Tag «Washington»

General John Sullivan Soldier and Congressman

General John Sullivan of New Hampshire commanded troops in most of the American Revolution’s major battles. An ardent loyalist turned patriot; he was a member of the First New Hampshire Provincial Congress. He was voted to represent his state at the First and Second Continental Congress where he was commissioned as a Brigadier General, even …

African Americans in the American Revolution: Prince Whipple Fact and Fiction

Much has been written about Prince Whipple over the years (c. 1750 – 1796); mainly related to folk lore and romantic vignettes that gained prominence when Prince was incorrectly associated with two paintings depicting General George Washington crossing the Delaware River. Bare bones facts indicate that as a free child in Africa, Prince was caught …

The Virginians’ 800-Mile March to Save Charleston

BY MARK MALOY FIRST POSTED ON EMERGING REVOLUTIONARY ERA ON APRIL 7, 2021 It is a pleasure to feature Mark Maloy;s scholarly work on Revolutionary War Journal. Mark is a historian currently working for the National Park Service in Virginia. He is the author of Victory or Death: The Battles of Trenton and Princeton, December 25, 1776 …

December 1776: Washington and the Continental Army in Crisis

By Harry Schenawolf, author of the Shades of Liberty Series about African American soldiers in the American Revolution. “A thick cloud of darkness and gloom covered the land and despair was seen in almost every countenance…” an officer in the Continental Army, December, 1776. Another wrote, “…strong apprehensions are entertained that the British will soon …

Riding the Wooden Horse & Other Medieval Tortures Adopted by Washington’s Army During the American Revolution

General George Washington had arrived at Cambridge, Massachusetts on July 3, 1775 to take command of the Continental Army. He had his work cut out for him for he faced a force of unruly and undisciplined amateurs in its infancy. Up against the British army, the finest military machine of its time, this mob of …

Alexander Hamilton: Myth and the Man Part 2: He Was Not a Hero at the Battle of White Plains.

Article 1 stated that Alexander Hamilton’s role during the Battle of White Plains had been fabricated and grossly exaggerated over the decades. The author of this three part series has traced this misinformation to Hamilton’s son who published several biographical texts; each one expanding on his father’s courage acts in combat. John Church Hamilton lifted …

Battle Tactics of the American Revolution

Military literature was of little or no value to the early colonists. There were no vast spreads of farmlands and meadows where massive armies could deploy. The terrain was wilderness and their forces small. Militias of farmers and merchants, properly armed to protect themselves from the “savages,” adopted the same methods of fighting as their …