The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Battle of Germantown - 1777 - Jan. 14th, 2003

http://www.ilssar.org/germantown.html ^ | Albert Carlson

[SAMWolf]

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The Battle of Germantown

Germantown is located about five miles northwest of Philadelphia. At the time, Philadelphia was the capital of the Rebel Colonies. This was very important, as occupation of the enemies' capitol most often meant the end of a conflict was due in short order, if not immediately. The capture of the capital was a great source of concern for the leaders of the Revolution, since it directly effected the morale of the confederation of Colonies.

General Howe

After the Battle of Brandywine, Washington and his British counterpart, General Howe, maneuvered around the capital for about two weeks. Washington had hoped to catch Howe's troops while crossing the Schuylkill River, but Washington followed a British feint, missing the river crossing. Howe marched unopposed into Philadelphia on September 26. Most of the citizens of the city, and all of the Continental Congress had left the city about a week previous to the occupation. Howe kept 3,000 of his men in Philadelphia, proper, and stationed the remaining 8,000 at Germantown. Another 3,000 of Howe's forces were deployed along the Delaware River to assist the British Fleet in their blockade of the forts held by the Americans along that river.

Wahsington was in command of approximately 11,000 men, including 3,000 militamen. Seeing that Howe had not prepared defenses and that the British forces were split, General Washington decided to attempt to strike a decisive blow.

Washington and his staff planned a very complicated plan of attack that involved splitting the American command into four distinct colums that were to move into position for the attack under cover of darkness.



On the right flank, BG John Armstron's PA militia was to turn the British left flank and hold them agains the Schuylkill River. On the left of Armstron, along the main north-south rouad in the area, General Sullivan, along with Anthony Wayne's brigade, was to join the attack. General Washington was to accompany this column.

Left of Sullivan and Washington, the main attack was to be spearheaded by Generals Greene, Stephen, and McDougall. This column was to turn the British right and complete enveloping Howe's troops against the Schuylkill River.

On the extreme left, BGs William Smallwood and David Foreman, along with their Maryland and New Jersey militias, were to attempt to facilitate the envelopment by harassing the British rear. They were to move along the old York Road. General Sterling was to hold his troops in reserve on Chestnut Hill and be prepared to support either General Greene's or Sterling's columns.


General Washington

All troops were to gbe in place by 0400, with a two hour period of rest prior to the planned attack at 0600. Stealth was imparative, as troops were to silently strike, bayonets attached, just one hour before dawn on October 4. Unfortunately, all troops were late getting into position. General Greene's column got lost and was even later than the rest of the troops in staging. He was a full hour behind Genral Sullivan's column. The morning found mist coming on, further complicating the battlefield. British forces were familiar with the area, while the American troops were not. And, British outposts had detected the Americans deploying at around 0300. But, the British mistakenly though that it was only a small raid taking place.

Sullivan approached Mt. Airy around 0600 and was met with a volley fired from advanced British outposts. The British then staged an orderly withdrawl, falling back to the position held by a British Light Infantry unit. At the conclusion of the consolidation of the British units, one final volley was fired and the British counter-attacked. At the s;ame time, the 40th Foot was added to the British line to shore it up.



Although surprised, the attackers made use of their superior numbers and pushed through to the northern edge of Germantown. Howe attempted to rally his troops, castigating them for fleeing from "a few rebels," when American grapeshot dropped parts of trees on him. This convinced Howe that this was a full fledged attack, and he hastily withdrew to prepare to meet the American forces.

Mist had turned into fog, confusing both sides. Wahsington was concerned that he didn't hear any firing where General Greene's column should have been. In fact, Greene had not yet made the field of battle, as his guide got lost on the dark roads. Whashing decided to commit his reserves whree Greene should have been, and moved some of General Sullivan's troops to help fill the hole. This blunted Sullivan's attack and slowed progress along that line.

General Sullivan continued to drive back the British in considerable disorder until they reached the home of Judge Chew, located in the middle of Germantown. Lt. Col. Musgrave, commanding the British 40th Foot, put 120 of his troops into the house, making it a small fortress. He laid sniper fire from the house and halted the advance of the American column.



Washington was faced with the choice of going around Judge Chew's house and mopping it up later, or concentrating the attack on the house to remove it totally. General Henry Knox persuaded Washington to attempt to remove the house, but the artillery sent against the house merely bounced off the thick stone walls. Aiming at the doorways and windows was impossible, due to the heavy fog. After half an hour, Washington decided that the time he was being delayed was too costly, and he elected to move on.

As Washington was making this move, Green began to engage the first outposts of the British main encampment and sounded to those around him that he may have, indeed, already be in possession of the camp. Thinking that victory was at hand, Washington rode forward. However, the source of the noise was from a British counterattack, as well as renewed fighting around the Chew house. Anthony Wayne had sent some of his men back to investigate the sounds of firing at his rear, and the men in the column mistakenly thought that they were being attacked from the rear. Around 9 am, Wayne's men began to panic as the fog on the battlefield began to lift. Due to the delays at the Chew house, the British had organized and were fully engaged in a counterattack. Brithish General Grant had found the hole in the lines caused by the Chew house and were expoiting it. Wayne's men, who had spent much of the morning firing at trees and fence posts, ran out of ammunition and began to break. This panic spread through the ranks of Generals Greene and Sullivan, who also experienced their men breaking and running.



