Today is the birthday of one of the most fascinating figures in American History. If you live in New Hampshire, you probably have heard of John Stark. If not, you are probably saying “who?” Stark was a warrior. When he was 24 years old, he was on a hunting Read more…
Today is the anniversary of the most important event in American History and it was a loss! If the rebels holding Breed’s Hill had put up the fight the British expected of them, the revolution would have ended that day and independence would have come some other way and in Read more…
Fort Vincennes was a British fort located in the Ohio River Valley. It was built to guard the frontier after the French and Indian War. During the Revolutionary War, Lt. Col. George Rogers Clark (older brother of William Clark of Lewis and Clark fame) was determined to take the Ohio Read more…
I am a big George Washington fan. He was a great leader and without his leadership, we would not have won independence and probably would have gone the route of Canada. But he was not a great general. He lost most of his battles and the two that saved the Read more…
The famous painting was by German-American artist Emanuel Leutze in his Dusseldorf, Germany studio in 1850-51. Leutze grew up in America and then returned to his homeland. He painted it after the failed Revolution of 1848 in the hope that it would inspire liberal reforms. It was first displayed in Read more…
Revolutionary War heroine Mary Hays was born on Oct. 13, 1754 (or 1744). She may have been a servant before she married William Hays. When William Hays joined the Continental Army, she went along as a camp follower. Camp followers were women who accompanied armies on the march Read more…
On June 15, 1775, George Washington was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. Although John Hancock had hopes for the job, Washington was the logical choice. He had the reputation of having the most military experience in the 13 Colonies, having fought in the French and Indian War. At the Read more…
The phrase “the shot heard ‘round the world” comes from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s poem “Concord Hymn” from 1837. “One if by land and two if by sea” comes from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “Paul Revere’s Ride” from 1861. The British could have marched across the neck of Boston (by land) or Read more…
In December, 1776 the Continental Army was coming off a series of bad defeats. It had lost New York City and retreated across New Jersey to seek refuge in Pennsylvania. The army barely got across the Delaware River with the British in hot pursuit. Then both armies settled down for Read more…