The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Battles for Charleston (6/28/1776)(Apr-May, 1780) - Nov 16th, 2003

www.patriotresource.com ^

[SAMWolf]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.

...................................................................................... ...........................................

U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues

Where Duty, Honor and Country
are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.

Our Mission:

The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans.

In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support.

The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer.

If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions.

We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.

To read previous Foxhole threads or
to add the Foxhole to your sidebar,
click on the books below.

The First Battle for Charleston (6/28/1776)

Background

In April 1775, the war had started in Lexington and Concord. In May, the British had taken Bunker Hill (actually Breed's Hill) in Boston after absorbing tremendous losses. The American campaign of 1775-1776 in Canada had peaked just prior to the Battle of Quebec and had ended in retreat, but the lower (Southern) Colonies had forced the royal governors to flee. Maj. General Sir William Howe evacuated Boston in March 1776 and relocated to Halifax, Nova Scotia.


Colonel William Moultrie

Following Bunker Hill, the British now knew they had a real fight on their hands. New York City became the focus of British interest, because it would split New England from the rest of the colonies. However, the British decided to first make a quick campaign through the South. The British government back home had been convinced by the Royal Governors of the Southern colonies that there were great numbers of Tories ready to flock the King's banner if the British Army exerted its presence.

The British believed it would a simple matter to capture the Southern port cities of Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina. This would eliminate the Rebels there, swell the army's ranks with Tory volunteers and leave only Virginia and New England to be subjugated. They would then capture New York City and control the Hudson River-Lake Champlain corridor and further isolate the Rebels.

In January 1776 before he had evacuated Boston, General Howe had ordered Maj. General Henry Clinton to sail south to Cape Fear, North Carolina. There, Clinton was supposed to rendezvous with Commodore Sir Peter Parker who was sailing from Cork, Ireland with seven regiments of the British Army commanded by Lt. General Charles Cornwallis. Tory forces were also expected to march from inland North Carolina to join Clinton at Cape Fear.


Maj. General Charles Lee

This combined force would then march into North Carolina and then sweep south to Charleston, South Carolina. However, at the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge on February 27, 1776, a Tory force was defeated by Rebel militia and chased back home. This defeat also dissuade other Tories from turning out. On March 12, Clinton arrived at Cape Fear to find no Tory forces. Commodore Parker and his ships began to arrive in mid-April after being scattered by storms. The last ship finally straggled in May 31.

Now that their Tory support had not turned out, General Clinton and Commodore Sir Peter Parker had to decide what to do. They debated between Virginia by way of Chesapeake Bay or a naval approach to Charleston through the Harbor. Clinton seemed to favor Virginia, while Parker favored attacking Charleston.


View of the Battle for Sullivan's Island, 1776

Then intelligence was received that the fortifications at Fort Sullivan in Charleston Bay were incomplete and vulnerable. Parker now chose Charleston and Clinton went along. Fort Sullivan, which resided on Sullivan's Island, was commanded by Colonel William Moultrie and had been for several months. Included among his officers, were Francis Marion and Thomas Sumter, who had yet to gain their fame.

The Battle

The first Continental Commander of the Southern Department, Maj. General Charles Lee arrived in Charleston on June 2, 1776. The British arrived offshore only two days later. As soon as he arrived, Lee ordered fortifications built in the city proper. He also considered Fort Sullivan too rundown to defend. Colonel Moultrie had not used his time in command to strengthen the fortifications and the fort's rear wall was still incomplete. However, Lee was overruled by South Carolina Governor John Rutledge.


The Unsuccessful Attack on the Fort on Sullivan's Island" by Henry Gray

General Lee now had no choice but to do what he could to fortify Fort Sullivan. He chose to remain in the city proper, but corresponded with Colonel Moultrie several times a day. and frequently corresponded with Colonel Moultrie over improvements to Fort Sullivan. Though Lee and Moultrie had their differences, Lee instilled confidence in the Rebels that the British could be defeated and for that Moultrie respected him.

