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American Revolution

Marquis de Lafayette at Albany During the Revolution

May 30, 2023 by Peter Hess Leave a Comment

George Washington and Lafayette at Mount Vernon, 1784 by Rossiter and Mignot, 1859Just prior to victory of American colonists at the Battles of Saratoga, the Continental Congress replaced Major General Philip Schuyler as Commander of the Northern Army with General Horatio Gates. Many colonial military units from New England had been reluctant to assist at Saratoga to serve under a “Dutch commander” but readily reported to serve under the English-born Gates. [Read more…] about Marquis de Lafayette at Albany During the Revolution

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History Tagged With: Albany, Albany County, American Revolution, Battle of Saratoga, George Washington, Horatio Gates, Lafayette, Military History, Philip Schuyler

Israel Putnam: Veteran of the French & Indian, Revolution Wars

May 30, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Major General Israel Putnam hero of the American RevolutionA colorful figure of 18th-century America, Israel Putnam, “Old Put,” played a key role in both the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. In 1758, while serving with Rogers’ Rangers in New York, he barely escaped being burned alive by Mohawk warriors. He later commanded a force of 500 men who were shipwrecked off the coast of Cuba. He reportedly, and famously, gave the command “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes” at the Battle of Bunker Hill. [Read more…] about Israel Putnam: Veteran of the French & Indian, Revolution Wars

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Books, Events, History Tagged With: American Revolution, French And Indian War, Israel Putnam, Lincoln Depot Museum, Military History, Robert Rogers, Rogers' Rangers, Seven Years War

Did George Washington Burn New York City?

May 24, 2023 by Alan J. Singer 1 Comment

the great new york fireAugust 27, 1776, British troops under General William Howe attacked American forces commanded by George Washington in the Battle of Brooklyn. Assailed from three sides, Washington and the main body of the Americans escaped across the East River to Manhattan and then fled north, ultimately crossing the Hudson River, then known as the North River, to New Jersey.

If Washington and his troops had been captured either in Brooklyn or Manhattan, the American Revolution would likely have ended soon after it began. [Read more…] about Did George Washington Burn New York City?

Filed Under: History, New York City Tagged With: American Revolution, Battle of Brooklyn, Brooklyn, Fires, George Washington, Manhattan, Military History, New York City, William Howe

Unfriendly to Liberty: NYC Loyalist Networks Before the Revolution

May 21, 2023 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

Unfriendly to LibertyThe book Unfriendly to Liberty: NYC Loyalist Networks Before the Revolution (Cornell University Press, 2023) by Christopher F. Minty explores the origins of loyalism in the city of New York between 1768 and 1776, and revises the understanding of the coming of the American Revolution. [Read more…] about Unfriendly to Liberty: NYC Loyalist Networks Before the Revolution

Filed Under: Books, History, New York City Tagged With: American Revolution, Loyalism, Manhattan, Military History, New York City, Political History

Espionage and Enslavement in the Revolution

May 18, 2023 by Chris Kretz Leave a Comment

long island history project logoWe’re returning to Revolutionary War era Long Island on this episode of The Long Island History Project podcast. And while the Culper Spy Ring does play a part, we are turning the focus to a woman whose story and connections to the Ring were ignored and misrepresented until reconstructed by Claire Bellerjeau. Her book with Tiffany Yecke Brooks, Espionage and Enslavement in the Revolution (Lyons Press, 2021), brought to life the meticulous research Bellerjeau conducted over years to illustrate Liss (Elizabeth), a woman surviving through tumultuous times. [Read more…] about Espionage and Enslavement in the Revolution

Filed Under: History, New York City Tagged With: American Revolution, Black History, Culper Spy Ring, Long Island, Military History, Oyster Bay, Podcasts, womens history

Privateering in the American Revolution

May 17, 2023 by Liz Covart Leave a Comment

ben franklins world podcastIn this episode of Ben Franklin’s World, historian Eric Jay Dolin joins host Liz Covart to discuss the early American world of privateers and the creation of the United States’ privateer fleet with details from his book,  Rebels at Sea: Privateering in the American Revolution (Liveright Publishing, 2022). [Read more…] about Privateering in the American Revolution

Filed Under: Books, History Tagged With: American Revolution, Maritime History, Military History, Naval History, piracy, Podcasts

Albany’s Abraham Ten Broeck: A Short Biography

May 15, 2023 by Peter Hess Leave a Comment

Abraham Ten Broeck portrait by John Roberts circa 1796-1800Abraham Ten Broeck was born in 1734 to Dirck Ten Broeck (1686-1751) and Margarita Cuyler (1682–1783). Abraham was one of twelve children born to the couple. Abraham first-generation grandfather had come to America from Holland in 1626 on the same ship with Peter Minuit, the first Director General of the Dutch colony of New Netherland. [Read more…] about Albany’s Abraham Ten Broeck: A Short Biography

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History Tagged With: Abraham Ten Broeck, Albany, Albany County, Albany County Historical Association, American Revolution, Mechanicville, New Netherland, Philip Livingston, Philip Schuyler, Political History, Rensselaer County, Rensselaerswijck, Saratoga Patent, Schuyler Mansion, Schuylerville, Ten Broeck Mansion, Van Rensselaers, Watervliet

Who Started The Great New York Fire of 1776?

May 10, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Great New York Fire of 1776The book The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution (Yale University Press, 2023) by Benjamin Carp explores the Great Fire of 1776 and why its origins remained a mystery even after the British investigated it in 1776 and 1783. [Read more…] about Who Started The Great New York Fire of 1776?

Filed Under: Books, History, New York City Tagged With: American Revolution, Atlantic World, Fires, Fraunces Tavern Museum, George Washington, Manhattan, Military History, New York City

America & New York’s 250th Birthdays

May 8, 2023 by Bruce Dearstyne 1 Comment

250th Anniversary of Revolutionary New YorkNew York is slowly preparing for the 250th anniversary of both the birth of the United States (July 2, 1776) and the birth of New York State (April 20, 1777, the day the first state constitution was approved). [Read more…] about America & New York’s 250th Birthdays

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Arts, Capital-Saratoga, Events, History, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: AASLH, America's 250th Anniversary, American Revolution, Office of State History, Political History, State Historian

Military Material Culture Conference Call for Papers

May 7, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Material Matters LogoThe vast majority of participants in the military events of the long 18th century left no written traces of themselves. Fortunately for scholars, and the public, evidence of their presence survives in material form. [Read more…] about Military Material Culture Conference Call for Papers

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Events, History, Mohawk Valley, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: American Revolution, Archaeology, Conferences, Fort Ticonderoga, French And Indian War, King George’s War, King William’s War, Material Culture, Military History, Museums, Queen Anne's War

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