Washington in the Hurricane’s Eye: An Interview with Nathaniel Philbrick
byIf not for a series of devastating hurricanes in the Caribbean Sea in 1780, George Washington might not have met Lord Cornwallis at the…
Revisiting the Prayer at Valley Forge
byWhen George Washington died in 1799, partisan infighting and international crises threatened the survival of the American experiment. Many Americans believed in Washington’s unique…
Help Save the Spitfire
byOur article about Edward Wigglesworth’s diary has brought a lot of attention to the Spitfire gunboat, a well-preserved Revolutionary War warship that is in danger of…
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Finding Edward Wigglesworth’s Lost Diary
byCol. Edward Wigglesworth took part in some of the most consequential actions of the American Revolution, but, like so many such men, we know…
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What Strategy Could Either Side Have Used to Win the War in 1776?
byOpen warfare began in America in 1775, and the colonies declared independence from Great Britain in 1776. We asked our contributors to speculate on…
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Joshua Huddy: The Scourge of New Jersey Loyalists
byNew Jersey is known as the “Crossroads of the Revolution” because its location between New York and Philadelphia, as well as its strategic importance…
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Revolution Road with the Journal of the American Revolution
byOn the first Friday of each month those who have Sirius XM radio can listen to a new program, Revolution Road with the Journal…
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John Row and Jenny Innes
byJohn Row was a British officer in the 9th Regiment of Foot, and he was in love with Jane Innes. For six years their…
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James Grant’s American Confession
byIn American history, the name James Grant became synonymous with advocacy for British supremacy in colonial matters. For much of Grant’s early military career,…
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Eliza Hamilton: The Extraordinary Life and Times of the Wife of Alexander Hamilton
byBook Review: Eliza Hamilton: The Extraordinary Life and Times of the Wife of Alexander Hamilton by Tilar Mazzeo (Simon and Schuster: 2018). BUY THIS BOOK…
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Aunt Flora Remembers the Irish Rebellion of 1798
byDid you see the Volunteers! Did you see the Volunteers! Marching to parade Their hearts are true Their facings blue They are six feet…
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The Lost Journal of Private Freeman Judd
byOver the years, historians have located about thirty first-hand accounts of the American expedition into Canada in the fall of 1775. These accounts detail…
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A Loyalist’s Response to the Franco-American Alliance: Charles Inglis’s “Papinian” Essays
byAt nine o’clock on the morning of May 6, 1778, Continental soldiers at Valley Forge emerged from their huts to hear their regimental chaplains…
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The Most Extraordinary Murder
byOn July 2, 1778, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts hanged Bathsheba Ruggles Spooner and Continental soldier Ezra Ross, together with British soldiers Sgt. James Buchanan…
Our Man in Minorca: Lewis Littlepage, American Volunteer with the Spanish Armed Forces
byThe Revolutionary War was fought on a global scale, with six nation states engaged in battles across three continents and two oceans. Volunteers from…
The Sugar Act: A Brief History
byThe Sugar Act of 1764 levied taxes on imports to British colonies in North America. In doing so, the act marked a change in…
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Who Picked the Committees at the Constitutional Convention?
byThrough four months in the summer of 1787, passionate arguments over political principles filled the Pennsylvania State House while hard-nosed political horse-trading buzzed in…
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The Glorious Career and Unfortunate Death of John Laurens
byGeorge Washington surrounded himself with the best and the brightest young men involved in the revolutionary cause. Alexander Hamilton, Tench Tilghman, Robert Harrison, the…
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Books from the Past: A Question for JAR Contributors
byBooks are an important resource for any researcher. As approaches to the interpretation of history change and new primary source material comes to light,…
The Dorchester Heights Memorial, South Boston, and the Celebration of Evacuation Day
byOn my way to Boston’s Logan Airport a while ago a taxi driver pointed towards Boston Harbor and started telling me about a Revolutionary…
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Contributor Close-up: Eric Sterner
byEric Sterner is a writer and historian living in Northern Virginia, who has worked primarily in the fields of national security and aerospace policy…
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Dying to Celebrate
byDuring the American Revolution, hundreds of civilians and military men on both sides were killed or injured by accidents. A number of these occurred…
Guilty of Desertion? James White, 7th (Royal Fusiliers) Regiment
byIn today’s trial, see if you agree with the court’s verdict and sentence. In determining guilt, the court considered several factors: was the man…
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Guilty of Desertion? Daniel Holliwell, 33rd Regiment of Foot
byDesertion was a capital crime, but it was up to a general court martial, a board of thirteen officers, to determine the defendant’s guilt…
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Guilty of Desertion? Hubert Römer, 22nd Regiment of Foot
byIf a British soldier was absent without leave, he might be charged with desertion; if caught, he could be tried by a general court…
Guilty of Desertion? John Sullivan, 5th Regiment of Foot
byIn this second trial, see if you agree with the court’s verdict and sentence. In determining guilt, the officers of the general court martial…
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Guilty of Desertion? Charles Hanley, 4th (King’s Own) Regiment
byThis week JAR Editor Don N. Hagist presents the testimony from five British desertion trials held during the American Revolution. For each trial, see…
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Communities Divided: Massachusetts, January to March 1775
byOn January 1, 1775, Charles Stockbridge visited his neighbor’s house in Hanover, Massachusetts, twenty five miles south of Boston. He heard a rumor that…
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The Counterbalance: Explaining James Madison
byThe charge was leveled often in his own time, as it has been ever since: James Madison is and was a hypocrite—a man inconstant…
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Founding Martyr: The Life and Death of Dr. Joseph Warren, the American Revolution’s Lost Hero
byBook Review: Founding Martyr: The Life and Death of Dr. Joseph Warren, the American Revolution’s Lost Hero by Christian Di Spigna (Crown Publishing: 2018)….
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Skulking Shots on the Flank: The Skirmish at Cane Creek
byThe October 7, 1780 Battle of Kings Mountain is likely familiar to those even casually interested in the American Revolution. For those who look…
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The American Farmer in the Eighteenth Century: A Social and Cultural History
byBook Review: The American Farmer in the Eighteenth Century: A Social and Cultural History by Richard L. Bushman (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, May…
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The Death and Resurrection of Major John Andre
byJohn Andre’s body hung in silence for thirty minutes before being taken down. It was placed carefully in a simple open coffin crudely painted…
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New Additions to the JAR Team
byManaging Editor Don N. Hagist is pleased to announce two new additions to the Journal of the American Revolution’s editorial team. Adrian Rutt, who most…
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A Visit to Old Fort Mercer on the Delaware
byA motorist travelling northbound through New Jersey along Interstate 295, which tracks the east bank of the Delaware River from the Delaware Memorial Bridge,…
A Second Bonaparte: Searching for the Character of Alexander Hamilton
byThomas Jefferson, that American Sphinx,[1] is perhaps Alexander Hamilton’s only rival within the high pantheon of the founding generation for enigma. Hamilton’s character recalls…
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Unlocking the Mystery of Ten Revolutionary Generals’ Signatures
byDocuments that contain the original signatures of more than one Continental Army general are rare. During the eight years of the Revolutionary War, generals…
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Young Washington: How Wilderness and War Forged America’s Founding Father
byBook review: Young Washington: How Wilderness and War Forged America’s Founding Father by Peter Stark (HarperCollins, 2018). BUY THIS BOOK FROM AMAZON Peter Stark’s…
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War Horses Gone Astray
byThe American Revolution’s armies got their horsepower from horses. These animals carried cavalrymen into battle, pulled cannons, carts and wagons of all description, hauled…