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In the Bleak Midwinter: December 1784: Part One of Three
copyright Stephen Davidson UE
The first hearings of the Royal Commission on the Losses and Services of American Loyalists (RCLSAL) commenced in September of 1783. The Loyalists who appeared before the commission tended to be well-to do colonists who often had connections to rich and influential British citizens. Within a year of its first sessions, the realization came to the RCLSAL commissioners that the majority of Loyalists who had suffered losses during the American Revolution had not been able to afford a round-trip transatlantic journey to seek compensation.
Thus, in December of 1784 the RCLSAL held its first hearings in North America. Once it was known that the commissioners were in Halifax, Loyalists from as far away as the West Indies –-as well as those who had found refuge in the Maritimes— made the journey to the Nova Scotia capital. With Christmas fast approaching, those who petitioned the compensation board had every hope that their bleak midwinter trek to Halifax would result in a change in their fortunes.
RCLSAL transcripts that have survived to this day reveal that three Loyalists appeared before the board on December third.
Sampson Salter Blowers was a bit of a celebrity; 14 years earlier he worked alongside John Adams and Josiah Quincy to defend the British soldiers charged with firing upon civilians in what Patriots called the Boston Massacre.  A Harvard graduate, Blowers had to leave Boston because his support of the crown “had made him obnoxious”. He returned to Massachusetts in 1778 and was arrested by Patriots when he visited his sick wife, Sarah. After 8 days in jail, he was “sent off in a flag of truce to Halifax”. He would never return to his Massachusetts.
After holding a number of public offices in Rhode Island and New York, Blowers was appointed attorney general of Nova Scotia in 1783.  Later he would become the Speaker of the colony’s House of Assembly and the chief justice of its supreme court.
Although slavery was legal in Nova Scotia, Blowers used the law to make proving the right to own a slave very difficult. As cases of ownership arose, he demanded the “fullest proof” of the master’s claim on the slave and of the right of the seller to dispose of the enslaved person. As noted by Vicky Messervey, Blowers’ direct undermining of Nova Scotia’s slave trade led to new laws that freed many enslaved Blacks.
In 1840, seven years after his retirement from public life, Blowers received a guest into his home — John Adams, his former law partner and the 6th president of the United States. The loyal Bostonian, who was remembered as a man who “never wore an overcoat in his life”, died in 1842, seven months after his 100th birthday.  His wife Sarah died three years later at age 88.
Not having any children of their own, the Blowers couple had adopted Sarah Ann Anderson. Born in Nova Scotia in 1798, Sarah married William B. Bliss by whom she had seven children.  She inherited £40,000 –or approximately $6,600,000 in today’s currency—from Blowers’ estate.
It is not known where Sampson Salter Blowers is buried, but his name lives on in Halifax’s Blowers Street.
The other two Loyalists who petitioned the RCLSAL for compensation on December 3, 1784 happened to share the same name.
Distinguished by being called George DeBlois Junior, this Loyalist from Newburyport, Massachusetts refused to take up arms for the Patriots following the Battle of Lexington. Deblois had been a shopkeeper who had a third of a share in a merchant vessel. In 1777, he took an oath of allegiance to the king and joined the Massachusetts Company of Volunteers.  Later, the loyal merchant put all of his furniture on a sloop bound for Philadelphia, hoping to find safety within the British lines. Rebels attacked and plundered the sloop. Deblois lost everything.
In 1782, he was one of the first Loyalists to seek sanctuary on the St. John River in what was then north-western Nova Scotia.  Two years later, Deblois journeyed to Halifax to seek compensation for his losses.
The second George DeBlois (referred to as “the elder”) was Junior’s uncle. Born in England, George sailed for America in 1761 and became a merchant in Salem, Massachusetts. However, by 1775, his loyalist principles made George “become so obnoxious that he was obliged to fly from Salem”. In April of that year, George, his wife Sarah, and their 4 children sought refuge in Halifax. George was compelled to leave his thriving store in charge of his friend Mr. Pincher.
A witness for DeBlois Senior recalled that George was “a man of exceptional character, being a Church of England man”. The historians Julie Morris and Wendy Thorpe note that his success as a merchant enabled him to occupy a prominent position in Halifax society: in 1793 he became a justice of the peace, and at St Paul’s Church he acted as a churchwarden and as a vestryman.
Following his death in 1799, George’s wife Sarah boldly took the reins of her husband’s business ventures. Two years later, the family’s store in Halifax changed its name to the “S. DeBlois Store”, and continued under Sarah’s name until 1808 even though she had returned to the United States 6 years earlier.
As Morris and Thorpe point out, “The extent to which Sarah controlled her late husband’s business is uncertain, but her short term as merchant was significant. Until the mid 19th century a woman merchant in Halifax was something of a novelty… Sarah of course came from a strongly mercantile background in an age when merchants formed an élite ,.. she was active at a time when economic conditions fluctuated and many merchants lost their businesses.” By 1823, only 87 of 159 merchants who had owned stores in Halifax were still in business. “It may be argued that the family business might not have continued even into the early years of the 19th century had it not been for the efforts of Sarah Deblois, woman merchant.”
The Loyalist woman from Salem returned to Halifax sometime near the end of her life, dying at the age of 73 on December 25, 1827. That was almost 43 years to the day that Sarah’s husband George DeBlois stood before the compensation board on a bleak midwinter day in 1783.
More accounts of Loyalists who sought compensation in December of 1784 will be featured in next week’s Loyalist Trails.
To secure permission to reprint this article contact the author at stephendavids@gmail.com.

