A botfly, also written bot fly, bott fly or bot-fly in various combinations, is any fly in the family Oestridae. Their life cycles vary greatly according to species, but the larvae of all species are internal parasites of mammals.
In the spring of 1783, the infant American republic was nearly snuffed-out in its cradle by mutinous army officers in what has been called the âNewburgh Conspiracy.â. British General Cornwallisâ surrender at Yorktown in October 1781 did not result in an immediate end to the war.
The officers of the Continental Army had long gone without pay, and they met in Newburgh, New York to address Congress about their pay. Unfortunately, the American government had little money after the Revolutionary War. They also considered staging a coup and seizing control of the new government, but the plotting ceased when George Washington refused to support the plan.