September 1776

17 September 1776, the Continental Congress officially adopted the name "United States of America" When the Second Continental Congress passed a resolution replacing the term "United Colonies" in all official records and commissions.

In September 1776, the American Revolution centered almost entirely on the high-stakes struggle for New York City. Following the Continental Army's severe defeat at the Battle of Long Island in late August, General George Washington's forces were retreating, and the survival of the revolution hung in the balance.

Gen Washington positioned General Israel Putnam with 4,000 men in lower Manhattan, left a small militia force at Kip's Bay (roughly present-day 32nd to 38th Streets), and moved the bulk of his army north to Harlem Heights to secure an escape route.  On 15 September, At Kip’s Bay, five British warships anchored just 200 yards offshore and unleashed a devastating one-hour naval bombardment. They used solid shot, mortars, and grape shot to completely shatter the American earthworks.  Following the bombardment, 84 flatboats carrying roughly 4,000 British and Hessian troops crossed the East River from Newtown Creek.

The defenders at Kip's Bay consisted of only about 450 to 800 inexperienced Connecticut militiamen under Colonel William Douglas. Many were poorly armed, some carrying only homemade scythe-blade pikes. Terrified by the heavy naval bombardment and the sight of oncoming Hessian forces, the militia panicked, broke ranks, and fled inland without firing a shot, abandoning their weapons and gear.

General Howe halted his troops to wait for reinforcements rather than pressing aggressively across Manhattan. This tactical pause allowed General Putnam's 4,000 Continentals to escape lower Manhattan and march up the west side to safety.

The British walked into New York City unopposed. They retained control of this vital deep-water port as their primary North American military headquarters for seven years until the war ended in 1783.

The very next day there is a very hard to follow account of "battle".  However, for nearly two hours, the Continental soldiers stood their ground in open combat against British regulars and Scottish Highlanders, eventually forcing the British to break off and retreat south toward their own lines. Washington, wary of a larger British counter-offensive, called off the pursuit and ordered his men back to Harlem Heights.

• 
  
  
  Psychological Restoration: The battle was not a decisive strategic victory, but its psychological impact was massive. It proved to the Continental soldiers that they could successfully stand toe-to-toe with elite British regular infantry in an open-field firefight.
• Exorcising the Kip's Bay Ghost: Just 24 hours after fleeing in panic, the American troops fought with discipline and bravery. Washington noted with satisfaction that the troops had "behaved with great courage and intrepidity."
• Stalemate in Manhattan: The victory secured Washington's position on Harlem Heights for the next month, forcing Howe to abandon plans for a direct frontal assault 
• One more thing that happened in New York in September was a huge fire in lower Manhattan that caused extensive damage.

August 1776

On August 2nd John Hancock, the President of the Congress, signed the engrossed copy with a bold signature. The other delegates, following custom, signed beginning at the right with the signatures arranged by states from northernmost New Hampshire to southernmost Georgia. Although all delegates were not present on August 2nd, 56 delegates eventually signed the document. Late signers were Elbridge Gerry, Oliver Wolcott, Lewis Morris, Thomas McKean, and Matthew Thornton, who was unable to place his signature with the other New Hampshire delegates due to a lack of space. Some delegates, including Robert R. Livingston of New York, a member of the drafting committee, never signed the Declaration.s 

https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/declaration-of-independence

George Washington and the Continental Army arrived in New York City on April 13, 1776, after marching south from Boston following the British evacuation.  He and his vanguard arrived in Manhattan (crossing King's Bridge into the Bronx) to begin fortifying the city against expected British attacks. 

Lower Manhattan: The actual built-up town covered only the southern portion of Manhattan Island, stretching from the Battery north to around present-day Chambers Street and City Hall Park.

The Rest of the Island: Beyond the densely packed colonial port, the rest of Manhattan Island consisted mostly of independent farms, rolling hills, marshes, and small settlements like Harlem further north. 

The entire city had a population of roughly 25,000 people living in low-rise timber and brick buildings.

