1876 JULY 4TH AT LEWES

HISTORY OF LEWES DELAWARE

LEWES 4TH JULY CELEBRATION. 6 JULY 1876.

The Wilmington Daily Commercial , 6 July 1886, commented, the 4 July 1876

celebration deserves more than than a passing notice. Most notable was the parade

of the Continental Guards organized two weeks before by Captain S. S. Bookhammer

with Continental Uniforms, cocked hats, knee britches, buckles of brass, and all.

In 1786, 100 years before before, the celebration of the signing of the Declaration of

Independence, was a bit more subdued.

After several battles won by the British, British Captain Andrew Snape Hamond ,

has the HMS Roebuck at the Delaware River , somewhat in charge of British shipping and

the control of a 'group' of Tory's proclaim Loyalty to the King Of England and had

reported to his commanding officer, “ I have the pleasure to inform you that the

inhabitants of the Lower Two Counties on the Delaware have had 3000 arms taken

up and declare themselves in favor of the British government”.

Hamon was correct about this support to the British in Kent and Sussex on the Delaware, but failed to note the Lewes residents were strongly in support of the American Independence and the Patriots of Lewes organized and led by Henry Fisher, William

Peery, in resistance to the British. The American Patroit group was able to carry on the dominance of the Delaware Bay and River and lower Sussex by actions in the shipping with much needed war supplies to Philadelphia and the British Forces.

On the day the signing of the Declaration, Lewes was under siege. W illiam Adair announced in his 1776 Journal, “Independence Proclaimed, by the head of “ye Delaware Battalion , July 10, with 3 Cheers”. The days later, July 20, Independence of Lewes was

declared by three 'toast' of the their three cannon.

The 100^th anniversary, 1876, Lewes made the celebration the “Greatest Ever” and

2000 people attended. The Wilmington Daily Commercial reported after political speeches

100 guns of the Guards were fired and a parade was made with a draft of four horses

which filled the streets and all moved to the beach at dusk to see fireworks of shooting

stars and combinations of brilliant effect.

Abstract: Wilmington Daily Commercial, July 6, 1867, a column of Delaware Diary,

by Michael Morgan, Delaware Coast Press on July 3, 2019 .