Historic Summerseat Newsletter March 2019
Upcoming event – Annual Dinner – Friday, March 29
Dinner begins at 6:00 PM – Tickets are $20 p/p
For reservation call Sharon: Home: 215-295-2900; Cell: 267-847-3089
A delicious catered dinner of Chicken Francaise, Italian Green Beans, Vegetable Lasagna, Roasted Potatoes, Salad, Rolls, desert, and coffee.
Dinner will be followed by a short business meeting of 15 minutes. Then …
We are excited to present a talk by renowned Local Historian –
LARRY KIDDER. Kidder will speak on …
George Washington’s Ten Crucial Days
Between December 25, 1776 and January 3, 1777, George Washington was faced with a number of critical decisions and the actions he formulated would play a major role in either bringing the American Revolution to a crushing defeat or reviving the hopes for its eventual success. This talk examines those decisions to understand how the battles of Trenton and Princeton prevented an early end to the war for independence and reversed the feelings of despair during the “times that tried men’s souls” on the American side and the feelings of confidence on the British side. Historian Larry Kidder is a retired high school history teacher and a thirty year volunteer historical interpreter for the Howell Living History Farm in Hopewell. He has written three books on the American Revolution in the Trenton/Princeton area including, A People Harassed and Exhausted about the First Hunterdon County militia regiment, Crossroads of the Revolution: Trenton, 1774-1783, and most recently, Ten Crucial Days: Washington’s Vision for Victory Unfolds.
Summerseat is Open for Tours every First Saturday of the month 10 am to 1 pm at a cost of $ 7.00 p/p. For Private Tours call Sharon: 215-295-2900 or 267-847-3089.
Did you know that Gen. George Washington’s cousin, William Washington, fought in the battle of Trenton commanding the 3rd Virginia Regiment, his second in command was future president James Monroe who was seriously wounded, while Wm was less seriously injured on his hands. Wm. Washington led a successful assault driving into the Hession pickets on King Street seizing two cannons and their crews.
Two of William Washington’s notable successes were the capture of Rugeley’s Mill, South Carolina on December 4, 1780, and the defeat of a Tory partisan unit at Hammond’s Old Store in the Little River District on December 27, 1780. At Rugeley’s Mill, Washington with 60 troops bluffed 112 Loyalists into surrendering a strongly fortified homestead without firing a shot by use of a “Quaker Gun”, mounting a felled tree trunk on wagon axles to resemble a cannon.
On September 8, 1781, at The Battle of Eutaw Springs North Carolina, William Washington’s final action, he charged a portion of the British line positioned in a thicket along Eutaw Creek. The thicket proved impenetrable and British fire repulsed the mounted charges. During the last charge, William’s horse was shot out from under him, and he was pinned beneath his horse. He was bayoneted and taken prisoner, and held under house arrest in the Charleston area for the remainder of the war.
The British commander in the South, Lord Cornwallis, would later comment that “there could be no more formidable antagonist in a charge, at the head of his cavalry, than Colonel William Washington.” (en.m.wikipedia.org)
Membership for a Graduate who enjoys History would be a Great Graduation Gift
Don’t forget – Historic Morrisville Society Memberships are Now Payable for 2019
Please make check payable to: Historic Morrisville Society
Mail with this information to:
Attn: Diane Hughes
Summerseat, 130 Legion Ave., Morrisville, PA 19067
Name: _____________________________________
Address: ___________________________________
City: ______________________________________
Telephone: _________________________________
Email: ____________________________________
Memberships
____ Full Time Student .. $10. ____ Colonial …………………….….. $ 50.
____ Senior Citizen …… $ 10. ____ Soldier ………..………………….$ 100.
____ Individual ………… $ 15. ____ Patriot ……….………………… $ 300.
____ Family ……………. $ 25. ____ Lafayette Liberator …………….. $ 500.
____ Washington High Command….. $ 1,000.