Dispatches: The Podcast of the Journal of the American Revolution

This week our guest is JAR contributor Kim Burdick. After the American victory at Saratoga, French military support materialized at just the right moment. Their journey to America was harrowing, and revealed a side of the war most have never seen. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is Library of Congress Curator Christopher Warren. From the earliest rumblings of revolt, the written word has been central to the cause. As the war evolved, so did it’s writings. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is JAR contributor Jeff Dacus. In 1781 Fort Watson loomed large on the South Carolina frontier. After a spark of innovation, Continental forces relied on an ancient strategy to win the day: the siege tower. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is JAR contributor Greg Aaron. Liberty Belle, The Flag, John Liberty. In the post WWII landscape, comic book superheroes dominated American popular culture and the American Revolution was a common backdrop. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is JAR contributor Jett Conner. Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson were ideological pillars of their party. Their conservative view of presidential authority soon crumbled when Jefferson approved the Louisiana Purchase. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is JAR contributor Ken Shumate. Decades before the infamous Sugar Act, Parliament regulated the imperial economy with the Molasses Act. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com

This week our guest is author and JAR contributor Christian M. McBurney. During the American Revolution, entire communities were considered to be up for grabs in the great ideological struggle for domination. When Charles Lee reaches Newport, RI, his greatest weapon was a forcible oath of allegiance. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is JAR contributor Geoff Smock. Thomas Jefferson set himself apart from his fellow founders by being one of the most thoughtful commentators of his time. Discussing all aspects of American life, Jefferson regularly shared his opinion on a wide array of topics including rebellion, revolution, and infectious disease. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is JAR contributor Keith Muchowski. Although he is often overlooked, New York’s Rufus King played a vital role in America’s founding generation. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is author and JAR contributor Andrew Waters. As the Revolution moved south, the state of South Carolina found itself torn asunder in a brutal civil war. Hoping to calm the storm, Nathanael Greene paired with the insurgent leader Thomas Sumter to remove the Redcoats from the Palmetto State. Their personalities clashed, and their relationship was one of the rockiest of the war. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is White House historian Lindsay M. Chervinsky. During George Washington’s first term, there was no blue print and little in the way of Constitutional precedent. Despite these problems, our first president managed to establish one of the most sacred of all presidential institutions: the cabinet. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is JAR Contributor Matthew Reardon. Although the Treaty of Paris was being signed in 1782, the war continued in the American Colonies. Since 1776, warring partisans raided one another on small ships along the New England coastline. These small engagements have become known as "The Whaleboat Wars." For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is JAR contributor George Kotlik. In 1783, as the American Revolution wound to a close, a last ditch effort was launched by British officials to "capture" the Bahamas. Although often overlooked, this event reveals how uncertain the age could be for all parties involved. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com

This week our guest is JAR contributor Stephen Katzberg. Like most battlefields the battle of Eutaw Springs has been reconstructed using firsthand accounts and after-action reports. In most cases small details conflict, and historians strive to portray the event as accurately as possible. Now, using Geographic Information technology, stunning new details are being revealed for the first time in over two centuries. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is JAR contributor Eric Sterner. As diplomats were ironing out the details of the Treaty of Paris, war raged in the American west. One of the final battles took place in modern Wheeling, WV at Fort Henry. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.http://www.allthingsliberty.com