The Loyal- List: Loyalist Descendants Who Have Mountains Named for Them
By Mike Woodcock UE, Victoria Branch
This Loyal- List article considers the significance of United Nations International Mountain Day (IMD), celebrated annually on December 11th. Designated by the UN, this day raises awareness of mountains’ importance, the challenges they face (like climate change impacts), and opportunities for sustainable development. It serves as a global call to action for preserving mountain environments and supporting mountain communities.
Memorializing Legacy Through Geography
Naming a prominent, ancient natural feature like a mountain after an individual is a timeless method of memorializing them. Mountains are often named after individuals who have made significant civic or historical contributions. This tribute signifies that the person’s contributions were substantial enough to warrant such a recognition.
Notable UEL Descendants with Named Mountains
Here are some notable descendants of United Empire Loyalists with mountains named in their honor:
Mount De Veber
Located in Willmore Wilderness Park in Alberta, this mountain is named for Leverett George DeVeber, grandson of UEL Gabriel DeVeber. Leverett served as a Member of the Legislative Assemblies of Alberta and the North-West Territories, minister in the Alberta government, and a member of the Senate of Canada. Born in New Brunswick and trained as a physician, he joined the North-West Mounted Police before settling in Lethbridge.
Mount Frederick Clarke
Named for George Frederick Clarke, a New Brunswick writer, dentist, and avocational archaeologist/historian. Clarke authored the first book-length work focused on the pre-contact archaeology of New Brunswick and received an honorary PhD from the University of New Brunswick. His collection of artifacts, significant in the history of Canadian archaeology, was donated to UNB in 2006.
Mount Sir James MacBrien
The third highest peak in the Mackenzie Mountains of the Northwest Territories honors Major- General Sir James Howden MacBrien, who was head of the Canadian Militia in the mid-1920s. MacBrien’s military career spanned various regiments, and he served as the eighth Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Mount Williams
This mountain, located on the border of Alberta and British Columbia on the Continental Divide, is named after Major-General Victor Arthur Seymour Williams CMG. A prominent Canadian general in World War I, Williams was captured and wounded in June 1916 and later became the Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police.

Invitation to Contribute
You’re invited to help expand the Loyal-List! If you wish to add Loyalists or descendants, suggest edits to existing profiles, or provide feedback, please email membership.vic.uelac@gmail.com or use the Feedback portal on the uelcanada.ca homepage. The Loyal-List is a dedicated project of the United Empire Loyalists (UEL) Association of Canada, highlighting individuals identified through various reputable sources. It is recognized as one of the official UELAC initiatives.

