Category «Essays»

Skirmish at Long Canes and Andrew Picken’s Return to War

Rebel Militia face British regulars.

Long Canes, December 12, 1780, was a major skirmish resulting in a patriot loss. It occurred twenty-eight miles southwest of British held Fort Ninety-Six at Cambridge, South Carolina in the Long Canes Settlement. An after-action raid by British partisan regulars plundered Andrew Pickens home and molested his family. This, plus a month’s confinement at Fort …

First time attending Fort Roberdeau Revolutionary War Days 2024

Patriot militia assemble at fort.

By Ken Bohrer of American Revolution Photos. September 1, 2024, Blog #75 It is always a pleasure to post my very good friend’s blog. Ken Bohrer, College Counselor, is also an outstanding photographer. He has devoted decades to recording American Revolution reenactment events like few others. His extensive portrayal of those dedicated to preserving our …

Beyond Liberty: Class Divisions in the American Revolution

Young British soldiers were amazed by the idyllic farms spread across America.

By Nathaniel Parry: Nathaniel is author of Samuel Adams and the Vagabond Henry Tufts: Virtue Meets Vice in the Revolutionary Era, just published by McFarland Books. When redcoats arrived in Flatbush as part of a campaign to regain control of New York City in mid-August 1776, they marveled at the magnificence of the colonists’ homes …

Right to Bear Arms Rooted in Fear

Minuteman.

The Framers of America’s Constitution had an almost hysterical fear of standing armies, and of governments backed by them. A standing army of professionals, they were sure, would eventually do one of two things: agitate for foreign military adventures to keep itself employed, or turn against its civilian masters to create a military dictatorship. To …

Betsy Hager: Blacksmith Who Helped Forge a New Nation

Rosy the Riveter, strong, iconic figure, symbolic of women who worked countless hours on military armaments for American men fighting on World War II’s battlefields, had a true to life predecessor; one hundred and sixty-eight years earlier. In 1775, Elizabeth Hager, known as “Handy Betsy” or “Betsy the Blacksmith,” stood at her forge and repaired …

General George Washington’s Mystery Firearm

Strict. Rigid. Aloof. Dogmatic. Ambitious. Taskmaster. Determined. Emphatic. Fair. Honorable. Tenacious. Meticulous. Dedicated. And Enforcer. Bundled up in one who could explode in such sudden fury, as to send the devil running for cover. General George Washington. The Commander-in-Chief. Whose carefully crafted persona became a physical and mental force that transformed a tattered rabble of …