Battle Born Patriots Chapter, Sons of The American Revolution

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Battle Born Patriots Chapter, Sons of The American Revolution This page documents the events and accomplishments of the Battle Born Patriots Chapter, Sons of The American Revolution and the Fifes & Drums of Nevada
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10/16/2026

An American Moment, 250 years ago, October 15, 1776. General Greene’s letter to the President of Congress is read regarding the sick army. It was referred to the Medical Committee:

Camp at Fort Constitution,

Sir: The sick of the army, who are under the care of the regimental Surgeon, are in a most wretched situation, the Surgeons being without the least article of medicine to assist nature in her efforts for the recovery of health. There is no circumstance that strikes a greatest damp upon the spirits of the men, who are yet well, than the miserable condition the sick are in. They exhibit a spectacle shocking to human feelings, and as the knowledge of their distress spreads through the country, will prove an insurmountable obstacle to the recruiting the new army.

Good policy as well as humanity, in my humble opinion, demands the immediate attention of Congress upon this subject, that the evil may be sought out, and the grievance redressed. The sick in the army are too numerous to be all accommodated on the contracted plan of the General Hospital. The Director-General says he has no authority by his commission to supply the demand of the regimental sick, and the General Hospital being too small to accommodate much more than one-half, the remainder lies without any means of relief, than the value of the rations allowed to every soldier. Many hundreds are now in this condition, and die daily for want of proper assistance; by which means the army is robbed of many valuable men, at a time when a reinforcement is so exceedingly necessary. Both officers and men join in one general complaint, and are greatly disgusted at this evil, which has prevailed so long.

American Archives, Peter Force, Series 5, Vol. 2, 973.

© 2026 Clifford Olsen/1776 American Moments

10/16/2026

An American Moment, 250 years ago, October 12, 1776. The President of Congress, John Hancock to the Maryland Convention on keeping the Army together.

Philada.

Gentlemen
... The Congress for very obvious Reasons, are extremely anxious to keep the Army together. The dangerous Consequences of their breaking up, and the Difficulty of forming a new one, are inconceiveable. Were this Barrier once removed, military Power would quickly spread Desolation and Ruin over the Face of our Country. The Importance, and indeed the absolute Necessity of filling up the Army, of providing for the Troops, and engaging them to serve during the War, is so apparent, and has been so frequently urged, that I shall only request your Attention to the Resolves of Congress on this Subject; and beseech you, by that Love you have for your Country, her Rights, and Liberties, to exert yourselves to carry them speedily and effectually into Ex*****on, as the only Means of preserving her, in this her critical and alarming Situation…

On October 9th, this paragraph was also sent to the Assembly of New-Hampshire; to the Assembly of Massachusetts-Bay; to the Assembly of Rhode-Island; to the Assembly of Connecticut; to the Assembly of New-Jersey; to the Convention of New-York, also informing them:

… of the ample provision they have made for the support of both officers and soldiers, who shall enter into the service during the war. The pay of the former is considerably increased, and the latter is to receive annually a complete suit of clothes, or in lieu thereof the sum of twenty dollars, should he provide the suit for himself. This additional encouragement, besides the twenty dollars bounty, and one hundred acres of land formerly granted, the Congress expect will be the means of engaging the troops to serve during the war.

Letters of Members of the Continental Congress, Vol. II, 1923, p. 124.
American Archives, Peter Force, Series 5, Vol. 2, 953.

© 2026 Clifford Olsen/1776 American Moments

10/16/2026

October 12, 1776 — Howe Hesitates at Throgs Neck

Two hundred and fifty years ago today, General William Howe came close to trapping George Washington and the Continental Army once again—but hesitation gave the Americans another chance to escape.

Seeking to cut off Washington’s retreat from Manhattan, Howe landed about 4,000 British and Hessian troops in nearly 80 flatboats at Throgs Neck. Supported by the guns of a British frigate, the landing was designed to block the road north and force the Continental Army into a decisive battle.

Standing in the way were only 25 American riflemen under Colonel Edward Hand.

Hand’s men quickly took the planks off of the bridge across the narrow tidal creek that connected Throgs Neck to the mainland, then took cover behind piles of cordwood. As British troops attempted to advance, the riflemen’s accurate fire made the crossing far more costly than expected.

Howe soon realized that Throgs Neck offered no easy path forward. Rather than force an assault across the destroyed crossing and difficult marshland, he halted the attack and withdrew to seek another landing place.

It was becoming a familiar pattern. Since the British victory on Long Island, Howe had repeatedly chosen caution over risk. At Brooklyn Heights he allowed Washington’s army to escape across the East River. After the landing at Kip’s Bay, he paused rather than aggressively pursue the retreating Americans. Now, at Throgs Neck, another hesitation gave Washington precious time.

