Tag: American Revolutionary War

Tidbits of Research…

On By Phill GreenwaltIn Battlefields & Historic Places, Emerging Revolutionary War, Memory, Personalities, Revolutionary WarLeave a comment

For those that write and research it can be a personal albeit lonely endeavor. Hours spent in libraries or archives, humped over your computer or pad and pencil taking copious notes. Eyes going bleary or cross-eyed trying to decipher 18th century handwriting or microfilmed pieces of primary data. But, at the same time, it is such a rewarding experience, is it not? Uncovering the past, shedding light on the personalities that comprise the fabric of American history. Maybe even finding overlooked accounts or information that changes the narrative or promotes a fuller picture?

For me, I enjoy finding quotes or descriptions that creates a better understanding of the world in which the soldiers and civilians of the American Revolutionary or American Civil War periods lived. Anything that humanizes them more I feel makes them relatable. Breathes life into who they were, instead of just what comes through in official dispatches, reports, or polished accounts they left behind. One way is to read the accounts of fellow officers or compatriots as they discuss or describe their fellow comrades-in-arms.

Or there is just Israel Putnam. The patriot general who on April 19, 1775 when hearing of the British march to Lexington and Concord famously left his plow in a half plowed farm field to rush from Connecticut to Massachusetts. In the process he rallied his militia and stuck around for the siege that followed the first shots of what would become the American Revolution.

Israel Putnam

That is where I picked up his tale. Researching an upcoming volume of the Emerging Revolutionary War Series. (Stay tuned for what that will be in the upcoming months. Yes, “vague booking” and self-promotion happening!) During the siege of Boston he was asked in a meeting of general officers about the “expediency of intrenching” as a few of the gathered were doubtful of its efficacy on the psyche of the volunteer militia.

Putnam’s response fit the mold mentioned above, of providing a human touch to the notes of that meeting and a bit of 18th century humor for added measure.

The general responded, “earnest in his advocacy of the measure” that,

“The Americans are not at all afraid of their heads, though very much afraid of their legs: if you cover these, they will fight for ever.”

Time and defensive tactics would uncover the truth of that statement.

In closing, what is a favorite line, anecdote that is not well known from the American Revolutionary period that resonates with you?

“Rev War Revelry” Book Chat with Benjamin Carp

On By erwpostIn 1776, Book Review, Civilian, Emerging Revolutionary War, Memory, Revolutionary WarLeave a comment

There are arguably many moments along the road towards war with England that greatly shaped that road’s trajectory. Perhaps among the top contenders on that list would be the Boston Tea Party. Join historian Benjamin Carp and ERW’s Dan Welch as we dig in with the author of one of the best books on that pivotal moment. Dr. Benjamin L. Carp is the author of The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution, and Defiance of the Patriots: The Boston Tea Party and the Making of America (2010), which won the triennial Society of the Cincinnati Cox Book Prize in 2013; and Rebels Rising: Cities and the American Revolution (2007). His book, Defiance of the Patriots, will be the focus of Sunday’s book chat.

With Richard D. Brown, he co-edited Major Problems in the Era of the American Revolution, 1760-1791: Documents and Essays, 3rd ed. (2014). He has written about nationalism, firefighters, Benjamin Franklin, and Quaker merchants in Charleston. He has also written for Colonial Williamsburg, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. He previously taught at the University of Edinburgh and Tufts University. He was born and raised in New York State and each of his parents earned two CUNY degrees. See you Sunday at 7 p.m. EDT on Emerging Revolutionary War’s Facebook page!

“Rev War Revelry” Founding Martyr Dr. Joseph Warren

On By erwpostIn Battlefields & Historic Places, Battles, Civilian, Emerging Revolutionary War, Memory, Personalities, Revolutionary War1 Comment

Dr. Joseph Warren is considered by many “the lost hero of the American Revolution.” Warren was the brainchild of the revolution movement in Boston. Warren was involved in almost every major insurrectionary act in the Boston area for a decade, from the Stamp Act protests to the Boston Massacre to the Boston Tea Party, and his incendiary writings included the famous Suffolk Resolves, which helped unite the colonies against Britain and inspired the Declaration of Independence.

Joining Emerging Revolutionary War will be historian and author Christian Di Spigna. He is the author of Founding Martyr: The Life and Death of Dr. Joseph Warren, the American Revolution’s lost hero. He is the Executive Director of the Dr. Joseph Warren Foundation and is the vice chairman for the Revolution 250 committee of Massachusetts Freemasons. He also serves on the board of the Bunker Hill Monument Association.

As we approach the 250th commemoration of the Boston Tea Party, we will focus on Warren’s life, his role in the Boston Tea Party and his lasting impact on the Revolution. Grab a drink and join us as we talk with author and historian Di Spigna about Warren, the patriot who once said…

“When Liberty is the prize, who would shun the warfare? Who would stoop to waste a coward thought on life?”

See you Sunday at 7 p.m. EDT on Emerging Revolutionary War’s Facebook page!

DON’T TREAD ON ME: The interesting history of an iconic American flag.

