As the Revolutionary War was coming to an end, financial problems came to the forefront: to name a few, the country’s debts to France, Spain, and Holland, the payment of war reparations, the establishment of public credit, the states’ inability to meet their financial requisitions, and the most immanent, back pay to the disbanding Continental […]
Book Review: The American Revolution: A World War, edited by David K. Allison and Larrie D. Ferreiro, (Smithsonian Books, 2018). BUY THIS BOOK FROM AMAZON For most students of the American Revolution, the dispute between England and the thirteen colonies occupies center stage. International involvement, such as alliance with France, is similarly viewed through the […]
In early 2017, the Washington Post debuted a new masthead with the motto “Democracy Dies in Darkness.” At about the same time, the New York Times announced a new advertising slogan: “The truth is more important now than ever.” With their new slogans, these papers hoped to renew their commitments to the value of truth and […]
On the first Friday of each month those who have Sirius XM radio can listen to “Revolution Road with the Journal of the American Revolution,” during the Dave Nemo Show, 7–11 AM Eastern on Sirius/XM146. This Friday, November 9, at 10 AM, Todd Braisted will be discussing the military role played by Loyalists supporting the […]
Coming up rapidly from behind the British privateer, the frigate suddenly lowered one national flag and raised another, the customary ruse of switching colors, swung about and unleashed a fury of cannon fire directly at the stern of the enemy ship. Although it had done its best to prepare for just such an attack, the […]
JAR: In a nutshell, can you give us a basic overview of The General’s Cook? RG: The General’s Cook is about George Washington’s enslaved chef, Hercules, a man who was known in his own time for his skills in the kitchen. I often call him America’s first celebrity chef. By period accounts, he was something like an […]
For the last two years or more I have been searching for written evidence from the life of Daniel Morgan—who in the twists, turns, and revolutions of his life was variously a homeless boy, teamster, rifleman, landowner, brigadier general, and U.S. congressman. As I track him, I have been following a trail blazed through the […]
When the Continental Congress first met it was intended to bring the American colonies together to find a solution to the growing disputes with Great Britain, mainly through protest, petitions and boycotts. When it convened again, the time for those measures had passed. On April 19, 1775 fighting between local militias and British regulars turned […]
“French Officers hate him” and “none of the English Officers . . . love him.”[1] The American Revolution produced the names of great individuals who performed distinguished deeds we treasure and honor today. As there are historical heroes, there are also antagonists with adversarial roles who fall into the category of “all but forgotten.” Among the […]
During the American Revolution children were no strangers to the realities of war, but some would find themselves in the very center of the action. One such case was that of Daniel Granger who began his service in the Continental Army at the age of thirteen. While sending sons and apprentices as substitutes upon receiving […]
Throughout the course of history, the ancient civilization of Rome has been widely discussed, praised, and emulated by writers, statesmen, and philosophers alike. Rome has no shortage of admirers, and arguably some of its most enthusiastic supporters were the American Founding Fathers who were enamoured of the Roman past largely because of Rome’s unique form […]
Book Review: Gibraltar: The Greatest Siege in British History by Roy Adkins and Lesley Adkins, (Viking, 2017). BUY THIS BOOK FROM AMAZON It is natural to think of the American Revolution in terms of events on the Atlantic coast of North America. But the American Revolution was a truly global war. King George III and […]
Many people involved in the American Revolution played but a short role in the long war. A John Babcock, for example, apparently served as an ensign in Capt. Peter Ruttan’s Company of the 4th Battalion, New Jersey Volunteers, but was taken prisoner previous to his actually being commissioned, and he never served again. All that […]
If not for a series of devastating hurricanes in the Caribbean Sea in 1780, George Washington might not have met Lord Cornwallis at the Battle of Yorktown and America may never have gained her independence. This serendipitous scenario comes to the fore in Nathaniel Philbrick’s fascinating new book In the Hurricane’s Eye: The Genius of […]
When George Washington died in 1799, partisan infighting and international crises threatened the survival of the American experiment. Many Americans believed in Washington’s unique ability to unite the country, and his death exacerbated national uncertainties. Enter Mason Locke Weems, whose contributions to Washington mythmaking dwarf those of any individual then or since. As national yearning […]
Our 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 destruction by ecological changes. Readers of the journal have asked how they can help. The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum is on the case, and while there are no guarantees of what will […]
Col. Edward Wigglesworth took part in some of the most consequential actions of the American Revolution, but, like so many such men, we know little about him. Happily, Wigglesworth left a diary which was once presumed lost, but has now has been found. The manuscript provides more details concerning Wigglesworth’s extraordinary military career. A Brief […]
Open warfare began in America in 1775, and the colonies declared independence from Great Britain in 1776. We asked our contributors to speculate on this critical time during the conflict: “What strategy could either side have used to win the war in 1776?” Eric Sterner The British might have shaken things up with a political […]
New Jersey is known as the “Crossroads of the Revolution” because its location between New York and Philadelphia, as well as its strategic importance for troop movements by both the British and Continental armies, made it a hot bed for Patriot and Loyalist activities. Fighting between these two groups in New Jersey became so intense […]
