Revolutionary War history

Documenting the American Revolution in Westchester County, New York

Located between British occupied New York City and patriot Connecticut, Westchester County, New York has sometimes been referred to as Revolutionary War “neutral ground.” Yet, neutral did not mean without conflict: as one author described, from 1777 to the end of the War, “[…], there was no systematic campaign in Westchester county, but continuous fighting.”ContinueContinue reading “Documenting the American Revolution in Westchester County, New York”

Resources for the Research of New York Loyalists

In Unfriendly to Liberty: Loyalists Networks and the Coming of the American Revolution in New York City, Christopher Minty argues that commerce was at the center of the political divide in pre-Revolutionary New York City. The city, he suggests, was both the center of commerce for the American colonies and highly dependent on supplying BritishContinueContinue reading “Resources for the Research of New York Loyalists”

Handout, From Local Militia to the Continental Line

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Recruiting for the Duke of Cumberland’s Regiment: American Prisoners in the British Army

In Relieve Us of This Burthern: American Prisoners of War in the Revolutionary South, 1780-1782, Carl P. Borick details how Lord Montagu and his agents recruited from the American prisoners held at Charleston to restaff the Duke of Cumberland’s regiment, using a mixture of enticement, coercion and even forcible impressment. While Borick identifes only aContinueContinue reading “Recruiting for the Duke of Cumberland’s Regiment: American Prisoners in the British Army”

Why can’t I use a photo of my Revolutionary War ancestor’s military headstone as “proof of service”?

It seems like your ancestor’s military headstone should be usable to “prove” service for a Revolutionary War Society. After all, it was government issued… However, it’s not. Why? Military headstones for Revolutionary War veterans are “derivative” sources. The marble headstones we view as the standard military headstone began to be used only in 1873. ThatContinueContinue reading “Why can’t I use a photo of my Revolutionary War ancestor’s military headstone as “proof of service”?”