46 Fascinating Facts About Our 46 Presidents-- Part 8: Johnson to Reagan

36.  LYNDON B. JOHNSON (1963-1969)

His first career was as a teacher.  He worked at a school near the U.S.-Mexican border for four years before  launching a career in politics.

37.  RICHARD M. NIXON  (1969-1974)

He became such a skillful poker player while stationed in the Solomon Islands during World War II that his winnings helped launch his political career upon his return to the United States.

38.  GERALD FORD (1974-1977)

A star football player at the University of Michigan, Ford turned down offers from both the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers.

39.  JIMMY CARTER (1977-1981)

When his father died in 1953, Carter gave up his successful military career to move back to Georgia to run the family's peanut farm.

40.  RONALD REAGAN (1981-1989)

He worked as a life guard and sportscaster before becoming an actor and later a politician.

--CootPres

46 Fascinating Facts About Our 46 Presidents-- Part 7: Hoover to Kennedy

In honor of Presidents Day.

31.  HERBERT HOOVER  (1929-1933)

An Iowa native who spent part of his boyhood in Oregon, Hoover was the first president from west of the  Mississippi River.

32.  FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT  (193-1945)

  The longest serving president claimed to be distantly related to eleven other presidents, including his fifth cousin, Theodore Roosevelt.

33.  HARRY S. TRUMAN (1945-1953)

The "S" in his name was just an initial; it didn't stand for any name.  (The "S" in Ulysses S. Grant's name didn't stand for anything either.)

34.  DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER  (1953-1961)

World War II hero, "Ike" was the first president to ride in a helicopter.

35.  JOHN F. KENNEDY  (1961-1963)

After being injured and honorably discharged in World War II, he was briefly employed as a journalist during the closing weeks of the war.

--DaCootPres

46 Fascinating Facts About Our 46 Presidents-- Part 6: Roosevelt to Coolidge

26.  THEODORE ROOSEVELT  (1901-1909)

The youngest president, taking office at age 42.

27.  WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT  (1909-1913)

Famous for his corpulence, Taft was the first to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Major League ball game

28.  WOODROW WILSON  (19143-1921)

In a 1914  proclamation, he officially established the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.

29.  WARREN G. HARDING  (1921-1923)

Prior to taking office, Harding wrote a series of lurid letters to his mistress, the wife of one of his best friends.

30.  CALVIN COOLIDGE  (1923-1929)

A quiet man, he purportedly  replied, "You lose," to a visitor who bet she could get at least three words out of him.

--CootPres

11 Little-Known Facts About George Washington-- Part 2

6.  When he stepped down as commander of the Army, he didn't want to run his country.

7.   He had no biological children, but his wife, Martha Custis was a wealthy widow who had two children and he became legal guardian of them:  John Parke Custis and Martha Parke Custis.

8.  Washington was really into his animals.  He was America's first mule breeder.  There were many dog breeds at Mt. Vernon.

9.  He was pretty cagey when it came to his religious beliefs.

10.  Washington had a complicated relationship with slavery.

11.  He was a tough man to kill.  He had had many diseases and two horses shot out from him in battle as well as clothing with bullet holes.  Ironically it was a cold that did him in.

And, Again, Thanks for Our Country.  --DaCoot

11 Little-Known Facts About George Washington-- Part 1

From History.

This being what would have been his 290th birthday.

1.  He had only a grade school education.

2.  At age 22 , Washington led a disastrous military skirmish that sparked a world war.

As an officer in the Virginia militia, he led an attack on a French Army group that eventually led to the French and Indian War and the world-wide Seven Years' War.

3.  Washington's first love was  was the wife of one of his best friends.

4.  About those teeth.  No, they weren't wooden.

5.  He  wasn't always a great general, but he was an excellent spymaster.

If you want to know more about these, go to the site.

Happy Birthday and Thank You Mr. Washington.  We Would Not Have This Country Without You.  --Cooter

46 Fascinating Facts About Our 46 Presidents-- Part 5: Arthur to McKinley

Well, since today IS actually Presidents Day.

In Honor of Presidents Day this Monday.

21.  CHESTER A. ARTHUR  (1881-1885)

Arthur was named  in honor of Chester  Abell, the doctor who delivered him.

