The following is an installment of “On This Day,” a series celebrating America’s 250th anniversary by following the actions of Gen. George Washington, the Continental Congress, and the men and women whose bravery and sacrifice led up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
May 11, 1776
Gen. George Washington is not immune to the whispers swirling around Loyalist-heavy New York City that German troops, hired by the British as mercenaries to swell their ranks to put down the revolution, are en route to America.
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To counter that anticipated swell, Washington writes to Second Continental Congress President John Hancock. Washington proposes that Congress raise companies of German-speaking American patriots who could be sent among them to encourage desertion. Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, the Secret Committee of the Continental Congress writes Washington with welcome news: It is finally sending 10 tons of gunpowder to New York. The secret committee’s leading member, Robert Morris, is one of the handful of wealthy men who underwrite the patriots’ effort.