[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 96 (Wednesday, June 24, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1551]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              HONORING THE CREW OF THE ``GENERAL ARNOLD''

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BILL DELAHUNT

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 24, 2009

  Mr. DELAHUNT. Madam Speaker, I rise today so that my colleagues in 
the House of Representatives can join me in recognizing the heroic crew 
of the General Arnold, a contingent of men who risked and ultimately 
gave their lives for our country's independence some 230 years ago.
  During the course of the Revolutionary War, the American colonies 
relied on a small, organized navy as well as a vast number of 
privateers to defend themselves against the British. The privateers 
chartered vessels both large and small, were commissioned with letters 
of marque, and dispatched on the high seas. Indeed, it is unlikely that 
our nation could have achieved its independence without the noble 
efforts of these privateers, many of whom disrupted British shipping 
and wrought considerable damage upon the enemy's vessels during the 
war.
  On Christmas Day, 1778, one of these privateer ships--the General 
Arnold, a brigantine with 20 cannons under the command of Captain James 
Magee--set sail with its own crew and a battalion of marines led by 
Captain John Russell. Battered by a frightening and terrible 
nor'easter, the ship was driven back toward Plymouth Harbor, where it 
ran aground on the White Flat, a sandbar approximately one half-mile 
from shore.
  For three days, the crew remained trapped aboard the ill-fated 
vessel's quarter-deck, drenched by angry sea and freezing snow and 
lashed by savage winds. By the time help arrived on December 28, 72 of 
the 105 men had perished. Many of their bodies were frozen together, 
locked in an ``embrace of death.'' Some of the survivors were 
permanently crippled, some forced to undergo amputation, and some died 
prematurely not long thereafter, making this incident one of the most 
tragic and gruesome losses of life experienced by either side during 
our nation's struggle for independence.
  As we prepare to celebrate the birthday of our nation next week, it 
is important that we take a moment to acknowledge the brave men aboard 
the General Arnold who suffered and died for our freedom. Many of them, 
sadly, remain nameless. Yet we owe them a debt of gratitude for their 
valiant efforts to champion the cause of life, liberty, and the pursuit 
of happiness. To the crew and to all those who served on the General 
Arnold, today we honor and give you thanks for your admirable 
sacrifice.

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