Fort Mifflin on the Delaware
6400 Hog Island Rd
Philadelphia, PA 19153
Saturday, March 30
2:00 – 4:00pm
A Beer Lover’s Nightmare – we’re dumping beer into the river.
Okay, the Regimental Brewmeister has a robust schedule of brewing planned for 2024 and unfortunately last year’s beer has got to go. The reality is I brew way faster than I can drink or give away this beer and I need the kegs for next year’s event. Fort Mifflin also needs your patronage and donations. So, here’s the deal – We’re sacrificing about 200 litres of beer to the Delaware River Gods in the hope that they will spare Fort Mifflin from future catastrophe.
For this to work, the beer must go into the river, either directly or filtered through your kidneys and dumped into Philadelphia’s sewers. Please come to Fort Mifflin, donate a bit to the rebuilding of the Officer’s Quarters, pour out a few beers (either into the moat or into a glass) and help us to restore our cherished landmark. You can even bring a few growlers and take some home. You will also be helping the Regimental Brewmeister make room for next year’s beer but more importantly, you will be supporting Fort Mifflin with its urgently needed emergency repairs.
This is a fundraiser. The Regimental Brewmeister is donating the beer and you are welcome to bring growlers, extra-large mugs, even buckets if you want but you should come prepared to donate to the fort. Recommended donation is $25/person.
| Presentation of Colors | SAR Color Guard | 5 min |
| Opening toast to the fallen (dump 1st mug) | Rgmt Brewmeister | 5 min |
| History talk on Fort Mifflin | member of Fort Mifflin staff | 10 min |
| History talk on Battle of the Kegs | Rgmt Brewmeister | 10 min |
| Singing Francis Hopkinson’s Battle of the Kegs | All | 5 min |
| Plea for support and status on damage to Fort | member of Fort Mifflin staff | 5 min |
| Plea to the river gods to spare Fort Mifflin (dump 2nd mug) | Rgmt Brewmeister | 5 min |
| Open taps | 1 hr 15 min | |
| Pack out |
Why dump kegs at Fort Mifflin? Well, first and foremost, we need to raise money for urgent repairs. The fort needs about $60,000 in EMERGENCY repairs (above the ongoing need to rebuild). We need you to open your wallets to help. Secondly, we are appeasing the Delaware River gods. This worked before for the Continental Army in 1778 when David Bushnell devised floating mines made from beer kegs and dumped them into the Delaware River upstream of Philadelphia. We are hoping for similar success.
The Battle of the Kegs
The British fleet, alarmed by the floating kegs, engaged in a somewhat comedic response, firing upon any floating debris they saw in the river. This incident inspired humorous songs and articles, including one penned by Francis Hopkinson, a Founding Father and Signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Bushnell was the inventor of “The Turtle,” had in September of 1776 attempted to sink the ship of Vice Admiral Richard Howe, the HMS Eagle, while it sat in New York Harbor. Now he was again after the Royal Navy again after it had decimated fort’s Mifflin and Mercer in order to secure the occupation of Philadelphia. Bushnell’s new floating mine that consisted of a float, a keg of gunpowder, and a flintlock fuse. When the keg bumped into something, it exploded.
In the evening of January 5, 1778, about 100 of these keg mines where they were released into the river from rowboats near Palmyra. Early in the morning of January 6, two curious boys found one of these kegs and approached it. The keg exploded, killing both of them. The incident alerted the British to the possibility of an attack and the crews of the ships began firing upon anything that looked suspicious. Unfortunately, ice floes blocked many of the kegs and no ships were damaged in the attack. Those few kegs that got past were barraged by the Royal Navy who fired broadsides at everything they saw in the water for several days. The British even turned their cannons on loose debris floating in the water, much to the amusement of the Americans who witnessed the scene. The whole incident consumed about half of the navy’s shot and powder idling both the fleet and the army from further engagements for the winter.
Francis Hopkinson wrote a song called “The Battle of the Kegs,” which was sung to the tune of “Yankee Doodle,” which was published in the newspapers. The song also teases both the Navy for their panic and General William Howe, Commander-in-Chief of British forces, for his affair with Elizabeth Loring, the wife of Joshua Loring.
The Battle of the Kegs
Lyrics by Francis Hopkinson
GALLANTS attend, and hear a friend,
Trill forth harmonious ditty,
Strange things I’ll tell, which late befell,
In Philadelphia city.
‘Twas early day, as poets say,
Just when the sun was rising,
A soldier stood, on a log of wood,
And saw a thing surprising.
As in amaze he stood to gaze,
The truth can’t be denied, sir,
He spied a score of kegs or more,
Come floating down the tide sir.
A sailor, too, in jerkin blue,
This strange appearance viewing,
First damn’d his eyes, in great surprise,
Then said, some mischief’s brewing.These kegs, I’m told, the rebels hold,
New Jersey Gazette – January 21, 1778.
Packed up like pickled herring,
And they’re come down, t’ attack the town,
In this new way of ferrying.
The soldier flew, the sailor too,
And scared almost to death, sir,
Wore out their shoes to spread the news,
And ran till out of breath, sir.
Now up and down, throughout the town,
Most frantic scenes were acted;
And some ran here, and others there,
Like men almost distracted.
Some fire cried, which some denied,
But said the earth had quakèd;
And girls and boys, with hideous noise,
Ran through the streets half naked.
Sir William, he, snug as a flea,
Lay all this time a snoring;
Nor dreamed of harm, as he lay warm,
In bed with Mrs. Loring.
Now in a fright, he starts upright,
Awak’d by such a clatter;
He rubs his eyes, and boldly cries,
For God’s sake, what’s the matter?
At his bedside, he then espied,
Sir Erskine at command, Sir,
Upon one foot he had one boot,
And t’other in his hand, sir.
Arise! arise, Sir Erskine cries,
The rebels — more’s the pity —
Without a boat, are all afloat,
And rang’d before the city.
The motley crew, in vessels new,
With Satan for their guide, sir,
Packed up in bags, or wooden kegs,
Come driving down the tide, sir.
Therefore prepare for bloody war;
These kegs must all be routed,
Or surely we despis’d shall be,
And British courage doubted.
The royal band, now ready stand,
All ranged in dread array, sir,
With stomachs stout, to see it out,
And make a bloody day, sir.
The cannons roar from shore to shore,
The small arms make a rattle;
Since wars began, I’m sure no man
Ere saw so strange a battle.
The rebel dales, the rebel vales,
With rebel trees surrounded,
The distant woods, the hills and floods,
With rebel echoes sounded.
The fish below swam to and fro,
Attack’d from every quarter;
Why sure, thought they, the devil’s to pay,
‘Mongst folks above the water.
The kegs, ’tis said, though strongly made
Of rebel staves and hoops, sir,
Could not oppose their powerful foes,
The conquering British troops, sir.
From morn till night, these men of might
Display’d amazing courage;
And when the sun was fairly down,
Retir’d to sup their porridge.
An hundred men, with each a pen,
Or more, upon my word, sir,
It is most true would be too few,
Their valor to record, sir.
Such feats did they perform that day,
Against those wicked kegs, sir,
That years to come, if they get home,
They’ll make their boasts and brags, sir.
[1] Note: The Pennsylvania Continental Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution Color Guard will be conducting drill practice at Fort Mifflin from 11:00 – 1:30
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Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 