Tag: New York

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For Sale: West Point (Part 2 of 2)

Benedict Arnold and John André met after midnight on September 22, 1780 to conclude the selling and taking possession of West Point. André, having been picked up from the fourteen-gun British sloop, the Vulture, by two oarsmen, finally met his co-conspirator on a wooded slope south of today’s Haverstraw.  Based on Sir Henry Clinton’s readiness […]

by Steven Paul Mark
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For Sale: West Point (Part 1 of 2)

The story of General Benedict Arnold and Major John André takes about a minute to convey in a high school classroom. The real story, however, is worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster with all the essential elements: heroes and villains, supporting roles, intrigue, greed, lust for glory, betrayal, danger, close shaves and a nation in peril. […]

by Steven Paul Mark
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Abraham Woodhull: The Spy Named Samuel Culper

Abraham Woodhull, spy for General George Washington, nearly got himself hanged on one of his first missions.   It was in October 1778, when Woodhull toured British-held New York City and its environs, observing Crown military activities.  At one point he neared an encampment of Loyalist soldiers commanded by General William Tryon.  Woodhull was probably preparing […]

by Michael Schellhammer
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New York’s Mohawk Valley Region-America’s First Frontier

The path of America’s struggle for Independence was heavily traversed through the beautiful vistas, pasture land, and streams of the Mohawk Valley Region. Nearly 300 battles were fought during the American Revolution, and almost 100 of these contests were fought on New York soil. At MohawkValleyHistory.com you can explore Central New York’s rich history and […]

by Advertising
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Washington’s Belated Admission

“This is a most unfortunate affair and has given me great Mortification as we have lost not only two thousand Men that were there, but a good deal of Artillery, & some of the best Arms we had.” So wrote General George Washington to his brother John Augustine Washington in November 1776.[1] The fall of […]

by Benjamin Huggins
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Valcour Island Redux

Lying between Vermont and New York, astride the border between the United States and Canada, accessible via canals from the St. Lawrence and Hudson Rivers, and 125 miles long, Lake Champlain is a major boating attraction. On any summer’s day, hundreds of watercraft displaying registrations from numerous states and Canadian provinces will pause for a […]

by Michael Barbieri
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James Rivington: King’s Printer
and Patriot Spy?

This article was originally published in Journal of the American Revolution, Vol. 1 (Ertel Publishing, 2013). Solving “the Most Astounding” Mystery of the American Revolution In early spring 1773, readers of the Boston Gazette came across an ambitious business proposal when they opened the March 22 issue.  New York printer and bookseller James Rivington, then […]

by Todd Andrlik
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The Plot to Kidnap Schuyler

In 1781, British forces operating in Canada set their eyes on kidnapping prominent Americans in Vermont and upstate New York. These patriot leaders had stirred up opposition to efforts to draw Vermont into British Canada. At the time, General Frederick Haldimand, the Governor of the Province of Quebec (which at that time included what is […]

by Christian McBurney
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The Battle of Valcour Island

Until the early decades of the 20th century saw wide-spread construction of roads in North America, water provided ready-made highways. Lake Champlain formed 125 miles of one such 350-mile-long artery through the wilderness that lay between the Atlantic Ocean at New York City and the St. Lawrence River at Montreal. In the spring of 1776, […]

by Michael Barbieri
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Arnold in Command at Bemis Heights?

Stripped of command and left in camp to drink his sorrows away, Benedict Arnold fumed and ranted in frustration until his aggressive nature took over and caused the deposed general to ride his horse onto the field of battle just in time to lead the final assault against Burgoyne’s redoubts and seal the British fate […]

by Wayne Lynch
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The Whale-boat Men of Long Island Sound

When the Continental Congress first commissioned the use of private ships and boats of war in April 1776, they specified that each vessel’s commander had to deliver a bond payable to the president of the Congress before the privateering commission — called a letter of marque and reprisal — could be granted. These bonds were […]

by Jackson Kuhl
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The Long Shot of September 1776

In September 1776[1] there occurred an incident of long distance marksmanship, or luck, that deserves a close look.  The eyewitness, Private Joseph Plumb Martin[2] of the Continental Army, describes the scene.  Martin was on the east shore of Manhattan Island marching north with the East River on his right.  He wrote that: “…here I saw […]

by Hugh T. Harrington
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Washington’s Deviation to Virginia

General Washington received the disappointing news on August 14, 1781. Comte De Grasse’s powerful French fleet of nearly thirty warships was not sailing for New York as Washington had long hoped, but was instead destined for the Chesapeake Bay. Washington’s plan for an allied attack on British held New York City depended heavily on the […]

by Michael Cecere
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Reverend Seabury’s Pamphlet War

In the fall of 1774, just before adjourning, the First Continental Congress outlined the Articles of Association, an aggressive plan of economic resistance to Great Britain that included nonconsumption, nonimportation and nonexportation. These boycotts were to be enforced by local committees and supplant Colonial governments. Westchester, New York Reverend Samuel Seabury responded with a series […]

by Wayne Lynch
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The 10 Commandments of American Victory

While 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 the Patriots have benefited from having a set of rules like the Ten Commandments to guide their struggle for independence?  Lastly, that the editors of this Journal were waiting for me […]

by Michael Schellhammer
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Nathan Hale: A Hero’s Fiasco

Dear Mr. History: What’s the story on Nathan Hale?  Like countless American schoolchildren, I was taught that he was executed for spying and said “I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country.”  A spy who gets caught seems like a dubious distinction to me.  Was Hale an effective spy?  […]

by Michael Schellhammer
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Tarleton: Before He Became “Bloody Ban”

Before he became “Bloody Ban,” Banastre Tarleton fought in New York and learned the difficulties of cornering seasoned Continental cavalry. “Surrender you damned rebel, or I’ll blow your brains out!” shouted a British cavalryman who galloped close behind American militia horseman Private John Buckhout, who was certainly having a rough morning on July 2nd, 1779.  […]

by Michael Schellhammer