History of the American Revolution
By Harry Schenawolf, author of the Shades of Liberty Series about African American soldiers in the American Revolution. Scholars have agreed that 18th century regular troops, the private and non-commissioned soldiers who stood firmly while massed musketry tore through their ranks, expected to be led by officers of society’s gentry. It was believed that these …
By Harry Schenawolf, author of the Shades of Liberty Series about African American soldiers in the American Revolution. Remember that scene in The Patriot where Mel Gibson scooped up a bunch of guns from under his bed and ran off to destroy a column of redcoats single handed, except he also armed his young children …
By Harry Schenawolf, author of the Shades of Liberty Series about African American soldiers in the American Revolution. Fought on November 16, 1776 on the island of Manhattan, just north of New York City, the Battle of Fort Washington almost became the next to last chapter in what might have been a failed rebellion in …
By Harry Schenawolf, author of the Shades of Liberty Series about African American soldiers in the American Revolution. In the spring of 1776, Lt. General Charles Cornwallis sailed from England with his beloved 33rd Regiment of Foot, labeled England’s Immortals, and landed near Charleston, South Carolina. On June 28th, he took part in the year’s …
Mention cowboys and John Wayne slinging his saddle over his arm during a clip from the classic 1939 John Ford movie Stagecoach might come to mind. Cowboys are synonymous with rough and tumble ranchers, cowhands, and gunslingers of the old west, strutting up to the bar, slapping the dust off their chaps, and ordering a bottle …
Two terms come up when describing roving bands of colonial plunderers who preyed on the residents of Westchester County, New York during the American Revolution: British marauders were called cowboys and patriotic pillagers were referred to as skinners. Though countless historical publications support this or claim that skinners were composed of both British and American …
At the start of the American Revolution, the county of Westchester was the richest and most populous of the rural counties of New York. By war’s end, most of the county, especially a twenty-mile-wide region labeled the neutral ground, would be totally devastated. Farms were abandoned and entire communities became ghost towns. Roads were vacant …
Colonel William Douglas (January 27, 1742- May 28, 1777) from North Branford, Connecticut was a successful merchant mariner and later farmer – honest, fair, hardworking, and successful in business. He was also a tragic figure, having invested and lost everything he had for the cause of liberty – his fortune, his family’s future, his health, …
During the Revolutionary War, and most likely before and after, officers and gentlemen were prime targets for thieves and blackguards, including drunk or disgruntled rank and file. This could occur either while walking the streets of cities and villages, or in camp or along secluded country roads. Snatching a fattened purse, or taking out their …
Great generals are scarce; there are few Morgans. General Nathanael Greene Bar-room brawler, drinker, gambler, and womanizer; six feet tall and built like a brick yard with tree trunk arms, Daniel Morgan (1736 – July 6, 1802) was an imposing figure in any time period. Yet beneath this rough frontage, was an honest and passionate figure …