On June 4, the British arrived outside Charleston Harbor. They now had to navigate over the bar that surrounded the harbor. It made the harbor inaccessable during low tide and accessable at high tide only through five channels. After sounding the channels and making other preparations, the smaller ships and warships moved to Five Fathom Hole on June 7. Five Fathom Hole was thirty feet deep and out of range of Fort Sullivan.


Francis Marion

Between June 9 and 15, Maj. General Henry Clinton put his troops ashore on Long Island, which was north of Sullivan's Island, while the fort was on the island's southern tip. Clinton then found it difficult to cross The Breach from Long Island onto Sullivan's Island. The British had incorrect intelligence of a shallow ford, when in truth the shallowest channel was seven feet deep. But Clinton stubbornly spent several days searching for the elusive ford. When they finally tried crossing in boats, American riflemen and gunners held them off.

While General Clinton continued his fruitless search, the last two British warships, the Bristol and the Experiment, had to have their guns removed to lighten the boats enough to clear the bar. On June 26, the British were ready, having finally moved and refitted all their ships at Five Fathom Hole. On June 27, they attempted to set sail, but contrary winds halted their movement. They now waited for favorable winds. At 10:30 A.M. on June 28, the winds were favorable and Commodore Parker moved into position to bombard Fort Sullivan. The bomb ship, Thunder, initially anchored too far away and quickly disabled itself when too much powder was used to compensate for the distance. The recoil damaged the ship and left it silent.


Lt. General Sir Henry Clinton

After about an hour the Actaeon, Syren, and Sphynx attempted to move in closer for enfilading fire on Fort Sullivan, but the pilots were unfamiliar with the harbor and all three ships got stuck fast on Middle Ground shoal, where the famous Fort Sumter would later be built. Syren and Sphynx eventually rejoined the battle. The British continued their bombardment to little effect because of the fort's construction of palmetto logs. Palmetto is soft and spongy and simply absorbed the cannonballs. Meanwhile, the Americans expended roughly one-seventh the amount of powder that the British did, but the slow and steady American fire was quite accurate. The Bristol, Commodore Parker's flagship, was disabled. By 9:30 P.M., all firing ceased. At 11:30 P.M. the British ships withdrew to Five Fathom Hole. The next morning the Actaeon was set afire and abandoned.

Aftermath

The British soon withdrew from the area and Lt. General Sir Henry Clinton sailed back to New York City. The British would not make another serious assault in the South until 1778 and would not attack Charleston again until May 1780. Meanwhile, Fort Sullivan would be renamed Fort Moultrie in honor of Colonel William Moultrie. In September, Maj. General Charles Lee would be recalled to help General George Washington with his campaign.

[SAMWolf]

The Second Battle for Charleston (Apr-May, 1780)

Background - Southern Theatre

In 1778, the British Commander-in-Chief in America Lt. General Henry Clinton turned his attention to the South, where partisan fighting between Patriot militia and Tories had been heavy. Clinton had been there once before on June 28, 1776 when Colonel William Moultrie had defeated Clinton and Commodore Sir Peter Parker at the Battle of Fort Sullivan. The British had tried to approach Charleston by water and had failed to reach the city proper.

Lt. General Charles Cornwallis

General Clinton and the British goverment back in London believed that if the British controlled the South, Tories would flock to support the British and Clinton would be able to overwhelm General George Washington in Virginia. During the winter of 1778-1779, the British took control of Georgia including the cities of Savannah and Augusta. They soon began planning the capture of the important port city of Charleston, South Carolina.

In response to the loss of Georgia in December 1778, the Continental Congress replaced native North Carolinean Maj. General Robert Howe with Bostonian Maj. General Benjamin Lincoln as Southern Department Commander. Lincoln had proven to be an able motivator of militia. But that was New England militia, he would not have nearly as much success with Carolina militia. Lincoln's first task was to retake Georgia.

Battle of Fort Moultrie

On May 11, 1779, General Lincoln was able to reoccupy Augusta, Georgia. In September, he was joined by French Admiral d'Estaing in laying siege to Savannah. The British held out for a month. In October, D'Estaing abandoned the siege and sailed south to the West Indies for the winter. Without naval support, Lincoln was forced to give up the siege and return to Charleston, South Carolina.

