The colonies immediately recognized the importance of naval warfare. Although the 13 colonies had no real naval force, they did have a shipbuilding industry, many merchant vessels that were engaged in domestic and foreign trade, and many captains and sailors who were familiar with the open sea and with warfare. In fact, the colonies did
Discussions of allied support in the Revolution tend to focus on the support the new country received from France. And there is no doubt that the French arms and military support were instrumental in the American victory. But focusing on French support, important as it was, tends to obscure the important support received from the
Alliance With France. On February 6, 1778, following the shocking surrender of General John Burgoyne’s English army at Saratoga, an American diplomatic team led by Ben Franklin signed a treaty of alliance with France. French King Louis XVI had no love for the American cause. But he had been itching for payback from England since
After fighting well but losing at Brandywine in September 1777 and again at Germantown in October, George Washington faced the inevitable that the British army would spend the winter in comfort in Philadelphia and that his troops would spend another winter in makeshift quarters. On December 19, 1777, he established a winter camp at Valley
After Washington’s victories at Trenton and Princeton at the end of 1776, the British abandoned all their outposts in southern New Jersey. This meant thy started the 1777 campaigning season precisely where they had been the previous autumn. Having failed to take Philadelphia the previous year by marching through New Jersey, British commander Sir William
George Washington was the furthest thing from a “share the campfire with the boys” leader. Often traveling by carriage, he typically stayed in a comfortable farmhouse near the military encampment and usually dined with his aides or generals. But after his Christmas-time 1776-1777 victories at Trenton and Princeton, his soldiers became extraordinarily devoted to their
The most prominent statue in Lafayette Park, directly behind the White House, is the famous Andrew Jackson equestrian statue. But in each corner of the park, visitors will find statues of the Marquis de Lafayette, Baron von Steuben, the Comte de Rochambeau, and Tadeusz Kościuszko. Two Frenchmen, one Prussian, and one Pole, they represent an
I met my great grandfather’s commanding officer this weekend. Jeremiah Lott served as a bugler in the 4th Dragoon Regiment, commanded by Col. Stephen Moylan. Jim French, who portrays Moylan, and a few other members of the 4th Dragoons were in town at the living history encampment at Gettysburg High School, which was held in
January 1781 didn’t seem like a promising time for the U.S. Army in South Carolina. In the previous year, the army of 5000 men defending Charleston had surrendered and another army had basically been destroyed at the Battle of Camden. For a time, guerrilla forces commanded by Francis “Swamp Fox” Marion and a few others
By comparison to later wars, the battles of the Revolutionary War tended to involve a small number of troops and took place over a small area. But the fighting was no less intense. The fights at Paoli, PA, and Stony Point, NY, illustrate the brutality of these fights. The “Paoli Massacre” took place on the
Supplying an 18th century army was not as complex as it was during WWII, but still Washington’s army needed supplies. Besides commercially available items like food and uniforms, the main needs of the army were: muskets and rifles, powder, lead for bullets, cannon, and ammunition for cannon. The mercantilist policy prevalent in the 18th century
Yorktown (VA) the town where British general Charles, Lord Cornwallis surrendered his army and in effect brought an end to the war, is the most famous York in the Revolutionary War. But the city of the same name in south central Pennsylvania deserves mention. Most notably, York, Pennsylvania, was the Capital of the United States
By mid-April 1775, the British army’s “secret” preparations for a mission to the Boston countryside were on sight for everyone to see. The scouting parties had largely finished their work. Soldiers and sailors were mending and replacing equipment, breaking out field equipment, and conducting maneuvers west of town. Naval vessels were being readied. None of
In my lifetime, George Washington’s reputation has been transformed several times, from the pious jerk of the Parson Weems tales to the profiteer of Gore Vidal’s “An Evening With Richard Nixon” and “George Washington’s Expense Account” to a wooden figurehead who was neither a competent general nor an especially impressive president. In fact, the standards
Everybody knows the story of Paul Revere’s ride – or thinks they do: the lonely rider, galloping through a town, shouting “The Redcoats Are Coming!” In the broad scheme of the Revolution, Revere has been reduced to a bit part, his importance diminished by comments such as, “He didn’t even finish the ride, Samuel Prescott
For more than a century, from 1640 to 1763, England was consumed with Civil War, dynastic turbulence, and superpower land wars in Europe. During this time, England’s new American colonies enjoyed substantial autonomy. In 1763, at the end of what we call the French and Indian War, England found itself in possession of its own