Today in Ranger history

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Re: Today in Ranger history

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From Tara Ross:

On this day in 1776, one of George Washington’s personal guards is hanged for sedition and treachery. Thomas Hickey had been involved in an effort to undermine the Continental army—he may even have considered kidnapping and assassinating General Washington!

It was a tumultuous time. Washington’s army was defending New York: No easy task! The city still contained Loyalists, and Washington worried that some of them were furtively helping the British. At Washington’s request, a secret committee was established to confer “on the dangers to which this Colony is exposed from its intestine enemies.”

Soon, a plot against the army—and even against Washington personally—was brought to light. An early source of information was a Loyalist then in custody, Isaac Ketcham.

Ketcham had learned of the plot while he was confined at city hall with Hickey, a Continental soldier and a member of Washington’s personal guard. Until then, of course, no one knew that Hickey was involved in a plot against the army. His confinement at city hall had been on a completely unrelated charge of passing counterfeit bills of credit. But then Hickey made the mistake of trying to recruit Ketcham to his cause. Hickey told Ketcham that “the [British] Fleet was soon expected, & that he & a Number of others were in a Choir to turn against the American Army when the King’s Troops should arrive, & ask’d [Ketcham] to be one of them.”

At that point, the plans against the army probably were not very far advanced; however, they may have included such tactics as destroying Patriot arms and ammunition, spiking Patriot guns, or even assassinating Washington. Ketcham was “of opinion they have not as yet fixed any plan of operation; that sometimes they talk, when the fleet arrives, of cutting down King’s Bridge . . . .” He reported that the King was “offering free pardon . . . [and also] land and houses.”

Further investigation showed that the plot was apparently being orchestrated by the Royal Governor, aided and abetted by others in the city, including the Loyalist mayor.

“Many Citizens & others,” Washington reported to John Hancock, “among whom is the Mayor, are now in confinement—the matter has been traced up to Governor Tryon & the Mayor appears to have been a principal agent or go between him and the persons concerned in It—The plot had been communicated to some of the Army, and part of my Guard engaged in It . . . .”

Ultimately, many people were taken into custody, but Hickey took the brunt of the punishment. He was a soldier in the army, while many of the others were not. He was brought before a hastily convened court martial, which found Hickey guilty of “Sedition and mutiny, and also of holding a treach’rous correspondence with the enemy, for the most horrid and detestable purposes.”

Hickey was sentenced to be hanged on June 28.

Washington ordered his army to be present at the hanging. He hoped that “this example will . . . deter others from entering into the like traiterous practices.” Ultimately, almost 20,000 people attended Hickey’s hanging.

It had been a close call! What if a plot to assassinate Washington had succeeded, just as the Continental Congress was about to declare our independence? Could the Revolution have been over, practically before it started?
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Re: Today in Ranger history

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On this date in Ranger History: July 1, 1974 -- 1st Battalion (Ranger), 75th Infantry parachutes into Fort Stewart, Georgia. Recognizing the need for a highly trained and mobile reaction force, the Chief of Staff of the Army, Gen. Creighton Abrams, in the fall of 1973, directed the activation of the first battalion sized Ranger unit since World War II. The unit consisted of highly motivated Airborne Ranger qualified personnel.

Headquarters, Forces Command issued General Order 127, directing the activation of the 1st Battalion (Ranger), 75th Infantry, with the effective date of January 31, 1974. Selection continued from March through June 1974, as personnel assembled at Fort Benning, Georgia. The cadre training was also conducted. On July 1, the battalion parachuted into Fort Stewart, Georgia where they were stationed until moving to Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia in September 1978.

Rangers Lead the Way!
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Re: Today in Ranger history

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From Tara Ross:

On this day in 1776, the Continental Congress adopts our Declaration of Independence. It had already resolved on July 2 that “these United Colonies are, and, of right, ought to be, Free and Independent States . . . .” Now it formally adopted a written document, too.

It took nearly a month to write the Declaration! You may know that Thomas Jefferson was the primary author, but he had help, too.

What is the rest of the story?

On June 11, Congress nominated a “Committee of Five” to draft a declaration. This committee did not leave a written record of its deliberations. Instead, the accounts we have were written many years later, when memories had faded. Many of them were conflicting. We may never know exactly how our Declaration was drafted, but we can get a general idea of the series of events.

