*** All JAR Articles ***

People Posted on November 4, 2014August 28, 2016

Top 5 Foreign Continental Army Officers (Other Than Lafayette)

At the war’s outset, there was a dearth of proven military leadership within the thirteen colonies severely limiting the Continental Army’s ability to engage the British on equal terms. This paucity of military leadership was especially pronounced in the technical aspects of war including engineering, artillery and cavalry. To fill the void, the Continental Congress […]

by Gene Procknow

Techniques & Tech Posted on November 3, 2014August 28, 2016

The First Fight of Ferguson’s Rifle

In the spring of 1777, Washington and the Continental Army were encamped in the Blue Hills, now known as the Watchung Mountains, above the Scotch Plains at Morristown. Gen. Howe and the British army were stationed in New York City, on Staten Island, and at posts throughout New Jersey. The armies’ foraging parties skirmished in […]

by Bob Ruppert

News Posted on October 31, 2014August 28, 2016

The Incredibly Convoluted History of Westmoreland County, Connecticut

In 1662, Charles II, the restored monarch of Great Britain, issued a charter for the founding of Connecticut. The colony’s borders were delineated as spreading from Narragansett Bay in the east to the “South Sea on the West.” Later the colony of New York took exception to this clause, and the two colonies battled over […]

by Jackson Kuhl

People Posted on October 28, 2014August 28, 2016

Three Brave British Army Wives

Some time ago we saw the story of Mrs. Middleton, the wife of a British soldier, who took several Americans prisoner at the battle of Trois Rivieres in 1776.[1] Mrs. Middleton was one of several thousand wives who accompanied their British soldier husbands to America, or married them in America, and experienced the hardships and […]

by Don N. Hagist

The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on October 27, 2014August 28, 2016

Richard Pearis and the Mobilization of South Carolina’s Backcountry Loyalists

When British Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton began operations against Charleston in March 1780, he decided not to call upon the Loyalists in the South Carolina backcountry to assist him. Although employing Loyalists to aid the regular army was a key element of British strategy in the South, Clinton believed that they would be endangered […]

by Jim Piecuch

Arts & Literature Posted on October 24, 2014August 28, 2016

10 Remarkable Runaway Ads

A frequent discovery when reading 18th Century newspapers is the runaway ads. In an era when people could be owned by or contractually bound to others, individuals who absconded were often advertised by their masters. These ads give us amazing descriptions of individuals and show the society’s remarkable diversity of physical attributes, demographics, personalities, situations […]

by Don N. Hagist

The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on October 23, 2014August 28, 2016

Why Did a Boston Mob Kill a French Officer?

Some twelve years ago, as I was walking along Boston’s Freedom Trail with my family, I noticed an obelisk and monument in the front yard of King’s Chapel. As I peered closer at it, I read the title to the inscription: In Memory of THE CHEVALIER DE SAINT SAUVEUR first Chamberlin of his Royal Highness, […]

by Christian McBurney

The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on October 22, 2014August 28, 2016

The Battle of Millstone

The Battle of Millstone in central New Jersey on 20 January 1777,[1] is a “local interest” battle, the kind that is often known only to locals and specialists, but on closer examination permits greater insight into other facets of the American Revolution. By one account, there were 1,331 military engagements in the war throughout the […]

by Steven M. Richman

Prewar Conflict (<1775) Posted on October 21, 2014August 28, 2016

The Battle of Golden Hill – Six Weeks Before the Boston Massacre

On June 4, 1766, the New York Sons of Liberty gathered in a field, later known as the Commons, to celebrate the birthday of the King and the repeal of the Stamp Act. They erected a large mast with twelve tar barrels at its top and twenty-five cords of wood at its base.[1] The crowd […]

by Bob Ruppert

Reviews Posted on October 20, 2014January 2, 2015

The New Nation: The Creation of the United States in Paintings and Eyewitness Accounts