With panic spreading, General Cornwallis brought up British reinforcements and committed them against General Greene's column. With this movement, and General Grant threatening his right flank, Green reluctantly ordered a withdrawl to reorganize the troops. He was able, however, to save his guns. Washington saw that Greene was in retreat and had no option other than to order Sullivan and Wayne to do the same. Armstrong, Foreman, and Smallwood also failed in their encircling attacks, primarily due to delay and excessive caution. Washington also ordered them to withdraw.

This ended the Battle of Germantown. The complicated plan had failed with the British losses at 70 killed, 450 wounded, and 14 missing. The Americans lost 152 killed, 521 wounded, and almost 400 missing. American morale was largely unaffected by the loss in that they mistakenly believed that more British were lost than American forces. Howe was impressed that the skill of the Americans had increased so much since the defeat at Brandywine. So, rather than risk a pursuit, Howe retreated to Philadelphia and fortified the city.

[SAMWolf]

After the Battle of Germantown

THE retreat of the Americans from the battle-field at Germantown at the moment when victory seemed about to be secured to them, did not cause the Congress nor the people to blame Washington and his general officers. The fog that produced so much uncertainty in movements was the chief cause of the panic and flight; and the Congress, justly considering all things, passed a vote of thanks to the commander-in-chief for his "wise and well-considered attack," and to the "officers and soldiers of the army for their brave exertions on that occasion."

A few days after the battle, Lord Howe's fleet was anchored at the mouth of the Delaware River, and he and the general prepared to sweep that stream of all its obstruction--the chevaux-de-frise, the commanding forts at Red Bank and on Mud Island, the floating batteries, and the armed galleys. They were elated by their recent accidental victory, and did not entertain a doubt of success. The British army were at once concentrated at Philadelphia; but it was the middle of October before even a narrow channel was opened through the lower obstructions of the river. A difficult task lay before the enemy. Fort Mercer, at Red Bank, had a spirited little garrison under Colonel Christopher Greene of Rhode Island; and Fort Mifflin, on Mud Island, was in charge of Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Smith, of Maryland, with an equally spirited body of men.

To strengthen his own army, Howe ordered General Clinton to abandon the forts in the Hudson Highlands and send six thousand troops to Philadelphia. He had scarcely issued this order when the news of the surrender of Burgoyne reached the British commander-in-chief. That event filled the American camp with joy, and that of the enemy with amazement. Howe perceived that what he had to do must be done quickly; so he ordered Count Donop to take Fort Mercer by storm. The Hessian colonel, eager for renown, marched against it on the 22nd of October (1777), with about twelve hundred men--German grenadiers, infantry, riflemen, and artillery. At the edge of a wood within cannon-shot of the fort, they planted a battery of ten heavy guns; and at half-past four o'clock in the afternoon, Donop sent a summons for the instant surrender of the garrison, accompanied by a threat that, in case of resistance, no quarter would be given. Colonel Greene, the commander, with only four hundred men back of him, made an instant and defiant refusal, saying: "We ask no quarter nor will we give any." Then the besiegers opened their heavy guns; and under their fire they carried the abatis or the land side of the fort. There they encountered many pitfalls, and a heavy storm of bullets and grape-shot from a concealed battery. Equally severe was an enfilading fire from two other galleys hidden by the bushes. These fearfully slaughtered the assailants. Donop and many of his officers were killed or mortally wounded; and at twilight the invaders withdrew, after a loss of two hundred men, and were not pursued. The Congress ordered the Board of War to present an elegant sword to Colonel Greene, for his gallant defence of Fort Mercer; and some New Jersey and Pennsylvania volunteers erected a monument of blue-veined marble on the site of the fort, in 1829, to commemorate the deed. Colonel Greene was soon afterward murdered at his quarters in Westchester county, N.Y., by a band of Tories, and the sword was presented to his family.

Some British ships-of-war that came to assist in the reduction of Fort Mercer, attacked Fort Mifflin the next morning. After being severely cannonaded from the fort and the American vessels, they attempted to retreat down the river, when the Augusta, a 64-gun ship, and the frigate Merlin, grounded. The former was set on fire by red-hot shot from the American batteries, and was blown up with a part of her crew. The Merlin was set on fire and abandoned. These events inspirited the Americans; and John Adams took the occasion to help Gates in his ambitious intrigues against Washington, by saying: "Thank God the glory is not immediately due to the commander-in-chief, or idolatry and adulation would have been so excessive as to endanger our liberties."

[SAMWolf]

That very same day, October 4, 1777, General Washington force-marched his troops 25 miles back to where they had started the night before, again without food or sleep. At least seventy-five Americans were killed at Cliveden. The British lost only three. In the overall Battle of Germantown American losses were over 1100, while the British suffered over 500.



Yet, the Battle of Germantown was an American victory of sorts. The British allowed Washington to escape and even to spend the winter of 1777-78 at Valley Forge, where he regrouped and brought in Baron Wilhelm von Steuben and his Prussians from Germany for support. France admired the American plan that failed at Germantown. They were also pleased with the English defeat at Saratoga, New York, several days later. These two battles helped bring the French into the Revolution on America's side. General Washington himself later gained immortal fame. In retrospect, the Battle of Germantown may have been the end of his rough beginning and the beginning of the end of British power in America.

[SAMWolf]

'We fight, get beat, rise, and fight again.'