On By Mark MaloyIn 1776, Minute Men, Monuments, Revolutionary War, Uncategorized3 Comments

Every so often news stories arise about popular symbols of the American Revolutionary War that are used by various people to promote modern political agendas. One prominent symbol is the yellow flag with a coiled rattlesnake and the words “Don’t Tread on Me” below it. This flag, often referred to as the Gadsden flag, has a fascinating history dating back to the Revolutionary War.

The first real use of the snake representing the colonies begins before the Revolutionary War, during the French and Indian War, when Benjamin Franklin created a cartoon using a snake to represent the various colonies each separated from one another with the words “Join, or Die” under the image.  This was an effort to get the various colonies to unite for common defense during that time period.

By the time of the Revolutionary War in 1775, the symbol had become a solitary rattlesnake, coiled and ready to strike often accompanied by the warning “Don’t Tread on Me.” Christopher Gadsden, a prominent South Carolina patriot, served in the Continental Congress and designed the yellow flag as a naval ensign. Beginning in 1776 the flag was hung up in the room where Congress met in Philadelphia and because it was designed by Gadsden, it became known as the Gadsden flag.

Continue reading “DON’T TREAD ON ME: The interesting history of an iconic American flag.” →

Lost and Found: The Cycles of Loss and Recovery of Brooklyn’s Prison Ship Martys Monument and the Men It Commemorates

On By erwguestIn 1776, Battlefields & Historic Places, Emerging Revolutionary War, Memory, Preservation, Revolutionary War1 Comment

Emerging Revolutionary War welcomes a guest post from historian Keith J. Muchowski. Keith is a librarian and professor at New York City College of Technology (CUNY) in Brooklyn. He blogs at thestrawfoot.com.

The plaque dedicated King Juan Carlos I in June 1976 today tucked in a corner of the visitor center. Courtesy Author

King Juan Carlos I arrived in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene Park on Saturday June 5, 1976 to great fanfare. The thirty-eight-year-old monarch had ascended to the Spanish throne just seven months previously, two days after the death of Francisco Franco. The new leader was determined to reform his nation after three and a half decades of strongman rule. Juan Carlos I’s ancestor, King Carlos III, had helped the colonists achieved their independence nearly two centuries previously with his supply of money, matériel, and men. Many of those Spaniards made the ultimate sacrifice; well over one hundred of them alone perished in British prison ships moored off Brooklyn Wallabout Bay during the war.[i] Now King Juan Carlos I was in the outer borough to recognize them, dedicate a tablet to his fallen countrymen, and help his American hosts celebrate the bicentennial of their independence. The entombed Spaniards were among the over 11,500 men commemorated by the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument. The king’s visit in the mid-1970s was the latest in a series of public commemorations of the prison ship dead dating back over a century and a half. Some of the institutions that did so much to recognize the martyrs, such as the Society of St. Tammany, are today long gone. Others however very much remain. The Society of Old Brooklynites, a civic organization founded in 1880 when Brooklyn was still an independent municipality, has been holding events since the late nineteenth century.

Continue reading “Lost and Found: The Cycles of Loss and Recovery of Brooklyn’s Prison Ship Martys Monument and the Men It Commemorates” →

Review: “East Florida in the Revolutionary Era, 1763–1785” by George Kotlik

On By Phill GreenwaltIn Book Review, British Leadership, Common Soldier, Continental Leadership, Emerging Revolutionary War, Memory, Militia (Loyalist) Leadership, Militia (Patriot) Leadership, Native American, Personalities, Revolutionary War, Social History, Southern TheaterLeave a comment

Thirteen of the Great Britain’s North American colonies moved toward independence in 1775, declaring the fact officially the following year with the issuance of the Declaration of Independence. Perched below these thirteen rebellious provinces was the colony of East Florida. Earned after the Seven Year’s War by Great Britain from Spain, the most populous city an oldest permanently established European metropolis was St. Augustine, which was also the capital of the colony. This colony, through the eight years of the American Revolutionary War, had a tenuous connection with their neighbors to the north. Largely forgotten in the pantheon of history describing this period, from the time of Britain gaining possession in 1763 through the end of the Revolutionary era in this historian’s estimation, in 1785.

Entitled, East Florida in the Revolutionary Era, 1763-1785 and penned by George Kotlik, a historian specializing in 18th century North American history, the publication offers “an accessible and detailed narrative of the East Florida during the American Revolution.” (pg. 8).

What ensues in the following pages is a brief yet complete overview of the military, political, social, and economic history within those years of East Florida. Some of the names in the pages are well known to enthusiasts of the American Revolutionary War era whereas others will be new names to add to the repertoire for further study. From Governor Patrick Tonyn, British general and last governor for England of East Florida to bringing attention to the William Augustus Bowles, a Maryland born Loyalist, sympathetic to the Muscogee Native Americans of East Florida who tried in vain from the last decade of the 18th century, to establish an independent state for the tribe, with British support. These are just two of the historical personas that Kotlik discusses in his narrative, the rest await you within the pages of the book!

