By 1777, there was no love lost between the Patriots and the Redcoats. The British had recently routed Washington’s army at Brandywine and had taken the city of Philadelphia. The commander of the Continental Army felt he needed to do something to stop his losing streak by surprise attacking Read more
John Barry was born on March 25, 1745, in Ireland to a Catholic tenant farmer. His family was evicted from its farm by a British landlord. They moved to the coast and John fell in love with the sea. At 15-years-old, he became a cabin Read more
Dec. 29 is National Pepper Pot Day. Pepper Pot or Pepper Pot Soup came to colonial America from Africa, the West Indies, and the Caribbean. It was brought by slaves and was particularly associated with blacks in Philadelphia. These cooks made it out of a variety of ingredients. It usually Read more
After George Washington forced the British to evacuate Boston, he marched his army to New York City to defend that city from an expected British attack. Washington had 20,000 men whose main characteristic was indiscipline. It should have been obvious that these soldiers could not stand up to the Read more
One of the most consequential battles of the Revolutionary War occurred on Oct. 7, 1781. It was part of Britain’s southern campaign. Lord Cornwallis had been sent to this theater because it was believed that the southern colonies were rife with Loyalists (Tories) just waiting to help the British. Read more
On Sept. 26, 1777, the British occupied Philadelphia after defeating Washington’s army at Branywine and Paoli. Washington was itching for some payback and decided to roll the dice with the Battle of Trenton as his template. When he learned that Gen. William Howe had divided his army between Philadelphia Read more
After being stymied in the north, the British changed strategy and sent an army to the south, believing that the area was full of loyalists just waiting to rise up and join the British. The British did crush a rebel army at Camden, but that actually was a turning Read more
Gen. John Burgoyne had a brilliant plan to march from Canada into New York and cut the New England colonies off from the rest. Divide and conquer – a tried and true tactic. And it would be so easy because his British army with its ferocious Indian allies could Read more
One week after his game-changing victory at Trenton, Washington decided to tempt fate by recrossing the Delaware. It was a very risky move that could have (and should have) lost the Revolution. British General Cornwallis, seeking revenge, swooped down on the Rebel army. His superior army arrived in the Read more
John Paul Jones was famously losing the battle with the HMS Serapis when he uttered his famous response to a surrender demand: “I have not yet begun to fight!” At the time, this seemed an act of false bravado and the statement would have been forgotten if Jones had Read more