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They died a half mile from shore and safety, freezing to death aboard a ship with an unlucky name. The 72 soldiers who perished aboard the Brigantine General Arnold were buried in a mass grave on Burial Hill. It was late December of 1778 and America was at war with her British overlords. The General Arnold was on its way to bring supplies and reinforcements to Revolutionary War troops when it ran aground on a treacherous sandbar, White Flat, during a nor’easter of epic proportion.
At that time, The Second Continental Congress was functioning as the de facto national government after drafting the Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776.
The U.S. 111th Congress officially recognized the crew of the General Arnold for their sacrifice June 24, 2009 – 230 years later.
“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,” U.S. Rep. Bill Delahunt of Massachusetts said, addressing fellow congressmen three weeks ago. “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.”
History enthusiasts Lou Cook, of Plymouth, Bob Jannoni of Carver and Lenny Cavallaro of Ipswich were the force behind this honor and pushed to have the sailors and ship officially acknowledged by the United States government after they wrote a book about the catastrophe.
“It was a horribly neglected piece of history, and most of us certainly grew up never having heard about this particular episode,” Cavallaro said. “Certainly it’s well overdue. These guys died gruesome enough deaths. Delahunt was the right person to approach. He and his office responded splendidly, and we are extremely gratified with the result.”
“This is a big story,” Jannoni said. “I think this is the first time a Revolutionary War ship has ever been put in the Congressional record.”
Several years ago, Cook, Jannoni and Cavallaro set out to uncover the identities of the unknown soldiers aboard the General Arnold as well as the identity of the skeleton of a ship lying in the treacherous sandbar that claimed their lives, known as White Flat.
They died a half mile from shore and safety, freezing to death aboard a ship with an unlucky name. The 72 soldiers who perished aboard the Brigantine General Arnold were buried in a mass grave on Burial Hill. It was late December of 1778 and America was at war with her British overlords. The General Arnold was on its way to bring supplies and reinforcements to Revolutionary War troops when it ran aground on a treacherous sandbar, White Flat, during a nor’easter of epic proportion.
At that time, The Second Continental Congress was functioning as the de facto national government after drafting the Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776.
The U.S. 111th Congress officially recognized the crew of the General Arnold for their sacrifice June 24, 2009 – 230 years later.
“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,” U.S. Rep. Bill Delahunt of Massachusetts said, addressing fellow congressmen three weeks ago. “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.”
History enthusiasts Lou Cook, of Plymouth, Bob Jannoni of Carver and Lenny Cavallaro of Ipswich were the force behind this honor and pushed to have the sailors and ship officially acknowledged by the United States government after they wrote a book about the catastrophe.
“It was a horribly neglected piece of history, and most of us certainly grew up never having heard about this particular episode,” Cavallaro said. “Certainly it’s well overdue. These guys died gruesome enough deaths. Delahunt was the right person to approach. He and his office responded splendidly, and we are extremely gratified with the result.”
“This is a big story,” Jannoni said. “I think this is the first time a Revolutionary War ship has ever been put in the Congressional record.”
Several years ago, Cook, Jannoni and Cavallaro set out to uncover the identities of the unknown soldiers aboard the General Arnold as well as the identity of the skeleton of a ship lying in the treacherous sandbar that claimed their lives, known as White Flat.
The result was their book Solved: The Mystery of the General Arnold and the names of 18 of the 72 men.
But the story of the General Arnold won’t find a peaceful ending until all the men are named and honored, according to this dynamic trio. The three authors continue to search for the remaining 54 and urge anyone with information about the ship and its crew to contact them via e-mail at Two_Capes_Press@yahoo.com,bobbarb123@comcast.net or through their Web site at www.brigenarnold1778.com.
The entire text of Delahunt’s remarks appears online at their blog, SolvedBook.blogspot.com.
“Someone out there may know something or may have some bizarre old paper in an old Bible stuffed away from an ancestor from that time in history,” Cavallaro said. “We’re obviously very anxious to hear from people.”
