In this issue:

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UELAC AGM on Saturday 24 May
The AGM of UELAC will be a virtual meeting. Information is available in the Members’ Section of the UELAC website (login required). Currently these documents are available; more to come.

  • AGM 2025 Notice of Meeting
  • AGM 2025 Registration Form
  • AGM 2025 Proxy Form
  • Key dates and deadlines leading up to the AGM

Current membership, registration and proxies are required in advance – deadlines and details in the documents.

Nominations for all Positions on the Board of Directors
One function of the AGM is to determine the members of the Board for Directors, all positions. The deadline for nominations is 28 Feb 2025. Note that this year a short biogra[hy is required for each nominated person.
The Nomination form is available with the other documents noted above.

2025 UELAC Conference
A number of people have registered for the conference already. Please consider joining us – membership is not required. Details…

Awards to be Presented – Deadline for Nominations 28 February
One of the events at the Conference will be the recognition of a number of people through the announcement of a number of the recipients of these awards:

  • Dorchester Award are UELAC members who have made a significant contribution through their volunteerism and have gone that extra mile with their contribution to the UELAC.
  • Recipients of the Suzanne Morse-Hines Memorial Award made significant research progress towards family history and genealogy for the purpose of obtaining a UE Certificate.

Details and nomination forms for both awards st the members page at uelac.ca/members