Reader’s Comment about Sir Frederick Banting
With reference to Sir Frederick Banting UE
The house in which he lived and where he “came up with” important details to further the discovery of Insulin, apparently waking up with the idea, is located in London, Ontario at the south-east corner of Adelaide Street and Queens Avenue and is now a museum.
The late Queen Mother Elizabeth came to London many years ago to dedicate a “Flame of Hope” in the gardens of the house (now called Banting Square) that will continue to burn until a cure for Diabetes is discovered.  I attended the dedication on that day, and drive past the house about once a week.  Although I knew he had been killed in a plane crash, I didn’t know that it was exactly one year to the day before I was born.
Noted by Marianne Donovan, London, Ontario

Blog: About UE Loyalist History by Brian McConnell UE at UE Loyalist History

A Loyalist Town in Quebec – 9 December 2025
During the American Revolution,the former French Seigneury of Sorel, in the colony of Quebec, became an important area as a British military post and refugee camp for thousands of United Empire Loyalists.  A town was planned and established for Loyalists and discharged soldiers.   The town was given street names from members of the Royal Family, and later its name changed to William Henry after the son of King George III.  Some of my Humphrey ancestors spent time in the area as I learned from a Return of the Refugee Loyalist Families receiving Provisions at this Post and the Block House on the Yamaska, Sorel, 25 December 1783.
In 1781,  Baron Friederich Adolf Riedesel zu Eisenbach, a Major General,  was placed in charge of the Sorel district by Governor Frederick Haldimand, Governor of the British colony of Quebec.  Baron and Baroness Riedesel were the first to live in the government house.  They spent Christmas there that year with a German Christmas tree and English pie. This Christmas tree was a balsam fir cut from the nearby forest.
A daughter named “Canada” was born to the Riedesels in November of 1782.
In 1784, the first Anglican mission was established at Sorel, and, in 1785, Christ Church built.
The Christ Church Anglican Cemetery in Sorel contains graves as well as headstones for several United Empire Loyalists and discharged soldiers. Read more details…

The Loyalist Directory – 10 December 2025
The  Loyalist Directory  serves as a key resource for genealogists and history enthusiasts to research ancestors who remained loyal to the British Crown and settled in Canada after the American Revolutionary War. It is a growing online database maintained by the UELAC. It is built from submissions and historical research.  There are over 7000 entries. I regularly refer to it to assist with my research.
You begin by entering a name you wish to find. After I proved my ancestor James Humphrey, I submitted his information to the Loyalist Directory. When his name is entered in the search field it appears. Read more…

250 Years Ago: The Invasion of Canada: Events between Dec 10 and Dec 17, 1775

During the period of December 10 to December 17, 1775, the American and British forces at the Siege of Quebec were engaged in a relatively static situation, marked by an ineffectual American bombardment and British consolidation of defenses

British and Canadian Forces under Carleton
    The British garrison, commanded by Governor Sir Guy Carleton, remained securely within the fortified city walls, having already stored ample supplies to withstand a long siege. 

  • Defensive Preparations: Carleton had organized a defense force of approximately 1,800 men, a mix of British regulars, Royal Marines, and Canadian militia.
  • Withstanding the Bombardment: The British returned fire with their superior artillery, which eventually succeeded in silencing the American guns by Christmas Eve.
  • Waiting it Out: Carleton’s strategy was to remain behind the city’s strong defenses and wait for the harsh winter and expiring enlistments to weaken the American resolve, and for British reinforcements to arrive in the spring when the St. Lawrence River thawed.

American Forces under Montgomery and Arnold
The American forces, a combined army under the overall command of Major General Richard Montgomery and Colonel Benedict Arnold, were positioned on the Plains of Abraham and in the city’s suburbs.

