Month: July 2015

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News Posted on

Top 10 Articles of July 2015

Thanks to everyone for making July a spectacular month at Journal of the American Revolution. We welcomed 125,000 readers and four new writers: T. J. Johnson, Michael Tuosto, Jason R. Wickersty and Steven Park. We also tweaked our logo to add a little more pizazz. Looking forward, the pipeline is filled with an impressive range of articles. […]

by Editors
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Interviews Posted on

Contributor Close-up: Michael Cecere

About Michael Cecere Michael Cecere teaches U.S. History at Robert E. Lee High School in Fairfax County, Virginia and at Northern Virginia Community College in Woodbridge, Virginia. He was recognized by the Virginia Society of the Sons of the American Revolution as their 2005 Outstanding Teacher of the Year, is a former president of the […]

by Editors
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Reviews Posted on

General Washington’s Commando: Benjamin Tallmadge in the Revolutionary War

Book Review: General Washington’s Commando: Benjamin Tallmadge in the Revolutionary War by Richard F. Welch. Jefferson (McFarland & Company, 2014). While most historians agree that American victory in the Revolutionary War would not have been possible without George Washington’s military leadership, it is less frequently noted that Washington could not have exercised effective command without […]

by Jim Piecuch
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Interviews Posted on

Contributor Close-up: Thomas Verenna

About Thomas Verenna Thomas Verenna is a member of the Valley Forge Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution, an Associate Board Member of the Moore Township Historical Commission, and a History student at Columbia College, MO. He is an alumnus of Valley Forge Military Academy—about five miles away from the site of 1777-1778 encampment—which he […]

by Editors
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The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on

A Shocking Havoc: The Plundering of Westfield, New Jersey, June 26, 1777

Before a single British soldier set foot on New Jersey soil, Deputy Adjutant-General of the British Army in North America Stephen Kemble was concerned for his native colony. “Shudder for Jersey,” he confided in his journal on November 7, 1776, “the Army being thought to move there Shortly.”[1] Once the invasion and occupation of the […]

by Jason R. Wickersty
Food & Lifestyle Posted on

A Gift for General Washington

In a letter to Patrick Henry recounting the events of the Battle of Monmouth, George Washington included information about losses on both sides and the death of a young Virginia officer: “…Capt. Fauntleroy of the 5th was unfortunately killed by a random Cannon Ball.”[1] What was the connection between the commander in chief and the […]

by Jeff Dacus
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Reviews Posted on

Stark: The Life and Wars of John Stark, French and Indian War Ranger, Revolutionary War General

Book Review:  Stark: The Life and Wars of John Stark, French and Indian War Ranger, Revolutionary War General by Richard Polhemus and John Polhemus (Black Dome Press, 2014). 2015 marks the 240th anniversary of the beginning of American Revolution.   With the passage of time, many of the seminal figures that fought in those epic battles […]

by T. J. Johnson
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Interviews Posted on

Contributor Close-up: Thomas Fleming

About Thomas Fleming: Thomas Fleming is one of the most distinguished and productive historians and novelists of our time. He has written twenty nonfiction books that have won prizes and praise from critics and fellow historians, many with a special focus on the American Revolution. His twenty-three novels, many of them bestsellers, explore the lives […]

by Editors
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The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on

Murder Along the Creek: Taking a Closer Look at the Sugarloaf Massacre

On September 11, 1780, a detachment of forty-one Northampton County, Pennsylvania, militiamen was surprised by a force consisting of thirty Seneca warriors and Tories. When the fighting was over, fifteen American patriots lay dead on the ground.”[1] “As the summer of 1780 began to wane, a detachment of forty-one of the veteran Van Etten’s Company […]

by Thomas Verenna
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Primary Sources Posted on

5 Political Characters of Americans

The March 18, 1777 Pennsylvania Packet (Philadelphia) published an essay by “S.” that classified five political characters of Americans. The article was republished in the April 23 Connecticut Journal (New Haven) and is transcribed below: THE people of America with respect to their political characters may be divided into the five following classes. – 1. […]

by Editors
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Primary Sources Posted on

The Discharge

When a soldier’s term of service was complete, he was discharged. Besides having arrears of pay and other obligations resolved, he was given a document called, aptly enough, a discharge. This piece of paper was vitally important for the soldier, for it proved that he had departed the army legally and was not a deserter. […]

by Editors
Primary Sources Posted on

To the Sound of the Fife

So you’ve been elected Captain of the militia company of your small Massachusetts town in 1774, and now you’ve got to train your men. Where do you begin? Probably by sending to a Boston bookseller (maybe Henry Knox) for a copy of a militia training manual. Several were published in England during the French & […]

by Editors