The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Naval Engagements of 1813 - Jul. 1st, 2004

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[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.

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

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The Chesapeake vs. The Shannon

The British frigate "Shannon" was under the command of Captain Philip Bowes Vere Broke. The American frigate "Chesapeake" was commanded by Captain James Lawrence. The "Chesapeake" carried 50 guns, 26 broadsides, 28 long 18 pounders on the gun deck, and on the spar deck two long 12 pounders, one long 18 pounder, and eighteen 32 - pound carronades, and one 12 pound carronade. The crew of the American frigate consisted of 379 men.

Engagement between USS Chesapeake and HMS Shannon, 1 June 1813
Colored lithograph by M. Dubourg after a drawing by Heath, published in England circa 1813.
It depicts the officers and crew of Shannon, commanded by Captain Broke, boarding and capturing the Chesapeake.

On June 1st, 1813, at about noon, the "Chesapeake" left Boston Harbour. At 5:30 p.m. the American frigate was heading right for the "Shannon". The British captain feared the "Chesapeake" would pass under the "Shannon's stern and rake her deck. But for some reason Captain Lawrence overlooked his advantage. At 5:50 the "Shannon" opened fire, the "Chesapeake" replyed with a heavy broadsides. Although the American broadsides were inflicting heavy damage on the British frigate, the "Chesapeake" also suffered greatly from the British frigate's guns. Minutes later with her jib sheet and foretop sail tie shot away, the "Chesapeake" was exposed to the "Shannon's" heavy broadsides. These broadsides inflicted heavy cassualties on the American crew, but they continued to exchange cannon fire with the British frigate.


Action between USS Chesapeake and HMS Shannon, 1 June 1813
Colored lithograph by L. Haghe, after a painting by J.C. Schetky based on a design by Captain R.H. King, RN. Published by Smith, Elder & Company, London, in 1830.
This print (Plate No. 1 of four) depicts the commencement of the action, with the two frigates exchanging gunfire at close range.

At 6:00 p.m. the two frigates came together, the British captain ordered the two ships lashed together. On board the "Chesapeake" there was mass confusion. Captain Lawrence while standing on deck giving orders to his crew was shot down, he was carried below exclaiming "Don't Give Up The Ship".

At 6:02 Captain Broke and 20 men boarded the "Cheaspeake", as they did the American gun crews left their guns and ran below deck. The only man that seemed to make a stand was the chaplain, Mr. Livermore, who came toward the British captain firing his pistol. Captain Broke stopped him with a swipe of his Toledo blade which nearly severed the chaplain's arm, he died later of his wounds.


This print (Plate No. 2 of four) depicts the scene soon after the action began, with Chesapeake "crippled and thrown into utter disorder" by Shannon's first two broadsides.

The marines continued to defend the "Chesapeake" bravely, but of the 44 men, 14 were dead and 20 were wounded.

Lieutenant George Budd tried to get the crew below to follow him up on deck to defend the ship, but only a few followed him. They repulsed the British briefly, then surrendered. Captain Broke wrote: "The enemy fought desperately, but in disorder."


This print (Plate No. 3 of four) depicts Shannon "carrying by boarding" Chesapeake "after a cannonade of five minutes".

At 6:05 p.m. the "Chesapeake's" colours were hauled down ending the battle, 15 minutes after the first shot was fired.


This print (Plate No. 4 of four) depicts Shannon "leading her prize ... into Halifax Harbour, on the 6th June 1813", with the Royal Navy's "White Ensign" flown above the United States Ensign on board Chesapeake

The "Chesapeake" had 61 killed and 85 wounded. The "Shannon" had 33 killed and 50 wounded. The British sailed the American frigate to Halifax, Nova Scotia where the American Captain James Lawrence and Lieutenant Ludlow were buried with military honours.

The Argus vs. The Pelican

The American brig-sloop "Argus" was under the command of Lieutenant William Henry Allen. On June 18th 1813 the "Argus" left New York, it's destination was France. Along the way the Americans had captured one merchant ship. On the 11th of July they reached France, by the 14th of July the "Argus" was sailing again. The Americans continued to find, capture and burn ship after ship.


USS Argus vs HMS Pelican

On August 14th 1813 at 5:00 a.m. the Americans spotted the British brig-sloop "Pelican". The "Pelican" was under the command of Captain John Fordyce Maples.

