Author: Christian McBurney

Christian McBurney is author of six books on the American Revolutionary War, including Dark Voyage: An American Privateer's War on Britain's African Slave Trade, Kidnapping the Enemy: The Special Operations to Capture Generals Charles Lee & Richard Prescott, and The Rhode Island Campaign: The First French and American Operation in the Revolutionary War. He is president of the George Washington American Revolution Round Table of the District of Columbia and is the founder of the online journal, Small State, Big History, devoted to the history of Rhode Island. He practices law in Washington, DC. For more information on his books, see christianmcburney.com.

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Reviews Posted on

Seized with the Temper of the Times: Identity and Rebellion in Pre-Revolutionary America

BOOK REVIEW: Seized with the Temper of The Times: Identity and Rebellion in Pre-Revolutionary America by Abby Chandler (Westholme, 2023) In the past fifteen years or so, there has been, happily, an explosion of books published on battles and other military aspects of the American Revolutionary War. In the same time frame, far fewer books […]

by Christian McBurney
Reviews Posted on

Revolutionary Blacks: Discovering the Frank Brothers, Freeborn Men of Color, Soldiers of Independence

BOOK REVIEW: Revolutionary Blacks, Discovering the Frank Brothers, Freeborn Men of Color, Soldiers of Independence by Shirley L. Green (Yardley, PA: Westholme, 2023) This captivating book tells a new American story. It is the first book to detail the life, challenges, fears and hopes of a Black soldier in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary […]

by Christian McBurney
Illness and Disease Posted on

Smallpox Threatens an American Privateer at Sea

Two important books in the twenty-first century have focused on the impact of terrifying smallpox contagions on the American Revolutionary War.[1] Understandably, most of their stories are about smallpox infecting soldiers on land. As the two books relate, smallpox wrought havoc on Benedict Arnold’s small army outside Quebec in 1775 and 1776, and likely killed […]

by Christian McBurney
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Autobiography and Biography Posted on

Captain John Peck Rathbun, Revolutionary War Naval Hero and Man of the Sea

BOOK REVIEW: Captain John Peck Rathbun, Revolutionary War Naval Hero & Man of the Sea by Frank H. Rathbun (privately published, 2022) John Paul Jones understandably dominates the field when it comes to full-length biographies of Continental Navy commanders. However, there is an excellent biography of the very worthy John Barry by Tim McGrath, and a […]

by Christian McBurney
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Critical Thinking Posted on

Rhode Island Acts to Prevent an Enslaved Family from Being Transported to the South

The American Revolution spurred the world’s first significant movement to abolish slavery and the African slave trade.[1] Before then, there was virtually no antislavery activity in any of the thirteen colonies of North America, or for that matter, anywhere else in the world. There was some limited antislavery dialogue in England, but its abolitionist movement […]

by Christian McBurney
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Law Posted on

Colonel Henry Jackson Accused by His Junior Officers of Misconduct at the Battle of Monmouth Court House

In my study of Major General Charles Lee, who commanded Continental Army troops at the fascinating Battle of Monmouth Court House, I argue that his post-battle convictions for failing to attack the enemy and for an unwarranted retreat were unjustified. I further argue that most of the blame for the retreat should have fallen on […]

by Christian McBurney
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Constitutional Debate Posted on

The First Efforts to Limit the African Slave Trade Arise in the American Revolution: Part 3 of 3, Congress Bans the African Slave Trade

In October 1774, in a stunning and radical move, delegates of the First Continental Congress signed a pledge for the thirteen mainland colonies not to participate in the African slave trade. Perhaps equally astounding, Americans largely complied, turning the pledge into an outright ban. Congress’s ban and widespread compliance with it during the Revolutionary War […]

by Christian McBurney
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Constitutional Debate Posted on

The First Efforts to Limit the African Slave Trade Arise in the American Revolution: Part 2 of 3, The Middle and Southern Colonies

The first article of this series discussed the increasing chorus of American Patriots in New England raising their voices against the African slave trade. This article focuses on the Middle and Southern Colonies, as well as a few select thinkers from Philadelphia. Those who opposed the African slave trade in colonies ruled by royal governors […]

by Christian McBurney
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Constitutional Debate Posted on

The First Efforts to Limit the African Slave Trade Arise in the American Revolution: Part 1 of 3, The New England Colonies

The American Revolution changed the way Americans viewed one of the world’s great tragedies: the African slave trade. The long march to end the slave trade and then slavery itself had to start somewhere, and a strong argument can be made that it started with the thirteen American colonies gaining independence from Great Britain, then […]

by Christian McBurney
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Loyalists Posted on

General Charles Lee Imposes Oaths of Allegiance on Newport Tories, 1775

Major General Charles Lee visited Newport, Rhode Island, in late December 1775, where he—controversially—insisted that local Loyalists take an oath of allegiance to the Continental Congress. This approach, and a similar one he took in New York City shortly thereafter, created concern in Congress on how best to handle Loyalists. But by mid-1778, Lee had changed […]

by Christian McBurney
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Reviews Posted on

From Slaves to Soldiers: The 1st Rhode Island Regiment in the American Revolution

Book review: From Slaves to Soldiers: The 1st Rhode Island Regiment in the American Revolution by Robert A. Geake (Westholme, 2016) [BUY NOW ON AMAZON] Author Robert A. Geake, an established author of early Rhode Island history making his first foray into the Revolutionary War, writes of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment of the Continental Army, […]

by Christian McBurney
Reviews Posted on

Brothers at Arms

Book review: Brothers at Arms: American Independence and the Men of France and Spain Who Saved It (Knopf, 2016) by Larrie D. Ferreiro. [BUY NOW ON AMAZON] American students of the Revolutionary War may not like to hear it, but author Larrie D. Ferreiro, in his excellent new book, persuasively argues that the United States […]

by Christian McBurney
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The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on

The Culper Spy Ring Was not the First to Warn the French at Newport

On July 10, 1780, a French fleet of seven ships of the line and four frigates under Admiral Chevalier de Ternay, along with thirty-six transport vessels carrying about 6,000 French soldiers commanded by Lieutenant General Comte de Rochambeau and their supplies, arrived off of Newport, Rhode Island. The plan was to use the port town […]

by Christian McBurney
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Postwar Politics (>1783) Posted on

Presentation Swords for 10 Revolutionary War Heroes

While researching my book Kidnapping the Enemy: The Special Operations to Capture Generals Charles Lee and Richard Prescott (Westholme, 2014), I was thrilled to learn that the Continental Congress had passed a resolution directing that an “elegant sword” be awarded to Lieutenant Colonel William Barton for planning and executing the spectacular cross-bay raid that led to […]

by Christian McBurney
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Reviews Posted on

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
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The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on

Washington Authorizes Plan to Kidnap Future King

In my recent book, Kidnapping the Enemy:  The Special Operations to Capture Generals Charles Lee and Richard Prescott (Westholme Publishing, 2013), I focus on two of the outstanding kidnappings of the Revolutionary War. The first was the stunning capture of Major General Charles Lee, second-in-command of the Continental army, by Lieutenant Colonel William Harcourt and […]

by Christian McBurney