4th of July Giveaway

AAHHHH FourtyTwo ou beat me too it. Dang how about...Brigadier-General Daniel Morgan. He led our troops in the Battle of Cowpens. He led the succesfull attack against Colonel Banastre Tarleton and won the battle. He destroyed a large chunk of Cornwallis' army in the process,
 
I'm going with Henry Knox. He was Washington's Chief of Artillery, was a member of the Sons of Liberty, fought in battles from the beginning to the end (Bunker Hill to Yorktown), founded the Springfield Armory during the War, and was the first Secretary of War.
 
captainmcr said:
If it's not too late, if not I will guess Andrew Pickens. Pickens was a militia leader in the revolutionary war and a member of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina.
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Definitely not too late. Entries will be considered until Midnight (1200 a.m.) MST 04 July 2009. The fireworks should be over by then. :D Winner will be announced the morning of 05 July.

Let freedom ring!

 
Timothy Murphy (1751 - 1818) was a sniper in the American Revolutionary War. At the Battle of Bemis Heights (Second Battle of Saratoga) on October 7, 1777, Murphy is reputed to have shot and killed Sir Francis Clerke and General Simon Fraser. Not bad for a guy with a flint lock at 300 yards.
 
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Maj. Benjamin Tallmadge, led a spectacular 80 man whale boat raid on Long Island in 1780, captured and destroyed the British Fort St. George in Mastic, used the forts guns to sink a British ship and on the march back to their boats, captured and burned 300 tons of hay the British had stock piled at Coram.
 
Someone already took my personal hero (Daniel Boone) so I'll go with Christopher Snider whom many believe to be the first actual casualty of the Revolutionary War. Here's what WikiAnswers has to say about him:
From WikiAnswers:

11 days before the Bostom Massacre, 12 Year old Christopher Snider. Below are the facts and the headstone engraving.
Also buried at the Old Granary Burial Ground is Christopher Snider, a 12-year-old boy who may be considered the first martyr of the American Revolution.
Christopher was shot to death by Ebenezer Richardson, a Loyalist informer, eleven days before the Boston Massacre, which claimed the lives of Samuel Gray, Samuel Maverick, James Caldwell, Crispus Attucks, and Patrick Carr, all of whom were laid to rest in the Granary Burial Ground.
While only five people were actually killed during the Boston Massacre, it marked the beginning of the end of British rule over the American colonies.
Christopher Snider was buried with the victims of the Boston Massacre, and they share a headstone.
A velvet pall was placed on Snider's coffin, which read:
The serpent is lurking in the grass.
The fatal dart is thorwn.
Innocence is nowhere safe.
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Hear ye! Hear ye! Hear ye!

First of all, my profound thanks to all who participated in this contest in the spirit of American Independence day. Outstanding entries. I had a great time and learned a bit along the way. Thank you all!

I chose a signer of the Declaration of Independence for the correct answer. Aside from the obvious patriotism involved, signing the Declaration of Independence was a courageous act by my estimation. The British considered it an act of treason punishable by death (Although I don’t think any of the signers were actually executed).

Many of the signers suffered great personal set-backs and losses and knew in advance that their actions wold likely result in hardship and sacrifice. In addition to affirming the independence of the Colonies, the signatories to the Declaration of Independence set forth principles of freedom for all mankind--principles that are still not universally recognized. I salute the 56 who stood tall and made their mark on July 4, 1776.

The correct answer is: George Walton, signer of the Declaration of Independence.

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Born in Farmville, Virginia, George Walton was adopted by an uncle after his parents died young. He was apprenticed as a carpenter, but studied those books available to him independently and became largely self-educated. He moved to Georgia, studied law, and became a lawyer. He was a participant at patriot’s meetings at Tondee’s Tavern--a hub of revolutionary intrigue in Savanah in the 1770's.

Walton attended the Congress in Philadelphia in 1776, voted for independence on the 2nd of July, and ratified the Declaration of Independence on the 4th. Afterward, Walton stayed in Philadelphia and worked to procure supplies for the Continental Army. In 1778 he was appointed Colonel of the 1st Regiment of the Georgia Militia and was wounded at Savanah--shot in the leg.

He was held prisoner in Flordia until he was exchanged for a captured British officer. He subsequently served as Governor of Georgia and an appointee to the Congress. His politcal career was a bit dicey thereafter, but I owe him and the other 55 for their services in 1776 and during the war of Independence.

Since the 'correct answer' was not made, it fell to random chance as to who would win. This actually seemed better to me since we had so many outstanding entries. I counted 53 valid entries (George Washington was a valid entry, but not the correct answer), and used the random number generator at random.org to select the winning entry:


DPKnives said:
my guess is Robert Morris, Jr. (pronounced /ˈmɒrɨs/) (January 31, 1734 – May 8, 1806) was an American merchant, and a signer to the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution. He was elected to the Pennsylvania Assembly and became the Chairman of the Pennsylvania Committee of Safety, and a member of the Second Continental Congress where he served as the Chairman of the Secret Committee, and as a member of the Committee of Correspondence. Later Morris was known as the "Financier of the Revolution", because of his role in financing the American side in the Revolutionary War. From 1781 to 1784, he served as Superintendent of Finance, managing the economy of the fledgling United States. At the same time he was Agent of Marine, a position he took without pay, and from which he controlled the Continental Navy. He was one of Pennsylvania's original pair of U.S. senators, serving from 1789 to 1795.

Is is from a town just across the river from where I live now. Thanks for the chance rotte. Doug
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Congratulations Doug! (PM me your shipping address and I'll get the prize in the mail.) And thank you again to everyone for helping me celebrate the nation's birthday.
 
stricknine said:
Henry Lee III if for no other reason than fathering Robert E. Lee, Henry Lee was known as "light horse Harry"

Excellent thought for a giveaway, Thanks for the opportunity, Have a nice Indepedence Day, and wonder how long we will remain that, Independent?
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Light horse Harry was guessed as Robert Harry Lee but light horse Harry was Robert E. Lee's grandfather, not his father.

David
 
Congrats Doug, and thanks Rotte, :)

…but we’re all winners here for being part of the W&SS forum. :thumbup: :cool: :thumbup:





Big Mike

”Scaring the tree huggers.”

Forest & Stream
 
Congrats to the winner, and thanks to Rotte for putting together a terrific contest idea! I learned a lot from this thread.
 
Rotte thanks for the giveaway, I cant believe I won. Thanks all for the congrats as well. Doug
 
Congrats and thanks! I think we were all winners for this one--we got to learn a little something about our history, and that's priceless. :)
 
Congrats Doug!

Rotte, thank you for posting this giveaway! I learned alot about the many great men that founded this country! We didn't need you send a knife to us to win... Thanks!
 
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