At 6:00 a.m. the ships had positioned themselves for battle. The "Argus" fired first and then the "Pelican" responded. The gun crews of both ships began to fire their guns rapidly. At 6:04 a.m. a shot fired from the British brig-sloop struck Lieutenant William Allen removing his leg. He stayed on deck until he died from the loss of blood. The first lieutenant, Mr. Watson, was wounded in the head with grapshot and carried below deck. The second lieutenant, Mr. U. H. Allen (no relation to the American commander) fought on bravely and with great skill.


WILLIAM HENRY ALLEN.

British cannon fire had shot away the main braces, main-spring-stay, gaff and try-sail mast of the American ship. The British gunners continued to fire and hit the "Argus" causing the American brig-sloop to lose her spritsail-yard and a great deal of her rigging.

At 6:14 a.m. the American second lieutenant made an excellent maneuver giving his gun crews the opportunity to rake the "Pelican's" deck, in spite of this the "Argus" did very little damage, mostly due to the fact that the gunners missed their targets. Moments later the main braces and top-sail tie of the "Argus" were shot away. At 6:18 a.m. the "Pelican" passed by the "Argus" and raked her deck heavily, this caused rigging and sails to come crashing down leaving the American ship unmanagable. Both ships continued the fight. At 6:35 a.m. The "Pelican" passed the "Argus" and fired a heavy broadside. At 6:45 a.m. the two ships came together, the crew of the "Pelican" were about to board the "Argus" when the American brig-sloop struck her colours ending this battle.



The British lost 2 men killed and 5 wounded.

The Americans lost 10 killed and 14 wounded.

[SAMWolf]

The Hamilton and the Scourge

Brigadier General John Boyd sent a ship with a dispatch to Commodore Isaac Chauncey on Lake Ontario informing him that he wanted to attack the British supply depot at Burlington Heights. Chauncey agreed that this was a worthwhile mission, and planned an attack.

The Americans had thirteen ships that anchored off the north shore of Burlington Bay on the evening of July 29th 1813. The next morning Colonel Winfield Scott and Commodore Chauncey with five hundred soldiers and sailors landed. Some of the force went looking for information while the other made a reconnaissance of Burlington Heights. They decided that they did not have the equipment to take the British position so they returned to their ships with a few head of cattle they had rounded up. They now sailed to York. (modern day Toronto)

The Americans landed at York without meeting any resistance at all. Most of the towns people had fled when they first heard that the Americans were about to land a force. They remembered the first visit, and the plundering and burning of private property that took place. Chauncey assured the frightened inhabitants that he was only after public property not private property. He also said that this raid was in retaliation for Sir James Yeo's raids on American towns.



The American commander did keep his word with the exception of the two private stores that were looted, then they sailed off. However, on August 1st the Americans came back, after gathering information that a flotilla of bateaux had been hidden up the Don River when they first approached York on the 31st of July. They landed and found this supply, and sailed away again this time with 400 barrels of pork and bread and a 24 - pdr. long gun. And when they left this time they burned the barracks and storehouses on Gibraltar Point.

Sir James Yeo had left Kingston on July 31st looking to engage the American commander Isaac Chauncey and his fleet. The British squadron consisted of the "Wolfe", "Royal George", "Earl of Moira", "Lord Melville", "Beresford and the "Sir Sidney Smith".

The American squadron consisted of the "Pike", "Madison", "Oneida", "Govenor Tompkins", "Conquest", "Ontario", "Fair American", "Asp", "Pert", "Hamilton", "Scourge", "Julia" and the "Growler".

August 7th 1813 the two squadrons had a brief encounter ten miles out from the Niagara River, in which they both fired one shot, both missed. The British and the American commanders would not engage each other unless they had a clear advantage.

Both fleets attempted to alternately retreat and to attack but neither had any success. By the evening of August 7th, the lake was calm and both fleets recalled their ships for the night into close groups. The British fleet was close to shore by York and the American fleet was across the lake just north of Twelve Mile Creek.

U.S. seaman Ned Myers was on board the the "Scourge", he remembers the night being very calm, there was not a cloud in the sky and the lake was as smooth as glass. After midnight the wind picked up and it began to rain. Myers knew the ship was in danger. The ship tipped on it's side and the guns, ammunition and other equipment came sliding down the deck.

