Month: December 2021

5
Critical Thinking Posted on

The Frankford Advice: “Place Virginia at the Head of Everything”

Since James Thomas Flexner’s 1974 Pulitzer recognition for his biography of George Washington, one of the axioms of the American founding is that the general, George Washington, was the “indispensable man.”[1] The selection, therefore, of Washington as the commander of the Continental Army was undoubtedly among the most critical decisions in the history of the […]

by Richard Gardiner
Loyalists Posted on

The Taking of the Shuldham, 1781

The fabulous news of the victory at Yorktown was announced in the small town of Stamford, Connecticut, on the coast of Long Island Sound on October 27, 1781. Surely steeple bells clamored and there were prayers of thanksgiving at the Congregational meetinghouses. Soldiers stationed in Stamford were marched to a small hill half a mile […]

by Selden West
5
Diaries and Journals Posted on

Christmas Day: A Soldier’s Holiday?

Soldiers’ celebrations depended on circumstances, personal beliefs, and family or community traditions. David DeSimone notes in his article “Another Look at Christmas in the Eighteenth Century”: [From the seventeenth century the] celebration of Christmas was outlawed in most of New England. Calvinist Puritans and Protestants abhorred the entire celebration and likened it to pagan rituals […]

by John Rees
4
Critical Thinking Posted on

A Demographic View of the North Carolina Continental Line, 1775–1783

Many North Carolina soldiers served in both the North Carolina militia/state troops and one of the state’s Continental regiments. To complement my study of the demographics of the militia and state troops, this article presents a detailed look at North Carolina Continental soldiers who served only in the North Carolina Continental Line. The North Carolina […]

by Douglas R. Dorney, Jr.
Logistics Posted on

The Management of Sequestered Estates in South Carolina, 1780–1782

On September 16, 1780, while at the Waxhaws on the northern border of South Carolina, Lt. Gen. Earl Cornwallis, the British General Officer commanding in the South, issued a proclamation appointing John Cruden to be the province’s Commissioner for Sequestered Estates. The reasons behind the proclamation and the purposes of it, together with Cruden’s role, […]

by Ian Saberton
2
Constitutional Debate Posted on

The Constitutional Authority of the Continental Congress

On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress declared America’s Independence from the British Empire. Approximately five years later, on March 1, 1781, Congress recorded Maryland’s procrastinated ratification of the Articles of Confederation and concomitantly gave them legal effect. The Articles of Confederation are generally regarded as America’s first Constitution, though in many respects they […]

by David Otersen
3
Logistics Posted on

Governor Jonathan Trumbull, Who Supplied Washington’s Suffering Army . . . and the French

Jonathan Trumbull, Senior is the most important governor in Connecticut’s long history. This is not only because of the many key contributions he made as a patriotic leader to his beloved state of Connecticut during the American Revolution, but just as importantly, what he contributed to help ease the suffering of soldiers under Gen. George […]

by Damien Cregeau
Features Posted on

This Week on Dispatches: Woody Holton on His New Book, Liberty is Sweet

On this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews Woody Holton, distinguished historian, professor at the University of South Carolina, and JAR contributor, about his new book, Liberty is Sweet. New episodes of Dispatches are available for free every Saturday evening (Eastern United States Time) on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Amazon Music, and the JAR Dispatches web site. Dispatches […]

by Editors
6
Constitutional Debate Posted on

Daniel Shays’s Honorable Rebellion

BOOK REVIEW: Daniel Shays’s Honorable Rebellion: An American Story by Daniel Bullen (Yardley, PA: Westholme, 2021) There is truth to the adage that history is told by the victors. It is no coincidence that we are taught that the rebellion named after Pelham, Massachusetts, farmer Daniel Shays was the event that led to the Constitutional Convention. Massachusetts […]

by Timothy Symington
3
Autobiography and Biography Posted on

The Last King of America: The Misunderstood Reign of King George III

BOOK REVIEW: The Last King of America: The Misunderstood Reign of King George III by Andrew Roberts (New York: Viking, 2021) In 1774, a colonial lawyer wrote an anonymous pamphlet summarizing the political relationship between Mother England and her North American colonies. He urged King George III to use his kingly prerogatives in support of […]

by Alec D. Rogers
Audiovisual Posted on

This Week on Dispatches: Bridget Barbara on Yorktown Videography

On this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews video producer, history enthusiast, and JAR contributor Bridget Barbara on her recent visit to the Yorktown Battlefield, Colonial National Historical Park and the Yorktown Museum of the American Revolution. New episodes of Dispatches are available for free every Saturday evening (Eastern United States Time) on iTunes, Stitcher, Google […]

by Editors
6
Battles Posted on

The Fruits of Victory: Loyalist Prisoners in the Aftermath of Kings Mountain

The Battle of Kings Mountain was fought on October 7, 1780 in the upcountry of South Carolina near the border with North Carolina. As the gunsmoke dissipated and Patriot officers rallied their men, they found themselves victorious and in possession of the mountain-top; but still in danger. British General Charles, Lord Cornwallis and his army […]

by William Caldwell