1775
A year before the Declaration of Independence, the people of Pittsylvania County, Virginia, met on this day to formalize their resistance to British rule. Freeholders convened at the courthouse to appoint a committee to enforce the Continental Association’s boycott of British goods. The adopted “Pittsylvania Resolves” signaled the county's shift toward self-governance and its readiness to support the revolutionary cause.
1776
During this week in 1776, New Jersey militia units were active in disarming local Loyalists to prevent them from aiding British naval forces expected to arrive in New York Harbor.
1781
Following a revolt by roughly 300 soldiers of the New Jersey Line at Pompton (modern-day Bloomingdale) on January 20, General George Washington took decisive action on this day to prevent the total dissolution of the Continental Army. On January 26, Washington arrived at Ringwood Manor by sleigh to personally oversee the suppression of the mutiny. Major General Robert Howe, leading a detachment of 500 loyal New England troops from West Point, met with Washington. At midnight on January 26, Howe began a silent march through the snow toward the mutineers' camp at Pompton. Unlike the earlier Pennsylvania Line mutiny, which ended in negotiation, Washington ordered “unconditional submission” and the immediate execution of ringleaders to restore discipline.