Myers saw his shipmates struggle for their lives, some were pinned others tried to get out of the blocked hatchway. Although he could not swim Myers jumped into the rough lake, he flung his arms about trying to keep afloat. Fortunately he was able to climb into one of the boats being towed behind the schooner. He cut the tow line and from the safety of this boat Myers watched the "Scourge" go under.

Men of the United States Navy During the War of 1812

When it was over the "Scourge" was not the only ship to sink that night. The "Hamilton" had been lost as well. The next morning the "Julia" arrived to pick up survivors. More than 80 men lost their lives that night, and as predicted many times before, the "Scourge" had become a coffin to a large part of her crew.

[SAMWolf]

The Capture of the "Julia" and the "Growler"

On August 7th 1813 the much anticipated naval battle on Lake Ontario failed to materialize. However on that night in a heavy squall two American schooners the "Hamilton" and the "Scourge" did capsize. The sinking of these two vessels did not seriously hamper the American fleet, apart from the sad fact, that more than 80 lives were lost.



Sir James Yeo still would not maneuvre in close to Isaac Chauncey and the American fleet, he was hoping for a chance to cut off the American schooners. On August 9th Sir James Yeo took time to report to Sir George Prevost, he complained that the American commander would not engaged his fleet unless he had a clear advantage. He then went on to assess the American fleet stating, "the "Pike" was a very fine large ship", the "Madison" was similar to the "Wolfe" and the "Onieda" was small and had bad sails. The schooners in the American fleet did not impress Yeo, he said "they were fine in calm water but contemptible otherwise".

The Americans were making similar assessments, Commodore Arthur Sinclair wrote: "Instead of finding Sir James Yeo that desperate hot headed boy which reports have made him to appear, we found him a judicious, cautious and skillful commander". Sinclair went onto describe the British squadron as "six regular built vessels of war, all sailing alike and able to suppport each other in any weather - capable of keeping the sea and acting efficiently".



This game continued through August 8th and 9th until the evening of August 10th. The opportunity the Americans had been waiting for had finally arrived. The British ships came to a standstill six miles of Twelve Mile Creek, the Americans were only twenty miles to the northeast, here was their chance to attack.

The American squadron was ordered into two columns. One column led by the "Julia" leading the "Growler", "Asp", "Pert", "Ontario" and "Fair American". It was this line that was closest to the British squadron. The second column had the "Pike" leading the "Onieda", "Madison", "Governor Tompkins" and the "Conquest".



The Americans were only four miles away from the British when the wind shifted giving the British the handling advantage. The British ship "Wolfe" moved toward the American ships "Ontario" and "Fair American" who turned their long guns and aimed them at the "Wolfe". The Americans opened fire at about 11:00 p.m., it was 11:30 before the British ship returned fire. A short while later Commordore Chauncey signalled to the schooners to make a pre arranged move, the "Pert" along with the "Asp", "Ontario" and "Fair American" moved away luring Yeo into Chauncey's trap, but the "Julia" commanded by James Trant and the "Growler" commanded by Lieutenant David Deacon stayed on their heading. The American schooners ran so close to shore they could see the lights from the buildings, believing their gunboats could evade the British squadron they made a mad dash for open water. The British moved towards them quickly with their guns and cannonades blasting, the Americans returned the fire. Moments later the British were boarding the American schooners and taking her crews prisoner.

On Tuesday August 11th the American prisoners began their long march to imprisonment at Quebec City and Halifax, among them was U.S. seaman Ned Myers who had survived the sinking of the "Hamilton" and the "Scourge".



The loss of four schooners was, however, no great matter as they were only makeshift war vessels anyway. The Americans still had superiority over the British squadron on the Lake Ontario.

The British had anchored near York (modern day Toronto) and for the next couple of days made repairs to the "Growler" renamed the "Hamilton" and the "Julia" renamed the "Confiance". They also repaired one of the "Wolfe's" topmast's. The "Royal George" had a leak repaired and the same repair was made to the "Melville".

With the two captured schooners the total number of ships in the British squadron was now eight.

The Enterprise vs. The Boxer

The American ship "Enterprise" was under the command of Lieutenant William Burrows. In the way of weapons, it carried 14 eighteen-pound carronades and 2 long 9 pounders, and she had a crew of 102 men.