22 AND 24.  GROVER CLEVELAND  (1885-1889) and (1893-1897)

No president except Cleveland has ever served non-consecutive terms:  He defeated  James g. Blaine in 1884, lost to Benjamin Harrison in 1888(despite winning the popular vote), and then came back to defeat Harrison in 1892.

23.  BENJAMIN HARRISON  (1889-1893)

He was the first president to hire a female White House staffer.

25.  WILLIAM McKINLEY  (1897-1901)

His likeness appears on the $500 bill, which was discontinued in 1969.

--CootPres

46 Fascinating Facts About Our 46 Presidents-- Part 4: Lincoln to Garfield

16. ABRAHAM LINCOLN  (1861-1865)

"Honest Abe," the tallest president at 6'4", may have had Marfan  Syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes people to be  very tall, thin and long-limbed.

17.  ANDREW JOHNSON  (1865-1869)

Though one of the few presidents without a pet, Johnson apparently cared for a family of White House mice, which he called "the little fellows."

18.  ULYSSES S. GRANT  (1869-1877)

Civil War General Grant had been invited by the Lincolns to join them at Ford's Theatre on that fateful evening of April 14, 1865,  but was forced to  decline when he and his wife made plans to visit their children in New Jersey.  (I have heard it was mostly because Grant's wife hated Mrs. Lincoln.)

19.  RUTHERFORD B. HAYES (1877-1881)

Hayes was the first president to have a telephone in the White House.

20.  JAMES A. GARFIELD  (1881)

He was the first-known left-handed president and was elected to the U.S. Senate, but never served as Ohio senator because he then won the Republican nomination for president.

--DaCootPres

46 Fascinating Facts About Our 46 Presidents-- Part 3: Polk to Buchanan

11.  JAMES K. POLK (1845-1849)

During his term, Polk secretly purchased  a number of enslaved children for his Mississippi cotton  plantation.

12.  ZACHARY TAYLOR (1849-1850)

"Old Rough and Ready" never voted in an election prior to being put on the ballot himself.

13.  MILLARD FILLMORE  (1850-1853)

He was the last Whig president; the party imploded after he left office.

14.  FRANKLIN PIERCE  (1853-1857)

The only [president from New Hampshire also attended college in New England -- Bowdoin College  in Brunswick, Maine.

15.  JAMES BUCHANAN (1857-1861)

In 1853, while serving as minister to Great Britain, he helped draft the 1854 Ostend Manifesto, which advocated for an American invasion of Cuba.

--CootPres

46 Fascinating Facts About Our 46 Presidents-- Part 2: Adams to Tyler

6.  JOHN QUINCY ADAMS  (1825-1829)

Years after leaving the White House, he argued a famous Supreme Court case that freed the captive Africans who had rebelled on the  slave ship Amistad.

7.  ANDREW JACKSON (1829-1837)

Jackson once killed a man in a duel.

8.  MARTIN VAN BUREN (1837-1841)

  Van Buren was the first president to be born an American.  All previous presidents were British subjects, having been born previous to 1776.

9.  WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON  (1841)

He lasted just 32 days in office, the shortest stint for any president.

10.  JOHN TYLER (1841-1845)

Fathered fifteen children, the most of any president.

--DaCootPres

46 Fascinating Facts About Our 46 Presidents-- Part 1: Washington to Monroe

I'm going to take a break from the Battle of Princeton (and hopefully get back to it in a more timely amount of time than last time) to go through this list from the History Site about our presidents in honor of Presidents Day coming up this Monday.

1.  GEORGE WASHINGTON (1789-1797)  

The first U.S. president and hero of the American Revolution was an enthusiastic dog breeder, particularly of hunting hounds,  to which he gave names like "Sweet Lips" and "Drunkard."

2.  JOHN ADAMS  (1797-1801)

Adams and his wife Abigail exchanged more than 1,100 letters over the course of their lengthy relationship.

3.  THOMAS JEFFERSON (1801-1809)

Jefferson, the principal author of the declaration of Independence, died on July 4, 1826, within hours of  his "frenemy" John Adams.

4.  JAMES MADISON (1809-1817)

Madison was the shortest president at 5'4" and weighed barely 100 pounds.

