At about this time in 1749, Revolutionary War hero Peter Gansevoort is born. But for him, would Americans have lost the Battle of Saratoga? He held an important fort at a critical moment, sidetracking British reinforcements that might otherwise have shown up at that battle.
The American victory at Saratoga was important: It encouraged the French to join the war as our allies.
Little is known about Gansevoort’s early years, although we know that he had (at best) limited military experience when the American Revolution began. That didn't stop him from joining the Continental Army in 1775. 🙂 Nevertheless, he is best remembered for something that he did two years later: He refused to surrender Fort Schuyler to the British.
In August 1777, British Lt. Colonel Barry St. Leger was working his way past Fort Schuyler, then commanded by Gansevoort. St. Leger’s ultimate goal was to rendezvous with General John Burgoyne, then on a campaign to isolate the New England colonies from the others.
Fort Schuyler stood in St. Leger’s way. He laid siege to it in early August.
The story continues here: https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-peter-gansevoort
On this day in 1945, the 82nd Airborne Division liberates a concentration camp just outside Ludwigslust, Germany. The Wöbbelin camp hadn’t been in operation for too long: It was established in February 1945 as the Nazis sought to move prisoners away from the Allied advance.
Even at this late stage of the war, the Nazis did not want those prisoners rescued.
At this point in the war, of course, the writing was on the wall. Adolf Hitler had committed suicide mere days earlier, and an Allied victory was just around the corner. Allied forces were discovering and liberating thousands upon thousands of Hitler’s prisoners.
The story continues here: https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-82nd-airborne-liberation
At about this time in 1972, astronauts from Apollo 16 splash down in the Pacific Ocean. They’d just become the fifth NASA crew to successfully land men on the moon.
Nevertheless, one Apollo 16 astronaut is perhaps more often remembered for the flight he did not make to the moon. Ken Mattingly was supposed to serve as command module pilot on Apollo 13. Instead, a case of measles got in his way.
Mattingly had been exposed, and NASA worried he’d catch measles in space. With hours to go before launch, he was yanked from the mission.
He found out from a breaking news report while he was in his car.
“I just kind of pulled over to the side of the road and sat there for a while,” he later said. “If this is a practical joke, it’s really well done, but I don’t think this is a joke.”
The story continues here: https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-apollo-16
"[T]he publick Liberty will not long survive the total Extinction of Morals," Samuel Adams said on this day in 1776. An interesting quote, given recent events?!?!
A longer version of the quote is below. Food for thought.
Dear regular readers: Full-length history stories resume tomorrow!
"I have long been convincd that our Enemies have made it an Object, to eradicate from the Minds of the People in general a Sense of true Religion & Virtue, in hopes thereby the more easily to carry their Point of enslaving them. . . . [T]he publick Liberty will not long survive the total Extinction of Morals. . . . Could I be assured that America would remain virtuous, I would venture to defy the utmost Efforts of Enemies to subjugate her." -- Samuel Adams
