Historians and genealogists have mostly overlooked the role of women in the American Revolution, even though women’s roles in working their farms, raising their children, and generally supporting the morale of the Patriot side were of great importance. The suffering of the men at Valley Forge, on the British prison ships, and during long marches[…]Read more
In 2018 and 2019, Genealogical.com issued three popular books on the American Revolution by historian Jack Darrell Crowder: Women Patriots in the American Revolution: Stories of Bravery, Daring, and Compassion, Strange, Amazing, and Funny Events that Happened during the Revolutionary War, and The First 24 Hours of the American Revolution: An Hour by Hour Account[…]Read more
Leroy Martinez’ book, From Across the Spanish Empire: Spanish Soldiers Who Helped Win the American Revolutionary War, 1776-1783, provides the first comprehensive list of Spanish soldiers who served in North America during the U.S. War for Independence. Separate chapters list those who served in Arizona, California, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Texas. In most cases Mr.[…]Read more
The American Revolution commenced with the faceoff between British regulars and the Patriot militia that occurred on April 18, 1775. To this day, no one can say with certainty who fired the first shot in that momentous engagement. Readers can make their own determination, however, thanks to the second of Jack Darrell Crowder’s new books[…]Read more
The Treaty of Paris of 1783 ended the American Revolution; however, it was the British surrender to George Washington at Yorktown, Virginia, on October 19, 1781, that set the stage for American Independence. Indeed, Yorktown was the final decisive battle of the conflict, but nothing about it was preordained. For one thing, General Washington wanted[…]Read more
We were pleased to receive positive feedback on three of our most popular titles of the second half of 2021: DNA for Native American Genealogy, by Roberta Estes; Scottish Genealogy: The Basics and Beyond, by Dr. David Dobson; and List of Free African Americans in the American Revolution, by Paul Heinegg. We are happy to[…]Read more
In the September 15 issue of “Genealogy Pointers,” we traced author J. Michael Cleveley’s ancestors to Rhode Island on the eve of the American Revolution, as they attempt to organize a militia company to support the Patriot cause. Nearly a century later, we learn that those Rhode Islanders’ descendants are struggling to establish themselves on[…]Read more
In Chapter Seven in our new book, Victory or Death: Military Decisions that Changed the Course of the American Revolution, author Jack Darrell Crowder describes the lengths to which General Washington relied on spies following his retreat from New York in 1776. From 1777 to 1781, the American forces were out-gunned and less well supplied[…]Read more
According to Jack Darrell Crowder, author of Strange, Amazing, and Funny Events that Happened during the Revolutionary War, many females served in that conflict. Some of them were camp followers accompanying their husbands or other family members; however, others were hoping to support themselves or were simply out for adventure. In a few recorded instances,[…]Read more
At the time of the Revolutionary War about 20% of the colonial population were African American; the number of blacks that ultimately fought for the Americans side was estimated to be over 5,000. By the year 1779, sources indicate that 15% of the army was black. When the war began, George Washington was opposed to[…]Read more
