American Revolution Podcast
We look at the founding era of the United States, beginning with the French and Indian War, and moving through the era chronologically.
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A chronological history of the Revolutionary War era. We begin our journey with an overview of the French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Years War in Europe. Episodes continue with coverage of the tax protests. Shortly after King George III takes the throne, Parliament begins imposing taxes on the colonies, including the stamp tax, the Townshend Acts, and the Tea Act of 1774. Under call of ”taxation without representation, the colonists fight back. Various pre-war conflicts include the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea party, led by men such as John Hancock and Samuel Adams. They also submit numerous petitions to London. The British government responds with increasingly militant efforts to suppress the protests, eventually leading the imposition of the Coercive Acts or Intolerable Acts, which attempt to remove many of the colonies’ traditional powers of self-government. The Americans respond by establishing the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia in 1774. This is a meeting of colonial delegates to discuss responses to Parliament’s actions. The Congress submits a petition to the King with an agreement to meet the following spring to discuss trade boycotts if a compromise is not reached. Before the Second Continental Congress can meet, British General Thomas Gage, who is also Governor of Massachusetts, send British Regulars to capture militia cannons suspected to be in Concord. Along the way, British soldiers fire on Minutemen and other militia at Lexington Greene. Having been warned by Paul Revere, the minutemen had turned out with their muskets. The British continue to Concord, but find little. Colonists fire on soldiers at the old North Bridge, resulting a running battle all the way back to Boston. The Siege of Boston begins as colonists surround the city. The British capture Bunker Hill, but can do little else. American patriots across the country begin to act against British officials. Americans take casualties, including General Joseph Warren, but the British take far more. A group of Green Mountain Boys under Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold capture Fort Ticonderoga in New York. By the time the Second Continental Congress meets in May 1775, a full on rebellion has begun. The Continental Congress forms the Continental Army and places George Washington in command. Washington is able to break the siege in 1776 by having Henry Knox bring a train of cannons from Fort Ticonderoga to place on Dorchester Heights. The new British commander, General William Howe, is forced to evacuate Boston and retreat to Halifax in Nova Scotia. The Americans, having expelled British forces from most of their territory draft and sign the Declaration of Independence, making July 4 the date of American independence. Months later, General Howe and his brother Admiral Richard Howe, invade New York, capturing Long Island and Manhattan. The Continental army retreats and almost collapses. By late December 1776, the British have captured most of New Jersey. In desperation, on Christmas night 1776 Washington crosses the Delaware River with his army to attack an outpost of Hessians at Trenton. The victory forces the British to send a larger army to attack, but Washington eludes them and attacks Princeton. Over ten crucial days, the Americans recapture New Jersey and give hope to the patriots. The following year, 1777, known as the year of the hangman, the British launch an attack from Quebec into New York, taking Ticonderoga. General John Burgoyne hopes to link up with the British in New York City. However, Benedict Arnold, defying General Horatio Gates, manages, to block the army forcing the surrender at Saratoga. General Howe, sails his army to the Chesapeake, landing at Head of Elk Maryland. He moves north in what becomes known as the Philadelphia Campaign, defeating the Americans at the Battle of Brandywine, then occupying Philadelphia. The Americans fail to expel the British at the Battle of Germantown, then retreat to Valley Forge for the winter. Over the winter of 177-78. Congress considers removing General Washington in what becomes known as the Conway Cabal. The Marquis de Lafayette helps to ensure Washington remains in command. General Frederick von Steuben takes over as the army’s Adjutant General and trains the Americans in professional battlefield tactics, even writing a drill manual for the Continental Army. The following spring, after Washington relieves General Charles Lee, the Americans fight the British to a draw at the Battle of Monmouth. Following the news of the American victory at Saratoga, and thanks to diplomatic efforts by Silas Deane and Benjamin Franklin, the Comte de Vergennes convinces King Louis XVI of France to sign a treaty of alliance with the US. This forces Britain to declare war on France. In 1778 the Lord Germain recalled General Howe, leaving General Sir Henry Clinton in command of forces in North America. Clinton obeys orders to withdraw from Philadelphia back to New York. He is forced to redeploy much of the British army to the West Indies and other parts of the Empire to fight the French. Britain sends the Carlisle Peace Commission to negotiate and end to the war, but the Americans will accept nothing less than independence. The Revolution becomes a World War. In 1779 the British capture Savannah, Georgia as part of a southern strategy, invading