The Carlyle House Congress and Britain’s Military Objectives for 1755

On April 11, 2018April 11, 2018 By William GriffithIn British Leadership, Campaigns, French and Indian War2 Comments

The campaigns of 1755 began when Britain’s ranking military leaders in North America met in Alexandria, Virginia with the colonial royal governors of Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, at the home of prominent Ohio Company member, John Carlyle. On April 14-15, 1755, in what became known as the “Carlyle House Congress,” the newly minted commander in chief of His Majesty’s Forces in North America, Major General Edward Braddock, presented London’s military objectives for that coming spring and summer. The Crown’s strategy, on paper, was simple: capture and hold key French fortifications within the boundaries of New York, Nova Scotia, and Pennsylvania before the enemy could concentrate his strength. This plan was intended to oust the French from His Majesty’s colonial possessions on the continent before a large-scale conflict could commence.

The John Carlyle House, c. 1918-1920, *Library of Congress*.

The task of subduing the French, Canadians, and their Native American auxiliaries in these regions fell upon a mixed contingent of British Regular soldiers, colonial provincial troops, and British-allied Native American warriors. How each group would be utilized depended upon how the respective expeditionary field commander chose to execute his orders by moving, supplying, and fighting his men. Continue reading “The Carlyle House Congress and Britain’s Military Objectives for 1755” →

Winning the Battles and Losing the War: A Review of Whispers Across the Atlantick: General William Howe and the American Revolution, by David Smith

On April 10, 2018April 10, 2018 By Eric SternerIn Book Review, British Leadership, Emerging Revolutionary War, Personalities, Revolutionary War, Uncategorized2 Comments

General William Howe Color (Wikimedia Commons).jpeg

(William Howe, Wikimedia Commons)

David Smith, Whispers Across the Atlantick: General William Howe and the American Revolution, (NY: Osprey Publishing, 2017).

If it’s true that George Washington lost all his battles, but won the war, then it’s equally true that Sir William Howe won all his battles and lost the war. Of course, neither premise is accurate, but they pithily sum up the conventional interpretation of each commander’s accomplishments on the battlefield, wrong as they may be. Washington’s role as Commander-in-Chief has come under increased scrutiny as Americans revisit their history. His chief adversary, however, Sir William Howe, has largely escaped focused study. David Smith set out to rectify that shortfall in his doctoral dissertation, which became the basis of Whispers Across the Atlantick. Historians should thank him for it. Continue reading “Winning the Battles and Losing the War: A Review of Whispers Across the Atlantick: General William Howe and the American Revolution, by David Smith” →

Dr. Prescott, Love & War

On April 9, 2018April 10, 2018 By Phill GreenwaltIn Battlefields & Historic Places, Battles, British Leadership, Campaigns, Civilian, Common Soldier, Memory, Militia (Patriot) Leadership, Minute Men, Monuments, National Park Service, Personalities, Revolutionary WarLeave a comment

Love brought Dr. Samuel Prescott, a practicing physician, to the town of Lexington on the night of April 18, 1775. The young doctor was courting Ms. Lydia Mulliken, when the alarm of the British soldiers marching from Boston went out to the local militia. Lydia’s brother was one of those called to gather.

Love. That emotion also drew Dr. Prescott back toward his hometown of Concord—this time to alert friends, neighbors, and family members of the urgent news of the evening. En route, Dr. Prescott along with Paul Revere and William Dawes, alerted the countryside of the moving British troops. After being vetted and vouchsafed as a true friend of liberty, Dr. Prescott rode posthaste to his hometown, where his word carried greater weight.

paul_revere — A artist’s interpretation of Paul Revere’s (or maybe William Dawes or Dr. Samuel Prescott)’s ride to warn the Massachusetts countryside. (courtesy of VFW)

Continue reading “Dr. Prescott, Love & War” →

Hugh Mercer’s Last Companion

On April 6, 2018April 8, 2018 By Mark MaloyIn Uncategorized2 Comments

While walking through the Willis cemetery, located at the top of Marye’s Heights in Fredericksburg, Virginia, I encountered the grave of an American patriot from the Revolutionary War, George Washington Lewis. Lewis, as it turns out was George Washington’s nephew and played a role in the Trenton-Princeton campaign in 1776 and 1777.

