broadsides reporting news of the war,...

MAKING THE REVOLUTION: AMERICA, 1763-1791 PRIMARY SOURCE COLLECTION

__BROADSIDE NEWS__ of the American Revolution

*

Wartime news based on “fresh intelligence” was spread through one-page broadsides printed quickly and posted throughout a town.

1776. News: British evacuation of Boston, March 17. Content: Letter dated March 21 from Boston resident to a resident

of (probably) New York City.

As reported from: Boston, Massachusetts. As reported (printed) in: New York City, New York (?).

1777. News: Repulsion of British at Saratoga, Oct. 6. Content: Letter dated Oct. 9 from Gen. John Glover, near

Stillwater, New York, to Gen. William Heath, Boston.

As reported from: Boston, October 13. As reported (printed) in: Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

1777. News: Repulsion of British attacks on New

Jersey forts near Philadelphia, Oct. 23. Content: Three letters dated Oct. 23 from officers in Red Bank,

New Jersey, to Gen. Washington. As reported from: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by order of the

Continental Congress (printed in Lancaster, Penn.)

1779. News: Battle of Stono Ferry, S.C., June 20. Content: News from a man “this moment arrived” in Providence

(perhaps June 21), as heard in Philadelphia from a man newly arrived from South Carolina; confirmed by Boston men who heard news from another S.C. man.

As reported from: Providence, Rhode Island, June 21 (?), 4pm. As reported (printed) in: Worcester, Massachusetts, June 21.

1780. News: American repulsion of British attack during siege of Charleston, S.C., April 25.

Content: Letter (excerpt) dated May 10 from Edenton, N.C., postmaster reporting news “from very good Authority.”

As reported from: Edenton, North Carolina, May 10. As reported (printed) in: Baltimore, Maryland, May 20.

1781. News: British retreat after defeat in Battle of Guilford Courthouse, N.C., March 15.

Content: Letter (excerpt), dated March 23, from Major Gen. Nathanael Greene, Buffalo Creek, N.C.

As reported from: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 7. As reported (printed) in: Boston, Massachusetts.

1783. News: Preliminary peace treaty signed in Paris, January 21.

Content: Report from French warship that arrived in Philadelphia Feb. 23 from Cadiz, Spain, after “a passage of 32 days.”

As reported from: –New York City, March 26, via “an express from New Jersey” –Philadelphia, March 24, via a news broadside brought to New York by Lewis Morris –Worcester, Mass., April 1, 5pm, via a man delivering New York broadside of letter from president of the Continental Congress (n.d.)

As reported (printed) in: Worcester, Massachusetts.

* Copyright © National Humanities Center, 2010/2013. AMERICA IN CLASS

®: americainclass.org/. Images identified through Early American Imprints,

American Antiquarian Society with Readex/NewsBank, No. 14763, 43383, 43402, 19418, 16702, 17391, 44389; black-and-white digital images from EAI; color images from the individual repositories. Broadsides have been cropped to printed portion (except for the 1780 Baltimore announcement).

http://americainclass.org/sources/makingrevolution/

National Humanities Center Broadside News from the American Revolution, 1776-1783 2

Light text, above: On Friday the [town] crier was sent about to order all the inhabitants not to stir out of their houses till evening, while they

It is reported that Manly has taken a ship laden with Scotch Tories [Loyalists], and their property.

Cou

rtesy o

f the

Lib

rary

of C

on

gre

ss. B

ritish e

vacuatio

n o

f Bosto

n, M

arc

h 1

7, 1

776. B

roadsid

e p

rinte

d in

New

York

City

.

Cam

brid

ge: to

wn n

ear B

osto

n. In

sta

nt: o

f this

mo

nth

. Min

iste

rialis

ts: B

ritish. P

rovin

cia

ls: A

me

rica

n L

oyalis

ts. F

ab

ian d

ela

y: w

ea

ring

do

wn

the o

ppo

ne

nt. H

alifa

x, N

ova S

cotia

.


Cou

rtesy o

f the

Lib

rary

of C

on

gre

ss. R

epuls

ion

of B

ritish a

t Sara

toga

, Ne

w Y

ork

, Octo

be

r 6, 1

77

7. B

roa

dsid

e p

rinte

d in

Ports

mou

th, N

ew

Ham

pshire

.

