Elias Boudinot IV: America’s First Commissary General of Prisoners
by“The prisoner of war is one of the most tragic figures in any conflict.”Larry G. Bowman[1] Various studies have placed the number of Americans…
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Antoine Felix Wuibert: The French “Forrest Gump” of the American Revolution
byAntoine Félix Wuibert was one of the earliest foreign volunteers to the War of the American Revolution, arriving even before the United States pronounced…
The Hessians Who Escaped Washington’s Trap at Trenton
byThe year 1776 opened with the overall promises of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense pamphlet seemingly coming to fruition; however, the ensuing months were anything…
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An American Sea Captain Encounters Horatio Nelson—And Lives to Tell the Tale
byFew sea captains could claim they crossed bowsprits with Lord Nelson and sailed away – ship and cargo intact – but Nathaniel Carver of…
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Contributor Close-up: Patrick H. Hannum
byAbout Patrick H. Hannum Patrick H. Hannum is currently serving as an associate professor in the Joint and Combined Warfighting School, Joint Forces Staff…
The James McMichael Journal, December 29, 1777–May 12, 1778
byEditor’s Note: This is the final part of a five-part series. Part one. Part two. Part three. Part four. The final portion of the McMichael…
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How to be a Revolutionary War Spy Master
byGeorge Washington is credited with being a great spy master, and the feats of his Culper spy ring have become famous. How did he…
A Phantom at Middle Brook: Washington in the New Jersey Short Hills
byMost of the stories told of George Washington are tales of complete fiction. He never chopped down a cherry tree, at least not in…
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The “B Team” of 1777: Maxwell’s Light Infantry
byOn the topic of Maxwell’s Light Infantry, Lt. Col. William Heth’s views were crystal clear. “Maxwells Corps ’Twas expected would do great things,” he…
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The House at Penny Ferry, Burnt: Skirmishes on the Mystic
byIn the summer of 1775, American forces had succeeded in bottling up the British army on the Boston peninsula and laying siege to the…
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Victory or Death: The Battles of Trenton and Princeton, December 25, 1776-January 3, 1777
byBook Review: Mark Maloy. Victory or Death: The Battles of Trenton and Princeton, December 25, 1776-January 3, 1777. Emerging Revolutionary War Series. (El Dorado…
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Marylanders Bear the Palm: Manpower and Experience as Elements of Extraordinary Military Success
byDuring the American Revolutionary War, the soldiers of the Maryland Line rapidly gained a reputation in the Continental Army for reliability in combat, a…
Two Recent Reviews of Titles from the Journal of the American Revolution Books Series
byTwo outstanding reviews of titles in the Journal of the American Revolution Books Series were recently published. In the Spring 2018 issue of Army…
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Revolutionary Rookies
byPerforming as a general atop an independent command is the most difficult military assignment and for which prior experience critically fosters improved strategic and…
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Allen McLane—Revolutionary War Intelligence Officer and Spy
byThere is often confusion in terms when discussing individuals involved in intelligence activities. For example, intelligence officers are often referred to as spies, and…
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Thadeuz Kosciusko and the American Legacy in Europe
byMonarchy everywhere fundamentally detested the American colonists. They expected subjects to respect the crown and abide established class rule. They resented our insubordination and…
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A Relation of Disagreeable Circumstances: The Attack on Young’s House, February 3, 1780
byOne of the hallmarks of Journal of the American Revolution is its ability to bring lesser-known yet compelling events of the War for Independence…
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Take Them At Their Word: Virginia’s Opposition to the Townshend Duties
byThe other day I became indirectly embroiled in a disagreement about what belonged on a historic road sign that was to be posted to…
Latest Reviews
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Victory or Death: The Battles of Trenton and Princeton, December 25, 1776-January 3, 1777
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First Founding Father: Richard Henry Lee and the Call for American Independence
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The Expanding Blaze: How the American Revolution Ignited the World, 1775–1848
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American Sanctuary: Mutiny, Martyrdom, and National Identity in the Age of Revolution
Featured Articles
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The Earl of Dartmouth, Secretary of State for the Colonies, Second Year: November 1773 – August 1774
byDuring the three months that the Earl of Dartmouth, Secretary of State for the Colonies, was on holiday from August to November 1773, the…
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What Do Bond Prices Tell Us about the Early Republic?
byAmerica’s early finances were, in a word, messy. The states took on enormous debt to fund the Revolutionary War while the national government chartered…
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A Brief History of Benjamin Franklin’s Residences on Craven Street, London: 1757 – 1775
byIf one looked into Benjamin Franklin’s time on Craven Street, they might initially believe he lived at 36 Craven Street the entirety of his…
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How do you define “Founding Fathers”?
byHow do you define “Founding Fathers”? You can define it either broadly or narrowly. By consensus, most historians limit the narrow definition to six….
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Which side benefited the most from the Native Americans?
byWhich side do you think benefited the most from the Native American involvement in the war? Why? The British benefited the most, from one…
Hamilton: An American Musical
byReview of the Broadway musical Hamilton, now playing at the Richard Rodgers Theater on 46th Street in New York City. Let me confess at…
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9 Questions with Rick Atkinson
byLearning that one of the most acclaimed military writers of our time has turned his narrative expertise towards the American Revolution is exciting news…
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The American Vicars of Bray
byLoyalists, those Americans who openly supported the British Government during the American Revolution, have been largely assumed to have had unchanging allegiance during the…
America's Most Important History!
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Patrick Tonyn: Britain’s Most Effective Revolutionary-Era Royal Governor
byEven among historians of the American Revolution, the name of East Florida’s royal governor, Patrick Tonyn, is all but unknown. However, Tonyn proved himself…
Plenty With Grudges: The Cold Case Murder of Joseph Junin
byIn February 1791, when local Indian trader Joseph Marie Junin was found dead, shot twice in the head in his cabin in what is…
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The General, the Corporal, and the Anecdote: Jacob Francis and Israel Putnam
byOn August 18, 1832, a seventy-eight-year-old New Jersey man named Jacob Francis went before Hunterdon County officials and described his military service in the…
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The Second Battle of Cowpens: South Carolina vs. Winchester, Virginia
byOn January 17, 1781, at Cowpens, South Carolina, Gen. Daniel Morgan solidified his position as an iconic Revolutionary War figure with his decisive victory…
The James McMichael Journal, September 12, 1777–December 23, 1777
byEditor’s Note: This is part four of a five-part series. Part one. Part two. Part three. This portion of the James McMichael journal begins…
Stony Point Battlefield and Lighthouse State Historic Site
byEarly in the morning of July 16, 1779, Gen. Anthony Wayne and his Corps of Light Infantry successfully stormed the British works at Stony…
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Creating American Nationalists: Presbyterians and the War for Independence
byThere was no turning back after the morning of April nineteenth.[1] When the militiamen under Captain John Parker defended themselves against the British regulars…
Grace Galloway—Abandoned Loyalist Wife
byGrace Galloway was living in a world of woe. The pressure had been building, and a little after 10 p.m. on August 20, 1778,…
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First Founding Father: Richard Henry Lee and the Call for American Independence
byBook Review: First Founding Father: Richard Henry Lee and the Call for American Independence by Harlow Giles Unger, (New York: De Capo Press, 2017)…
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The Conspiracy to Destroy the Gaspee
byWith but few exceptions,[1] it has usually been surmised by historians that the 1772 attack on the Royal Navy schooner Gaspee was a spontaneous…
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Richard Howe: Admiral of the British Fleet in North America and Peace Commissioner
byIn the Spring of 1775, Benjamin Franklin, still stationed in England, made what he thought was a last attempt to secure a plan of…