George Washington stationed and moved parts of his Continental Army to fortify Brooklyn Heights on Long Island i

By nightfall of August 27, 1776, George Washington and his troops were badly beaten and trapped in the area of Brooklyn Heights.

After the American defeat, Washington gathered his generals at a mansion on the heights to plan their next move, ultimately executing a brilliant, fog-covered nighttime evacuation of 9,000+ troops across the East River to Manhattan. AI's synopsis of the evacuation:

1. The Assembly & March Down the Bluff

Under strict orders of complete silence, roughly 9,000 Continental soldiers were quietly pulled from the active trenches along the Brooklyn Heights ridge. They marched down the steep bluff via what was then called Old Ferry Road (today’s Old Fulton Street).

2. The Launch Point: Brooklyn Ferry Landing

The troops arrived at the Brooklyn ferry slip, located exactly where the Fulton Ferry Landingstands today (directly under the shadow of the modern Brooklyn Bridge).

• The Operators: Colonel John Glover’s Marblehead Regiment—a unit composed entirely of skilled fishermen and sailors from Massachusetts—manned a confiscated fleet of flat-bottomed bateaux, rowboats, and sail-rigged ferries. 
• The Friction: A fierce northeast wind and roaring river currents initially made rowing nearly impossible. The oarsmen had to muffle their oarlocks with cloth to keep the nearby British forces from hearing the movement. 

3. The Crossing

The boats navigated approximately 0.4 miles (roughly 700 yards) northwest across the treacherous, swirling waters of the East River. Around 2:00 AM, the wind shifted favorably, allowing the evacuation to speed up just as a dense "providential" fog rolled in to completely shield them from British view.

4. The Landing Site: Manhattan

The boats landed on the Manhattan side at the Fulton Slip (often historically referred to as the Fly Market slip).

• Modern Coordinates: This exact landing spot sits at the intersection of Fulton Street and South Street, right next to the historic South Street Seaport and the FDR Drive.
• Once ashore, the exhausted troops marched a few blocks inland toward the commons (modern-day City Hall Park) to reorganize, completely out of reach of British clutches.

George Washington famously refused to board a boat until the bulk of his army had crossed. He stepped into one of the final structures just as the morning sun began burning away the fog, leaving the British to discover empty trenches.

July 1776

I have copied from the National Archives site the following about the Declaration of Independence.  (For information about what happened to lead up to this, go below this blog post and read the one for June 1776.)

From the National Archives site:  

Jefferson drafted the statement between June 11 and 28, submitted drafts to Adams and Franklin who made some changes, and then presented the draft to the Congress following the July 2nd adoption of the independence section of the Lee Resolution. The congressional revision process took all of July 3rd and most of July 4th. Finally, in the afternoon of July 4th, the Declaration was adopted.

Under the supervision of the Jefferson committee, the approved Declaration was printed on July 5th and a copy was attached to the "rough journal of the Continental Congress for July 4th." These printed copies, bearing only the names of John Hancock, President, and Charles Thomson, secretary, were distributed to state assemblies, conventions, committees of safety, and commanding officers of the Continental troops.

On July 19th, Congress ordered that the Declaration be engrossed on parchment with a new title, "the unanimous declaration of the thirteen united states of America," and "that the same, when engrossed, be signed by every member of Congress." Engrossing is the process of copying an official document in a large hand. The engrosser of the Declaration was probably Timothy Matlock, an assistant to Charles Thomson, secretary to the Congress. 

But to me the most important part of this process was the July 19th NEW TITLE of UNANIMOUS DECLARATION of the thirteen UNITED states of America!  

June 1776

The Continental Congress appointed the "Committee of Five" to draft the Declaration of Independence on June 11, 1776. 