-- General Nathanael Greene

[SAMWolf]

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[SAMWolf]

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[SAMWolf]

[E.G.C.]

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[SAMWolf]

Good morning, E.G.C. You get to open the Foxhole today.

[HiJinx]

"Thank God the glory is not immediately due to the commander-in-chief, or idolatry and adulation would have been so excessive as to endanger our liberties."

Interesting the way our forefathers thought...
Although, to this day, we still fear the concentration of power in one person or family.
The Kennedys and Clintons come to mind.

[Valin]

On This Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on January 14:
1451 Franchinus Gaffurius composer
1467 Henry van Stolberg & Wernigerode German Governor/Viceroy of Frisia
1566 Angelo Notari composer
1592 Sjihab al-Din Sultan Choerram Sjah Djahan leader of India
1615 John Biddle English minister (Unitarian)
1618 Jan Six Dutch mayor of Amsterdam
1655 Angelo Predieri composer
1664 Simon van Slingelandt Dutch grand pensionary (1727-36)
1684 Jean-Baptiste Vanloo French painter
1700 Picander [Christian F Henrici], German writer (Der Säuffer)
1705 Jean-Baptiste C Bouvet de Lozier/Lozier-Bouvet Governor (Reunion Is)
1722 Friedrich Gottlob Fleischer composer
1730 William Whipple merchant/judge/patriot (Declaration of Independence signer)
1741 Benedict Arnold US General turned traitor (Revolutionary War)
1751 Corona Elizabeth Wilhelmine Schroter composer
1780 Francois-Joseph Dizi composer
1791 Calvin Phillips became shortest known adult male (67cm; 2'2")
1798 Isaac da Costa Dutch writer/lawyer
1798 Johan R Thorbecke Premier of Netherlands (Liberal-1849-72)
1800 Ludwig A F Ritter von Köchel Austrian musicologist (Mozart, Fux)
1804 John Park composer
1806 Matthew Fontaine Maury Naval Commander (Confederacy)
1812 Carl Gradener composer
1814 Johannes Josephus Viotta composer
1817 Harmen S Sytstra Dutch poet/editor (Iduna)
1818 Zacharias Topelius Finnish historical novelist (Surgeon's Stories)
1819 Fabio Campana composer
1819 Frederick Steele Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1868
1822 Nicholas Mori composer
1831 John Bullock Clark Jr Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1903
1834 William Cleaver Francis Robinson composer
1836 [Hugh] Judson Kilpatrick Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1881
1839 Emil Bohn composer
1841 Berthe M P Morisot French painter/aquarellist
1844 Clara Kathleen Rogers composer
1845 Henry C K Petty-Fitzmaurice 5th marquess of Landsdowne/Governor-General Canada
1850 Jean de Reszke [Jan Mieczyslaw], Polish tenor
1850 Pierre Loti [Julien Viaud], French sea officer/writer (Pêcheur)
1851 Théophile de Bock Dutch painter/etcher/drawer
1861 Mehmed VI last sultan of Ottoman Empire (1918-22)
1861 Wilhelm von Polenz German writer (Der Pfarrer von Breitendorf)
1863 Pieter Oosterlee Dutch educator
1868 Catharina A M de Savornin Lohman Dutch author (Belief)
1871 Pauline Beersmans [van Cuyck], Flemish actress (Hofslachter)
1874 Thornton Waldo Burgess author (Peter Rabbit)
1875 Albert Schweitzer doctor/humanitarian/organist (Nobel 1952)
1878 Victor A D Ségalen [Max Anély], French writer
1882 Hendrik W van Loon Netherlands, commentator/writer (Story of America)
1886 Hugh Lofting English/American writer & illustrator (Dr Dolittle)
1889 Vincenzo Davico composer
1892 Hal Roach early film director/producer (1 Million BC)
1892 Martin Niemöller clergyman (German Protestant); imprisoned by Hitler
1895 George Richard Samways children's writer
1896 John dos Passos novelist (1919, Big Money, 42nd Parallel)
1898 Helen Flint Chicago, actress (Sea Devils, Married Before Breakfast)
1899 Fritz Bayerlein German Lieutenant-General (WWI, Poland, Libya, St Louis)
19-- Jonathan Daly Chicago, actor (Orrin-Petticoat Junction)
1901 Carlos P Romulo Philippine General/Diplomat/Jurist
1901 Bebe Daniels Scotland, actress (42nd Street, Lonesome Luke)
1902 Alfred Tarski Warsaw, mathematician/logician
1902 F C Terborgh [Reijnier Flaes], Dutch writer (De Turkenoorlog)
1903 Veronica Turleigh County Donegal Ireland, actress (Promoter)
1904 Sir Cecil Beaton England, royal family photographer
1906 William Bendix New York City NY, actor (Lifeboat, Babe Ruth Story, Life of Riley)
1906 Walter Knape composer
1907 Derek Richter British neuro chemist (Aspects of learning & memory)
1907 Sophie Redmond Suriname's 1st female physician
1908 Carl Esmond Vienna Austria, actor (Address Unknown, Hitler)
1908 Ruggiero de Rudolpho Columbo US singer/actor (Miracle of Women)
1909 Joseph Walton Losey Wisconsin, director (Damned, Accident)
1910 Renier van der Velden composer
1911 George Amadee Tremblay composer
1911 Helmut Degen composer
1912 Rudolf Hagelstange German author/poet (Spielball der Götter)
1913 Tillie Olsen American writer (Tell Me a Riddle)
1914 Harold Russell actor (Best Years of Our Life)
1915 Andre Frossard Catholic columnist
1916 John Oliver Killens novelist
1919 Andy Rooney Albany NY, CBS news correspondent (60 Minutes)
1919 Giulio Andreotti 7 x premier (Italy)
1920 George Herman newsman (CBS-TV)
1920 Bertus de Harder Dutch soccer star (Bordeaux)
1920 Donald Beard cricketer (New Zealand pace bowler in the 1950's)