Johnny Burgoyne and the Loyalists, Part Six of Six: Further Insights from the Orderly Book
copyright Stephen Davidson UE
As one historian has noted about the importance of armies’ orderly books is that they “reveal in vivid, often gritty detail the realities and hardships of camp life, with frequent injunctions about cleanliness, profanity, theft, treatment of civilians in the community and proper behavior in camp.” This was certainly true of orderly book for the massive army under the command of General John Burgoyne.
Military justice was quick and brutal as the army marched southward to crush Patriot forces in New York. In August of 1777, the orderly book noted that a court martial “found Patrick McDonald, private Soldier in the 47th Regiment, guilty of Desertion, and have sentenced him to receive one thousand Lashes. The same Court Martial have also found George Hundertmark, Soldier of the 9th Regiment, guilty of quitting his Post when sentinel without being regularly relieved, and of Desertion, and have sentenced him to be shot to death.”
The August 6th entry notes who should work at repair the roads to be used by Burgoyne’s troops. “All the unarmed men of the Provincial Corps to march at the same time for the same purpose.” Not all Loyalist volunteers, it seems, joined the army with their own muskets or rifles, but were put to use in non-military tasks.
In late August, parties of Indigenous warriors and Loyalists were employed in another non-combative role. They were sent out in search of four German deserters. “It is not doubted but they will be brought in or scalped.” The search party members were promised a reward of 20 dollars for every deserter (or deserter scalp) that was returned to camp.
Six days later, the orderly book notes that there was a problem with people using “the horses belonging to the king” for “private purposes“. “All Sutlers, Servants, Provincials, and all other Dependents upon and followers of the Army, that whoever hereafter shall be detected with one of the King’s horses in his possession … will be tried by a Court Martial for Theft.” Anyone selling or lending an army horse would be “punished with the utmost rigour“. (Given that a later account says that Burgoyne’s army had 5,000 horses, it must have been difficult to keep track of all of them as the army marched south.)
In addition to the British and German forces, Loyalist corps also had paperwork to complete. On September 5th, they were ordered “ to send in their monthly returns the first of the month, and their weekly states every Monday.”
The following day, Burgoyne’s army was camped at Duer’s House where its field doctors called upon loyalist soldiers for help. “The Surgeons of the Hospital having requested that ten men from the Provincials be ordered the Hospital to serve as Storekeepers and orderly men, who are to remain with and will be paid by the Hospital, according to their station and services.” Further down the page it is noted that the surgeons would apply to the loyalist corps for “sober diligent men“. Unfortunately the names of the ten Loyalists selected go unrecorded.
There are very few specific references to Loyalists in Burgoyne’s orderly book, so the one made on September 21, 1777 is particularly interesting.
“The Lieut. General having an opportunity of observing the Conduct of the Troops in all parts of the Action of the 19th Instant, thinks it incumbent on him to give his public testimony to the exemplary spirit of the Officers in general, and in many instances of the private men… One hundred and twenty men of tried bravery and fidelity from the Provincial Corps of Jessops, Peters, McAlpins, and McKay are to be incorporated for the service of this Campaign only in the six British Regiments, in the proportion of twenty to each Regiment. They will have a Certificate under the hand of the Lieut. General to entitle them to a Discharge on the 25th day of December next. They will also receive a gratuity upon their incorporation, and another at the expiration of their service, and this will be the only number required from them.”
Two days later, the orderly book records that a detachment of 50 British, 50 Germans and 50 Provincials would be left posted at Skenesborough. The detachment was to be made up of men recovering from wounds or illness, those least able to march. There were obviously ways for even the most incapacitated soldier to serve.
That same day’s entry provides posterity with how the Loyalist corps marched with the British and German forces. After arriving by bateaux at Fort Anne –their next campsite– General Reidesel’s German dragoons were the advance guard, followed by the British troops. “The Provincials will march in the rear of the British“.
September 25th’s entry notes that John McComb, a Loyalist from New York’s Albany County, was appointed to the provincial corps by the lieutenant general paymaster. (He would later be killed in the Battle of Bennington.)
On October 6th, Burgoyne was pleased to make a present of one barrel of rum to be shared by the men in Jessop’s Corps, Peters Corps’, the bateaux men and the naval department.
The loyalist corps of McAlpin and McKay cited above were mentioned on October 3rd when a Mr. McDonald was assigned to them as their surgeon.
Robert Hoakesly (also spelled (Hoakesley and Hoaksley) is one of the Loyalists mentioned in Burgoyne’s orderly book who has his life fleshed out in other documents of the era. He is first mentioned on July 12, 1777 when he was appointed as the army’s wagon master, and later appears in a list of Burgoyne’s officers that was compiled in December of that year.
This Loyalist hailed from Albany, New York where he was the owner of the sloop, Albany – presumably used in his work as a merchant. He had served on the city’s rebel committee until fellow Patriots reported that he “went over to the enemy”. Hoakesly’s wife was imprisoned and his sloop was used as a prison for Loyalists. Mrs. Hoakesly was eventually freed in September of 1777 when Patriots hoped to use her in a prisoner exchange for rebel soldiers.
Following the defeat of Burgyone’s army, Hoakesly was among those “convention troops” imprisoned in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A letter that Hoakesly wrote while incarcerated was addressed to Captain B. Joel and forwarded to General Washington. The Loyalist complained that the prisoners were not given sufficient provisions.
“Such Severities and hardships upon the Troops of Convention will force them to disperse and desert, and in doing so quit the abiding by the Treaty of Saratoga … By thus starving as it were the Troops of Convention they, by that means, are driven to seek refuge in the Country or by deserting, to become prisoners of war under the supposition that, in detached and scattered parties, they may be able to procure provisions, which seem to be denied them in a collected Body.”
Hoakesly was eventually set free, but the circumstances around his release are not given. It is known that by December 1780, he was in New York City. There Major Sir P. A. Irving issued an order that Hoakesly was to be paid for unspecified work.
His name last appears as being a merchant in Yorktown, Virginia. If he was in Yorktown in October of 1781, then this Loyalist had the dubious distinction of being a witness to the two most crucial battles of the American Revolution with a span of just four years – the defeat of Burgoyne’s troops at the Battle of Saratoga and the defeat of Cornwallis’ troops at the Battle of Yorktown.
The civilians, camp followers, Canadians, and Loyalists who accompanied Burgoyne’s army are last mentioned in the orderly book during the British general’s negotiations for his “capitulation” to the victorious American forces. (Burgoyne did not want to use the term “surrender” when his army was defeated at the Battle of Saratoga.)
“All Canadians and Persons belonging to the Canadian Establishment, consisting of Sailors, Bateaux Men, Artificers, Drivers, Independent Companies, and many other Followers of the Army, who come under no particular Description, are to be permitted to return there; they are to be conducted immediately by the shortest Route, to the first British Post on Lake George; are to be supplied with Provisions in the same Manner as the other Troops, and are to be bound by the same condition of not serving during the present Contest in North America.” However, knowing that the Patriots considered Loyalists to be traitors and thus libel to be executed, Burgoyne stalled in his negotiations to allow Loyalists to escape north to Canada before finally “capitulating”.
Although John Burgoyne would later express his dissatisfaction with the majority of the male and female loyalist volunteers in the Campaign of 1777, it is gratifying to note that he did his best to protect them following his calamitous defeat.
 To secure permission to reprint this article contact the author at stephendavids@gmail.com.


