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The Lonely Vigil of America’s First Diplomat
byAfter the French and Indian War, or the Seven Years War as it was known in Europe, Spain and France began to plan for…
France
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Clarifying Beaumarchais
byAt the dawn of the American Revolution, France and Britain had been coexisting under a treaty of friendship since about 1765. Traded like properties…
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Documents of the Revolution: A Continuum of Conviction
byThose familiar with American history know that the Articles of Confederation served as the first constitution of the unified states during the American Revolution….
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America’s First Ally: France in the Revolutionary War
byNorman Desmarais, professor emeritus at Providence College, is one of America’s most important scholars of French involvement in the American Revolution. Desmarais has long…
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France and Spain Invade England—Almost
byOn February 6, 1778, France signed two treaties with the United States, one of Amity and Commerce, the other, a defensive Alliance.[1] In them, France…
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Henry Laurens and the Grand Tour of Europe
byIn the fall of 1771, the South Carolina rice merchant Henry Laurens sailed to Britain with his teenaged sons. They toured the countryside and…
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The Lenape Origins of an Independent America: The Catalyst of Pontiac’s War, 1763–1765
byIn the wake of the Seven Years’ War in North America, the costly British triumph seemed complete. Thus, when a coda to the Seven…
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Why Newport, Rhode Island, Scorned the French
byOne would expect that a country that had been at war for five years would welcome its first ally with open arms. We might…
This Week on Dispatches: John L. Smith, Jr. on Thomas Jefferson and French Fries
byOn this week’s Dispatches host Brady Crytzer interviews educator, US Army and US Air Force veteran, and JAR contributor, John L. Smith, Jr., about the…
This Week on Dispatchers: Frederic C. Detwiller on the Mysterious “Monsr Dubuq”
byOn this week’s Dispatches host Brady Crytzer interviews architect and preservationist Frederic C. Detwiller on the enigmatic French engineer, “Monsr Dubuq,” who was one of the…
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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…
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Monuments to the American Revolution
byAlong with the Civil War, the American Revolution is one of the two most iconic events in American history. The Revolution has inspired countless…
A French “King of America”?
byIn the chaos of war, there are, and have always been, schemers who will try to take advantage of disorder to enrich themselves, either…
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Strange Bedfellows: Adams and Franklin as Diplomatic Duo
byClose the window. No, leave the window open. Cold night air can be toxic to one’s health. No, what’s truly toxic is stifled, fetid…
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David Holmes, Timothy Barnard, and Questionable Loyalties
byWith the Revolutionary War in full swing by August 1776, George Galphin penned a letter to his nephew, Timothy Barnard. Galphin started his letter…
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“Be A King George”
by“Be a King George.” Four simple, but oft repeated words drilled into the Prince of Wales from childhood by his mother, Augusta of Saxe-Gotha….
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How Robert Morris’s “Magick” Money Saved the American Revolution
byThe year 1780 ended badly, and the new year boded worse for America’s War of Independence. Maj. Gen. Benedict Arnold’s treason and defection to…
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The “Hynson Business”—The Story of a Double Agent
byWars have a way of creating strange alliances, and the American Revolution was no exception. I encountered one such unusual relationship while researching my…
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Continental Congress vs. Continental Army: Paying For It All
byWhen the Second Continental Congress met in June 1775, they were not prepared for what they found. Several months earlier on April 19 the…
The Sea Battle that Paid Off for the Continental Army
byAs the Revolutionary War was coming to an end, financial problems came to the forefront: to name a few, the country’s debts to France,…
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A Loyalist’s Response to the Franco-American Alliance: Charles Inglis’s “Papinian” Essays
byAt nine o’clock on the morning of May 6, 1778, Continental soldiers at Valley Forge emerged from their huts to hear their regimental chaplains…
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The First Countries to Diplomatically Recognize the United States
by“Diplomacy is seduction in guise …”, whispered Benjamin Franklin to his fellow commissioner John Adams. “One improves with practice.” Although the quote isn’t real…
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Antoine Felix Wuibert: The French “Forrest Gump” of the American Revolution
byAntoine Félix Wuibert was one of the earliest foreign volunteers to the War of the American Revolution, arriving even before the United States pronounced…
Plenty With Grudges: The Cold Case Murder of Joseph Junin
byIn February 1791, when local Indian trader Joseph Marie Junin was found dead, shot twice in the head in his cabin in what is…
Luke Ryan: Premier Privateer
byLuke Ryan was born in the County Dublin coastal village of Rush on February 14, 1750. His parents were Michael and Mary Ryan. As…
A Look at Lauzun in L’Expédition Particulière
byBest known in this country for his role in the in the Yorktown Campaign of the American Revolution, the Duc de Lauzun (April 13,…
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Captain de Latouche-Tréville’s Strange Affair
byLouis René Madeleine Le Vassor de Latouche-Tréville (1745-1804) commanded the French frigate l’Hermione which brought Maj. Gen. Marie Jean Paul Joseph du Motier Marquis…
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Command and Control During the Yorktown Campaign
byThe definitions of joint command of land, maritime, air and other forces as practiced by the United States military today were unknown to those…
How John Adams Almost Undermined the French Alliance
byOn September 27, 1779, John Adams was appointed “Minister Plenipotentiary for negotiating a Treaty of Peace and a Treaty of Commerce with Great Britain.”…
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The Marquis de Lafayette, European Friend of the American Revolution
byMount Vernon is proud to serve as the 2015 conference host and co-sponsor for the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR)’s Annual Conference on…
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Lafayette’s Second Voyage to America: Lafayette and l’Hermione
byIn 1775, Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette was an eighteen-year-old French soldier assigned to military maneuvers at Metz. At Metz, he attended an official…
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Franklin’s Failed Diplomatic Mission
byBenjamin Franklin’s Revolutionary War diplomatic successes have been well chronicled. He was instrumental in persuading King Louis XVI to enter into a military alliance…
The Three Documents that brought France into the War
byIn the spring of 1775, Arthur Lee, the American agent in London, attended a dinner party at the home of John Wilkes, an outspoken…
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Silas Deane, Forgotten Patriot
bySilas Deane assisted the Patriot cause as a congressman, merchant, and diplomat. In 1776, Deane undertook a mission to France as the Patriots’ official,…
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The Daring Departure of Lafayette
byDear Mr. History: I’ve read that before he became a hero in the Continental Army, Lafayette departed France in defiance of orders from King…
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Silas Deane: Forlorn and Forgotten Patriot
byWhen the American colonists entered into a shooting war with the British Empire over their grievances, they were not prepared in many ways. They…
The Committee of Secret Correspondence
byAs the struggle between Great Britain and her colonists in the thirteen North American colonies entered a state of armed resistance against British military…
The 10 Commandments of American Victory
byWhile recently watching “The Ten Commandments,” starring Charlton Heston, I pondered a few thoughts. First, they don’t make flicks like that anymore. Secondly, wouldn’t…