*** All JAR Articles ***

Food & Lifestyle Posted on March 10, 2014August 28, 2016

Walking the Streets
of the Revolutionary City

This article was originally published in Journal of the American Revolution, Vol. 1 (Ertel Publishing, 2013). It was a day of mourning all across America. The Boston Port Act, which closed the port of Boston as punishment for the Tea Party, took effect on June 1, 1774. Business ceased precisely at noon at the customs […]

by Benjamin L. Carp

Reviews Posted on March 7, 2014February 22, 2014

Westholme Publishing: Four Selections

I write the following book reviews to promote a small, but well-respected, outfit specializing in publishing Revolutionary War books (as well as other nonfiction works): Westholme Publishing of Yardley, Pennsylvania. Full disclosure: Westholme has published two Revolutionary War books of mine (see author’s biography below). Westholme provides a terrific service to those interested in studying […]

by Christian McBurney

The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on March 6, 2014August 28, 2016

The Greatest Siege

There were many sieges during the American Revolution. Some are well-known even to novice students of the war, like Boston and Yorktown; others are known only to those who study in more depth, like Newport and Charleston. They lasted for weeks or sometimes months; the siege of Boston spanned almost a year. They pale in […]

by Don N. Hagist

People Posted on March 5, 2014August 28, 2016

The Hidden Life of Crispus Attucks

Crispus Attucks (c.1723-1770) is often remembered as the first casualty of the American Revolution. In fact, others had died in previous incidents, but Attucks’s death during the King Street riot of March 5, 1770—later referred to as the Boston Massacre—earned him a place in the national narrative of America. In that skirmish between soldiers and […]

by Jerome J. Palliser

Reviews Posted on March 4, 2014January 2, 2015

Parker’s Guide to the Revolutionary War in South Carolina

Book Review: Parker’s Guide to the Revolutionary War in South Carolina; Battles, Skirmishes and Murders (2nd edition) By John C. Parker, Jr. Infinity Publishing, West Conshohocken, PA, 2013. Paper. $39.95 ISBN 978-0-9841058-1-6; 530 pages, 8.5 x11. Historian John C. Parker, Jr. has created an incredible resource for anyone caring to trace the Revolutionary War in […]

by Hugh T. Harrington

People Posted on March 3, 2014March 19, 2017

James Rivington: King’s Printer
and Patriot Spy?

This article was originally published in Journal of the American Revolution, Vol. 1 (Ertel Publishing, 2013). Solving “the Most Astounding” Mystery of the American Revolution In early spring 1773, readers of the Boston Gazette came across an ambitious business proposal when they opened the March 22 issue. New York printer and bookseller James Rivington, then […]

by Todd Andrlik

News Posted on February 28, 2014August 28, 2016

Infantry vs. Cavalry

Throughout the War for American Independence, infantry reigned as the primary martial arm of the conflict. Their principle weapon was the smoothbore musket, followed with the bayonet. A musket had an effective range of approximately eighty yards – meaning a fired musket ball would typically land somewhere on a man sized target at eighty yards.[1] […]

by Daniel Murphy

People Posted on February 26, 2014August 28, 2016

The Darker Side of the Militia

On November 8, 1808, in his eighth State of the Union address, Thomas Jefferson uttered the now famous lines, “For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well organized and armed militia is their best security.”[1] These words intimate the fears held by many of the founders of a standing […]

by Thomas Verenna

People Posted on February 25, 2014August 28, 2016

Henry Knox, Drug Dealer?

How many times does someone get the chance to read through the business correspondence files of one of the Founding Era’s most fascinating personalities? I had the distinct privilege of doing just that while researching an angle of Henry Knox’s Boston bookstore. I learned that Henry sold much more than just books – he sold […]

by John L. Smith, Jr.

