On this day in 1766, a little-known Patriot is born in South Carolina. At the age of 15, Dicey Langston would make a Paul Revere-like dash in the middle of the night. Revere was fortunate to have a horse: Dicey had only her feet! She also had the swift currents of a local river standing between her and her destination.
Dicey made her run despite the fact that she’d already been admonished to quit passing intelligence on to the Patriots. Her father was getting worried that she was about to get caught. Dicey had complied at first. But then she learned that a band of Loyalists known as the “Bloody Scout” was planning a raid on the encampment where her brother was located.
The Bloody Scout was known to be especially ruthless. Obviously, she couldn’t let those Tories find her brother.
Dicey snuck out in the middle of the night, determined to deliver her warning. She had just one small problem: The Tyger River stood in her way. Worse yet, the waters were flowing higher and swifter than normal due to recent rains. Naturally, none of these dangers were enough to stop Dicey. It was treacherous going, though, and she got caught up in the currents about halfway across the river.
Imagine how terrifying it must have been. A young girl, alone in the middle of the night, surrounded by darkness and trapped by rushing water. She became disoriented for a time, but finally figured out how to get to the other bank. Would you believe she delivered her message—even cooking her brother a quick snack—before returning home in time for breakfast? Her father never knew she left.
Dicey’s daring spirit was often in evidence during those Revolutionary War years. What else did she do? The story continues here:
https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-dicey-langston
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On this day in 1780, Patriot forces win a victory against South Carolina Loyalists at Rugeley’s Mills. The officer leading the Patriot soldiers that day was none other than William Washington, a distant cousin of General George Washington.
Would you believe he won the day without firing a shot?
Patriots had suffered a difficult loss at Camden mere months before, which left British General Lord Cornwallis with troops both in Camden and in nearby Winnsborough (now Winnsboro), South Carolina. Unfortunately, Loyalist forces in those cities began leaving and attacking Patriot supply trains.
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The Patriots weren’t going to take that lying down, of course. The story continues here: https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-rugeleys-mills
On this day in 1787, Delaware begins ratification debates on the United States Constitution. Mere days later, it would ratify that document, thus becoming the first state to enter the Union.
So, yes, when Delaware calls itself “The First State,” that term is literally true.
Delaware’s quick ratification is interesting, given the manner in which the state sent its delegates to the Constitutional Convention. The state sent five delegates, but then specifically instructed them not to vote in favor of a document that violated the principle of “one state, one vote.” As a small state, Delaware was worried that it could be overrun by the large states without sufficient protections.
Did Delaware’s delegates violate their commissions by voting for the Constitution?
The story continues here: https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-delaware-first
On this day in 1942, a United States Army Air Corps captain is awarded a Medal of Honor. Captain Harl Pease’s bravery during an attack on an enemy-held airdrome had left many astounded.
Pease wasn’t supposed to be present for that August 7, 1942, attack near Rabaul, New Britain. The plane that he’d been flying the day before had lost an engine, but Pease scavenged another damaged aircraft and made it serviceable—sort of. He’d worked for hours to patch that plane together, and he’d joined his squadron at 1 o’clock in the morning.
A little thing like an unserviceable B-17 Flying Fortress bomber wasn’t going to keep Pease down!
The story continues here: http://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-harl-pease-moh