1921 Mark Lawrence Washington DC, pianist (Alice Pearce)
1921 Charles Gaupp German/Dutch painter
1924 Guy Williams New York City NY, actor (Zorro, Lost in Space)
1925 Yukio Mishima Japan, novelist (Temple of Golden Pavilion)
1926 Frank Aletter Long Island NY, actor (Mac-It's About Time, Tom-Nancy)
1926 Thomas Tryon Hartford CT, actor/novelist (I Married a Monster from Outer Space, Cardinal, All That Glitters)
1926 Harold Wolpe sociologist lawyer/South African activist
1927 Ivan Kalita USSR, equestrian dressage (Olympics-silver-1968)
1928 Gerald Arpino Staten Island NY, choreographer
1929 Billy Walker Ralls TX, country singer (Ozark Jubilee)
1929 Aleksander Petrovic film director
1930 Edgar Sergeyi Hovhanesyan composer
1930 Ernest Just Black biologist, served as Vice President of American Zoologists
1931 Juraj Pospisil composer
1932 Catarina Valente Paris France, singer (The Entertainers)
1932 Harriet Andersson Stockholm Sweden, actress (Cries & Whispers)
1936 Ludmila Pinayeva USSR, 500m kayak (Olympics-gold-1964, 1968, 1972)
1936 Reiner Klimke Germany, equestrian dressage (Olympics-gold-1984)
1936 Clarence Carter US singer (Thread the Needle)
1936 John Paul Cain Sweetwater TX, PGA golfer (1989 Greater Grand Rapids)
1937 Billie Jo Spears country singer
1937 Ken Higgs cricketer (effective England pace-bowler in 15 Tests 1965-68)
1938 Jack Jones Los Angeles CA, singer (Love Boat Theme)
1938 Allen Toussaint [Naomi Neville], pianist/songwriter (Ride Your Pony, Wild Sign of New Orleans)
1940 Julian Bond Nashville TN, (D-GA) civil rights leader
1941 Marjoe Gortner Long Beach CA, actor (Speak Up America, Falcon Crest)
1941 C L "Gibby" Gilbert Jr Chattanooga TN, PGA golfer (1976 Danny Thomas)
1941 [Dorothy] Faye Dunaway Bascom FL, actress (Chinatown, Bonnie & Clyde)
1942 Carol Bellamy Planfield NJ, (City Council President-D-NYC, 1978-85)
1942 Amichand Rajbansi South African politician
1943 Holland Taylor Philadelphia PA, actress (The Practice, Bossom Buddies, Camilla-Naked Truth)
1943 Ronald Hunter Boston MA, actor (Lazarus Syndrome)
1943 Shannon W Lucid Shanghai China, astronaut (STS 51G, STS 34, STS 43, STS 58, STS 76/79)
1943 José Luis Rodriguez Caracas Venezuela, singer (Dueno De Nada)
1944 Graham Vivian Marsh Kalgoorlie Australia, PGA golfer (1977 Heritage)
1947 Bill Weberniuk Canadian snooker player
1948 Carl Weathers New Orleans LA, actor (Apollo Creed-Rocky)
1948 T-Bone Burnett musician/producer
1948 Tim Harris rocker (Foundations)
1949 Christine Belford Amityville NY, actress (Banacek, Empire, 90210)
1949 Lawrence Kasdan Miami FL, director/writer (Accidental Tourist)
1951 Gil Pak Jong Korea, judo (Olympics-1976)
1951 William Risrook rocker (BT Express-Here Comes the Express)
1952 Sydney Biddle Barrow madam/author (Mayflower Madam)
1958 Colin Ferguson murderer (6 people on the Long Island Railroad on Dec 7, 1993)
1959 Carl Chas Smash Smyth rock bassist (Madness-Our House)
1959 Geoff Tate vocalist (Queensryche-Breaking the Silence)
1959 Paul Terry cricketer (in Germany Two Tests England vs West Indies 1984)
1959 Susan Smith Beloit WI, playmate (Sept, 1981)
1961 Robert Edwin Hall mountaineer/businessman
1962 Patrica Morrison rocker (Sisters of Mercy-Walk Away, Black Planet)
1964 Sergei Nemchinov Moscow Russia, NHL center (New York Islanders, Olympics-Silver-98)
1964 Steven Soderbergh writer (Mimi, Schizoplis)
1965 Vanity [Dee Dee Williams], singer/actress (Action Jackson)
1965 Dave Lowry Sudbury, NHL left wing (Florida Panthers)
1965 Désirée Nosbusch Luxembourg, actress (The Fan)
1965 Jemma Redgrave London England, actress (Buddha of Suburbia)
1966 Daniel J Schneider Memphis TN, actor (Dennis-Head of the Class)
1966 Matt Brock NFL defensive end/tackle (New York Jets)
1967 Emily Watson actress (Breaking the Waves, Boxer)
1967 Terry Wooden NFL linebacker (Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs)
1967 Tom Rhodes actor (Tom Rhodes-Mr Rhodes)
1968 Fred[ric] Honebein San Francisco CA, rower (Olympics-5th-1996)
1968 L L Cool J [James Todd Smith], St Albans NY, rapper (Bigger & Deffer)
1969 Jason Kent Bateman Rye NY, actor (David-Valerie, Hogan Family)
1969 Dave Grohl drummer (Nirvana, Foo Fighters)
1969 David Webb WLAF linebacker (Frankfurt Galaxy)
1969 Martin Bicknell cricketer (England pace bowler 1993)
1969 Rico Smith NFL wide receiver (Cleveland Browns)
1970 Eric Charron Verdun, NHL defenseman (Washington Capitals)
1970 Steve Cooke Kanai HI, pitcher (Pittsburgh Pirates)
1970 Tyrone Hughes NFL cornerback (New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears)
1972 Kyle Brady NFL tight end (New York Jets)
1972 Michael Davis NFL cornerback (Cleveland Browns)
1973 Ed Howard NFL wide receiver (Atlanta Falcons)
1973 Lethon Flowers NFL defensive back (Pittsburgh Steelers)
1973 Rod Myers Conroe TX, outfielder (Kansas City Royals)
1974 Hugues Legault Montréal Québec Canada, 50m swimmer (Olympics-96)
1974 Kevin Jefferson NFL linebacker (Cincinnati Bengals)
1974 Michael Dritlein WLAF wide receiver (Rhein Fire)
1974 Nancy Napolski Hinsdale Idaho, air rifle (Olympics-1996)
1975 Marcel Koning soccer player (FC The Hague/NEC)
1977 Terry Ryan St Johns, NHL left wing (Montréal Canadiens)
1988 Jamie Altman son of Lynda Carter & Robert Altman
1988 Jordy French singer
1989 Sextuplets Paris France, (to a 29-year-old woman)

