The Every Day Book of History and Chronology. Joel Munsell
delusion, hand, heart and pen.
1752. Samuel Croxall, an English author and translator of good repute, died.
1781. A troop of Tarleton's dragoons, under Capt. Miller, were cut to pieces by Lieut. Col. Lee: the captain and all were taken, except two; 18 were killed. Lee had ordered his Lieut. Lewis, to give no quarters, on account of Miller's having refused quarter to Lee's bugler, an unarmed boy, whom they had overtaken and sabred. Lee halted his men at a farm, was suddenly come upon by the advance of Cornwallis, but escaped by a sudden and bold movement.
1784. Jeremiah Miles died; an eminent English divine and antiquary. He was ardently engaged in the Chattertonian controversy, and the author of the supposed Rowley's poems.
1787. Charles Gravier, count de Vergennes, a French statesman, died. As secretary of state for foreign affairs to Louis XVI, he assisted the Americans in their struggle for independence.
1789. Ethan Allen, an officer in the revolutionary army, died. He took Ticonderoga and Crown-Point; was himself captured near Montreal, sent to England, and after experiencing much cruelty, exchanged. He sustained the character of an infidel, and in his writings ridiculed the scriptures.
1790. The French convention abolished monastic establishments, and confiscated their lands. (See Jan. 16.)
1794. The French convention ratified the treaty of peace with the grand duke of Tuscany.
1794. The canal of Merthyr Tydvil, in Wales, opened, another great improvement.
1798. Christian Fredrick Schwartz, an eminent German missionary to Hindostan, died. His labors were of nearly half a century's duration, and had a great influence over the affairs of the country.
1801. British frigate Success, 40 guns, captured by a French squadron.
1805. Action between the British ship St. Fiorenza and the French frigate Psyche, 36 guns, and the prize ship Thetis, which resulted in the capture of the two latter. French loss 57 killed and 70 wounded; British 12 k., 36 w.
1814. General Wilkinson burned his boats in Salmon river, and broke up cantonment at French mills; Gen. Brown went to Sacketts harbor, and Gen. Macomb to Plattsburg; the snow being 2 feet 10 inches deep.
1817. George Rogers Clarke died; an officer in the service of Virginia against the Indians in the revolutionary war, where he distinguished himself greatly, and was for some time the protector of the people of the frontiers of Virginia and Pennsylvania against the inroads of the tribes.
1817. The elegant sword voted by the state of New York to Com. McDonough, was presented to him at Hartford.
1820. Charles Ferdinand duc de Berri, assassinated. He was the youngest son of Charles X., a man of talents and intrepidity, and popular with the army. His assassin was actuated to the deed by a desire to exterminate the Bourbon family, which he had vowed to accomplish, and had begun with the duke, in whom the line was to be perpetuated. (See July 7, Louvel.)
1833. Stanislaus Poniatowski died at Florence. He was a nephew of Stanislaus Augustus, the last king of Poland. Having defended the interests of his country with manly eloquence in the diet of Poland, he retired to Florence, and was noted as a liberated patron of the arts and literature. This prince was the first who set the example of a useful and glorious reform by emancipating the serfs of his extensive domains.
1840. Wilhelm Willink, a friend of Washington and of the United States, died at Amsterdam, aged 91. He furnished the first loan to the colonies after their revolt from the British dominion.
1843. Gen. Robert Porterfield died at Augusta county, Va., aged 90. He served in the Revolutionary army.
1843. Isaac Hull, a distinguished American commodore, died, aged 68.
FEBRUARY 14.
1543. The parliament of Paris caused the Institutiones Religionis Christianæ of Calvin, to be publicly burned at Paris.
1554. Brett the commander of the London train bands with 58 others, hanged for joining with sir Thos. Wyatt and his Kentish men, who tried to resist the Spanish influence.
1623. The floor of Black friars' church broke down while the people were at mass, killing 100.
1668. Louis XIV took Dole, in Franche Compte.
1696. English assassination plot to favor the interests of James II, discovered by Pendergrass.
1713. Anthony Ashley Cooper, earl of Shaftsbury, and author of the Characteristics, died. He was grandson of the earl who figured so conspicuously in the reign of Charles II; and possessed a spirit of liberty which displayed itself in his political character throughout his life, and by which he uniformly directed his conduct on all occasions.
1713. William Harrison, an elegant English poet, died.
1737. Charles Talbot, an eminent English statesman and chancellor, died.
1756. Three hundred recruits sailed from New York for the army, under the command of Gov. Shirley, quartered at Albany; the river being free of ice.
1760. Isaac Hawkins Browne died. One of the most popular productions of this ingenious poet, is his Pipe of Tobacco, in imitation of Cibber, Ambrose, Philips, Thompson, Young, Pope and Swift, who were all living.
1762. Martinique and the other Caribee islands delivered up to the British under Monkton and Rodney, by the French governor, M. de la Touche. The entire reduction of Martinique was effected with the loss of 107 killed and 150 wounded. The French lost 1000 of their best men. Before its reduction the island could raise 10,000 white inhabitants fit to bear arms and 40,000 negroes.
1764. Peter Restaut died; an advocate at Paris, distinguished for his learning and integrity.
1764. Mr. Williams a printer was put in the pillory for republishing the North Briton, No. 45, at London. But the spectators made a contribution for him of over 200 guineas.
1779. James Cook, the English navigator, killed by the natives of Owhyhee. He was born 1728, of indigent parentage; entered the royal navy in 1755; had the command of a vessel sent against Quebec 1759, after the capture of which he assisted at the taking of Newfoundland. After making several voyages for scientific purposes, he sailed in 1776 on his grand enterprise for the discovery of a northwest passage, during which he met his fate.
1779. Battle of Cherokee Ford, in which Col. Pickens attacked and defeated a body of tories, killed 39 of them and their leader, Col. Boyd, and took about 70 prisoners. Of the last 5 only were executed. Pickens lost 9 killed.
1780. William Blackstone died. He was born in London, 1723, and was called to the bar 1746. In 1765 he published the first volume of his Commentaries on the laws of England, a production by which his name will descend to all posterity. His private character is said to have been exceedingly mild and amiable, and he was throughout life assiduously addicted to business.
1780. A Russian manifesto announced the coalition called the "armed neutrality," formed on the basis that free trade makes free goods.
1781. The American army under Gen. Greene, which had continued to retreat since the battle of the Cowpens, crossed the Dan, leaving the whole of North Carolina in the hands of the enemy. So close was the pursuit, that the van of the British reached the river, as the rear of the continentals had crossed, after a march of 40 miles that day.
1782. The island of Nevis surrendered to the French, under count de Grasse.
1785.