USS Enterprise

On September 5th 1813, the Americans spotted a ship which proved to be the "H.M.S. Boxer". The British ship was under the command of Captain Samuel Blyth. The "Boxer" had 12 carronades, eighteen-pounders, and two long six pounders, and a crew of 66 men.

When the Boxer first spotted the American ship the crew hoisted three British flags and headed for the "Enterprise". When the two ships were still some four miles away from each other the wind died down. The wind picked up again around noon, and the two ships manoeuvred for position. The Americans hoisted their flags at about 3:00 p.m. and moved slowly toward the British ship. Captain Blyth had ordered the British flags nailed to the mast, and told his crew that they should not be lowered while he was still alive.


HMS Boxer

At 3:15, both ships opened fire, as both crews cheered wildly. The battle was intense, with both commanders falling early. The British commander was struck by an eighteen-pound shot and killed instantly. Lieutenant David McCreery was now in command of the "Boxer". The American commander, Lieutenant Burrows, was wounded severely. In spite of great pain Burrows refused to leave the deck, instead he cryed out that the flags must never be lowered.

At 3:30 p.m. the "Enterprise" came around and raked the "Boxer", at 3:35 p.m. the British ship lost her main-top mast and top-sail yard. The American ship moved into position and began to deliver broadside after broadside that raked the British ship's deck. The crew of the "Boxer" fought bravely on, except for four men who were later court martialed for cowardice. At 3:45 p.m. unable to manoeuvre the defenceless ship the "H.M.S. Boxer" surrendered.


Men of the British Navy During the War of 1812

Both ships had been damaged severely, but the British ship had suffered more.

The British had three killed and seventeen wounded.

The Americans had two killed and ten wounded.

**NOTE** The American commander, Lieutenant Burrows after he receieved the sword of the British commander said: "I am satisfied, I die contented."

Additional Sources:

www.history.navy.mil
freepages.history.rootsweb.com
uncharted.com.ne.kr
library.thinkquest.org
www.lcmm.org
www.boxer.navy.mil
www.sandcastlevi.com
members.tripod.com/~war1812
www.military-art.com
www.eyorks.com
www.butlerart.com
www.thewarof1812.com
fc.lbpsb.qc.ca

[SAMWolf]

The Burlington Races

It was the afternoon of September 26th 1813 when Sir James Yeo left Burlington Bay and headed out onto Lake Ontario with the British squadron. The American squadron ventured out the next evening, September 27th.



Commodore Isaac Chauncey locates the British ships on the morning of September 28th and sets a northerly coarse to intercept. Around noon both commanders form their lines of battle. For the Americans the "Pike", towing the "Asp" is in the lead. Followed by the "Sylph", towing the "Ontario", the "Madison", the "Onieda", "Governor Tompkins" and three other schooners. The British line had the "Wolfe" in the lead followed by the "Royal George", "Melville", "Moira", "Beresford" and the "Sir Sydney Smith".

The two fleets moved south near York when the American commander made his move towards the British Flagship. When the "Pike" was directly opposite the "Wolfe" Yeo turned the ship around and brought the starboard side to the wind aiming away from the "Pike", now he headed for the middle and end of Chauncey's line. The "Pike" turned and went after Yeo's ship.



The British Flagship fired first. After the first shot was fired the rest of the ships joined in the battle, with all the British guns being aimed at the "Pike".

The American ship at this moment could only return fire with three guns. Sinclair and Chauncey stayed calm and continued on toward the British Flagship.

When they were in position they turned the "Pike" and blasted the "Wolfe" with fourteen long 24 pdrs., sending round and chain-shot crashing into her. The "Wolfe" reeled but returned fire. Just after 1 p.m. the American flagship had it's topsail damaged.



The two ships exchanged broadsides again this time the "Wolfe" was severely damaged. The Americans moved into finish off the British flagship, when up came Commander William Mulcaster in the "Royal George". He maneuvered his ship in between the "Pike" and the "Wolfe" bringing it to a near stop and hammered the American vessel with broadside after broadside. The "Melville" and the "Moira" also blasted away at the Americans until the "Pike" veered away. The "Govenor Tompkins", "Madison" and "Onieda" were involved in the battle at this point.