5.  JAMES MONROE--  (1817-1825)

Other than Washington, Monroe was the only president to ever run essentially unopposed, coasting to re-election in the 1820 race.

--CootPres

Ten Facts About Battle of Princeton-- Part 4: Washington's Presence Turns the Tide

6.  AT ONE POINT, GEORGE WASHINGTON WAS JUST 30 YARDS FROM THE BRITISH LINE

Moving to reinforce Mercer's broken line, Cadwalader's  brigade, about 1,500 men, moved towards the British.  Despite their numerical superiority, the inexperienced Americans began to fall back under heavy British fire. 

As Cadwalader reformed his men, Washington came riding up astride a magnificent white horse.  As musket balls flew around him, Washington coolly assured his soldiers, "Parade with us brave fellows!    There is but a handful of  the enemy and we shall have them directly!"

Washington then proceeded to lead the militiamen forward and at one point was just 30 yards from the British line, easy musket range.

John Fitzgerald, one of Washington's officers, reportedly pulled his hat over his eyes, expecting to see the general shot from the saddle at any moment.  But, despite his proximity to danger, Washington remained unscathed and his galvanizing presence stabilized the American line at a  critical moment of the battle.

Soon, Washington along with fresh reinforcements was chasing  the remnants of Mawhood's command through the fields and woods.

(See picture at right of the Battle of Princeton.)

--Cooter

Ten Facts About Battle of Princeton-- Part 3: Mawhood;s Spaniels and George Washington Killed?

4.  BRITISH LT.COL. CHARLES MAWHOOD RODE INTO BATTLE WITH SPRINGER SPANIELS AT HIS SIDE.

Mercer's Americans soon saw the British advance from two British regiments, the 17th and 55th Foot.  Mawhood himself could be seen  atop his "brown pony" and with a pair of his favorite spaniels bounding at his side.

To say the least, Mawhood delighted in acting nonchalant at all times, but even so, he was a highly capable officer and really proved his mettle at the Battle of Princeton.

5. MANY BRITISH SOLDIERS THOUGHT THEY HAD KILLED GEORGE WASHINGTON DURING THE BATTLE

During the early stages of the battle, a British bayonet charge broke Hugh Mercer's line.  He tried to rally his troops, but got surrounded by enemy soldiers who shouted "Surrender you damn rebel!"  Mercer, a veteran of European wars and a fierce patriot refused to do so.  

After a brief  struggle, Mercer was bayonetted repeatedly and left for dead.  Given that he  was well-attired (as opposed to the rags of the regular American soldiers, a high-ranking officer and refused to surrender, many British soldiers thought he was George Washington.

--Cooter

Ten Facts About the Battle of Princeton-- Part 2: The Two Forces Almost Didn't Meet

From George Washington's Mt. Vernon site.

Continued from December 22, 2021.  I seem to have forgotten this thread, but will finish it now.

3.  THE OPPOSING FORCES ALMOST MISSED EACH OTHER

Lt. Col. Charles Mawhood, the British commander at Princeton, had been ordered by  Cornwallis to bring reinforcements to Trenton.  He left a small garrison at Princeton and began his march to Trenton down the Post Road just before dawn.

Washington's army was marching northward on a parallel, but lesser-known road that crossed Thomas  Clark's farm .  The road was  largely out of view of the Post Road.

Washington had sent a small force under Hugh Mercer to seize and destroy the Stony Brook bridge on the Post Road.  This detachment was seen by British scouts and Mawhood, now aware of a threat to Princeton wheeled about and approached Mercer's force at the Clark Farm.

Had this chance meeting not occurred, Mawhood would have been well on his way to Trenton and Washington would have found a very small enemy at Princeton which he could have easily overwhelmed.

--Cooter

Andrew Pickens, Patriot Commander-- Part 2: At the Battle of Cowpens and U.S. Representative

In the spring of 1778, Andrew Pickens became the colonel of a regiment of South Carolina militia which he later led to victory at the Battle of Kettle Creek.  In 1780, he became a prisoner when the British captured Charleston and he accepted a parole, agreeing to sit out the war.

Later that year, he returned to the war when Loyalists burned his home.

On January 17, 1781, he commanded a brigade of South Carolina militia at the Battle of Cowpens, a decisive victory for the Patriots.  After the battle, he was promoted to rank of brigadier general.  He was later wounded at the Battle of Eutaw Springs in September.

