“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…
Queen’s Rangers
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A Misguided Attempt to Populate Upper Canada with Loyalists after the Revolution
byFollowing the American Revolution, and to achieve a more appropriate governing climate, the British Parliament issued the Constitutional Act of 1791 which created, out…
4
The Brothers Bliss: A Soldier’s Account Behind the New York Lines
byThe Bliss Family roots run deep in Connecticut. Born in England around 1618, Thomas Bliss became a founder of Hartford and Norwich, Connecticut before…
Duncan Robertson, 71st Regiment of Foot, Wanders Off
byThree pounds was a lot money for a working man in Scotland in the mid-1770s. More than two months’ pay for a laborer, it…
This Week on Dispatches: Scott M. Smith on Robert Rogers and the American Revolution
byOn this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews JAR contributor Scott M. Smith on Robert Rogers, a legend for his service during the Seven Years’…
3
Jemima Howe, Frontier Pioneer to Wealthy Widow
byJemima Howe (1724–1805) reflects the strength it took to endure the harsh realities of the Vermont frontier during the American colonial and Revolutionary War…
5
Major Robert Rogers and the American Revolution
byAfter his exploits during the French and Indian War, Robert Rogers (1732-1795) was indisputably the most famous military leader born in the thirteen colonies;…
1
The Battle of Mamaroneck
byThe Battle of Mamaroneck, known to some as the “Skirmish of Heathcote Hill,” was one of the most obscure military engagements of the Revolution…
2
Skirmish at James’s Plantation: Victory and Defeat for Benedict Arnold in Virginia
byA recent home improvement project led to the Home Depot located at 2324 Elson Green Avenue, Virginia Beach, Virginia. The area is in the…
6
Virginia’s Swamp Fox: Captain Amos Weeks of Princess Anne County
byAnyone who has ever tackled genealogical or historical research knows that the process is very much like putting a jigsaw puzzle together or working…
2
Morale Manipulation as the Central Strategic Imperative in the American Revolutionary War
byMost people think of wartime propaganda as atrocity stories about the enemy. But commanders also disseminate false and true information in hopes of boosting…
The 2nd Connecticut Regiment at Edge Hill
byA fire fight erupted on the densely wooded Pennsylvania ridge. Caught in a crossfire from three sides, men of the 2nd Connecticut Regiment began…
4
Review: War at Saber Point: Banastre Tarleton and the British Legion
byWar at Saber Point: Banastre Tarleton and the British Legion by John Knight (Yardley, PA: Westholme Publishing, 2020) The American Revolution produced numerous well-known…
6
A Fatal Dispute Among the Guards
byThe British evacuation of Philadelphia had been under way for several days. Given the honor to be among the last units to leave, the…
Such As Are Absolutely Free: Benjamin Thompson’s Black Dragoons
byAt the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, there is an exhibit in the core gallery examining the choices, opportunities and constraints of…
4
Colonel Tye: Leader of Loyalist Raiders—and Runaway Slave
byJohn Corlis (sometimes spelled Corlies) was a Quaker land owner who resided in Shrewsbury Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey. He along with his mother…
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…
3
Plight of the Loyalist Refugees of Lloyd’s Neck, Long Island
byQueens County of Long Island, New York, had an overwhelming Loyalist population throughout the Revolutionary War period. After the war many Loyalists remained on…
2
General Isaac Gregory’s Fictitious Treason
byCol. Josiah Parker of Virginia was at a loss at what to do. He had just arrived outside the British outpost at Great Bridge…
7
The Death of Lt. Michael Grosh: the Maryland Militia at Germantown
byIn the early hours of October 4, 1777, the Maryland militia trudged southward along the Old York Road in eastern Pennsylvania. In the distance…
1
Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation: Information and Slavery
byLord Dunmore, John Murray, the 4th Earl of Dunmore (1730-1809) and Royal Governor of Virginia (1771-1776),[1] was an important political and military figure during…
Fire-Hunting by Night in South Carolina: A Pursuit of British Officers
byWhile George Hanger was for a time in limbo, waiting in mid May 1780 for a decision on his part in the British arrangements for…
This Week on Dispatches: Joseph Wroblewski on the Queen’s Rangers during the British Occupation of Philadelphia
byOn this week’s Dispatches host Brady Crytzer interviews educator and JAR contributor Joseph Wroblewski on the operations of the Queen’s Rangers during the British occupation of…
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…
2
Operations of the Queen’s Rangers: Foraging in New Jersey, February–March 1778
by“Of the forty or more battalions of Loyalists, which enlisted in the service of the Crown during the Revolutionary war, none has been so…
1
This Week on Dispatches: Todd Braisted on Discovering Barnard E. Griffiths, Queen’s Ranger, Emancipated Slave
byDispatches can now be easily accessed on the JAR main menu. Host Brady Crytzer discusses historian Todd Braisted’s remarkable discovery of a slave who…
3
Delaware’s Colonel John Haslet (1727–1777)
byBorn in Straw Dungiven, County Londonderry, Ireland,[1] thirty-year-old John Haslet was the young, widowed minister of Ballykelly Presbyterian Church. Arriving in America in 1757, he…
Revisiting B. E. Griffiths: Former Slave, Queen’s Ranger, and “Son of Africa”
byIn a recent article, Todd Braisted reconstructed the remarkable story of a black Loyalist soldier, “Trumpeter Barney” of the Queen’s Rangers.[1] Through meticulous archival…
Public Radio interviews Todd Braisted about Bernard E. Griffiths
byWord got around fast about Todd Braisted’s amazing detective work in identifying Bernard E. Griffiths and his remarkable journey from slave to Chelsea Pensioner published…
3
Bernard E. Griffiths: Trumpeter Barney of the Queen’s Rangers, Chelsea Pensioner—and Freed Slave
byThe period of the American Revolution does not afford many accounts of individual rank and file soldiers’ exploits, particularly on the side British side….
29
The Loyalist Declaration of Dependence, 1776
byOur ancestors often believed in fate, and so do I. It was fate one day that brought me to the Fraunces Tavern in New…
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
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…