---

Deaths which occurred on January 14:
0973 Ekkehard I monk of St Gallen (Vita Waltharii manu fortis), dies
1163 Ladislaus I Arpad king of Hungary (1162-63), dies
1236 Sava [Rastko] son of Serbia's king/saint, dies at 64
1237 St Sava son of Serbia's king, dies
1301 Andreas III Arpad king of Hungary (1290-1301), dies at 50
1595 Ferdinand archduke of Austria/mayor of Bohemenia, dies
1623 Paolo Sarpi Italian church historian/politician, dies at 70
1648 Casparus Barleaus Flemish theologist/poet (Muiderkring), dies at 63
1676 Pier Francesco Cavalli Italian (opera)composer, dies at 73
1742 Edmund Halley genius eclipsed by Newton, dies at 86
1766 Frederik V king of Denmark/Norway (1746-66), dies at 42
1802 Marie Allard French ballerina, dies at 59
1817 Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny composer, dies at 87
1822 Franz Innocenz Joseph Kobell German landscape painter, dies at 72
1830 Johann G Repsold German instrument maker, dies at 59
1847 Governor Bent 5 others in US occupation, killed by revolt in New Mexico
1850 Anthony van Hoboken Rotterdam merchant/ship owner, dies at 93
1868 Heinrich Schenker Austrian musicologist (Ursatz), dies at 66
1887 Friedrich von Amerling Austrian painter, dies at 83
1887 Peter "Peerke" Donders missionary (Father of Melaatsen), dies at 77
1888 Stephen Heller composer, dies at 74
1890 Francesco D'Arcais composer, dies at 59
1898 Reverend Charles L Dodgson better known as Lewis Carroll, dies at 66
1901 Charles Hermite French mathematician (e is transcendent), dies at 78
1901 Mandell Creighton English bishop/historian, dies at 57
1901 Victor Balaguer Catalaans historian/politician/author, dies at 76
1902 Cato M Guldberg Norwegian mathematician, dies at 65
1905 Ernst Abbe German physicist (Carl Zeiss Optics Company), dies at 64
1907 Karl von Perfall composer, dies at 82
1908 Holger Drachmann writer, dies
1909 Sinovi P Rozhestvensky Russian admiral, dies at 60
1912 Otto Liebmann German philosopher (Kant & Epigones), dies at 71
1916 Otto Ammon German anthropologist/sociologist, dies at 73
1924 Arne Garborg Norwegian playwright (Mannfolk), dies at 72
1925 Willem Devout self employed (V & Dreesmann), dies
1929 Cornelis W Lely Dutch Governor of Suriname (1902-05), dies at 74
1931 William Ernst Johnson British mathematician, dies
1943 Adolf Sandberger composer, dies at 78
1944 Mohammed Emin Yurdakul Turkish poet, dies at about 74
1945 Sandor Vandor composer, dies at 43
1948 Anna "Ans" van Dike Dutch Jewish Nazi-collaborator, executed at 42
1949 Joaquín Turina Spanish pianist/conductor/composer (Rima), dies at 66
1956 Siegfried F Nadel Australian/British anthropologist (Nuba), dies at 52
1957 Humphrey Bogart actor (Casablanca, Caine Mutiny), dies at 57
1961 Ernest Thesiger actor (Brass Monkey, Ghoul), dies at 81
1961 Henry Geehl composer, dies at 79
1963 Gustav Regler writer, dies at 64
1965 Jeanette MacDonald soprano (When I'm Calling You), dies at 63
1966 Sergei Korolev Russian space station constructor, dies
1967 Renato Lunelli composer, dies at 71
1970 John J "Johnny" Murphy US baseball pitcher (New York Yankees), dies at 61
1971 Ethel Glenn Hier composer, dies at 82
1972 Frederik IX [Christiaan FFMKW], king of Denmark (1947-72), dies at 72
1974 Josef Smrkovsky Czechoslovakia parliament chairman, dies at 62
1976 Margaret Leighton actress (Best Man, Go-Between), dies at 53
1977 Abdul Razak bin Hussain premier of Malaysia (1970-77), dies at 53
1977 Anaïs Nin Cuban/American writer (Delta of Venus), dies at 73
1977 Anthony Eden British premier (1955-57), dies at 79
1977 Peter Finch actor (Network, Nun's Story, Judith), dies at 60
1978 Blossom Rock actress (Grandmamma-Addams Family), dies at 81
1978 Robert Heger composer, dies at 91
1984 Ray Kroc founder of MacDonalds/owner San Diego Padres, dies at 82
1984 Mary Zeldenrust-Noordanus Dutch sexuologist (Dutch Society for Sexual Reformation-NVSH), dies at 55
1984 Paul Ben Haim composer, dies at 86
1985 Jetta Goudal French actress (White Gold), dies at 86
1986 Donna Reed actress (Donna Reed Show, Dallas), dies of cancer at 64
1986 Walter Leblanc Belgian painter, dies at 53
1987 Douglas Sirk director (Zu Neuen Ufern, Boefje), dies at 86
1988 Georgi M Malenkov PM of USSR (1953-55), dies at 86
1990 David Arkin actor (I Love You Alice B Toklas), dies
1991 Sallah Kharaf [Abu Iyad], co-founder (Al-Fatah), assassinated
1992 Hari Rhodes actor (Earth II, Detroit 9000), dies at 59
1993 Elisabeth A de Vreugd chambermaid for Dutch Queen, dies at 98
1993 Manfred Lachs Polish lawyer (International Court of Justice), dies
1994 Esther Ralston US actress (Tin Pan Alley, San Francisco Docks), dies at 91
1994 Federica Montseny anarchist/Spanish minister of Health (1936), dies at 80
1995 Alexander Gibson British conductor/founder (Scottish Opera), dies at 68
1995 Mark Finch film festival organizer, dies at 33
1995 Stafford William Somerfield newspaper editor, dies at 84
1996 Eric Briault educationalist, dies at 84
1996 Pamelo Mounk'a musician, dies at 50
1997 King Hu film director, dies at 64

