Category Archives: Personalities
The Journal of Nicholas Cresswell, Part 5
Escape from America Finally, in the spring of 1777, Cresswell again decided to try returning to England. Thomson Mason, who had already intervened with two Committees of Safety to protect the Englishman, offered to help with Virginia authorities once more, … Continue reading
Posted in Civilian, Personalities, Uncategorized
Tagged Committee of Safety, General Howe, Loyalist, Nicholas Cresswell, Patrick Henry, Tory, Virginia
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Gaming Away Social Distancing. Deal or Duel: An Alexander Hamilton Card Game
Among his many aphorisms, Ben Franklin reportedly said “games lubricate the body and the mind.” Given the large number of quotes attributed to the sage, it is suspect. But, his generation certainly understood games, both as a way of sharpening … Continue reading
Posted in Alexander Hamilton, Personalities, Social History, Uncategorized
Tagged Alexander Hamilton, Entertainment, Games, Gaming
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Beer Drinking in the 18th Century
Emerging Revolutionary War welcomes back guest historian Vanessa Smiley “Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” – Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanack During the 18th century, Colonial society held three common beliefs about … Continue reading
The Journal of Nicholas Cresswell, Part 4
A Loyalist under House Arrest Having failed to reach the British Army in New York, Cresswell spent a miserable autumn and winter of 1776/1777 in northern Virginia, often arguing with his host, James Kirk, a Patriot and the only man … Continue reading
Posted in Civilian, Personalities, Uncategorized
Tagged Committee of Safety, Homefront, Loyalist, Nicholas Cresswell, Tory, Virginia, Wartime Shortage
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The 245th Anniversary of "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death"
On this date, in 1775, Virginian Patrick Henry, a delegate to the Second Virginia Convention from Hanover County, Virginia sat in on the ongoing debate at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia. The 28-year old then stood to give … Continue reading
Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Continental Leadership, Emerging Revolutionary War, Memory, Personalities, Politics, Revolutionary War
Tagged 1775, 1776, COVID-19, Emerging Revolutionary War, Give Me Liberty of Give Me Death, Lord Dun, Patrick Henry, Phillip S. Greenwalt, Richmond, Second Continental Congress, St. John's Church, Virginia, Williamsburg
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The Journal of Nicholas Cresswell, Part 2
An Englishman on the Frontier Part 1 click here. Nicholas Cresswell left Alexandria for the Illinois Country on March 16, 1775, his correspondence as yet unknown to the local Committee of Safety. The Ohio River served as a highway to … Continue reading
The Journal of Nicholas Cresswell, Part 1
For some Englishman, the political conflict between the United Kingdom and its American colonies was an afterthought that should not interfere with their plans to build a future based on American wealth. Nicholas Cresswell was one such person. He … Continue reading
Posted in Civilian, Memory, Personalities, Uncategorized
Tagged Alexandria, Englishman, James Kirk, Loyalist, Memoirs, Nicholas Cresswell
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Historians from the Past: Lyman Draper
For the last century, everyone studying the frontier in the American Revolution has owed a debt to Lyman C. Draper. Not many people are familiar with him, but he compiled one of the deepest and most extensive collections of original … Continue reading
Annis Boudinot Stockton, Mythmaking, and the American Revolution
Emerging Revolutionary War welcomes guest historian Blake McGready. A short bio is at the end of this post. In December 1776, Richard Stockton of Princeton, New Jersey, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, disavowed the American Revolution and swore … Continue reading
Posted in Civilian, Continental Leadership, Emerging Revolutionary War, Memory, Personalities, Politics, Revolutionary War, Women
Tagged 1776, American Revolution, American Revolutionary War, Annis Boudinot, Blake McGready, Emerging Revolutionary War, New Jersey, Princeton, Richard Stockton, Trenton
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