Author: Hugh T. Harrington

Hugh T. Harrington, editor emeritus of Journal of the American Revolution (allthingsliberty.com), is an independent researcher and author whose books include Remembering Milledgeville (History Press, 2005), More Milledgeville Memories (History Press, 2006), Civil War Milledgeville (History Press, 2005), and biography of 1890s magician Annie Abbott, “The Little Georgia Magnet” (Createspace, 2010). His articles have appeared in the Journal of Military History, Georgia Historical Quarterly, America’s Civil War, Southern Campaigns of the American Revolution, American Revolution, Muzzle Blasts, and others. He has written extensively on Sherlock Holmes and is a member of the Baker Street Irregulars. He lives in Gainesville, Georgia.

Reviews Posted on

First Entrepreneur: How George Washington Built His — and the Nation’s — Prosperity

Book Review: First Entrepreneur: How George Washington Built His — and the Nation’s — Prosperity by Edward G. Lengel (Da Capo Press, 2016). [BUY NOW ON AMAZON] When one thinks of George Washington, perhaps the first image is that of the military commander of the Revolutionary War. Next might be Washington as president. Few are likely to […]

by Hugh T. Harrington
Techniques & Tech Posted on

Invading America: The Flatboats that Landed Thousands of British Troops on American Beaches

Amphibious operations, which involve landing troops and supplies from the sea to the land, are extremely difficult and require special techniques, close coordination between the navy and army, as well as specialized equipment. The British learned the required skills during the Seven Years’ War. After a failed attack on the French port of Rochefort the […]

by Hugh T. Harrington
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William Washington, American Light Dragoon: A Continental Cavalry Leader

Book review: William Washington, American Light Dragoon: A Continental Cavalry Leader in the War of Independence by Daniel Murphy (Westholme Publishing, 2014). William Washington, the Revolutionary War cavalry commander, is relatively unknown. However, he played an important role in the War especially in the South, and should be recognized for his skills and accomplishments. Virtually […]

by Hugh T. Harrington
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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
Places Posted on

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
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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
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“Light Horse Harry” Lee in the War for Independence

Book Review: “Light Horse Harry” Lee in the War for Independence by Jim Piecuch and John Beakes. Charleston, SC: The Nautical and Aviation Publishing Co. of America, 2013. Hardback: $26.95. ISBN 978-1-877853-73-9. Pp. xi, 268. Index, bibliography, maps, illustrations. There is a need for a quality, impartial military biography of Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee. […]

by Hugh T. Harrington
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The Men Who Lost America

Book Review: The Men Who Lost America, British Leadership, the American Revolution, and the Fate of the Empire By Andrew Jackson O’Shaughnessy Yale University Press, New Haven, CT. Hardback. $37.50 ISBN: 978-0-300-19107-3;466 pages, 7.25 x10.25. Many of us have been brought up with the understanding that the British leadership, both military and/or governmental, was made […]

by Hugh T. Harrington
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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
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Washington and the Final British Campaign for the Hudson River, 1779

In 1779 General George Washington and British Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Clinton were locked in a stalemate around New York City.  Clinton desperately wanted to lure Washington into a climactic battle that would destroy the Continental Army but his forces were not strong enough to fight Washington on his own ground.  Clinton attacked Connecticut in an […]

by Hugh T. Harrington
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Bunker Hill by Nathaniel Philbrick

Nathaniel Philbrick’s Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, a Revolution is an extraordinarily well written narrative of Boston and the beginning of the American Revolution.  Philbrick presents history in a compelling and dramatic manner that will engage even the hardest to reach non-history reader. Despite a title that suggests a narrow focus on a single […]

by Hugh T. Harrington
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British Soldiers, American War – Voices of the American Revolution

Americans, even Americans who enjoy studying the American Revolution, don’t know much about the British soldiers.  While British officers have left some written accounts of themselves and their experiences the private soldiers’ left very, very little. Don Hagist has filled the knowledge void for the private soldier as well as it can be filled.  Personal […]

by Hugh T. Harrington
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Liberty Tavern

Published in 1976 but currently available in an electronic version via Amazon  and Barnes and Noble. This is historical fiction at its finest.  The setting, characters and history are all very well developed.  The reader is drawn into the Revolutionary War as experienced by a family and their neighbors as they are forced to take […]

by Hugh T. Harrington
Beyond the Classroom Posted on

The Essential American Revolution Library

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. […]

by Hugh T. Harrington