Gary Ecelbarger

Gary Ecelbarger has written seven books, co-written three others and is also the author of two dozen essays, journal and magazine articles about past events and personalities in American history. He claims ten direct-line ancestors who served as Patriot soldiers in the American Revolution. Born and raised in Western NY, ten miles upriver from Niagara Falls, Ecelbarger obtained his M.S. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has lived in Virginia for over twenty years with his wife and three children. He is currently writing a single-year campaign biography of George Washington.

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Conflict & War, Historic Sites, Logistics, The War Years (1775-1783) December 8, 2022 December 7, 2022

The First Four Days at Valley Forge

The following timeline narrative attempts to unite previously disjointed events and occurrences regarding the first four days of the Continental army’s six-month stay at…

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Battles, Letters and Correspondence, People, The War Years (1775-1783) March 11, 2021 March 8, 2021

Clement Biddle Partially Clears the “Battle of the Clouds”

One of the more intriguing limited actions of the Revolutionary War was the Battle of the Clouds on September 16, 1777, a meeting of…

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Critical Thinking, Strategy, The War Years (1775-1783) November 19, 2020 November 23, 2020

The Feint That Never Happened: Unheralded Turning Point of the Philadelphia Campaign

By noon on Saturday, September 20, 1777, Gen. William Howe watched his window of opportunity to cross the shallowing upper fords of the Philadelphia…

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Historic Sites, Letters and Correspondence, The War Years (1775-1783) May 28, 2020 May 22, 2020

George Washington’s 1777 Wilmington, Delaware, Headquarters: Insights to an Unmarked Site

On the 170th anniversary of Washington’s Birthday in 1902, the Delaware Society of the Cincinnati formed a procession of dignitaries and marched up Quaker…

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Historic Sites, Primary Sources, The War Years (1775-1783) April 16, 2020 April 16, 2020

Washington’s Head of Elk Reconnaissance: A New Letter (and and Old Receipt)

The Philadelphia Campaign of 1777 took definitive shape when Gen. William Howe successfully landed his 16,000 officers and men near Head of Elk (now…

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Critical Thinking, Primary Sources, The War Years (1775-1783) March 10, 2020 March 9, 2020

Aggressive-Minded Gamblers: Washington, Howe, and the Days Between Battles, September 12–16, 1777

On Tuesday afternoon, September 16, 1777—five days after the Battle of Brandywine—George Washington and most of his 11,000-member Continental army stood atop the South…