from British East Florida. The Americans wipe out Native American villages in upstate New York as part of the Sullivan Campaign. John Paul Jones threatens Britain directly with costal raids, and the naval battle between the Bonhomme Richard and the Serapis. Spain joins France in a treaty and goes to war with Britain. The Spanish primarily want to recover Gibraltar. Other European powers form the League of Armed Neutrality. In 1780, Sir Henry Clinton leads an armada to capture Charleston, South Carolina. Continental General Benjamin Lincoln surrenders an army of 5000. Clinton leaves General Charles Cornwallis in command of the southern strategy. Lord Cornwallis secures South Carolina and attempts to move the war into North Carolina. The Continental Congress ends General Gates to lead a southern army to oppose Cornwallis. However Gates is defeated at the battle of Camden. Only local leaders such as Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, and Charles Sumter, the Gamecock, keep a fight that disputes control of the colony. Washington then sends General Nathanael Greene to take command in the south. The Battles of King’s Mountain, Cowpens, and Guilford Courthouse, with smaller skirmishes, reduce Cornwallis’ army, which must eventually retreat into Virginia. The British ministry becomes more desperate. Prime Minister Lord North attempts to resign repeatedly, but the King will not accept his resignation. Britain declares war on the Netherlands and continues its fight. The Continentals have their own crises. The Pennsylvania and New Jersey lines mutiny. Benedict Arnold commits treason, joining the British with an attempt to give them West Point. In the end though, Washington’s Continentals with the French army under General Rochambeau force Lord Cornwallis to surrender his army at Yorktown. The British begin serious negotiations for peace. The peace process takes more than a year, finally ending with the Treaty of Versailles in 1783. The Continental Army disbands, forming the first veterans group: the Society of Cincinnati. Washington returns to Mount Vernon. Northern states end slavery but the southern states do not. A weak government continues under the Articles of Confederation. However, Shays’ Rebellion and other matters convince American leaders they need a stronger government. Delegates meet in Philadelphia in 1787 at the Constitutional Convention. Delegates included Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton. George Washington serves as the Convention’s president. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams are in Europe working as diplomats. Debate on ratification is fierce, proponents write the Federalist papers in support. Opponents demand a Bill of Rights, which proponents agree to add as Amendments once ratified. The Constitution is adopted, and the first US Congress meets in New York in 1789. Washington is sworn is as president. He must suppress the Whiskey Rebellion and other challenges while building the first government. A compromise agrees that the government will assume all state war debts and that it will move to a new capital in Washington, DC. T The government moves temporarily to Philadelphia, but does not have Washington, DC ready until near the end of John Adams’ administration. The French revolution begins, dividing Americans. Washington remains neutral as his friend Lafayette helps to replace the King of France. John Adams replaces Washington as President in 1797, with Jefferson as his Vice President. Following the XYZ Affair, the US almost goes to war with France in the Quasi War. Following passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts, Adams loses reelection and Jefferson becomes President. The US makes the Louisiana Purchase. Jefferson sends Lewis and Clark to explore the territory. James Madison succeeds Jefferson. Americans fight the Battle of Tippecanoe against Native tribes. They also fight the War of 1812, ending with Andrew Jackson’s victory in the Battle of New Orleans in 1815.
We look at the founding era of the United States, beginning with the French and Indian War, and moving through the era chronologically.
Sunday Jun 16, 2019
Sunday Jun 16, 2019
Sunday Jun 16, 2019
The British get off to a late start, not assembling their massive invasion force at New York until August 1776. When they disembark on Staten Island, the Continentals see the largest overseas military force Britain had ever assembled.
The British fleet sails past ineffective Continental defenses. Admiral Howe attempts to begin peace talks without any luck.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: Under the Guns New York 1775-1776, by Bruce Bliven
Online Recommendation of the Week: revolutionary-war-and-beyond.com
Sunday Jun 23, 2019
Sunday Jun 23, 2019
Sunday Jun 23, 2019
British Indian Agents encourage the Cherokee to attack the colonies in rebellion. Cherokee tribes along the western frontiers of Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia coordinate their attacks for about the same time the British attack the Carolina coast. After the British attack founders at Fort Sullivan and they abandon the south, the Americans are able to focus on the Cherokee and the Tories fighting with them.
Fighting is brutal on both sides. Civilians are murdered. Men, women, and children are tortured. Neither side shows much interest in taking prisoners. After nearly a year of fighting, the Cherokee sue for peace. A new treaty forces them to give up millions of acres and move further west.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: A Demand of Blood: The Cherokee War of 1776, by Nadia Dean.
