Category «Battles»

“If Ole England is not by this lesson taught humility, then she is an obstinate old slut, bent upon her ruin.” General Horatio Gates after the Battle of Saratoga October 14th, 1777.

From October 8th to the 14th, Burgoyne had been preparing his army to begin the long and dangerous trek back to Fort Ticonderoga. On October 10th, he had dispatched Lt. Colonel Nicholas Sutherland with two regiments up the west bank of the Hudson to assess the situation north of them. The idea, suggested by German …

Sergeant William Jasper: American Revolution’s Celebrated Hero at the Battle of Sullivan Island

Local Carolina residents had already responded to the threat by strengthening Fort Sullivan. Palmetto logs were laid into the partially completed fort which proved to be a blessing. Though General Lee recommended that the fort be abandoned, Colonel William Moultrie and Colonel William Thomson, who commanded militia from South and North Carolina, including some native …

Alexander Hamilton: Myth and the Man Part 3 – Debunking a Hero

Introduction History Defined: Repeat lies enough times, they become facts. Authoritarian’s Creed This, the third of four articles on Captain Alexander Hamilton and his train of artillery while in New York and leading up to the Battle of White Plains asks two questions. The fourth article will examine a bridge supposedly constructed during the battle …

Alexander Hamilton: Myth and the Man Part 2: He Was Not a Hero at the Battle of White Plains.

a Article 1 stated that Alexander Hamilton’s role during the Battle of White Plains had been fabricated and grossly exaggerated over the decades. The author of this three part series has traced this misinformation to Hamilton’s son who published several biographical texts; each one expanding on his father’s courage acts in combat. John Church Hamilton …

Alexander Hamilton the Myth and the Man Part 1: He Never Fired a Shot During the Battle of White Plains!

Perhaps, when describing the Battle of White Plains and participants, it is appropriate to use the romantic term historians and fictional writers ascribe to combat; the fog of war. In this case, as in most all conflicts, it has been cast over the facts that have been handed down to us over the decades. The …

Black Soldiers and the Victory at Red Bank

The Battle of Red Bank saw four hundred Americans defend Fort Mercer, New Jersey, against 2,000 Hessians resulting in the second most costly defeat for the British forces after the Battle of Bunker Hill. It was an incredible feat of gallantry and determination by Rhode Island ‘rebels’ who doggedly faced the Hessian attackers’ promise that …