The Committee apparently started by holding several meetings in which it created a high-level outline of what the document should say. Then, according to John Adams’s later recollection, the Committee of Five appointed a subcommittee of Adams and Jefferson. Adams declined to draft the document. Jefferson remembered it a bit differently. He remembered being appointed, directly, by the Committee. (See July 2 history post.)

Diary entries and such partially support both men’s recollections . . . . and partially contradict both men’s recollections.

Jefferson later described the goals that he had in mind as he sat down to write. He was not trying to “find out new principles, or new arguments, never before thought of.” Instead, he wanted to “place before mankind the common sense of the subject, in terms so plain and firm as to command their assent, and to justify ourselves in the independant stand we are compelled to take.” He wanted it to be an “expression of the American mind.”

Again according to Adams, he and Jefferson met to discuss the first draft of the document. Adams later described himself as “delighted with its high tone and the flights of oratory with which it abounded.” This initial draft contained a “vehement philippic against negro slavery,” which also pleased Adams, although it was later struck. Jefferson’s draft was presented to the entire Committee of Five at some point. Some alterations were suggested. A draft was presented to Congress on June 28.

Congress made changes—naturally! Adams felt that “they obliterated some of the best of it.” Jefferson was also unhappy. He sent a copy of the original to Richard Henry Lee, who concurred that Congress had “mangled” the manuscript. However, Lee added cheerfully, “the Thing is in its nature so good, that no Cookery can spoil the Dish for the palates of Freemen.”

Once approved, news of the Declaration spread far and wide. George Washington had it read to his troops. It was published in newspapers, read before towns, and forwarded to Europe. Mere days later, it was read aloud in Philadelphia, as the city’s bells tolled to mark the event.

What must it have been like to stand in front of the Pennsylvania State House on that day in 1776, hearing the closing lines of our Declaration?

“We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America . . . solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; . . . . And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

Happy Independence Day, everyone!
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Re: Today in Ranger history

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From Tara Ross:

On this day in 1747, a future American hero is born in Scotland. Today, John Paul Jones is known as one of the founders of the American Navy. Back then, he was simply John Paul, a young boy who would be introduced to a life at sea when he was only 13 years old.

He had a knack for it—but he also kept getting into trouble.

The final straw came in 1773. John Paul was young, but he was already the captain of a merchant ship. Unfortunately, his sailors were mutinying and trying to get an advance on their pay. One man attacked Paul, who raised a sword to defend himself. The mutinying sailor was killed. Paul feared that he wouldn’t get a fair trial, and he fled to America.

John Paul changed his name to John Paul Jones. The Revolution soon began, and Jones volunteered for the new Continental Navy. The former fugitive would soon become an American legend.

Jones may be most famous for a battle that he fought on September 23, 1779, while commanding USS Bonhomme Richard.

That battle was fought against HMS Serapis. The British quickly gained the upper hand. Two of Jones’s 18-pounders exploded early in the battle, tearing a hole in the side of his ship. The incident left Americans at an early disadvantage. One of the midshipmen later wrote that Serapis, “made a dreadful havock among our crew. . . . our men fell in all parts of the ship by the scores.”

Amazingly, Jones managed to move his crippled ship close to Serapis, binding the two ships together. The two sides continued to fire upon each other. The American ship was especially battered and the crew wasn’t only fighting the British—it was also fighting fires aboard the ship! Maybe worse, the American ship was taking on water and sinking. The British captain yelled to Jones, asking if he was ready to surrender. Jones reportedly replied: “I have not yet begun to fight!” Others remembered him saying: “I may sink, but I’m damned if I’ll strike.”

Maybe it is not so hard to believe that Jones eventually got the upper hand and won that battle?

Unfortunately, Jones did not handle his victory well. He returned to Amsterdam where he “was treated as a conqueror,” but his desire for glory got the best of him. He loved the attention, giving interviews and otherwise helping to publicize his account of the battle. His efforts at self-promotion became excessive, and his fellow officers complained that he was slow to give credit to others. One officer griped: “Ungrateful to his crew, he makes it seem that he alone did everything.” Even Benjamin Franklin admonished Jones: “Criticising and censuring almost every one you have to do with, will diminish friends, encrease Enemies, and thereby hurt your affairs.”

