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The Trials of Allegiance
byThe Trials of Allegiance: Treason, Juries, and the American Revolution by Carlton F. W. Larson (New York : Oxford University Press, 2019) Whether you describe the…
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This Week on Dispatches: John E. Happ on the Role of Pierre-Augustin Beaumarchais in American Independence
byOn this week’s Dispatches host Brady Crytzer interviews JAR contributor John E. Happ on the enigmatic Pierre-Augustin Beaumarchais. Best known today for his plays, The…
A Moonlighting British Army Surgeon
byDuring the American War of Independence, the British Army officer corps routinely relegated its surgeons and physicians to a secondary status among its ranks….
2
Starting from Scratch: Combating “the Itch”
byAlthough it may not have been fatal, scabies brought more patients to British Army hospitals during the Seven Years’ War than any other condition,…
The JAR Annual Volumes, Now All Back in Stock
byWe are pleased to announce that all six of the on-going series of uniform annual volumes, beginning with 2015, are now once again available….
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The Marauder and Malefactor of Maine
byThe vast eastern province of Massachusetts, now the state of Maine, was the site of some important military events during the Revolutionary War. Several…
2
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The 10 Key Campaigns of the American Revolution
byThe 10 Key Campaigns of the American Revolution edited by Edward G. Lengel (Washington, D.C: Regnery, 2020). Edward Lengel begins this book with a remarkable…
This Week on Dispatches: Alex White on the Revolutionary Story of Thomas White
byOn this week’s Dispatches host Brady Crytzer interviews JAR contributor and University of Wisconsin-Madison employee Alex White on discovering his ancestor’s experience as an officer…
2
Oscar Bredenberg and the Lost Battle of Valcour Island Letter
byOne of the greatest thrills for any historian is coming upon an important but little-known document, either through one’s own research or the work…
7
Ethan Allen’s Mysterious Defeat at Montreal—Reconsidered
byOn September 25, 1775, three weeks into the American invasion of Canada, the legendary Ethan Allen fought a fierce battle outside Montreal with about…
John Paul Jones and Thaddeus Kosciuszko: Encounter in Warsaw 1789
byDuring September–October 1789, two heroes of the American War of Independence, both members of the Society of Cincinnati, were in the Polish capital of…
The American Revolution in Alexandria, Virginia: Upheaval in George Washington’s Hometown
byAlexandria, Virginia, is well known as George Washington’s hometown, but its role during the American Revolution is not widely understood. Like the rest of…
Britain’s Last Throw of the Dice Begins—the Charlestown Campaign of 1780
byBy the close of 1779 British possessions in the revolted colonies were confined in the north to New York City, Long Island, and Penobscot….
This Week on Dispatches: Robert Scott Davis on Margaret Eustace and the American Revolution
byOn this week’s Dispatches host Brady Crytzer interviews historian, author, and JAR contributor Robert Scott Davis on Georgian socialite and possible British spy, Margaret Eustace,…
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The Outlaw Cornelius Hatfield: Loyalist Partisan of the American Revolution
byThe war for all practical purposes was over when hostilities ended with a cease fire negotiated by the Americans, British, French, and Spanish in…
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“Virginia Makes the Poorest Figure of Any State”: The Virginia Infantry at the Valley Forge Encamplent, 1777–1778
by“Virginia Makes the Poorest Figure of Any State”: The Virginia Infantry at the Valley Forge Encampment, 1777-1778 by Joseph Lee Boyle (Clearfield, 2019) Joseph Lee…
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Ranking American Revolution Films and Television
byGiven movies and television are the great American art form, the American Revolution has been poorly served by filmmakers. Though it was one of…
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Colonel Henry Jackson Accused by His Junior Officers of Misconduct at the Battle of Monmouth Court House
byIn my study of Major General Charles Lee, who commanded Continental Army troops at the fascinating Battle of Monmouth Court House, I argue that…
This Week on Dispatches: Bridget Barbara on Retracing the Steps of Benedict Arnold and John André
byOn this week’s Dispatches host Brady Crytzer interviews video producer and JAR contributor Bridget Barbara on her recent video following footsteps of John André and…
