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Show 200 Years ago this week On December 6, 1775, Congress answered the royal proclamation King George III had issued on August 23, declaring the colonies to be in open rebellion. Congress disclaimed any intention to deny the King's sovereignty but disavowed allegiance to Parliment. Also on December 6, Governor Tyron of New York seized public records and transferred them to the British ship HMS Duchess of Golden for safe keeping. In New Jersey, on the same day, the General Assembly, which had disavowed colonial independence on November 28, dissolved itself. New Jersey Governor William Franklin, fretful of angry patriots, considered ' the possibility of flight, but was told that it was unnecessary as he had protection under American law. On December 7, John Paul Jones received his commission as a lieutenant in the Continental Navy. Jones went on to become one of the most memorable heroes of the Revolutionary War, but he had not had a very illustrious career before he joined the American Navy. For several years, under the name John Paul, he had run slaves between the Guinea coast and the West Indies. He had a violent temper that led him into serious trouble with the admiralty ad-miralty courts of Tobago on two occasions; first giving a crewman a severe beating, and second for impaling a mutinous sailor on his sword. He took refuge in America to excape court-martial, and changed his name to John Paul Jones. He went to Philadelphia in the summer of 1775 and asked the Marine Committee of Congress for a job. As it happened, Congress had just commissioned the first four ships of its new navy and was in need of ex perienced seamen. Jones was given the job of outfitting the 350-ton 350-ton Aired, the flagship of the new fleet. American forces under the command of General Montgomery Mon-tgomery began a seige of Quebec, Canada on December 8 that would last until December 31. On December 9, Colonel William Woodford's patriot force, which had been dispatched by the Virginia General Assembly to protect the populace from Loyalist Governor Dun-more, Dun-more, defeated Tories and British troops under Lord Dunmore's command in a surprise sur-prise attack at Great Bridge, Virginia that lasted less than 25 minutes. The British suffered (52 casualties and a humiliating defeat, while only one American was slightly wounded in the hand. Five days later the Americans occupied Norfolk, Dunmores one-time base of operation. Dunmore and the British took refuge on ships in the harbor. British forces raided Jamestown, Rhode Island on December 10. i |