The British Sail South

In December 1779, General Clinton sailed himself sailed south bound for Charleston from New York City. The British fleet included ninety troopships and fourteen warships with more than 8,500 soldiers and 5,000 sailors. Because they had been delayed several months in leaving, the fleet now sailed through stormy seas. The first storm hit on December 27 and lasted three days. On January 1, 1780 another storm hit and lasted six days. This pattern continued and the fleet was separated.

Fort Moultrie

After having been separated by constant storms about two-thirds of the British fleet had regrouped. However, they found themselves off the coast of Florida and had to sail back north. They went as far as Georgia where a diversionary infantry force was put ashore on February 4, 1780. The cavalry commanded by Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton and including Major Patrick Ferguson also went ashore to find new mounts. During the voyage the horses had to be put overboard, because of serious injuries like broken legs.

General Clinton then continued sailing north with the main body of his force. Back in 1776, Clinton had deferred to Admiral Sir Peter Parker whose choice of approach directly into Charleston Harbor had been a disaster. Clinton had learned his lesson from that defeat and chose to land his forces thirty miles south of Charleston and approach overland. While the army marched overland, the ships would sail up the rivers delivering provisions as necessary. The first men were put ashore on February 11, 1780.

The Approach

On February 4, 1780, a diversionary infantry force was put ashore in Georgia. The cavalry commanded by Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton and including Major Patrick Ferguson also went ashore to find new mounts. During the voyage the horses had to be put overboard, because of serious injuries like broken legs. Lt. General Henry Clinton had chosen to land his forces thirty miles south of Charleston and approach overland.

Major Patrick Ferguson

The first men, English and Hessian Grenadiers and the 33rd Regiment of Foot, were put ashore on February 11, 1780, on the southern tip of John's Island. On February 14, these men set out in search of Stono Ferry, which was the crossing point to James Island. Later that day, they found the river, but the other bank with fortified and manned by militia. The British retreated without taking fire from the Americans. The next day they discovered that the Americans had deserted their position overnight.

On February 24th, fortifications were completed at Stono Ferry and the British crossed over to James Island the next day. There was a Continental presence on the island. French Chevalier Pierre-François Vernier commanded the cavalry, while Francis Marion commanded the American infantry. They had been observing the British movements for several days. On February 26th, they attacked a returning British scavenging patrol as it passed down a narrow way. The German Jägers came to their rescue and drove Vernier off.

Bombardment of Fort Moultrie

In spite of the Continental presence and continued skirmishing with Chevalier Vernier and his cavarly, the British gained control of James Island by March 1st. After a month on March 10, 1780, General Clinton's second-in-command Lt. General Charles Cornwallis finally led the main force onto the mainland at Wappoo Cut. On March 11th, naval ships finally came up the Stono River and delivered much needed supplies.

From March 11 until the 21th the British fortified their position which was located where the Wappoo Creek flowed into the Ashley River. They mounted artillery to shell American ships and keep the Ashley River secure. They then moved upstream and north, away from Charleston, slowly securing the plantations along the way while the Americans shadowed them from across the river.

Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton

Under the cover of fog on March 29th, the British crossed the Ashley River upstream from the heavily fortified Ashley Ferry and established themselves on Charleston Neck. When the Americans learned that the British were on the Neck, they abandoned their breastworks at Ashley Ferry. By April 1st, the British had moved down into position to begin their siege works.

While the British slowly closed in, naval maneuvering in Charleston Harbor for the Americans was a disaster. In December 1779, four frigates had arrived under the command of Commodore Abraham Whipple and were joined by four ships from South Carolina and two French ships. There were 260 guns afloat and forty guns at Fort Moultrie. However, even before the British arrived, Whipple informed Maj. General Benjamin Lincoln that the flotilla could not defend the entrance to Charleston Harbor. General Lincoln questioned Commodore Whipple's conclusion, but Whipple was backed up by a naval board. Whipple chose to first withdraw to the mouth of the Cooper River. Meanwhile the British began their approach on March 20th. When Whipple saw the size of the British attack fleet, he scuttled the ships at the entrance of the river.

