1541. French ambassador to the Grande Turk and the French emmisary to the Most Serene Republic are assassinated by agents of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V.
Busy day for George Washington.
1754. Fort Necessity surrenders to the French. The experience of combat was exhilarating to the young officer. A few days later he wrote to his brother John, “I have heard the bullet whistle, and believe me, there is something charming in the sound.” Nevertheless, confronted by superior numbers, he was forced to fall back to the improvised Fort Necessity, where, on June 4th, Washington surrendered his command.
Meanwhile, his line about the “charm” of the bullet’s whistle had been widely circulated, turning Washington into something of a celebrity. The phrase even crossed the Atlantic, eventually reaching the ears of King George II. No stranger to the battlefield, for he had soldiered for much of his life and was the last King of England to command an army in combat, having won the Battle of Dettingen on June 27, 1743, the King commented on Washington’s phrase with a short, but pithy, “He would not say so, had he Been used to hear many"
1775. General Washington arrives to take command of the siege of Boston.
1798 Coming out of retirement, he assumes the rank of Lieutenant General for the Quasi War with France, the old enemy. His main work was to prepare for a land war. The army was authorized for 52,000, which for the population was a huge effort.
Almost as soon as the crisis was past, Congress reduced the armed forces, slashing the army to about 4,400 men, laying up much of the fleet, and cutting the Marine Corps by about 40-percent. The following year, in 1802, the Jefferson Administration effected even greater cuts, slashing the army a further 20-percent and laying up most of what was left of the navy, thus insuring that in a period of significant international tension, the United States was wholly unprepared.
1915 Erich Muentar sets off a bomb in the Senate reception room.
« Last Edit: July 03, 2023, 05:22:54 PM by besilarius »
"These things must be done delicately-- or you hurt the spell." - The Wicked Witch of the West.
"We've got the torpedo damage temporarily shored up, the fires out and soon will have the ship back on an even keel. But I would suggest, sir, that if you have to take any more torpedoes, you take 'em on the starboard side." Pops Healy, DCA USS Lexington.