  •  Continuing the Siege: The Americans maintained their siege positions around the city, which had begun in earnest around December 8-9 with the placement of artillery batteries.
  • Ineffective Bombardment: From December 9 onward, American artillery fired upon the city. However, their cannons were too few and too small to cause significant damage to the city’s stout defenses.
  • Facing Challenges: American troops contended with the harsh Canadian winter, which made digging trenches in the icy soil impossible (they used snow and ice instead). They also faced supply shortages, hunger, and the growing threat of smallpox.
  • Impending Deadline: A primary concern during this week was the looming expiration of most soldiers’ enlistments at midnight on December 31, which put immense pressure on Montgomery and Arnold to act before their army dissolved.

The period between December 10 and December 17 was a tense waiting game, with the Americans growing more desperate as their options dwindled and the British confident in their ability to hold out.

Podcast: Dispatches: Geoffrey Hoerauf on American Spies around Fort Detroit
by Editors  10 December 2025 Journal of the American Revolution
On this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews Geoffrey Hoerauf, JAR contributor and reenactor, on the role of American spies and sympathizers around British Fort Detroit and how they informed the American efforts along the frontier. Listen in…

Videau’s Bridge: An American Disaster After Yorktown
by Joshua Wheeler 11 December 2025 Journal of the American Revolution
The ten weeks between the American victory at Yorktown and the close of 1781 were a journey from the mountain top to the valley for the Continental army. On the summit, the army’s leaders looked down on the morale-boosting victory they had chased for years, and the successful removal of a British army under Gen. Charles Cornwallis from the equation. The view was, however, short-lived, as only weeks later they found themselves on the valley floor. The army was in perilous condition, faced with serious deficiencies that revealed themselves at a place called Videau’s Bridge in the first week of 1782. By January 1, the evacuation of Cornwallis’s army and the push of remaining British forces from the interior to the coast was complete, but victories in war often face counterattacks, and victories unable to withstand them are meaningless. Everything the Americans had accomplished had to be held to yield permanent results and provide leverage to their peace negotiators in France.
Contemporary participants viewed Yorktown as a positive step toward peace, destined to carry significant weight in the negotiations, but no one viewed it as the end of the war and planning for the next campaign carried on. Gen. George Washington’s intelligence reports told him the British planned to reinforce their southern positions, and on January 3 he wrote to Elias Dayton of a fleet leaving New York harbor bound with reinforcements for Charles Town, South Carolina. Read more…

Lafayette and the Journey to Yorktown
by Shaun R. Cero, 9 December 2025 Journal of the American Revolution
During the American War for Independence, 1781 proved to be a monumental year for the young nation. They would achieve an astounding victory at the Siege of Yorktown, and that would presage the end of major combat operations and the beginning of peace negotiations between the warring nations. There was one general officer on the American side who played a significant role in the operations that led to that surprising battle. Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, commander of the Continental Army forces in Virginia during the Summer of 1781, was a key agent in the events that led to the Franco-American victory at Yorktown.’
In early 1781, the Lafayette was tasked by Gen. George Washington to pursue and capture a newly minted British brigadier general, Benedict Arnold, leading British troops in the state of Virginia. By April of that year, before he was able to move his force from Maryland to Virginia, Lafayette received word from Washington that Maj. Gen. William Phillips of the British Army had arrived with additional forces to support Arnold. Lafayette would then have to contend with a larger force than originally expected. To add to these complications, the young general was asked by the government of Maryland to remain in the state due to fears of raids by the Royal Navy. Read more…

Book Review: Facing Washington’s Crossing: The Hessians and the Battle of Trenton
Author: Steven Bier (Yardley, PA: Westholme Publishing, 2025)
Review by Sam Short 8 December 2025 Journal of thye American Revolution
Steven Bier’s Facing Washington’s Crossing: The Hessians and the Battle of Trenton recounts the tale of the Hessian regiments during the American Revolution as they leave their home of Hessen-Kassel, crossing the Atlantic to assist Great Britain in its war against the United States. Where most histories of the Revolution give the Hessians their due opposite Gen. George Washington’s army at the Battle of Trenton in December 1776, those retellings cast the Germans as secondary to the more prominent roles of the British or the Continental Army. Bier, alternatively, has them to center stage to shed more light on these soldiers in name along with their Landgrave Frederick II who hired them out to King George III.
Bier’s work is one that humanizes an otherwise nameless force that has largely been invoked in service of bolstering Gen. Washington’s heroism at Trenton. His preface orients the retelling of the war around three soldiers: Pvt. Johannes Reuber, Lt. Jakob Piel and Lt. Adreas Wiederhold.
The title of Bier’s work may prove misleading. His book is not exclusively about the Battle of Trenton, nor is most of it dedicated to that battle. He begins with the conditions that led Frederick II to send his soldiers on a treacherous journey across the Atlantic,…
…Given the scope of the book, it would more appropriately be titled in a way that communicates its retelling of 1776 for the Hessians, not just Trenton. Read more…

