History of the American Revolution
Washington’s Retreat Through New Jersey. Nov 9 – Dec 8, 1776 Supreme British Commander Major General Sir [1]William Howe’s efforts to ‘bag the fox’ had failed. ‘The Fox”, first termed by British General Charles Cornwallis in and around New York City the fateful summer of 1776, was the ‘rebel’ General George Washington. Mr. Washington, as the …
During the exceptionally cold winter month of February, 1778. The colonialists’ cause for freedom was slowly being strangled by a superior force. In this, America’s darkest hour, a ‘foreigner’ came to the aid of the struggling nation’s army and taught it how to stand up before the enemy and fight. That man was Baron Fredrich …
On October 18th, 1776, at first light, Colonel John Glover stood atop a hill and raised his spy-glass to look out over the harbor of Pell’s Point, NY along the Long Island Sound. He was flabbergasted. He saw what looked like upwards of over two hundred British ships sitting off shore. General William Howe was …
“I have once fought for the Virginians and by God, I will let them see that I can fight against them.” John Murray, Virginia Royal Governor Lord Dunmore, Fall of 1775 Royal Governor Lord Dunmore’s Fight to Retain Virginia as a Royal Colony was dealt a fatal blow with his loss to American Militia at …
There were no great suppliers in 1775 vying for contracts to supply clothing or make uniforms for the Continental Army. If there were, there certainly was no money to pay them. Washington and others in the Second Congress were too concerned with providing enough shell, shot and other armaments with which to wage war. By …
Eighteenth century battles were fought on the field of honor. In Europe, it meant that each army lined up and pounded away at each other over a spacious, flat field. If there were fortifications, massive trenches were dug, inching cannon forward until close enough to reduce the walls to rubble and encourage surrender. Continuous broadsides …
In Washington’s army, the role of Adjunct General was to keep all records. All of Washington’s orders were sent though the Adjunct and within the Adjunct’s department, they were registered, made official, and handwritten copies were made. He received multiple general instructions from Washington on a daily basis, whereupon he issued the necessary orders to …
The Continental Army of 1776 did not have a chief of staff, one officer charged with making the commander’s requests known. In Washington’s army, one of the major generals was given the assignment each day as “Major General of the Day.” This officer took on many of the Commander-in-Chief’s routine duties, which allowed General Washington …
Just two days after the birth of the Continental Army, Congress approved the position of Quartermaster General and Assistant Quartermaster General on June 16, 1775. The major duties of the Quartermaster General in Washington’s Army were in transportation, forage, camps and the movement of troops. Additional duties encompassed distributing rations, clothing, ammunition within the regiments, …
How does a nation defend a spacious new land to which it just laid claim? Consider a land that began with a trickle of settlers, only to surge into a steady stream of immigrants, each year’s population surpassing the next by leaps and bounds; a territory teaming with merchants, farmers, and artisans, who quickly fanned …