The Breed's Hill Institute

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The Breed's Hill Institute THE BREED'S HILL INSTITUTE An educational foundation. Part of the Southwest Living History Association Our FB page provides a daily historic post.

The Breed's Hill institute is (as part of the SWLHA) a non-profit organization that fosters discovery of the revolutionary ideas of the American founding. We believe that through the creative use of entertainment, education and community projects, on both a national and local level, we can encourage appreciation for the bedrock principles of the United States and the American Adventure they inspired. Our goal is that all Americans may develop a lifelong passion for their national legacy.

October 20, 1774The Articles of the Continental Association were agreed to by the First Continental Congress, which call...
10/20/2026

October 20, 1774
The Articles of the Continental Association were agreed to by the First Continental Congress, which calls for a complete ban on all trade between America and Great Britain of all goods, wares or merchandise.
The Articles included 14 resolutions of Non-Importation, Non-Consumption, and Non-Exportation against Britain, Ireland, and other territories in the British Empire.

The creation of the Association was in response to the Coercive Acts—or “Intolerable Acts” as they were known to the colonists—which were established by the British government to restore order in Massachusetts following the Boston Tea Party.

The boycott went into effect on December 1, 1774.

October 20-30, 1781 A combined force of approximately 700 British, Loyalist, and Iroquois launched raids in the New York...
10/20/2026

October 20-30, 1781
A combined force of approximately 700 British, Loyalist, and Iroquois launched raids in the New York Mohawk Valley.
This force, led by British Major John Ross and Loyalist Captain Walter Butler, centered on raids on the settlement of Currytown, Battle of Johnstown and ended with the skirmish West Canada Creek.
American militiamen led by Colonel Marinus Willett discovered the raiding parties and began a pursuit during these 10 days resulting in the death of Loyalist Captain Walter Butler.

Title: Marinus Willett. Artist: Ralph Earl 1751–1801.Date: ca. 1791

October 20th, 1777: The Siege of PhiladelphiaGeneral Washington is preparing to move his army slowly closer to Philadelp...
10/20/2026

October 20th, 1777: The Siege of Philadelphia
General Washington is preparing to move his army slowly closer to Philadelphia.
Dawesfield, which belonged to James Morris, will serve as General Washington's headquarters from October 20 to November 2, 1777.

He is determined to keep the many British supply ships away from the docks in Philadelphia. Howe has ordered more artillery batteries built around Fort Mifflin.
Forts Mifflin and Mercer (Red Bank, NJ) are preventing Howe's troops from removing the obstacles, Cheveaux De frise, in the Delaware River. Washington's reasoning is to starve Howe out of the city by cutting food and much needed supplies to the city.
He is directing more troops to Mifflin as they become available.
It is only a matter of time before Howe's cannons start bombarding Fort Mifflin.

Dawesfield House, ca. 1908

October 19, 1781; Cornwallis army surrendered at Yorktown.The articles of capitulation were signed. Signatories include...
10/19/2026

October 19, 1781; Cornwallis army surrendered at Yorktown.

The articles of capitulation were signed. Signatories included Washington, Rochambeau, the Comte de Barras (on behalf of the French Navy), Cornwallis, and Captain Thomas Symonds (the senior Royal Navy officer present).

At 2:00 PM, the allied army entered the British positions, with the French on the left and the Americans on the right.
Cornwallis refused to attend the surrender ceremony, citing illness. Instead, Brigadier General Charles O’Hara led the British army onto the field. O’Hara first attempted to surrender to Rochambeau, who shook his head and pointed to Washington.
O’Hara then offered his sword to Washington, who also refused and motioned to Major General Benjamin Lincoln.

The surrender finally took place when Washington’s second-in-command accepted the sword of Cornwallis’ deputy.
In the afternoon, the British garrison at Yorktown marches to Surrender Field to lay down their arms.
One hour later, the garrison at Gloucester Point undergoes similar ceremonies.
In all, 8,000 troops, 214 artillery pieces, thousands of muskets, 24 transport ships, wagons and horses were captured.
This action surrenders one third of all British forces in North America, and is a devastating military disaster.

Painting of "Victory at Yorktown" by Don Troiani Historical Artist

General Washington gave orders for the army to march to its next encampment in Whitpain, Pennsylvania, some 5 miles east...
10/19/2026

General Washington gave orders for the army to march to its next encampment in Whitpain, Pennsylvania, some 5 miles east on the Skippack Pike, an advance meant to keep pressure on the British occupying Philadelphia.