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On this day...
1236 English king Henry III marries Eleonora of Provence
1526 Charles V & Francis I sign Treaty of Madrid; Francis I forced to give up claims in Burgundy, Italy & Flanders
1601 Church authorities burn Hebrew books in Rome
1639 1st Connecticut constitution (Fundamental Orders) adopted in Hartford
1639 Rodger Ludlow publishes"Fundamental Orders of Connecticut"
1641 United East Indian Company conquerors city of Malakka, 7,000 killed
1659 Battle at Elvas Portuguese beat Spanish
1690 Clarinet is invented, in Nüremberg, Germany
1699 Massachusetts holds day of fasting for wrongly persecuting "witches"
1717 German mob leader "Sjako" sentenced to death in Amsterdam
1724 Spanish King Philip V abdicates throne
1739 England & Spain signs 2nd Convention of Pardo
1746 Bonnie Prince Charlie's army leaves Glasgow
1783 Congress ratifies peace treaty between US & England
1784 Revolutionary War ends; Congress ratifies the Treaty of Paris
1785 Mozart completes "Dissonantenkwartet" (opus 10)
1794 Dr Jessee Bennet of Edom VA, performs 1st successful Cesarean section operation on his wife
1799 Eli Whitney receives government contract for 10,000 muskets
1799 King of Naples flees before the advancing French armies
1813 Gideon Hawley becomes 1st state school superintendent in US (NY)
1814 King of Denmark cedes Norway to King of Sweden by treaty of Kiel
1847 Conspiracy in New Mexico against US
1858 French Emperor Napoleon III escapes attempt on his life by Felice Orsini, an Italian patriot who was later executed
1861 Fort Pikens FL falls into state hands
1863 Battle between gunboats at Bayou Teched LA
1864 Battle of Cosby Creek TN
1864 General Sherman begins his march to the South
1868 North Carolina constitutional convention meets in Raleigh
1868 South Carolina constitutional convention, meets with a black majority
1873 "Celluloid" registered as a trademark
1873 P B S Pinchback elected to Senate
1874 I D Shadd elected Speaker of the lower house of the Mississippi legislature
1878 US Supreme court rules race separation on trains unconstitutional
1897 6,960-m (22,834') Cerro Aconcagua (Argentina) 1st climbed
1898 Joe Darling hits the 1st six in Tests (out of the ground)
1900 Giacomo Puccini's opera "Tosca" premieres in Rome
1905 Hubbell, Shubert & Smith's musical "Fontana" premieres in New York City NY
1908 Roger Hartigan scores century on Test debut vs England Adelaide (116)
1909 Coöp Far Central Management forms
1912 Raymond Poincaré becomes premier of France
1914 Henry Ford introduces assembly line, for T-Fords
1916 Dutch South Sea dike cracks
1918 Finland & USSR adopts New Style (Gregorian) calendar
1919 John McGraw, Charles A Stoneham, & Judge McQuade buy New York Giants
1924 Allies direct Fiume (Rijeka) in Italy
1925 Alban Berg's atonale opera "Wozzeck" premieres in Berlin
1927 Toronto Maple Leafs 1st hat trick (Hap Day) vs New York Rangers
1929 Afghan King Amanullah forced to resign
1932 1st totalisator (to record racetrack bets) in US installed, Hialeah
1932 Horse racing legend Eddie Arcaro won his 1st race
1935 Oil pipeline Iraq-Mediterranean goes into use
1936 L M (Mario) Giannini elected president of Bank of America
1938 National Society for the Legalization of Euthanasia formed (NY)
1939 All commercial ferry service to East Bay ends
1939 Norway claims Queen Maud Land in Antarctica
1940 Commissioner Kenesaw Landis gives free agency to 91 Detroit Tigers
1940 NFL Pro Bowl Green Bay beats NFL All-Stars 16-7
1942 Japanese troops land at oil center Balikpapan in Borneo
1943 Alex Smart (Montréal) is 1st NHLer to score hat trick in his 1st game
1943 FDR & Winston Churchill confer in Casablanca concerning WWII
1943 Heinrich Himmler views Warsaw
1944 Soviet army begins offensive at Oranienbaum/Wolchow
1946 2 jetties collapse in Ganges-160 Hindu pilgrims are crushed
1949 Black/Indian race rebellion in Durban, South Africa; 142 die
1950 US recalls all consular officials from China
1950 "As the Girls Go" closes at Winter Garden Theater New York City NY after 420 performances
1951 NFL Pro Bowl 1st since 1942, Americans beat Nationals 28-27
1952 "Today Show" premieres with Dave Garroway & Jack Lescoulie on NBC-TV
1952 Rationing of coffee in Netherlands ends
1952 Snow storm in Sierra NV kills 26
1953 Yugoslavia elects its 1st president (Marshal Tito)
1953 Vaughan William's "Sinfonia Antartica" premieres in Manchester
1953 WALA TV channel 10 in Mobile, AL (NBC) begins broadcasting