Online Recommendation of the Week: https://www.ncpedia.org
Sunday Jun 30, 2019
Sunday Jun 30, 2019
Sunday Jun 30, 2019
The British land 20,000 men on Long Island. Using a flanking maneuver, they easily kill, capture, and scatter the inexperienced Americans. Just as the regulars and Hessians appear to inflict the final death blow, British general Howe calls a halt to the assault. He fears sending his troops against the dug in Continentals along the East River. Instead, he opts for a slow advance of digging entrenchments. The British delay, along with the luck of weather, allows the Americans to escape back to Manhattan Island.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: The Battle of Brooklyn, 1776, By John J. Gallagher.
Online Recommendation of the Week: American Battlefield Trust https://www.battlefields.org
Sunday Jul 07, 2019
Sunday Jul 07, 2019
Sunday Jul 07, 2019
The Continental Army attempts to blow up the HMS Eagle in New York Harbor in September 1776. Using the work of David Bushnell and a small team, attempts to attach an underwater mine after reaching the ship using a one man submarine. The explosive fails to attach and the mission is a failure.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: Turtle: David Bushnell's Revolutionary Vessel, by Roy R. Manstan and Frederic J. Frese
Online Recommendation of the Week: American Heritage https://www.americanheritage.com
Sunday Jul 14, 2019
Sunday Jul 14, 2019
Sunday Jul 14, 2019
After capturing Brooklyn and Long Island General Howe and Admiral Howe halt their military offensive for two weeks. During that time, they invite three members of the Continental Congress to discuss the possibility of a negotiated peace.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: Stop the Revolution: America in the Summer of Independence and the Conference for Peace, by Thomas J. McGuire
Online Recommendation of the Week: Industrial Revolutions Podcast https://industrialrevolutionspod.com
Sunday Jul 21, 2019
Sunday Jul 21, 2019
Sunday Jul 21, 2019
The British spend months putting together a fleet to crush the Americans on Lake Champlain and retake Fort Ticonderoga. Generals Carleton and Burgoyne do not get along and create a divided command. Those divisions, however, are nothing compared the divisions on the American site where Generals Schuyler and Gates fight to control the northern Continental Army. General Arnold also fights with a court martial, which tries to hold him in contempt.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: Benedict Arnold's Navy, by James Nelson.
Online Recommendation of the Week: Dispatches Podcast, with Brady Critzer
Sunday Jul 28, 2019
Sunday Jul 28, 2019
Sunday Jul 28, 2019
The British land at Kip's Bay on Manhattan, scattering the patriot defenders. A few days later, British advance forces run into more effective resistance at Harlem Heights. While the British capture the island, they allow the Continental army to escape to the north.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: Revolution on the Hudson, by George C. Daughan
Online Recommendation of the Week: https://mountvernon.org
Sunday Aug 04, 2019
Sunday Aug 04, 2019
Sunday Aug 04, 2019
France makes plans for covert aid to America. Silas Deane arrives to encourage such aid. French foreign minister puts him in contact with a playwright and part-time arms dealer name Beaumarchais. The British spy network immediately infiltrate all of this to thwart their plans. Also, others from America and in France attempt to block the attempt for personal reasons.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: Unlikely Allies: How a Merchant, a Playwright, and a Spy Saved the American Revolution, by Joel Richard Paul
Online Recommendation of the Week: https://TheFrenchHistoryPodcast.com
Sunday Aug 11, 2019
Sunday Aug 11, 2019
Sunday Aug 11, 2019
After the Continental Army evacuates and the British occupy New York City, a night fire burns a quarter of the town. The British capture Captain Nathan Hale and hang him as a spy. The Americans court martial a deserter.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: The British Are Coming, by Rick Atkinson
Online Recommendation of the Week: https://jstor.org
Sunday Aug 18, 2019
Sunday Aug 18, 2019
Sunday Aug 18, 2019
General Benedict Arnold forces the British fleet to attack him at the location of his choosing, near Valcour Island. His smaller and less experience force performs well during the battle, but then finds itself trapped by the British.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: The Battle of Valcour Island: The Participants and Vessels of Benedict Arnold's 1776 Defense of Lake Champlain, by Stephen Darley
Online Recommendation of the Week: Univ. of Groningen American History http://www.let.rug.nl/usa
Sunday Aug 25, 2019
Sunday Aug 25, 2019
Sunday Aug 25, 2019
Benedict Arnold avoids almost certain capture near Valcour Island with a daring night move. The British fleet catches up with him, but Arnold is able to ground most of his ships and escape overland back to Fort Ticonderoga. The British, after reaching Crown Point, decide it is too late to begin a siege of Ticonderoga. Instead, they return to Canada with plans to return in the spring.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution, by Nathaniel Philbrick.
