Battle Born Patriots Chapter, Sons of The American Revolution

06/21/2026

06/21/2026

An American Moment, 250 years ago, June 20, 1776. On HMS Eagle, Admiral Howe writing to his friend Benjamin Franklin.

I cannot my Worthy Friend, permit the Letters and Parcels which I have sent in the State I receiv’d them, to be landed without adding a word upon the subject of the injurious Extremities in which our unhappy Disputes have engaged us.

You will learn the Nature of my Mission from the Official Dispatches which I have recommended to be forwarded by the same Conveyance. Retaining all the Earnestness I ever express’d to see our Differences accomodated, I shall conceive, if I meet with the same Disposition in the Colonies which I was once taught to expect, the most flattering Hopes of proving serviceable in the Objects of the King’s paternal Sollicitude, by promoting the reestablishment of lasting Peace and Union with the Colonies. But if the deep rooted Prejudices of America and the necessity of preventing her Trade from passing into foreign Channells, must keep us still a divided People, I shall from every private as well as public motive, most heartily lament, that this is not the moment wherein those great Objects of my Ambition are to be attain’d; and that I am to be longer deprived of an Opportunity to assure you personally of the Regard with which I am your sincere and faithfull humble servant

HOWE.

P.S. I was disappointed of the Opportunity I expected for sending this Letter at the Time it was dated, and have been ever since prevented by Calms and contrary winds, from getting Here to inform Genl. Howe of the Commission with which I have the Satisfaction to be charged, and of his being join’d in it.

Sandy Hook. 12th. July.

To Benjamin Franklin from Lord Howe, 20 June [–12 July 1776], Founders Online.

© 2026 Clifford Olsen/1776 American Moments

06/20/2026

Several days after Fort Schuyler was abandoned by New York forces, Major John Ross of the British Military and his men came to examine the remnants of the former British outpost.
From the papers of Sir Frederick Haldimand, Public Archives Canada:

"Carleton Island the 20th of June 1781

Sir
I have the honor to inform your Excellency of Lieut. Crawford’s return this day from Fort Stanwix with a confirmation of the forts being burnt and abandoned by the rebels.
From the minuteness of his remarks I have been partly able to draw a plan of the fortification, and which I take the liberty to send to your Excellency, the works are made of wood and there is nothing else remaining unburnt; they too have been partly demolished.
Some of the barracks seem’d to have been burnt (perhaps by accident) some time before the whole was set on fire.
The fire was not quite extinguished when Lieut. Crawford left it. I am much indebted to him for this and many other active services.

I have the honor to be with greatest respect
Your Excellencys most obedient
+ most humble servant
John Ross
Major"

06/20/2026

06/20/2026

June 20, 1776 — The Deliberate Movement Toward Independence

On this day in 1776, the Second Continental Congress was in session in Philadelphia—debating, delaying, and preparing for decisions that would shape a continent.

The pace of revolution was intensifying. Congress, burdened by growing demands, passed a standing rule: it would adjourn from Friday evening until Monday morning, giving its committees more time to prepare reports and complete their work. Among the issues on the docket that day were a letter from General George Washington, a petition from Carpenter Wharton (a key supplier to the Continental Army), and correspondence from the New Jersey Provincial Congress.

But one topic—a prisoner exchange between Generals Benedict Arnold and George Forster, following the collapse of the Cedars campaign—was postponed. No decision yet. Not until more information came in.

Congress was moving cautiously. Still no final vote on independence. Still no public declaration. But outside the halls of power, the people were already acting.

In Natick, Massachusetts, a small New England town made its voice heard. On June 20, it passed a Resolve for Independence, stating that if Congress declared the colonies free, Natick would give its full support—“with our lives and fortunes.” One more town, one more pledge. The will of the people was now rising faster than the formal votes.

In the tension between committee delays and town-meeting clarity, the shape of a new nation was being drawn.

And that’s the way it was, June 20, 1776.

06/20/2026

06/19/2026

On June 19, 1771, six men were hanged in Hillsborough for their role in the Regulator Movement, a backcountry rebellion against British colonial rule in North Carolina. Their ex*****ons followed the Battle of Alamance, which took place just a month earlier on May 16, where Governor William Tryon’s militia defeated a group of nearly 2,000 discontented farmers known as the Regulators.

The Regulators, mainly from counties like Orange, Rowan, Halifax, and Anson, had been protesting for years against corrupt local officials, rising taxes, and laws like the Currency Act of 1764 and the Stamp Act of 1765. Their demands for fairer treatment and economic relief were largely ignored.

After the battle, twelve Regulators were captured and tried for high treason. On June 19, six were executed, including Benjamin Merrill, a Rowan County militia captain, and Captain Messer, Robert Matear, and James Pugh. The names of the other two men have been lost to history. The ex*****on site is marked by a white marble slab in Hillsborough, though the exact burial spot remains unknown, likely near the Eno River.

Marker located in Hillsborough, NC: https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2023/12/19/regulators-hanged-g-23