1778
The Continental sloop Ranger, commanded by John Paul Jones, entered Quiberon Bay, France, flying the new American flag. The French fleet fired a salute to the ship, marking the first official recognition of the American flag by a foreign government's naval force.
1779
In Wilkes County, Georgia, a Patriot militia force of approximately 340–420 men decisively defeated a larger force of 600–700 Loyalists. Led by Colonel Andrew Pickens, Colonel John Dooly, and Lieutenant Colonel Elijah Clarke, the Patriots launched a surprise attack on the Loyalist camp while they were resting and slaughtering cattle. The Loyalist commander, Colonel James Boyd, was mortally wounded, leading his forces to scatter in a disorderly retreat. This was the first major Patriot victory in the Georgia backcountry and a severe blow to British efforts to recruit Loyalists in the region.
February 14 saw heightened activity along the “front lines” of the Arthur Kill. British forces stationed on Staten Island frequently crossed the water to raid Elizabeth-Town (modern-day Elizabeth) and Newark. On or around this date, British patrols captured several high-ranking Jersey militia officers in nighttime raids. These “kidnappings” were a common British tactic intended to demoralize the local resistance and gather intelligence on Washington's positions further inland.
1780
The winter of 1779–1780 was the coldest on record—significantly worse than Valley Forge. On February 14, 1780, the army was hunkered down in Jockey Hollow (near Morristown). The snow was reportedly several feet deep, and the Hudson River was frozen solid. The Log: Records from this day describe the “extreme suffering” of the troops. Washington spent much of February 14 writing to the governors of nearby states, including New Jersey's Governor William Livingston, pleading for emergency supplies of grain and cattle. It was during this specific mid-February crisis that New Jersey civilians stepped up, despite their own poverty, to provide the “emergency flour” that likely saved the Continental Army from total dissolution that month.
In mid-February of 1780, Reverend James Caldwell (the “Fighting Parson” of Elizabeth) was active in coordinating local resistance. He was a marked man by the British because he used his sermons to recruit Jersey men for the militia. On dates like Feb 14, he was often on the move, avoiding British capture parties while acting as an intelligence officer for Washington.
1783
On this day in 1783, England officially declared an end to all hostilities with America, signaling the practical conclusion of the Revolutionary War following the preliminary peace articles.