[SAMWolf]

The Siege

On April 2nd, siege works were begun about 800 yards from the American fortifications. During the first few days of the siege, the British operations were under heavy artillery fire. On April 4th, they built redoubts near the Ashley and Cooper Rivers to protect their flanks. On April 6th, a warship was hauled overland from the Ashley River to the Cooper River to harass crossings by the besieged to the mainland. On April 8th, the British fleet moved into the Harbor under fire only from Fort Moultrie.




On April 12th, Lt. General Henry Clinton ordered Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton and Major Patrick Ferguson to capture Monck's Corner, which was a crossroads just south of Biggins Bridge near the Santee River. General Isaac Huger was stationed there 500 men under orders from General Lincoln to hold the crossroads so that communications with Charleston would remain open. On the evening of April 13, 1780, Lt. Colonel Tarleton gave orders for a silent march. Later that night, they intercepted a messenger with a letter from Huger to Maj. General Benjamin Lincoln and thus learned how the rebels were deployed. At three o'clock in the morning on the 14th, the British reached the American post, catching them completely by surprise and quickly routing them. Following the skirmish, the British fanned out across the countryside and effectively cut off Charleston from outside support.

South Carolina Governor John Rutledge left Charleston on April 13th. On the 21th a parlay was made between Lincoln and Clinton, with Lincoln offering to surrender with honor. That is, with colors flying and marching out fully armed, but Clinton was sure of his position and quickly refused the terms. A heavy artillery exchange followed. On April 23rd, Lt. General Charles Cornwallis crossed the Cooper River and assumed command of the British forces blocking escape by land. Finally on April 24th, the Americans ventured out to harass the siege works. The lone American casualty was Tom Moultrie, brother of Brig. General William Moultrie. On April 29th, the British advanced on the left end of the canal that fronted the city's fortifications with the purpose of destorying the dam and draining the canal.


Maj. General Benjamin Lincoln

The Americans knew the importance of that canal to the city's defenses and responded with steady and fierce artillery and small arms fire. By the following night, the British had succeeded in draining some water. By May 4th, several casualties had been sustained and the fire had been so heavy that work was often suspended. On the 5th, the Americans made a countermove from their side, but by the 6th, almost all of the water had drained out of the heavily damaged dam and plans for an assault began.

On that same day, May 6th, Fort Moultrie surrendered. On May 8th, General Clinton called for unconditional surrender from General Lincoln, but Lincoln again tried to negotiate for honors of war. On May 11th, the British fired red-hot shot that burned several homes before Lincoln finally called for parlay and to negotiate terms for surrender. The final terms dictated that the entire Continental force captured were prisoners of war. On May 12th, the actual surrender took place with General Lincoln leading a ragged bunch of soldiers out of the city.

The Aftermath

The senior officers including Maj. General Benjamin Lincoln eventually were exchanged for British officers in American hands. For all others in the Continental army, a long stay on prison boats in Charleston Harbor was the result, where sickness and disease would ravage them. The defeat left no Continental Army in the South and the country wide open for British taking. Even before Lincoln surrendered, the Continental Congress had already appointed Maj. General Horatio Gates to replace him.


Thomas Sumter

The British quickly established outposts in a semicircle from Georgetown to Augusta, Georgia, with positions at Camden, Ninety-Six, Cheraw, Rocky Mount and Hanging Rock in between. Parole was offered to back country rebels and many accepted, including Andrew Pickens. Soon after securing Charleston, Lt. General Henry Clinton gave command of the Southern Theatre to Lt. General Charles Cornwallis and on June 5th, he sailed north back to New York.


Fort Moultrie

General Clinton's one order to General Cornwallis before he left, was to maintain possession of Charleston above all else. Cornwallis was not to move into North Carolina if it jeopordized this holding. Clinton also had ordered that all militia and civilians be released from their parole. But in addition, they must take an oath to the Crown and be at ready to serve when called upon by His Majesty's government. This addition angered many of the locals and led to many deserting or ignoring the order and terms of their parole.