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A Demographic View of North Carolina Militia and State Troops, 1775–1783
byAfter nearly a quarter of a millennium, what do we really know about the militia and state troops that served during the Revolutionary War?…
Thomas Pownall, Governor of Massachusetts, January 1759–1760
byOn May 7, 1757, Thomas Pownall sailed from England for Boston to take his post as the governor of Massachusetts. Aboard the ship was…
The Battle of Shallow Ford, October 14, 1780
byIn September 1780, writing from Hillsborough, North Carolina, just one month after the disastrous defeat at Camden, Maj. Gen. Horatio Gates penned a disconcerted…
1
Clarifying Beaumarchais
byAt the dawn of the American Revolution, France and Britain had been coexisting under a treaty of friendship since about 1765. Traded like properties…
This Week on Dispatches: Damien Cregeau on Ten Revolutionary War Patriot Graves
byOn this week’s Dispatches host Brady Crytzer interviews historian and JAR contributor Damien Cregeau about ten notable graves and memorials honoring Patriots, from George Washington…
6
The Mysterious March of Horatio Gates
byFollowing the American surrender at Charleston on May 12, 1780, the Continental Army’s “Southern Department” was in disarray. Taken prisoner that day were 245…
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The Shores of Tripoli: A Strategy Game
byThe Shores of Tripoli: A Strategy Game by Kevin Bertram (Fort Circle Games: Washington, DC) Recently I was fortunate to be asked to review a…
2
The British Invade Nicaragua: The San Juan Expedition
byAccording to Andrew Jackson O’ Shaughnessy, the San Juan Expedition was among “the most ambitious enterprises of the American Revolutionary War.”[1] In 1779, after Spain’s…
This Week on Dispatches: Rand Mirante on Fort Mifflin on the Delaware
byOn this week’s Dispatches host Brady Crytzer interviews author and JAR contributor Rand Mirante on the history of Fort Mifflin, the Revolutionary War-era fort on…
6
What Killed Prisoners of War?—A Medical Investigation
byEditor’s Note: This article contains graphic medical descriptions. Throughout the Revolutionary War, prisoners learned that dysentery accompanied starvation. Confined to the prison ship Jersey in…
2
Battle of the Saintes
byWe often think that the Siege of Yorktown, Virginia, and the surrender ceremony of October 19, 1781, was the effective end to fighting in…
4
Contributor Close-Up: Timothy Symington
byWhat inspired you to start researching and writing about the Revolution? I have always had a desire to learn about history. I was the…
5
The First Efforts to Limit the African Slave Trade Arise in the American Revolution: Part 3 of 3, Congress Bans the African Slave Trade
byIn October 1774, in a stunning and radical move, delegates of the First Continental Congress signed a pledge for the thirteen mainland colonies not…
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The First Efforts to Limit the African Slave Trade Arise in the American Revolution: Part 2 of 3, The Middle and Southern Colonies
byThe first article of this series discussed the increasing chorus of American Patriots in New England raising their voices against the African slave trade….
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The First Efforts to Limit the African Slave Trade Arise in the American Revolution: Part 1 of 3, The New England Colonies
byThe American Revolution changed the way Americans viewed one of the world’s great tragedies: the African slave trade. The long march to end the…
This Week on Dispatches: Philip D. Weaver on the Jersey Greys of 1776
byOn this week’s Dispatches host Brady Crytzer interviews author and JAR contributor Philip D. Weaver on his research on the 3rd New Jersey Regiment, the…
4
Joseph Plumb Martin’s Hunger Games
byNot all primary sources are created equal. We venerate the Lives of the Twelve Caesars by Suetonius for providing us with a contemporary history…
4
From Prisoner to Schoolmaster: The Revolutionary War Story of Lt. Thomas White
byThomas White, a twenty-two-year-old farmer in Chester County, Pennsylvania, answered the call to fight for the establishment of a new nation. The choice altered…
3
Volunteer Overload: Foreign Support of the American Cause Prior to the French Alliance
byAside from being outmanned by the best army in the world when the American Revolution started, it was clear that the American forces were…
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Contributor Question: A Favorite Witty Quote from the Revolutionary Era
byThis month we asked our contributors for their favorite witty quote from the era of the American Revolution. The responses are widely varied and…