Bewilderment as a Way of Understanding America’s Present – and Past
By Robert Parkinson Feb 2025 at Common Place
Circumstances in which people are feeling extreme disorientation are potent breeding grounds for people who are willing to exploit it to take advantage in moments of crisis.
“I really feel I do not know what’s going on in the world now,” Chuck Klosterman confessed a few days after the 2024 presidential election on the popular Bill Simmons Podcast. Klosterman, a writer and cultural critic, explained after the presidential election that it seemed to him the more information anyone has about anything, the less they are able to understand what is happening in the world…
There is a word for what Klosterman and millions of people in the US and throughout the world are going through: bewilderment. Bewilderment is a feeling of inextricable confusion and a distrust of what can be grasped. It happens when the guides and signposts, the anchors that people rely on to orient themselves in the world, are suddenly pulled up and discarded. Chaos agents thrive in such an atmosphere. …
It is important that we recognize the role—and the power—that this feeling has had in American history. Bewilderment as a state of mind has occurred many times before in US history, most often when the nation was on the cusp of sudden change. The crisis of the union at the end of the 1850s immediately spring to mind, as do the crises of the Great Depression and Second World War…
Perhaps the most pertinent example happened exactly 250 years ago.
As we approach a major anniversary of American independence, we should strive to remember just how bewildering a moment that actually was for millions of people in North America. Most certainly, the confession “I have no idea what’s going on” was exclaimed, in just the same exasperated tone as Klosterman, all over the American colonies on the eve of the American Revolution.
Two hundred and fifty years ago, the wide-ranging boycott of all British goods known as the Continental Association went into effect. Passed by the First Continental Congress, this stinging measure was a significant escalation of the crisis within the British Empire. It shook people throughout North America, especially those who were skeptical of the patriot movement. Those people would soon be called loyalists, and they were completely bewildered about how the world that they thought they understood was changing right in front of their eyes. They were caught completely off guard by a political movement they wrongly thought was much smaller, less organized, and, while dangerous in its language, posed little actual threat to law and order in the British Empire. Read more…

The Plot to Partition America
by Richard J. Werther, 18 Feb 2025
As the American Revolution morphed into a world war with the entrance of France and Spain, the diplomatic attempts to settle it became more complex. Europe became a hotbed of diplomatic activity, conducted by both state-sanctioned negotiators and freelancers of various sorts, all with their own agendas for negotiations. There was a series of third-party attempts to mediate the conflict, first by Spain and then by Austria and Russia. These proposals could have fundamentally changed the geo-political structure of the United States coming out of the American Revolution. That these activities failed is a testament of the hard work and stubbornness of the American delegation in Paris, who wouldn’t take “no independence” for an answer.
The mediation activities took place from 1779 through early 1782, and the urgency and form of each ebbed and flowed with American fortunes in the war. During much of this period those fortunes were running low, with the victory at Saratoga now years in the past. The greatest of setbacks to the Americans during this period were the double-hit of its worst defeat of the war when the British took Charles Town (today Charleston, South Carolina) and the treason of Benedict Arnold. Finances were also deteriorating precariously, including heavy depreciation of Continental dollars, and funding the war effort was extremely difficult. European powers, especially America’s biggest ally, France, began to look for ways out of the situation, often whether they were consistent with existing treaties or not. One way out that came into the spotlight was mediation.
To no surprise, American Independence was the so-called “Gordian Knot” of these negotiations, the entanglement that Parliament could neither cut nor untie. It was the one intractable issue to any settlement, a non-starter for the British and, as we will see, kryptonite to most mediation proposals. With it on the agenda, nothing could be proposed that would bring all the subjects of the mediation (France, Spain, Great Britain, and the United States) to the table together. King George’s version of the modern “we don’t negotiate with terrorists” was that the British would not deal with the Americans or anyone else supporting its independence. In his mind, to do so would be to sanction their revolt, thereby encouraging further such acts within the Empire. With some of the proposals that came to the mediation table, one must wonder what would have happened to the United States had King George decided instead to take advantage of one of them. Read more…

Hessian Soldiers Travelling to America: POW: on the March – A Soldier’s Life October 1781
From a Hessian Diary of the American Revolution.
This excerpt from the diary of Johan Conrad Dohla (170 pages).

