On This Date September 11, 1776, 1777, 1814 and 2001-the history of Patriots Day

September 11, 1776 – Ben Franklin, John Adams and Edward Rutledge embark from Perth
Amboy to meet with British Admiral Richard Howe on Staten Island in preliminary peace talks.
The talks fail.
September 11, 1777 – Battle of Brandywine, Pennsylvania; Americans lose to the British, Polish
soldier Casimir Pulaski saves life of George Washington
September 11, 1814 – Battle of Plattsburgh (NY), also known as the Battle of Lake Champlain,
begins, resulting in an American victory. Because of this victory and victory the next day in
the Battle of Baltimore, the British lose the right to leverage any demands of any territorial
claims against the United States on the basis of Uti possidetis, i.e., retaining territory they held at
the end of hostilities

September 11, 2001 – Islamic extremists crash airplanes into the World Trade Center in New
York City, the Pentagon in Washington DC and an open field in Shanksville, PA, killing close to
3,000 American citizens. The day has become known as “Patriots Day”