1954 Marilyn Monroe marries baseball star, New York Yankee, Joe DiMaggio
1954 Sandy Wilson's musical "Boyfriend" premieres in London
1955 Heitor Villa-Lobos' 8th Symphony, premieres in Philadelphia
1956 Little Richard releases "Tutti Frutti"
1956 Jordan government refuses to join Pact of Baghdad
1960 Tuindorp-Oostzaan in Northern Amsterdam, flooded
1960 US Army promoted Elvis Presley to Sergeant
1961 Chicago Bear Willard Dewveall becomes 1st NFLer to join the AFL
1962 NFL Pro Bowl West beats East 31-30
1963 George C Wallace sworn in as Governor of Alabama, his address states "segregation now; segregation tomorrow; segregation forever!"
1964 Jacqueline Kennedy's 1st public appearance (TV) since assassination
1964 14th NBA All-Star Game East beats West 111-107 at Boston
1964 Bapu Nadkarni 32-27-5-0 vs England, 21 maiden overs in a row
1966 David Bowie releases his 1st record (Can't Help Thinking About Me)
1967 20,000 attend the Human Be-In, San Francisco
1967 New York Times reports Army is conducting secret germ warfare experiments
1967 Sonny & Cher release "The Beat Goes On"
1967 Earthquake in Sicily kills 231
1968 Super Bowl II Green Bay Packers beat Oakland Raiders, 33-14 in Miami; Super Bowl MVP Bart Starr, Green Bay, Quarterback
1969 25 members of US aircraft carrier Enterprise die during maneuvers
1969 Soyuz 4 launched; rendezvous with Soyuz 5 two days later
1971 John Snow takes 7-40 for England to beat Australia by 299 runs
1972 "Sanford & Son" starring Redd Foxx premieres on NBC TV
1972 WMAH TV channel 19 in Biloxi MS (PBS) begins broadcasting
1972 WMAU TV channel 17 in Bude MS (PBS) begins broadcasting
1972 WMAW TV channel 14 in Meridian, MS (PBS) begins broadcasting
1973 Grateful Dead bass player, Phil Lesh, busted for drugs in California
1973 Tap dancer Ray Castle measured at 1440 taps/minutes on BBC TV
1973 Super Bowl VII Miami Dolphins beat Washington Redskins, 14-7 in Los Angeles; Super Bowl MVP Jake Scott, Miami, Safety
1974 World Football League founded
1975 Anita Wold (Norway) sets women's ski jump distance record-98 meters
1975 USSR breaks trade agreement with US
1976 "The Bionic Woman" with Lindsay Wagner debuts on ABC (later NBC)
1976 Ted Turner becomes CEO of Atlanta Braves
1978 Sex Pistols' final concert (Winterland, San Francisco)
1979 President Carter proposes Martin Luther King's birthday be a holiday
1980 "Blues Brothers" movie with Dan Akroyd & John Belushi opens
1980 Shakuntala Devi, mentally multiplies 2 13-digit #s in 28 seconds
1981 FCC frees stations to air as many commercials an hour as they wish
1984 Madonna 1st sings "Holiday" on American Bandstand
1985 16 indicted by US for granting sanctuary to Central American refugees
1985 British pound (£) sinks to record low-$1.11
1985 Martina Navratilova is 3rd to win 100 tennis tournaments (Connors & Evert)
1986 Vinicio Cerezo becomes only the 2nd freely elected President of Guatemala since the CIA-sponsored coup in 1954
1986 Constitution of Guatemala takes effect
1987 Catfish Hunter & Billy Williams are elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
1989 29 year old French woman gives birth to sextuplets in Paris
1989 "Romance/Romance" closes at Helen Hayes Theater New York City NY after 297 performances
1989 1,000 muslims burn Rushdies' "Satanic Verses" in Bradford England
1989 Former Belgian premier Paul Vanden Boeynants kidnapped
1990 Perez de Cuellar says he has lost all hope for peace in the Gulf
1990 "Simpsons" premiered on Fox-TV
1990 11th ACE Cable Awards
1991 "Barbara DeAngelis Show" premieres on CBS-TV
1991 Tyne Daly arrested for drunk driving in Van Nuys CA
1991 Jorge Serrano Elías sworn in as President of Guatemala
1991 Valentin Pavlov become new premier of USSR
1993 "Anna Christie" opens at Criterion Theater New York City NY for 54 performances
1993 David Letterman announces his show is moving from NBC to CBS
1993 Polish ferry boat capsizes in storm, 50 die
1994 Inna Lassovskaya triple-jumps ladies world record (14.61 meters)
1994 Kathleen Kinmont files for divorce from Lorenzo Lamas
1994 Russian manned space craft TM-17, lands
1995 10,000s South Africans attend state funeral of Joe Slovo
1995 16th ACE Cable Awards HBO wins 23 awards
1996 "Holiday" closes at Circle in Square Theater New York City NY after 49 performances
1996 "Swinging On a Star" closes at Music Box Theater New York City NY after 97 performances
1996 Liselotte Neumann wins Chrysler-Plymouth Tournament of Golf Champions
1998 100th episode of "Ellen" airs
1998 Charles Barkley pleads not guilty to an assault charge