Advertised on 9 Dec. 1775 “He will open a TAP of Messrs. HARE’s and Co. AMERICAN PORTER”

“He will open a TAP of Messrs. HARE’s and Co. AMERICAN PORTER.”

Patrick Meade aimed to create some anticipation among prospective patrons who might visit his tavern, the Harp and Crown, in Southwark on the outskirts of Philadelphia.  In an advertisement that first appeared in the Pennsylvania Evening Post on December 5, 1775, he announced that “on Saturday the ninth … he will open a TAP of Messrs. HARE and Co. AMERICAN PORTER.”  Hare and Company had been building a reputation for their brew.  Two weeks earlier, William Dibley, the proprietor of the Fountain and White Horse Inn in Philadelphia, advertised that he “will open a TAP of Mr. HARE’s best AMERICAN DRAUGHT PORTER.”  Meade’s advertisement ran again on December 9, the day he tapped the celebrated porter.
Meade and Dibley deployed similar marketing strategies to entice “gentlemen and others” to visit their establishments and drink Hare and Company’s porter. Read more…

Full of Hope and Promise: Charles Dickens visited pre-Confederation Canada. Here’s what he found
by Bill Moreau 21 November 2025 Canada’s History
Charles Dickens was afraid to turn in. That morning in Liverpool, he and his wife, Catherine, had boarded the steam packet Britannia, bound for Boston, and now, despite the general air of festivity on board, Dickens viewed the upcoming 12-day run across the North Atlantic with dread. He crept below deck at midnight and found his wife already in “silent agonies.” The writer soon felt a chill — the beginnings of the seasickness that confined him to the cabin for the duration of the voyage. It was early January 1842; the couple had just celebrated Christmas in London with their four young children and would be away from home for almost six months while they toured America.
Dickens was just shy of 30 when they embarked, and it had been six years since he’d published his first book…
For almost a year, he’d toyed with the idea of visiting the U.S. to produce a travel narrative. Bookshops did brisk business in volumes of Englishmen’s impressions of America, and he was eager to tour the young republic and add his story to shelves. His reportage and fiction were animated by a deep interest in social inequality, legal systems and political institutions, as well as a desire to remedy abuses, and he foresaw that the U.S. would offer him a fertile field for these preoccupations. Dickens was right; American Notes for General Circulation, the resulting narrative, instantly became a classic of the genre.
Less well known is that Dickens’ visit to America included a substantial Canadian sojourn. The portion of the trip that took him north of the border has always been overshadowed by his time in the U.S., both in the published travel narrative itself and in subsequent writing about the author. Read more…

The Old Red Lion by the Fleet Ditch [in London]
Flowing beneath the streets of London between Hampstead Heath and Blackfriars Bridge is the hidden river Fleet.  Its upper reaches once gave the name to Holborn or Hol (hollow) bourne but by the 18th century it was better described as the Fleet Ditch, a sluggish, dirty stream.   Next to this unhealthy spot stood the Red Lion Tavern or Lodging House, a den of iniquity.
Possibly dating from the mid-16th century, this rambling building stood in Chick Lane (also called West Street) near Saffron Hill in West Smithfield, an overcrowded area known for criminals and prostitutes.
The Tavern provided accommodation for coin counterfeiters and contained a private still.  It was full of sliding doors and secret cupboards. Read more…

