Do you remember the 26th night of September?
On September 26, 1777, the British began an eight-month occupation of the city of Philadelphia during the American Revolution. This allowed British troops to spend the winter billeted in comfortable quarters, while Washington’s troops suffered at Valley Forge. When France recognized the United States and declared war on Great Britain in February 1778 British war strategy changed to meet the new threat, and the army evacuated Philadelphia on June 18, 1778.
Fortunately, the Continental Congress had engaged in a risk assessment on September 14:
Resolved, That if Congress shall be obliged to remove from Philadelphia, Lancaster shall be the place at which they shall meet.
...
Resolved, That the public papers be put under the care of Mr. Clark, and that he be empowered, upon the Congress removing to Lancaster, to procure wagons sufficient for conveying them thither, and apply to General Dickinson, or any other officer commanding troops in the service of the United States, who is hereby directed to furnish a guard to conduct the said papers safe to Lancaster.
Then on the 18th:
Adjourned to 10 o'Clock to Morrow.
During the adjournment, the president received a letter from Colonel Hamilton, one of General Washington's aids, which intimated the necessity of Congress removing immediately from Philadelphia; Whereupon, the members left the city, and, agreeable to the resolve of the 14, repaired to Lancaster.
Hamilton's alarming message:
If Congress have not yet left Philadelphia, they ought to do it immediately without fail, for the enemy have the means of throwing a party this night into the city. I just now crossed the valleyford, in doing which a party of the enemy came down & fired upon us in the boat by which means I lost my horse. One man was killed and another wounded. The boats were abandon’d & will fall into their hands. I did all I could to prevent this but to no purpose.
Thomas Burke, delegate from (and future governor of) North Carolina wrote to (then governor) Richard Caswell on the 20th:
The question for adjournment from Philadelphia was daily agitated in Congress, but always overruled. On the night before last it received a complete decision—Intelligence was received from the General officer commanding on Schuylkill that the Enemy were then attempting to cross, and that they could not be prevented, and advising the Congress immediately to remove from the City.
The movement was made not by a vote, but by universal consent, for every member consulted his own particular safety. I was wakened by a servant about two o'clock, and tho' I lost no time in preparing to depart, yet I did not choose to retreat with precipitation. I was not indeed fully persuaded of the necessity of the measure, and not very apprehensive for my personal safety.
About sunrise I crossed the Delaware, and made my retreat hither where I shall wait the issue of the Battle. It is now well known that the alarm was groundless. No Enemy has yet passed, nor does it appear that they will be able to pass.
The danger did seem at first to be overstated, as John Adams recorded in his diary:
1777. SEPTR. 19. FRYDAY.
At 3 this Morning was waked by Mr. Lovell, and told that the Members of Congress were gone, some of them, a little after Midnight. That there was a Letter from Mr. Hamilton
Aid de Camp to the General, informing that the Enemy were in
Possn. of the Ford and the Boats, and had it in their Power to be in Philadelphia, before Morning, and that if Congress was not removed they had not a Moment to loose.
Mr. Merchant and myself arose, sent for our Horses, and, after collecting our Things, rode off after the others.
...
1777 SEPTR. 21. SUNDAY.
It was a false alarm which occasioned our Flight from Philadelphia. Not a Soldier of Howes has crossed the Schuylkill.
...
1777. THURSDAY. SEPTR. 25
Rode from Bethlehem through Allan Town, Yesterday, to a German Tavern, about 18 Miles from Reading. Rode this Morning to Reading, where We breakfasted, and heard for certain that Mr. Howes Army had crossed the Schuylkill.
What a difference a few days makes, eh? Regardless, it wasn't just Congress and their precious papers skedaddling:
On September 24, 1777, Mecklenburg County resident Thomas Polk arrived safely in Allentown, Pa., after escorting the Liberty Bell there from Philadelphia.
Born in Pennsylvania, Polk and his family moved to Anson County, before becoming one of the first settlers of Mecklenburg County, and promoting the establishment of Charlotte. He became a prosperous planter and was active in the local and state political scenes. As the American Revolution began to come into full swing, Polk was appointed colonel of a regiment of North Carolina militia. He fought at Brandywine and spent a harsh winter at Valley Forge.
As invading British forces approached Philadelphia in 1777, Polk was tasked with escorting some important items out of the city to avoid capture. The city’s bells—including what was then called the State House Bell and is now known as the Liberty Bell—were included among Polk’s precious cargo so they wouldn’t be melted down by the British to make cannon balls.1
They found a pretty good hiding place:
[T]he Zion United Church of Christ in Allentown, Pa., was a refuge for the Liberty Bell after the British forces occupied Philadelphia in September 1777. The Bell was sent out of the city to prevent the occupying forces from destroying it. Hidden in the wagon of a farmer returning from Philadelphia the Liberty Bell was brought to the church by John Jacob Mickley and Frederick Leaser. Along with other Bells removed from the city, the Liberty Bell was hidden by the pastor, Reverend Abraham Blumer, beneath the floorboards of the church.
