104- "THE INDEPENDENCE HURRICANE of 1775!".....

Now, it's time for a bit of history mystery. A "savage" hurricane swept over our area of Virginia in 1775...look carefully at that date! That was during our American Revolutionary War.
August 29th thru September 2nd. This 1775 hurricane, during our Revolutionary War hit South Carolina and eventually swept up along the coast to Nova Scotia, killing an estimate 4,170, mostly fishermen and sailors. Our Chincoteague Island was hit hard, including Norfolk's waterfront warehouse district. There, all was destroyed.
That same waterfront area was redeveloped into the now 'Waterside' in recent years.
Scores of ships, over twenty in the Virginia harbor alone, knocked against each other with extensive damage, including the York River and Hampton. One gun ship, the H.M.S. Mercury, was pushed ashore and shipwrecked. Local citizens went aboard, captured the British crew, took the supplies meant use for use against the young Americans, and set the ship on fire. As a result, the British blockaded Hampton Roads for three months.
In the Virginia Gazette: "Every day last week it rained more or less, sometimes continued chief part of night; but on Saturday it never ceased pouring down, and towards noon the wind began to rise, which increased soon afterwards to a mere hurricane, it blowing most furiously from the N.. till near 10 o'clock at night. Infinite damage has been done to the crops of corn and tobacco, much wheat spoiled in barns, a great number of trees blown down, and almost every mill-dam in the country given way...."
As a result, American patriot armies, under Major Ethan Allen, attacked Montreal (British Gen. Guy Carleton) and Allen was defeated and captured. A plot to kidnap King George III was hatched but never completed. BUT, our U.S. Continental Congress ordered the establishment of our Continental army. All of this increased activity was a sign of a desire to defeat the British. More revolutionaries marched on South Carolina ending all major support for the Loyalists cause there.
In November, our U.S. Marine Corps was created in Philly. On November, 10th another battle took place at Quebec...our revolutionaires won that 2nd battle. In December, more revolutionaires used the captured Fort Ticonderoga British artillary to advance on their sweep to Cambridge.
That's enough for a thumbnail sketch to show what happened after that "Independence Hurricane" of 1775. Remember, hurricane names weren't listed until way off in the 20th Century. Remember, also, that people in 1775 had no inkling that a hurricane was approaching....