UELAC Loyalist Directory: New Contributions
Entries which have been added, or revised, this week.
Many thanks to Michael Mallery who has previously provided and has now submitted new or additional information about members of the Prince of Wales American Volunteers:

  • Sgt. Ethel Davis 1756 – 1801 born New Haven CT. Ethel and his wife Christiana boarded HMS Clinton on September 20, 1783 at East River NY with Christiana’s parents, Adam and Christiana Hubbert (Hubbard). They arrived at Port Roseway NS on 26 October 1783. He is buried in Hilltop Cemetery, Westport, Digby County, Nova Scotia
  • Cpl. William Davis enlisted in 2nd Battalion Prince of Wales American Volunteers (Hierlihy’s Corps). He first appears in McMullan’s Company August 31, 1777 Muster Roll; he enlisted May 12, 1777. In 1778 the Independent Companies were shipped to Halifax and then to the Island of Saint John where they remained until incorporated into the Nova Scotia Volunteers in 1782.
  • Patrick Donnely.  He was in the Volunteers of Ireland before that regiment was drafted into the Prince of Wales American Volunteers in October 1782. He petitioned for land on Salmon River, New Brunswick in 1784 and petitioned for land on the Nashwaak River, New Brunswick in 1785.
  • Pvt. Peter Doran First appears in Lieutenant Colonel Gabriel DeVeber’s company on June 1781 Muster Roll. In 1784 he petitioned for land on Salmon River, New Brunswick.
  • Lt.- Col. Gabriel Deveber Sr.  from New York served in Delancey’s Brigade; then the Prince of Wales American Regiment. He was High Sheriff of Sunbury County after the war. . With his wife Mary, they had 13 children. He was High Sheriff of Sunbury County after the war. He died July 26, 1810.
  • Ens. John Deveber from New York 1772 – 1861. He married Freelove and they had at least one child, Duncan. On October 15, 1784 he was first granted 2 acres on Cleoncore Island, Saint Mary’s Parish, York County, New Brunswick. He was Commissioner in 1815 and 1816 and overseen work on the back road to Maugerville, received £ 5 for that work.
  • Henry Deveber 1772 – 1867 a Volunteer in the Prince of Wales American Volunteers. Resettled in Gagetown, Queens County, New Brunswick. Married Cornelia Vredenburgh Hubbard (b. ca. 1783, d. 1852 at age 69) They had at least four children.
  • Pvt. Thomas Doyle. Thomas first appears in Curgenevan’s Company, enlisted September 1777. He served with Emmerick’s Chasseurs. In 1778 the Independent Companies were shipped to Halifax and then to the Island of Saint John where they remained until incorporated into the Nova Scotia Volunteers in 1782.

From a Loyalist Certificate application by Noreen Duross, information about James Pettes  b c1759 from Massachusetts served in the King’s Loyal Americans under Ebenezer Jessup. He resettled in Parrsboro, Cumberland, Nova Scotia but moved to West Brome Quebec. He m. at Parrsboro ca. 1780 Catherine Onley, b. ca. 1759, d. 30 Nov 1853. They had eleven children.

If you are willing to submit some information, send a note to  loyalist.trails@uelac.org All help is appreciated.   …doug

Events Upcoming

Sir Guy Carleton Branch: “My Childhood Christmas Memories in Atlantic Canada” by Carl Stymiest UE, Wed 17 Dec @7:00 ET on zoom

Step back in time with Carl Stymiest UE as he shares the magic and wonder of Christmases past in Atlantic Canada. This presentation brings to life the warmth of family traditions celebrated at his 4th Great-Grandfather Alexander MacDonald’s historic stone farmhouse in Bartibog, Miramichi, New Brunswick.
Register with carletonuel@hotmail.com

From the Social Media and Beyond

  • Clothing and apparel
    • Shoe from 1720-30 with red Louis heel, V&A
    • The Magdalen Reading, c. 1435, delicately turning the page, beside her alabaster jar of ointment, oil on panel, fragment of altarpiece by Rogier van der Weyden, influential Flemish artist (c.1400-1464), pupil of Robert Campin, court painter to Duke of Burgundy. National Gallery London
  • Food and Related: Townsends