18AD352B-DF01-44F8-8550-D72A8914935D — A relatively modern stone marks the location of George Lewis’ grave in the Willis cemetery on Marye’s Heights. (Author photo)

Continue reading “Hugh Mercer’s Last Companion” →

“Acts of a Rude Rabble…” General Gage, Lord Dartmouth and Ignorant Orders

On April 3, 2018April 3, 2018 By Rob OrrisonIn Battlefields & Historic Places, British Leadership, Monuments, Patriots Day, Politics, Revolutionary War, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Thomas_Gage_John_Singleton_Copley — General Thomas Gage

When one studies British General Thomas Gage and his performance leading up to Lexington and Concord you must step back and put yourself in Gage’s position. A man that believed not only in Royal authority over the American colonies, but also in the basic rules of law. Gage was not anti-American by any means.

In November 1763, Gage was placed in overall command of British forces in the American colonies and settles in New York. At this time Gage was well respected by most American colonists. Of course, this all changed in 1774 when Gage was sent north to Boston to become the Royal-appointed Governor of Massachusetts and enforce the highly unpopular Port Bill that closed the port of Boston among other harsh actions. He was walking into a situation that most historians today argue was a no-win situation. Continue reading ““Acts of a Rude Rabble…” General Gage, Lord Dartmouth and Ignorant Orders” →

ERW at Patriots Day Weekend 2018!

On April 1, 2018 By Rob OrrisonIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

800px-Cary_Memorial_Library,_Lexington_MA — Cary Memorial Library in Lexington, MA

We look forward to our time in Lexington, Concord and Boston on Patriots Day Weekend 2018! We will be at the Cary Memorial Library in Lexington on Sunday, April 15th at 1:30pm. We will also be posting FB live videos throughout the weekend…stay tuned!

Meet the Author event

Sunday April 15th, 1:30 PM
Cary Memorial Library

Historians Phillip Greenwalt and Robert Orrison launch their new book “A Single Blow: The Battles of Lexington and Concord and the Beginning of the American Revolution, April 19, 1775” with a presentation, Q & A, and book signing event. This book, the first in a new Revolutionary War series, uncovers the amazing history that this pivotal spring day ushered in for the fate of Massachusetts and thirteen of Great Britain’s North American colonies. The event is co-sponsored by the Lexington Visitors Center, Cary Memorial Library, and Lexington Historical Society 28468420_10155304839444327_325033352871924612_n

Two Riders….Gage Gathers Information

On March 26, 2018March 25, 2018 By Rob OrrisonIn Battlefields & Historic Places, Battles, British Leadership, Campaigns, Civilian, Militia (Patriot) Leadership, Minute Men, Revolutionary War, UncategorizedLeave a comment

As British General Thomas Gage and his American Whig (or Patriot) antagonists squared off in Boston and the surrounding towns, information gathering became the key to success. Both sides had created networks of spies, but the advantage was clearly in favor of the Whigs. During the winter 1774-1775, groups such as the Sons of Liberty had established a complex spy network within Boston comprised of a system of riders that spread information and “alarms’ quickly. The Committee of Safety and the Massachusetts Provincial Congress relied on this network to stay informed of what was going on in Boston and the British intentions. Continue reading “Two Riders….Gage Gathers Information” →

Seeing Jefferson Anew: A Review of Jefferson’s Body: A Corporeal Biography, by Maurizio Valsania

On March 24, 2018March 25, 2018 By Derek MaxfieldIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

erw-book-reviews-11

Maurizio Valsania, Jefferson’s Body: A Corporeal Biography

University of Virginia Press, 2017.

265 pages, endnotes, bibliography, index.

