On this day 250 years ago in New York City, Captain John Lamb led his newly formed artillery company and the Hearts of Oak Militia company (composed mostly of students at Kings College, now Columbia University) to seize 20 cannons and carriages from the Battery on the southern tip of Manhattan. Besides Lamb, several other participants in this raid would serve throughout the Revolutionary War and in our early Republic in prominent positions including Alexander Hamilton, Robert Troup, Nicholas Fish, and Irish immigrant Hercules Mulligan. While they were removing the cannon to locations safe from seizure by the British, Lamb’s company fired one of the cannon at an approaching barge from the HMS Asia sent to investigate, killing one man. In retaliation, the Asia fired on the Battery and on the city damaging several houses and causing many inhabitants to flee. You can visit the Battery, and one of the buildings struck in the bombardment — Fraunces Tavern, in New York City today.

Sources: https://substack.com/@jillkershaw/note/c-148169166; https://250andcounting.com/2025/08/24/august-24-1775-no-liquor-was-lost-we-hope/; https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=29319

On this day 250 years ago in Richmond, the Third Virginia Convention appointed

a Committee of Safety, for the more effectual carrying into execution the several rules and regulations established by this Convention for the protection of this colony

The Committee of Safety would serve as the governing body of Virginia after the Third Virginia Convention adjourned and until the Fourth Convention convened.

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