Securing the Bells
by“Remove all public bells, in Philadelphia, to a place of security.”—Continental Congress Resolution, Sept. 14, 1777 The British Army commanded by Gen. Sir William…
British occupation of Philadelphia
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The Numerical Strength of George Washington’s Army During the 1777 Philadelphia Campaign
byIntroduction Perhaps the most important facet for understanding and appreciating a military campaign is a solid grasp of the composition of the armies engaged…
This Week on Dispatches: Chris Coelho on Timothy Matlack, Scribe of the Declaration of Independence
byOn this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews author Chris Coelho on the life and influence of Timothy Matlack, famed for being the scribe…
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Timothy Matlack, Scribe of the Declaration of Independence
byThe scribe of the Declaration of Independence—and perhaps the first man to read it in public—was born on March 28, 1736 in Haddonfield, New…
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Morale Manipulation as the Central Strategic Imperative in the American Revolutionary War
byMost people think of wartime propaganda as atrocity stories about the enemy. But commanders also disseminate false and true information in hopes of boosting…
This Week on Dispatches: Robert N. Fanelli on Cosmo Gordon of the Brigade of Guards
byOn this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews founding member of the Washington Crossing Revolutionary War Round Table and JAR contributor Robert N. Fanelli…
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A Fatal Dispute Among the Guards
byThe British evacuation of Philadelphia had been under way for several days. Given the honor to be among the last units to leave, the…
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Sir Henry Clinton’s Generalship
by“My fate is hard,” Sir Henry Clinton remarked after learning that he had been named commander of the British army in May 1778, adding…
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Congress’s “Committee on Spies” and the Court-Martial Policies of General Washington
byIn the weeks before it declared independence, the Continental Congress was already hard at work building the institutions it would need to maintain the…
A Moonlighting British Army Surgeon
byDuring the American War of Independence, the British Army officer corps routinely relegated its surgeons and physicians to a secondary status among its ranks….
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Washington’s Head of Elk Reconnaissance: A New Letter (and and Old Receipt)
byThe Philadelphia Campaign of 1777 took definitive shape when Gen. William Howe successfully landed his 16,000 officers and men near Head of Elk (now…