Online Recommendation of the Week: Based on a True Story Podcast https://www.basedonatruestorypodcast.com
Sunday Sep 01, 2019
Sunday Sep 01, 2019
Sunday Sep 01, 2019
The British under General Howe continue to push back the Continentals under General Washington, slowly nudging them off Manhattan island, but refusing to surround them or force a major battle. Eventually the Continentals are forced to retreat to New Jersey.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: Narrative of a Revolutionary War Soldier, by Joseph Plumb Martin
Online Recommendation of the Week: PBS Liberty: https://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty
Sunday Sep 08, 2019
Sunday Sep 08, 2019
Sunday Sep 08, 2019
General Washington ignores British General Howe's repeated hints that he needs to evacuate Fort Washington. Instead, he leaves the decision up to General Nathanael Greene. The British capture the Fort along with 3000 officers and men, the Continental Army's greatest loss in the first part of the war.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: Washington's General: Nathanael Greene and the Triumph of the American Revolution, by Terry Golway
Online Recommendation of the Week: The British History Podcast https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com
Sunday Sep 15, 2019
Sunday Sep 15, 2019
Sunday Sep 15, 2019
A British and Hessian force led by Lord Cornwallis storms Fort Lee in New Jersey, forcing the Continental Army led by George Washington to flee further south. The two armies spend days moving through cold rain and muddy roads. The Continentals continue to retreat back toward Philadelphia as the British take Newark.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: The Day is Ours by William Dwyer
Online Recommendation of the Week: Revolutionary War New Jersey, https://RevolutionaryWarNewJersey
Sunday Sep 22, 2019
Sunday Sep 22, 2019
Sunday Sep 22, 2019
The Continental Congress makes no real progress approving Articles of Confederation and has trouble supporting its own army. It sends a delegation to France to get an alliance with France. Congress sends Benjamin Franklin to join Arthur Lee and Silas Deane in France, with all three receiving official commissions. Before the commissions arrive, Deane has great difficulty getting any French aid to America. Lee's interference even raises doubts in the French government about whether Deane has any legitimate authority at all to negotiate on behalf of Congress.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: A Diplomatic History of the American Revolution, by Jonathan Dull
Online Recommendation of the Week: The Crossing and Ten Crucial Days - The Musical https://www.thecrossingmusical.com
Sunday Sep 29, 2019
Sunday Sep 29, 2019
Sunday Sep 29, 2019
James Aitken, a petty criminal in Britain, schemes to burn down all of the Naval portyards in England to cripple the British Navy. He hopes to become a hero of the American cause.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: John the Painter: Terrorist of the American Revolution, by Jessica Warner
Online Recommendation of the Week: The Life of James Aitken Commonly Called John the Painter, by John Wilkes.
Sunday Oct 06, 2019
Sunday Oct 06, 2019
Sunday Oct 06, 2019
Washington completes his retreat to Pennsylvania by early December 1776. The British slowly force the march but do not attempt to capture the Continentals. Washington's subordinate generals fail to come to his assistance. He discovers his own personal aid has lost faith in his leadership.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: The Long Retreat: The Calamitous Defense of New Jersey, 1776 by Arthur S Lefkowitz.
Online Recommendation of the Week: Correspondence of Charles, first Marquis Cornwallis, Vol. 1 By Charles Ross (ed).
Sunday Oct 13, 2019
Sunday Oct 13, 2019
Sunday Oct 13, 2019
As the British Army sweeps across New Jersey, it captures Signer Richard Stockton and General Charles Lee.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: Charles Lee: Self Before Country, by Dominick Mazzagetti
Online Recommendation of the Week: Facebook Group American History Fanatics: https://www.facebook.com/groups/887419261386444
Sunday Oct 20, 2019
Sunday Oct 20, 2019
Sunday Oct 20, 2019
Over the winter of 1776-77, Patriots attempt to capture Fort Cumberland and bring Nova Scotia into the rebellion. Also, the British capture Newport Rhode Island to use as a winter port for the navy. Generals Clinton and Percy return to Britain.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: The Siege of Fort Cumberland, 1776: An Episode in the American Revolution, by Ernest Clarke
Online Recommendation of the Week: Memoir of Jonathan Eddy on Archive.org.
