Crew of GENERAL ARNOLD Honored By Congress

We are delighted to announce that our book has prompted congressional recognition for the brave men who served on board the General Arnold. On June 24, 2009, the following text was entered into the Congressional Record:

Remarks of The Honorable Bill Delahunt of Massachusetts
Honoring the Crew of the General Arnold

U.S. House of Representatives
June 24, 2009

Madam Speaker –

I rise today so that my colleagues in the House of Representatives can join me in recognizing the heroic crew of the General Arnold, a contingent of men who risked and ultimately gave their lives for our country’s independence some 230 years ago.

During the course of the Revolutionary War, the American colonies relied on a small, organized navy as well as a vast number of privateers to defend themselves against the British. The privateers chartered vessels both large and small, were commissioned with letters of marque, and dispatched on the high seas. Indeed, it is unlikely that our nation could have achieved its independence without the noble efforts of these privateers, many of whom disrupted British shipping and wrought considerable damage upon the enemy’s vessels during the war.

On Christmas Day, 1778, one of these privateer ships – the General Arnold, a brigantine with 20 canons under the command of Captain James Magee – set sail with its own crew and a battalion of marines led by Captain John Russell. Battered by a frightening and terrible nor’easter, the ship was driven back toward Plymouth Harbor, where it ran aground on the White Flat, a sandbar approximately one half-mile from shore.

For three days, the crew remained trapped aboard the ill-fated vessel’s quarter-deck, drenched by angry sea and freezing snow and lashed by savage winds. By the time help arrived on December 28, 72 of the 105 men had perished. Many of their bodies were frozen together, locked in an “embrace of death.” Some of the survivors were permanently crippled, some forced to undergo amputation, and some died prematurely not long thereafter, making this incident one of the most tragic and gruesome losses of life experienced by either side during our nation’s struggle for independence.

As we prepare to celebrate the birthday of our nation, it is important that we take a moment to acknowledge the brave men aboard the General Arnold who suffered and died for our freedom. Many of them, sadly, remain nameless. Yet we owe them a debt of gratitude for their valiant efforts to champion the cause of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. To the crew and to all those who served on the General Arnold, today we honor and give you thanks for your admirable sacrifice.