Cornwallis Quits Charlotte, Abandoning the Autumn Campaign of 1780
byThis article is a companion piece to one of mine that appeared in this journal on July 18, 2017. Beginning with the start of the…
1
Their Pockets Filled with Paper Dollars: The Raid on Little Ferry
byDuring the American Revolution, Bergen County, New Jersey, was flooded with combatants from all over America, many of whom had never been to the…
2
This Week on Dispatches: Rick Atkinson on The British Are Coming
byOn this week’s Dispatches host Brady Crytzer interviews Pulitzer-prize winning author Rick Atkinson about his latest book, the best-selling The British are Coming: The War…
13
Historic Structures and Sites Worth Preserving?
byA recent article mentioned Sidman’s Tavern in New Jersey, a building with strong connections to the American Revolution that is under threat of destruction….
1
Major Lawrence Washington of Mount Vernon
byMuch has been written about George Washington’s lack of formal education and his eager grasp of learning from other men, especially those of status…
This Week on Dispatches: J. L. Bell on Truths and Myths of the Declaration of Independence
byOn this week’s Dispatches host Brady Crytzer interviews author and historian J. L. Bell on the Declaration of Independence and which stories surrounding the document…
2
The Penobscot Expedition of 1779
byFor much of the Revolutionary War, the relative obscurity and isolation of the three Massachusetts counties of York, Cumberland, and Lincoln along the coast…
3
10
Small Boats and Daring Men: Raiding, Irregular Warfare, and the Early American Navy
bySmall Boats and Daring Men: Maritime Raiding, Irregular Warfare, and the Early American Navy by Benjamin Armstrong (University of Oklahoma Press, 2019) In the…
Jacob Duché: Mixing Religion and Politics During the Revolution
byIn a country in which one of the main constitutional principles is separation of church and state, it is counter-intuitive to find that there…
3
“That Damned Absurd Word Liberty:” Les Habitants, the Quebec Act, and American Revolutionary Ideology, 1774–1776
byThe American invasion of Quebec of 1775-1776 failed to achieve its primary objective: to bring into the fold what the Continental Congress referred to…
This Week on Dispatches: Andrew Waters on the Campaign in the Carolinas
byOn this week’s Dispatches host Brady Crytzer interviews JAR contributor Andrew Waters on the course of the campaign through the Carolinas, including Cowpens and other key…
8
The Tragedy of Henry Laurens
byIt wasn’t really their fault, they said. Slavery, men of the founding generation liked to argue, was brought to the colonies by Britain. It…
1
A General’s Funeral: The Burial of Enoch Poor Revisted
byIn the May 30, 2016 issue of this Journal, Todd W. Braisted introduced us to General Enoch Poor of New Hampshire, his death, and…
8
The American Revolutionary War in the South
byThe American Revolutionary War in the South: A Re-evaluation from a British Perspective in Light of the Cornwallis Papers by Ian Saberton (Grosvenor House Publishing…
This Week on Dispatches: Tristan J. New on Joseph Galloway’s Efforts for a Peaceful Resolution with Great Britain
byOn this week’s Dispatches host Brady Crytzer interviews budding scholar Tristan J. New about Joseph Galloway and his proposal for a peaceful political resolution with…
6
The Constitution Counted Free Women and Children—And It Mattered
byAs adopted by the Constitutional Convention, Article I, Section 2, Clause 3 of the Constitution mandated that the population numbers forming the basis for…
2
9
George Mason: The Founding Father Who Gave Us the Bill of Rights
byGeorge Mason: The Founding Father Who Gave Us the Bill of Rights by William Hyland, Jr. (Regnery, 2019) Most people have never heard of George…
9
“Monsr Dubuq,” the First French Officer to Serve the American Cause?