The crew of the "Wolfe" pulled themselves together after being dazed and steered their ship towards Burlington Bay. They made the necessary repairs and the ship soon had enough speed to pull away from the Americans who were in pursuit.

The rest of the British squadron had turned to follow the damaged "Wolfe". The "Pike" maintained contact firing at any and all the British ships when they were in range.



Because the other U.S. ships were towing schooners they fell back and were not as much of a threat to the British squadron.

After three hours Yeo pulled the battered "Wolfe" into Burlington Bay, Chauncey breaks off the pursuit. This ends what has become known as the "Burlington Races".

The British cassualties not including the dead thrown overboard during the battle are 6 dead 12 wounded.

The American casualties reported by Chauncey are 27.

[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.

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Iraq Homecoming Tips

~ Thanks to our Veterans still serving, at home and abroad. ~ Freepmail to Ragtime Cowgirl | 2/09/04 | FRiend in the USAF

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PDN members and fans. We hope you will consider this simple act of patriotism worth passing on or taking up as a project in your own back yard. In summary:

Who They Are: Operation: Stitches Of Love was started by the Mothers of two United States Marines stationed in Iraq.

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Ideas to start a local project:

Obtain enough Red, White and Blue material (cloth) for a 12.5 x 12.5 quilt square.
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Locate an elementary school with an after school program in your neighborhood or locate an after school program in your neighborhood not attached to a school and ask if you could volunteer one or two afternoons and create some squares with the kids.

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UPDATED THROUGH APRIL 2004



The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul

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[snippy_about_it]

FALL IN to the FReeper Foxhole!



Good Thursday Morning Everyone.



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

[SAMWolf]

Good Night Snippy. Been another looooong day.

[snippy_about_it]

Good night Sam. Yep it has. The weekend is on it's way. ;-)

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Terrific work.

I pinged both of you to a resource thread that backhoe and I have put together with info to help fight the battle with spyware and other vermins which populate the world wide web.

titled

PestPatrol Shares Spyware Lessons ( Company will offer database of known... free.)

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Snippy.

Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that our government can track a cow born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where she sleeps in the state of Washington. And they tracked her calves to their stalls. But they are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens wandering around in our country. Maybe we should give them all a cow.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks Ernest_at_the_Beach. hopefully we can avoid some of our recent problems but if not this resource will help.

[SAMWolf]

Morning Aeronaut

Maybe we should give them all a cow.

The problem with that is that the government will expect us to pay for the cow and its care and feeding. :-)

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Sam.

[The Mayor]

You greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials. —1 Peter 1:6

The gains of heaven will more than compensate us for the losses of earth.

[GailA]

Good morning, heading for vacation later today.

[alfa6]

Dang, that puts my bowl of Grape nuts to shame :-)

Belly Button Foxhole Bump

alfa6 ;>}

[jriemer]

Click on the above picture to link to the Second Annual Viking Kitties Lightning Strike / Free Republic Online Fourth of July Fireworks Display. It starts July 1 and continues through July 4th!

[GailA]

But your Grapenuts won't but pounds on your hips like the pancakes will. Cereal gives me indigestion so I avoid it.

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning everyone.

[CholeraJoe]

Love your new tagline, Aeronaut!

