Category «Battles»

Lt. John Mansfield at the Battle of Yorktown, His Awe-Inspiring Command of the Forlorn Hope

Lieutenant John Mansfield (1748 – 1823) was one of the faceless thousands who valiantly served his country from the first to last shots of the American Revolution. It is difficult to encapsulate, in a couple of thousand words, eight years of hardships – the struggle, the bitterly cold winter camps, the hunger and the fear, …

Hatter to Hero: American Revolution Colonel Jonathan Meigs’ Incredible Story

In a normal life, Colonel Return Jonathan Meigs would have remained in obscurity, his name only appearing in town listings. A hatter’s son, he carried on the family tradition, filling the shoes of his father while leading a quiet, unnoticed, humble life in Middletown Connecticut. But he lived during tumultuous times and as such, made …

Midnight Bayonets at Stony Point: “If the Cause Was Worth Fighting For, Men Must Fight.”

No man dare speak. They crept through the woods and marshland, silently lowering themselves into the water, knowing if their musket fell from their shoulder, or they hesitated even a moment, orders demanded they be speared to death. And with still a hundred yards to go before reaching the abattis of sharpened stakes that blocked …

Sag Harbor Raid, Special Ops of the American Revolution

In April, 1777, former British Royal Governor William Tryon, newly commissioned major general, led a strong detachment in a raid against an American military depot at Danbury, Connecticut. The Americans were caught off guard and could not bring enough troops to counter the destruction of much needed ammunition and provisions. Within three weeks of the …

Battle of Hubbardton: A Desperate Affair

The Battle of Hubbardton was unique in that a proud, obstinate officer of the British army, General Simon Fraser, was confident that his highly trained and disciplined regular troops would easily defeat and capture a band of hapless rebels who called themselves Green Mountain Boys. On the morning of July 7, 1777, the proud Highlander …

Battle of Camden

When the British charged that hot day on August 16, 1780, the militia, two-thirds of the American army, threw aside their weapons and broke ranks, most never even firing a shot. But not all Americans turned and ran for their lives. The Continental soldiers left on the battlefield, now grossly outnumbered, stood firm. They did …

Road to Camden: The Southern War of the American Revolution

De Kalb at Camden

On June 18, 1778, British Commander-in-Chief Lieutenant General Henry Clinton vacated Philadelphia and marched his army across New Jersey. General George Washington’s Army pursued at a cautious distance and attacked ten days later at the Battle of Monmouth, June 28, 1778. Clinton retreated before hostilities could begin anew the next day and bottled himself up …

African American George Latchom’s Remarkable Strength and Courage Under Fire

African American soldier

Almost nothing is known of Virginian and former slave George Latchom. Most of what we do know relates to one incident during the American Revolution in which he displayed incredible strength and unselfish courage. He was not a Continental soldier; over eight hundred African Americans would ultimately fight alongside patriots in the Virginia Line. Nor …

Battle of Saratoga: Path to British Surrender and Highlander General Simon Fraser

On October 7, 1777, in the second and conclusive action of what has become the American Revolution’s Battle of Saratoga, one of England’s bravest and considered the most experienced officer of wilderness warfare fell mortally wounded. At the height of the battle, when American General Daniel Morgan’s riflemen, like a ‘hoard of wildmen,’ fell upon …

“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 …