Non-Profit Dedicated to the Historical Education of Our Youth
Honor is like an island; Steep and without Shore; They who once leave; Can never return. French poet Nicholas Boileau Originally Published January 26, 2021 It is with a heavy heart that as senior editor of Revolutionary War Journal, I must share with my readers my outrage over the horrendous attack on our nation’s capitol …
Military literature was of little or no value to the early colonists. There were no vast spreads of farmlands and meadows where massive armies could deploy. Their terrain was wilderness and their forces small. Militias of farmers and merchants, properly armed to protect themselves from the “savages” adopted the same methods as their native opponents. …
African American slaves and bondsmen were issued clothing based on the master’s financial means and his/her willingness to provide for their ‘property’s’ wellbeing. On larger estates, those chosen to work the land or labor in the many outbuildings wore either homespun clothing or simple cloth imported from England. They would finish work and return directly …
American colonies claimed by European nations were for the most part initially run by the private sector through investors in joint corporations. Later, once the colonies proved profitable; two other types of colonial governments would emerge. It required a large sum of money to extract the natural resources and establish trade for each new territory. …
In novels and film, we often come across the exchange of colonial money whose odd assortment of names and values are confusing at best. This exchange of colonial currency lends authenticity to period romantic novels (you know -the ones whose cover has some hunk who misplaced his shirt), or historical colonial dramas set in the …
Pompous, mercifulness, void of empathy, this British cavalryman’s ambitious impulses and self-glorifying ego demanded that all under his command follow his lead in a blood fest carved throughout the colonies. Nicknamed ‘Bloody Ban’ for his ruthlessness, Banastre Tarleton was hated and feared by American patriots throughout the war. His legacy was such, that when Hollywood …
By the time what became known as the Little Egg Harbor Affair, or Massacre, a tragic pattern was obvious. Americans, when camped close to the enemy, failed to post an adequate guard against enemy encroachments resulting in tragedy. At Egg Harbor, on the night of October 14, 1778, there was but one single sentry posted …
The American Revolution was just over six months old. The young, energetic general had faced insurmountable hardships that brought his weary troops before the strongest and most formidable fortification in North America; Quebec’s Citadel. In the dead of winter, when the north winds of Canada were fiercest, he and his battle worn men, thinned by …
Also known as the Battle of Fort Griswold, the last major engagement of the American Revolution in the north was on September 6th, 1781, between mostly Connecticut militia under Colonel William Ledyard and professional soldiers and loyalists under the command of turncoat British Brigadier General Benedict Arnold. After a courageous defense of Fort Griswold, which …
One of the first journal entries of Virginia’s original settlers had to do with the topic of fisheries. George Percy was aboard one of three sailing ships that entered Chesapeake bay on April 27, 1607. He wrote that “We came to a place where they [natives] had made a great fire, and had been newly …
I believe it is the great Shawnee Chief Tecumseh who said, ‘when whites win, it is a Great Victory, but when the Redman is victorious, it is called a Massacre.’ Defeat or Massacre, it seems, is mostly defined by those who relate their view of facts. On July 3, 1778, in a pristine valley of …
Champer Ederson was an African American soldier from Rhode Island. In January 1779, during the American Revolution, he enlisted in the Fifth Company of the Hessian Knyphausen Regiment, serving as a drummer. When the British and Hessian troops abandoned Rhode Island in October, 1779, he sailed with them to New York City. He would not …
James Reed was a tailor as well as innkeeper by trade. Of ordinary height, well-built and very active, he was a veteran officer of two wars, having never failed to answer the call to arms. At the Battle of Bunker Hill, his regiment faced the hottest fire, throwing back the attacking British twice before the …
Blacksmith, politician, and soldier, Seth Pomeroy never lived long enough to see the country he helped forge. But perhaps more lasting than what he did, is what he gave us. He yet stands alongside a rail fence on an immortal hill amidst hell’s fury. Before a wall of British steel, he turns his face from …
My good friend Ken Bohrer of American Revolution Photos allowed me to share his February 2021 blog on Valley Forge – #32. I highly recommend you view his other blogs along with thousands of great photos of the many American Revolutionary War reenactments he has chronicled over the years. Please click here and enjoy: American …