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on July 01:
1381 Laurentius Justitianus, [Lorenzo Giustiniani], saint
1506 Louis II, king of Hungary/Bohemia (1516-26)
1646 G.W. Leibniz German mathematician/philosopher; postulated monads
1788 Jean-Victor Poncelet mathematician, founded projective geometry
1802 Gideon Welles, Secy Navy (Union), died in 1878
1804 George Sand France, novelist (Valentine, Le Figaro)
1807 Thomas Green Clemson mining engineer, endowed Clemson University
1861 Samuel D Riddle horse owner (Man 'o War)
1872 Louis Bleriot (aviator: 1st man to fly an airplane across the English Channel [1909])
1892 James M Cain Minneapolis Mn, novelist (Postman Always Rings Twice)
1899 Charles Laughton England, actor (Mutiny on the Bounty)
1907 Bill Stern Rochester NY, sportscaster (Saturday Night Fights)
1908 Estee Lauder CEO (Estee Lauder's cosmetics)
1912 David Brower environmentalist/president Sierra Club
1914 Cristyl Cranz Germany, slalom (Olympic-gold-1936)
1915 Willie Dixon (blues musician:(Big Three)/songwriter(Little Red Rooster, Spoonful, Backdoor Man/producer(Chess Records) of the 1950s Chicago sound)
1916 Olivia de Havilland Tokyo Japan, actress (Adventures of Robin Hood)
1925 Farley Granger actor (Arnold, Rope)
1930 Imelda Marcos former 1st lady (Philipines)/shoe collector
1931 Leslie Caron Boulogne-Biliancourt France, actr (Lili, Father Goose)
1932 Bobby Day [Robert Byrd), Fort Worth Tx, rock vocalist (Rockin' Robin)
1934 Jamie Farr Toledo Oh, actor (Klinger-M*A*S*H, AfterMASH)
1934 Sydney Pollack director (Tootsie, Presumed Innocent)
1941 Sally Quinn Georgia, CBS newscaster (Morning Show)
1941 Twyla Tharp Indiana, choreographer (Twyla Tharp Dance Troupe)
1942 Genevieve Bujold Montr‚al, actress (King of Hearts, Choose Me)
1942 Karen Black Park Ridge Ill, (5 Easy Pieces, Trilogy of Horror, Pyx)
1945 Deborah Harry rocker (Blondie-Heart of Glass)
1946 Ron Silver NYC, actor (Entity, Silkwood, Best Friends)
1952 Dan Aykroyd Ottawa Canada, comedian/actor (SNL, Blues Brothers, Dragnet, Driving Miss Daisy)
1961 Carl Lewis US, olympic track & field star (Gold-1984, 1988)
1961 Lady Diane Spencer (Princess Di)narcissistic self-centered lightweight consort of England
1977 Misty Marriah Esplin, Preston Idaho, Miss America-Idaho (1997)

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Deaths which occurred on July 01:
1378 Jan I V van Arkel, bishop of Utrecht/Luik, dies
1523 Hendrik Voes, Flemish priest/church reformer, burned at stake
1523 John of Esschen, Flemish priest/church reformer, burned at stake
1776 Francis Salvador, 1st Jew to die in American Revolutionary War
1863 John Fulton Reynolds, Union general-major, dies in battle at 42
1896 Harriet Beecher Stowe, US author (Uncle Tom's Cabin), dies at 85
1943 Auguste Reitsma, Dutch resistance fighter (census director), executed
1943 C Bakker, Dutch resistance fighter (census bureau), executed
1943 C L Barentsen, Dutch resistance fighter (census bureau), executed
1943 Coos Hartogh, Dutch resistance fighter (census bureau), executed
1943 Cor Roos, Dutch resistance fighter (census bureau), executed
1943 Henri Halberstadt, Dutch resistance fighter (census dir), executed
1943 Johan Brouwer, hispanist/writer/Dutch resistance fighter, executed
1943 Karl Gr”ger, Dutch resistance fighter (census bureau), executed
1943 Koen Limperg, Dutch resistance fighter (census bureau), executed
1943 Sam Bloemgarten, Dutch resistance fighter (census bureau), executed
1943 Willem Arondeus, Dutch resistance fighter (census bureau), executed
1943 Willem Brouwer, Dutch resistance fighter (census bureau), executed
1958 Dr Harry Nicholls Holmes crystallized vitamin A, dies at 78
1983 R Buckminster Fuller inventor/philosopher, dies in LA at 87
1991 Michael Landon actor (Bonanza), dies at 54 from cancer
1995 Wolfman Jack, disc jockey (Midnight Special), dies at 57
1997 Robert Mitchum, actor (Winds of War), dies at 79

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Reported: MISSING in ACTION
1966 CAMPBELL BURTON W.---LORAIN OH.
[02/12/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1966 PETERS CHARLES HENRY---WEST POINT NE.
[REMAINS RETURNED 10/88]
1966 WILLIAMS ROBERT C.---MC LEANSBORO IL.
[05/95 REMAINS RETURNED]
1972 CHENEY KEVIN J.---MIAMI FL.
[03/28/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 98]
1972 ROBINSON PAUL K.---GALION OH.
[03/28/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]

