This book is must reading for anyone interested in the American Revolution. It is by far the best account written by a private soldier. Some officers wrote about their experiences but few private soldiers writings survive. The book was first published by Martin in 1830 with the title A Narrative of Some of the Adventures, […]
Except outside of historical circles, Revolutionary War figures are not widely known, and are even more rarely celebrated. There are the ones you would expect, like George Washington, Nathanael Greene or (on the British side) Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton. More obscure characters usually remain that way – obscure. They certainly don’t gain fame centuries later […]
YouTube is synonymous with Gangnam Style, Giant Double Rainbows and the Evolution of Dance, but not the American Revolution, right? Wrong. When it comes to fun and funny videos about the Revolution era, YouTube has a surplus of choices. I’m not talking about Yale’s American Revolution course, classic School House Rock episodes, crazy mash-ups of […]
When researching the biography of Revolutionary War hero Dr. Joseph Warren, I had the unexpected pleasure of becoming acquainted with his fiancée Miss Mercy Scollay. Readers of the Journal of the American Revolution may already be familiar with Joseph Warren as the author of the foundational Suffolk Resolves, head of the Massachusetts Committee of Safety […]
The American Revolution is quite obviously a very broad topic. It would require a huge quantity of books, even watered down to the “essentials,” to adequately cover all facets of the war. The hypothetical library would have to contain volumes on politics, biographies of major and minor players, continent-wide strategies, battles, tactics, equipment and supply. […]
Myth: The American Revolution started at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. Busted: All of contiguous Massachusetts – except Boston! – cast off British rule in a revolution that swept through the countryside more than half a year earlier, from August to October, 1774. On September 6, 1774, at dawn and through the morning, […]
Dear Mr. History: I often hear that John Adams estimated that one-third of Americans supported the Revolution, one-third opposed it, and one-third was neutral. That doesn’t seem right to me. Does that mean that the Loyalist and Patriot efforts were about equal? Was Adams correct in this? Sincerely, One-third Skeptical Dear One-Third: Don’t hang your […]
Ask any Civil War or Rev War buff to name one modern day historical artist and chances are Don Troiani will come to mind first. Straight from the bio: “While there are other painters who have turned their attention to historical art, none have done so with the enthusiasm, insight and historical accuracy of this […]
When any reader is new to a subject it often is hard to know where to start. Once underway studying the American Revolution the sky’s the limit as far as breadth and depth of research is concerned. It’s a lifetime endeavor that has given me a great deal of pleasure as well as some understanding […]
Transportation in the eighteenth century was a major factor in the growth of economic activity in the colonial period. The most common transportation of the day, and the fastest, was by horseback. As reported in 1779, a Whitmel Hill rode from Philadelphia to his home in Martin County, North Carolina in seven and one-half days. […]
1 // They were volunteers The British Army was not allowed to force men into service by conscription or impressment. When the war began, men in the ranks had all enlisted voluntarily. For a period in 1778 and 1779 impressment was legalized in specific circumstances but this unpopular measure was soon discontinued and contributed few […]
Who can call to mind the Pine Tree Riot? Until recently, this act of defiance to accepting British authority was one with which I was unfamiliar. In 1722, the New Hampshire General Court passed a law making it illegal to cut down any white pine trees larger than 12 inches in diameter. These trees were […]
January was an exciting launch month for us. We published a smorgasbord of great content from several authors: Todd Andrlik, Rick Britton, Hugh T. Harrington, David Lee Russell, Michael Schellhammer, and Morgan Sumrell. Journal of the American Revolution is a multi-author online magazine so we always welcome new editorial submissions and ideas. Contact us today […]
When we speak of history books normally we refer to non-fiction. But, what of fiction? There is a definite place for novels in our understanding of the Revolutionary War. A good, I stress “good,” historical novel puts flesh on the bones of facts. And, they can be a fun read. They also attract many people […]
“It may be doubted whether so small a number of men ever employed so short a space of time with greater and more lasting effects upon the history of the world.” -British Historian George Otto Trevelyan After firing-off a few ineffectual shots, the Hessian pickets turned tail and bolted south into the small town of […]
Read Part 1 The economic life of the Southern colonists was also most positive as the colonial period continued. Up until the end of French and Indian War, when strict supervision began, the British had allowed the colonists a fair degree of freedom in all their economic endeavors. While the mother country had attempted to […]
Before he became “Bloody Ban,” Banastre Tarleton fought in New York and learned the difficulties of cornering seasoned Continental cavalry. “Surrender you damned rebel, or I’ll blow your brains out!” shouted a British cavalryman who galloped close behind American militia horseman Private John Buckhout, who was certainly having a rough morning on July 2nd, 1779. […]
The American Revolution and the decade of disputes with Great Britain that preceded it marked a major turning point in the development of political thought in the colonies. The new ideologies often reflected where an individual’s political loyalties lay. While much attention has been focused on the political transformation that occurred during this era, little […]
This ranking of the best American Revolution films is based on my own appreciation of the movies. Obviously, any attempt to rank films in order is subjective and my opinions may make others cringe. Keep in mind that films are made to make money, not to be models of historical accuracy. However, some films handle the […]
History is one giant game of telephone with information passed, often through multiple sources, to the present day. As such, it is full of myths, exaggerations and inventions that are promulgated online, in history books, by word of mouth and via the media. That is why educators place such great emphasis on the research and […]
As the mid-eighteenth century arrived, life for the Southern colonists was the best that the British colonial experience could ever have yielded. In almost every aspect of their lives, these peoples had achieved a standard of life not equaled even in the mature societies and economies of Western Europe. The evidence of details of the […]
Thomas Fleming is one of the most prolific authors of American Revolution history. He has written 20 nonfiction books that have won prizes and praise from critics and fellow historians, as well as 23 novels, many of them bestsellers. He is perhaps best known for his appearances on C-SPAN, PBS and the History Channel. I […]
When Congress, in late June 1775, authorized the raising of six rifle companies from Pennsylvania and Virginia, George Merchant enlisted as a private. He was indistinguishable from the other men and would not be recalled in modern times except for the extraordinary events through which he passed and the strange part he was to play […]
What if the Declaration of Independence was written with today’s technology and collaboration tools? This two-minute “History Reimagined” video shows us how it might have looked.
