On this day 250 years ago off St. Augustine, West Florida, the South Carolina Navy sloop Commerce, commanded by Capt. Clement Lempriere, captured the HMS Betsy. The Betsy was carrying a huge supply of gunpowder to St. Augustine and the crew of the Commerce immediately began unloading the gunpowder from the Betsy onto the Commerce. They were able to transfer about 17,000 lbs. of badly needed gunpowder when another British warship approached and the Commerce escaped with the captured gunpowder.

Source: https://www.myrevolutionarywar.com/battles/1775-1783-naval/\

On this day 250 years ago in Richmond, Virginia, the Third Virginia Convention was operating as the government of Virginia. The Convention ordered

John Nevill . . .. to march with his Company of one hundred Men and take possession of Fort Pitt and that the said Company be in the pay of the Colony from the time of their marching.

The Convention also gave instructions to the committee charged with preparing an

ordinance for regulating the election of delegates and committees, in the several counties and corporations in this colony.

The Third Virginia Convention was authorizing the formal election of local governments in Virginia to succeed the committees that had been formed by the votes of meetings of the residents of counties (and a few towns), and that had assumed the role of governing with the collapse of royal government in Virginia.

Source: https://lawlibrary.wm.edu/wythepedia/library/ProceedingsOfTheConventionOfDelegates17July1775.pdf