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The Healey Library at the University of Massachusetts Boston defines primary sources as “immediate, first-hand documents of a topic, from people who had a…
When old Revolutionary War soldiers applied for their military pensions in the first and second quarter of the nineteenth century, they generally reported the…
Every now and then, one comes across a pension application of an old soldier that includes extraordinary detail. Occasionally the application includes a journal…
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Gen. George Washington, commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, arrived at the American defenses at West Point “very much fatigued.” He had ridden one his…
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It is often a tradition among soldiers and sailors to give monikers to their commanders. American military history resounds with names like Gen.Thomas “Stonewall”…
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Orderly books are great sources of information for military historians. Their contents are a treasure, and include everything from general and regimental orders, returns,…
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Some people are drawn to flame, perhaps just a momentary fascination, but it can get one scolded, especially by the Commander-in-Chief. “I had just…
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The old man stepped out into the sun, shut his door, and turned north, leaving his home in Gainesville, New York, for the county…
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Early in the morning of July 16, 1779, Gen. Anthony Wayne and his Corps of Light Infantry successfully stormed the British works at Stony…
Sgt. Benjamin Gilbert of the 5th Massachusetts Regiment awoke near Verplanck Point on May 31, 1779 with cause to celebrate: it was his birthday,…
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The American War for Independence, like any great historical episode, has its share of legends and mythology. The period from 1775 to 1783, perhaps…
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Since the dawn of humanity, thunder and lightning have both terrified and awed. Protection was sought from deities like Zeus and Thor; and in…
A great deal of the American Revolution took place in New York’s Lower Hudson Valley. The region was home to a number of forts,…
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Jamaican-born Scotsman Colonel Ann Hawkes Hay of the 2nd Regiment of Orange County Militia looked over his property in Haverstraw, New York towards the…
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In late October of 1777, America celebrated its first capture of a British Army; General Horatio Gates had defeated General Sir John Burgoyne near…
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In the early morning hours of July 16, 1779, Brigadier General Anthony Wayne and the Continental Corps of Light Infantry successfully stormed and carried…