On this day 250 years ago, a fleet of six Continental Navy ships, with two sloops captured by the fleet, under the command Commodore Esek Hopkins, with John Paul Jones as his second-in-command, landed 200 Continental Marines and 50 Continental sailors under the command of Captain Samuel Nicholas on New Providence Island, Bahamas. The landing party advanced on Fort Montagu which was across the bay from the capital of the Bahamas, Nassau. Recognizing that they were outnumbered by the Americans, the 110 poorly armed Bahamas militia commanded by Governor Montfort Browne of the Bahamas abandoned the fort after firing three cannon as a show of resistance. Governor Browne and a few men retreated to Government House in Nassau but most of his militia went home. The Americans captured tthe fort’s cannon but Governor Browne was able to evacuate most of the gunpowder from the fort. The next day the Continental Marines would march into Nassau and capture Browne and 12 other high-ranking officials from the Bahamas to exchange later for imprisoned Patriots. Without firing a shot, the first combat mission of the United States Marines ended up securing 71 cannon, 38 casks of gunpowder, 3 Loyalist sloops and 13 prisoners for the United States.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montfort_Browne; https://revolutionarywar.us/year-1776/battle-of-nassau/

On this day 250 years ago on the Savannah River in Georgia, the second day of the Battle of the Rice Boats or Yamacraw Bluff was fought. The 500 Patriot militia from Georgia and 400 South Carolina militia under the command of Colonel Lachlan McIntosh continued firing on the British from the banks of the Savannah River and prepared fire ships to send into the British fleet. The combat would continue into the next day.

https://www.oatland.org/American_Revolution/Savannah/Battle_of_Riceboats_1776.pdf; https://www.myrevolutionarywar.com/battles/1776-skirmish/

On this day 250 years ago from artillery positions at Lechmere Point, Cobble Hill, and Lamb’s Dam in Roxbury in the siege lines around Boston, the Continental Army continued its bombardment of the British Army’s positions in Boston. The Americans conducted the bombardment to provide cover for their occupation of Dorchester Heights two days later.

Sources: https://revolutionarywar.us/year-1776/; https://richardhowe.com/2011/03/02/on-this-day-march-2-1776/