History of the American Revolution
The Battle of Red Bank saw four hundred Americans defend Fort Mercer, New Jersey, against 2,000 Hessians resulting in the second most costly defeat for the British forces after the Battle of Bunker Hill. It was an incredible feat of gallantry and determination by Rhode Island ‘rebels’ who doggedly faced the Hessian attackers’ promise that …
Peter Salem, a slave who was freed to fight in his master’s militia, is credited for stepping forward at a critical point in the Battle of Bunker Hill outside Boston in 1775; he fired the shot that killed British Royal Marine Major John Pitcairn. At the time of the battle, Salem was already a veteran …
Brave, Humble, Firm, Dedicated There are two Revolutionary War soldiers of merit who share the same name. Colonel John Nixon of Pennsylvania and Brigadier General John Nixon of Massachusetts. Colonel Nixon of Pennsylvania has received far more attention than General Nixon of Massachusetts. Colonel Nixon, along with his father Richard, were shipbuilders and prominent citizens …
The Continental Army of 1775 This article presents four eyewitness accounts on the condition and general attitude of the American Forces in the summer of 1775. It concludes with six of George Washington’s commentaries on the situation of the army at that time and his personal frustrations. After the battles of Lexington and Concord (April …
Prior to the Battle of Long Island, the general orders issued by supreme commander General George Washington on August 20th, 1776 included instructions detailing the use of cockades. This was early in the war when the rebellious colonists’ main army was basically made up of militias, still in civilian attire. The section read: ‘As the …
We’ve all seen movies of Daniel Boone-like characters whip their powder horn around and pour black powder down a muzzle before ramming home a lead ball. Many believe that during the Revolutionary War, muskets were only primed this way with separate powder and ball and that the use of cartridge, where ball and powder are …
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. The terrain was wilderness and their forces small. Militias of farmers and merchants, properly armed to protect themselves from the “savages,” adopted the same methods of fighting as their …
Six feet tall and weighing over 250 pounds, he was a giant of his time with calm gray eyes, keen intellect, and a round face that perpetually beamed with good humor. Henry Knox was jovial, gregarious, quick of wit, fat, and very active. John Adams described him as one “of pleasing manners and inquisitive turn …
During the exceptionally cold winter month of February, 1778. The colonialists’ cause for freedom was slowly being strangled by a superior force. In this, America’s darkest hour, a ‘foreigner’ came to the aid of the struggling nation’s army and taught it how to stand up before the enemy and fight. That man was Baron Fredrich …
On October 18th, 1776, at first light, Colonel John Glover stood atop a hill and raised his spy-glass to look out over the harbor of Pell’s Point, NY along the Long Island Sound. He was flabbergasted. He saw what looked like upwards of over two hundred British ships sitting off shore. General William Howe was …