This week our guest is Major Patrick Naughton. Following the battles of Lexington and Concord, a war of a different kind was waged for the control of the public narrative between Great Britain and their rebellious colonies. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is JAR contributor Andrew A. Zellers-Frederick. In 1779, Major General John Sullivan launches a campaign deep into the Iroquois heartland. Before his men marched they first occupied the small community of Easton, PA. This event offers new perspectives on the daily workings of the continental army. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is JAR contributor Justin McHenry. Throughout their storied careers, John Morgan and William Shippen were competitors. When it came to building the Continental Medical Department, things were no different. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is JAR contributor Brian Patrick O’Malley. In 1793 the city of Philadelphia was ravaged by Yellow Fever. While many leaders avoided taking action and abandoned the city, dozens of African Americans answered the call to serve. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is Professor Patrick H. Hannum. As the Revolution began to spread throughout the American Colonies, Governor John Murray, Lord Dunmore, made an astonishing proclamation. Any black man that joined the royal ranks, and their family, would be free. While this gesture is celebrated today for many Virginians at the time it fundamentally changed the nature of the conflict. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is JAR contributor Kevin A. Conn. Following the close of the Seven Years’ War, the Lenape began to rally around a new generation of resistance leaders. The guidance of these prominent warriors, sachems, and holy men would redefine the Revolutionary Era for thousands of native peoples. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com

This week our guest is JAR editor Katie Turner Getty. During the heart of the conflict, America’s civilian population waged an ongoing struggle against infectious disease. To find safety, cities resorted to extreme and controversial measures. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is Museum of the American Revolution curator Matthew Skic. A project decades in the making, the Museum of the American Revolution offers fresh exhibits and creative interpretations of America’s most critical era. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is Douglas R. Dorney, Jr. Captain John De Treville served on both sides of the American Revolution, and made a shocking choice at the end of his service. He chose to remain in the new United States. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is author and JAR contributor John Rees. In his new book "They Were Good Soldiers: African Americans Serving in the Continental Army, 1775-1783" Rees chronicles the life and service of numerous African Americans during the American Revolution. From north to south, Rees reveals startling new revelations about these often-overlooked yet pivotal figures. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is author Tom Shachtman. While the men known collectively as the Founding Fathers fueled the ideological fire of the patriot movement, their vast fortunes played an even greater role. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is JAR contributor Michael Cecere. After serving their required eighteen months, Virginia shocked its troops by asking them for three more years. By the end of their service these “eighteen months men” would see some of the most important action of the American Revolution. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is author and Journal of the American Revolution contributor Jeffrey D. Simon. As tensions mounted in the American Colonies and outrage spiraled out of control, the Sons of Liberty capitalized on the chaos. Utilizing political propaganda and calculated spin, the Sons of Liberty proved instrumental in fomenting animosity toward the Parliament. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is Dean Caivano, Lecturer of Political Science at California State University, Stanislaus. While the American Revolution had many battlefields, the ideological ground may have been the most prized. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is Journal of the American Revolution contributor William H.J. Manthorpe, Jr. A long point of contention in history of Delaware, the destruction of the Lewes Lighthouse has been surrounded by unanswered questions. While the early history of the vital piece of infrastructure is sparse, a study of the historiography of its burning reveals startling new information proving that the case is anything but closed. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is author and University of Central Florida professor David Head. As the war wound to a close, tensions flared in the now famed Newburgh Conspiracy. Newburgh however was not the beginning, only the culmination of tensions long building. For more information www.allthingsliberty.com

This week our guest is Journal of the American Revolution contributor Steven Neill. A precursor to the modern global business conglomerates, the British East India Company was a constant force in the machinations of the British Empire. Although often considered to be a distant player, company policies played critical roles in some of the earliest flashpoints of the imperial crisis. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is historian and managing editor of the Journal of the American Revolution, Don N. Hagist. During the 1750’s, pamphleteer Martha Bradley published a series of cooking guides that offer a direct glimpse at Britain’s blossoming culinary scene. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is Journal of the American Revolution contributor Alexander Cain. In 1775 the city of Boston was under siege. While historians have poured over the actions of patriot militiamen during the attack, few understand the important role that privateers played in the liberation. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.http://www.allthingsliberty.com

