This Day in History: February 28

Ten days after the event, on February 28, 1779, General Henry Knox wrote a letter to his brother William describing the Grand Alliance Ball: "We had above seventy ladies, all of the first ton in the State, and between three and four hundred Gentlemen. We danced all night--an elegant room, the illuminating fireworks were more than pretty." The entertainment was given by the artillery corps, which erected a temple, or frame, of 13 Corinthian arches, about 100 feet in length and proportionally high, each arch containing an illuminated painting emblematic of the Revolution. [More]