Dispatches: The Podcast of the Journal of the American Revolution

This week our guest is Pulitzer Prize winning author Rick Atkinson. As book one of a three book trilogy, "The British Are Coming" is a long-awaited foray into the earliest years of the American Revolution. On this episode Rick Atkinson discusses the war, the young nation, its greatest leaders, and why he believes that now is the right time to revisit the American Revolution. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is author JL Bell. Since July 4th, 1776 the Declaration of Independence has been surrounded by larger-than-life characters, with even larger-than-life stories. JL Bell separates fact from fiction in his latest article. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is JAR contributor Andrew Waters. In 1778 Charles Cornwallis tangled with Patriot forces in the American South. Following the Battle of Cowpens, Cornwallis pursued American commander Daniel Morgan through the tangled backcountry of the Carolinas, pushing both his army and his patience to their limits. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is Tristan J. New. Before the war began, American statesman Joseph Galloway attempted to find a diplomatic resolution with Great Britain. Although his efforts ultimately failed, Galloway provided both sides with a roadmap to resolution and showed that peace was possible. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is US Army and US Air Force veteran John L. Smith, Jr. In 1785 Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and the Adams children attended a baptism ceremony at Notre-Dame Cathedral. While the new American nation struggled in its earliest years, events such as this reveal how the Old World viewed the New, and what America's place would be on a global stage. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is JAR contributor Philip D. Weaver. In 1775, Captain Joel Pratt was issued a warrant from the state of Massachusetts to lead a company of fifty-six men. By the end of the year, he was court-martialed. In this episode we discuss the history, process, and effect of the court martial is during the American Revolution. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is underwater archaeologist Charles H. Lagerbom. Described as "wretched" by its commander, the HMS Albany has been a lasting mystery of the American Revolution. After its destruction in 1782, the HMS Albany was much derided by its crew, but recent surveys have revealed that its service was far more distinguished than previous believed. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is Michael Gadue. To expedite the capture of the Hudson River during the summer of 1777, British naval engineers began the construction of a new vessel on Lake Champlain. Called Thunderer, this ship was a classic French-style radeau and was capable of carrying not just men, but heavy artillery as well. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is Michael J.F. Sheehan. Widely considered to be one of the most daring and important battles of the war, the attack on Stony Point remains shrouded with mystery and legend. New research has shed new light on this seminal event, and historians' understanding of the battle continues to grow. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is George Kotlik. Although they are not counted as part of the "thirteen original" colonies, the colonies of East and West Florida were a very important part of British North America before the Revolution began. Throughout the conflict they remained loyal to King George, and were given over to the Spanish at its conclusion. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is Fort Lee Historic Park's Charles Dewey. During the American Revolution, intelligence gathering was heavily dependent on intelligence gathering by spies on both sides of the war, and on this episode our guest highlights the life and career of one of the few double agents in the American Revolution. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is distinguished journalist and historian Harlow Giles Unger. Robert Morris played a critical role in financing the American Revolution, and in addition developed strategies and techniques of trade that remain at the core of capitalism today. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

In this week’s Dispatches host Brady Crytzer interviews historian and JAR contributor and Delaware historian Kim Burdick about the The First State and its often overlooked contribution to the outcome of the American Revolution. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

In this week’s Dispatches host Brady Crytzer interviews JAR contributor and Seattle-area middle school history teacher Geoff Smock about how Alexander Hamilton’s difficult childhood experiences in the Caribbean helped shape his future political ideology. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week’s our guest is history writer and translator Gina Dimuro. Our focus is on a fascinating tour of the New York City and New Jersey that Alexander Hamilton would have known. A surprising number of buildings and features remain from the period, although many would not be obvious to the casual visitor. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is Todd Braisted. Braisted discusses his remarkable discovery of a slave who was emancipated by John Graves Simcoe, commander of the Loyalist regiment, Queen’s Rangers, who went on to distinguish himself in battle, and ended up as a free man with a pension in England. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is Cho-Chien Feng. While the war raged along the eastern seaboard, for the families and communities of upstate New York it devolved into a brutal civil war. Feng discusses how these political fissures first appeared and what they meant to the people involved. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is distinguished historian Robert “Bob” Davis. Dr. Davis joins us to discuss Georgia’s unique role in the American Revolution as the colony that bordered Spanish territory and, after independence was declared, British East Florida. Georgia came slowly to the Patriot cause, remaining loyal to the King longer than any other colony, until they finally sent delegates to the Second Continental Congress in September 1775. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is JAR contributor Brian Patrick O'Malley. Throughout the American Revolution, both Patriot and British forces took thousands of men as prisoners of war. After lengthy negotiations, General William Howe released more than 2,000 captives in an exchange. Emaciated and sickly, these walking dead troops shocked the nation and revealed the true brutality that the war had wrought. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com

This week our guest is UK arms specialist Matthew Moss. During the American Revolution, British officer Patrick Ferguson tested an innovative new breech-loading musket to combat the Patriot threat. Although his weapon earned an audience with King George III, it was never mass produced for use during the war, but Ferguson's innovations were decades ahead of their time. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is JAR contributor Richard Werther. Like so many of his compatriots, Captain Lambert Wickes skirted the fine line between legitimate naval officer and insurrectionist pirate. At the end of his career, Wickes remains one of the most important commanders in the history of the Revolutionary navy. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is award-winning author and chef Michael W. Twitty. Since their arrival in the 17th century, Africans have played an instrumental role in shaping the culture and cuisine of North America. Using food as a primary source, Michael Twitty traces the history of enslaved peoples in the New World and highlights their lasting influence over modern America. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is JAR contributor Jeff Dacus. During the 18th century, immigrant-turned-founder Stephen Moylan led a revolutionary life. After moving to America from his native Ireland, Moylan went on to become a major player in the Patriot cause and a trusted ally of Commander-in-Chief George Washington. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is Katie Turner Getty. A Boston lawyer, Katie Turner Getty discusses the wretched conditions experienced by Patriot prisoners on board the HMS Jersey, a British prison ship. Using first hand accounts, Katie Turner Getty discusses the mental and physical ravages of life in British custody in and around New York City. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is Bob Ruppert. A specialist in European affairs during the American Revolution, Ruppert discusses a series of articles he has written focusing on 18th century British historian Catherine Macaulay. Outspoken and respected in her own time, Macaulay had strong feelings about the American Revolution corresponded with prominent Patriot leaders throughout the war. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is Dr. Colin Calloway, winner of the 2018 Book of the Year Award from the Journal of the American Revolution. In his new book "The Indian World of George Washington," Calloway details the life of George Washington through his interactions with the native peoples of North America. On this episode we discuss how these interactions shaped Washington's worldview and just how pivotal native leaders were to the development of early America. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is Michael Barbieri. A life-long Vermonter, Michael Barbieri shares his opinions on the pivotal role that his home state played in the American Revolution. With a special focus on the Lake Champlain valley, Barbieri reveals the striking value that the waterway had for both British and Patriot forces. For more information visit the Journal of the American Revolution at www.allthingsliberty.com

This week our guest is Don Hagist, Managing Editor of the Journal of the American Revolution. The author of several books studying the Revolutionary Era, Don shares his opinions on the state of history, the American Revolution's role in the modern American consciousness, and the mission of the Journal of the American Revolution. For more information visit the Journal of the American Revolution at www.allthingsliberty.com