Major Moves during Johan’s deployment:

  • March 1777: Depart Germany
  • 3 June 1777: Arrive New York, then Amboy NJ
  • November 1777: To Philadelphia
  • June 1778: to Long Island
  • July 1778: To Newport RI
  • October 1779: to New York
  • May 1781: to Chesapeake Bay (Yorktown)
  • October 1781: to Williamsburg

October, 1781: POW: On the March. (page 115)

Continuation of Occurences in North America During the Fifth Year, 1781

IN THE MONTH OF OCTOBER [1781]
page 115

FREDERICKSBURG
Fredericksburg is a medium-size city of rather long and wide layout. It lies in a valley and to the right and left, on heights, along the banks of the Rappahannock River. It has nearly four to five hundred houses and is heavily settled by Germans. The public buildings lie in ruins, and for no other reason than because it was considered unnecessary to tend to them during the war period and therefore they were neglected, because no English troops came here who could have destroyed them. The local tobacco industry is of great value and has many advantages. The price of the best Virginia leaves was formerly twenty-five shillings per hundredweight. The hills surrounding Fredericksburg and on the Rappahannock River consist primarily of sandstone of various colors. The beds of sand along the river between here and the bay contain, in many places, whale bones, sharks’ teeth, oysters and other shellfish. Not far from Fredericksburg, in the vicinity of the Rappahannock Falls, one of the most important ironworks in all North America is to be seen, because each year more than six to eight hundred tons of iron are said to be manufactured there.
This ironworks is noted, primarily, for a rolling and a slitting mill. The rolling mill is one where the manufacture of sheet iron is performed with plate rollers, where the sheet is more quickly, easily, and uniformly processed in a machine between two smooth steel rollers than with hammers. The slitting mill, however, is another ingenious process where wide iron rods are split into numerous smaller rods at the same time, which, according to the usual method, using a hammer, takes much longer.
Concerning grain, in addition to corn, much grain and wheat are grown here, although large fields are given over to the raising of tobacco. Also, in some regions below Fredericksburg, the most beautiful cotton is planted and harvested. Six hundred Englanders are already in Fredericksburg in captivity.
31 October. We had a day of rest.

1 November 1781. We broke camp and had to wade through the Rappahannock River. Some crossed in their shoes and socks; however, I and most of the others took them off and crossed barefoot. The water was very cold and reached up to our thighs. Our route went through Falmouth, a small but beautiful village of about thirty to forty houses on the left bank of the Rappahannock, with a German church and two prayerhouses, and we made a march of twenty Virginia miles. Today Private Hass-further, of Quesnoy’s Company, remained behind in Falmouth and took employment as a journeyman with a German shoemaker.

2 November. Again, a long march of about eighteen miles through a steady rain, so that by evening, when we halted, we no longer had a single dry rag on our bodies. Today a part of the captive troops, Scots and English, were separated from us. These were escorted to Fort Frederick in Maryland. Also, the two Hessian regiments, Hereditary Prince and Bose, were separated from us, and our Jaegers. We proceeded to Fairfax Courthouse, a small place with one mill and a beautiful court and legislative building. We made our night camp adjacent to this place. Here several hundred English captives remained lying under guard, also.

3 November. We made a long march. At evening we noticed the so-called Blue Mountains, of an astonishingly great height and covered with heavy forests. Here, in the middle of a forest and undergrowth, we made our night quarters.
(to be continued)

Contributor Question: Underrated Events of 1775
by Editors 20 Feb 2025 Journal of the American Revolution
From time to time we ask our contributors a question about some aspect of the American Revolution and the founding era (circa 1765-1805). This month’s question was:

What is the most underrated event that occurred in 1775, and why should it get more attention?

Read about more than 30 suggestions about such events as:

  • A French army officer’s visit
  • Escape of British Governor Guy Carleton from Montreal to Quebec City
  • battle of the Great Cane Brake in South Carolina
  • Continental Congress created ten rifle companies
  • the Conciliatory Proposal in British Parliament
  • The Battle of Great Bridge
  • HMS Asia incident
  • Nathanael Greene names to lead Rhode Island’s state army
  • the Second Continental Congress
  • secret orders from the British cabinet to Gen. Thomas Gage
  • Thomas Jefferson and John Adams first met
  • the 1775 capture of Fort Ticonderoga

Read details about each and more…

Advertised on 22 February 1775: “sale … under the direction of the Committee”
What was advertised in a colonial American newspaper 250 years ago this week?

22 February 1775

“Goods … have been exposed to sale … under the direction of the Committee,
pursuant to the tenth article of the Congress.”

