Author Archives: Mark Wilcox
The French Cavalryman
“Colonel Armand’s dragoons and militia displayed a good countenance, but were soon borne down by the rapid charge of the legion. The chase again commenced…” So wrote British Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton in his work, “A History of the … Continue reading
Along The Way
It’s nearly 25 years ago now. I was driving through western North Carolina, on my way south to Cowpens National Battlefield located in Gaffney, SC, scene of the January 17, 1781, battle. These were the days before the … Continue reading
A Citizen of the World
The air was stifling on the morning of August 16, 1780. It was made worse by the acrid smoke from the musket and artillery fire that hung low under the canopy of tall, Long Leaf pines that grew on … Continue reading
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The Traitor Returns
Westover Plantation, the beautiful Georgian-style colonial home once owned by Virginia’s Byrd family, sits atop a high bank, overlooking the James River. Located in Charles City County, Westover is a mere 25 miles from the Virginia state capital of Richmond. … Continue reading
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Simon Kenton: Frontiersman, Soldier, Spy
By late April of 1777, nerves were on edge for the fifteen or so families taking refuge in the stockade at Boonesborough, including a few enslaved people and a handful of rifleman. Since early March, settlers there had been forced … Continue reading
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ERW Weekender: Remember Paoli!
On the night of September 20, 1777, while encamped in Chester County, PA just outside Philadelphia, a division of American soldiers was defeated in a swift surprise attack by a slightly smaller British force. American propagandists, in an effort to … Continue reading
Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Battles, Emerging Revolutionary War, Northern Theater, Revolutionary War
Tagged 1777, 1779, Anthony Wayne, Battle of Paoli, British, Charles Gray, George Washington, Paoli Battlefield Historical Park, Philadelphia Campaign, War of 1812, William Howe
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Another American in Paris
So, vacation time rolls around again and this year my family and I had an opportunity to travel to Paris, France for a few days. Riding into the city from Charles de Gaulle Airport, our taxi driver, by chance, took … Continue reading
Posted in Continental Congress, Continental Leadership, Memory, Personalities, Politics, Revolutionary War
Tagged American Revolution, American Revolutionary War, Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin West, British, Emerging Revolutionary War, France, Franco-American, French, Hotel D'York, John Adams, John Jay, Paris, Richard Oswald, Treaty of Paris
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Origins of a Revolutionary Orator
Nestled in Hanover County, VA, near where modern residential communities meet farm fields that have been worked for centuries, is the site of a colonial-era plantation home called Studley. It was here on this site that Patrick Henry, the “Voice … Continue reading
Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Memory, Personalities, Revolutionary War
Tagged American Revolution, American Revolutionary War, Confederate Cavalry, Emerging Revolutionary War, George Custer, Hanover County, Haw's Shop, Patrick Henry, Politics, Rural Plains, Sarah Shelton, Studley, Virginia
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Inheriting the Preservation Efforts of the Past
Not long ago, I had the pleasure of accompanying our group of student interns from Richmond National Battlefield Park on a short field trip to the George Washington Birthplace National Monument (GWBNM), in Westmoreland County on Virginia’s famed Northern Neck. … Continue reading
Emerging Revolutionary War Era 