29

th ult.: 2

9th o

f last m

onth

, i.e., S

ept. 2

9. S

tron

g W

ork

s: fo

rtified e

arth

wo

rks.


Reproduced by permission of the John Carter Brown Library, Brown University.

Repuls

ion

of B

ritish a

ttacks o

n N

ew

Je

rse

y n

ea

r Phila

delp

hia

, Octo

be

r 23, 1

77

7. B

roa

dsid

e p

rinte

d in

Lan

caste

r, Pe

nnsylv

ania

, by o

rde

r of th

e C

ontin

enta

l Co

ng

ress.

Offic

ers

’ lette

rs fro

m R

ed B

ank, N

ew

Jers

ey, to

Genera

l Washin

gto

n. F

our b

atta

lions o

f Germ

ans: H

essia

n tro

ops h

ired to

fight fo

r Brita

in.


Re

pro

du

ced

by p

erm

issio

n o

f the

Am

eric

an

An

tiqu

aria

n S

ocie

ty. B

attle

of S

tono F

erry

, South

Caro

lina, J

une 2

0, 1

779. B

roadsid

e p

rinte

d in

Worc

este

r, Massachusetts

.

Pro

vid

ence, R

hode Is

land. V

iz.: nam

ely

. Georg

e B

ryan

: lieute

nant g

overn

or o

f Pennsylv

ania

.

The battle ended with no clear victory for either side, although the British succeeded in resisting the American attack, which had to

be called off due to low ammunition. Of about 1200 American troops, about 30 were killed, 115 wounded, and 155 were reported

missing. Of 900 British troops, about 30 were killed, 100 wounded, and an unknown number missing. (Statistics vary.)


Rep

rod

uced

by p

erm

issio

n o

f the

Ma

ryla

nd

His

toric

al S

ocie

ty. A

me

rican

repuls

ion

of B

ritish a

ttack d

urin

g s

iege

of C

ha

rlesto

n, S

.C., A

pril 2

5, 1

78

0. B

roadsid

e p

rinte

d in

Baltim

ore

, Mary

land

.

Insta

nt: o

f this

mo

nth

. On

Ma

y 8

, sh

ortly

afte

r the fa

iled B

ritish a

ssault o

n F

ort M

oultrie

in C

harle

sto

n h

arb

or, th

e B

ritish c

aptu

red th

e fo

rt. On M

ay 1

2, C

harle

sto

n fe

ll to th

e B

ritish.


Cou

rtesy o

f the

Ne

w Y

ork

Pu

blic

Lib

rary

. Britis

h re

treat a

fter d

efe

at in

the B

attle

of G

uilfo

rd C

ou

rthouse, N

.C., M

arc

h 1

5, 1

781

. Bro

adsid

e p

rinte

d in

Bosto

n, M

assa

chusetts

.

Buffa

lo C

reek, N

.C. In

sta

nt: o

f this

month

. Gaule

d: ru

bb

ed s

ore

, dam

ag

ed

. Sto

res: p

rovis

ions. P

ublis

hed b

y o

rder o

f the

Co

ntin

enta

l Co

ng

ress.


Rep

rod

uced

by p

erm

issio

n o

f the

Am

eric

an

An

tiqu

aria

n S

ocie

ty. P

relim

ina

ry p

ea

ce tre

aty

sig

ne

d in

Paris

, Janu

ary

21, 1

78

3. B

roa

dsid

e p

rinte

d in

Worc

este

r, Massachusetts

.

Expre

ss: m

ail d

eliv

ery

, usually

by s

tag

eco

ach. C

adiz

, Spain

. Le

wis

Morris

: dele

gate

to th

e C

ontin

enta

l Co

ngre

ss fro

m N

ew

York

. Prin

ted p

aper: b

roadsid

e. In

sta

nt: o

f this

mo

nth

.

Coun

t d’E

sta

ing a

nd

Marq

uis

de la

Fayette

: Fre

nch o

fficers

leadin

g A

meric

an

troo

ps. S

tage

: sta

geco

ach. L

au

s D

eo: P

rais

e b

e to

Go

d [L

atin

].

broadsides reporting news of the war,...

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