On the first Friday of each month those who have Sirius XM radio can listen to a new program, Revolution Road with the Journal of the American Revolution, as part of the Dave Nemo Show, 7–11 AM Eastern on Sirius/XM146. This Friday, October 5, at 8 AM, J.L. Bell will discuss the 250th anniversary of the […]
John Row was a British officer in the 9th Regiment of Foot, and he was in love with Jane Innes. For six years their courtship was maintained largely by correspondence due to separations caused by his military obligations. Dozens of their letters survive in the National Archives of Scotland, revealing a touching love story conflicting […]
In American history, the name James Grant became synonymous with advocacy for British supremacy in colonial matters. For much of Grant’s early military career, he was stationed in North America where he participated in the French and Indian War. His time spent on the continent allowed for him to form his own opinions on the […]
Book Review: Eliza Hamilton: The Extraordinary Life and Times of the Wife of Alexander Hamilton by Tilar Mazzeo (Simon and Schuster: 2018). BUY THIS BOOK FROM AMAZON In this intelligent and insightful biography, Eliza Hamilton: The Extraordinary Life and Times of the Wife of Alexander Hamilton, Tilar Mazzeo makes it nearly impossible for the reader not […]
Did you see the Volunteers! Did you see the Volunteers! Marching to parade Their hearts are true Their facings blue They are six feet high without a shoe Did you see the Volunteers! This popular song of the late eighteenth century could apply to any number of rebel uprisings then taking place. From France to […]
Over the years, historians have located about thirty first-hand accounts of the American expedition into Canada in the fall of 1775. These accounts detail the hardships encountered as the Americans marched through the wilderness in an attempt to capture the British stronghold at Quebec. There may be other journals that have not yet been discovered; […]
At nine o’clock on the morning of May 6, 1778, Continental soldiers at Valley Forge emerged from their huts to hear their regimental chaplains announce the American alliance with France. This was followed by the troops forming in ranks for a review by General George Washington, the firing of muskets by Washington’s guard, a thirteen-gun […]
On July 2, 1778, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts hanged Bathsheba Ruggles Spooner and Continental soldier Ezra Ross, together with British soldiers Sgt. James Buchanan and Pvt. William Brooks. They had been convicted of the murder of Bathsheba’s husband, Joshua Spooner, in “the most extraordinary crime ever perpetrated in New England.”[1] The trial was the first […]
The Revolutionary War was fought on a global scale, with six nation states engaged in battles across three continents and two oceans. Volunteers from many European nations came to the United States to fight alongside the American insurgents: Antoine Félix Wuibert and the Marquis de Lafayette from France, Jordi Farragut from Spain and Thaddeus Kosciuszko from Poland, to name […]
The Sugar Act of 1764 levied taxes on imports to British colonies in North America. In doing so, the act marked a change in British colonial policy—an empire-shaking change—from commercial and trade regulation only, to taxation by Parliament. There was an earlier Sugar Act that established a foundation for the act of 1764. The First […]
Through 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 the taverns and drawing rooms of Philadelphia. Fifty-five American politicians were writing a new charter of government for the United States, the Constitution. They produced the longest-surviving constitutional republic in human […]
George Washington surrounded himself with the best and the brightest young men involved in the revolutionary cause. Alexander Hamilton, Tench Tilghman, Robert Harrison, the Marquis de Lafayette, James McHenry, and John Fitzgerald were a few of the talented people that served alongside Washington in his “family” at various times. One of them, John Laurens of […]
Books are an important resource for any researcher. As approaches to the interpretation of history change and new primary source material comes to light, books can become dated. However, some books have value much longer than others. With this in mind, we asked JAR contributors: “Which book published between 1800 and 1950 do you still […]
On my way to Boston’s Logan Airport a while ago a taxi driver pointed towards Boston Harbor and started telling me about a Revolutionary War monument located behind South Boston High School. As an Irish-American transplant from Chicago, green-colored Red Sox hats and the reputation of the South Boston Irish are very real manifestations of […]
Eric Sterner is a writer and historian living in Northern Virginia, who has worked primarily in the fields of national security and aerospace policy for both the government and private sector. He served at the Department of Defense and NASA during the Bush Administration and held senior staff positions for the Committee on Science and […]
During the American Revolution, hundreds of civilians and military men on both sides were killed or injured by accidents. A number of these occurred during occasions which were supposed to be joyous. One of the earliest was Robert Jewell. Samuel Rowland Fisher heard of his death in 1781, and remembered he had been keeper of […]
In 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 enlisted properly as a soldier in the first place? Had he been paid and provided clothing in accordance with his enlistment contract? Did he have a good reason for his absence? […]
Desertion was a capital crime, but it was up to a general court martial, a board of thirteen officers, to determine the defendant’s guilt and assign a punishment. In today’s trial, see if you agree with the court’s decision. The court considered several factors to determine guilt: was the man enlisted properly as a soldier […]
If a British soldier was absent without leave, he might be charged with desertion; if caught, he could be tried by a general court martial, a board of thirteen officers. The court looked at many factors in deciding guilt and sentencing punishment. In today’s trial, see if you agree with the court’s verdict and sentence. The […]
In this second trial, see if you agree with the court’s verdict and sentence. In determining guilt, the officers of the general court martial considered whether the man enlisted properly as a soldier in the first place, whether he been paid and provided clothing in accordance with his enlistment contract, and whether he had a […]
