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Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing), Florida, (search)
nd a portion of the South Carolinians to Sunbury. The fever made sad havoc among them, and fourteen or fifteen men were buried daily. Then Lee sought to shift from himself to Moultrie the further conduct of the expedition, for he saw it must be disastrous. Moultrie warned him that no available resources which would render success possible had been provided, and the wretched expedition was then abandoned. Fortunately for his reputation Lee was ordered North early in September and joined Washington on Harlem Heights. See Lee, Charles. Tory refugees from Georgia acquired considerable influence over the Creek Indians, and from east Florida, especially from St. Augustine, made predatory excursions among their former neighbors. Gen. Robert Howe, commanding the Southern Department, in 1778, was ordered from Charleston to Savannah to protect the Georgians and attack St. Augustine. A considerable body of troops led by Howe, and accompanied by General Houstoun, of Georgia, penetrated a
Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing), Ford, Paul Leicester (search)
Ford, Paul Leicester Author; born in Brooklyn, N. Y., in 1865; has published the The true George Washington; The many-sided Franklin; the political novels, The honorable Peter Sterling, and Janice Meredith; and has edited the writings of Christopher Columbus, .Thomas Jefferson, and John Dickinson; Bibliography of works written by and relating to Alexander Hamilton, and Essays on the Constitution of the United States.
Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing), Foreign affairs. (search)
n, Alsop, Deane, Dickinson, Langdon, McKean, and Ward a secret committee to contract for the importation from Europe of ammunition, small-arms, and cannon, and for such a purpose Silas Deane was soon sent to France. By a resolution of the Congress, April 17, 1777, the name of this committee was changed to committee of foreign affairs, whose functions were like those of the present Secretary of State (see cabinet, President's). Foreign intercourse was first established by law in 1790. President Washington, in his message, Jan. 8, 1790, suggested to Congress the propriety of providing for the employment and compensation of persons for carrying on intercourse with foreign nations. The House appointed a committee, Jan. 15, to prepare a bill to that effect, which was presented on the 21st. It passed the House on March 30. The two Houses could not agree upon the provisions of the entire the bill, and a committee of conference was appointed; and finally the original bill, greatly modified
Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing), France, early relations with. (search)
arte concluded an amicable settlement of all difficulties between the two nations. Peace was established; the envoys Medal awarded by Congress in commemoration of the capture of La vengeance by the constellation. returned home; and the provisional army of the United States which had been organized was disbanded. Circumstances humbled the pride of the French Directory, and the wily Talleyrand began to think of reconciliation with the United States. He saw the unity of the people with Washington as leader, and paused; and, through letters to Pinchon (August and September, 1798), information was conveyed to the United States government that the Directory were ready to receive advances from the former for entering into negotiations. Anxious for peace, President Adams, without consulting his cabinet or the national dignity, nominated to the Senate William Vans Murray (then United States diplomatic agent at The Hague) as minister plenipotentiary to France. This was a concession to
Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing), Franking privilege, the (search)
Franking privilege, the Was a privilege of sending and receiving letters post free given to members of the British Parliament and of the Congress of the United States, and to certain public functionaries. This privilege was abused, and it was abolished in Great Britain in 1840. Congress bestowed upon Washington, on his retirement from the office of President of the republic, the privilege of free postage for the remainder of his life. This privilege has been extended to all subsequent Presidents, and also to their widows. The franking privilege was abolished in the United States in 1873, and each of the executive departments was supplied with a special set of postage-stamps for its official communications. This plan also was abolished, and now official communications are sent by the departments in unstamped penalty envelopes, and Senators and Representatives are permitted to have mail packages forwarded simply bearing their name or frank. Letters of soldiers and sailors in
Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing), Freemasonry, (search)
n of which there is no certain information as to the time of its introduction into the United States. According to many masonic writers a provincial grand lodge (St. John's) and also a private lodge were established at Boston, Mass., by Henry Price on July 30, 1733. Benjamin Franklin, who is supposed to have been initiated in England, published the masonic constitution in 1734; and during the same year Henry Price was constituted grand master over all North America. On Nov. 4, 1752, George Washington became a member of the order and on Aug. 4, 1753, was made a master mason. The first masonic hall in the United States was built in Philadelphia in 1754. The returns of the grand lodges of the United States and British America for 1899-1900 were as follows: Whole number of members, 857,577; raised, 46,175; admissions and restorations, 21,325; withdrawals, 16,603; expulsions and suspensions. 597; suspensions for non-payment of dues, 16,844; deaths, 13,507. Gain in membership over pr
Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing), Frelinghuysen, Frederick 1753- (search)
Frelinghuysen, Frederick 1753- Lawyer; born in Somerset county, N. J., April 13, 1753; graduated at the College of New Jersey in 1770, and became an eminent lawyer. He was a member of the Continental Congress much of the time during the Revolutionary War, and served Theodore Frelinghuysen. as a captain in the army. Afterwards he filled various State and county offices, and in 1790 was appointed by Washington to lead an expedition against the western Indians, with the rank of major-general. In 1793 he was chosen United States-Senator, and served three years. He died April 13, 1804.
Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing), Fremont, John Charles 1813-1890 (search)
ired about 30 miles, to a mountain position, where he called around him the American settlers in that region. With these he captured a Mexican post at Sonoma Pass (June 15, 1846), with nine cannon and 250 muskets. De Castro was routed, and on July 5 the Americans in California declared themselves independent, and elected Fremont governor of the province. He then proceeded to join the American naval forces at Monterey, under Commodore Stockton, who had lately arrived, with authority from Washington to conquer California, Fremont appeared there with 160 mounted riflemen. On Aug. 17, 1846, Stockton and Fremont took possession of the city of Los Angeles; and at that place General Kearny, who had just taken possession of New Mexico, joined Stockton and Fremont, Dec. 27, 1846. Kearny would not sanction the election of Fremont as governor of California, and on Feb. 8, 1847, assuming that office himself, he declared the annexation of California to the United States. Fremont refused to o
Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing), French assistance. (search)
the French government. In order to prevent any difficulties in relation to command beteen the French and American officers, the French government commissioned Washington a lieutenant-general of the empire. This allowed him to take precedence of Rochambeau and made him commander of the allied armies. On all points of precedence and etiquette the French officers were instructed to give place to the American officers. At the solicitation of Washington, the French fleet at Newport sailed for the Virginia waters to assist in capturing Arnold, then marauding in Virginia. The fleet was to co-operate with Lafayette, whom Washington had sent to Virginia forWashington had sent to Virginia for the same purpose. The British blockading squadron, which had made its winter-quarters in Gardiner's Bay, at the eastern end of Long Island, pursued the French vessels, and off the Capes of Virginia a sharp naval engagement occurred, in which the latter were beaten and returned to Newport. This failure on the part of the Frenc
Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing), Fry, Joshua 1754-1754 (search)
Fry, Joshua 1754-1754 Military officer; born in Somersetshire, England; educated at Oxford, and was professor of mathematics in the College of William and Mary, in Virginia. He served in public civil life in Virginia, and in 1754 was intrusted with the command of an expedition against the French on the head-waters of the Ohio. He died at a place at the mouth of Will's Creek (now Cumberland), Md., while conducting the expedition, May 31, 1754. He had been colonel of the militia (1750) and a member of the governor's council. When Frye died, the command of the expedition to the Ohio was assumed by George Washington, who had been second in command.