People Posted on February 24, 2014August 28, 2016

Top 10 American Loyalist Officers

Many historical accounts over look the impact of American loyalist military leaders and their revolutionary war contributions to the British cause. 50,000 or more soldiers in loyalist combat units actively participated in most major revolutionary battles throughout North America[1]. In addition to much needed combat power, they provided valuable scouting, battlefield intelligence and geographic knowledge. […]

by Gene Procknow

Arts & Literature Posted on February 21, 2014November 1, 2018

He’d rather be painting…

The 38th Regiment of Foot, consisting of about 450 officers and men (not to mention about 60 soldiers’ wives and an unknown number of children) arrived in Boston in the summer of 1774. Along with the 5th Regiment of Foot, they were sent to bolster British military presence in a city where political strife was […]

by Don N. Hagist

The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on February 20, 2014August 28, 2016

Connecticut Yankees in a Pennamite’s Fort

“Living on the frontier is easy!” said no one, ever. Case in point, on July 3, 1778, over 100 loyalist rangers under the command of Lieutenant Colonel John Butler along with a few hundred Seneca warriors descended upon Wyoming Valley, Pennsylvania and slaughtered over 300 soldiers at Forty Fort (named after the first 40 settlers […]

by Thomas Verenna

The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on February 19, 2014August 28, 2016

British Spy Plot to Capture
Fort Ticonderoga in 1777

Peter Livius, chief justice of the province of Quebec and former justice of New Hampshire, wrote a letter on June 2, 1777 to American Major General John Sullivan in an effort to get Sullivan to turn to the British cause.[1] Livius thought Sullivan was the commander at Fort Ticonderoga.[2] Livius believed Sullivan had lost his […]

by John A. Nagy

The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on February 18, 2014August 28, 2016

Race to the Dan:
“Pushed with Great Expedition”

It had been a tense three weeks in the Carolinas for General Nathanael Greene, the commander of the American southern army. In the wake of General Daniel Morgan’s decisive victory at Cowpens on January 17th, 1781, General Greene moved to reunite his divided army. While Morgan’s 550 man light corps slowly withdrew northeastward into North […]

by Michael Cecere

People Posted on February 17, 2014August 28, 2016

The Experience of New London Tories
and Quakers

On December 8, 1776, British soldiers, supported by a large fleet, easily invaded and occupied Newport, Rhode Island, and the rest of Aquidneck Island. The first commander of the British garrison, Lieutenant General Earl Hugh Percy, immediately turned his attention to British sympathizers, known as Loyalists or Tories, in southeastern New England. Nestled in Earl […]

by Christian McBurney

Critical Thinking Posted on February 14, 2014June 28, 2014

Take Notice: The Not-so-1776
Recruiting Poster

This article was originally published in Journal of the American Revolution, Vol. 1 (Ertel Publishing, 2013). By Ray Raphael and Benjamin H. Irvin If you have ever studied the American Revolution, chances are you’ve seen the ubiquitous “Take Notice” recruiting poster, beckoning “all brave, healthy, able bodied, and well disposed young men” to “join the […]

by Ray Raphael

Interviews Posted on February 13, 2014October 10, 2014

10 Questions with Hal Stalmaster
(Johnny Tremain)

Hal Stalmaster is a natural actor, and Walt Disney knew it. In 1956, when Hal was 16 years old, he auditioned for the film “Johnny Tremain.” Adapted for the screen by Walt Disney Productions from the 1943 young adult novel by Esther Forbes, “Johnny Tremain” tells the story of how a teenaged apprentice in Boston […]

by Michael Schellhammer

People Posted on February 12, 2014August 28, 2016

The Hated Benjamin Franklin

The front page of April 18, 1765, Pennsylvania Gazette featured one of the earliest American printings of the Stamp Act. “Printed by B. Franklin, Post-Master, and “D. Hall,” the newspaper offered no critical comment on the new law as threatening people’s liberties. Benjamin Franklin became publisher of the Gazette in 1729. He took on Scottish […]

by Todd Andrlik

Techniques & Tech Posted on February 11, 2014August 28, 2016

Cavalry: Swords before Pistols

“…the sword is the most destructive and almost only necessary weapon a dragoon carries.”[1] So wrote Major Richard Call of the 3d Light Dragoons to Governor Thomas Jefferson in March of 1781. At first glance it may seem odd that a light horseman would make such a statement given the wide use of firearms on […]

by Daniel Murphy

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

The Battle of St. Louis

While the War of American Independence was won on the Eastern seaboard by American and French battling the British, the future of the United States was determined in small, seemingly inconsequential battles in the western theatre. The battles west of the Appalachian Mountains would shape the destiny of the American nation by determining what land would become the United […]