Additional Sources:

www.ourgeorgiahistory.com
www.ccpl.org
www.usereep.com
siege_charleston.tripod.com
www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Pavillion

[SAMWolf]

First Battle of Charleston

Date: June 28, 1776
Location: Charleston, South Carolina
Victor: Colonel William Moultrie
Defeated: Maj. General Henry Clinton/Commodore Peter Parker
Other Notables: Maj. General Charles Lee, Francis Marion

Second Battle of Charleston

Date: April 2-May 12, 1780
Location: Charleston, South Carolina
Victor: Lt. General Sir Henry Clinton
Defeated: Maj. General Benjamin Lincoln
Other Notables: Lt. General Charles Cornwallis, Major Patrick Ferguson, Francis Marion, Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton

[SAMWolf]

Veterans for Constitution Restoration is a non-profit, non-partisan educational and grassroots activist organization. The primary area of concern to all VetsCoR members is that our national and local educational systems fall short in teaching students and all American citizens the history and underlying principles on which our Constitutional republic-based system of self-government was founded. VetsCoR members are also very concerned that the Federal government long ago over-stepped its limited authority as clearly specified in the United States Constitution, as well as the Founding Fathers' supporting letters, essays, and other public documents.

---

Tribute to a Generation - The memorial will be dedicated on Saturday, May 29, 2004.

---

Actively seeking volunteers to provide this valuable service to Veterans and their families.

---

[Valin]

Birthdates which occurred on November 16:
0042BC Tiberius Cesar 2nd Roman emperor (14-37 AD)
1766 Rodolphe Kreutzer France, composer/virtuoso violinist (Paris Conserv)
1873 W(illiam) C(hristopher) Handy Alabama, jazz star (St Louis Blues)
1888 Clinton Golden Pennsylvania founder (United Steelworkers of America)
1889 George S Kaufman Pittsburgh PA, playwright (This is Show Business)
1895 Michael Arlen Armenia, English writer (An American Verdict)
1895 Paul Hindemith Hanau Germany, composer (Tutti Funtchen)
1896 Lawrence Tibbett Bakersfield CA, baritone (Metropolitan 1923-50)
1899 Mary Margaret McBride Paris MO, radio personality (WOR-AM, NYC)
1904 Eddie Condon Goodland IN, jazz guitarist (Eddie Condon's Floor Show)
1908 Burgess Meredith Cleveland Ohio, actor (Mr Novak, Penguin-Batman, Rocky)
1916 Daws Butler Toledo Ohio, cartoon voice (Elroy Jetson)
1922 Royal Dano NYC, actor (Red Badge of Courage, Cocaine Wars, House II)
1928 Clu Gulager Holdenville OK, actor (Virginian, Survivors, Tall Man)
1930 Chinua Achebe Nigerian writer (Christmas in Biafra)
1933 Guy Stockwell NYC, actor (Chris-Adventures in Paradise)
1935 Elizabeth Drew journalist (Politics & Money: The Road to Corruption)
1941 Ann Dore McLaughlin US Secretary of Labor (1987- )
1942 Donna McKechnie Pontiac Michigan, actress/dancer (Company)
1944 Joanna Pettet London, actress (Knots Landing, Cry of the Innocent)
1945 Martine van Hamel Belgium, ballerina (NYC Ballet Co)
1948 Steve Railsback actor (Blue Monkey, Green Monkey, Escape 2000)
1950 Carl J Meade Illinois, Major USAF/astronaut (STS 38, sk:STS-50)
1950 David Leisure actor (Joe Isuzu, Airplane, Charley-Empty Nest)
1953 Griff Rhys Jones British humorist/actor (Morons From Outer Space)
1958 Marg Helgenberger North Bend NB, actress (China Beach, Ryan's Hope)
1963 Zina Garrison Houston, tennis player (1988 Olympics Gold, Bronze)
1964 Dwight Gooden pitcher (NY Mets)
1966 Tammy Lauren San Diego CA, actress (Angie, Out of the Blue)
1966 Tricia Cast Medford NY, actress (Amanda-Bad News Bear, Young & Restless)
1967 Lisa Bonet San Francisco CA, actress (Cosby Show, Different World, Angel Heart)
1969 Bryan Abrams vocalist (Color Me Badd-I Want to Sex You Up)
1970 Martha Plimpton actress (Goonies, Mosquito Coast)
1971 Donald Wolf computer game creator
1979 Michael Faustino actor (brother of David)

