On this day 250 years ago in Norwich, Connecticut, John Wampee of the Tunxis tribe of Connecticut signed on the row galley Shark of the Connecticut State Navy. Wampee had fought at Bunker Hill and he would serve on the Shark as it deployed to the New York and fought with other American ships against Royal Navy ships at the battles of Tappan Zee in July and August 1776. Little is known about Wampee other than that he continued to serve through 1777.

Sources: https://www.nps.gov/people/john-wdampee.htm; https://www.nps.gov/bost/learn/historyculture/nativeamerican.htm; https://www.nps.gov/people/john-wampee.htm; https://iconicnorwich.org/ocean-vessels/

On this day 250 years ago at Fort Chambly, Quebec, General Benedict Arnold in command of the rear guard burned boats and buildings to slow the British advance, and departed Canada barely escaping the British. Col. Jeduthan Baldwin recorded in this diary the sad state of the Continental Army as it retreated from Canada:

Cleard the fort of all the Stores at Chamblee got the Baggage away. I was orderd to the head of the rapids to forward the Intrenching tools & then to St. trace half way between Chambalee & St. Johns, where I had the most Savere fateague in Loading the Battoes with the Stores & Baggage brought from Chambalee in carts to this place to get them above the Rapids, the Vast No of Men sick & in the most distressing condition with the Small pox is not to be discribed & many officers Runing off Leaving there men by the Side of the river to be taken care of by me or others, about 1 o’clock it was reported that the Regulars were at Chambalee & were coming forward but it provd a mistake but it had the effect of sending great Numbers of officers & Soldiers upon the run to St. Johns, & Some to the Oile of Noix & others could not be Stopt till they got to Crown point.

Sources: https://www.americanhistorycentral.com/entries/june-1776/; https://archive.org/details/revolutionaryjo00baldgoog/page/n133/mode/2up

On this day 250 years ago at the fort on Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina subsequently called Fort Moultrie, British sailors who had deserted from the HMS Ranger  informed Colonel William Thompson that the British had roughly 2,800 troops on Long Island preparing to assault the fort.

Source: https://www.americanhistorycentral.com/entries/june-1776/

On this day 250 years ago in Boston Harbor, Captain Seth Harding, commanding a squadron consisting of the Lee, Franklin, Lynch, Warren, and his own ship Defense, captured the British transports HMS George and HMS Arabella. The British ships were transporting soldiers of the 71st Highlanders. The British lost 12 killed and 13 wounded before surrendering. The Americans captured 170 British soldiers and sailors but had only nine men wounded. Harding was born in Massachusetts, and had lived in Connecticut but was living in Nova Scotia at the beginning of the Revolution. He would become one of the most successful officers of the Continental Navy although he is rarely remembered today.

Sources: https://www.americanhistorycentral.com/entries/june-1776/; https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Seth_Harding