Jones would pass away in 1792. By then, he was living in Paris, largely alone. He was buried, but the location of his grave site was forgotten until the U.S. Ambassador to France began a search for him in 1899. Even then, it took years to find his remains, which were buried under a laundry just outside Paris.

In 1905, Jones’s remains were finally returned to the United States government. They were eventually re-interred in an ornate crypt at the United States Naval Academy.

Jones may have been a flawed hero, but he was a hero nonetheless. And he finally received an appropriate buria
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Re: Today in Ranger history

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From Tara Ross:

During this month in 1937, Amelia Earhart departs from Lae, New Guinea in a twin-engine airplane. She and her navigator, Fred Noonan, would never be seen again.

By that point in her career, Earhart was a renowned and much-loved aviator. But she hadn’t always been. Her first hint that she would love flying came when she was in her early 20s. She was in Toronto attending an exposition with a friend. The two girls watched from a clearing as a stunt pilot entertained the crowd.

“I am sure the sight of two young women alone made a tempting target for the pilot,” Earhart later wrote. “I am sure he said to himself, ‘Watch me make them scamper.’ After a few attempts one did but the other stood her ground.”

The moment was unforgettable. “I believe that little red airplane said something to me as it swished by,” Earhart wrote.

Unsurprisingly, Earhart went on to take flying lessons and to earn her pilot’s license. She worked hard, and she was fearless! Her big break came in 1928 when she was invited to participate as part of the crew on a transatlantic flight. The journey would make her the first woman to fly across the Atlantic.

Earhart jumped at the chance, although she was perhaps disappointed by her relatively minor role. She was responsible for keeping the plane’s log, which made her feel like “just baggage, like a sack of potatoes.” The rest of the world disagreed! The transatlantic journey catapulted her to fame, which she leveraged into support for more flying expeditions.

She set speed, distance, and altitude records. In 1932, exactly five years after Charles Lindberg’s first transatlantic flight, Earhart piloted her own solo flight. She was the first woman to complete such a trip across the Atlantic.

By 1937, Earhart was preparing for her last major aviation feat. She wanted to circumnavigate the globe, but she wanted to do it along the Equator—the longest possible route. Her first attempt failed, but Earhart was determined. “I have a feeling that there is just about one more good flight left in my system,” she said, “and I hope this trip is it.”

Her second attempt at circumnavigating the globe began on June 1. She and Fred Noonan took off from Miami, headed on an easterly course. By June 29, they had arrived in New Guinea. They had flown 22,000 miles and had only 7,000 miles to go. But the next leg would be the hardest.

The next stop was Howland Island. It was tiny, and it would be difficult to spot from the sky. Earhart was relying on Noonan’s celestial navigation skills and a U.S. Coast Guard ship to help her find the island.

Earhart and Noonan departed from New Guinea on July 2. The day became overcast and cloudy, hampering navigational efforts. Finally, the Coast Guard vessel heard from Earhart, but communications indicated that Earhart was having trouble finding the island. “We must be on you but cannot see you,” she radioed, “but gas is running low. Been unable to reach you by radio. We are flying at altitude 1000 feet.”

Earhart’s plane never showed up.

A massive search was undertaken, but Earhart was never found. Did she crash in the ocean? Did she survive as a castaway? Was she taken captive by the Japanese? Most likely, we will never really know. But we can know what drove her to attempt the flight.

“Please know I am quite aware of the hazards,” she wrote to her husband before her flight. “I want to do it because I want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others.”

Good advice for anyone, isn’t it?
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Re: Today in Ranger history

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On July 27, 1995, the Korean War Veterans Memorial is dedicated along the National Mall in Washington, DC.
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Re: Today in Ranger history

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From Tara Ross:

On this day in 1814, the British besiege Fort Erie.

It had been mere days since American and British forces had clashed at the Battle of Lundy’s Lane, the bloodiest land battle of the War of 1812!

At that battle, Americans under Major General Jacob Brown fought until late in the night, but they finally withdrew and retreated toward Fort Erie. (See July 25 history post.) A follow-up British attack was perhaps inevitable, so Americans quickly got to work improving the fort’s defenses.