by Jimmy Dick

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

Ambushed! Victim’s Bones at Fort Laurens

For a few terrifying minutes the air was filled with the sound of gunshots, war-whoops and the screams of the dying. It was over quickly. Within plain sight of Fort Laurens, but beyond musket range, 19 members of a work party were ambushed and overwhelmed by Indians and British. Seventeen were killed outright, their scalped […]

by Hugh T. Harrington

Reviews Posted on February 6, 2014January 2, 2015

The American Revolution through British Eyes: A Documentary Collection

Book Review: The American Revolution through British Eyes: A Documentary Collection Edited by James J. Barnes and Patience P. Barnes. Kent State University Press, 2013. Two volume set, Cloth $250.00; ISBN 978-1-60635-111-6; total of 1304 pp., 6-1/8 x 9-1/8. Use primary sources, they say, If you want to cut through the biases of other historians […]

by Don N. Hagist

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

You Won’t Believe How Samuel Adams Recruited Sons of Liberty

In his 1936 biography Sam Adams: Pioneer in Propaganda, John C. Miller wrote this about the leader of Boston’s Whig activists: Sam Adams discovered these taverns with their “tippling, nasty, vicious crew” excellent recruiting grounds for the mobs he later raised against the Tories and Crown officers. Adams himself was a familiar figure in Boston […]

by J. L. Bell

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

Bushnell’s Mine Nearly Sinks a Ship

When the Royal Navy fleet of warships and transports, carrying a British army of more than 7,000 soldiers, passed New London, Connecticut, on December 6, 1776, the British were just a few days from easily capturing Newport, Rhode Island and bottling up the privateers and commercial vessels from Providence, Bristol, Warren, Swansea and other ports […]

by Christian McBurney

Arts & Literature Posted on February 3, 2014September 17, 2014

London Gazette: The Crown’s Official Mouthpiece

Before, during and after the American Revolution, newspapers from Great Britain were widely consumed on American soil as part of the regular packet ship deliveries of mail and papers. Arguably the most important source of news to the elite readers on both sides of the Atlantic was the London Gazette as it was the official […]

by Todd Andrlik

News Posted on January 31, 2014August 28, 2016

Death of a Patriot at King’s Mountain

Rebuffed in his attempt to command the South Carolina militia, newly commissioned General James Williams returned to North Carolina with his small Regiment. While there, he requested permission to recruit men for his regiment and a return to the south. On September 8, Governor Nash of North Carolina provided him with written orders to recruit […]

by Wayne Lynch

Places Posted on January 29, 2014August 28, 2016

Overlooked Wilmington

The city you probably never thought about for its role in the Revolution had a tremendously important role in the conflict. Boston, Philadelphia, Newport, and New York are well known for their Revolutionary War history. The smaller southern towns of Williamsburg, Charleston, and Savannah are also recognized for their Revolutionary significance. Yet one city stands […]

by Robert M. Dunkerly

Postwar Politics (>1783) Posted on January 28, 2014August 28, 2016

The Memory of Revolution and the War of 1812

On June 18, 1812, the United States declared war on Great Britain. American political and military leaders planned to attack the British provinces of Upper and Lower Canada in order to force Britain to redress grievances concerning free trade and maritime rights. Thirty-seven years earlier, in September 1775, the Continental Congress had authorized General Richard […]

by Matt Barrett

Reviews Posted on January 27, 2014August 28, 2016

Sleepy Hollow: Some Historical Perspective

Millions of people have become entranced by the new FOX show, Sleepy Hollow. It has mystery, intrigue, and, above all else, a loveable cast of characters. Turning Washington Irving’s tale of Ichabod Crane into a woven narrative of apocalypticism and American History is downright brilliant (don’t think we missed the little jab at this with […]

by Thomas Verenna

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

Saving South Carolina at Musgrove’s Mill

An ardent Patriot from the early days of the American Revolution, Colonel James Williams commanded the Little River Regiment of the South Carolina militia. His letters home indicate a man not only zealous for the cause but also attentive to his business and his religion. After all, “to fear God is the first and great […]

by Wayne Lynch

Critical Thinking Posted on January 23, 2014February 9, 2014

The Signal of Sam Adams

Myth: Toward evening on December 16, 1773, Francis Rotch, beleaguered owner of one of the tea-laden ships in the Boston Harbor, announced to thousands of people assembled at Old South Meeting House that Governor Hutchinson remained firm and would not allow his vessel to return to Britain with its cargo still on board. At that […]

