Month: April 2014

5
The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on

Francis Marion Meets His Match: Benjamin Thompson Defeats the “Swamp Fox”

During 1780 and 1781, Brigadier General Francis Marion earned a reputation as the “Swamp Fox,” a virtually unbeatable partisan commander who foiled British efforts to pacify South Carolina and who defeated or evaded every British attempt to destroy his force. It was not until 1782 that Marion finally encountered an opponent capable of beating his […]

by Jim Piecuch
1
People Posted on

Captain Lee’s Genius

Captain Henry Lee III’s promotion to Major in April, 1778, capped a year of impressive service for the 22 year old cavalry officer from Virginia.  Lee and the rest of Colonel Theodorick Bland’s 1st Continental Dragoon Regiment had joined General Washington’s army in New Jersey fifteen months earlier.  As commander of a troop of cavalry […]

by Michael Cecere
6
Places Posted on

Valcour Island Redux

Lying between Vermont and New York, astride the border between the United States and Canada, accessible via canals from the St. Lawrence and Hudson Rivers, and 125 miles long, Lake Champlain is a major boating attraction. On any summer’s day, hundreds of watercraft displaying registrations from numerous states and Canadian provinces will pause for a […]

by Michael Barbieri
4
Reviews Posted on

The Men Who Lost America

Book Review: The Men Who Lost America, British Leadership, the American Revolution, and the Fate of the Empire By Andrew Jackson O’Shaughnessy Yale University Press, New Haven, CT. Hardback. $37.50 ISBN: 978-0-300-19107-3;466 pages, 7.25 x10.25. Many of us have been brought up with the understanding that the British leadership, both military and/or governmental, was made […]

by Hugh T. Harrington
1
The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on

Dissecting the Timeline of Paul Revere’s Ride

I’m a scientist by training. I received my master’s degree from MIT, which is incidentally where I fell in love with Boston’s revolutionary history. So, when I first began researching my forthcoming book on Revolutionary Boston, I approached the research very scientifically, considering things like moonlight phases, sunsets,[1] horse gaits and their associated speeds,[2] and […]

by Derek W. Beck
9
People Posted on

Dr. Joseph Warren’s Informant

With April 19 nearing, marking the anniversary of the start of the American Revolutionary War (the official regional holiday of Patriot’s Day in New England), it seems only fitting to delve into the popular tale of the secret informant of Dr. Joseph Warren. As the story often goes, Dr. Joseph Warren, the de facto revolutionary […]

by Derek W. Beck
11
People Posted on

8 Fast Facts About Camp Followers

They were always there, but are seldom mentioned.  Name any major battle or campaign: New York, Brandywine, Germantown, Saratoga, Yorktown, Camden, Kings Mountain, Guilford Courthouse, Cowpens, Charleston; there are accounts of Camp Followers at each of them.  Who were they?  What did they do?  Does it matter?  Think you know about soldiers’ wives?  Read on […]

by Robert M. Dunkerly