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Danger at the Breach
byAmerican Patriots won a pivotal victory at Charlestown, South Carolina, on June 28, 1776, six days before the Declaration of Independence. The Battle of…
Charles Lee
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Charles Lee—The Continental Army’s Most Prolific Essayist General
byMaj. Gen. Charles Lee’s substantial literary contributions to the American independence movement have been overshadowed by his challenging Gen. George Washington for Continental Army…
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Did George Washington Swear at Charles Lee During the Battle of Monmouth?
byThe scene is one of the most famous in the annals of the American Revolutionary War. The commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, Gen. George…
A Demographic View of the Georgia Continental Line and Militia: 1775–1783
byTo complement my two studies of the North Carolina Continental Line and militia/state troops, I’ve researched the demographics of the Georgia Continental Line and militia…
This Week on Dispatches: David M. Griffin on the Brooklyn Line Forts of 1776
byOn this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews architect and JAR contributor David M. Griffin on his research to determine the possible appearance and…
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What Were the Brooklyn Line of Forts in 1776?
byThe planned capture of New York City in 1776 by British forces set the stage for what was to become the largest battle of…
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“A Mere Youth:” James Monroe’s Revolutionary War
byLate in his life, after retiring the presidency, James Monroe drafted his own history. He was still struck, five decades after the War for…
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“That a General be Appointed to command”
byAfter the events at Lexington and Concord on April 19, it appeared that military force of some sort might be warranted in dealing with…
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John Rutledge: Governor of South Carolina, 1779
byJohn Rutledge had been prominent in South Carolina politics virtually since establishing his Charleston law practice in 1761. He served in the General Assembly,…
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John Rutledge: President of South Carolina, 1776–1778
byJohn Rutledge was born into Charleston’s elite in 1739 and by April 1775 had established himself as a defender of English rights in the…
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Riflemen Run Riot: The Mutiny at Prospect Hill
by“They are remarkably stout and hardy men,” thought army surgeon James Thacher, “Dressed in white frocks, or rifle shirts, and round hats.” The robust…
Nineteenth-Century Remembrances of Black Revolutionary Veterans: Jacob Francis, Massachusetts Continental and New Jersey Militia
byPhiladelphia Blacks, under the leadership of well-to-do Robert Purvis, organized the Vigilance Committee to aid and assist fugitive slaves in 1837. Purvis’s wife, Harriett…
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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…
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The Fall of Fort Washington: The “Bunker Hill Effect”?
byIt was the one of the worst defeats suffered by the Americans during the War for Independence, certainly the worst over which George Washington…
This Week on Dispatches: Christian M. McBurney on General Charles Lee and the Oath of Allegiance
byOn this week’s Dispatches host Brady Crytzer interviews author, attorney, and JAR contributor, Christian M. McBurney on the enigmatic General Charles Lee and his role…
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Washington’s Councils of War: A Selective Assessment
byA.H. Ritchie’s 1856 engraving entitled “Washington and His Generals” is a creative, imaginary scene, as the dozens of generals shown assembled never congregated in…
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George Washington’s Nemesis
byGeorge Washington’s Nemesis: The Outrageous Treason and Unfair Court-Martial of Major General Charles Lee during the Revolutionary War by Christian McBurney (El Dorado Hills, CA: …
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General Charles Lee Imposes Oaths of Allegiance on Newport Tories, 1775
byMajor General Charles Lee visited Newport, Rhode Island, in late December 1775, where he—controversially—insisted that local Loyalists take an oath of allegiance to the…
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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…
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Top Ten Quotes of Major General Charles Lee
byCharles Lee served as second-in-command of the Continental Army, subordinate only to George Washington. Born in England, Lee was the best-educated and most widely-read…
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Shenandoah Martyr: Richard Campbell at War
byThere is no dignity in being forgotten. A case in point is Virginia Lt. Col. Richard Campbell, a Continental officer who died bravely for…
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Worthy of Commemmoration
byWe recently ran an article about monuments commemorating the American Revolution. We asked our contributors: If you could commission a monument, what would you…
1
The Beeline March: The Birth of the American Army
byOn a late spring afternoon in 1825, the two Bedinger brothers—Henry and Michael, old men now, seventy-four and sixty-nine respectively, proud immigrants from Alsace-Lorraine—commanded…
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“Monsr Dubuq,” the First French Officer to Serve the American Cause?
byTo historians of the American Revolution, the date of 1775 for French participation in the Patriot cause may seem incredible. The enigmatic “Monsr Dubuq,”…
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The Last Vestige of the Clove Road
byWith no actionable intelligence, General Washington had to guess where British Maj. Gen. William Howe was taking his army. So in July 1777, he…
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Quebec Town Major William Dunbar: Captured, April 1775
byIn early 1775, the town major of Quebec decided to pay a visit to Gen. Thomas Gage in Boston. William Dunbar had been an…
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Continental Congress vs. Continental Army: Strategy and Personnel Decisions
byWhen the American Revolution became a shooting war, it was left to the Continental Congress to become the body of state for the thirteen…
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Continental Congress vs. Continental Army: The Officer Corps
byWhen the Continental Congress first met it was intended to bring the American colonies together to find a solution to the growing disputes with…
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The Glorious Career and Unfortunate Death of John Laurens
byGeorge Washington surrounded himself with the best and the brightest young men involved in the revolutionary cause. Alexander Hamilton, Tench Tilghman, Robert Harrison, the…
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Pell’s Point: John Glover Saves Washington’s Army
byGeorge Washington understood the importance of naval power. He recognized the futility of trying to defend New York City, surrounded as it was by…
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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…
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Personal Honor and Promotion Among Revolutionary Generals and Congress
byIn the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, the United States Congress ordered the Department of Defense to conduct a study aimed at wholesale overhaul…
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Renegade Revolutionary:
The Life of Charles Lee
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Book Review: Renegade Revolutionary: The Life of Charles Lee by Phillip Pappas (New York University Press, 2014). Prior to 2013, there had not been…
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Duels of Honor
byDear Mr. History: I’ve read about some duels of honor involving senior Continental Army officers and something doesn’t make sense to me; why were…
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Washington’s Belated Admission
by“This is a most unfortunate affair and has given me great Mortification as we have lost not only two thousand Men that were there,…
1
Lee’s Defeat… in Court
byDuring the sweltering hot day of June 28, 1778, the Continental Army and the British Army fought the longest battle of the Revolutionary War…
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Charles Lee: Gift of Controversy
byUntil the capture of Lieutenant General Jonathan Wainwright in World War II, the highest-ranking American generals taken prisoner were Major Generals Benjamin Lincoln and…
17
The 10 Worst Continental Army Generals
byRecently, I offered my choices for the ten most important Continental Army generals. Not the best or the worst, but the most important. But…
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Unleashing the Dogs of War
byNearly everyone loves a dog. This is especially true of soldiers to whom a dog is a friendly reminder of home, a companion and…