continental Army to defend the port city of New York, then limited to the southern end of Manhattan The Delaware Regiment at the Battle of Long Island Island. Washington understood that the city's harbor would Date August 27, 1776 provide an excellent base for the British Navy during the campaign, so he established defenses there and waited for Location Kings County, Long Island, New York the British to attack. In July, the British under the command 40°39′58″N 73°57′58″W of General William Howe landed a few miles across the Result British victory[1] harbor from Manhattan on the sparsely-populated Staten Island, where they were slowly reinforced by ships in Belligerents Lower New York Bay during the next month and a half, United States bringing their total force to 32,000 troops.
    [Show full text]
  • Trails Lead to New York State the Birth of Our Great Nation Started in New York State New York State: the Crossroads of History
    ® All Trails Lead To New York State The birth of our great nation started in New York State New York State: The Crossroads of History In colonial and revolutionary In the Battle of New York, Britain Map of the 13 Colonies 1775 MASS America, New York Sate nearly defeated George Washington was at the crossroads of the and the American Revolution, but growing nation and history. Washington rallied his battered army NH and set a standard for dedicated, self- That is because the men and women less public service that remains the NY who helped shape our modern world ideal of democracy everywhere. MASS came to New York and crossed paths: Sagarawithra, the chief of the A young African-American, James CON Tuscarora Indian Nation, led his Forten, came to New York as a Brit- RI people north to New York to join ish prisoner of war, and escaped to the Iroquois Confederacy, and safety, fight for the freedom and equality PA NJ peace and freedom. promised in the Declaration of In- dependence by founding the Ameri- Inspired by a visit to the Iroquois can Anti-Slavery Society. Margaret MD Confederacy, Benjamin Franklin Corbin came with her husband to DEL came to New York, the battleground New York, eager to serve, too, only to of the continent, to issue a call for a fall wounded in a desperate battle. VA colonial union to fight France, the first glimmer of the idea that became Those crossroads and crossed paths the United States. French General also brought great villains like Montcalm marched his army south Benedict Arnold, who gave his name into New York, only to predict in to treason and treachery.
    [Show full text]
  • Objectives Ofnote
    Lehigh Preserve Institutional Repository The coalition of the two brothers : Caesar and Thomas Rodney and the making of the American Revolution in Delaware Decker, Ann 2006 Find more at https://preserve.lib.lehigh.edu/ This document is brought to you for free and open access by Lehigh Preserve. It has been accepted for inclusion by an authorized administrator of Lehigh Preserve. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Decker, Ann The Coalition of the Two Brothers: Caesar and Thomas Rodney and the Making of the American ... January 2006 The Coalition ofthe Two Brothers: Caesar and Thomas Rodney and the Making ofthe American Revolution in Delaware by Ann Decker A Thesis Presented to the Graduate and Research Committee ofLehigh University in Candidacy for the Degree of Master ofArts In History Lehigh University December, 2005 Table ofContents 1. Abstract. Page 1 2. Introduction Page 2 3. Biographies ofCaesar and Thomas Rodney Page 10 4. Delaware and Pennsylvania Page 16 5. Delaware Politics: A Background Page 24 6. 1774 Page 33 7. 1775 Page 46 8. 1776 Page 55 9. Presidency and Decline Page 76 10. Conclusion Page 80 11. Bibliography Page 85 12. Vita Page 89 111 Abstract The majority ofpeople in Delaware prior to the American Revolution were conservative by nature and were either opposed to the idea ofseparation from Great Britain or did not believe such a conflict could be won. Only New Castle County, heavily dominated by Presbyterians, could be relied upon to support the principles of independence~both Kent and Sussex Counties would have preferred to remain aloof from the conflict For the American Revolution to succeed in Delaware, at least two of Delaware's three counties had to accept the principles ofindependence, which meant that leaders from the counties ofeither Kent or Sussex had to join with their brethren in New Castle.
    [Show full text]
  • Charge of the 63 Regiment of Foot up Hobkirk's Hill Gen. Nathanael
    Vol. 5 No. 2.0___________________________________________________ __Second Edition 2008 Charge of the 63d Regiment of Foot up Hobkirk’s Hill Gen. Nathanael Greene Orders off the Cannon Artist Pamela Patrick White depicts the moment that Capt. John Smith and his Irish Light Infantry provides cover for the cannon’s crew to draw Greene’s 6-pounder off of the Hobkirk’s Hill battlefield. The original painting is on public display in the lobby at Carolina First Bank at 315 East DeKalb Street in Camden, SC. “As above mentioned the artillery had just come up as the battle began. The guns were merely unhooked from the limbers or fore-wheels and let down to fire on the enemy. The horses were not unharnessed, nor had the boys that drove them dismounted, but only removed a short distance from the cannon and now seeing a general retreat of the American Army attempted to get through the woods without going out into and along the road. They soon got them entangled among the trees and could not get along, but cut their horses and fled leaving the limbers of both pieces of cannon in the woods where they were found by the British and taken. Under the circumstances Genl Greene galloped up to Capt John Smith and ordered him to fall into the rear and save the cannon. Smith instantly came and found the artillerymen hauling off the pieces with the drag-ropes; he and his men laid hold and off they went in a trot, but had not gone far until he discovered that the British cavalry were in pursuit.
