To Provision Washington’s Army on the Move: 1776 and the Norwich Huntingtons

We know a lot about the pivotal year 1776 in American history: from the British evacuating Boston in March, to the signing of the Declaration of Independence in the summer, to the cold, starving Continental army troops surprising the Hessians at Trenton, NJ on Christmas Day. But what do we really know about what it took to provision an eighteenth-century army with virtually no government infrastructure, funds, or military administration?

Come learn how the Huntingtons and their maritime associates, facilitated the transfer of Continental army troops, and equipment, from Massachusetts down to Manhattan throughout 1776. Discover how savvy ship captains shuttled these men, and goods, at Norwich’s wharves at the bequest of the merchant Huntington brothers: Joshua and Andrew. And, how the skilled workers at the docks did their part too. The information presented is based on primary source materials from the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History in Hartford, and online resources.