Lenoir Rhyne College - Hacawa Yearbook (Hickory, NC)

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eed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient

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Yes, we must indeed all hang together or most assuredly we shall all hang separately. Benjamin Franklin 1776 %ti -, iAt»rt, Poor planning also sent them with no provisions for food or extended ammunition. Early in the morning General Gage ordered the gunboats to lay seige to the Hill. After an all morning shelling, the city of Charlestown was ablaze, and even seasoned troops would have been justified in giving ground. The green American troops re- mained, however, forcing the British troops to cross the Charles River and begin a frontal assault. Three times the Americans repelled the attack; finally, having spent their ammunition, they re- treated across the small neck of the Peninsula to the safety of the mainland. It had been a costly lesson for the British; of the 2,300 men in the assault, 1,054 were dead or wounded. Had the British chosen to cut off the retreat route, it would have been a costly blow to the American cause; however, governed as they were by the gentlemanly tradition of warfare they had known in countless wars with the French, the English chose instead to gallantly assault the en- trenched Americans from the front. As a result, the British marched with honor to defeat. If vic- tory was ever to be theirs, English generals would have to alter their tactics. On the same day in Philadelphia the Second Continental Congress also made history. John Adams presented before the delegates his Grand Plan for a Continental Army, consisting of sol- diers from every colony. He went on to nominate Colonel George Washington as its commanding general. Discussion lasted two days before Thomas Jeffer- son, presiding that day as head of the Congress, was asked to inform George Washington, Esq. of the unanimous vote ... to be Commanding Gen- eral and Commander-in-Chief of the forces to be raised in defense of American liberty. Washington, concerned about his inexperience with such an extensive and important trust, accepted the responsibility with humility and some reservation. As no pecuniary considera- tion could have tempted me to have accepted this arduous employment . . ., ' he stated, I do not wish to make a profit from it. The Congress made one final effort in July, 1775, to settle the differences between the Crown and the colonies. The Olive Branch petition, as it was called, was signed by 25 of the same men who a year later would sign the Declaration of Inde- pendence. King George refused to see the bearer of this document, William Penn ' s grandson, Richard. rs in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, i

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General Washington worked through the fall of ' 75, reviewing his military assets and liabilities. He visited the various commanders and built con- fidence in his chain of command. Recruiting was difficult because many had enlisted for only eight months and would have to be talked into re-enlisting. The only arms they had were their personal rifles. The present extent of Washing- ton ' s artillery was that captured from the British at Ticonderoga, 300 wilderness miles away from Boston where it was needed. During the December 31st attack on the citadel city of Quebec, a devastating defeat was suffered by the American armies in the north and many fine troops were wasted in the deadly cold and snow. General Richard Montgomery was killed and Colonel Benedict Arnold was wounded. It was a demoralized force that retreated back through the ice and snow down the St. Lawrence to old Fort Ticonderoga that January, and only through the courage displayed by Arnold were they able to persevere. Later that spring the Brit- ish sent a flotilla with additional men into Canada. In Boston, General Howe quietly replaced Gen- eral Gage as British Commander. While Boston lay blockaded to the East, and the Northern armies of Benedict Arnold licked their wounds and tried to regroup after defeat, the Con- tinental Congress debated what the next course of action should be for the colonies in their relation- ship with England. Conservatives were afraid that any further talk of Independence would mean suicide for the col- onies. They argued that it had been the English Parliament and not the King that had injured them. About this time, the Englishman Thomas Paine, newcomer to the colonies and friend of Ben Franklin, issued a pamphlet entitled Common Sense. Here for the first time the thoughts John Adams had voiced were articulated in every day language for everyone to read. An attack on the very institution of Royalty, Common Sense helped promote the idea of independence as a concept to be sought by all people. Early in the spring of 1776, King George ' s mes- sage to Parliament reached the colonies. The few remaining conservative elements in Congress who believed a reconciliation was possible were most disturbed. The colonies protest for rights was labeled a desperate conspiracy to establish an independent empire. England hired mercenaries from central Germany to fight in the colonies under the British flag. The only good news that spring was that Henry Knox, with a group of teamsters and oxen, had delivered 59 excellent field pieces of every des- cription and size to Boston after weeks of journey through treacherous snow from Fort Ticonderoga. After one surprise bombardment, the British eva- cuated their troops from Boston. The Americans ' joy was overshadowed by the realization that the British would return. perhaps landing. Accepting resolutions from the delegates of the thirteen colonies. Congress appointed a com- mittee to draft a response to the Crown, against such time as a vote for independence should take place. Forming the committee were John Adams, cousin of the militant Sam Adams; Benjamin Franklin, the learned doctor, printer, statesman and writer; causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, wh