This Month in American Revolution History . . .
Ever wondered what happened on this day during the American Revolution? Covering the years from 1765 to 1784.
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The month of March . . .
1765 . . .
22nd: Parliament passed Stamp Act to be effective 1 November 1765, placing tax on printed matter and legal documents with objective of raising part of costs of maintaining British troops in American colonies.
1766 . . .
18th: Stamp Act repealed, but on same day Parliament passed Declatory Act asserting its authority to make laws binding on American colonies "in all cases whatsoever."
1770 . . .
5th: Boston "Massacre" climaxed rioting in front of customs house, with British gaurds firing into mob killing five and wounding six others. Whatever the provocation, and misrepresentation of this incident in patriot propaganda, it was significant action in stirring anti-British feeling and leading toward armed rebellion and independence.
1774 . . .
31st: Parliament passed Boston Port Bill, first of Coercive Acts, ordering closing of port on 1 June 1774 until tea destroyed in "Tea Party" was payed for.
1775 . . .
23rd: Virginia Convention resolved that colony ought immediately to be put into posture of defense, and Pattrick Henry in this connection delivered his "liberty or death" speech.
1776 . . .
2nd - 5th: Heavy Patriot bombbardment of Boston began, darkness concealed Washington's occupation of Dorchester Heights and emplaced there of cannon from Ticonderoga.
3rd: Secret Committee of Correspondance decided to send "commercial" agent to France to purchase military supplies, and Congress selected Silas Deane of Connecticut for this mission.
3rd-4th: Patriot marines and sailors attacked New Providence (now Nassau) in Bahamas, capturing 100 cannon and mortars and a large quantity of other useful military stores. This action was first in which American marines participated as an organized unit.
7th: Royal Governor Sir James Wright, who fled Savannah, Goergia, on 11 February to take refuge on British warship, returned with naval reinforcements on 6 March, captured 11 rice laden merchant ships, and threatened attack Savannah from Hutchinson's Island opposite. Counterattack drove off British and left patriots in control of Savannah for next three years.
9th-13th: British sloop Otter sailing up Chesapeake Bay was attacked and driven away by Maryland ship Defense and two Maryland militia companies stationed in Cariton Creek, Northampton County, Virginia.
17th: General Howe having abandoned initial plan to attack new patriot fortifications on Dorchester Heights and realizing they made British position in Boston untenable, had decided on 7 March to evacuate Boston and on this date did so, taking with him 1,000 loyalists and sailing to Hailfax, Nova Scotia.
23rd: Congress authorized privateering, resolving "that the inhabitants of these colonies be permitted to fit out armed vessels, to cruise on the enemies of the United Colonies."
25th: Dr. Benjamin Franklin, Charles Carro of Carrolton, and Samuel Chase left Philadelphia as envoys of Congress to Canada, to negotiate with Canadians toward union with thirteen coastal colonies in rebellion.
1777 . . .
12th: Congress having returned from Baltimore met in Philadelphia.
23rd-24th: British raiding party sailing up Hudson River attacked American supply base at Peekskill, New York. Counterattack on following day drove British off but not before they had destroyed large quantity of Continental Army supplies.
1778 . . .
9th: As measure to dissaude Americans from ratifying Fronco-American treaty of alliance, Parliament approved British Prime Minister Lord North's proposals for conciliation, including suspension, as necesary, of all acts passed since 1753 to which Americans objected.
18th: British and patriot foraging parties clashed at Quinton's Bridge, New Jersey, three miles south of Salem. Patriots, deceived by clever trap. lost about 40, British only one mortally wounded.
20th: King Louis XVI of France formally received American commissioners Benjamin Franklin, Silas Deane, and Arthur Lee.
21st: Loyalist force made murderous attack on patriot militia group at Hancock's Bridge, New Jersey, killing some loyalists as well as patriots in progress.
21st: Final orders issued to General Sir Henry Clinton, who was to relieve Howe as British commander in North America, to send a force of 5,000 to the West Indies and 3,000 men to Florida, and to withdraw the rest of his troops in Philadelphia to New York.
1779 . . .
3rd: Patriot force of 1,500, mostly North Carolina militia, forced British out of Augusta and pursued southward on Georgia side of river toward Savannah. Counterattacking British force of 900 caught patriots unprepared at Briar Creek, Georgia, and inflicted crushing defeat, causing nearly 400 casualties to enemy loss of 16 and stopping patriot efforts to recover Georgia.
11th: Congress resolved that military engineers in service of the United States should be formed into a Corps of Engineers.
29th: In view of shortage of white manpower in South Carolina and Georgia Congress recommended that they raise force of 3,000 Negroes, to be commanded by white commisioned and noncommisioned officers, of each negroe to be paid up to $1,000, and each that served faithfully through war to be emancipated and paid $50.
29th: Congress ordered that regulations prepared by Inspector General von Steuben be observed by troops of the United States and that the Board of War have as many copies as necessary printed.
Resource from 'The War of the American Revolution' by Robert W. Coakley & Stetson Conn, Center of Military History
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