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Thou Shalt Not Steal: Plunder, Theft, and Sticky Fingers
“The cunning man steals a horse, the wise man lets him alone.”[1] It had been less than three months since Congress had adopted a…
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Fiasco: The Disastrous Raid on Montresor’s Island
By the evening of September 30, 1776, George Washington was, as he put it, “bereft of every peaceful moment.” During the previous month, his…
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Frontier Rebels: The Fight for Independence in the American West, 1765–1776
Frontier Rebels: The Fight for Independence in the American West, 1765-1776, by Patrick Spero (W.W. Norton & Company, 2018) In most standard histories of…
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Forgotten Warrior: The Brave and Meritorious Robert Kirkwood
“Solid obedience is always the fruit of the confidence, respect, and affection, which a corps has for its chief.”[1] For the armies of the…
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Washington’s Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior: Outrageous Offenders
Long before he became the father of his country, a young George Washington copied out 110 maxims governing appropriate conduct for young gentlemen. Handwritten…
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Terror on the Frontier: The Grim Ordeal of Delilah Corbly
More often than not, the horrific realities of warfare are shielded by bland accounts and cold statistics. When it comes to the Revolutionary War,…
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Elite Regiment, Delinquent Behavior
Its list of battle honors nearly constitutes a history of the Revolution itself. During seven years of service, the Delaware Regiment earned a staggering…
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Frontier Country: The Politics of War in Early Pennsylvania
Book review: Frontier Country: The Politics of War in Early Pennsylvania by Patrick Spero (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2016). [BUY NOW ON AMAZON] For…
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Drunk and Disorderly: The Dreadful Havoc of Spirituous Liquors
Drink does not drown care, but waters it, and makes it grow faster.[1] Valley Forge. For most Americans, the very name of the Pennsylvania…
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Stern Measures: Thomas Jefferson Confronts the “Hair Buyer”
For a high ranking British official about to be captured by Rebel forces, it was an ominous portent of future treatment. Surrounded at the…
Revolutionary War Olympics: The Games Our Founders Played
They may not have enjoyed major league baseball, college football, or competitive ice dancing, but the Revolutionary generation was unquestionably an athletic bunch. Colonial…
Temper, Temper: Officers and Gentlemen Go Berserk
Civility is the cheapest, and yet the most profitable traffic.[1] Put large numbers of men together for extended periods of time and they’re bound…
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George Washington Convenes a Firing Squad
In an army where men died as a matter of course, there was nonetheless something peculiarly unsettling about the business scheduled for the morning…
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His Majesty’s Indian Allies: 10 Notables
In many respects it was a sobering testament to Britain’s mounting resolve to suppress the Revolution at all costs. “It is his Majesty’s resolution,”…
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A Melancholy Accident: The Disastrous Explosion at Charleston
For Sir Henry Clinton, the capitulation of Charleston, South Carolina constituted not only the most stunning British victory of the war, but something of…
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George Rogers Clark at Vincennes: “You May Expect No Mercy”
From the outset, it was a military operation whose strategic goals were combined with a fierce quest for vengeance. On January 3, 1778, Lieutenant…
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“Cursedly Thrashed”: The Battle of Harlem Heights
It was an unfortunate expedient, but one that had grown unavoidable. On September 8, 1776, George Washington penned a lengthy report to Congress in…