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

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On this day...
0070 Titus sets up batterig rams to assault the walls of Jerusalem
0649 Pope Martinus I elected to succeed Theodore I
1097 1st Crusaders defeat Sultan Kilidj Arslan of Nicea
1200 In China, sunglasses are invented
1517 1st burning of Protestants at stake in Netherlands
1535 Sir Thomas More went on trial in England charged with treason
1569 Latvia Parliament accept Union of Lublin, incorporate into Poland
1656 1st Quakers (Mary Fisher/Ann Austin) arrives in Boston (arrested)
1690 Army of England's Protestant King William III defeats Roman Catholic King James II in Battle of the Boyne in Ireland (Now celebrated on July 12 as "The Battle of the Orange" )
1776 1st vote on the Declaration of Independence

1798 Napoleon's fleet reaches Alexandria Egypt

1795 John Rutledge becomes 2nd chief justice of Supreme Court
1816 Fr frigate Medusa wrecked; basis of G‚ricault's "Raft of the Medusa"
1823 United Provinces of Central America gain independence from Mexico
1847 Amateur astronomer M Hencke discovers 2nd asteroid Hebe
1847 K L Hencke discovers asteroid #6 Hebe
1850 At least 626 ships lie at anchor around SF Bay
1859 1st intercollegiate baseball game, Amherst beats Williams 66-32
1861 War Dept decrees the KA and TN are to be canvassed for volunteers
1862 Battle at Booneville Mississippi: Confed superior power driven out
1862 Day 7 of the 7 Days-Battle of Malvern Hill
1862 Congress outlaws polygamy (1st time); bad news for Utah
1862 Lincoln appoints Isaac Newton sec of agriculture-no kidding!
1862 Internal Revenue Law imposes 1st federal taxes on inheritance, tobacco & on incomes over $600 (progressive rate)
1863 Battle of Gettysburg, Pa; Lee's northward advance halted
1869 US mint at Carson City, Nevada opens
1870 James W Smith of SC is 1st black to enter West Point
1873 Henry Flipper of Ga is 2nd black to enter West Point
1873 Prince Edward Island becomes 7th Canadian province
1874 1st US kidnapping for ransom, 4-year-old Charles Ross, $20,000
1875 Universal Postal Union established
1881 1st international telephone conversation, Calais, ME-St Stephen, NB
1889 Frederick Douglass named Minister to Haiti
1893 SF Bay City Club opens 1st US bicycle race track, made of wood
1898 Teddy Roosevelt & his Rough Riders charge up San Juan Hill
1899 Gideon Society established to place bibles in hotels
1899 SF City Hall turned over to city, after 29 years of building
1910 Chicago's Comiskey Park opens
1910 Union of South Africa becomes a dominion
1915 Australia begins Commonwealth Lighthouse Service
1916 Eisenhower marries Mary `Mamie' Geneva Doud in Denver Colo
1916 Battle on the Somme: British 4th Army walks to German lines
1916 British court martial (Easter uprising)
1916 Coca-Cola brings current coke formula to the market
1917 Race riots in East St Louis Illinois (40 to 200 reported killed)
1917 Reds Fred Toney pitches completes doubleheader victories over Pirates
1924 Through regular transcontinental airmail service established, NYC-SF
1931 Ice vending machines introduced in LA 25 lbs, 15 cents
1932 NY Gov FDR nominated for president at the Dem Convention in Chicago
1933 G Neujmin discovers asteroid #1590 Tsiolkovskaja.
1934 1st x-ray photo of entire body, Rochester, NY
1937 Rev Martin Niemller arrested in Germany(First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out;
because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out;
because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out;
because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out;
because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me;
and there was no one left to speak out for me.)
1941 1st coml TV licenses granted-W2XBS-WNBT (NBC) & WCBW (CBS), NYC
1941 Bulova Watch Co. pays $9 for 1st ever network TV commercial
1943 1st withholding tax from paychecks
1944 Bretton Woods Conference starts, establishing IMF & World Bank
1944 Earl Claus von Stauffenberg promoted to colonel
1946 US drops atom bomb on Bikini atoll (4th atomic explosion)
1949 Bao Dai's Republic of Vietnam gains independence from France
1950 1st 407 US soldiers flown to South Korea
1956 Elvis Presley wearing a tuxedo appears on The Steve Allen Show
1957 International Geophysical Year begins (until Dec 31, 1958)
1959 World Refugee Year begins
1960 Ghana becomes a republic
1960 Fidel Castro nationalizes Esso, Shell and Texaco in Cuba
1960 Italian Somalia gains independence, unites with Somali Republic
1961 Haleakala National Park established in Hawaii
1962 Burundi & Rwanda gain independence from Belgium (National Days)
1963 US postal service institutes the (Zone Improvement Plan) zip code
1966 Medicare goes into effect
1967 BBC starts their World Radio Club
1967 Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," goes #1 for 15 weeks
1968 US, Britain, USSR & 58 nations sign Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty
1969 Charles Philip Arthur George invested as Prince of Wales
1971 Golden Gate Bridge paid for (so why is there still a toll?)
1972 "Hair" closes at Biltmore Theater NYC after 1750 performances
1972 Ms. magazine begins publishing
1973 1st US-China basketball game, US collegiates beats Shanghai 96-61
1973 "Jesus Christ Superstar" closes at Mark Hellinger NYC after 711 perfs
1976 Kenneth Gibson, is 1st black president of US Conference of Mayors
1978 Former Pres Nixon makes 1st public speech since resigning in 1974
1978 Northern Territory of Australia becomes self-governing
1979 Stampede Pass, Washington is covered with 6" of snow
1980 Steve Overt runs world record 3:48.8 mile in Oslo
1981 Radio Shack 3rd release of Model III TRSDOS 1.3
1982 2,100 Unification church couples wed in NYC
1987 Bork nominated to Supreme Court, rejected in Oct by senate
1989 Hugh Hefner (Playboy editor) weds playmate Kimberly Conrad
1989 NFL owners vote unanimously to form the WLAF
1990 German Democratic Republic accepts the Deutsche Mark as its currency
1990 In Victoria, Australia, helmetless bike riding becomes illegal
1997 China regains sovereignty of Hong Kong
2004 Saddam Hussein and gang of thugs have criminal charges read to them.