“Head Quarters Oct 19th 77
G.A.O. [General After Orders]
The whole Army is to be ready to march tomorrow morning at 4 o’clock, with what Tents, necessary Baggage, and &c are at the present Encampment. If any of the Troops have not already drawn provision for tomorrow, it is now to be Drawn and Cook’d without delay.”
- General Muhlenberg Orderly Book 19 October 1777

George Washington purchased food items such as cabbage, milk and butter from the Peter Wentz family for the headquarters’ kitchen.
The surviving receipt is signed by Mathias Wentz, son of Peter Wentz Jr. The milk was likely for cooking or baking.

UPDATE: The Mason-Dixon Line was formally agreed upon on October 18, 1767, when Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon comple...
10/19/2026

UPDATE: The Mason-Dixon Line was formally agreed upon on October 18, 1767, when Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon completed their survey of the border between Pennsylvania and Maryland.
This date marked the acceptance of their work as the official boundary, resolving a long-standing dispute between the two colonies.
On November 15, 1763, Mason and Dixon landed in Philadelphia with their books, charts, tables, and the best astronomical tools available.
On January 6, 1764 the surveyors placed their first mark at the south wall of the Plumstead and Huddle house on Cedar Street in Philadelphia (now 30 South Street)
According to the diplomatic agreement between Iroquois and British diplomats, the Iroquois would ultimately decide where the survey ended.
At Dunkard Creek (today just west of Route 79 in Greene County) the Iroquois contingent refused to permit Mason and Dixon to continue any farther. On October 9, after close to four years of work, the survey ended, some 233 miles from “the Post mark’d West” and short of what is today Pennsylvania’s western boundary.

The Plumsted house, photographed in 1901, where the Mason-Dixon survey began in Philadelphia.

October 18, 1775To punish them for supporting the Patriots, British ships bombarded and set fire to Falmouth, Maine, des...
10/19/2026

October 18, 1775
To punish them for supporting the Patriots, British ships bombarded and set fire to Falmouth, Maine, destroying the majority of the town.
Captain Henry Mowat, in command of the fleet, said he would withhold fire if the town swore an oath of allegiance to King George and also surrender all their small arms, powder and gun carriages.
No oaths were sworn. A small number of muskets were surrendered, but no gun carriages.

October 18, 1781; YORKTOWN In the afternoon, negotiations began at the Augustine Moore House between Lt. Colonel Thomas ...
10/19/2026

October 18, 1781; YORKTOWN
In the afternoon, negotiations began at the Augustine Moore House between Lt. Colonel Thomas Dundas and Major Alexander Ross (who represented the British) and Lt. Col. John Laurens (who represented the Americans) and the Second Colonel Viscount de Noailles (Marquis de Lafayette's brother-in-law) who represented the French.
To make sure that nothing fell apart between the French and Americans at the last minute, Washington ordered that the French be given an equal share in every step of the surrender process.

The negotiations ended before midnight, and Laurens carried a rough draft of the articles to General Washington.
Washington, however, was not completely happy with the results and made a few minor changes. Once the articles were revised and redrafted, a copy was sent to Cornwallis in Yorktown for his signature.

October 17th,1781: YORKTOWNCornwallis is running out of heavy am******on and lacks transportation for his equipment. Man...
10/18/2026

October 17th,1781: YORKTOWN
Cornwallis is running out of heavy am******on and lacks transportation for his equipment. Many of his guns are disabled, his troops are reduced to eating "rancid meat and wormy biscuits" and dysentery and smallpox have broken out in his army. Clinton is weeks away. Cornwallis decides that the only human thing to do is to seek terms of surrender.
In the morning, a drummer appeared followed by an officer waving a white handkerchief. The bombardment ceased, and the officer was blindfolded and led behind the French and American lines.

Siège de Yorktown, 1836 painting by Auguste Couder.
Rochambeau (center, gesturing), Washington (center R), Marquis de La Fayette (behind Washington, R), Marquis de Saint Simon (behind Washington, L), Duke of Lauzun (L, mounted) and Comte de Ménonville (R of Washington).

YORKTOWN October 15, 1781: The Beginning of the End; Part 5. British General Lord Cornwallis turned all of his guns ont...
10/15/2026

YORKTOWN October 15, 1781: The Beginning of the End; Part 5.
British General Lord Cornwallis turned all of his guns onto the nearest allied (second allied parallel) position. He then ordered a storming party of 350 British troops, under the command of Colonel Robert Abercromby, to attack the allied lines and spike the American and French cannon.
The allies were sleeping and unprepared. As the British charged, Abercromby shouted “Push on my brave boys, and skin the bastards!”
The British party spiked several cannon in the parallel and then spiked the guns on an unfinished redoubt. A French party came and drove them out of the allied lines and back to Yorktown.

The British had been able to spike six guns, but by the morning, they were all repaired. The bombardment resumed with the American and French troops engaged in competition to see who could do the most damage to the enemy defenses.

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