They also needed a new commander! Brown had been seriously wounded at Lundy’s Lane, so Brigadier General Edmund P. Gaines was sent to take over the command. He arrived on August 4, just as the British were beginning their siege.

On the other side of the conflict, British Lt. General Gordon Drummond was determined to launch an attack, but he considered the action risky. “[C]onsidering the strength of the enemy’s position and the number of men and guns by which it is defended,” he wrote, “[the attempt] must certainly be considered as one of great hazard.”

Unsurprisingly, then, Drummond made a few attempts to undermine the American forces before he launched his formal attack. He dispatched some men in an attempt to disrupt American supply lines. The resulting conflict at Conjocta Creek ended badly for the British, but Drummond had more tricks up his sleeve. Next, several British ships were sent after the American schooners helping to guard Fort Erie. Two of these American schooners were captured—a significant British victory.

On August 13, Drummond began bombarding the fort. The assaults weren’t tremendously effective. Many of them, one officer noted, “seemed to ram the earth harder” than the fort’s defenses. Undeterred, Drummond prepared for an early morning assault on August 15. He still hoped to take the Americans inside the fort by surprise.

His plan didn’t work—not even close! Gaines already knew that Drummond was coming. Deserters had told him.

Drummond was trying for a three-pronged attack, timed to coincide with a diversionary effort from his Indian allies. Unfortunately for him, the Indian attack never materialized. And Americans were ready and waiting for his “surprise” attack.

Perhaps the British had lost before they’d even begun?

One wave of the British attack began on a fortified hill known as Snake Hill. British soldiers had been ordered to remove their flints so they could better maintain the element of surprise. Presumably, that could have worked if Americans really had been surprised. Instead, Americans were ready to meet the British, and the red coats had no way to respond when Americans began firing on them. The British soldiers ran into further problems when they discovered that their ladders were not tall enough to scale the fort’s walls. Unsurprisingly, retreat soon became their only option.

In the meantime, another prong of the British attack was going better, but a chance explosion changed all that. A powder magazine unexpectedly exploded, completely consuming many British soldiers, even as it left Americans relatively untouched.

Gaines later said that the “[e]xplosion was tremendous—it was decisive.” Another American officer described the “horrid sight” that followed. “Some three hundred men lay roasted, mangled, burned, wounded, black, hideous to view,” he wrote in his journal.

The Americans had won, at least for now. But their victory didn’t stop the British from retreating and re-establishing their siege.
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Re: Today in Ranger history

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From Tara Ross:


On this day in 1945, Americans drop an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The bombing came not too long after Japan had rejected a final opportunity to surrender.

The so-called Potsdam Declaration was issued through a combined statement of the United States, Great Britain, and China.

“The time has come,” these Allies declared, “for Japan to decide whether she will continue to be controlled by those self-willed militaristic advisers whose unintelligent calculations have brought the Empire of Japan to the threshold of annihilation, or whether she will follow the path of reason.”

Unconditional surrender was necessary. The alternative was “prompt and utter destruction.”

Japan rejected the ultimatum. Presumably, no one in Japan really knew what was coming. But you have to wonder whether anyone in America truly understood what was coming, either?

Captain William Parsons of the Manhattan Project briefed the crew of the Enola Gay (and others) before they departed on their historic mission: “The bomb you are going to drop,” he told them, “is something new in the history of warfare. It is the most destructive weapon ever produced. We think it will knock out everything within a three mile area.”

Well, yes, it did. But it also shattered glass in suburbs that were twelve miles away from the detonation site.

Later that day, President Harry S. Truman made a statement:

“The Japanese began the war from the air at Pearl Harbor. . . . We are now prepared to obliterate . . . every productive enterprise the Japanese have above ground in any city,” he stated. “We shall destroy their docks, their factories, and their communications. Let there be no mistake; we shall completely destroy Japan's power to make war.”

Unfortunately, the Japanese did not surrender that day. A second bomb would be dropped on Nagasaki mere days later.

It was a hard day in world history, but it was also the beginning of the end of World War II.
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Re: Today in Ranger history

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From Tara Ross:

On this day in 1782, General George Washington created a military award that would be the predecessor for the Purple Heart.