---

Deaths which occurred on November 16:
1271 Henry III, king of England (1216-71), dies
1831 - Karl von Clausewitz, Prussian strategist (On War), dies at 51
1885 Louis Riel French rebel who fought against Canada, executed at 41
1960 Clark Gable dies at 59
1961 Sam Rayburn Speaker of the House for 17 years, dies
1965 Alexander King writer (Jack Paar Show), dies at 66
1981 Enid Markey actress (Aunt Violet-Bringing Up Buddy), dies at 85
1981 William Holden, actor (Network, Wild Bunch, Breezy), dies at 63.

---

Reported: MISSING in ACTION
1965 GREEN DONALD GEORGE---BALDWIN PARK CA.
1966 PITTMANN ALAN D.---SHELBY IA.
1967 SCHULZ PAUL H.---EIRE PA.
[03/14/73 RELEASED, ALIVE AND WELL 98
1968 COPLEY WILLIAM M.---NORTHRIDGE CA.
1968 KARST CARL F.---GALATIA KS.
[REMAINS RETURNED APRIL 1994]
1968 WIECHERT ROBERT CHARLES---WEST JORDAN UT.

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

---

On this day...
0013 Tiberius' triumphant procession through Rome after siege of Germany
1380 French King Charles VI declares no taxes forever
1532 Pizarro seizes Incan emperor Atahualpa after victory at Cajamarca
1676 1st colonial prison organized, Nantucket, Massachusetts
1776 Hessians capture Fort Washington, Manhattan
1798 Kentucky becomes 1st state to nullify an act of Congress
1798 British seamen board the U.S. frigate Baltimore and impress a number of crewmen as alleged deserters, a practice that contributed to the War of 1812
1821 Trader William Becknell reaches Santa Fe, N.M., on the route that will become known as the Santa Fe Trail
1841 N.E. Guerin of NY patents cork-filled life preserver
1864 Union Gen William T Sherman begins march to the sea during Civil War
1864 Confederate retreat at Lovejoy, Georgia
1894 6,000 Armenians massacred by Turks in Kurdistan
1901 3 autos race on Ocean Parkway, Brooklyn, fastest speed achieved by Henry Fournier who drives a mile in 51 4/5 seconds
1907 Oklahoma becomes 46th state
1908 Arturo Tuscanini begins conducting NY's Metropolitan Opera
1914 Federal Reserve System formally opens
1918 Hungarian People's Republic declared
1920 Postage meter 1st used in US in lieu of postage stamps
1924 Cleveland Bulldogs lose to Frankford Yellowjackets, ends 31-game undefeated streak (NFL & major-league football record)
1925 American Association for the Advancement of Atheism formed in NY
1926 NY Rangers 1st game, beat Montreal Maroons 1-0
1933 Roosevelt establishes diplomatic relations with USSR
1939 Al Capone freed from Alcatraz
1945 Yeshiva College (University), chartered in NY, 1st US Jewish College
1950 UN gets US government approval to issue postage stamps
1955 1st speed-boat to exceed 200 mph (322 kph) (D.M. Campbell)
1957 Ed Gein butchers last victim
1959 "Sound of Music" opens on Broadway
1960 After the integration of two all-white schools, 2,000 whites riot in the streets of New Orleans.
1962 Wilt Chamberlain of NBA San Francisco Warriors scores 73 points vs NY
1963 Toledo, OH newspaper strike began
1964 Radio CJCX Sydney Nova Scotia (Canada) starts short-wave transmission
1965 1st public announcement about Walt Disney World
1965 Venera 3 launched, 1st to land on another planet (crashes into Venus)
1965 In the last day of the fighting at Landing Zone X-Ray, regiments of the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division repulse NVA forces in the Ia Drang Valley.
1966 Dr Sam Sheppard freed after 9 years in jail, by a jury
1973 John Lennon releases "Mind Games" album
1973 President Nixon authorizes construction of the Alaskan pipeline
1973 Skylab 4 launched into Earth orbit
1974 1st intentional interstellar radio message sent, Arecibo telescope towards M 41, a cluster of stars some 25,000 light years away
1974 John Lennon's #1 solo "Whatever Gets You Through the Night"
1974 Milwaukee Bucks lose their 11th straight NBA game (team record)
1976 Rene Levesque's "Parti Quebecois" wins elections in Quebec
1976 Rick Barry (San Francisco), ends then longest NBA free throw streak of 60
1978 Major Indoor Soccer League holds its 1st draft
1979 Paul McCartney releases "Wonderful Christmas"
1981 Luke marries Laura on General Hospital
1982 5th Space Shuttle Mission-Columbia 5-lands at Edwards AFB
1982 Agreement reached ending 57 day football strike
1984 14th Shuttle Mission (51A) -Discovery 2- lands at Kennedy Center
1984 Houston blocks 20 Denver shots tying NBA regulation game record
1984 John Lennon releases "Every Man has a Woman Who Loves Him"
1987 Lisa Bonet marries Lenny Kravitz
1987 Paul McCartney releases "Once Upon a Long Ago"
1988 Benazir Bhutto wins 1st free Pakistani elections in 11 years
1988 Estonia declares sovereignty in internal affairs
1988 Robin Givens sues Mike Tyson for $125 million for libel
1989 6 Jesuit priests are killed by El Salvadorian troops
1990 Manuel Noriega claims US denied him a fair trial
2000 Al Gore won a legal fight to expand manual recounts as he struggled to trim George W. Bush's 300-vote lead in Florida's presidential race.