Sunday Oct 27, 2019
Sunday Oct 27, 2019
Sunday Oct 27, 2019
As the Continental Army struggle to keep itself alive at the end of 1776, Thomas Paine writes The American Crisis to rally Americans to fight the British and Hessians.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: Thomas Paine: Collected Writings: Common Sense / The Crisis / Rights of Man / The Age of Reason / Pamphlets, Articles, and Letters, by Eric Foner (ed)
Online Recommendation of the Week: Project Gutenberg's "The Writings of Thomas Paine" https://www.gutenberg.org/files/31270/31270-h/31270-h.htm
Sunday Nov 03, 2019
Sunday Nov 03, 2019
Sunday Nov 03, 2019
In late December 1776, General Washington sends a small force into New Jersey to harass the Hessian garrisons. The force under Colonel Samuel Griffin engages the Hessians under Colonel Carl Von Donop. The fighting on Iron Works Hill causes Von Donop to redeploy his Hessians to Mount Holly New Jersey. This leaves the smaller Hessian garrison at Trenton isolated over Christmas.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: A Crisis of Peace: George Washington, the Newburgh Conspiracy, and the Fate of the American Revolution, by David Head due to be released Dec. 3, 2019
Online Recommendation of the Week: revolutionarywar.us
Sunday Nov 10, 2019
Sunday Nov 10, 2019
Sunday Nov 10, 2019
December 25, 1776: Washington assembles enough troops to attempt an attack on the British, days before the enlistments of most of his remaining soldiers expire.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: Washington's Crossing, by David Hackett Fischer
Online Recommendation of the Week: Washington's Crossing State Park: www.washingtoncrossingpark.org
Sunday Nov 17, 2019
Sunday Nov 17, 2019
Sunday Nov 17, 2019
The Continental Army led by General Washington attacks the Hessian outpost at Trenton on December 26, 1776.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: Ten Crucial Days: Washington's Vision for Victory Unfolds, by William L. Kidder (2019)
Online Recommendation of the Week: Ten Crucial Days Website tencrucialdays.org
Sunday Nov 24, 2019
Sunday Nov 24, 2019
Sunday Nov 24, 2019
After its victory at Trenton, the Continental Army retreats with its prisoners and equipment back to Pennsylvania. After discovering that the Pennsylvania militia had crossed into New Jersey, Washington opts to cross back again and reoccupy Trenton. There he will await General Cornwallis and the British Army.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: The Winter Soldiers, by Richard Ketchum
Online Recommendation of the Week: The 8th Virginia Regiment https://www.8thvirginia.com
Sunday Dec 01, 2019
Sunday Dec 01, 2019
Sunday Dec 01, 2019
General Cornwallis is tasked to deal with the Americans who captured the Hessian outpost at Trenton. Cornwallis assembles and marches his army directly to Trenton in a matter of days. As his army moves from Princeton to Trenton, American delaying tactics prevent him from arriving until nearly the evening of July 2, 1777. After capturing the town, Cornwallis opts to wait until morning to attack the main American force on the other side of Assunpink Creek.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: The Road to Assunpink Creek, by David Price
Online Recommendation of the Week: Rosbrugh, a Tale of the Revolution, by John Clyde: https://archive.org/details/rosbrughtaleofre00clyd
Sunday Dec 08, 2019
Sunday Dec 08, 2019
Sunday Dec 08, 2019
The Continentals surprise the British by pulling out of Trenton on the night of January 2, 1777 and marching up a back road to attack the British rear at Princeton the next morning.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: Second to No Man but the Commander in Chief, Hugh Mercer: American Patriot by Michael Cecere
Online Recommendation of the Week: The Life of General Hugh Mercer, by John Goolrick https://archive.org/details/lifeofgeneralhug00gool
Sunday Dec 15, 2019
Sunday Dec 15, 2019
Sunday Dec 15, 2019
Following the Battle of Princeton, New Jersey militia keep the British Army hunkered down in a couple of North Jersey cities near New York. Their efforts keep patriot control of New Jersey as Washington's Continental Army rests and rebuilds for the spring campaign.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: The Unknown American Revolution, by Garry Nash
Online Recommendation of the Week: Documents Relating to the Revolutionary History of the State of New Jersey: Extracts from American Newspapers, Vol 1: https://archive.org/details/documentsrelatin01stry
Sunday Dec 22, 2019
Sunday Dec 22, 2019
Sunday Dec 22, 2019
Continental forces under General Heath attempt to recapture Fort Independence, just north of New York City in January 1777. The Hessian Garrison forces the Continentals to withdrawal.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: Benjamin Lincoln and the American Revolution, by David Mattern
Online Recommendation of the Week: Memoirs of William Heath: https://archive.org/details/memoirsofmajorge1798heat
Sunday Dec 29, 2019
Sunday Dec 29, 2019
Sunday Dec 29, 2019
Thousands of American Prisoners suffer and die in New York City prisons and prison ships during the Revolutionary War.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: Forgotten Patriots: The Untold Story of American Prisoners During the Revolutionary War, by Edwin G. Burrows.
