Ferry Boats of Colonial America

By Harry Schenawolf, author of the Shades of Liberty Series about African American soldiers in the American Revolution.  Rivers that were too wide to construct a bridge (or too expensive), yet needed to be crossed to populate the new world’s wilderness and countryside provided the earliest setters with commercial potential. As these rural and soon …

December 1776: Washington and the Continental Army in Crisis

By Harry Schenawolf, author of the Shades of Liberty Series about African American soldiers in the American Revolution. “A thick cloud of darkness and gloom covered the land and despair was seen in almost every countenance…” an officer in the Continental Army, December, 1776. Another wrote, “…strong apprehensions are entertained that the British will soon …

Washington’s Retreat Across New Jersey: A British Fox Chase

By Harry Schenawolf, author of the Shades of Liberty Series about African American soldiers in the American Revolution. Once Fort Washington fell on November 16, 1776, Washington’s army was still divided into three sections. General Charles Lee, second in command, remained at North Castle, New York, Westchester County, where the main army had withdrawn nine …

Margaret Corbin: Manned the Cannon When Her Husband Fell at the Battle of Fort Washington

By Harry Schenawolf, author of the Shades of Liberty Series about African American soldiers in the American Revolution. Margaret Cochran Corbin (November 12, 1751 – January 16, 1800), nicknamed ‘Captain Molly’ by the troops in her husband’s company, like her counterpart Mary Ludwig Hays, aka ‘Molly Pitcher’, was an incredibly brave person who had history …

British General Charles Cornwallis Was America’s Best Friend Before Becoming Her Fiercest Enemy

British retreat at Battle of Lexington and Concord

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 …

Coffee Brewed Patriotic Passions in the American Revolution

In 18th century America, where news and the powers of persuasion depended on pamphlets or word of mouth, coffeehouses rose supreme among all outlets of media. Politicians, merchants, businessmen, farmers, and mekanics – the working-class muscle of rebellion – consumed pages upon pages of lengthy opinions detailed in pamphlets and distributed among the colonial American …

America’s First Great Slum – Built over New York City’s Collect Pond and Fresh Water Source for Two Hundred Years

Once, where now large buildings crowd downtown Manhattan, a substantial and beautiful pond spread out in a pristine valley between the forested countryside. Collect Pond, or Fresh Water Pond, was a body of fresh water near the southern tip of Manhattan in New York City, that covered approximately 48 acres (194,000 m²) and ran as …