Monday, December 31, 2007

On this day in Our Islands History

In 1762, the war between England and France had come to an end. Canada and Acadia were passed into authority of the English. An English Colonel, Richard Gridley requested the concession of the Magdalen Islands from the Lords of Trade. He was granted a temporary exploitation permit and in 1763, he organized the hunt and fisheries of the islands.

- From the chronicle's of historian Father Frédéric Landry
Événements Historiques Agenda (Septembre 1993 à Septembre 1994)

Richard Gridley was born January 3, 1710, in Boston, Massachusetts, Richard Gridley was the outstanding American military engineer during the French and Indian wars from the Siege of Louisburg in 1745 to the fall of Quebec. For his services he was awarded a commission in the British Army, a grant of the Magdalen Islands, 3,000 acres of land in New Hampshire, and a life annuity. When the break with the mother country came, he stood with the colonies and was made Chief Engineer in the New England Provincial Army. He laid out the defenses on Breed's Hill and was wounded at the Battle of Bunker Hill. He was appointed Chief Engineer of the Continental Army after Washington took command in July 1775. He directed the construction of the fortifications which forced the British to evacuate Boston in March 1776. When Washington moved his Army south, Gridley remained as Chief Engineer of the New England Department. He retired in 1781 at age 70. He died June 21, 1796, in Stoughton, Massachusetts.

If anyone has any ideas on the subject, please feel free to make suggestions in the comment section of this posting!

2 comments:

J. L. Bell said...

More about Richard Gridley here at Boston 1775. His 1710 birthdate is “Old Style,” meaning the Julian calendar. Under the current calendar, we put that January in the year 1711.

Magdalen Islands said...

Thank you for visiting, J.L.Bell. The web site in your link is very interesting and I encourage any other visitors to follow it.