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

Bangladesh, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Iraq, Taiwan : Bank Holiday
British Virgin Islands : Territory Day
Burundi, Rwanda : Independence Day (1962)
Canada : Dominion Day/Canada Day (except Sunday) (1867)
Ghana : Republic Day (1960)
Hong Kong : « Year Day
Ireland : Pilgrimage to Shrine of Blessed Oliver Plunkett
Somalia : Union Day/Foundation Day (1960)
Surinam : Freedom Day/Labour Day
Turkey : Navy & Merchant Marine Day
Iowa : Independence Sunday (Sunday)
Caribbean Common Market : Caribbean Day (1973)(Monday)
Lesotho : Family Day (Monday)
Zambia : Heroes Day (Monday)
Zambia : Unity Day (Tuesday)
Ireland : Pilgrimage to Shrine of Blessed Oliver Plunkett
US : Honor America Days
Carpenter Ant Awareness Week (Day 4)
National Picnic Month

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Religious Observances
Luth : Commem of Catherine Winkworth, John Neale, hymnwriters
Old Catholic : Feast of the Precious Blood of Jesus
RC : Comm of St Oliver Plunkett, Irish martyr/theologian/primate

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Religious History
1643 The Westminster Assembly first convened in England, from which would emerge theWestminster longer and shorter catechisms.
1800 The earliest recorded Methodist camp meeting in America was held in Logan CountyKentucky, near the Gaspar River Church.
1899 In Wisconsin, the Gideons were founded by three traveling businessmen. They placedtheir first Bibles in 1908 at the Superior Hotel in Iron Mountain, Montana.
1942 Birth of Andrae Crouch, African-American sacred music artist. His most enduringgospel songs have been 'Soon and Very Soon,' 'My Tribute' and 'Through It All.'
1985 The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that public school teachers may not enter parochialschool classrooms, to provide remedial or enrichment instruction.

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

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Thought for the day :
"A guy has to get fresh once in a while so a girl doesn't lose her confidence."

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Things To Do If You Ever Became An Evil Overlord...
DO NOT grow a goatee. In the old days they made you look diabolic. Now they just make you look like a disaffected member of Generation X.

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The World's Shortest Books...
Gourmet English Cooking

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Dumb Laws...
Florida:
Men may not be seen publicly in any kind of strapless gown.

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Top ten things you never hear in church...
2. Pastor, we'd like to send you to this Bible seminar in the Bahamas.