This week our guest is author Ray Raphael. With impeachment consuming American politics, many remain unaware of the Framers’ lengthy debate on the topic. During the Constitutional Convention, the majority viewed impeachment as a primary stipulation to authorizing an Executive. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is US Army and US Air Force veteran John L. Smith, Jr. While French fries are considered to be a quintessential "American" food, many culinary historians trace their origins to Thomas Jefferson and his love of French cuisine. "Digging" up the history of this mysterious starch offers historians the chance to "peel" back the layers of a long forgotten past. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is JAR contributor Roberto Oscar Flores de Apodaca. Throughout the American Revolution soldiers turned to the almighty for support. Through periods of great triumph as well as terrible tragedy, God and Thanksgiving proved to be a common experience for many who participated. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.http://www.allthingsliberty.com

This week our guest is author and JAR contributor Jim Piecuch. In July 1778 an editorial was published in Britain that raised eyebrows when it suggested that the Crown raise a corps of female soldiers to fight in America. Though scoffed at in its day, this article would prove to be simply ahead of its time. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is JAR contributor Louis Arthur Norton. While the infantry battles of the American Revolution typically garner most of the attention, this week a naval battle takes center stage. In 1779 two ships met in combat off the coast of Flamborough Head, England, and the resulting engagement stands as a defining moment in revolutionary naval history. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is NASA’s former Associate Deputy Administrator for Policy and Planning and JAR contributor Eric Sterner. In 1782, six months after Cornwallis' surrender at Yorktown, one of the most heinous events in the history of the American Revolution occurred in eastern Ohio. Known as the "Gnaddenhutten Massacre," Patriot militiamen murdered peaceful Moravian Indians in a misdirected act of retaliation and revenge. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is JAR Contributor Frederic C. Detwiller. While French involvement helped to turn the tide of the Revolution after the battle of Saratoga, French nationals had been involved in the fighting from as early as 1775. One of these individuals, a Monsr Dubuq, proved to be a vital engineer in the infancy of the war. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is Professor Andrew M. Schocket. In the earliest days of the republic it was said that all men were created equal, but few witnessed the concept in practice. While the civic role of non-white men have been studied at length, what about that of women and children? On this episode we discuss the legal obligations and civic duties of women and children in the young United States. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is author and professor John G. McCurdy. Considered a pivotal moment in the building drama of the American Revolution, the Quartering Act stands as a controversial flashpoint of imperial authority. In his new book, McCurdy argues that the act of quartering had been a regular part of American life, and still shapes America's present understanding of privacy, personal and government space. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is JAR contributor Gabriel Neville. Connecting northern New Jersey and New York, the passage known as "The Clove Road" played a vital role in deciding the fate of the American Revolution. While its importance during the war is undisputed, its modern condition is fading quickly, and preservation is critical. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is Mark Edward Lender, author of the new book Cabal: The Plot Against General Washington. In 1777 doubt was cast over the Revolutionary cause and a whisper campaign was launched against General George Washington. Highlighting the successes of General Horatio Gates at Saratoga, many in Congress conspired to replace him as the head of the Continental Army. After a period of high stakes intrigue, Washington retained his command. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com

This week our guest is University of Hong Kong professor James Fichter. In 1773, Patriot supporters famously destroyed 300 chests of tea in Boston Harbor. Though the event would be a symbolic flashpoint in the Revolutionary Era, few question what happened to the remainder of the tea that made the trans-Atlantic voyage. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is JAR contributor Gene Procknow. Although he is considered the quintessential American turncoat, the life of Benedict Arnold is not without parallel. On this episode we compare the lives of Benedict Arnold and British officer James Wemyss. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is JAR Contributor Jason Yonce. Often regarded as an abortive meeting, the Annapolis Convention has proven to be a meaningful step in the larger process leading the creation of the US Constitution. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is acclaimed author John "Jack" Buchanan, author of the new book The Road to Charleston: Nathanael Greene and the American Revolution. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is Dr. Joseph E. Wroblewski. Throughout the states of Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey loyal Americans joined the ranks of the British Empire. One of these famed units was the Queen's Rangers. Formerly known as the famed "Rogers' Rangers" in the Seven Years War, this unit continued its service well into the American Revolution under a new moniker. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.