December 2018 - Journal of the American Revolution

Reviews Posted on December 31, 2018December 30, 2018

Frontier Rebels: The Fight for Independence in the American West, 1765–1776

Frontier Rebels: The Fight for Independence in the American West, 1765-1776, by Patrick Spero (W.W. Norton & Company, 2018) In most standard histories of the Revolution, affairs in the west are often seen, somewhat understandably, as little more than a sideshow to the rebellion that unfolded on the eastern seaboard. Recent years, however, have fortunately […]

by Joshua Shepherd

Maps and Cartography Posted on December 27, 2018December 23, 2018

Rediscovering British Surveyor John Hills

While conducting research for my essay on General Washington’s plight in the New Jersey short hills in the spring of 1777, I was fortunate to have stumbled upon a series of maps held at the David Library of the American Revolution in Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania. These maps, twenty reprinted copies in all, focus attention on the New […]

by Adam E. Zielinski

Conflict & War Posted on December 20, 2018December 20, 2018

The Loyalist Declaration of Dependence, 1776

Our ancestors often believed in fate, and so do I. It was fate one day that brought me to the Fraunces Tavern in New York City. Fate that day that the waiter overheard me talking to my daughter. Fate that that same waiter told me of the museum on the top floor of the Fraunces […]

by Sandra McNamara

Conflict & War Posted on December 18, 2018January 23, 2020

The Treaty of Fort Pitt, 1778: The First U.S.–American Indian Treaty

In June 1777, Henry Hamilton, the British lieutenant governor for Quebec and Superintendent for Indian Affairs at Detroit, held a council at Detroit with all who would attend. His goal was simple: mobilize the western Indian nations to attack Americans all along the Ohio frontier, just as the Six Nations were doing along the northern […]

by Eric Sterner

Features Posted on December 17, 2018December 16, 2018

Recognizing the Skirmish at Kemp’s Landing

November 10, 1775 was an important day in both Great Britain and America. Lord George Germain assumed duties as the Secretary of State for the American Department—“he was virtually War minister in the British cabinet”—and the Continental Congress authorized two battalions of marines, giving birth to the United States Marine Corps.[1] Two hundred and forty-three […]

by Patrick H. Hannum

Conflict & War Posted on December 13, 2018December 8, 2018

Patrick Ferguson and His Rifle

Maj. Patrick Ferguson’s rifle is one of the most interesting and significant early attempts at a breech-loading service rifle. Coupling a screw breech plug with rifling, Ferguson’s rifle was said to be capable of an impressive seven rounds per minute. Most importantly it has the distinction of being the first breech-loading rifle adopted for service […]

by Matthew Moss

Features Posted on December 11, 2018December 9, 2018

Putting a Price on Loyalty: Mary Loring’s List of Losses

The Revolutionary War took a heavy toll on Great Britain. The Treaty of Paris in 1783 left it not just bereft of former colonies but militarily humiliated, politically divided, and financially straightened. The cost of the eight-year war had averaged £12 million per annum and left the Treasury with a national debt of £250 million.[1] […]

by John Knight

Conflict & War Posted on December 10, 2018December 8, 2018

Hammond’s Store: The “Dirty War’s” Prelude to Cowpens

Little is known about the colonial-era history of Hammond’s Store, though the site appears to have been a local meeting place prior to the American Revolution. A 1775 proclamation of South Carolina’s Second Provincial Congress listed “Hammond’s old store” as the election polling place for the newly established “Little River” electoral district.[1] A letter from […]

by Andrew Waters

Culture Posted on December 6, 2018December 5, 2018

Henry Laurens in England, 1771–1772

On October 9, 1771, a ship arrived at the southwestern tip of England. The Earl of Halifax had spent twenty nine days crossing the Atlantic from New York, and now its captain and crew peered at the shore to find the entrance to Falmouth harbor. The sun was going down in the west, but the sails […]

by Will Monk

Features Posted on December 4, 2018December 3, 2018

Stephen Moylan: More than a War Hero

Serving on George Washington’s staff were many talented young men, including some who became famous later. Alexander Hamilton served on the staff ably for several years; his extraordinary career has earned him a place in theatrical history. Joseph Reed became president of Pennsylvania’s Supreme Executive Council, Thomas Mifflin was the first governor of Pennsylvania and […]

by Jeff Dacus

Conflict & War Posted on December 3, 2018December 2, 2018

The Extraordinary Life of Isaac Grant of Judea, Connecticut

The old man stepped out into the sun, shut his door, and turned north, leaving his home in Gainesville, New York, for the county seat in Batavia; a roundtrip journey that would take him a few days and near fifty miles. Luckily, the weather was cool and clear for the middle June, and he had […]

by Michael J. F. Sheehan

Month: December 2018