Non-Profit Dedicated to Historical Education of the American Revolution and the Colonial Period
By Harry Schenawolf, author of the Shades of Liberty Series about African American soldiers in the American Revolution. Scholars have agreed that 18th century regular troops, the private and non-commissioned soldiers who stood firmly while massed musketry tore through their ranks, expected to be led by officers of society’s gentry. It was believed that these …
By Harry Schenawolf, author of the Shades of Liberty Series about African American soldiers in the American Revolution. Twice, General George Washington had led his reduced forces across the Delaware River. The first time occurred on December 8, 1776. He was a beaten man. His army was in tatters. And of his army, less than …
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 …
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General Charles Lee, second in command, remained at North Castle, New York, Westchester County, where the main army had withdrawn nine …
By Harry Schenawolf, author of the Shades of Liberty Series about African American soldiers in the American Revolution. Fought on November 16, 1776 on the island of Manhattan, just north of New York City, the Battle of Fort Washington almost became the next to last chapter in what might have been a failed rebellion in …
By Harry Schenawolf, author of the Shades of Liberty Series about African American soldiers in the American Revolution. Whenever there existed the possibility that artillery pieces could fall into the hands of the enemy, the weapons were rendered useless, even if only temporarily. The method most common was called spiking. Spiking involved jamming some metal …
Colonel Mordecai Gist actively recruited some of the finest young men from good Maryland families to form a regiment which, like the famed Highlanders of the Black Watch, were to forge its own legend in a war of rebellion that gave birth to a new nation. In the very first contest of the American Revolution …
Colonel William Douglas (January 27, 1742- May 28, 1777) from North Branford, Connecticut was a successful merchant mariner and later farmer – honest, fair, hardworking, and successful in business. He was also a tragic figure, having invested and lost everything he had for the cause of liberty – his fortune, his family’s future, his health, …
“Glass.” The tall Virginian stood on an outcrop of rock appropriately named Point of Rock. He trained his eyes on the spectacle unfolding below. The four-draw mahogany spyglass with brass scope and brass cap was laid neatly in his open palm. The name “Shuttleworth of London,” indicating its fine workmanship, was engraved on the bottom …
Boyrereau Brinch, also known as Jeffrey Brace, left an account of his experiences and exploits as a light infantryman in General George Washington’s army. In this incredible excerpt of his memoirs, Brinch was confronted by a British Dragoon or horse-soldier. A desperate hand to hand struggle ensued in which he parleyed saber strokes with the …
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 …
The number of African American soldiers who stood beside their patriot white comrades in arms during the American Revolutionary War has frequently been dismissed as unimpressive or inconsequential. An incorrect argument can be made to support such an opinion when taking the total number of soldiers who fought the entire war and factoring the ratio …
I walked around the island and found the sick of the whole army… amounting to thousands, some dead, others dying. Great numbers could not stand, calling on us the physicians for help, and we had nothing to give them. It broke my heart, and I wept till I had no more power to weep. I …
a Article 1 stated that Alexander Hamilton’s role during the Battle of White Plains had been fabricated and grossly exaggerated over the decades. The author of this three part series has traced this misinformation to Hamilton’s son who published several biographical texts; each one expanding on his father’s courage acts in combat. John Church Hamilton …
The French and Indian War in the North American Colonies (Seven Years War in Europe) posed unique circumstances that required the British officers who fought in America to consider changes in their tactics and army’s structure. Gone were the windswept fields where large bodies of troops faced each other over open ground. Skirmishes and battles …