Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-05-05
April, i57G

The month OF April, l77G, was an inter-
esting time for " the Americans" as they
were called in England even George Ill.
thus designating his " rebelli0us subjects
who dwelt in the" Thirteen Colonies lhe
Continental Congress labored diligently IN
Its vocation, resolving that no slaves he lm-
ported into any of the Thirteen United
Colonies and. on the 9th. throwing their
ports open to all peoples - not subject to
the King Of Great Britain This was
coming quite a. near TO a declaration OF 10
dependence as It was possible for toe dele
gates to come without using direct words
to that effect. North Carolina took open
ground in ia7or OF declaring independence,
through her Provincial Congress, on the
18th and South Carolina was but little be-
hind her in sentiment. Preparations were
made al Charleston To meet the attack which
came but few weeks later, and which was
so -ignally and brilliantly repulsed. The
Chief Justice, William Henry Drayton,
charged the grand jury on the 23d OF April.
thus: - The law OF the land authorizes me
to declare, and it j. my duty 10 declare the
law, that George the Third, King OF Great
Britain. has abdicated the government. that
he has no authority over US. and that we
owe no obedience 10 him True
reconcilement never can exist between Great
Britain and America, the latter being IN
subsection to the former. The Almighty
created America to be independent of Brit
ain to refuse our lsbors in this Divine
work is to refuse to be a great, a free,
pious. AMI happy peCple!' Some local
southern action was to the same effect.
General Washington left Cambridge on the
4th of April. and arrived in New York on
the 18th General Putnam had taken the
command at that place after General Lee
had quilted it for Virginia. and the work OF
fortlying it, and Of preparing generally for
the arrival of the enemy. went on with
much vigOr but the entire effective force
there assembled in April did not exceed
s 900 men and this small force was badly
armed, badly clothed, badly equipped, and
badly disciplined and 1t was hardly paid
at all. 1t was in April that General Thorn
as was appointed to the command OF the
American forces in Canada, which were in
a bad state. Washington sent ten batta!-
ions to the force in Canada. or about one
half his effective men, led by Sullivan and
Stark, Thompson, Reed, and Irvine. Most
of these relnfOrcements were sent by order
Of Congress, and the effect was all but 10
uncover the great position IN and near New
York, and to imperll the line OF the Hud-
son; and had the enemy been in condition
TO avail themselves of the weakness Ot the
Americans, the latter's cause might have
been lost Congress had sent DR.. franklin.
Samuel Chase. and Charles Carroll as Com
| missioners to Canada, to satisfy the CathO-
| lie clergy that Americans would MAINTAIN
their property rights; and they were ac-
companied by John Carroll, brother OF
| Charles. an eminent Catholic priest, who
! afterward rose to eminence IN his church.
~ hai rod in bp
winter. but it did not reach Montreal until
| April had closed, or thereabout. There was
some naval fighting early in the month.
" Admiral" Hopkins's squadron captured
! the British brig Bolton, and tender, On
| the 4th and 5th and on the Gth occurred
the action between his squadron and the
| Glasgow, the latter escaping. The COntI-
mental Congress provided regulations for
privateering GA tine Sth of April the
funeral services OF General Joseph Warren
were solemnized in Boston. The remains Of
that illustrous patriot were brought from
the grave, on Bunker Hill. in which the
| British had placed them. and taken To the
Town House, and thenca to King Chapel,
where, alter prayer by DR.. Cooper, an ora
tion WAS pronounced by Perez Morton, who
aiterward became one If the most dlstin-
guished lawyers in Massachusetts. At the
close of April the general aspect OF affairs
was, in respect to military matters, not very
encouraging. In Canada, the attempt at
American conquest was virtually at an end.
American matters did not command much
attention, In Eng land, for neither the gov
ernment nor the people had yet become
aware Of the gravity of that contest into
which, to use modern expression, they had
" drifted" They had not heard Of the de-
parture OF Sir William Howe from Boston.
The f st half Of the hired Hessisn troops
arrived at Portsmouth in the last week OF
April, and their departure for America was
Tor sometime delayed. In his - Last Jour
nals." Vol. ii. p. 30.) Horace Walpole,
writing under date OF April cath. says -
Lord North opened the Budget, and pro-
posed additional taxes on coaches, dice, and
cards. and newspapers. and a tax on stage
coaches. exempted before. All these were
light. and were approved, yet that On news
papers was liable to suspicion. Lord North
denied any danger to Jamaica. vsunted the