Timeline July 1779

Events in July 1779 4

• 1730 – 1779 George Ross (1730-1779) Died 14 July 1779, aged 49 George Ross was a Pennsylvania lawyer and signer of the Declaration of Independence. He served in the Continental Congress. At the time of his death he was a judge of the Pennsylvania admiralty court.
• 1779 Battle of Grenada French fleet under d'Estaing defeats Admiral Byron After the Comte d'Estaing captured Grenada, his French fleet fought a British fleet under Vice Admiral John Byron off the island. Several British ships were badly damaged. The British failed to retake Grenada, and it remained in French hands until the end of the war.
• 1779 Battle of Stony Point Anthony Wayne's night bayonet assault on the Hudson Brigadier General Anthony Wayne led a surprise night attack on the British fort at Stony Point, New York, using unloaded muskets and bayonets. The Americans took the position in under an hour and captured more than 500 prisoners. The victory raised Continental Army morale.
• 1779 Penobscot Expedition Massachusetts fleet destroyed in Penobscot Bay A large Massachusetts naval and land force was sent to drive the British from a new post at Castine in present-day Maine. After weeks of indecisive siege, the American fleet was trapped by British reinforcements, and almost all of its ships were scuttled or captured. It was the worst American naval defeat before Pearl Harbor.