Washington’s award was called the “Badge of Military Merit.” It was a purple, heart-shaped piece of silk with binding and the word “Merit” stitched across it. The award was specifically intended for soldiers in the lower ranks who had performed “any singularly meritorious action.” Washington sought to reward “instances of unusual gallantry” and of “extraordinary fidelity and essential service.”

Simultaneously, Washington created another chevron that was to be given to those who had completed three years of duty “with bravery, fidelity, and good conduct.” A soldier could wear two chevrons if he completed more than six years of service.

In England, such awards to the lower ranks would not have been given, but Washington felt differently. “The road to glory in a patriot army and a free country,” he stated, “is thus open to all.”

Washington’s Purple Heart was awarded to at least three soldiers, all from Connecticut: Elijah Churchill, William Brown, and Daniel Bissell, Jr.. A “Book of Merit” was created to record the names of honorees. Unfortunately, that book was lost after the war, and the award was forgotten for a time.

Briefly in 1927, then again in 1931, the Army worked to reinstate the award. General Douglas MacArthur hoped to have the medal reinstated in time for Washington’s 200th birthday. He was successful, and the award was re-established on February 22, 1932. The new Purple Heart displays a bust of Washington, along with a coat of arms.

General MacArthur announced the award:

“By order of the President of the United States, the Purple Heart established by General George Washington at Newburgh, August 7, 1782, during the War of the Revolution, is hereby revived out of respect to his memory and military achievements.”

Today, the Purple Heart is considered the country’s oldest award for military merit.
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Re: Today in Ranger history

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The Purple Heart
It is one of the most recognized and respected medals awarded to members of the U.S. armed forces. Introduced as the “Badge of Military Merit” by General George Washington in 1782, the Purple Heart is also the nation’s oldest military award. In military terms, the award had “broken service,” as it was ignored for nearly 150 years until it was re-introduced on February 22, 1932, on the 200th anniversary of George Washington’s birth. The medal’s plain inscription “FOR MILITARY MERIT” barely expresses its significance.


https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/cel ... -heart.pdf
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Re: Today in Ranger history

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From Tara Ross:

On this day in 1778, General Charles Lee’s court martial ends with a guilty verdict. Mere weeks earlier, he had ordered a retreat in the midst of the Battle of Monmouth. General George Washington had arrived just in time to reverse the retreat and salvage the battle.

Washington had been furious! He wrote of his “great surprize and mortification” when he discovered the “whole advanced Corps retreating, and, as I was told, by General Lee’s orders without having made any opposition, except one fire . . . .”

Lee and Washington exchanged sharp words in the field. A private later wrote that Washington was “in a great passion,” while one of the officers reported that Washington “swore that day till the leaves shook on the trees.”

Lee later stewed over the rebuke and unfortunately dashed off an emotional letter to Washington. He accused the General of using “so very singular expressions” during the battle. “They implyed that I was guilty either of disobedience of orders, of want of conduct, or want of courage,” Lee wrote. He demanded “some reparation for the injury committed.”

Yikes. That couldn’t have gone over too well with the Commander-in-Chief!

Washington quickly rebuked the “highly improper” letter. “As soon as circumstances will permit,” Washington wrote, “you shall have an opportunity, either of justifying yourself to the army, to Congress, to America, and to the world in General; or of convincing them that you were guilty of a breach of orders and of misbehaviour before the enemy on the 28th . . .”

Lee was shocked at the brusque reply. He later said that he was “more than confounded, I was thrown into a stupor, my whole faculties were for a time benumm’d.”

Perhaps he should have taken a few deep breaths? Instead, he shot Washington two angry replies.

“I trust that temporary power of office and the tinsel dignity attending it,” he wrote, “will not be able by all the mists they can raise to affuscate the bright rays of truth.” Instead of a court of inquiry, he asked for a court martial. He feared that evidence would become more difficult to gather over time, and he wanted to avoid a “paper war betwixt the adherents to both parties.”

For better or for worse, Lee got his wish, and his court martial began on July 4. The charges were embarrassing to someone of Lee’s stature! He was charged with “disobedience of orders in not attacking the Enemy on the 28th of June,” “Misbehaviour before the Enemy on the same day by making an unnecessary, disorderly & shameful Retreat,” and “disrespect to the Commander in Chief in two Letters . . . .”