Online Recommendation of the Week: List of prisoners from the Jersey: http://www.usmm.org/revdead.html
Sunday Jan 05, 2020
Sunday Jan 05, 2020
Sunday Jan 05, 2020
Loyalists in Florida with the aide of Seminole Warriors, raid the Georgia borders in an attempt to roll back patriot control. Meanwhile Button Gwinnett becomes President of Georgia and uses the opportunity to attack his political opponents.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: The Georgia-Florida Contest in the American Revolution, 1776-1778, by Martha Searcy
Online Recommendation of the Week: https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Sunday Jan 12, 2020
Sunday Jan 12, 2020
Sunday Jan 12, 2020
Fearing an imminent British invasion of Philadelphia, the Continental Congress adjourns in December 1776 with a resolution to meet a week later in Baltimore, Maryland. Congress holds session in Baltimore for three months. The delegates vote to print more money, promote more generals and generally continue the work of government. At the end of February 1777, with the danger passed, they return to Philadelphia.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: Moses Robinson and the Founding of Vermont, by Robert A. Mello.
Online Recommendation of the Week: A vindication of his public character in the station of director-general of the military hospitals and physician in chief to the American army, anno 1776, by John Morgan: https://archive.org/details/vindicationofhis00morg
Sunday Jan 19, 2020
Sunday Jan 19, 2020
Sunday Jan 19, 2020
Over the fall and winter of 1776-1777, General Howe proposes his strategic plans to officials in London. Those officials deny most of Howe's requests for reinforcements, thus causing him to reduce his plans. At the same time, officials in London meet with General Burgoyne and agree to have him lead an invasion of upstate New York from Canada, thus angering several more senior generals who wanted that command. No one bothers to tell the North American Commander, Howe, that he must support Burgoyne's invasion, so he plans to put his army aboard ships and sail away for an attack on Philadelphia.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: Logistics and the Failure of the British Army in America, 1775-1783, by Arthur Bowler.
Online Recommendation of the Week: Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts Report on the manuscripts of Mrs. Stopford-Sackville, of Drayton House, Northamptonshire Vol. 2: https://archive.org/details/reportonmanuscri02grea_0
Sunday Jan 26, 2020
Sunday Jan 26, 2020
Sunday Jan 26, 2020
The British in New York City send a raiding party up the Hudson River to attack an American supply depot. After two days of fighting, the Americans drive off the British and take back the town.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: Chaining the Hudson: Fight for the River in the American Revolution, by Lincoln Diamant
Online Recommendation of the Week: History that Doesn't Suck Podcast: https://www.historythatdoesntsuck.com
Sunday Feb 02, 2020
Sunday Feb 02, 2020
Sunday Feb 02, 2020
A large British force attacks General Lincoln at Bound Brook New Jersey. Lord Cornwallis hopes to capture the relatively isolated Continental force that is posted to defend Washington's southern flank. The British scatter the surprised Americans who mostly flee the scene. Washington sends a column under General Greene to retake Bound Brook and harass the British column as it returns to its base that same day.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: War of the Revolution, by Christopher Ward
Online Recommendation of the Week: Cockpit of the Revolution: The War for Independence in New Jersey, by Leonard Lundin: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.86569
Sunday Feb 09, 2020
Sunday Feb 09, 2020
Sunday Feb 09, 2020
An army of regulars led by New York Governor and General William Tryon, raid an American supply depot at Danbury, Connecticut. American resistance led by General David Wooster and Benedict Arnold resulted it the battle of Ridgefield and many British casualties.
General Wooster died in the fighting, while General Arnold's performance finally led to his promotion to major general.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: Call to Arms: The Patriot Militia in the 1777 British Raid on Danbury, Connecticut, by Stephen Darley
Online Recommendation of the Week: An account of Tryon's raid on Danbury in April, 1777, also the battle of Ridgefield and the career of Gen. David Wooster, by James Case: https://archive.org/details/accountoftryonsr00case
Sunday Feb 16, 2020
Sunday Feb 16, 2020
Sunday Feb 16, 2020
Benjamin Franklin travels to France to join the American Delegation. He arrives in December 1776 and immediately gains pop star status with the French people. Getting the French government to go along would take longer.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America, by Stacy Schiff, 2005.