Book Review: The New Nation: The Creation of the United States in Paintings and Eyewitness Accounts The art of Mort Künstler, text by Edward G. Lengel. Sterling Publishing, 2014, ISBN: 1-4549-0773-8, ISBN13: 9781454907732, 9×10 hardcover, 208 color pages. We learn history through documents, but pictures make it come alive. It is unfortunate that relatively few […]

by Don N. Hagist

People Posted on October 16, 2014August 28, 2016

The Partisan and the Queen’s Ranger

On November 6, 1779, Virginia major Henry Lee, commander of the Continental Army’s 2nd Partisan Corps, addressed a letter to British lieutenant colonel John Graves Simcoe, who eleven days before he had been trying to defeat in battle. “I am happy to hear by your polite reply to an offer dictated by the feelings of […]

by Benjamin Huggins

People Posted on October 15, 2014August 28, 2016

Allen McLane: Case Study in History and Folklore

The best portraits are perhaps those in which there is a slight mixture of caricature; and we are not certain that the best histories are not those in which a little of the exaggeration of fictitious narrative is judiciously employed. Something is lost in accuracy; but much is gained in effect. The fainter lines are […]

by Kim Burdick

People Posted on October 14, 2014August 28, 2016

Billy Flora at the Battle of Great Bridge

Billy Flora was cold. That was not surprising. He was crouched in the lee of a pile of shingles next to a burnt out building in the early hours of December 9, 1775, with a musket in his hands and a rime of ice forming in the marshes of the Great Dismal Swamp that lay […]

by Norman Fuss

Politics During the War (1775-1783) Posted on October 13, 2014August 28, 2016

The Three Documents that brought France into the War

In the spring of 1775, Arthur Lee, the American agent in London, attended a dinner party at the home of John Wilkes, an outspoken supporter of the rebellious American colonies. There Lee met Monsieur de Beaumarchais, the famous French playwright, satirist, and financier who had the ear of King Louis XV and now had the […]

by Bob Ruppert

The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on October 9, 2014August 28, 2016

Anthony Wayne’s 1782 Savannah Campaign

In the minds of many people the surrender at Yorktown in the fall of 1781 brought the Revolutionary War to a close. However, the war in the South was not over. Charleston and Savannah were occupied by the enemy. Physical possession and control of territory would be important in any peace negotiations. In consequence, Major […]

by Hugh T. Harrington

The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on October 8, 2014August 28, 2016

Fanning Outfoxes Marion

When news of Lord Cornwallis’s surrender at Yorktown on October 19, 1781 arrived in southeastern North Carolina well into November, the war there did not end. It did not end even after the British evacuated Wilmington on November 18, leaving local Tories without reliable supplies of ammunition. Instead, as William Ryan, a cavalry man under […]

by Hershel Parker

The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on October 7, 2014August 28, 2016

Three Dates, One Action? The Demarests at New Bridge, 1781

One of the finest sources for anecdotal, first-hand accounts of the Revolution is the U.S. Pension & Bounty Land Applications in the National Archives. They contain vivid snippets of military service, actions, genealogical information, social culture, and many other matters of 18th Century life. They can also be highly confusing and misleading when taken completely […]

by Todd W. Braisted

Reviews Posted on October 6, 2014February 16, 2015

The Return of George Washington 1783-1789

Book Review: The Return of George Washington 1783-1789 by Edward J. Larson. New York: William Morrow, 2014. Hardcover $29.99. ISBN 978-0-06-224867-1. Pp 384. Index, bibliography, illustrations. While mountains of books have been written about George Washington most have covered his wartime or presidential careers. Few have discussed in any depth the period between his remarkable […]

by Hugh T. Harrington

Critical Thinking Posted on October 2, 2014March 20, 2015

The Myth of “Granny Gates”

Earlier this year the AMC network aired a new series, Turn, about the Continental Army’s Culper Spy Ring, based on Alexander Rose’s book, Washington’s Spies. In one episode, the character of Benedict Arnold refers derisively to General Horatio Gates as “Granny Gates.” One might think it was a bit of literary license on behalf of […]

by Will Monk

People Posted on October 1, 2014August 28, 2016

Bartholomew von Heer and the Marechaussee Corps

Washington and the Continental Army spent the winter of 1777-78 at Valley Forge, twenty-five miles northwest of Philadelphia. On November 27, the Continental Congress decided to restructure the Board of War. Up to this point the Board was made up of delegates from the Continental Congress. With only seven members who elected Washington still sitting […]

by Bob Ruppert

News Posted on September 30, 2014August 28, 2016

Victory for the Georgia Refugees

Smallpox raged across the backcountry in the late spring of 1781 and both of the Refugee commanders, Elijah Clarke and James McCall, caught the disease. Clarke was out of action for a month while McCall never returned at all, having died from the disease in March. During his time in bed, Colonel Clarke put plans […]

by Wayne Lynch

Places Posted on September 25, 2014August 28, 2016

The Great West Point Chain

Control of the Hudson River was important strategically during the American Revolution. The river, along with lakes George and Champlain, was a potential invasion route from Canada. It also was a physical separator of the colonies. Men as well as supplies crossed the river. To split off the northern colonies from the South and interrupt […]

by Hugh T. Harrington

The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on September 24, 2014August 28, 2016