byTo historians of the American Revolution, the date of 1775 for French participation in the Patriot cause may seem incredible. The enigmatic “Monsr Dubuq,”…
1
“Under God:” Understanding its Revolutionary Usage
byThe words “under God” have been part of America’s fabric since its inception; any school child will recognize the words in the Pledge of…
This Week on Dispatches: John L. Smith, Jr. on John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and King Louis XVI together at Notre-Dame
byOn this week’s Dispatches host Brady Crytzer interviews actor, teacher, US Army and US Air Force veteran, and JAR contributor, John L. Smith, Jr., about…
1
Strange Bedfellows: Adams and Franklin as Diplomatic Duo
byClose the window. No, leave the window open. Cold night air can be toxic to one’s health. No, what’s truly toxic is stifled, fetid…
13
9
“The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret”: George Washington, Slavery, and the Enslaved Community at Mount Vernon
by“The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret”: George Washington, Slavery, and the Enslaved Community at Mount Vernon by Mary V. Thompson (Charlottesville, VA: University of…
10
The Last Vestige of the Clove Road
byWith no actionable intelligence, General Washington had to guess where British Maj. Gen. William Howe was taking his army. So in July 1777, he…
9
Midsummer 1780 in the Carolinas and Georgia—Events predating the Battle of Camden
byBesides dealing with events elsewhere, this article relates in particular the plight of the Carolina loyalists and the way in which British ascendancy in…
This Week on Dispatches: Philip D. Weaver on the Court-Martial of New York Captain Joel Pratt
byOn this week’s Dispatches host Brady Crytzer interviews JAR contributor, independent researcher, and living historian Philip D. Weaver on the story of New York Captain…
2
The Braunschweig : A German-Flagged Ship on Lake Champlain, 1777?
by“The Radeau was magnificently decked out today; from her two masts were flying the English flag and in honor of the nation of Braunschweig,…
1
8
Cabal!: The Plot Against General Washington
byCabal! The Plot Against General Washington by Mark Edward Lender (Westholme, 2019) While the winter at Valley Forge is ingrained in American lore, less…
4
Les Habitants: Collaboration and Pro-American Violence in Canada, 1774–1776
byThe fleeting invasion of Canada in 1775, though often consigned to a bit-part in the American Revolutionary drama, proved vital to the emergence of…
1
Contributor Close Up: Kelly Mielke
byA lifelong lover of history, Kelly Mielke lives in Charleston, South Carolina, with her husband, four cats, dog, and horse. Passionate about academic pursuits,…
This Week on Dispatches: Charles H. Lagerbom on HMS Albany and Henry Mowatt
byOn this week’s Dispatches host Brady Crytzer interviews historian and archaeologist Charles H. Lagerbom about the British sloop-of-war HMS Albany and its captain Henry Mowatt, known for…
2
The Declaration of Independence: The Twenty-Seven Grievances
byThe Declaration of Independence included twenty-seven specific grievances about the conduct of the King and British government. We asked our contributors to choose one…
4
10
Quarters: The Accommodation of the British Army and the Coming of the American Revolution
byQuarters: The Accommodation of the British Army and the Coming of the American Revolution by John Gilbert McCurdy (Cornell University Press, 2019) Question: “Why did…
The Declaration of Independence: Did John Hancock Really Say That about his Signature?—and Other Signing Stories
byWhen we picture the Declaration of Independence, most of us immediately think of the document handwritten on parchment and signed at the bottom by…
5
Benedict Arnold and James Wemyss: Similar Experiences Contrasting Legacies
byOften, a person’s legacy is defined by decisions made at pivotal moments rather than a lifetime of previous accomplishments. The is especially true for…
This Week on Dispatches: Michael Gadue on Naval Strategies of the Saratoga Campaign
byOn this week’s Dispatches host Brady Crytzer interviews law professor and US Army officer Michael Gadue about naval strategies during the Saratoga campaign, including the construction of…
2
David Holmes, Timothy Barnard, and Questionable Loyalties
byWith the Revolutionary War in full swing by August 1776, George Galphin penned a letter to his nephew, Timothy Barnard. Galphin started his letter…
4
9
The Consequences of Loyalism
byThe Consequences of Loyalism: Essays in Honor of Robert M. Calhoon edited by Rebecca Brannon and Joseph S. Moore (University of South Carolina Press, 2019)…
A Chink in Britain’s Armor: John Paul Jones’s 1778 Raid on Whitehaven
byJohn Paul Jones has earned enduring fame in American history for his sailing and fighting exploits during the American Revolution. His influence on the…
1
Thomas Fletchall’s Association: A Loyalist Proclamation in the South Carolina Backcountry
byThomas Fletchall was a man of considerable influence in the South Carolina backcountry. Born in Maryland in 1725, Fletchall and his family relocated to…