  • This week in History
    • 11 Dec 1767, London, Lord Frederick North succeeds Charles Townshend as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Townshend’s “Acts” backfired & discommoded the colonists. North would serve as Chancellor for 2.5 years before becoming PM for most of the #RevWar image
    • 5 Dec 1770 Boston The Boston Massacre trial ends with six Accused British soldiers acquitted & 2 found guilty of manslaughter. Privates Matthew Kilroy & Hugh (or Edward) Montgomery are branded on the thumb & released. Their defense attorney was John Adams.  image
    • 11 Dec 1773 London A duel between Thomas Whately & John Temple over who leaked the notorious Hutchinson Letters (evidence of British bad-will towards the colonists). Whately received a wound “more embarrassing than deadly.” But the leaker was Ben Franklin. image
    • 5 Dec 1775, Henry Knox began moving artillery from Ticonderoga to Cambridge MA. Artillery was key to dislodging the British from Boston. Moving cannons & mortars through frozen swamps & slush mud roads was an incredible endeavor the British didn’t expect. image
    • 6 Dec 1775: Continental Congress responds to King George III’s rejection of the Olive Branch Petition, reaffirming its allegiance and protesting Parliament’s unconstitutional actions. Independence is not mentioned.  image
    • 7 Dec 1775 Gen Richard Montgomery was promoted to Major General, although he would be killed in action at Quebec before the rank took effect. image
    • 9 Dec 1775, Great Bridge, VA, Col William Woodford’s militia defeat Royal Gov Dunmore’s troops. Dunmore tried to make Norfolk his base of operations. His attack stalled when a sentry, Billy Flora, held his ground & delayed the advance of British soldiers.  image
    • 6 Dec 1776 Gen William Howe catches up with Gen Charles Cornwallis’s advance column at Brunswick, ordering Cornwallis to resume his pursuit of the fleeing Continental Army.  image
    • 7 Dec 1776 Newport, RI. Gen Henry Clinton’s 6.000 men occupy the port, which British Adm Peter Parker uses as a base for his naval forces.  image
    • 8 Dec 1776 Weaver’s Creek, RI. British Gen Richard Prescott lands a force of grenadiers and light infantry, dispersing the local militia & departing with cannon & livestock. image
    • 8 Dec 1776 Trenton, NJ Gen Charles Cornwallis’s advance guard of light infantry reached the banks of the Delaware at Assunpink Creek. But American Gen William Alexander’s battery on the opposite shore stops them and forces them to retreat with 13 wounded. image
    • 12 Dec 1776 Congress flees Philadelphia for Baltimore, Maryland, fearing a British thrust on the American capital after granting plenary powers to Gen George Washington—which he eschews. image
    • 8 Dec 1777 Battle of White Marsh ended when Gen William Howe failed to surprise & capture Washington’s outnumbered troops & withdrew. Spies (i.e., Lydia Darragh) alerted Washington. The Continental Army survived to go into winter quarters.  image
    • 10 Dec 1777, Masons Ford, PA. Gen Charles Cornwallis’s forces successfully raid Gulph’s Mill, seizing 2,000 sheep & cattle. image
    • 10 Dec 1777 Off Crane Neck, NY Commander Harry Harmood’s HMS Falcon fires at the grounded Continental sloop Schuyler commanded by Lt. John Kerr, forcing the surrender & capture of Col Samuel Webb & 73 Connecticut militia. image
    • 9 Dec 1778, Virginia annexes the western territory conquered by Gen George Rogers Clark and names it the County of Illinois, and names Capt. John Todd as its first governor. image
    • 5 Dec 1782, King George III addressed Parliament regarding the Treaty of Paris & his recognition of America’s independence. In a voice a witness described as “constrained,” George III declared his former colonies to be “free and independent states.” image

Editor’s Note:
We are travelling all day Saturday, so this issue is being loaded on Friday evening for distribution on Sunday morning. I hope I am home and in my bed when you receive this.
….doug

Published by the UELAC
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