The five delegates appointed to draft the document were:

• Thomas Jefferson (Virginia)
• John Adams (Massachusetts)
• Benjamin Franklin (Pennsylvania)
• Roger Sherman (Connecticut)
• Robert R. Livingston (New York) 

From the National Constitution Center:

When the Second Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia in 1775, it was far from clear that the delegates would pass a resolution to separate from Great Britain. To persuade them, someone needed to articulate why the Americans were breaking away. On June 11, 1776, Congress formed a committee to do just that; members included John Adams from Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin from Pennsylvania, Roger Sherman from Connecticut, Robert R. Livingston from New York, and Thomas Jefferson from Virginia, who at age 33 was one of the youngest delegates.

Although Jefferson disputed his account, John Adams later recalled that he had persuaded Jefferson to write the draft because Jefferson had the fewest enemies in Congress and was the best writer. (Jefferson would have gotten the job anyway—he was elected chair of the committee.) Jefferson had 17 days to produce the document and reportedly wrote a draft in a day or two. In a rented room not far from the State House, he wrote the Declaration with few books and pamphlets beside him, except for a copy of George Mason’s Virginia Declaration of Rights and the draft Virginia Constitution, which Jefferson had written himself

 

May 1776

 George Washington had left Boston as quickly as possible after the British  Evacuated Boston on March 17th, 1776.  (Remember the fortification of Dorchester Heights).  By April 14 he had arrived in NY guessing correctly that the British would head to NY from Boston.  He orchestrated the movement of the troops from Boston to New York as well as artillery and weapons.

By May 1:

Since arriving two weeks ago, Washington has had his hands full in New York City. Here, the king’s friends are numerous, the enemy can arrive by sea at any moment, and coastal defenses are incomplete.

Map from https://www.emersonkent.com/map_archive/american_revolution_campaigns_1775_1776.htm#google_vignette

In May 1776, the 13 colonies were transitioning from armed resistance to full independence. The Second Continental Congress moved toward separation by authorizing colonies to form new governments (May 15 Preamble), while Virginia instructed its delegates to formally propose independence. Revolutionary governments replaced loyalist authorities, and support for total independence grew rapidly.

Rhode Island Act Repealing Allegiance to Great Britain, May 4, 1776. Via this act, Rhode Island's General Assembly formally rejected King George III and broke their legal ties to him months before independence was officially declared by the Second Continental Congress.

On May 15, the Virginia Convention instructed its delegates in Philadelphia to move that the Continental Congress declare the United Colonies free and independent states

Transitioning Governments: Throughout the colonies, royal officials were dismissed and replaced by local conventions and committees of safety.

On May 15 John Adams drafted a revolutionary preamble, passed by Continental Congress, declaring that all British authority must be "totally suppressed" and recommending that colonies create new independent governments.

April 1776

This information is from the Mount Vernon Site.  

So the month of April is spent tying up loose ends in Boston and moving his troops to New York.

I would add that as usual George Washington is modestly suggesting that it is the pamphlet "Common Sense" that is influencing the Virginia men to rally around the Revolutionary War.  I suggest that it is the news that has traveled throughout the 13 colonies of the fact that the siege of Boston has ended with a Victory for the Patriots with no blood shed!

My own ancestor, William Morrison and his two brothers along with young men from Pittsylvania County, Virginia and adjoining counties leave their homes for Williamsburg in March 1776 to join George Washington for the battles that will be fought in the next two years!  I do not believe it is a coincidence

 Do not miss this four minute account of March 1776 and events that led up to it from the American Battlefields.org:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cao-s0_mkLQ

March 1776

 March 1776 was an extremely important month!  After months of planning, George Washington ordered continental forces and local volunteers to stealthily fortify Dorchester Heights location with cannon all in ONE night. 

Instead of writing about this event myself, I am going to give you the URL for the Mount Vernon website to read what has been written there.  Mount Vernon updates every day so if you are reading this much later you will want to go to the pages written for March 1776.

https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/revolutionary-war/250-years-ago-day#interactive-timeline 

Two of my favorite pieces of information from that site are:  

and

This military operation led British forces to evacuate Boston two weeks later, on March 17, 1776.  The siege of Boston was at an end!