Revolutionary War films are a rarity. Good ones are as scarce as hens teeth. All For Liberty is a great one. In the past we have seen story lines that play fast and loose with history and with realism. Not so with All for Liberty. The film centers around Captain Henry Felder, an upcountry South […]
Unending Passions: The Knox Letters, by Pamela Murrow, is a remarkable collection of never before transcribed personal letters between Revolutionary War Major General Henry Knox and his wife Lucy Flucker Knox. Purchase the book for $19.99 at Amazon.com. Knox married Lucy Flucker, a charming young girl from a staunch Tory family. By marrying Henry Knox […]
Every day, we are bombarded by visually stunning infographics about virtually every subject. Data visualizations help people digest large chunks of info and have strong viral potential on social media channels like Twitter and Facebook, so they have skyrocketed in popularity in recent years. There are infographics about water, the Civil War, web usage, bankruptcies, […]
Dear Mr. History: Some say that George Washington lost more battles than he won and was a lousy general. What’s your take? Sincerely, Wondering About Washington. Dear Wondering: Good question, and one that people began debating while the Revolution was still being fought. My take is: general schmeneral – what you really need to understand […]
For over 230 years books and articles have been written about George Washington. Every facet of his life, his personality, his accomplishments and his failures have been told and retold with varying degrees of insight and accuracy. One may well question the need for yet another biography of Washington. The answer is simple. General George […]
One of America’s favorite pastimes in 1774 was the cruel bloodsport of bull-baiting, pitting an enraged bull against several tough dogs in a fight to the death. The English amusement crossed the Atlantic like other customs and was still practiced long after the American Revolution ended, according to Jennie Holliman’s American Sports, 1785-1835. “British troops […]
The American Revolution was fought not only by soldiers, seamen and politicians; it was also fought by civilians. Some of these civilians bore arms; others provided supplies; still others such as Haym Salomon fought with their wits and their administrative skills.
“John Ashmead, Philadelphia mariner, had the unique distinction of performing one hundred voyages in a long, exciting, useful life. The accomplishment was never exceeded, and, perhaps, never equaled in the era of sailing ships,” according to “The John Ashmead Story, 1738-1818,” by William Bell Clark (Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Jan 1958). This advertisement […]
April Morning is a novel covering a 24 hour period in Lexington, Massachusetts when the American War for Independence began. The story is compellingly told by a 15 year old Lexington boy, Adam Cooper. The reader sees young Cooper’s life on the afternoon and evening before the fateful day in such a realistic manner that […]
After writing seven books, New York Times bestselling author John Green stopped textual communication and began vlogging, or video blogging. Working with his brother, Hank, the two use videos to teach others about world history and biology. Five months ago, they published an educational piece summarizing the American Revolution. Enjoy! For more Crash Course entertainment, […]
A few weeks ago my doctor was talking to me about the sun, skin cancer and sunstroke. He asked if I wore a hat. I replied that I often wore a baseball type cap. He said, “that’s not a hat.” I immediately thought of General Nathanael Greene’s hat. Nathanael Greene was a household name in […]
In the 29 Aug 1765 Pennsylvania Gazette, three area printers leveraged the cursed Stamp Act as incentive to buy their almanacs.
On this day, the concept for Journal of the American Revolution was created. It started as a napkin sketch that Todd Andrlik presented to Hugh T. Harrington following the media tour for Andrlik’s Reporting the Revolutionary War book. After a few months of planning and preparation, the first article was published in January 2013. A bit more about our history […]
