Blog
The Undeclared War Against France
The French Republic won the War of the First Coalition when Austria, Prussia, Spain and The Netherlands made peace. French royalty’s first attempt to restore the Bourbon monarchy had failed.…
Read MoreThe First 18th Century Domino to Fall
By 1789, Louis XVI, the French King who came to our aid against the British was in trouble. His rule was viewed as corrupt and was very unpopular. France was…
Read MoreFirst Assault
Marine Corps history officially started on November 10th, 1775 when the Continental Congress authorized the formation of two battalions of Marines. Eighteen days later, Samuel Nicholas was commissioned as its…
Read MoreMadison’s Blueprint
The Articles of Confederation were drafted and passed on November 1st, 1777, almost a month after the Battle of Saratoga had been won in October 1777. It would take four…
Read MoreColonialism and Lord Shelburne’s Vision for the New Country
Cornwallis surrender at Yorktown occurred in October 1781. Four British Prime Ministers (North, Rockingham, Shelburne and Cavendish) and 23 months later, the nascent United States and the Great Britain agreed…
Read MoreBog Iron – Beginnings of the U.S. Steel Industry
When one thinks of the U.S. steel industry, images of large vats of molten iron ore in huge plants comes to mind. It didn’t start out that way. Colonists needed…
Read MoreThe American Revolution Started Upheavals Around the World
When one looks back at history, the significance of the American Revolution cannot be overlooked. Some pundits use the words “The shot heard around the world.” The words ring true…
Read MoreChocolate – Rations and Currency
Way back in the cold winter of 1667, Boston candy maker John Hull lamented that a shipwreck cost him the revenue from the cocoa beans that he had shipped to…
Read MoreAvarice and Greed Contributes to Cornwallis’ Surrender
One of the more hotly contested theaters of the American Revolution was the Caribbean. American, British, French and Spanish privateers prowled the waters. The French were hell bent on recouping…
Read MoreNaval Battle That Knocked France Out of the American Revolution
By early 1782, the British knew they had lost the war against the Thirteen Colonies. Cornwallis had surrendered in October 1781 and Parliament dictated that offensive operations in North America…
Read More