Showing results for "Revolutionary War"
Review: “The Lost Gettysburg Address”
The study of history is too often restricted to names, dates, and places. Generations of school kids have suffered through lectures akin to the one given in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. History, however, is not just treaties, generals, and presidents. It is the story of individuals who, though the history books have missed them, still […]
Read more...“With Great Steadiness and Courage:” The 22nd USCT and their Flag
The 22nd United States Colored Troops was organised at Camp William Penn between the 10th and 29th of January, 1864. The narrative of the regiment illustrates the desire of many black troops to shun the tedious manual labour that they often found thrust upon them and to embrace the opportunity to conduct themselves honourably on the battlefield, regardless […]
Read more...Remembering John and Abigail (part two)
Part two of two “Remember the ladies,” Abigail Adams wrote in a letter to her husband during his service in the Continental Congress. And those words are how we now most often remember her: “Remember the ladies.” And John did. He pined for her. His long public career—in the Continental Congress, as a minister in […]
Read more...Do You Know George Wythe?
Down the street from the Governor’s Palace in Colonial Williamsburg sits a two-story brick structure. Living historians, in first-person, debate the road to the American Revolution. But, who was George Wythe?
Read more...Remembering John and Abigail (part one)
Part one of two When Abigail Adams died in late October, 1818, her husband, John, brokenhearted, said, “I wish I could lie down beside her and die, too.” Today, the two are entombed side by side, along with their son John Quincy and his wife, Louisa Catherine, in a well-lit, whitewashed crypt beneath the United […]
Read more...Mercer’s Grenadier Militia
This is part two in the series by guest historian Drew Gruber. For part one, click here. On the morning of October 3, 1781, British Colonels Tarleton and Thomas Dundas led another expedition north towards Gloucester Courthouse and away from the protection of their fortifications at Gloucester Point. Their command that day included some of […]
Read more...A Matter of Tactics revisited: 1815 vs. 1863 (Part two of a series)
On June 18, Europe celebrated the 200th anniversary of Waterloo, one of the most decisive engagements in history. 5,000 reenactors recreated the event, and it garnered a great deal of attention on the web. On July 1-3, here in the United States, we marked the 152nd anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg – not nearly […]
Read more...From the ECW Archives: The Union Assault at Cold Harbor June 1, 1864
All through the night of May 31 and into June 1, 1864, Horatio Wright’s VI Corps trudged along the dusty and choked Virginia byroads. They had been pulled from the Union right flank and ordered to march to reinforce and relieve Phil Sheridan’s cavalry holding the critical Old Cold Harbor intersection. As they neared the crossroads, […]
Read more...Rediscovering a Forgotten Patriot – William Grayson
In my day to day routine at work I can easily forget how lucky I am to have the job I do. Growing up with an interest in history and museums, I take for granted that I can make a career doing what I love. Occasionally I am involved with projects that “wow” me or […]
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