Trying a couple of new positions today....

[jberryhill]

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[CentralMass]

1. Rarely in life are you given a setup like that. The name of the bridge did me in..

[jberryhill]

2. Oh, yeah

I grew up around here, so we all learned the name of the bridge, and the battle, before we were corrupted.

But, yeah, okay. Never really struck me way.

It is the site of the only shots fired in anger in Delaware during the Revolution. It was really just a minor skirmish, but as you can imagine it’s still big news in Delaware.

While the armies of Washington, Lafayette, Howe and Rochambeau passed through here, Delaware just pretty much collected tolls on I-95 much as we do today.

[CentralMass]

3. Interesting. I grew up and lived most of my years in Massachusetts where ee have a lot of of history

from the Revoloution but it is always interesting to hear about other places and incidents.

[jberryhill]

4. We sat out the civil war entirely

Other than housing captured confederate soldiers on an island fort in the Delaware.

But this was one of many small engagements during the successful British advance into Philadelphia.

We didn’t have Paul Revere shooting his guns and ringing that bell to warn the Pilgrims or whatever, like Massachusetts.



The Swedes being kicked out by the Dutch, being kicked out by the English is the more interesting part of Delaware history - other than Caesar Rodney casting the deciding vote for the Declaration of Independence (but they didn’t even give him a singing part) and being the first state to ratify the Constitution, mainly because our legislature was open at the time.

Anywho, the battle is also known as the battle of Iron Hill, which is one of the more significant land features in northwestern Delaware worth climbing, and today was the first time I got up the gumption to climb it since my heart attack on my way to climb it last August. I’ve had tougher rides since then, but have been a little spooked about taking that route again.