Author: Lars D. H. Hedbor

Lars D. H. Hedbor is an author of historical novels of the American Revolution, focusing on the everyday experiences of ordinary people during that extraordinary era of chaotic change. The first novel of his Tales From a Revolution series, The Prize, follows the pivotal events along the shores of Vermont's Lake Champlain. He is currently working on a novel chronicling the incredible exploits of General Gálvez in West Florida, tentatively titled The Wind. Hedbor resides in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and five daughters and enjoys practicing fiddle, homebrewing and amateur astronomy when he's not otherwise occupied. For more information, visit http://larsdhhedbor.com/.

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Food & Lifestyle Posted on

A Meal Afloat

As early as October of 1775, the Continental Congress voted to authorize its first naval vessels[1], and as these ships were outfitted and crewed, the crews needed to be fed. Reconstructing the diet on board involves a certain amount of detective work, as accounts of the early Navy are focused less on the routine, and […]

by Lars D. H. Hedbor
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Food & Lifestyle Posted on

Feeding the Slaves

While it is a shameful chapter in our national past, the fact of slavery during the Revolutionary Era is inescapable, and part of understanding how the people of this nascent country ate is exploring how the slaves were fed.  Sources are exceptionally scarce and contemporary recipes are nonexistent, but we can reconstruct some idea of […]

by Lars D. H. Hedbor
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Food & Lifestyle Posted on

A Pennsylvania Dutch Meal

This time, we’re going to visit the farm country of Pennsylvania, settled by German-speaking immigrants who formed a fairly cohesive community starting in the 1680s, as war convulsed their homeland. They comprised almost half of Pennsylvania’s population, and were supportive of the American Revolution, volunteering to serve in numbers even greater than the Congress asked […]

by Lars D. H. Hedbor
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Interviews Posted on

Dreaming of Revolution

It’s tough to bring history alive, particularly when all of the participants have been reduced to dust and bones by the inexorable flow of time. It’s even harder to make historical events interesting and vital to teenagers, as most any high school teacher of history can probably tell you. With her popular webcomic The Dreamer […]

by Lars D. H. Hedbor
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The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on

The Perfect Storm: Bernardo de Gálvez and the Gulf Coast Campaign

One of the genuine pleasures of research is the discovery of someone whose contributions are barely noticed in classroom histories, but without whom, events would have turned out dramatically differently. The Spanish Governor-General of Louisiana, Bernardo de Gálvez, is one such figure.  His energetic and often brilliant contributions to the American Revolution ensured that the […]

by Lars D. H. Hedbor
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Economics Posted on

From Pounds to Dollars

In all times and places, people have engaged in trade, and the American Colonies during the time of the Revolution are no exception.  Although some trade was conducted as barter, particularly for commodities such as tobacco or beaver pelts, it was common for people to use coins (of nearly any country – Spanish dollars were […]

by Lars D. H. Hedbor