Jefferson: America’s Great Contradiction

On May 6, 2015 By Phill GreenwaltIn Revolutionary War7 Comments

I sit on a small wooden bench, little more than a plank with legs, really, beneath a tulip poplar whose wide branches umbrella me. The grass around the bench has been worn away by weary travelers come to the bench to rest, revealing the reddish iron-rich soil of Virginia beneath.

A few yards away from me, Thomas Jefferson rests in peace.

A slow stream of visitors comes down the brick walkway from Jefferson’s house to stand outside the black, wrought-iron fence that surrounds his family’s small graveyard, still in use today by descendents. Many visitors have thrown coins onto the president’s grave—not just the Jefferson-faced nickels you’d expect, either, but pennies, dimes, and quarters, too. Considering the rift between Washington and Jefferson in Washington’s last years, I wonder what Jefferson would think about that. Continue reading “Jefferson: America’s Great Contradiction” →

Battle of Blandford

On April 29, 2015June 19, 2024 By Phill GreenwaltIn Emerging Civil War, Revolutionary War4 Comments

On April 25, approximately 2,500 smartly dressed but campaign worn uniformed invaders attacked Virginians defending their homes and hearths around Petersburg, Virginia.

One would suspect that the next few sentences would talk about the latest Union excursion against their Southern counterparts in the nine month siege that broke the back of the Confederacy.

However, one would be wrong. Continue reading “Battle of Blandford” →

Shots Heard Round the World

On April 22, 2015 By Phill GreenwaltIn Revolutionary WarLeave a comment

A quote from poet Ralph Waldo Emerson at the North Bridge in Concord. — A quote from poet Ralph Waldo Emerson at the North Bridge in Concord: “The thunderbolt falls on an inch of ground; but the light of it fills the horizon.”

This past weekend marked the 240th anniversary of “the Shot Heard ‘Round the World”—the opening engagement, in Concord, Massachusetts, of what became the American Revolution. There at the North Bridge, on April 19, 1775, colonial militiamen fired on British soldiers who’d marched from Boston to seize an arsenal of weapons cached in the town. Earlier in the day, the British soldiers had gunned down colonial militamen in the nearby town of Lexington—but this time, when they opened fire on the colonists (killing two of them), the colonists fired back. Two British soldiers died, and a third was mortally wounded.

Writer Ralph Waldo Emerson called it “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World.”

The last time I visited Concord’s North Bridge was August 6, 2010. As it happened, the date marked the anniversary of another shot heard ’round the world…one certainly as impactful and probably more infamous:  Continue reading “Shots Heard Round the World” →

Ready in a Minute

On April 19, 2015 By Phill GreenwaltIn Photography, Revolutionary War1 Comment

Remember Concord, Massachusetts—April 19, 1775
“The shot heard ’round the world”

Another Anniversary to Commemorate Next Week

On April 8, 2015 By Phill GreenwaltIn Emerging Civil War, Revolutionary War1 Comment

As we observe the beginning of the end of the American Civil War this week at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, another anniversary is just around the corner.

240 years and 10 days ago and approximately 630 miles the first shots of the American War of Independence was fired on Lexington Green on April 19, 1775.

Two events, two weeks in April. One commemorating the end of what some combatants at the time referred to as the Second American Revolution, whereas the other anniversary began the First American Revolution (if one sticks with that same theme).

So, as you finish your time tracing the last steps of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House head north and traverse the Battle Road between Boston, Lexington, and Concord.

Our friends at the national park, Minuteman National Historical Park have multiple events going on leading up to, through, and after the 19th of April.

Check out their events here; http://www.nps.gov/mima/planyourvisit/calendar.htm

Washington at Gettysburg

On April 1, 2015 By Phill GreenwaltIn Revolutionary War2 Comments

When thinking of generals at Gettysburg, for many, images of Lee, Longstreet, Meade, and Sickles race to the forefront of their historical memory. Avid readers and historians may even call to mind lesser-known major and brigadier generals of the battle. Those that feel they have mastered the climactic action of July 1863 and have dug deeper into the other numerous layers of Gettysburg may even associate the military rank with Eisenhower and his time in Adams County. Few, however, link the hero of the War for Independence and our nation’s first President to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Continue reading “Washington at Gettysburg” →

The Most Fateful Decision of April 19, 1775

On March 25, 2015 By Phill GreenwaltIn Emerging Civil War, Revolutionary War1 Comment

Lord Hugh Percy, the 2^nd Duke of Northumberland and holding the rank of brigadier general commanded the relief brigade that was ordered out from Boston by Sir Thomas Gage after Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith had sent back a messenger asking for reinforcements.

Little did Lord Percy realize at the time that by the late afternoon of April 19^th, one quick decision saved the lives of countless British Redcoats and hundreds of American militia and minutemen. Continue reading “The Most Fateful Decision of April 19, 1775” →

The Shot Heard Round the World

On March 18, 2015 By Phill GreenwaltIn Battlefields & Historic Places, Battles, Revolutionary WarLeave a comment

Today, we are pleased to welcome back guest author Kate Gruber.

Ralph Waldo Emerson. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

When American colonists reached for their newspapers on the morning of April 20, 1775—the day after the first shots fired at Lexington and Concord—they did not see the words “The Shot Heard Round The World!” emblazoned across the front page. Today, we use this phrase to describe the legendary first gunshot fired on Lexington Green, the gunshot that began the 8-year war for American independence from Britain. The words “the shot heard round the world” are as omnipresent in our collective memories as “one if by land, two if by sea,” and even “I have not yet begun to fight!” But did you know that this phrase did not exist during the American Revolution? In fact, the words “the shot heard round the world” were not penned until sixty years after the event, and were written not by an eyewitness to the action at Lexington and Concord, but by famed American poet (and Civil War contemporary) Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Continue reading “The Shot Heard Round the World” →

Cowpens: Defense in Depth

On March 18, 2015 By Phill GreenwaltIn Armies, Arms & Armaments, Battlefields & Historic Places, Battles, Revolutionary War, Weapons1 Comment

On a cold January morning 234 years ago, one of the most stunning events in American military history took place in a cattle pasture. Cowpens, South Carolina, was an overwhelming American victory, at a time when one was desperately needed.

What went so well? General Daniel Morgan understood the limitations and strengths of his troops, as well as those of his opponents. He used that to his advantage, along with a keen eye for terrain and a good understanding of the strategic satiation.

Continue reading “Cowpens: Defense in Depth” →

Looking Back to Cowpens: William J. Hardee and the Battle of Averasboro

On March 16, 2015 By Phill GreenwaltIn Armies, Battlefields & Historic Places, Battles, Campaigns, Common Soldier, Personalities, Revolutionary War3 Comments

After abandoning Fayetteville, North Carolina to Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s army group, Lieutenant General William J. Hardee withdrew his corps north of the city. Hardee had ordered the Clarendon Bridge over the Cape Fear River destroyed, removing the possibility of a vigorous pursuit by the Federals. The situation for the Confederates, however, remained dire. Hardee’s immediate superior, Gen. Joseph Johnston, was in the process of assembling a makeshift army to delay Sherman’s advance. By the middle of March, the forces that Johnston hoped to consolidate were still scattered throughout the state. More time would be needed for the Confederates to rendezvous. Since Hardee’s corps was naturally positioned to contest the enemy as they left Fayetteville, it would fall to him to engage Sherman once he resumed his march. The veteran officer would prove to be more than equal to the task.

Continue reading “Looking Back to Cowpens: William J. Hardee and the Battle of Averasboro” →

Emerging Revolutionary War Era

Author: Phill Greenwalt