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

Julian calendar : New Year's Day in 20th, 21st centuries
Maryland : Ratification Day (1784)
Switzerland : Meitlisunntig Festival-Woman in Villmergen War (1712) - - - - - ( Sunday )

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Religious Observances
Orthodox : Circumcision of Jesus
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Felix of Nola, priest/martyr
Greek Orthodox : St Basil's Day
old Roman Catholic : Feast of St Hilary, bishop/doctor (now 1/13)
Christian : Feast of St Sava
Lutheran : Commemoration of Eivind Berggrav, bishop of Oslo

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Religious History
1529 Spanish reformer Juan de Valdes, 29, published his "Dialogue on Christian Doctrine," which paved the way in Spain for Protestant ideas. But his treatise was condemned by the Spanish Inquisition, and Valdes was forced to flee Spain, never to return
1604 The Hampton Court Conference opened in London, during which Puritan representatives met with their monarch, King James I, to discuss reform within the Church of England.
1893 Pope Leo XIII appointed Archbishop Francesco Satolli as the Vatican's first Apostolic Delegate to the United States.
1966 French-born American trappist monk Thomas Merton wrote in a letter: 'The best way to solve the problem of rendering to Caesar what is Caesar's is to have nothing that is Caesar's.'
1972 American Presbyterian apologist Francis Schaeffer wrote in a letter: 'I have come to the conclusion that none of us in our generation feels as guilty about sin as we should or as our forefathers did.'

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Thought for the day :
" Sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle which fits them all. "

[Bogie]

Victory at Saratoga, or "The taking of Burgoyne", as it was known to the Patriots of the day, had more to do with anger over the murder of Jane McCrea by Burgoyne's indians, on the side of the Tory and the Patriot, than id did the military skill of Gates. Gates, however, did make sure that everyone knew about the murder/scalping, and, in that sense he was wize.

Later Gates distinguished himself in another way in the Carolinas. Washington was the real leader.We owe him much.

[Pippin]

GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY!

[CholeraJoe]

Bump and prayers for the safety of our troops

[Pharmboy]

Thanks for the post and the ping.

As a sidenote, three of the generals in that battle (Sullivan, Greene and MacDougall) are represented with streets named after them in Manhattan (in the Greenwhich Village and SOHO sections).

Of course General Washington is well-represented all over, as he should be. For my money, one of the greatest men who ever lived.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

Thanks for the ping.

Lot of important battles fought in Pennsylvania and NY during the Revolutionary War. Here's more on the The Battle of Germantown

[SAMWolf]

Good morning HiJinx. How you been?

[SAMWolf]

1968 Super Bowl II Green Bay Packers beat Oakland Raiders, 33-14 in Miami; Super Bowl MVP Bart Starr, Green Bay, Quarterback

AHHH! The Good Old Days!

[HiJinx]

Busier than a one-legged man in an...well, you know!

This is about as late as I dare stay on this morning, my work schedule is getting hectic.

You're coming up with some fantastic Foxhole threads, FRiend...keep up the good work. I can't believe how much I'm learning here.

[SAMWolf]

Good morning Pippin.