---

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Oklahoma : Admission Day (1907)
US : Culinary Week Begins
US : National Children's Book Week Begins (Monday)
West Germany : Repantance Day (Wednesday)
International Doll Collectors Month

---

Religious Observances
Greek church : St Matthew & Paul of the Cross
Ang, RC : Memorial of Margaret, Queen of Scotland (opt)
RC : Feast of St Gertrude, virgin, patroness of West Indies (opt)

---

Religious History
1621 The Papal Chancery first adopted January 1st as the beginning of the calendar year. Previously, March was the first month, which explains why our modern names for the 9th_12th months begin instead with prefixes meaning "7" (sept_), "8" (octÂ) "9" (nov_) and "10" (dec_).
1894 Death of James McCosh, 83, Scottish_born theologian and educator. President of Princeton from 1868_88, McCosh was one of the first orthodox clergymen in America to accept and defend the theory of evolution.
1918 In NY City, the United Lutheran Church was organized by a merger of three general Lutheran bodies in the U.S. and Canada. (In 1962, the ULC became one of the branches of Lutheranism which formed the Lutheran Church in America.)
1946 The Evangelical United Brethren Church was constituted at Johnstown, PA by a merger of the United Brethren in Christ and the Evangelical Church. The new denomination originated in the work of two German Reformed pastors, Philip W. Otterbein and Martin Boehm, who had ministered among Pennsylvania Germans two centuries earlier.
1952 "Our Goodly Heritage" debuted over CBS television. This Sunday morning Bible study program, hosted by William Rush Baer of New York University, aired a little over five years.

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

---

Thought for the day :
" God never imposes a duty without giving time to do it. "

---

Question of the day...
What color does a smurf turn when you choke it?

---

Murphys Law of the day...(Mothers Laws)
Mothers only offer advice on two occasions: when you want it and when you don’t..

---

ASTOUNDING fact #91,860...
The Western-most point in the contiguous United States is Cape Alava, Washington.

[snippy_about_it]

FALL IN to the FReeper Foxhole!



Good Sunday Morning Everyone

If you would like added to our ping list let us know.

[E.G.C.]

Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Freeper Foxhole.

Folks in the Southern plains should keep a weatehr eye out for possible severe weather today and tommorow. More details here.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning Valin.