Online Recommendation of the Week: Sybil Ludington (The History Chicks Podcast) http://thehistorychicks.com/minicastsybil-ludington
Sunday Feb 23, 2020
Sunday Feb 23, 2020
Sunday Feb 23, 2020
Continental Navy Captain Lambert Wickes delivers Benjamin Franklin to France, then attacks British shipping in British waters, nearly provoking a war between Britain and France.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: Lambert Wickes Sea Raider and Diplomat: The Story of a Navel Captain of the Revolution, by William Bell Clark, and The Golden Voyage: The Life and Times of William Bingham, 1752-1804, by Robert C. Alberts
Online Recommendation of the Week: Philadelphia Free Library Interlibrary Loan Program: https://libwww.freelibrary.org/illiad
Sunday Mar 01, 2020
Sunday Mar 01, 2020
Sunday Mar 01, 2020
Patriots invade East Florida in hopes of capturing the colony and eliminating the British threat from St. Augustine. The small and divided force is massacred at Thomas Creek as they retreat back to Georgia. Meanwhile the fighting between Georgia's political leader, Button Gwinnett and Continental General Lachlan McIntosh leads to a duel.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: Lachlan McIntosh and the Politics of Revolutionary Georgia, by Harvey Jackson, III.
Online Recommendation of the Week: Button! by Stephen Colbert and Lin-Manuel Miranda https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhFeQSBZUSk
Sunday Mar 08, 2020
Sunday Mar 08, 2020
Sunday Mar 08, 2020
A patriot force under the command of Colonel Return Jonathan Meigs raids British occupied Long Island from Connecticut. The Americans capture loyalist prisoners and destroy British supplies before returning back to Connecticut. The patriots considered the raid a great success. The British gave up attempting to maintain a permanent outpost on the eastern part of Long Island.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: The Quiet Patriot, Colonel Return Jonathan Meigs: With Meigs's 1775 Journal of the Quebec Expedition, by Richard A. Mason, 2010.
Online Recommendation of the Week: The Life and Letters of Samuel Holden Parsons, by Charles Hall: https://archive.org/details/lifeandletterss00hallgoog
Sunday Mar 15, 2020
Sunday Mar 15, 2020
Sunday Mar 15, 2020
The British attempt to lure the Continental Army out of the Watchung mountains by marching back into New Jersey. General Washington refuses to engage. After the British withdraw, the Americans move down out of the mountains. General Howe moves his army back to cut off Washington's path back into the mountains. A fierce defense led by General Lord Stirling slows the British advance long enough for the Americans to move back into the mountains. Unwilling to engage them there, the British return to New York.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: Every Insult and Indignity: The Life Genius and Legacy of Major Patrick Ferguson, by Ricky Roberts and Bryan Brown
Online Recommendation of the Week: Major-General the Earl of Stirling; an Essay in Biography, by Ludwig Schumacher: https://archive.org/details/majorgeneralearl00schu
Sunday Mar 22, 2020
Sunday Mar 22, 2020
Sunday Mar 22, 2020
Congress returns from its removal to Baltimore after the fear of British occupation of Philadelphia passes. The new session approves a new American flag on June 14, 1777. Congress also promotes new generals. It must deal with an influx of French officer applicants that it does not want, but also does not want to offend France. Finally, after several months, Congress once again leaves Philadelphia after the British threaten another occupation.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: Robert Morris Financier of the American Revolution, Charles Rappleye
Online Recommendation of the Week: https://www.chamberofcommerce.org/usflag/history/flagday.html
Sunday Mar 29, 2020
Sunday Mar 29, 2020
Sunday Mar 29, 2020
Throughout the Revolution, disease was a far greater killer of soldiers than the enemy. This week, we discuss how people suffered from disease during the Revolutionary War, how it impacted the course of the war, and what they did to fight back.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: Medicine and the American Revolution: How Diseases and Their Treatments Affected the Colonial Army, by Oscar Reiss.
Online Recommendation of the Week: The American Revolution: from the commencement to the disbanding of the American army; given in the form of a daily journal, with the exact dates of all the important events; also, a biographical sketch of all the most prominent generals, by James Thacher: https://archive.org/details/americanrevoluti00thacuoft
Sunday Apr 05, 2020
Sunday Apr 05, 2020
Sunday Apr 05, 2020
General Burgoyne assembles his army in Canada. His army of thousands, led by Simon Fraser, William Phillips, Baron von Rediesel assembles in the early summer of 1777 to march on Fort Ticonderoga, then down the Hudson valley to cut of New England and reestablish British authority.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: Where a Man Can Go: Major General William Phillips, British Royal Artillery, 1731-1781, by Robert P. Davis.