Even as the imperial crisis intensified in February 1775, Peter Stretch expected that consumers in and near Philadelphia would respond to marketing appeals that connected the textiles and accessories that he imported and sold to current fashions in London. Such had been the case for quite some time before the political situation became so troubled. A transatlantic consumer revolution bound together England and the colonies in the eighteenth century, helping to fuel a process of Anglicization among subjects of the empire in British mainland North America. When it came to advertising, it made sense to Stretch to open his notice in the February 22 edition of the Pennsylvania Gazette with a “NEAT assortment of superfine BROADCLOTHS, consisting of a beautiful variety of the most fashionable colours now wore in London.”
He anticipated such an appeal would resonate with prospective customers even with the Continental Association in effect. Read more…

[Editor comment: Some of the challenges when rules change after goods have been shipped, but not yet received. Akin to some of our modern day supply chain issues, imposition of duties and tariffs etc]

Book Review: The Disease of Liberty: Thomas Jefferson, History, and Liberty: A Philosophical Analysis
Author: M. Andrew Holowchak (Vernon Press, 2024)
Review by Kelly Mielke 17 Feb 2025 Journal of the Am,erican Revolution
Author M. Andrew Holowchak situates Thomas Jefferson’s political ideology within a philosophical framework and positions Jefferson as a great philosopher of the early national period. The book works its way through Jefferson’s concept of history and the importance of accurate study, and breaks down the ways in which Jefferson applied lessons from history to his contemporary political dilemma to arrive at the concept of a republican government. Many books have been written about Jefferson’s political ideologies, and the author acknowledges that he has a previous book covering what appears to be a similar topic. However, the mark that differentiates this book from many others is its analytical approach which is very much rooted in philosophical frameworks.
As Holowchak notes, he has become intrigued with Jefferson’s fixation on the notion of liberty and paints a picture of Jefferson in the likeness of John Stuart Mill, wrestling with the question of how liberty can truly exist when people must also exist in a society (page x). Although unproven in history, Holowchak demonstrates how a philosophical approach allowed Jefferson to determine that a republican experiment allowed the greatest opportunity of success for the new American government. More than just a successful implementation of a republican government in America, however, Holowchak shows how Jefferson dreamed of a global network of such nations, built upon an attitude of benevolence toward one another (p, ix-x). Holowchak takes a very philosophically analytical approach to breaking down Jefferson’s reasoning behind his views for the best government structure most likely to be successful and maximize liberty. Read more…

Dispatches podcast: Robert J. Walworth on the Green Mountain Boys Insurgency
by Robert J. Walworth 19 Feb 2025 Journal of the American Revolution
Host Brady Crytzer interviews JAR contributor Robert J. Walworth on the competing claims of New York and New Hampshire settlers in the region that ultimately became Vermont. The dispute gave rise the the Green Mountain Boys who defended the New Hampshire Grants against more recent claims from New York. Listen in,,,

Turtle Feasts in the 18th century
By Sarah Murden 17 Feb 2025 All Things Georgian
18th century fine dining at its very best – a turtle feast! The concept is certainly not something most of us would be happy to partake in today, here in Britain. However, amongst the British elite of the 18th and early 19th century it was very much the thing to do as a demonstration of wealth. I first came across this in connection with who else but the future George IV, well known for his love of food.
I came across a letter in the Royal Collection Trust, written to the Prince of Wales by his brother, William, Duke of Clarence on 16 July 1794, trying to persuade the Prince of Wales to attend a dinner hosted by the Surrey bowmen, as by this time the Prince of Wales was the patron of the Kentish Society. Payback for Prinny appears to have been a feast, which would be served in tents and would include venison and turtle. Read more…

Events Upcoming

Colonel John Butler Branch: Daryl Learn “Blood Outside the Tavern: The Learn Family Massacre” Sat 1 Mar @11:45

In 1781 at the edge of colonized settlements just north of Philadelphia, a family fell victim to the brutalities of war. Why were they targeted? Who were their attackers? How could it happen? Most histories seem content to just report how it happened and little else, but through connecting the dots of various accounts and histories, the answers to all of these questions can be made clear.
Daryl Learn is a direct descendant of John Learn, a victim of the Learn Family Massacre.
The Branch meets at Betty’s Restaurant, 8921 Sodom Road, Chippawa (Niagara Falls), at 11:45 for a lunch meeting. This meeting will be both in person and by ZOOM.
For those attending in person, the cost of the lunch is $30 for UELAC members and $35 for guests. Cash only, payable at the meeting. No credit cards.
If you plan to attend either in person or by ZOOM, please let us know in advance. RSVP to 283corvette@gmail.com

American Revolution Institute: Threshold to Valley Forge: The Six Days of the Gulph Mills Encampment Tues. 4 March 6:30ET

