Non-Profit Dedicated to Historical Education of the American Revolution and the Colonial Period
The Battle of Beaufort, also known as the Battle of Port Royal Island, February 3, 1779, near Beaufort, South Carolina, was considered an American victory that, along with the Battle of Kettle Creek, Georgia, exactly one month later, on March 3, 1779, was a shot in the arm for American forces in the south. As …
At the start of the American Revolution, not all British colonies on the mainland of North America rebelled against the mother country. Thirteen did; however, the four distinct colonies to the north that made up Canada and, in the south, East and West Florida, did not. They remained loyal to England. As such, the rebellious …
The Battle of Kettle Creek, February 14, 1779, was a partisan clash of arms between Loyalists and Patriot militias; approximately sixty-five miles northwest of Augusta and eight miles west of present-day Washington, Georgia. By 1778, the southern colonies of the American Revolution had become a battleground of partisan warfare. A bloody civil war had erupted …
Literally caught between a rock and a hard place, the American position at Brier Creek, Georgia, on March 3, 1779, commanded by Brigadier General John Ashe of North Carolina militia, proved to be a death trap. Situated on a triangular plot of land, the American choice of encampment was fatally flawed. Their backs were to …
Steno Ferry was fought on June 20, 1779 just southwest of Charleston, South Carolina, between the British and a slightly larger American force. It was a battle ill-conceived and did nothing to alter the situation of the two opposing armies. England’s troops were completing their retreat from ‘rebel’ defenses outside Charleston, South Carolina, when American …
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 …
One may describe the American Revolutionary War general and United States Senator, John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg – referred to as Peter (Oct. 1, 1746 – Oct. 1, 1807), as a man who sought to sever the chains of a chosen destiny to seek his own self. Son of one of America’s most powerful and strong-minded …
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 …
William Woodford of Virginia (October 6, 1734 – November 13, 1780), southern aristocratic plantation owner, was born to a prestigious family of military tradition. At the very start of the American Revolution, he commanded the 2nd Virginia militia during the Battle of Great Bridge, resulting in a decisive victory labeled the southern Bunker Hill. Among …
Growing up in the late 50’s and 60’s in New Jersey, just across the river from New York City, nearly every evening I was glued to one of our three local TV stations: channel five, nine, or eleven. Every night they showcased a plethora of black and white classics from the 30’s and 40’s. Besides …
The Battle of Great Bridge, December 9, 1775, was Virginia’s major opening salvo of the American Revolution. The buildup to and battle held the fate of who would govern Virginia in the balance. It proved to be a decided victory for the rebellious colonial Whigs, those calling themselves patriots. It pitted undisciplined rebel militia, farmers …
There were approximately 1,400 military ‘doctors’ during the American Revolution who treated American soldiers either on the battlefield or in hospitals. Of this number, only 400 were actually trained physicians; the other thousand or so were assistants or young apprentices who basically ‘learned on the job’. Several doctors put aside their scalpels for the sword …
In 1780, as the War for Independence raged throughout North America, a crier standing in the central square of Sheffield, Massachusetts, a small town in the western part of the former colony, read from the state’s newly enacted constitution. When he came to Article 1 he clamored, “All Men are born Free and Equal,” a …
An escape artist who slipped free of Patriot shackles a total of fourteen times, Loyalist Colonel David Fanning was a master of partisan warfare who became one of the most feared champions of the British cause. His dominance over North Carolina in 1781 led to the capture of the state capitol. This included Governor Butler …
Fact: The slave trade was banned in England in 1102, 674 years before the American Revolution! A recent claim by Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida at a “Stop Woke Act’ event, stating that prior to the American Revolution no one questioned slavery, is shocking and has absolutely zero factual basis. This is alarming, especially when …