Captain James Morris of the Connecticut Light Infantry
byIn 1812 when the British attacked the United States for the second time, Captain James Morris of the South Farms District of Litchfield, Connecticut,…
Philadelphia Campaign
1
The Battle of Gloucester, 1777
byBOOK REVIEW: The Battle of Gloucester 1777 by Garry Wheeler Stone and Paul W. Schopp (Yardley, PA: Westhome Publishing, 2022) Garry Wheeler Stone’s and…
Hearty in the Cause: Defending Delaware Bay, Spring 1776
byOn June 30, 1775, the Pennsylvania General Assembly recognized the direct threat Philadelphia faced should the Royal Navy take control of the Delaware and…
3
Cooch’s Bridge, Delaware’s Only Revolutionary War Battle
byOn December 5, 2018, the State of Delaware announced that it had acquired the historic property at Cooch’s Bridge, site of the only Revolutionary…
This Week on Dispatches: Michael C. Harris and Gary Ecelbarger on the Numerical Strength of Washington’s Army During the Philadelphia Campaign
byOn this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews historians and JAR contributors Michael C. Harris and Gary Ecelbarger on their important work to better determine…
4
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…
14
A Reconsideration of Continental Army Numerical Strength at Valley Forge
byOn December 23, 1777, a mere four days after his Continental army entered Valley Forge, George Washington wrote to the Continental Congress expressing the…
This Week on Dispatches: Gary Ecelbarger on Clement Biddle and the “Battle of the Clouds”
byOn this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews writer and JAR contributor Gary Ecelbarger on what a letter from Clement Biddle can tell us…
1
The Feint That Never Happened: Unheralded Turning Point of the Philadelphia Campaign
byBy noon on Saturday, September 20, 1777, Gen. William Howe watched his window of opportunity to cross the shallowing upper fords of the Philadelphia…
2
George Washington’s 1777 Wilmington, Delaware, Headquarters: Insights to an Unmarked Site
byOn the 170th anniversary of Washington’s Birthday in 1902, the Delaware Society of the Cincinnati formed a procession of dignitaries and marched up Quaker…
2
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…
5
Aggressive-Minded Gamblers: Washington, Howe, and the Days Between Battles, September 12–16, 1777
byOn Tuesday afternoon, September 16, 1777—five days after the Battle of Brandywine—George Washington and most of his 11,000-member Continental army stood atop the South…
13
Patrick Ferguson and His Rifle
byMaj. Patrick Ferguson’s rifle is one of the most interesting and significant early attempts at a breech-loading service rifle. Coupling a screw breech plug…
5
A Visit to Old Fort Mercer on the Delaware
byA motorist travelling northbound through New Jersey along Interstate 295, which tracks the east bank of the Delaware River from the Delaware Memorial Bridge,…
5
Charles Craig’s Final Statement
byIn his last moments, with calculated efficiency, he bolted the bedroom door so no one could interrupt the execution of his final act. Charles…