In July, we hosted our eighth group interview series with several experts weighing in on a variety of questions. We also welcomed our 128th contributor, James E. Richmond, and unveiled several new t-shirt designs in our JAR shop. Our American Apparel tees are the smoothest and softest t-shirts you’ll ever wear. Made of fine jersey, they are a durable, vintage feel and known […]
Louis René Madeleine Le Vassor de Latouche-Tréville (1745-1804) commanded the French frigate l’Hermione which brought Maj. Gen. Marie Jean Paul Joseph du Motier Marquis de Lafayette (1757–1834) on his second voyage to America. L’Hermione returned to France on February 24, 1782, after the British surrender at Yorktown. King Louis XVI promoted de Latouche-Tréville to Commander […]
In May 1665, the separate colonies of New Haven and Connecticut joined to form the colony that later became the State of Connecticut. Each colony had laws requiring military training.[1] The oldest book of Connecticut laws I have been able to view is that of 1715, a reprint of the 1702 Acts and Laws.[2] These […]
Daniel Morgan’s victory over Banastre Tarleton at the Cowpens is one of the most celebrated battles of the revolutionary war. Some historians consider it the greatest tactical victory of the contest and the only time Patriot forces completely routed an army of British regulars in the field. Daniel Morgan’s synchronized use of militia, regulars, and […]
The war on the New York frontier did not end with Burgoyne’s surrender at Saratoga in October 1777. Year after year the conflict raged on, taking on the characteristics of a civil war. This conflict was not fought by grand armies facing off in titanic struggles, but rather initiated by British Loyalists garrisoned in western […]
On June 13, 1775, writing from Crown Point on Lake Champlain, Benedict Arnold reported to the Continental Congress that Britain had only 550 “effective men” guarding all of Canada. Further, according to his intelligence, “great numbers of the Canadians” were “determined to join us whenever we appear in the Country with any force to support […]
Book Review: The Public Universal Friend: Jemima Wilkinson and Religious Enthusiasm in Revolutionary America by Paul B. Moyer (Cornell University Press, 2015) [BUY ON AMAZON] Paul Moyer’s The Public Universal Friend explores the history of a particular sectarian movement in the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century. The connection to the American Revolution seems tenuous […]
On June 18, 1775, soon after learning that he had been chosen to lead the Continental Army, George Washington sat down to write a difficult letter to his wife, Martha, who was back home at Mount Vernon, to tell her about this unexpected change in circumstances and what it would mean for her: “… I […]
With helpful research from two stalwart Journal of the American Revolution authors, Todd Braisted and J. L. Bell, I have concluded that Richard Stockton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence for New Jersey, while not a traitor to the Patriot cause, should not be celebrated as a great Whig hero. New Jersey treats Stockton […]
Luckiest? Who should have bought a lottery ticket? Who benefited most from being in the right place at the right time? Explain. I believe the luckiest man in the Revolution by far was George Washington – not because he could have been killed a number of times in the war and wasn’t, but rather […]
Most famous weapon? What was the most popular, deadliest, strangest or most intimidating weapon of the Revolution? Why? There are many candidates, but my own favorite is Francis Marion’s use of a siege tower to force the surrender of Fort Watson in South Carolina in April 1781. Unable to assault the fort by conventional […]
Best counterpunch? What was the best or most effective return-action of the Revolution? A case where the Americans or British moved first, but the enemy reacted better. Explain. Major General Nathanael Greene’s decision after he lost the battle of Guilford Courthouse. Lord Cornwallis invaded Virginia, convinced that if he smashed the Revolution in that […]
Most shocking or unexpected moment of the Revolution? The most shocking moment unfolded slowly, not quickly. It was the shock the British got in late August and September 1781 when they realized that Washington had cleverly redistributed his forces to confront the British army in Virginia rather than attacking New York City. Washington’s deception […]
Biggest jerk of the Revolution? Who seemed to be the most despicable person of the era? Why? This award goes to Benedict Arnold, but not because he changed sides (lots of people did that); instead, the reasons are twofold: Regardless of his tactical skills and overall abilities on the battlefield, many of his peers […]
