Welcome to the William Day Chapter, NSDAR

Who We Are
The William Day Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR or DAR), was organized on October 10, 1998, in Duluth, Georgia with 15 organizing members and three charter members. We are a diverse group of women dedicated to each other and to serving our community and its members. Our chapter is committed to promoting patriotism, education and historic preservation through volunteer work in a committee system. See our Activities page for the exciting projects our chapter has taken part in recently and please contact us if you have any questions or would like more information about our chapter.

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Our Namesake

The chapter's namesake, William Day, was born in 1756 in Virginia and died May 30, 1841, in Pendleton District, South Carolina. He was a private in the American Revolutionary War, enlisting on March 3, 1777, for a term of three years. William began his service as a member of the 14th Virginia Regiment under Captain Moses Hawkins and Colonel Charles Lewis for about six months. He was then transferred to the 5th Virginia Regiment commanded by Colonel Josiah Parker, where he served 12 months. During this time, he participated in the battles of Brandywine, Germantown, and Monmouth. William Day served the remainder of his time in the 3rd Regiment of the Virginia Line under Colonel John Webb. While in service, William Day sustained an injury to his back, which made his trade as a farmer difficult after the war. As such, he applied for a pension, which he was granted on January 18, 1819.

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Washington Crossing the Delaware

The tapestry above, aptly named Washington Crossing the Delaware, was the subject of three oil on canvas paintings by German-American artist Emanuel Leutze, representing the reflection of not only the victory of the strategic attack but also a foreshadowing the hardships to come and the eventual victory of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The tapestry holds a special symbolism for the chapter, as William Day was with George Washington when he crossed the Delaware.

Crossing the Delaware
General George Washington and the Continental Army crossed the Delaware River on December 25-26, 1776, as part of a plan to attack a Hessian garrison in Trenton, New Jersey. The crossing took place at three locations when Washington and his Army began the trek across the half-frozen river around 11 p.m. on Christmas Day.

Washington's forces used cargo boats and ferries to transport the troops across the river, guided by experienced watermen from New England and the Philadelphia area. The crossing was part of a complex military maneuver and attack, and Washington and his troops were successful against the Hessian forces in the Battle of Trenton on the morning of December 26, 1776.

Emanuel Leutze
Washington Crossing the Delaware is the subject of three 1851 oil-on-canvas paintings by the German-American artist Emanuel Leutze. He started the first version of the above painting in 1849, which was damaged by a fire in 1850. Later the same year, he began the version of the painting depicted above, which was placed on exhibition in New York in October 1851. At this showing, the painting was purchased for $10,000, a large sum of money at the time.