After reading about Thomas Jefferson for over thirty years, I was beginning to wonder if anything new could be said about the man from Monticello. That query has been answered in the affirmative by University of Torino, Italy, Professor Maurizio Valsania, who gives us an earthy and unique biography of Jefferson focused on his body.

Valsania’s fascinating work is an interdisciplinary study which borrows from physical and cultural anthropology, anatomy and psychology, which measures Jefferson’s corporality as a way of understanding his life. Broken into two main parts: the self and the other, the author examines how Jefferson was constructed, biologically, and how he constructed himself before moving on to consider how the sage of Monticello used these to make sense of the other – most notably Native Americans, African Americans and women.

In Valsania’s book we find a “mild, harmonious, flexible, engaging, maybe also “feminine” [man;]…Jefferson had an unconventional corporeality.”[i] Described as refined, retiring, soft and mild mannered, Jefferson exhibited a natural simplicity. But, as Valsania explained, “Jefferson, like many others who sought to perform “simplicity,” relied heavily on the worship of naturalness. Impossible to hide is the fact that “natural” in the period could simultaneously mean something good and something bad; nature had to be emulated and defeated as the same time.”[ii] Continue reading “Seeing Jefferson Anew: A Review of Jefferson’s Body: A Corporeal Biography, by Maurizio Valsania” →

March 17: Evacuation Day

On March 17, 2018March 25, 2018 By Mark MaloyIn Uncategorized1 Comment

Boston is typically thought of as a quintessential place to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Interestingly though, the celebration in Suffolk County (which encompasses Boston) is officially referred to as Evacuation Day, and the parade that meanders through South Boston is the St. Patrick’s Day/Evacuation Day Parade. Evacuation Day celebrates the evacuation of the British army from Boston that occurred on March 17, 1776.

An Inclusive St. Patrick's Day Parade — Revolutionary War reenactors march in the Boston St. Patrick’s Day/Evacuation Day Parade. (Boston Globe photo)

In early March of 1776, General George Washington and his Continental Army had been laying siege to the British occupied city of Boston for almost a year, ever since the first blood of the war had been shed on April 19, 1775 at Lexington and Concord. (read more about this in the new book: “A Single Blow”) The British had been holed up in the city for months as a stalemate ensued. Continue reading “March 17: Evacuation Day” →

An Account of April 19, 1775

On March 16, 2018March 13, 2018 By Phill GreenwaltIn Battles, British Leadership, Campaigns, Civilian, Common Soldier, Militia (Patriot) Leadership, Minute Men, National Park Service, Revolutionary War1 Comment

“the Country was an amazing strong one; full of Hills, Woods, stone Walls, & c., which the Rebels did not fail to take advantage of, for they were all lined with People who kept an incessant fire upon us…”

From the diary of Lieutenant Frederick Mackenzie who was part of the 23rd Regiment–the Royal Welch Fusiliers that survived the ordeal of April 19, 1775. He would keep a diary until the early 1790’s and chronicled his experiences in the American Revolutionary War. His account on April 19, of the retreat from Concord is most descriptive. The British did not just take the brunt of the firing as the marched hurriedly back toward Boston and safety, but;

“as we did too upon them, but not with the same advantage, as they were so concealed there was hardly any seeing them: in this way we marched between 9 and 10 miles, their numbers increasing from all parts…”

The column was led by Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith and had been tasked by General Thomas Gage, British military leader in North America, to root out the military supplies being stored in Concord by the colonials. The mission, albeit supposedly secretive, did not remain so for long, and the colonials got word out to the countryside. After initial firing at Lexington Green and then at the North Bridge in Concord, the British had to march back through the countryside, facing arriving militia and minute men.

“while ours was reducing by deaths, wounds, and fatigue; and we were totally surrounded with such an incessant fire as it is impossible to conceive; our ammunition was likewise near expended.”

Modern-day view along Battle Road, the route the British column retreated back toward Boston on (author collection)

Luckily, for Mackenzie and the other struggling British officers and rank-and-file, on a rise in the ground, outside the town of Menotomy, was a relief column, ready to provide a few moments’ respite.