The trial lasted for weeks, partly because the court had to move every time the army moved. During the trial, Lee emphasized his military experience and claimed that the retreat was orderly and necessary. It wasn’t enough. On August 12, the court found Lee guilty on all three counts, although the word “shameful” was removed from the description of his retreat. The court recommended that Lee be suspended from active service for one year.

Congress deliberated for many months, but finally agreed to the verdict.

You’d think that would be the end of the matter? But, of course, it wasn’t.

Despite his earlier worries about a “paper war,” Lee began one. Matters degenerated for him pretty badly after that. He sent letters to congressmen and wrote for newspapers. He verbally attacked Washington. He was challenged to duels! He was kicked out of the army.

Sad. Lee was a man who could have been a real contributor to the American cause. Instead, he let his wounded ego get in the way.
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Re: Today in Ranger history

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19 August 2017, National Airborne Day


https://www.asomf.org/august-2016/
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Re: Today in Ranger history

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The Beautiful American Ship USS Constitution Was Built In 1797 And Is Still Afloat Today


http://www.warhistoryonline.com/history ... ion-m.html
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Re: Today in Ranger history

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From Tara Ross:

On this day in 1780, the British capture Henry Laurens, an American emissary who was then traveling to negotiate a treaty with the Netherlands. Americans were hoping for more help in their Revolution against Great Britain.

Unfortunately, this patriot would never make it to his destination. He would instead spend the rest of the war in an English prison.

Laurens was a well-respected Patriot and a former President of the Continental Congress. In fact, he was President of that body during one of its more challenging periods, shortly after Congress had been forced to flee Philadelphia.. During these difficult months, he worked with George Washington, then spending a long winter in Valley Forge.

Maybe it is unsurprising that Laurens was trusted with the delicate task of acting as an emissary to the Netherlands?

He was appointed as an emissary in 1779, but he unfortunately faced difficulties right from the start. Transportation was difficult, and he was unable to leave until August 13, 1780. Worse, his ship, the Mercury, soon ran into trouble.

On September 3, the British captured the Mercury off the coast of Newfoundland. Laurens was carrying an unofficial Treaty of Amity and Commerce, which he quickly threw overboard. Unfortunately, he had not weighed down the document sufficiently, and it was soon discovered.

The British imprisoned Laurens in the Tower of London for “suspicion of high treason.” He stayed there for 15 months! The conditions were terrible, and his health failed quickly. How tempting it must have been when the British twice offered him leniency in exchange for cooperation. On one occasion, he was asked to influence his son (then an American representative in Paris) against the American cause, but he responded:

“I know [my son] to be a Man of honor, he Loves me dearly & would lay down his Life to save mine but I am sure he would not sacrifice his Honor to save my Life & I applaud him.”

Wow. What a moment of pride—and sadness.

In the meantime, Britain ended up declaring war on the Netherlands. A treaty between America and the Netherlands would not become reality until October 1782, one year after Cornwallis’s surrender at Yorktown. Interestingly, Laurens finally obtained his own release in exchange for Cornwallis.

After the war, Laurens briefly helped to negotiate a treaty between the United States and Britain, but he soon resigned from public life and spent most of the last decade of his life in retirement on his family’s plantation. By then, his health had been severely undermined. Worse, his son had been killed while he’d been overseas, an event that left him heartbroken. Laurens entered the public eye again a few years later: He served as a member of South Carolina’s ratifying convention when the U.S. Constitution was adopted.

He had given a lot to see the day when that document would become possible, though, hadn’t he?
Ranger Class 13-71
Advisor, VN 66-68 69-70
42d Vn Ranger Battalion 1969-1970
Trainer, El Salvador 86-87
Advisor, Saudi Arabian National Guard 91, 93-94
75th RRA Life Member #867
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Jim
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Re: Today in Ranger history

Post by Jim »

Ranger Class 13-71
Advisor, VN 66-68 69-70
42d Vn Ranger Battalion 1969-1970
Trainer, El Salvador 86-87
Advisor, Saudi Arabian National Guard 91, 93-94
75th RRA Life Member #867
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