“Earned By Veteran Intrepidity”: Spencer’s Ordinary, June 26, 1781
byCaptain Johann Ewald had much to thank the Almighty for.[1] A heroic stand on the picket line before Norfolk, Virginia, parried an American thrust…
Charles Cornwallis
8
Johann Gottlieb Rall: Tactical Negligence or Personal Negligence at Trenton?
by“When a man chooses a calling, he must do everything that can be done in that calling so that he can never suffer reproach…
8
Observations Concerning the Yorktown Surrender Documents
byThe surrender of the British Army at Yorktown in 1781 was implemented by the three-party Articles of Capitulation (“the Articles”), one of the most…
5
The Battle of Crosswicks: Prelude to Monmouth
bySir Henry Clinton inherited an unmitigated strategic disaster when he assumed command of the Crown Forces in North America during the spring of 1778….
8
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…
2
Reflections on the Siege and Capitulation of Yorktown and Gloucester
byLt. General Earl Cornwallis, the British general officer commanding in the south, occupied Yorktown and Gloucester on August 1 and 2, 1781, the evacuation…
7
Review: To the End of the World: Nathanael Greene, Charles Cornwallis, and the Race to the Dan
byTo the End of the World: Nathanael Greene, Charles Cornwallis, and the Race to the Dan by Andrew Waters (Yardley, PA: Westholme Publishing, 2020)…
The Aborted Virginia Campaign and Its Aftermath, May to August 1781
byLt. General Earl Cornwallis, the British general officer commanding in the south, arrived at Petersburg in the morning of May 20, 1781, having marched…
9
Colonel Henry Jackson Accused by His Junior Officers of Misconduct at the Battle of Monmouth Court House
byIn my study of Major General Charles Lee, who commanded Continental Army troops at the fascinating Battle of Monmouth Court House, I argue that…
9
Trading Generals
byDuring the American Revolution, many players were removed from the chess board of war as a result of capture. From individual soldiers and sailors…
2
Captain John De Treville: Continental Officer and British Spy
byIn late June 1780 a messenger arrived in Charleston, South Carolina, with intelligence for Lt. Gen. Charles, Earl Cornwallis. The messenger, Capt. John La Boularderie…
6
Picking Up the Pieces: Virginia’s “Eighteen-Months Men” of 1780–81
byThe first half of 1780 had gone disastrously for Virginia. The surrender of Gen. Benjamin Lincoln’s army at Charleston and the destruction of Col….
Cornwallis Quits Charlotte, Abandoning the Autumn Campaign of 1780
byThis article is a companion piece to one of mine that appeared in this journal on July 18, 2017. Beginning with the start of the…
This Week on Dispatches: Andrew Waters on the Campaign in the Carolinas
byOn this week’s Dispatches host Brady Crytzer interviews JAR contributor Andrew Waters on the course of the campaign through the Carolinas, including Cowpens and other key…
8
The American Revolutionary War in the South
byThe American Revolutionary War in the South: A Re-evaluation from a British Perspective in Light of the Cornwallis Papers by Ian Saberton (Grosvenor House Publishing…
7
Benedict Arnold and James Wemyss: Similar Experiences Contrasting Legacies
byOften, a person’s legacy is defined by decisions made at pivotal moments rather than a lifetime of previous accomplishments. The is especially true for…
15
If Only We Had a Primary Source: Stories of the American Revolution
byThere are many myths associated with the American Revolution, and at JAR we do our best to set the record straight on as many…
2
Decoding British ciphers used in the South, 1780-81
byDuring the southern campaigns the British used two kinds of cipher, each kind being markedly different from the other. The First Kind of Cipher: The…
4
8
Southern Gambit: Cornwallis and the British March to Yorktown
bySouthern Gambit: Cornwallis and the British March to Yorktown by Stanley D.M. Carpenter (University of Oklahoma Press, 2019) In his recent book, Stanley Carpenter produced…
2
Captain Septimus Noel: Ordnance Fleet Commodore
byHistory occasionally provides a pleasant surprise by revealing the record of an ordinary person who, thrust into a unique role, performed extraordinary services for…
2
Cornwallis’s Refitment at Winnsborough and the Start of the Winter Campaign, November–January 1780–81
byAs November 1780 begins, we find Cornwallis continuing to wait at Winnsborough, South Carolina, in the hope of being joined by Major Gen. Alexander…
16
The Decision that Lost Britain the War: An Enigma Now Resolved
byIn this article I address the absurdity of Cornwallis’s decision to march from Wilmington, North Carolina, to Virginia and the light thrown on it…
3
Hammond’s Store: The “Dirty War’s” Prelude to Cowpens
byLittle is known about the colonial-era history of Hammond’s Store, though the site appears to have been a local meeting place prior to the…
5
Major James Wemyss: Second Most Hated British Officer in the South
byNo British officer was more reviled by Patriots in the South during the American Revolution than Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton. Based partly on fact…
3
Revolutionary Rookies
byPerforming as a general atop an independent command is the most difficult military assignment and for which prior experience critically fosters improved strategic and…
6
Honorable Lords and Pretended Barons: Sorting Out the Noblemen of the American Revolution
byThe Revolutionary War brought a substantial number of European noblemen to North America, a region that lacked a hereditary aristocracy. Although most of these…
3
Massacre Averted: How two British Soldiers saved 350 American Lives
byIn the early morning hours of September 28, 1778, British Troops under Major General Charles Grey surprised and decimated an entire regiment of Continental…
16
Unlucky or Inept? Gates at Camden
byAt the battle of Camden in August of 1780, Lord Cornwallis dealt the Americans under General Horatio Gates a shocking defeat. Also known as…
13
Winner or Runner? Gates at Camden
byLord Cornwallis dealt General Horatio Gates a terrible defeat at Camden in South Carolina. The battle represented a rather rude jolt to the reputation…
4
Top 10 British Losers
byThe American Revolutionary War was a war Britain seemingly should have won. Its failure is popularly blamed upon the incompetence of the political and…