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 Documents Posted on

This Week on Dispatches: William W. Reynolds on the Yorktown Surrender Documents

On this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews JAR contributor William W. Reynolds on his examination of the surrender documents from Yorktown discovering differences between the original papers and subsequent copies. 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. […]

by Editors
6
Autobiography and Biography Posted on

The Significance of John Cadwalader

In 1776, John Cadwalader was a thirty-four-year-old merchant and prominent member of the Philadelphia gentry who had risen to command the volunteer militia known as the Philadelphia Associators. In his capacity as a militia colonel, he would play a distinctive—and today largely unappreciated—role in what historians have termed the “Ten Crucial Days” of the Revolutionary […]

by David Price
6
Primary Sources Posted on

Virginia’s 1775 Regular Company-level Military Force Structure

The graphic below outlines the force structure created by the Third Virginia Convention in August 1775 and identifies the district and county or counties where companies formed, unit commanders, and where and when the companies assembled, served or operated in 1775. The initial intent of this research was to identify the regular companies that served […]

by Patrick H. Hannum
8
Critical Thinking Posted on

Observations Concerning the Yorktown Surrender Documents

The surrender of the British Army at Yorktown in 1781 was implemented by the three-party Articles of Capitulation (“the Articles”), one of the most important documents of the Revolutionary War, since the surrender eventually led to the Peace of Paris (1783) and American independence. Curiosity as to the current location of the original Articles, i.e., […]

by William W. Reynolds
2
Books and Publications Posted on

One of the “Powers for Good in the World:” Mercy Otis Warren

Students of history will no doubt have John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin at the top of their mind when recalling the great leaders of early America and the story of American independence. The thoughtful and considered utility of the words contained within the Declaration of Independence and Constitution cannot be understated. […]

by James M. Deitch
Crime and Justice Posted on

This Week on Dispatches: Louis Arthur Norton on Justice, Deterrence, and Revenge during the American Revolution

On this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews emeritus professor of history and JAR contributor Louis Arthur Norton on the use of capital punishment and revenge killings as a penalty or deterrent for desertion, espionage, atrocities, or loyalty to one side or the other during the American Revolution. New episodes of Dispatches are available for free […]

by Editors
Prisoners of War Posted on

Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War

BOOK REVIEW: Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War by Friederike Baer (New York: Oxford University Press, 2022) Writing a detailed, authoritative account of the British Army’s German troops has always been a tough climb requiring a combination of several advanced skills. Much of the source material has remained untranslated into English either in whole or […]

by Richard F. Welch
2
Crime and Justice Posted on

Justice, Deterrence, and Fitful Revenge During the Revolutionary War

“War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it.”[1] The application of justice during the Revolutionary War deserves scrutiny. Historic records related to people condemned to death during this period reflect society’s norm for justice, deterrence, and often vengeance. Countless men on both sides of the conflict were executed for treachery, betrayal, or perfidy. Several examples […]

by Louis Arthur Norton
Battles Posted on

This Week on Dispatches: Colin Zimmerman on the Battle of Crosswicks

On this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews museum curator and JAR contributor Colin Zimmerman about the Battle of Crosswicks, New Jersey, a small but critical battle before the clash at Monmouth. 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 […]

by Editors
Letters and Correspondence Posted on

The Abdication(s) of King George III

On April 1, 2015, Queen Elizabeth II announced the creation of the Georgian Papers Programme. It is a ten-year project to transcribe, digitize, conserve, catalogue, and disseminate close to 425,000 pages related to England’s Hanoverian monarchs located in the Royal Archives at Windsor Castle. Most of the papers are personal and official correspondence—the remaining are […]

by Bob Ruppert
3
People Posted on

Leading Like the Swamp Fox: The Leadership Lessons of Francis Marion

BOOK REVIEW: Leading Like the Swamp Fox: The Leadership Lessons of Francis Marion by Kevin Dougherty and Steven D. Smith (Philadelphia: Casemate Publishers, 2022) The past decade has seen a resurgence of interest in Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion, the Continental officer turned partisan commander who, along with Thomas Sumter, Andrew Pickens, and several lesser-known officers, […]

by Jim Piecuch
5
Natural History Posted on

Top Ten Weather Interventions

“In war, as in medicine, natural causes not under our control, do much.” Gen. Horatio Gates wrote this about the terrain that so heavily influenced his victory at Saratoga in 1777. Another natural cause that heavily influenced events of the American Revolution was weather. Here are ten instances where unexpectedly uncooperative weather had a major […]

by Don N. Hagist
Culture Posted on

This Week on Dispatches: Aaron J. Palmer on the 1775 Duel between Henry Laurens and John Faucheraud Grimké

On this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews historian and JAR contributor Aaron J. Palmer on the social and political significance of the 1775 duel between the elite Henry Laurens and the up-start John Faucheraud Grimké. New episodes of Dispatches are available for free every Saturday evening (Eastern United States Time) on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Amazon […]

by Editors
Autobiography and Biography Posted on

Liberty’s Chain: Slavery, Abolition, and the Jay Family of New York

BOOK REVIEW: Liberty’s Chain: Slavery, Abolition, and the Jay Family of New York by David N. Gellman (Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 2022) America’s Founders are routinely criticized for creating a republic that tolerated, and often defended, African slavery, but at least one of the Founders, New York’s John Jay, inaugurated a family tradition of anti-slavery […]

by Jeff Broadwater
Espionage and Cryptography Posted on

This Week on Dispatches: Victor J. DiSanto on the Men Who Captured British Spy John André

On this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews museum professional and JAR contributor Victor J. DiSanto on his research into the men who captured British spy John André after his rendezvous with Benedict Arnold. New episodes of Dispatches are available for free every Saturday evening (Eastern United States Time) on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Amazon Music, and […]

by Editors
1
Natural History Posted on

The Great Hurricane(s) of 1780

The most common storm that the British navy and army encountered at sea and on land during the American War of Independence was the nor’easter. Nor’easters usually develop in the latitudes between Georgia and New Jersey within 100 miles east or west of the East Coast. These storms Progress generally northeastward and typically attain maximum […]

by Bob Ruppert
Interviews Posted on

This Week on Dispatches: Nancy Rubin Stuart on Benjamin Franklin’s Unconventional Marriage to Deborah Read

On this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews best-selling author and historian Nancy Rubin Stuart on what made Benjamin Franklin and Deborah Read’s marriage one of the more unusual among prominent Americans of the Revolutionary era. New episodes of Dispatches are available for free every Saturday evening (Eastern United States Time) on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Amazon […]

by Editors
4
Constitutional Debate Posted on

Insurrection and Speculation: A Farmer, Financier, and a Surprising “Sharper” Seeded the Constitution

The January 6, 2021 assault on the Capital rocked America, but it was by no means the largest, or even the most threatening, armed rebellion in the post-Revolutionary War era. In 1786 and 1787, Daniel Shays, a middle-class farmer and decorated Continental Army captain, was one of several leaders of as many as four thousand […]

by Scott M. Smith