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Ten Rifle Companies: Why Rifles, and Not Muskets?
byThe official birthday of the United States Army is June 14, 1775. On that day, the Second Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia passed the…
Silas Deane
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4
At Ease: Baron von Steuben’s Final Resting Place
byFriedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, more commonly known as Baron von Steuben, served as a military officer in both the Prussian and American armies. He…
4
John Adams and Nathanael Greene Debate the Role of the Military
byNathanael Greene is rightly remembered as one of the great combat leaders of the American Revolution. But he was also a deep political thinker,…
John Dickinson and the Letter to Canada
byAfter the French and Indian War the British government made a number of decisions with respect as to how it would govern its North…
2
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…
2
Emergence of the French Alliance: The Beginning and Final Phases
byIt is widely acknowledged that the military alliance between the United States and France, established in 1778, was responsible not only for a number…
2
King Frederick the Great and the American Colonies—Mit Complimenten Aweissen
byMit Complimenten Aweissen (put him off with compliments) Arthur Lee, one of the American Commissioners stationed in Paris, was appointed minister to the Prussian Court…
1
King Frederick the Great and the American Colonies: The Preliminaries
byUpon the death of his grandfather on May 31, 1740, Frederick William II of the House of Hohenzollern became the King of Prussia. Over…
2
The Resignation Revolution
byThe threat of resigning one’s military commission under protest is almost a matter of tradition. If your leaders made a decision you did not…
2
Undeceived: Who Would Write the Political Story of the Revolution?
byIn July 1783 John Jay, one of the Americans negotiating a treaty of peace between Great Britain and the United States, was sitting at…
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Contributor Question: Remembered for the Wrong Reason?
byWe asked our contributors: Which personality of the American Revolution or the founding era (other than Benedict Arnold) is remembered for the wrong reasons,…
6
French Adventurers, Patriots, and Pretentious Imposters in the Fight for American Independence
byFrance was defeated in the Seven Years War. The defeat resulted in France losing valuable colonies, and prestige and influence in Europe. Desperate to…
3
Thomas Read of Delaware, Part 1: The Creation of the Continental Navy
byThomas Read (1740-1788) was the middle son of the Read family of New Castle, Delaware. His older brother George was a delegate to the…
4
Volunteer Overload: Foreign Support of the American Cause Prior to the French Alliance
byAside from being outmanned by the best army in the world when the American Revolution started, it was clear that the American forces were…
9
The Rise of Thomas Paine and the Case of the Officers of Excise
byThe Rise of Thomas Paine and the Case of the Officers of Excise by Paul Myles (Lewes: The Thomas Paine Society UK, 2018) When John…
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…
1
Jacob Duché: Mixing Religion and Politics During the Revolution
byIn a country in which one of the main constitutional principles is separation of church and state, it is counter-intuitive to find that there…
1
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…
17
Top Ten Revolutionary War Patriot Homes in Connecticut
by“Connecticut: Still Revolutionary,” is the official slogan of Connecticut’s tourism program since about 2014. As a historian who worked in architecture as the son…
13
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…
1
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…
14
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…
John the Painter: Terrorist for America
byUpon our arrival, I did behold a most curious Sight, which gave me further Cause to wonder about the true Safety we might here…
1
America’s First Black Ops
byPierre-Augustin de Caron, better known by his stage name, Beaumarchais, was a French playwright, financier, and confidant of King Louis XVI. In the spring…
5
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,…
4
On His Majesty’s Secret Service
byEdward Bancroft habitually worked late into the evenings on Tuesday. This evening he was finishing a letter to his new mistress and arranging a…
9
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…
Spring Break Road Trip – Day 2 (CT, NY, NJ)
byAfter sleeping in a bit, today’s first stop is “Ye Most Ancient Towne” in Connecticut – Wethersfield (see video below), which was founded in…