Online Recommendation of the Week: History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, by Francis Duncan: https://archive.org/details/historyroyalreg02duncgoog
Sunday Apr 12, 2020
Sunday Apr 12, 2020
Sunday Apr 12, 2020
After the British fail to take the Fort Ticonderoga in 1776, the Continentals squander the winter fighting among themselves. When General Burgoyne's British army moves to surround and assault the fort in the summer of 1777, General St. Clair realizes his Continental garrison is a sitting duck.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: Saratoga: Turning Point of America's Revolutionary War, by Richard M. Ketchum
Online Recommendation of the Week: The Paradocs Podcast http://theparadocs.com
Sunday Apr 19, 2020
Sunday Apr 19, 2020
Sunday Apr 19, 2020
The American garrison at Fort Ticonderoga make a confused nighttime escape from Fort Ticonderoga, just in time to avoid capture. The bulk of the army marches off into the woods while the sick, wounded and supplies are loaded aboard ships.
The next morning, the British fleet chases after the ships, catching up with them at Skenesborough. The American fleet is captured or destroyed. A few soldiers escape to Fort Anne. The British pursue with a small advance force. The Americans counter attack before British reinforcements arrive. When the British reinforcements get to the scene, the Americans withdraw and destroy Fort Ann.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: With Musket and Tomahawk, The Saratoga Campaign and the Wilderness War of 1777, by Michael O. Logusz
Online Recommendation of the Week: The British Invasion from the North: The Campaigns of Generals Carleton and Burgoyne, With the Journal of Lieut. William Digby, by James Phinney Baxter: https://archive.org/details/britishinvasion02digbgoog
Sunday Apr 26, 2020
Sunday Apr 26, 2020
Sunday Apr 26, 2020
As the Fort Ticonderoga garrison escapes the attacking British under General Burgoyne, American General Arthur St. Clair leaves a rearguard at Hubbardton to prevent the British from advancing on the retreating army.
Colonel Seth Warner commands the American rearguard, which is still at Hubbardton when the British advance guard, under the command of General Simon Fraser, catches up to them. A brutal wilderness battle rages for hours in the wooded mountains. Finally German reinforcements under the command of General Friedrich von Riedesel reach the battle and force the remaining Americans to flee into the woods.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: The Battle of Hubbardton: The Rear Guard Action That Saved America, by Bruce M Venter
Online Recommendation of the Week: Animated Map of the Battle of Hubbardton, by Seth Warner's Regiment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdCdykHbP4s&t=11s
Sunday May 03, 2020
Sunday May 03, 2020
Sunday May 03, 2020
After the British occupy Newport, Rhode Islanders kidnap the British commander, General Richard Prescott in hopes of exchanging him for General Charles Lee.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: Kidnapping the Enemy, by Christian McBurney
Online Recommendation of the Week: Video, Christian McBurney discusses his book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuHjgtXIqFA&t=180s
Sunday May 10, 2020
Sunday May 10, 2020
Sunday May 10, 2020
General Burgoyne's army reaches the Hudson river after slogging through the wilderness for most of August 1777. Burgoyne relied on his Indian allies to keep the enemy from setting up ambushes or otherwise interfering with progress.
After an Indian returned with the scalp of Jane McCrea, the fiancé of one of his officers, Burgoyne had to put restrictions on the Indians. Most warriors responded by leaving the army and returning home. The story of Jane McCrea became a rallying point for Americans against the barbarous tactic of the British.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: The Divided Ground: Indians, Settlers, and the Northern Borderland of the American Revolution, by Alan Taylor
Online Recommendation of the Week: The Life of Jane McCrea, by David Wilson: https://archive.org/details/lifeofjanemccrea01wils
Sunday May 17, 2020
Sunday May 17, 2020
Sunday May 17, 2020
The Marquis de Lafayette, a young french noble with dreams of fighting for liberty travels to America to become a major general in the Continental Army. In doing so, he must overcome skepticism and resistance from both sides of the Atlantic.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: The Marquis: Lafayette Reconsidered, by Laura Auricchio
Online Recommendation of the Week: ebook, The Life of General Lafayette, by John Quincy Adams: https://archive.org/details/lifeofgenerallaf00adam
Sunday May 24, 2020
Sunday May 24, 2020
Sunday May 24, 2020
General William Howe gets a late start to the 1777 fighting campaign, not leaving New York City until the end of July. He opts to sail all they way to Virginia and then up the Chesapeake Bay to land in Maryland, with Philadelphia as his goal.
Weeks of the British Army at sea leave the Continentals perplexed and guessing at what the ultimate goal would be.
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Book Recommendation of the Week: The Philadelphia Campaign: Volume One: Brandywine and the Fall of Philadelphia, by Thomas J. McGuire
Online Recommendation of the Week: The Civil War 1861-1865 (Podcast) CivilWarPodcast.org