The following is an installment of “On This Day,” a new series celebrating America’s 250th anniversary by following the actions of Gen. George Washington, the Continental Congress, and the men and women whose bravery and sacrifice led up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Jan. 20, 1776
Cambridge, Massachusetts
At his headquarters in Cambridge, Gen. George Washington begins drafting a set of detailed instructions calling for Captain Charles Dyar to send the schooner Harrison to prowl the sea around Boston. The objectives were bold: seize supply ships, gather enemy intelligence from letters and papers, treat prisoners humanely, and perhaps, most importantly, waste no powder.
Washington had chartered the Harrison around December 1775. It was an early part of his makeshift fleet during the Siege
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