    [Show full text]
  • Ten Crucial Days Order of Battle
    The following tables are from TEN CRUCIAL DAYS: Washington's Vision for Victory Unfolds by William L. Kidder (Knox Press) 2019 ©All Rights Reserved American Troops in South Jersey – December 25, 1776 Griffin’s Brigade, New Jersey Militia (Col. Samuel Griffin, Virginia) - 497 1st Cumberland County Regiment (Col. Silas Newcomb) 2nd Cumberland County Regiment (Col. David Potter) 1st Gloucester County Regiment (Col. Enos Seeley) 2nd Gloucester County Regiment (Col. Joseph Ellis) Captain Zephaniah Steelman, Forest Belanger, James Giberson 3rd Gloucester County Regiment (Col. Richard Somers) 1st Salem County Regiment (Col. Samuel Dick) 2nd Salem County Regiment (Col. John Holme) Virginia Artillery (2 companies) Source: Smith, Trenton, 29. ALL NEW JERSEY MILITIA REGIMENTS were in disarray in December 1776 due to structural changes made during the months of the New York campaign and the formation of the five-month levies, whose enlistments expired at the end of November. All these regiments should be considered as partial and commanding officers may not have been present. 1 British Troops at Trenton and Bordentown area on December 25, 1776 Trenton Rall’s Hessian Brigade (Col. Johann Rall) –1382 Rall Regiment (Lt. Col. Balthasar Brethauer) – 512 effective Major Johann Matthaeus, Captain Henrich Bocking, Lieutenant Colonel Batthas Brethauer, Captain Johann Brubach, Lieutenant Johann Sternickle Knyphausen Regiment (Maj. Friedrich Ludwig von Dechow) – 429 effective Major Friedrich von Dechow, Captain Friedrich von Biesenrodt, Lieutenant Andreas Wiederholdt, Henrich Kothe, Corporal Kustner Von Lossberg Regiment (Lt. Col. Francis Scheffer) – 345 Major Ludwig von Hanstein, Captain Ernst Altenbockum, Staff Captain Friedrich Wilhelm von Benning, Captain Emanuel von Wilmousky, Lieutenant George Christian Kimm, Lieutenant Jacob Piel, Lieutenant Ernst Schwabe, Second Lieutenant Georg Hermann Zoll, Ensign Friedrich Grabe, Ensign Christian von Hobe, Friedrich Hartmann, Kurt Mensing, Philip Obenhausen, Freidrich Wilhelm Oliva Jagers, 1 company (Capt.
    [Show full text]
  • Philadelphia, 1776-1778
    "<L/T T>iary of Trifling Occurrences" Philadelphia, 1776-1778 ERHAPS the most eminently suitable, satisfactory, and gener- ally pleasing Philadelphia wedding of 1772 took place on P St. Patrick's Day, when Sarah Logan became the wife of Thomas Fisher. As representative members of two of the wealthiest and most respected Quaker families in the city, bride and groom had so much in common that all their friends prophesied and accurately forecast an ideally happy union. Thomas, ten years senior to his twenty-one-year-old bride, was the oldest son of Joshua Fisher, a leading merchant and shipowner. Together with his brothers Samuel, Miers, and Jabez, Thomas was a partner with his father in the formidable firm of Joshua Fisher & Sons. Marriages with prominent families strengthened the Fishers' position. Thomas' sister Lydia married Thomas Gilpin, canal pioneer and an original member of the American Philosophical Society, and, except for Jabez, who died a bachelor, all of Thomas' brothers mar- ried well. This circumstance, allied with business ability and dis- tinguished character, established the Fisher clan, which had come to Philadelphia as recently as 1746, as one of the community's out- standing families before the outbreak of the Revolution. Thomas Fisher was a small man with an easy manner, capable in all that he undertook, and, ultimately, the head of the Fisher firm. He carried a Malacca cane and dressed remarkably well, usually wearing a square-cut coat, knee breeches with silver buckles, and a shovel hat. Handsome and gentlemanly, Thomas was a good Quaker, although not a particularly strict one.
    [Show full text]
  • Finding Aid on Prisoners of War
    David Library of the American Revolution Finding Aid on Prisoners of War including the Peter Force Collection: Prisoner-of-War Papers (William Augustus Atlee Papers; Lancaster Committee of Safety Papers and Minutes Transcripts; Lists of Prisoners) Johannes Schwalm Historical Association Collection: (Prisoner-of-War Papers from Thomas Bradford Papers and Elias Boudinot Papers) Elias Boudinot Letterbook 1777-1778 Horatio Gates Papers: Prisoner-of-War Returns Prepared by David Swain, Volunteer Researcher, December 2016 Table of Contents Manuscript Sources—Prisoner-of-War Papers 1 Peter Force Collection (Library of Congress) 1 Johannes Schwalm Historical Association Collection (Historical Society of Pennsylvania; Library of Congress) 2 Elias Boudinot Letterbook (State Historical Society 3 of Wisconsin) Horatio Gates Papers (New York Historical Society) 4 General Index 5 Introduction 13 Overview 13 Untangling the Categories of Manuscripts from their 15 Interrelated Sources People Involved in Prisoner-of-War Matters 18 Key People 19 Elias Boudinot 20 Thomas Bradford 24 William Augustus Atlee 28 Friendships and Relationships 31 American Prisoner-of-War Network and System 32 Lancaster Committee of Safety Papers and Minutes 33 Prisoner-of-War Lists 34 References 37 Annotated Lists of Contents: 41 Selected Prisoner-of-War Documents William Augustus Atlee Papers 1758-1791 41 (Peter Force Collection, Series 9, Library of Congress) LancasterCommittee of safety Papers 1775-1777 97 (Peter Force Collection, Series 9, Library of Congress)
    [Show full text]