Although no major military actions happened within the confines of the colony that does not mean the role of East Florida in relation to the American Revolution should not be marginalized. “Militias were raised, a general assembly was postponed, St. Augustine experienced a heightened British troop presence, planters between the St. Johns and St. Marys Rivers suffered at the hands of George raiding parties, and a constant threat of a Spanish or American invasion” all affected the psyches and lives of East Floridians. (pg. 104-105).

The hope from Kotlik is to provide the launching point for further discussion into the role of East Florida specifically and Florida in general during the revolutionary period. “Such a lack of coverage is a reminder for scholars to to emphasize East Florida’s presence in the war that made America.” (pg. 111). With this history in hand, Kotlik has provided the necessary overview for further exploration.

Publisher: NewSouth Books, University of Georgia Press, 2023
156 pages plus images

“Rev War Revelry” Battlefields!

On By erwpostIn Battlefields & Historic Places, Battles, Emerging Revolutionary War, Memory, Preservation, Revolutionary War, Uncategorized3 Comments

Lexington and/or Concord or both? Same question, Trenton or Princeton or both? Guilford Court House? Yorktown Battlefield? Ask any historian or history enthusiast of the American Revolutionary War period what their favorite battlefield is and you may get one of the places above. Or some other hallowed ground.

This Sunday, at 7 p.m. EDT, join Emerging Revolutionary War on our Facebook page for a panel discussion on our favorite battlefields of the American Revolution. Discussion will also include the successes, pitfalls, or failure of preservation and what one can see or not see at these sites. We look forward to a lively conversation and your comments on what is the battlefield of choice.

“…but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.” 

On By erwpostIn 1776, Emerging Revolutionary War, Memory, Revolutionary WarLeave a comment

Thomas Paine wrote the line used as the title for this post in his pamphlet titled “American Crisis” in 1776. Most people recognize the opening lines that Paine penned in that same essay.

“These are the times that try men’s souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.”

However, on this Memorial Day, while reading through his essay, I was struck by the line I used for the title. Furthermore, by the far too numerous men who served in the militia and Continental service that lay in unknown or unmarked graves throughout the eastern United States. To them that gave the ultimate sacrifice in pursuit of the principles they held most dear, we remember on this day. To them and the thousands that came after and paid with their lives so others can have “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” we also remember today on this Memorial Day.

One of the main objectives of Emerging Revolutionary War is to visit the sites attributed to the American Revolutionary War era and to provoke interest and expand learning on the people, places, and history. That includes remembering those that lay in these unmarked graves “known only to God.”

Photos courtesy of Dan Welch.

Montgomery County, Maryland

On By Phill GreenwaltIn Battlefields & Historic Places, Continental Leadership, Emerging Revolutionary War, Memory, Revolutionary War1 Comment

Tell me I am not the only one that randomly goes on a car ride to a random town in their home state to just “see what is there?”

Regardless, that is what I decided to do on a sunny late April Sunday afternoon. I ended up in Rockville, Maryland. The town astride I-270 today was also on a major thoroughfare during both the 18th and 19th centuries that brought armies from the area, like General Edward Braddock’s in 1755 or General Jubal Early’s in 1864.

However, a different historical sign attracted my attention on this excursion.

I read the title and the first line, Richard Montgomery…Born in Ireland. Served..” Which was all I could read as I slowly drove by, since it is near the court house and county government buildings. Even though it was a Sunday still not wanting to speed through. So…Naturally, I pulled over, as evidenced by the vehicle you see in the background!

I knew Montgomery, as the sign reads, died at the Battle of Quebec in a futile attempt to take the city for the American cause. He was the first general–Continental–to die in the cause of American independence.

On September 6, 1776 Thomas Sprigg Wootton, who hailed from Rockville, introduced legislation in the Maryland Constitutional Convention to separate the Frederick County into three. The upper or most western half, to become Washington County, named in honor of George Washington and the lower half, or most eastern, to be named Montgomery, in honor of Richard Montgomery. The remaining middle portion would retain the name Frederick. This may be the first recorded instance in the rebellious British colonies of names of counties, towns, or cities that did not refer to something in British history or famous persons. Another act of defiance at the beginning of the American Revolution!

With a random Sunday excursion one never knows what one will find. History is all around us, beckoning to be explored.

Air Lafayettes?

On By Phill GreenwaltIn Battlefields & Historic Places, Emerging Revolutionary War Symposium, Memory, Personalities, Revolutionary War, Social HistoryLeave a comment

Emerging Revolutionary War thanks historian Christian Di Spigna for the picture.

With the release of the motion picture, Air, about the recruitment to Nike of Michael Jordan in the 1980s, Emerging Revolutionary War wanted to bring our readers attention to an older model of a shoe. That predates Nike by a century and a half. But, who knows, could come into vogue again right?

The Marquis de Lafayette returned to the United States in August 1824 to September 1825 and toured all 24 states at the time. Feted as a living link to the American Revolution and the independence movement, he was dined, celebrated, and asked to speak at many, many events. Commemorative items were created in his image and likeness, including, apparently a pair of shoes.

These shoes can be viewed today at Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts. A link to their website and to plan a visit can be found here.