Incident at the Raleigh Tavern

...in which Captain Edward Digges took exception to the way James "Thunderbolt of War" Innes chose to celebrate George Washington's Birthday - by Harold B. Gill, Jr.

The Harold B Gill Foundation, LLC’s latest work of preservation of the late scholar’s oevre is this President’s Day offering. Originally published in the Colonial Williamsburg Journal’s Autumn 1995 edition, it is republished here in an online version for paid subscribers to “Harrowings” with gratitude to all. Free previews are available.

In short, the first celebration of George Washington’s Birthday was the 18th century’s equivalent of the “Beastie Boys” fighting for their right to party! Complete with two cannon facing off 60 men with fixed bayonets.

The article has been augmented with links to significant information available in various online sources such as Wikipedia. This is one of many works that my late father produced which help to humanize and preserve the memories of those who otherwise would be lost to history. Also, don’t miss the book length, “A Man Apart — The Journal of Nicholas Cresswell, 1774-1777” published a week ago here on “Harrowings.”