Father and Son: Patriots Who Gave Their All
byWilliam Mehls Dewees (1711-1777) The “Father” of this history is William M. Dewees. He was the son of William Dewees of Germantown (1680-1745), “the…
Valley Forge
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The First Four Days at Valley Forge
byThe following timeline narrative attempts to unite previously disjointed events and occurrences regarding the first four days of the Continental army’s six-month stay at…
Feeding Washington’s Army: Surviving the Valley Forge Winter of 1778
byBOOK REVIEW: Feeding Washington’s Army: Surviving the Valley Forge Winter of 1778 byRicardo A. Herrera (Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press,…
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Constant Avery, Continental Soldier
byConstant Avery of Eaton, in New York’s Madison County, travelled sixteen miles to the county seat in Wampsville in the first week of October…
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Governor Jonathan Trumbull, Who Supplied Washington’s Suffering Army . . . and the French
byJonathan Trumbull, Senior is the most important governor in Connecticut’s long history. This is not only because of the many key contributions he made…
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…
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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…
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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…
The Revolutionary War Service of James Noble
byWhen old Revolutionary War soldiers applied for their military pensions in the first and second quarter of the nineteenth century, they generally reported the…
Nineteenth-Century Remembrances of Black Revolutionary Veterans: Hannah Till, George Washington’s Cook
byThe 1820 Missouri Compromise allowed Missouri to become a slave state, established Maine as a free state, and banned slavery in the territory west…
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Native Americans at Valley Forge
byAt the Bethlehem Hospital near Valley Forge on November 21, 1777, John Ettwein visited a “Narragansett Indian in great distress about his soul, at…
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Washington’s Councils of War: A Selective Assessment
byA.H. Ritchie’s 1856 engraving entitled “Washington and His Generals” is a creative, imaginary scene, as the dozens of generals shown assembled never congregated in…
Memorial Day: Recovering the Service of William Tiller, American Soldier
byEvery now and then, one comes across a pension application of an old soldier that includes extraordinary detail. Occasionally the application includes a journal…
Supporting American Revolution History
byRestrictions on travel and gather due to the coronavirus pandemic have had a significant impact on historic sites and institutions dedicated to the American…
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Top Ten Quotes of Major General Charles Lee
byCharles Lee served as second-in-command of the Continental Army, subordinate only to George Washington. Born in England, Lee was the best-educated and most widely-read…
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Tapping America’s Wealth to Fund the Revolution: Two Good Ideas that Went Awry
by“Unless some great and capital change suddenly takes place,” Gen. George Washington wrote from Valley Forge on December 23, 1777,[1] to Henry Laurens, the…
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Shenandoah Martyr: Richard Campbell at War
byThere is no dignity in being forgotten. A case in point is Virginia Lt. Col. Richard Campbell, a Continental officer who died bravely for…
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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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Contributor Question: What Scene Do You Wish Had been Depicted Accurately by an Artist?
byWe asked our contributors what seemed like a simple question: What scene from the American Revolution or the Founding Era (1765–1805, approximately) do you…
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The Extraordinary Life of Isaac Grant of Judea, Connecticut
byThe old man stepped out into the sun, shut his door, and turned north, leaving his home in Gainesville, New York, for the county…
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Valley Forge
byValley Forge by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2018) Americans refer to many of their nation’s most iconic events…
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Continental Congress vs. Continental Army: Strategy and Personnel Decisions
byWhen the American Revolution became a shooting war, it was left to the Continental Congress to become the body of state for the thirteen…
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Revisiting the Prayer at Valley Forge
byWhen George Washington died in 1799, partisan infighting and international crises threatened the survival of the American experiment. Many Americans believed in Washington’s unique…
The James McMichael Journal, December 29, 1777–May 12, 1778
byEditor’s Note: This is the final part of a five-part series. Part one. Part two. Part three. Part four. The final portion of the McMichael…
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The Battle of Valley Forge
byThe name Valley Forge evokes strong emotions and memories that are indelibly embedded on the collective American psyche with legendary stories of immense misery,…
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Reamstown Provides: A Pennsylvania Town’s Contribution to Valley Forge
byIn a cemetery behind the Salem United Church of Christ, in Reamstown, Lancaster County, a boulder stands: This grinding bowl from East Cocalico is…
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The ABC’s of the Valley Forge Encampment
bySix months of struggle shaped into twenty-six characters. A – Arrival The Continental Army under Gen. George Washington trudged into Valley Forge on December…
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The Worthy but Troubled Continental Service of Capt. Barent J. Ten Eyck
byWith the clash of arms that began the American Revolution, Capt. Barent J. Ten Eyck, of the Albany County Militia, served as courier for…
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10 Quotes from Valley Forge
byBeing ten unexpected and edifying quotations from the third winter encampment. I – “We live uncommonly well for Camp…We have Milk and sugar in…
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Allen McLane: Case Study in History and Folklore
byThe best portraits are perhaps those in which there is a slight mixture of caricature; and we are not certain that the best histories…
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Bartholomew von Heer and the Marechaussee Corps
byWashington and the Continental Army spent the winter of 1777-78 at Valley Forge, twenty-five miles northwest of Philadelphia. On November 27, the Continental Congress…
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An Elegant Dinner with General Washington at Valley Forge Headquarters
byOn the afternoon of April 5, 1778, four feisty women, accompanied by an escort, Israel Morris, boarded their coach in British-occupied Philadelphia and set…
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George Washington’s Favorite Play
byThanks to the porous state of the British lines around Philadelphia and the industry of General Washington’s secret agents, there is little doubt that…
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“Congress Does Not Trust Me. I Cannot Continue Thus.”
by“Congress Does Not Trust Me. I Cannot Continue Thus.” These are two of the most important sentences George Washington ever spoke. Almost instantly they…
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10 Fateful Hits and Misses
byMilitary leaders since Alexander the Great have often preferred to command their battle formations from the most forward ranks. “Leading from the front,” as…
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The Impact of General von Steuben
byDear Mr. History: Does General von Steuben deserve the fantastic amount of fame he gets for training the Continental Army at Valley Forge? The…
Spring Break Road Trip – Day 3 (DE, PA)
byToday we start our spring break road trip in Newark, Delaware, with a quick stop at the historic Hale-Byrnes House, site of a council…