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Show 200 Years a2 vty&) this week ,;76- By Congressman Allan T.Howe, On August 23, 1775, King George III declared the American colonies to be in open rebellion. There was nothing startling about the King's declaration, he was simply recognizing the fact that open fighting had been going on for several months, and the fact that the Continental Congress had flatly rejected Lord Norths plan for reconcilliation on July 31, 1775. There was a military engagement at the Battery in New York City on August 24, 1775, which, while rather minor by itself, had a major impact on some of the residents of New York City. The New York provincial congress had resolved that the cannon in the Battery be dismantled and moved to a safer location. Just after midnight, on August 24, Captain John Lamb and about 60 men started work on the cannon. Meanwhile, British Captain John Vandeput of HMS Asia, which was anchored nearby, sent a barge of men to investigate the activity at the Battery. When the men on the barge learned what Lamb and his men were up to, they fired a musket shot. There was only one shot fired by the men on the barge, and it was probably a single to the Asia, but Lamb's men. fired on the barge, killing one sailor and forcing the barge to return to the Asia. Several shots were fired at the Battery by the Asia, and on shore church bells were sounded in alarm and the beat of drums signaled a call to arms. The shots from the Asia damaged several buildings near shore, but no one was killed. However, many people on shore believed the shots signaled the start of an invasion in which the town would be sacked and burned, and many families fled the area with a few belongings. The.ir flight marked the beginning begin-ning of a general exodus from the city, with most of the people who fled in fear taking refuge in New Jersey or on Long Island. |