Tag: 1777

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Action At Sabbath Day Point,
March 20, 1777

Samuel MacKay The American invasion of Canada of 1775 failed during the following winter when the siege of Quebec City was raised by the arrival of British reinforcements from overseas. The rebels were pushed out of the province and driven south on Lake Champlain to take refuge in the fortress of Ticonderoga. For the 1777 […]

by Gavin K. Watt
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The Setauket Raid – December 1777

On the 1st of December 1777 Colonel Samuel B. Webb noted in his journal,[1] … At Horseneck [Greenwich, CT].  This day my Regiment marched in to this place. An expedition is intended on Long Island…. We expect to cross tomorrow evening. Sgt. Simon Giffin of Webb’s Regiment was a busy man that day. At North […]

by Phillip R. Giffin
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Fort Anne: Remembering the Continental Army’s First Stand Against Burgoyne   

Burgoyne’s campaign of 1777 has been termed a turning point in the American Revolution.[1]  Marked by the Continental Army’s victories at the battles of Bennington and Saratoga, the campaign came to show the limits of the British army and gave credence to and international recognition of the American cause. Hidden in these histories of Burgoyne’s […]

by Michael Jacobson
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1777: Tipping Point at Saratoga

Book review: 1777: Tipping Point at Saratoga by Dean Snow (Oxford University Press, October, 2016) [BUY NOW ON AMAZON] I can hear it now—“Another book about the Saratoga campaign … yawn.” That’s pretty much what I thought when I first heard of this volume. Every few years someone comes out with a new publication on the […]

by Michael Barbieri
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Martin Hurley’s Last Charge

By the time he arrived in Boston with the 44th Regiment of Foot, Martin Hurley was an experienced soldier. He’d joined the army in 1767, and learned the military trade well enough to be put into the regiment’s grenadier company, men distinguished by their martial competence as well as their tall stature.[1] The 44th was […]

by Don N. Hagist
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Washington’s Second Christmas Day Attack

From the intelligence provided by his New York and New Jersey spies, General Washington believed, early in 1777, that General Howe would eventually strike at Philadelphia though he knew not when or whether he would travel by land or sea. In a letter dated July 24, 1777, from Col. Matthias Ogden, he was informed that […]

by Bob Ruppert
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The Battle of Millstone

The Battle of Millstone in central New Jersey on 20 January 1777,[1] is a “local interest” battle, the kind that is often known only to locals and specialists, but on closer examination permits greater insight into other facets of the American Revolution.  By one account, there were 1,331 military engagements in the war throughout the […]

by Steven M. Richman
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Debating Arnold’s Role at Freeman’s Farm

In September of 1777 the Patriots won big by stopping Major General “Gentleman Johnny” Burgoyne dead in his tracks at the battle of Freeman’s Farm (1st Saratoga) which climaxed the Saratoga Campaign and ultimately led to the surrender of his entire army.  Brigadier General Benedict Arnold deeply resented being denied credit for the victory and, […]

by Wayne Lynch
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Taking to Devil’s Den

The crevices and stony outcroppings of Devil’s Den, a 1,756-acre nature preserve in Weston and Redding, Connecticut, can provide shelter for hikers during an unexpected rainstorm. Or, as was the case for some women and children 236 years ago, the perfect place to hide during a British invasion. It was shortly before sunset on April […]

by Cathryn J. Prince
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It’s Not All Burgers and Beer

“The day will be most memorable in the history of America.  I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival.  It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever […]

by Pamela Murrow
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Bennington Fatally Delays Burgoyne

A bit of time in the summer of 1777 nearly turned the conception of a United States into a stillborn notion. It is commonly accepted that the alliances with other European powers gave the American colonies the impetus to see their struggle through and those alliances resulted, in large part, from the surrender of General […]

by Michael Barbieri
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The Myth of Rifleman Timothy Murphy

Every historical researcher, and readers of history books and magazines, must constantly keep in mind the power of the written word.  Whether reading for pleasure or serious study one constantly weighs the evidence to determine whether it is accurate and credible or not. Regrettably, the written word itself attaches credibility to a statement by the […]

by Hugh T. Harrington