This Day in U.S. Military History

7 August SHEMIN, WILLIAM Rank and Organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company: Company G, 47th Infantry Division: 4th Division, American Expeditionary Force, Born: 14 October 1896, Bayonne, New Jersey, Departed: Yes (08/15/1973), Entered Service At: Syracuse,…

31 December 1775 – George Washington ordered recruiting officers to accept free blacks into the army. 1775 – During the American Revolution, Patriot forces under generals Benedict Arnold and Richard Montgomery are defeated by the…

30 December 1702 – During Queen Anne’s War, James Moore, Governor of the Province of Carolina, abandons the Siege of St. Augustine. 1776 – After American success at Trenton on Christmas, General George Washington returned…

28 December 1793 – Thomas Paine is arrested in France for treason. Though the charges against him were never detailed, he had been tried in absentia on December 26 and convicted. Before moving to France,…

27 December 1777 – Floating mines intended for use against British Fleet found in Delaware River. 1814 – Destruction of schooner Carolina, the last of Commodore Daniel Patterson’s make-shift fleet that fought a series of…

26 December 1776 – The British suffered a major defeat in the Battle of Trenton during the Revolutionary War. After crossing the Delaware River into New Jersey, George Washington led an attack on Hessian mercenaries…

21 December 1620 – The Mayflower reached Plymouth, Mass. after a 63-day voyage. Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower went ashore for the first time at present-day Plymouth, Mass. The crew of the ship did not have…

20 December 1606 – Virginia Company settlers left London to establish Jamestown. 1669 – The 1st American jury trial was held in Delaware. Marcus Jacobson was condemned for insurrection and sentenced to flogging, branding &…