by Ray Raphael

Prewar Politics (<1775) Posted on January 22, 2014August 28, 2016

The Importance of Observation and Inspection

In popular media, the soldiers of the Revolution and the members of the Continental Congress generally take center stage. It’s actually not fair; John Adams gets a full length series on HBO and yet the workings of local government during the most trying time in our history barely make a footnote. In point of fact, […]

by Thomas Verenna

Arts & Literature Posted on January 21, 2014August 28, 2016

A Dragoon a-Wooing

Even as late as the spring of 1783, there was still a war on. A substantial number of British troops were in New York City and the surrounding area, and Continental troops continued to hem them in. But peace and disarmament were near at hand. Among the soldiers with peace on his mind was a […]

by Don N. Hagist

The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on January 20, 2014August 28, 2016

The Siege that Saved Quebec

The failure of the rebellious colonists to capture the fortress of Quebec during their invasion of Canada in 1775 had many causes; ironically, a major cause was the colonial force’s victory at St. John’s (the original French, and present, name is Fort Saint Jean). Guy Carleton, the British governor of Canada, had been watching the […]

by Jeff Dacus

The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on January 16, 2014August 28, 2016

The Plot to Kidnap Schuyler

In 1781, British forces operating in Canada set their eyes on kidnapping prominent Americans in Vermont and upstate New York. These patriot leaders had stirred up opposition to efforts to draw Vermont into British Canada. At the time, General Frederick Haldimand, the Governor of the Province of Quebec (which at that time included what is […]

by Christian McBurney

People Posted on January 15, 2014August 28, 2016

Franklin’s Top 15 Items to Take on a Cruise

Between his voyages to England and France, Benjamin Franklin logged more transatlantic cruises than any other founder. In fact, in his lifetime, he took a total of eight cruises[i]. On his final 1785 cruise sailing from France to Philadelphia, Ben continued a letter he had started in 1784 in Paris to his friend Julien-David LeRoy. […]

by John L. Smith, Jr.

Critical Thinking Posted on January 14, 2014August 28, 2016

Mutiny of the Pennsylvania Line

Dear Mr. History: What happened with the famous mutiny of the Pennsylvania Line that occurred January, 1781? Did the soldiers have legitimate grievances? What does such a mutiny say about the professionalism of the Continental Army? Sincerely, Miffed About Mutinies Dear Miffed: When the soldiers of the Pennsylvania Line mutinied most of them had not […]

by Michael Schellhammer

Walking the Streets
of the Revolutionary City

Westholme Publishing: Four Selections

The Greatest Siege

The Hidden Life of Crispus Attucks

Parker’s Guide to the Revolutionary War in South Carolina

James Rivington: King’s Printer
and Patriot Spy?

Top 10 Articles of February 2014

Infantry vs. Cavalry

The Darker Side of the Militia

Henry Knox, Drug Dealer?

Top 10 American Loyalist Officers

He’d rather be painting…

Connecticut Yankees in a Pennamite’s Fort

British Spy Plot to Capture
Fort Ticonderoga in 1777

Race to the Dan:
“Pushed with Great Expedition”

The Experience of New London Tories
and Quakers

Take Notice: The Not-so-1776
Recruiting Poster

10 Questions with Hal Stalmaster
(Johnny Tremain)

The Hated Benjamin Franklin

Cavalry: Swords before Pistols

The Battle of St. Louis

Ambushed! Victim’s Bones at Fort Laurens

The American Revolution through British Eyes: A Documentary Collection

You Won’t Believe How Samuel Adams Recruited Sons of Liberty

Bushnell’s Mine Nearly Sinks a Ship

London Gazette: The Crown’s Official Mouthpiece

Top 10 Articles of January 2014

Death of a Patriot at King’s Mountain

Overlooked Wilmington

The Memory of Revolution and the War of 1812

Sleepy Hollow: Some Historical Perspective

Saving South Carolina at Musgrove’s Mill

The Signal of Sam Adams

The Importance of Observation and Inspection

A Dragoon a-Wooing

The Siege that Saved Quebec

The Plot to Kidnap Schuyler

Franklin’s Top 15 Items to Take on a Cruise

Mutiny of the Pennsylvania Line