Of course, not everybody could or would leave:
Those citizens who remained were mostly a mixture of Loyalists, Quakers, and the poor. Three fourths of the population were woman and children. Most looked forward to British rule — after all they had always considered themselves loyal English citizens. Moreover, they had long chafed under the excessive zeal of the American patriots who had been running the city.
British officers quartered in the finest houses, merchants from other towns started moving in, and the occupying Englishmen established a puppet government composed of local residents loyal to the crown.
While officers lived large, George Washington faced some challenges before he ever got to Valley Forge:
Resolved, That the Board of War be directed to cooperate with General Washington in devising and carrying into execution the most effectual measures for supplying the army with fire-arms, shoes, blankets, stockings, provisions, and other necessaries; and that, in executing this business, these collections be confined, as much as circumstances will admit, to persons of disaffected and equivocal characters.
I suspect "persons of disaffected and equivocal characters" means Tories. They'd been subjected to destruction of their printing presses and confiscation of their arms (small wonder they were dissatisfied with the situation, lol), so naturally Congress would think nothing of confiscating Loyalist property that might help the rebellion.
It was a pretty close thing at that time, which is why Adams describes a circuitous route to avoid British forces in a letter to Abigail on September 30:
It is now a long Time, since I had an Opportunity of writing to you, and I fear you have suffered unnecessary Anxiety on my Account.—In the Morning of the 19th. Inst., the Congress were allarmed, in their Beds, by a Letter from Mr. Hamilton one of General Washingtons Family, that the Enemy were in Possession of the Ford over the Schuylkill, and the Boats, so that they had it in their Power to be in Philadelphia, before Morning.
The Papers of Congress, belonging to the Secretary’s Office, the War Office, the Treasury Office, &c. were before sent to Bristol. The President, and all the other Gentlemen were gone that Road, so I followed, with my Friend Mr. Merchant of Rhode Island, to Trenton in the Jersies.
We stayed at Trenton, untill the 21. when We set off, to Easton upon the Forks of Delaware. From Easton We went to Bethlehem, from thence to Reading, from thence to Lancaster, and from thence to this Town, which is about a dozen Miles over the Susquehannah River.—Here Congress is to sit.
In order to convey the Papers, with safety, which are of more Importance than all the Members, We were induced to take this Circuit, which is near 180 Miles, whereas this Town by the directest Road is not more than 88 Miles from Philadelphia. This Tour has given me an Opportunity of seeing many Parts of this Country, which I never saw before.
...
All the Apology that can be made, for this Part of the World is that Mr. Howes march from Elke to Philadelphia, was thro the very Regions of Passive obedience. The whole Country thro which he passed, is inhabited by Quakers. There is not such another Body of Quakers in all America, perhaps not in all the World.
I am still of Opinion that Philadelphia will be no Loss to Us.
I'm sure NY Mets fans in particular (and perhaps this pig) would agree with that last point. Anyway, Lancaster was merely a way station:
After meeting one day at Lancaster, Congress moved to York so that the Susquehanna River would be between it and the enemy. It was at York from September 30, 1777, until June 27, 1778. While there, Congress met at the York County Court House.
Just to tie things up with a bow, some business conducted in York caught my eye on October 3:
Letters of the 1st, and 12 September, from Captain N. Biddle, of the Randolph, the first containing charges against Lieutenant Panatiere de la Falconer; one, of the 26 August, and one, of the 12 September, from John Dorsius; and, two letters of intelligence respecting stores and cloathing, were read.
The Lieutenant sure knew how to party:
As there is not Officers Sufficient to form a Court of inquiry, We are sorry to be under the disagreable necessity of addressing you, to remove from among us, Lieutt Panatiere de la Falconer [Falconniere]; as he has in many instances behaved very unbecoming an Officer, and is a disgrace to the Randolph
He Begged a large Jug of Wine of the Capt of a French Vessel we spoke with at Sea, and sold it to several on Board for a Dollar a Bottle -
He has suffered himself to be beat on shore without resenting it -
He gave an Order for Eighty Pounds on Mr [Edward] Blake, with intent to defraud the Person to whom he gave it -
He allways when on shore Associates with the worst of Vagabonds, and those houses no Gentleman ever go to -
He was one Night put under the Town Guard, for stabbing a Soldier; but shewing his Commission and the wound not like to prove Mortal, was let go -
He has behaved so, as to be Most Effectually hated and despised by every one on Board, the Vessell and by all who Know him on shore -
He is the most Obscene talker, and greatest Reprobate and blasphemer we ever heard -
He has been heard to Damm the Trinity in the most shocking expresion -
He has frequently declared that if any Man affront him, he would Assasinate him for it if it was 20 Years afterwards -
For these and a Thousand more instances we could mention (if Necessary) of the same Nature we think him not only unworthy of holding a Commission in the Randolph, but a Nuissance to the ship, and therefore beg you to Rid us of him -
Unfortunately, I haven't found any final disposition of this particular officer, but I hope they were indeed rid of him as they requested. Sounds like he'd fit right into MAGA, maybe even somebody Trump would pick for Veep. Hope we get rid of those guys, too.
1 - The Adams family themselves made musket balls out of their own spoons in the wake of Lexington & Concord, and New Yorkers turned a statue of King George III into 42,088 bullets after the Declaration.