That time mattered. As Howe searched for another route, Washington continued withdrawing toward White Plains, preserving the Continental Army for the campaigns still to come. The British would soon try again at Pell’s Point, but another opportunity to destroy Washington’s army had slipped away.

Sometimes history turns not only on bold attacks, but on the attacks that were never made because of 25 men.

And that’s the way it was, October 12, 1776.

10/16/2026

October 13, 1776 — Arnold Slips Away at Lake Champlain

Two hundred and fifty years ago today, Benedict Arnold accomplished one of the most daring escapes of the Revolutionary War.

During the night after the Battle of Valcour Island, Arnold quietly led his battered fleet through a narrow gap between the anchored British ships and the western shore of Lake Champlain. Under cover of darkness and with muffled oars, the Americans escaped undetected.

The reprieve proved temporary. Over the next two days, the British overtook the retreating Americans. Rather than surrender his remaining vessels, Arnold ran them aground, stripped them of supplies, and ordered them burned before leading his men overland to Fort Crown Point and then Fort Ticonderoga.

Although the British destroyed nearly the entire American fleet, Arnold had achieved his purpose. The campaign had been delayed until mid-October, leaving General Guy Carleton too little time to continue south before winter. Instead, the British withdrew to Canada and postponed their invasion for another year.

That delay gave the Americans precious time to strengthen their defenses, reinforce positions at Fort Ticonderoga and farther south along the Hudson corridor, and continue preparing for whatever campaign the British would launch the following year. Arnold had lost a fleet, but he had gained the Continental Army one of its most valuable resources—time.

And that’s the way it was, October 13, 1776.

OnThisDay #1776

10/16/2026

How Dutch is the American Revolution? 🇳🇱 🇺🇸

Historian Geerten Waling argues that some of the ideas that shaped America’s founding had roots in the 17th-century Dutch Republic and reached the Founders through New Netherland, Dutch political traditions, and the intellectual world of John Locke.

On October 22, Waling joins historian and author Russell Shorto for "America Is Us,” a free virtual conversation presented as part of the Live From New Amsterdam series.

If early American history is your thing, this one belongs on your calendar.

📅 Thursday, October 22
⏰ 12–12:30 p.m. ET
💻 Live on Zoom
🎟️ Free

Learn more and register: https://loom.ly/LAUKlTk

📸: Nicolaes Visscher, Novi Belgii Novaeque Angliae: nec non partis Virginiae tabula multis in locis emendata, ca. 1685. Library of Congress

10/16/2026

October 15, 1776 — Schuyler Builds the Northern Defense

Two hundred and fifty years ago today, Major General Philip Schuyler was working to strengthen American defenses across northern New York. Congress had reaffirmed his command by refusing his resignation, leaving him responsible for preparing the Northern Department for the challenges ahead.

Benedict Arnold’s resistance on Lake Champlain had bought valuable time. Although much of his fleet was destroyed, the delay helped keep the British from taking Ticonderoga before winter.

At the southern end of the Hudson corridor, George Washington was holding the front outside British-occupied New York City, preserving his army while resisting the British advance into the interior. Washington regarded Schuyler as a fellow gentleman of comparable standing and trusted his judgment, entrusting him with the northern defense. Together, their responsibilities covered the approaches to a corridor essential to communications between New England and the other states.

Schuyler had to think across a broad front. Beyond Lake Champlain, another invasion route ran from Lake Ontario through the Mohawk Valley toward Albany. Rebuilding Fort Stanwix helped guard that western approach.

The fort stood at the Oneida Carry, where boats and supplies passed overland between the Mohawk River and Wood Creek. An American garrison there could obstruct an invasion and threaten the supply route of a British force that tried to march past it.

During the summer, Colonel Elias Dayton’s troops had occupied the ruined post, repaired its defenses, and renamed it Fort Schuyler. Now Schuyler had ordered Colonel Samuel Elmore’s Connecticut troops to relieve them. Shortages of boards, bricks, and nails delayed the barracks, but maintaining a winter garrison would keep this important passage guarded.

Diplomacy supported these preparations. Schuyler had learned to speak Mohawk and worked with leaders of the Six Nations to preserve neutrality. He sought to limit frontier fighting and deny Britain additional support, while each Native nation weighed its own interests and security.

His strategic responsibilities also complicated command. Coordinating forts, supplies, transportation, and diplomacy often kept him at Albany, far from the forward positions. Reports arrived late, orders traveled slowly, and he depended on distant officers to assess conditions and act. Recurring illness made travel harder, while his absence from the front invited criticism.

The failed Canadian campaign had left disease and shortages in its wake. Regional distrust and rivalry with Horatio Gates complicated cooperation. Yet Schuyler continued organizing the defense of the whole department.

Arnold’s resistance helped give the Americans a winter in which to repair fortifications, improve quarters, gather provisions, and prepare transport. Schuyler’s task was to turn that time into a stronger defense across every approach to Albany.

And that’s the way it was, October 15, 1776.

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