2000 Al Gore won a legal fight to expand manual recounts as he struggled to trim George W. Bush's 300-vote lead in Florida's presidential race.

And he's still a big LOSER. Ha ha ha! I just like saying that. You're a big LOSER Al!

[The Mayor]

. . . The Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said to me, "Go, prophesy to My people Israel." —Amos 7:15

Never fear criticism when you're right; never ignore it when you're wrong.

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning everyone in the Foxhole.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning EGC. Some nice weather pictures at that site. Quiet weather day here in Ohio.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning Mayor, thanks for the coffee as always.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning feather.

[Samwise]

Oh, man. I need new glasses or something. I kept reading "Hillary Clinton" instead of Henry Clinton. LOL.

I'm gonna send this one to hubby for sure. He spent the week in Charleston. He took the USS Yorktown tour. He thinks it would make a great family vacation: history and beach.

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Snippy.

[SAMWolf]

1950 David Leisure actor (Joe Isuzu, Airplane, Charley-Empty Nest)

The patron saint of pathological liers everywhere. A car salesman, of course, who lies on behalf of Isuzu cars and trucks. In old (short attention span era) television commercials, Joe tells viewers things like they can get 50,000 miles on a tank of gas, and then the copy over the visual reads, "He's lying. You can only get 29 miles per gallon of gas." Get it?

Joe Isuzu - The corporate spokesperson for the American Isuzu Motors, Joe Isuzu (David Leisure) was a pathological liar who promised all sorts of wild guarantees for his company's products from 1986-90. One commercial spot found Joe Isuzu saying "and if I'm lying may lightning hit my mother." He then proceeded to say that their 4X4 Isuzu Trooper could carry a "symphony orchestra" or "hold every book in the Library of Congress." The end was predictable. His poor mother standing beside the car went up in an exploding puff of smoke.

Another exaggeration: "It has more seats than the Astrodome!" Joe's trademark signature phrase was "You have my word on it." A series of these offbeat commercials aired during the Super Bowl XXI in January 1987. The Spring of 1988 found Joe Isuzu sharing commercial time on a Burger King commercial which jointly promoted a new truck model called "Big Joe" and a new burger called "Big Cheese." Driving up in his pickup Joe said, "Hi, I'm Joe Isuzu and I used my new Isuzu pickup truck to carry a 2,000 pound cheeseburger." Then a subtitle flashed on the screen saying, "Uh oh, here we go again."

The joint promotion idea came from a Southern California marketing firm, the Promotion Group. David Leisure was born in San Diego. He moved to Los Angeles after studying drama at San Diego State University. When David got his gig as the Joe Isuzu character, he was living in his 1964 Volkswagen Bus. One of his first acting assignments was as a Hare Krishna who begged for donations at the airport in the zany comedy film Airplane! (1980). He later costarred as Richard Milligan's obnoxious neighbor Charley Dietz on the sitcom EMPTY NEST/NBC/1988-95.

The Joe Isuzu campaign was created by Della Femina, Travisano and Partners in 1985. President Ronald Reagan once compared Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega to "that fellow from Isuzu." and Chrysler executive Lee Iacocca proclaimed "If Chrysler isn't the performance company, then I'm Joe Isuzu." In 2001, Joe's Isuzu returned by popular demand as a company spokesman (instead of a lying salesman) for American Isuzu Motor's new Axiom SUV model who explains why his Isuzu Axiom is a better vehicle designed for the “real world.”

The reprised ad campaign by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners/San Francisco begins with an ad spot entitled "The Call." David Leisure as Joe Isuzu, is now a lot older and out of shape as he receives a phone call. "Honey it's for you...It' some guy form Isuzu." The man on the phone then asks "Joe, you ready to sell some trucks?" Energized that he's back in the race, Joe (exercising to the song "Eye of the Tiger") begins to jog, skip rope practice karate and chop wood to get back into shape for his new pitchman gig.

I loved Joe Isuzu!!

[SAMWolf]

Mornign E.G.C. More rain again today.

[manna]

Present!

[SAMWolf]

Morning Mayor.

[SAMWolf]

Hi Feather!