4th July - Manley

USS MANLEY (DD-940) INFOLETTER
Volume 14 Issue:8

July 4, 2016

240 years ago today the words of Thomas Jefferson were promulgated to the world. Jefferson and the other founding fathers were confident that the Declaration of Independence would come true because of the events that happened since the spring of 1775.

The British had been driven from Boston partially because of Captain John Manley. Manley, a resident of Marblehead, Mass. had put to sea in the fall of 1775 with orders from General Washington to interdict the British ships supplying Boston. Manley captured the supply ship Nancy which was an ammunition ship. Everything Washington needed Manley provided. 

Since Washington had the munitions, the British didn't which influenced their decision to vacate Boston in March 1776. Shortly after this Manley was captured and incarcerated by the British in Halifax. However in May of 1778 he had escaped and was back at sea. 

During his time at sea he captured 10 British vessels and assisted on 5 others. The cargoes that he captured were all given to General Washington's army, supplies he consistently needed.

Manley's initial crew were from the Marblehead regiment of Colonel John Glover. Glover's men were mostly fishermen so they were at home either on land or at sea. Glover received notoriey for his "Marblehead Boatmen" by evacuating Washington's army from Brooklyn Heights on August 29, 1776 and more famously ferrying Washington's army across the Delaware River on Christmas night 1776 for the attack on Trenton. 

It is a testament to the American character that the needs of the new nation came before any parochialism of the groups involved. Even though these events were before and after July 4, 1776 they allowed that date and the 239 subsequent dates to happen.