Button Gwinnett and Lachlan McIntosh Duel

Born in England in 1735, Button Gwinnett immigrated to Georgia in 1762 just before the Stamp Act Crisis brought political upheaval to the colonies.[1] Within a few years, he was well established and active in political affairs. Unfortunately, financial health did not follow and Gwinnett soon found himself with debts greater than the value of […]

by Wayne Lynch

Economics Posted on September 23, 2014August 28, 2016

The Currency Act: A Problem and a Solution

During the first half of the eighteenth century, there was a limited amount of specie or “hard money” in the American Colonies. There were three reasons for this: there were no established gold or silver mines; there was restrictive trade with the French and Spanish West Indies, and there were debt payments to the merchants […]

by Bob Ruppert

The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on September 22, 2014August 31, 2016

The Georgia Refugees Turn the Tide against the British

Busy with the Siege of Augusta and subsequent exodus from Georgia, Elijah Clarke and most of the Refugees missed the battle of King’s Mountain. Instead, they spent time in Watauga with the Overmountain Men helping guard against raids from the Cherokee while the local militia traveled to South Carolina and dealt Cornwallis a serious blow […]

by Wayne Lynch

Techniques & Tech Posted on September 18, 2014August 28, 2016

The Rise of Virginia’s Independent Militia

Like thousands of colonists in British North America, Virginians were alarmed in the summer of 1774 by news of Parliament’s harsh reaction to the Boston Tea Party (which occurred months earlier in December 1773). Disturbed by the military occupation of Boston, the closure of Boston Harbor, and the suspension of Massachusetts’s charter and colonial government, […]

by Michael Cecere

Reviews Posted on September 17, 2014January 5, 2016

Dangerous Guests: Enemy Captives and Revolutionary Communities during the War for Independence

Book Review: Dangerous Guests: Enemy Captives and Revolutionary Communities during the War for Independence by Ken Miller (Cornell University Press, 2014; order on Amazon) A glance at the title gives the impression that this book is about prisoners of war – which would be fine, because there isn’t enough modern literature on that subject pertaining […]

by Don N. Hagist

People Posted on September 16, 2014August 28, 2016

How George Washington saved the life of Abraham Van Buskirk’s Son

Abraham Van Buskirk was Bergen County’s leading Loyalist at the onset of the American Revolution. A prominent “Practitioner of Physic” with an income of £ 200 per annum, Van Buskirk lived in Teaneck, across the New Bridge from John Zabriskie.[1] Both men were officers in the Bergen County Militia, Zabriskie a lieutenant colonel and Van […]

by Todd W. Braisted

The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on September 15, 2014August 28, 2016

Elijah Clarke and the Georgia Refugees Fight British Domination

With the fall of Charleston, British columns spread into the southern backcountry. All of Georgia was occupied and the state government simply melted into the frontier along with most of the Whig population. In late June the prominent militia leaders of the Ninety-Six district in South Carolina took parole along with most of their men. […]

by Wayne Lynch

Advertising Posted on September 12, 2014September 11, 2014

Two Revolutionary Titles by Cornell University Press

Journal of the American Revolution welcomes Cornell University Press as its newest advertiser, promoting two new Revolutionary War titles: For Fear of an Elective King George Washington and the Presidential Title Controversy of 1789 by Kathleen Bartoloni-Tuazon [PURCHASE] In the spring of 1789, within weeks of the establishment of the new federal government based on […]

by Advertising

People Posted on September 11, 2014August 28, 2016

Elizabeth Burgin Helps the Prisoners… Somehow

I was recently asked to speak about Elizabeth Burgin, an American woman who risked her life helping prisoners of war during the American Revolution. I’d never heard of her, but thanks to the magic of the internet I was quickly able to locate the key primary sources about her, and a large number of articles […]

by Don N. Hagist

The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on September 10, 2014August 28, 2016