In 1782, he was elected to  the South Carolina General Assembly in 1782 and went on to serve with them for a decade.

He purchased land on the Seneca River  and constructed Hopewell Plantation, which would become a frequent site of negotiations with Native Americans.

From 1783 to 1795, Pickens represented South Carolina in the United States House of Representatives.  On August 17, 1817, he passed away at the age of 77, several months after his son Andrew Pickens Jr. was sworn in as the Governor of South Carolina.  He is buried near Pendleton, South Carolina.

--Cooter

Andrew Pickens, Patriot Commander at Battle of Kettle Creek-- Part 1

 From American Battlefield Trust.

(September 13, 1739 to August 11, 1817)

The son of Scots-Irish immigrants, Andrew Pickens was born September 13, 1739, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.  When he was a teenager,  his family moved to the Waxhaws region of South Carolina.

From 1760-61, Pickens fought in the Cherokee War, serving as an officer in a provincial regiment.  In 1764, he moved to Abbeville, South Carolina, where, a year later, he married  Rebecca Calhoun, the aunt of future pro-slavery politician John C. Calhoun.

When rebellion against Britain broke out in 1775, Pickens was made a captain of militia.  That autumn he took part in a campaign against Loyalists in the South Carolina backcountry and fought in the Siege of Ninety Six, the first major engagement of the revolution outside of New England.

In  the autumn 1776, Pickens served in an expedition that destroyed dozens of Cherokee towns.

--Cooter

Have You Ever Heard of the American Revolution Battles of Princeton and Kettle Creek

I must admit that I didn't know much of anything about either one of these battles before I started writing about them in this blog.

Both had ramifications, but, again, I knew nothing about them.

I have been writing about the Battle of Kettle Creek this month.  This one was Tories vs. Patriots.

I wrote about the Battle of Princeton back in this blog during the month of December so if you're also unfamiliar with it, that's where you go.  This one involved regular soldiers on both sides.

And, for that matter, I wasn't aware of the Battle of Shepherdstown during the Civil War until recently and I have been writing about it a lot in last month and this month's Saw the Elephant:  Civil War blog.

Learning stuff every day.

--Cooter

Colonel John Boyd, Tory Commander

From American Battlefield Trust.

He commanded the Tories at the Battle of Kettle Creek, Georgia.

Information about John Boys id unfortunately extremely sparse.  It is also possible that his name might have even been James.

In any event, he was probably a landowner in South Carolina.  After the British capture of New York City, Boyd traveled north  and met with Sir Henry Clinton, receiving a commission and orders to form a Loyalist regiment in the South.

In November 1778, Boyd accompanied British Colonel Archibald Campbell's expedition to Savannah, Georgia, which was captured by British forces on December 29, 1778.  After Campbell followed up his victory by moving inland and capturing  Augusta, Georgia, Boyd was dispatched north to raise a force of Loyalists in the Carolinas.

He was attacked at Kettle Creek on his return journey after completing his recruitment expedition.  Boyd was buried in an unmarked grave on the Battle of Kettle Creek site.

It has not been located.

--Brock-Perry

Tories vs. Patriots, the Battle of Kettle Creek-- Part 2: A Complete British Rout

Col. Boyd's small Tory detachment fought bravely, but were outflanked and driven back.  Before he could reach the rest of his troops, Boyd was hot several times and fell mortally wounded.

As Pickens' Patriots attacked the Tory center, his flanking forces under John Dooly and Elijah Clarke emerged from swampy ground on the left and right to join  the assault on the main Tory line.  Command of John Boyd's regiment now passed on to Major  William Augustus Spurgeon, Jr.

Eventually, despite outnumbering the Patriots  roughly two-to-one and commanding higher ground, the Tories began giving ground.  They began a complete rout retreat, abandoning horses and supplies and fleeing across the creek.

By the time the fighting had ceased, Col. Boyd's Tory regiment was no more.

From beginning to end, the engagement had lasted about four hours  Of the 700 Tories engaged, casualties were roughly 200.  On the Patriot side, Pickens' force had lost about 32 men killed and wounded.  In addition, about 33 Patriots being held captive by Boyd's were freed when their captors scattered.