Between December 12–19, 1777, Gen. George Washington and his Continental Army encamped in the towering hills of Gulph Mills, Pennsylvania, fifteen miles from Philadelphia. Known as the threshold to Valley Forge, the Gulph Mills Encampment is often forgotten or minimized, falling between the more famous military engagements of the Philadelphia Campaign and the well-known experience of the army at Valley Forge. Yet, the Gulph Mills Encampment was a pivotal microcosm of the Revolutionary War and the issues that confronted the Continental Army, the Continental Congress, state governments and the American citizens who suddenly found themselves on the front lines of the war. By Author, Historian and Attorney Sheilah Vance. More details and registration…

Gov. Simcoe Branch: “The Last Moments of Mallory Deschamps” by Tom More Wed 5 Mar 7:30 (in-person and on zoom)

Tom has experience in film production and writing. His new film is outlined as “A single mother flees political persecution in France disguised as one of the ‘Filles Du Roi.’ Upon her arrival, she faces ostracization, the harsh winter environment of 17th-century Quebec and the foreboding sense that her family may have attracted an ancient deity.” The project represents a mythologized historically-accurate yet fictional account of life within what is now modern-day Canada. More details and registration…

The Fort Plain Museum’s American Revolutionary War Conference 250, May 29-June 1, 2025

Speakers and Topics Include:
Pulitzer Prize Winner Rick Atkinson – The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780
Bus Tour – We Stood Our Ground: Battles of Lexington & Concord, April 19, 1775 – Led by Alexander R. Cain – Thursday, May 29, 2025
Read more…