The Unsuccessful American Attempt on Verplanck Point, July 16-19, 1779

In the early morning hours of July 16, 1779, Brigadier General Anthony Wayne and the Continental Corps of Light Infantry successfully stormed and carried the British works and garrison at Stony Point on the Hudson River. Not long after, gunners from the Continental Artillery turned the captured guns across the river to fire upon the […]

by Michael J. F. Sheehan

Reviews Posted on September 9, 2014January 2, 2015

Band of Giants: The Amateur Soldiers Who Won America’s Independence

Book Review: Band of Giants: The Amateur Soldiers Who Won America’s Independence by Jack Kelly. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. Hardback. $27.00. ISBN: 978-1-137-27877-7; 368 pages, Index. It is difficult to condense the Revolutionary War into one volume and make it readable, informative, entertaining and even fascinating. Jack Kelly has done just that by focusing on […]

by Hugh T. Harrington

Prewar Conflict (<1775) Posted on September 8, 2014August 28, 2016

The Statue of George III

On the southern tip of Manhattan Island is a small oval area called Bowling Green. On this site on March 21, 1770 a statue, sculpted by Joseph Wilton, of King George III was erected. It was commissioned on June 23, 1766 by the New York General Assembly because of “the innumerable and singular Benefits received […]

by Bob Ruppert

Prewar Politics (<1775) Posted on September 5, 2014August 28, 2016

The First Continental Congress Responds to the Intolerable Acts

The summer of 1774 was eventful for the colonists of British North America. News of Parliament’s harsh measures against Massachusetts, and particularly Boston, for the destruction of East India tea back in December 1773, produced much anxiety and sympathy for the Bostonians from their fellow colonists. Many agreed with Edmund Pendleton, a moderate member of […]

by Michael Cecere

The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on September 4, 2014August 28, 2016

So Heavy a Trial: The Burning of New York’s First Capital

“We are hellishly frightened,” Gouverneur Morris wrote to a friend on October 8, 1777.[1] Morris was attending to the business of the New York State legislature in Kingston, a town one hundred miles north of New York City. The old Dutch village had that year, by default, become the state’s capital. Morris and his colleagues […]

by Jack Kelly

People Posted on September 3, 2014August 28, 2016

General Washington and the Body-Snatchers

Among the many challenges Gen. George Washington faced in his first year as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, he probably didn’t expect to deal with grave-robbing. But on 1 September 1775 his general orders included this admonition: Complaint has been made to the General, that the body of a Soldier of Col. [Benjamin Ruggles] Woodbridge’s […]

by J. L. Bell

Top 5 Foreign Continental Army Officers (Other Than Lafayette)

The First Fight of Ferguson’s Rifle

Top 10 Articles of October 2014

The Incredibly Convoluted History of Westmoreland County, Connecticut

Three Brave British Army Wives

Richard Pearis and the Mobilization of South Carolina’s Backcountry Loyalists

10 Remarkable Runaway Ads

Why Did a Boston Mob Kill a French Officer?

The Battle of Millstone

The Battle of Golden Hill – Six Weeks Before the Boston Massacre

The New Nation: The Creation of the United States in Paintings and Eyewitness Accounts

The Partisan and the Queen’s Ranger

Allen McLane: Case Study in History and Folklore

Billy Flora at the Battle of Great Bridge

The Three Documents that brought France into the War

Anthony Wayne’s 1782 Savannah Campaign

Fanning Outfoxes Marion

Three Dates, One Action? The Demarests at New Bridge, 1781

The Return of George Washington 1783-1789

The Myth of “Granny Gates”

Bartholomew von Heer and the Marechaussee Corps

Top 10 Articles of September 2014

Victory for the Georgia Refugees

The Great West Point Chain

Button Gwinnett and Lachlan McIntosh Duel

The Currency Act: A Problem and a Solution

The Georgia Refugees Turn the Tide against the British

The Rise of Virginia’s Independent Militia

Dangerous Guests: Enemy Captives and Revolutionary Communities during the War for Independence

How George Washington saved the life of Abraham Van Buskirk’s Son

Elijah Clarke and the Georgia Refugees Fight British Domination

Two Revolutionary Titles by Cornell University Press

Elizabeth Burgin Helps the Prisoners… Somehow

The Unsuccessful American Attempt on Verplanck Point, July 16-19, 1779

Band of Giants: The Amateur Soldiers Who Won America’s Independence

The Statue of George III

The First Continental Congress Responds to the Intolerable Acts

So Heavy a Trial: The Burning of New York’s First Capital

General Washington and the Body-Snatchers