--Cooter

It's Tories vs. Patriots in Georgia: The Battle of Kettle Creek-- Part 1

From American Battlefield Trust.

In February 1779, Colonel John Boyd set out with a newly-raised regiment of Tory troops (Loyalist to the Crown) with a goal of uniting with British General Archibald Campbell force, which had  captured Augusta, Georgia, 

During their march south, however, his force had 100 casualties inflicted upon them by pursuing Patriots.

After crossing the Savannah River, Boyd ordered his men to rest and make camp on the north side of Kettle Creek in Wilkes County, Georgia.  Unbeknownst to Boyd and his men, about 350 Patriots, under the overall command of Colonel Andrew Pickens were close by and preparing to attack.

Splitting his men into three columns, Pickens attacked at 10 am on the morning of February 14,1779, and caught the Tories completely by surprise.  The pickets were driven back into camp.

Although the Tories had the larger numbers, the Patriot attack left them little time to organize to resist.  Boyd ordered his main force to take up defensive positions on a hill at the rear of the camp while he advanced with 100 men to a position behind a makeshift breastwork opposite the center of the Patriot line.

--Cooter

The Battle of Kettle Creek, Georgia

From the American Battlefield Trust February 2022 calendar.

KETTLE CREEK, GEORGIA

180 acres saved

On February 14, 1779, about 350 Patriot militiamen surprised and routed about 700 British Loyalists at the Battle of Kettle Creek in eastern Georgia.

The victory raised the morale of Georgia Patriots and slowed the British from taking full control of the colony, which was largely populated by Loyalists.

The Trust and its partners --  the Watson Brown Foundation; Wilkes County, Georgia; the Georgia Piedmont Land Trust: and the Kettle Creek Battlefield Association - have saved 180 acres of this Revolutionary War battlefield. 

So, here's another battle I am unfamiliar with so looks like further research will be necessary.

--Cooter

February Events in the American Revolution: Port Royal Island, Allies, Circular Letter, Kettle Creek and Moore's Creek

From the American Battlefield Trust.

FEBRUARY 3, 1779

**  Battle of Port Royal Island, South Carolina.

FEBRUARY 6, 1778

**  The United States and France become allies.

FEBRUARY 7, 1778

**  British General Howe replaced by Henry Clinton.

FEBRUARY 11, 1768

**  Massachusetts Assembly issues Massachusetts Circular Letter, denouncing the Townsend Acts.

FEBRUARY 14, 1779

**  The Battle of Kettle Creek, Georgia.

FEBRUARY 27, 1776

**  Battle of Moore's Creek, North Carolina.

--Cooter

USS Confederacy-- Part 4: Captured By the British

Captain Nicholson replaced Seth Harding on 20 October 1780.

The Confederacy was homeward bound on  from Cape Francois in the West Indies in 1781 with military stores and other supplies and escorting a fleet of 37 merchantmen on 14 April when she encountered the HMS Roebuck (44 guns) and HMS Orpheus (32 guns) off the Delaware Capes.

The British ships forced the Confederacy to strike her colors.

Most of the merchantmen she was escorting escaped.  Many of her crew were sent to the old prison hulk ship Jersey, though some ended up in Mill and Forton prisons.

The Royal Navy took her into service as the HMS Confederacy, under the command of Captain James Cumming.  He paid her off in September 1781.  She was broken up at Woolrich in March 1782.

--Cooter

USS Confederacy-- Part 3: Convoy Duty and Almost Lost in a Storm

Can you imagine a ship in the U.S. Navy  with that name today.  Certain people would not be able to handle it.

From 1 May to 24 August 1779, she cruised the  Atlantic coast under the command of Captain Seth Harding.  While convoying a fleet of merchant ships on 6 June, she and the frigate USS Deane captured three ships, drove off two British frigates and brought the convoy safely into Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

On September 1779, the Confederacy was ordered to carry the French minister and his family back to France.  Later, John Jay, the first American minister to Spain, his secretary, and family were added to the passenger list.

During the passage on 7 November 1779, the ship was completely dismasted and almost lost in a storm  except for the seamanship and ability of Captain Harding to reach Martinique early in December.  After repairs, the ship returned to convoy duty.

--Brock-Perry