From the Social Media and Beyond

  • Food and Related
  • Event/Resource/Quote of the Day – Revolution 250
    • Feb 18, 1775 “I am told by one of the Committee of Donations that there is upwards of three thousand People served out with their dayly Provissions, which must otherwise perrish or leave [Boston].” —Tuthill Hubbart
    • Feb 20, 1775, Lord North proposed a “Conciliatory Resolution” exempting American colonies from Parliament’s taxes if they paid a share of imperial costs some other way. By the time this news reached America, war had begun:
    • Feb 22, 1775, Gen. Thomas Gage wrote instructions for Capt. William Brown and Ens. Henry de Berniere to scout the roads to Worcester while dressed in civilian clothing. Those instructions and the army officers’ report:
  • This week in History
    • 20 Feb 1726, Col. William Prescott is born. Prescott led American troops at Bunker Hill. He served in the F&I War, became a militia colonel & later colonel in the Continental Army, serving at NYC & Saratoga. Later served on the MA Board of War. image
    • 22 February 1732, Westmoreland County, Virginia. George Washington was born to Mary Ball Washington and Augustine Washington at Popes Creek. Young George would grow up to become a surveyor, explorer, military leader, farmer, land speculator, entrepreneur, politician, and Founding Father. Though he inherited modest land holdings in northern Virginia, his marriage to the wealthy widow Martha Parke Custis elevated him to one of the richest men in America. His strong personality and ability to inspire others made him the military leader of a revolution that changed the world, a political leader who oversaw the establishment of the United States Constitution, and the first President of the newly formed government. His devotion, honesty, and disdain for power distinguished him as the greatest man of his age—the Indispensable Man. image
    • 20 Feb 1775 Concord MA 2nd Mass Provincial Congress reconvenes to improve colonial defenses: creating a military commissary, enlisting Stockbridge Indians, establishing military rules, & requesting reinforcements from other colonies. image
    • 15 Feb 1776 Cross Creek, NC Lt Col Francis MacDonald musters 1,400 Loyalist highlanders. Although only 1/3 have weapons, they begin the march to the coast for a rendezvous with British and Loyalists to suppress the patriots. image
    • 16 Feb 1776 Gen Washington was disabused of his plan to attack Boston across the frozen bay with 16K troops & instead agreed to a plan to move artillery onto the strategic Dorchester Heights to threaten the British garrison. image
    • 17 Feb 1776 Norfolk, VA. Gov John Murray (4th Earl of Dunmore) dispatches a note of inexpressible mortification to William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth, that British Gen Sir Henry Clinton was sent to the “insignificant province of NC to the neglect of VA. image
    • 17 February 1776 The Continental Navy’s first cruise along the Atlantic coast, led by Commodore Esek Hopkins, included eight refitted merchant ships. These vessels were transformed into the frigates Alfred and Columbus, the brigs Cabot and Andrew Doria, the sloops Providence and Hornet, and the schooners Fly and Wasp. This modest fleet had an ambitious mission: to drive Lord Dunmore’s fleet from the Chesapeake Bay and gain control of the Atlantic waters. They were equipped with a total of only 110 guns, roughly equivalent to two mid-grade ships of the line in the Royal Navy. Although the Continental Navy would never be large enough to defeat the Royal Navy, it consistently punched above its weight. Its officers and sailors displayed aggression, resourcefulness, and courage in confronting the larger, better-armed British men of war. Their actions would create significant concern for British naval planners, inspire the American public, and serve as propaganda in Europe. image
    • 18 Feb 1776 Brunswick NC. Patriots defending Rock Fish Creek failed to block a Loyalist force of 1500 under Lt Col Donald MacDonald, who used boats to cross upstream. image
    • 15 February 1777, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Continental Congress attempted to combat inflation caused by the increase in paper currency and decided to adopt a New England proposal to enforce strict price controls. Other states soon followed. Monetary and fiscal policy plagued the revolutionary government since each state controlled its currency and the ability to tax and spend. This situation favored the British, who had “hard” currency backed by gold and silver and a government structure capable of supporting their war effort. Later, French aid and loans from other European powers, particularly the Netherlands, helped the Americans persevere, while British mercantile interests grew weary of supporting the “endless” war in North America. The latter pressured Parliament to negotiate a resolution. image
    • 19 February 1777, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Continental Congress promotes Thomas Mifflin, Arthur St. Clair, William Alexander, Lord Stirling, Adam Stephen, and Benjamin Lincoln to the rank of major general. Brigadier General Benedict Arnold felt slighted by five junior officers who were promoted ahead of him and threatened to resign from the Continental Army. The commander-in-chief, George Washington, informed him of his belief that the oversight was a mistake and urged him not to act rashly. However, Washington was mistaken, and in July, Arnold sent Congress his letter of resignation. Washington persuaded him to withdraw the letter and assured Arnold of his support. Still, Arnold never got over the slight, and the grievances leading to treachery had begun. image
    • 21 Feb 1777 Col John Glover (whose Marblehead sailors heroically got the army Across the Delaware & 2x evacuated to safety) declines promotion to Brigadier General. Washington himself wrote a letter urging him to accept the promotion & stay in the army. image
    • 21 February 1777, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Continental Congress promotes Colonel Anthony Wayne to Brigadier General. The bold Pennsylvanian was sometimes called “Mad Anthony” for his bravery and aggressive tactics. Wayne, a native of Pennsylvania, is renowned for storming Stony Point, New York, during which he was wounded. He participated in battles at Trois Rivieres, Brandywine, Paoli, Monmouth, and many other engagements. After the war, he was called back to lead an army he formed known as The American Legion, which fought in the Northwest Indian War, ultimately achieving victory at Fallen Timbers in 1794. image
    • 21 Feb 1777 Col of 3rd VA Line, George Weedon promoted to brigadier general. He served with Gen Washington during F&I War. He fought in several campaigns & then resigned from the Continental Army. But led a brigade of Virginia militia at Yorktown in 1781. image
    • 16 Feb 1778 London Lord George Germain, British minister for the American colonies, accepts Gen Sir William Howe’s resignation but asks him to remain in command until a successor is appointed. image
    • 16 February 1778, Marblehead, Massachusetts. Future U.S. presidents John Adams and his 10-year-old son, John Quincy Adams, sit in Marblehead Harbor aboard the Boston. They will sail to France, where Adams will replace Silas Deane and negotiate a treaty of alliance. This marks their first foray into foreign affairs, which will shape their understanding and thinking in their later roles. The senior Adams was an inconsistent diplomat, while the younger would prove to be savvy and, as Secretary of State, usher U.S. international relations into a new era. Read more on the younger Adams in this vintage Yankee Doodle Spies Blog post: https:// yankeedoodlespies.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-prodigy.html imege
    • 18 February 1779, Pluckemin, New Jersey. General Washington and 400 others (including 70 ladies) attended the Grand Alliance Ball, a celebration held on the Boylan House grounds to mark the alliance’s first anniversary with France. The festivities kicked off with a discharge of General Henry Knox’s artillery – 13 cannons at 4 pm, signaling the start of a supper filled with toasts that expressed patriotism. Following the fireworks display, General Washington and Mrs. Henry Knox opened the ball in the Academy building in the village of Pluckemin. A great time was had by all. image
    • 18 Feb 1779 Col George Rogers Clark’s exhausted army reached the Wabash River, where they refit & recover before trekking the final 10 miles through bitter cold & flooded & icy terrain to reach Ft Vincennes.image
    • 18 Feb 1781 Gen Charles Cornwallis abandons his pursuit of Gen Nathanael Greene and turns back toward Hillsboro, NC. Greene sends Col. Otho Williams & Henry Lee across the Dan R. to harass the British column & outposts. image
    • 19 Feb 1781 Gen Thomas Sumter’s attack against British Maj Andrew Maxwell’s garrison of 300 at Ft Granby on the Congaree R. in SC is repulsed. Sumter’s siege operations are curtailed when he learns of a relief force under Lt Col Francis Rawdon. image
  • Clothing and Related:
    • Painting: A favorite of mine – her expression, clothing, basket The Watercress Girl, 1780, by Johann Zoffany. Private Collection Thinking about spring greens returning to our frozen New England landscape
    • Robe à l’anglaise, c.1770. Imported block-printed cotton, linen lining. Worn by Temperance Pickering Knight (1732-1821) of Dover Point, New Hampshire. The Irma G Bowen Historical Clothing Collection, University of New Hampshire
  • Miscellaneous

