On 7 April 1774, Tryon departed for a trip to England, and Cadwallader Colden was the acting governor of New York in his absence. Tryon arrived back in New York on 25 June 1775 after the American Revolutionary War had begun. Isaac Sears returned in July from the Continental Congress with orders to put Tryon under arrest, but George Washington had ordered Philip Schuyler, the commander in New York, to leave Tryon alone. On 19 October 1775, he was compelled to seek refuge on the British sloop-of-war Halifax in New York Harbor. He then set up an offshore headquarters nearby on board the merchant ship Duchess of Gordon. In 1776, he dissolved the assembly and called for new elections in February. The new assembly was for independence, so Tryon dissolved it.Meltzer, Brad, and Josh Mensch. 2019. The first conspiracy: the secret plot to kill George Washington, p.75-76
