Reenactors portray Maryland troopsDear Reader,Today, we are going to examine a particular type of ammunition used by eighteenth-century soldiers: buckshot. For those unfamiliar with the term, buckshot consists of smaller projectiles, which spread out after leaving the barrel of the weapon. It is often used in a shotgun today. In the eighteenth-century, German language speakers… via…
Balancing the Balance of Power
On May 5, 1776, General George Washington wrote to Congress. Among the many items was this paragraph: "I beg leave to lay before Congress, a Copy of the proceedings of a Court Martial upon Lieutenant Grover of the 2d. Regiment, and of his defence, which I should not have troubled them with, had I not conceived the Courts Sentence upon the facts stated in the proceedings, of a singular nature; the small fine imposed, by no means adequate to the enormity of his offence
New Hampshire Continental Bounties in 1777: A model for the Army College Fund?
Early on I learned my ancestor, Isaac Frye, recruited a company of soldiers for the Continental Army in early 1777. He ranked as a captain at that time, and records show was given 300£, for to be paid as bounties to induce the men to enlist. For years, I took that literally, i.e., he was given species as in hard sterling silver money. In those days that was enough money to buy a nice plot of land.
Nathan Weare’s 1777 Ticonderoga Diary was Actually Sullivan’s Expedition in 1779!
As I've been writing "Honor and Valor", book two of Duty in the Cause of Liberty, I have had to get back into research mode. I always look for journals written by the men who were there--these journals have an authenticity historians cannot replicate.
How Accurate were Regular Soldiers in the Mid-Eighteenth Century? — Reposted from Kabinettskriege
A Soldier from the King's Regiment takes aim. Dear Readers, Today, I want to touch on a rather controversial subject.* The subject is the infantry fire effectiveness of mid-eighteenth century European and Euro-American armies. At the outset, "shooting at marks" or target practice, was common in many eighteenth-century armies. Specifically, I am examining the accuracy…
Book of the Week (10/23/2017) — Book Notes New Hampshire
The War has Begun by Charles E. Frye (CreateSpace, 2017). Based on extensive historical and ancestral research, U.S. Army Veteran Charles Frye's book is the first in a series about NH native Isaac Frye, during the American Revolution. You can learn more about the series and the author's fascinating research findings in an interview with…
I am lucky to have a wife with a talent for doing interviews, and to have fallen in with the Written by Veterans program founded by Andreas Kossak. They collaborated to produce this interview in the Written by Veterans Magazine. It is also available in CultScoop Magazine. It was a great opportunity for me to…
Wilton Meetinghouse Tragedy
Wilton Meetinghouse and surrounding town today. The festive raising of the Wilton meetinghouse turned to tragedy in 1773 when a worm-eaten support post gave way. All 53 of the men working on the roof beams fell 27 feet among axes, planks, hammers and crowbars. The Essex Gazette of Salem called it ‘the most melancholy Accident…that…
A recent posting on the George Washington's Mount Vernon site, Committees of Correspondence, got me thinking about how much I've depended on the records of such committees for my research.
6 Dollars a Month
“Voted, to raise as minute men 25 privates, two commissioned officers, two sergeants, twenty nine in all. Voted, 6 dollars a month to each officer and soldier after they are called to an expedition, till they have proper time to return after they are dismissed.” From the minutes of the town of Wilton, New Hampshire,…
Duty in the Cause of Liberty 