Last Post: Schneider UE, Elsie May
Passed away with her husband by her side, on September 13, 2024, at her home in Kitchener, ON at the age of 76.
Beloved wife of over 28 years to Jake Stein.
Cherished mother of Scott Schneider (Jackie).
Loving grandmother of Jesse, Charles and Colton.
Dear sister of Wayne (Debbie) and Patricia Savage.
Predeceased by her brother and sister.
Elsie will be sadly missed by her extended family and friends.
Cremation has taken place.
More details…

Elsie was a member of Grand River Branch. She proved to Loyalist ancestors John Depue Sr UEL, Ebenezer Jones UEL, and Frederick Williams Sr UEL
Noted by Bill Terry UE, Grand River Branch

Last Post: McMILLAN UE, Marilyn Elizabeth (nee Statham)
It’s with great sadness we announce the passing of Marilyn, Monday February 17, 2025 in her 80th year who was known for her sense of humour and caring personality. Beloved wife of Mike of Simcoe for over 54 years. Loving mother of Brad (Silvia) of Burlington and Silvia’s sons Owen, Lucas and Hudson. She was predeceased by her parents Walter (2002) and Freda Statham (1999).
Marilyn was an only child who grew up on a farm in Parkhill, Ontario and attended a one room schoolhouse until Grade 6. She attended London Teacher’s College and a year later moved to Simcoe in 1964 to begin teaching kindergarten at Elgin Avenue Public School. She completing her B.A. from Western University and later worked at the Haldimand-Norfolk Women’s Shelter as a counsellor and volunteer coordinator. For many years she was involved with Girl Guides of Canada.
She and Mike had interest in genealogy and in the early 2000s she traced her United Empire Loyalist ancestry. She also served on the executive of the Grand River Branch UELAC.
She and Mike traveled well for several years. They drove across Canada visiting every province experiencing many sights including what she called some of Canada’s best kept secrets: L’Anse Aux Meadows, the Gaspe and the drive around Lake Superior. They also enjoyed several tours in Europe and especially liked the hot air balloon ride in Capadoccia, Turkey and the river cruises on the Rhine, Danube and Douro Rivers.
While dining out, Marilyn was known for her specific drink request. A short glass, lots of ice to the rim, one shot of rye whiskey (Forty Creek preferred) with coke on the side in a carafe to pour. The drink was affectionately named ‘The Marilyn’.
Monday, February 24th, 2025 for visitation and a memorial service will be held on Tuesday morning at 11:00 a.m. More details…
Marilyn proved to Loyalist ancestor Andrew Loyst UEL in 2004
Noted by Bill Terry UE, Grand River Branch

Last Post: MORRISEY, Shirley – 22 January, 1937 – 15 February, 2025
Shirley was born in Saint John, New Brunswick on January 22, 1937 to John White and Ruth (Wannamaker). She married the love of her life Edward Morrisey on December 12, 1959 in Ontario. (Ed passed away 22 June 2022. They had been long-time members of Nova Scotia Branch, UELAC where Ed served on the Executive for many years)
She was a former member of the Shearwater Yacht Club, Dartmouth Curling Club, Masonic Eastern Star and the Red Hatters of Dartmouth. She was the life of the party and there are several stories of her antics at bon-spiels and bowling championships in her younger years.
More details…

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