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American Revolution

Henry Knox, Phillip Schuyler and Lake Champlain’s Cannon in Boston

December 25, 2022 by Guest Contributor 3 Comments

Knox Artillery Train courtesy National Archives CollectionOne of the iconic stories of the American Revolution is the laborious trek of a contingent of newly-minted patriots, led by Henry Knox, lugging cannon from the fort at Crown Point and Fort Ticonderoga to Dorchester Heights, forcing the British to abandon Boston, an important early victory is our long fight for freedom.

Few may realize that important decisions while the expedition was in Saratoga County were key to the success of the mission. [Read more…] about Henry Knox, Phillip Schuyler and Lake Champlain’s Cannon in Boston

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, History, Hudson Valley - Catskills Tagged With: American Revolution, Boston, Columbia County, Essex County, Fort Ticonderoga, Henry Knox, Lake Champlain, Military History, Philip Schuyler, Saratoga County, Saratoga County History Center, Saratoga County History Roundtable, Warren County

December 25th: The Continental Army Crosses The Delaware River

December 24, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze, MMA-NYC, 1851On December 25th, 1776, General George Washington led the Continental Army across the Delaware River in a late-night surprise attack on Hessian forces at Trenton, New Jersey.

A bold strike on Christmas night, Washington’s Crossing was a source of desperately needed momentum and a major morale boost for a Continental Army that had endured a brutal year and was on the brink of defeat. [Read more…] about December 25th: The Continental Army Crosses The Delaware River

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History Tagged With: American Revolution, Delaware River, George Washington, Military History, New Jersey

The Marquis de Lafayette (Historians Podcast)

December 16, 2022 by Bob Cudmore 1 Comment

The Historians LogoThis week on The Historians Podcast, New York City correspondent Jim Kaplan looks at the life of French aristocrat and hero of the American Revolution, Marquis de Lafayette. [Read more…] about The Marquis de Lafayette (Historians Podcast)

Filed Under: History Tagged With: American Revolution, French History, French Revolution, Lafayette, Military History, Podcasts

Contagion of Liberty: Politics of Smallpox in the American Revolution

December 7, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Contagion of LibertyInoculation, a shocking procedure introduced to America by an enslaved African, became the most sought-after medical procedure of the eighteenth century. The difficulty lay in providing it to all Americans and not just the fortunate few. Across the colonies, poor Americans rioted for equal access to medicine, while cities and towns shut down for quarantines. In Marblehead, Massachusetts, sailors burned down an expensive private hospital just weeks after the Boston Tea Party.

The Revolutionary War broke out during a smallpox epidemic, and in response, General George Washington ordered the inoculation of the Continental Army. But Washington did not have to convince fearful colonists to protect themselves against smallpox ― they were the ones demanding it. [Read more…] about Contagion of Liberty: Politics of Smallpox in the American Revolution

Filed Under: Books, History Tagged With: American Revolution, Massachusetts, Medical History, Military History, Public Health, Science History

Roger Lamb’s American Revolution: A British Soldier’s Story Updated

November 25, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Roger Lamb's American RevolutionOf all the British soldiers who served in North America during the American Revolution, none wrote more about his experiences than Roger Lamb. His service in two of the most important campaigns — the 1777 Saratoga campaign and the 1781 campaign through the Carolinas to Virginia — put him in the thick of some of the war’s most famous battles. [Read more…] about Roger Lamb’s American Revolution: A British Soldier’s Story Updated

Filed Under: Books, History Tagged With: American Revolution, Battle of Saratoga, Military History, Social History

Washington’s Revenge: The 1777 New Jersey Campaign

November 24, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

George Washington's RevengeIn late August 1776, a badly defeated Continental Army retreated from Long Island to Manhattan. By early November, George Washington’s inexperienced army withdrew further into New Jersey and, by the end of the year, into Pennsylvania. During this dark night of the American Revolution — “the times that try men’s souls” — Washington began developing the strategy that would win the war. [Read more…] about Washington’s Revenge: The 1777 New Jersey Campaign

Filed Under: Books, History Tagged With: American Revolution, George Washington, Military History, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

Revolutionary Thanks: America’s First National Thanksgiving Holiday

November 23, 2022 by Sean Kelleher 1 Comment

Thanksgiving Holiday PostcardAmerica’s first national Thanksgiving holiday was declared by the Continental Congress to commemorate the victory of the American army of General Horatio Gates over British forces commanded by General John Burgoyne in Saratoga, New York on October 17, 1777.

The triumph at Saratoga, America’s turning point in the eight-year War of Independence was the first time in world history an entire British army had been captured. What’s more, the victory reversed a long string of humiliating defeats for the 13 rebellious colonies, including the loss of the revolutionary capital in Philadelphia. [Read more…] about Revolutionary Thanks: America’s First National Thanksgiving Holiday

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, Food, History Tagged With: American Revolution, Cultural History, George Washington, Holidays, Thanksgiving

Misinformation Nation: Truth in Revolutionary America

November 21, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

misinformation nationThe new book Misinformation Nation: Foreign News and the Politics of Truth in Revolutionary America (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2022) by Jordan E. Taylor reveals how foreign news defined the boundaries of American politics and ultimately drove colonists to revolt against Britain and create a new nation.

“Fake news” is not new. Just like millions of Americans today, the revolutionaries of the eighteenth century worried that they were entering a “post-truth” era. Their fears, however, were not fixated on social media or click-bait, but rather on peoples’ increasing reliance on reading news gathered from foreign newspapers. [Read more…] about Misinformation Nation: Truth in Revolutionary America

Filed Under: Books, History Tagged With: American Revolution, Journalism, Newspapers, Political History

Benedict Arnold, American Traitor (Podcast)

November 20, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

History Twins PodcastThe topic of this week’s The History Twins podcast is Benedict Arnold, the American General who sold the plans for New York’s West Point to the British. In this episode, storytelling duo Carla and Keyes search for possible reasons for his defection during the American Revolutionary War. [Read more…] about Benedict Arnold, American Traitor (Podcast)

Filed Under: History Tagged With: American Revolution, Benedict Arnold, Military History, Podcasts, West Point

The Marquis de Lafayette: A Short Biography

November 17, 2022 by James S. Kaplan 1 Comment

George Washington and Lafayette at Mount Vernon, 1784 by Rossiter and Mignot, 18592024 will mark the 200th anniversary of the return of the Marquis de Lafayette (Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette) to America. In 1824, almost 50 years after the start of the American Revolution, the 68-year-old Lafayette was invited by President James Monroe, an old Revolutionary War comrade and lifelong friend, to tour the United States.

Lafayette’s visit was one the major events of the early 19th century. It had the effect of unifying a country sometime fractured by electoral discord and reminding Americans of their hard won democracy. [Read more…] about The Marquis de Lafayette: A Short Biography

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History, Mohawk Valley, New York City Tagged With: American Revolution, Battle of Brandywine, Foreign Policy, French History, French Revolution, Hermoine, James Monroe, Lafayette, Military History, Monroe Doctrine, New Jersey, Yorktown

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