1776 – The Events of January 18 – 24

1776 – The Events of January 18 – 24
Join us as we dive into the pivotal events of January 18-24, 1776, a crucial week in American history. From the arrest of Georgia’s Royal Governor James Wright to the capture of the HMS Blue Mountain Valley, and Colonel Henry Knox’s epic journey with the ‘Noble Train of Artillery,’ discover the stories that shaped the American Revolution. Get a sneak peek at the upcoming book ‘1776’ by Mossy Feet Books, part of the Timeline of United States History series, and explore the already released ‘1775’ on our website http://www.mossyfeetbooks.com!”

1776 – The Events of January 18 – 24
The book 1776, still in process, will be part of the
Time Line of United States History Series
Colonial American History Stories – 1215 – 1664
Colonial American History Stories – 1215 – 1664
Colonial American History Stories – 1753 – 1763
Colonial American History Stories – 1763 – 1769
Colonial American History Stories – 1770 – 1774
An American Revolution Time Line – 1775

Transcript:

Greetings
I am going to shift gears somewhat in view of our nation’s 250th birthday on July 4, 2026. From now until the end of the year I will be featuring the events that took place each week during 1776. I am still in the process of writing this book, which I will title 1776, and hope to have it published by June of this year.
Meanwhile, you can enjoy the book 1775, available now on my website at this link:
you can get the book on my website, http://www.mossyfeetbooks.com. Just click the “Timeline of United States History” on the lower left-hand side of the home page.
A box set that includes all six volumes of the series is available at that link at an economical price.

https://mossyfeetbooks.com/2021/10/18/1775/
This book is part of my series, Timeline of United States History.

The book, along with sample chapters of each book, are found at this link:
https://mossyfeetbooks.com/2021/11/02/2658/
A box set that includes all six volumes of the series is available at that link.
The Events of January 25 – 31, 1776
Upon checking the book, there were no notable events in that timeframe, so I will talk about the events of January 18 – 24

On January 18, officials from the Georgia Provincial Congress arrested Georgia’s Royal Governor James Wright. Wright had been the governor of Georgia since 1760, having previously served as South Carolina’s representative to the Crown and as South Carolina’s attorney. His problems began with the Stamp Act, passed by Parliament in 1765. He managed to be the only royal official to successfully import and sell the stamps despite the efforts of the local Sons of Liberty to stop him. On January 12 a small British fleet had arrived in Savannah’s harbor. The fleet had intentions of purchasing a load of rice to take to Boston’s besieged troops. Delegates for the Georgia Provincial Congress had arrived and decided they did not want Wright to purchase the rice and had him arrested.

The Georgia Provincial Congress Convened on January 20, 1776. During this session the Congress formed a militia that they called the Georgia Line. At this time the population of Georgia, which had only been formed in 1732, and the state had a hard time recruiting soldiers to fight.

There was some support for the American Revolution in Canada. A man named Moses Hazen raised a regiment and applied to Congress for authorization. The Congress authorized the Second Canadian Regiment on January 20, 1776. This regiment would fight throughout the war.

The British ship, HMS Blue Mountain Valley, arrived off the coast of Sandy Hook, on January 20, 1776. The 16 man crew was exhausted by the difficult voyage. The captain of the ship had been told not to dock at any American port without first finding a British war ship for assistance. The captain searched in vain for about 3 weeks. The ship was now running short of water and needed a refitting. The captain needed a port to do this, as well as unload the cargo, which was meant to supply British troops besieged in Boston. The ship arrived off the coast of New York, Near the Sandy Hook Lighthouse, he fired three shots from one of the cannons. This was a signal that the ship needed assistance. A man named Dobbs rowed out to the ship to see what the captain needed. The captain requested that the man take the first mate ashore. The man agreed to do it for a fee. He took the first mate ashore. He was supposed to take him to the HMS Asia, which was anchored nearby. Meanwhile the word of the ship’s arrival had spread among the various ports on shore and plans hatched to capture the ship. Instead of taking him to the Asia, he took him to a tavern where five men waited to interrogate him. Upon learning the nature of the cargo and the weakened state of the crew, the men sent a letter to the Commander of the New Jersey Militia, William Alexander, telling him about the ship and its condition. Alexander commandeered a vessel and quickly assembled a 40-man crew. Alexander had one of the men don a British officer’s uniform. As they approached the Blue Mountain Valley the ruse worked and Alexander’s men quickly boarded the ship and took it over. They sailed it to Amboy where they unloaded it and removed the rigging and sails.

The Congress hoped to gain Canadian support for the war. They had already authorized two regiments of Canadians and hoped for more. On January 24, 1776, they wrote a letter that invited Canadians to send two representatives to Philadelphia and attend the Continental Congress.

On January 24, 1776, Colonel Henry Knox had left Boston and traveled to the fort at Ticonderoga, which the Americans had captured the year before. His mission was to obtain the cannon and other supplies from the fort and bring them down to Boston for General Washington to use to expel the British from Boston. After a long difficult 56-day, 300-mile trek, Knox arrived at Boston with his “Noble Train of Artillery.”

This is merely a summary of the events related in the book, 1776. The articles include much more detail about the events.
I hope to have this book published by June 2026. Meanwhile you can enjoy 1775, available at this link:
1775, available now on my website at this link:
https://mossyfeetbooks.com/2021/10/18/1775/

I would encourage you to visit and subscribe to the Mossy Feet Books You Tube channel for more great content. If you like my videos, please hit the “Like,” button. The more likes I get the more You Tube will show it to other people, allowing me to grow the channel. I also entreat you to visit my website, http://www.mossyfeetbooks.com. There you will find sample chapters, podcasts, a slew of content and links to where you can buy my books. While visiting the web site you can subscribe to it and receive email notifications of when I publish a new book or other content, like this video and podcast. If you like what I am doing, please purchase a book, as it helps fund my work.
You can find my books locally at the at the Romweber Marketplace in downtown Batesville, Indiana.
I hope you enjoyed this podcast and thank you for listening.