George Schetky–June 1, 1776

Finally Bailing Out Of Canada–June 8, 1776

Cover art for June 8, 1776: 1759 map of Montreal, St. Lawrence River, Richelieu River at Sorel, and Three Rivers east of Lake St. Peters. This is the Trois-Rivières area referenced in today's episode. [https://250andcounting.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/1776-06-08-Cover-1-1024x1024.jpg] As a nation, we should be able to face our failures as squarely as we crow our triumphs, and make no mistake: the invasion of, and withdrawal from Canada was a botched effort from one end to the other. Perhaps the only thing that kept it from being a bigger deal was the distraction a few weeks later of the Colonies delcaring themselves to be states independent from Great Britain. We barely had an army that had any idea of how to provision its forces, yet we sent a bunch of them to the north anyway, far from home and no easy way to get there or back. We started this invasion in a blizzard! [https://250andcounting.com/2025/12/31/the-battle-of-quebec-december-31-1775/]And, perhaps even worse, our withdrawal from Canada suddenly left us open to a potential invasion from the north by British troops. I realize that I have the benefit of 250 years of hindsight on this, but this really does feel like one of those things where people said “We have to see this through to the end, which will be glorious,” and then nearly six months later, when it all falls apart, the same people say, “Wow, it was so obvious.” (forgive me, I’m having a cynical day.) The post Finally Bailing Out Of Canada–June 8, 1776 [https://250andcounting.com/2026/06/08/finally-bailing-out-of-canada-june-8-1776/] appeared first on 250 and Counting [https://250andcounting.com].

The Question is Called–June 7, 1776

Cover art for June 7, 1776: An 1861 steel engraving of Richard Henry Lee, based on an 1860 painting by Alonzo Chappel. Part of the Massachusetts Historical Society Online Collection. [https://250andcounting.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/1776-06-07-Cover-1024x1024.jpg] It was one of the last major steps before the Declaration, and it happened on this day. The Lee Resolution, as it came to be known, was named after Richard Henry Lee, delegate from Virginia, who was given instructions from his government to propose that the Colonies become designated as free and independent states. Now, because some of the delegates didn’t have specific instructions on the Lee Resolution, and because Congress had long ago decided that votes needed to be unanimous, the vote was postponed for three weeks to give everyone an opportunity to get instructions from home. It took 26 days rather than 21 to get everyone to the point of voting, with the exception of New York, which was under instructions not to vote at all, so they abstained from voting until mid-July, at which point they finally also cast their Yes vote because a new legislative body was in place. The post The Question is Called–June 7, 1776 [https://250andcounting.com/2026/06/07/the-question-is-called-june-7-1776/] appeared first on 250 and Counting [https://250andcounting.com].

William Reed–June 6, 1776

Cover art for June 6, 1776: Portrait of William Reed, attributed to Gilbert Stuart or James Frothingham, date unknown. [https://250andcounting.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/1776-06-06-Cover-1024x1024.jpg] Mike is having a big day today (that is, his son is having a big day), so apologies for the delay in getting today’s episode to you, and thanks for your patience. William Reed was from Marblehead, Massachusetts, and while Mike has said about all there is to say, I thought I’d talk about Marblehead a little bit. I had an aunt who lived there when I was a small child (under 10 or so). I don’t know when she moved there, but when I visited she’d already picked up a strong local accent (pahk the cah and all like that). [https://250andcounting.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image.png] Now, Mike told you a little about Marblehead’s importance as a mariner’s town, and the docks are lovely to see as a tourist, to be sure. But the thing that really impressed me—if we’re being totally honest here—is that the town hall/museum there is the home of the famous painting The Spirit of ’76, a/k/a Yankee Doodle, by Archibald Willard, and at right here. It’s a terribly famous painting and most people don’t know who the artist was. Again: ARCHIBALD WILLARD. The other impressive thing about this painting is that it’s not nearly as big as you think it is. It’s about 18 x 24 inches. And even though there are photos of young me, alongside my grandparents (who took younger me on this visit), even in my memory it’s a big painting, despite knowing that it isn’t. The Mandela Effect [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandela_effect]…boy, I don’t know. The post William Reed–June 6, 1776 [https://250andcounting.com/2026/06/06/william-reed-june-6-1776/] appeared first on 250 and Counting [https://250andcounting.com].

Congress Does Some War Business–June 5, 1776

Cover art for June 5, 1776: "American Uniforms, 1775-1783" by H.A. Ogden, 1889, as part of a larger series documenting the evolution of American uniforms. [https://250andcounting.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/1776-06-05-Cover-1024x1024.jpg] Using the input of George Washington from just a few days earlier, the Second Continental Congress wasted little time putting together some Continental Army protocols to ensure that this relatively ragtag group of men would adhere to some kind of formalized behavior. But the Continental Army protocols they worked on also helped to establish better pay for some personnel, or set up protocol ranks for some otherwise non-officer personnel. And, of course, getting everyone paid was important so they talked about that as well. And as we creep closer to a formal declaration announcing the break with Britain, more Congressional delegates are convinced that reconciliation was always on the table, at least until quite recently. Robert Morris wrote as much to Silas Deane of Connecticut, and likewise Oliver Wolcott wrote to Roger Newberry, a Connecticut military officer, that he was of the opinion that the army is undertaking a Mighty Cause, and that as far as he could tell, the people support it. The post Congress Does Some War Business–June 5, 1776 [https://250andcounting.com/2026/06/05/congress-does-some-war-business-june-5-1776/] appeared first on 250 and Counting [https://250andcounting.com].

Isaac Van Houten–June 4, 1776

Cover art for June 4, 1776: aerial view of Clarkstown in 2010, looking south. via Wikimedia Commons. [https://250andcounting.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/1776-06-04-Cover-1024x1024.jpg] The Rockland County area of New York State is some lovely country. It’s just north of New York City and, along with adjacent Duchess and Westchester Counties, could be considered the heart of the area where the Dutch settlers came and stayed. As a result you’ll find many place names that have Dutch origins. This is why so many places in the downstate New York area (the triangle above NYC) end in “-kill”, because “kill” is dutch for “creek.” Thus, “Fishkill” means “fish creek”. At any rate, while not a lot is known about Isaac Van Houten, it’s clear that he almost certainly has Dutch ancestry, given both his name and his hometown along the lower Hudson River. The post Isaac Van Houten–June 4, 1776 [https://250andcounting.com/2026/06/04/isaac-van-houten-june-4-1776/] appeared first on 250 and Counting [https://250andcounting.com].