The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1876-01-27
january. 1870

1t IL remarkable that the first month
of this Centennial winter closely re.
sembles that OF l77G, The journals Of
that year speak of the unusual mild.
ness of the season. IL was even said
that the lack of the usual Ice In Boston
Harbor prevented Washington from
crossing his forces and attempting n
surprise on the city, and the Ameri-
cans were enabled TO continually send
forth vessels from all parts Of the har'
! Dor TO the West Indies for munitions
of war. The mild season enabled
General Schuyler, IN these first
DAYS of January to dispatch his
well-panned little expedition up the
Mohawk Valley to surprise the High
anders, under johnson. This officer,
one of the ablest in our history, was
then exceedingly popular, but com
bination of unlucky circumstances and
of sectional prejudice deprived him
subsequently of the glory, which was
entirely his, of the first great victory
of the war.
The lst of January, l77G, had been
signalzed by the barbarous burning OF
an old historic colonial town, Norfolk,
| in Virginia, by Lord Dunmore. This
had only intensified the bitterness Of
| the feelings of the citizens against the
British Government. All parts OF the
country were in much the same state
| of feeling toward the royal administra-
| ton which the border States were in
here toward the general government
in 1861. Many Of the conservative
and the loyal dreaded to break the old
| ties with the parent country. The In
terests of law and order seemed to
| many on the side of the crown. The
sentiments, from long tradition and
from family and historical connection
with the old country, bound them to
the royal party. Families like the
| Delanceys aud the Phillipses, in this
State, the latter of whom owned land
almost from Yonkers to the High
lands, feared to risk their large pro-
perty iAterests in q rebellion which
seemed to have no chance OF success.
In New York city many OF the wealthy
families stood by the crown; Queens
county remained loyal the old Dutch
families around the city were often
averse to joining the revolutionary
movement of the men of New
England. Even in New England it,
self, one town, Portsmouth, New
Hampshire, refused to join the popular
movement, and set upa government
ofits own. 1t looked at one time rs If
the future Republic which should de.
clare itself independent of Great Brit
| lain, would consist of New England;
and Franklin even had the courage TO
write that, if New England formed
"a separate confederation against the
crown, he would throw his for
tunes with her. New York, during
this first winter Of the century, re-
NAMED In a condition OF semi-neutral-
ity, the British ships lying in the har-
Dor without molesting the city, and
the Americans sending out umimpeded
their small craft to obtain supplies
| from the West Indies. The more rev.
dictionary spirits of New England
were indignant at this apathy, and
Lee, with one of his rattle Drained ex-
pepitions from Connecticut to this
city, came very near exposing the
town to the horrors of battle. The his
loric names of the State begin already
to appear on the side of the most de
termined tonists-the,J avs, Liv-
ingstons, Van Rensselaers, Schuylers,
Hamiltons and others and AS gener-
al thing those with the largest inter-
est in the country were found ready to
risk the most.
1t was in these January days that
the letters of the time relate the Incl
dent of farce played by the British
officers in Boston, called Forcing the
Blockade wherein Washington was
pictured in ludicrous garb, but which
was suddenly interrupted by the
hurried announcement by the Sergeant
that the "Rebels We're tortifying the
hills around the city J" This was sup
posed by the audience to be well-act-
ed part of the farce, and it was only
the confusion and departure of the ac-
tors which showed that the play had
become reality. Washington, during
that January, managed to disguise the
smallhess of his army so well
that bis 5000 was ampliiied, by popu-
| lar belief, to 10000, and this impress
ion, though he was utterly destitute of
ammunition, with his mastery occu-
patton of Dorchester Heighths, conn.,
PEELED, little later, the evacuation OF
the city. 1t was in January, if we are
not mistaken, that the new flag of
thirteen stripes of red and white, but
without the stars, was first uniurled in
the Continental army, near Boston.
The winter was full, to the colonies, of
anxiety, excitement and danger. 1t
was evidently the opening of great
war, and great change in the worlds
history. Few could predict whether
disaster or success would be the result.
| II Naxy Nork Timaa