July 2024
Lecture—“A Perilous Voyage for our Company”: The Misadventures of James Selkirk on the Chesapeake Bay
Historian and documentary editor Robb Haberman examines the perilous voyage of Sgt. James Selkirk and the Second New York Regiment on their way to Yorktown in September 1781, when their transport schooner was separated and ran aground while sailing from Baltimore to Williamsburg. Using Selkirk’s unpublished papers, this talk examines his harrowing experience and the endurance of the Continental forces during the Yorktown campaign. Registration is requested. To attend the lecture in-person at Anderson House, or to watch virtually, please…
Find out more »Lecture—Lord Dunmore’s War
Known to history as Dunmore’s War, the 1774 campaign against a Shawnee-led Indian confederacy in the Ohio country marked the final time an American colonial militia took to the field in His Majesty’s service and under royal command. Led by John Murray, the fourth Earl of Dunmore and royal governor of Virginia, a force of colonials including George Rogers Clark, Daniel Morgan, Michael Cresap, Adam Stephen and Andrew Lewis successfully enforced the western border established by treaties in parts of…
Find out more »August 2024
Panel Discussion—Waging War in America: Operational Challenges of Armies During the American Revolution
Historian Don Hagist moderates a panel of contributors to the recent anthology Waging War in America 1775-1783, exploring the significant operational challenges faced by American, Loyalist, French and German forces during the Revolution. From recruitment and training to tactics and logistics, the panelists also examine how the various armies adapted to the specific circumstances of this war. Panelists for this discussion include historians Todd Braisted, Alexander Burns, John Rees and Robert Selig. Registration is requested. To attend the panel discussion…
Find out more »Author’s Talk—This Fierce People: The Untold Story of America’s Revolutionary War in the South
Following the Franco-American alliance of 1778, the outstretched British forces in North America embarked on a southern campaign to muster Loyalist support and attempt to finally subdue the American rebellion. This new strategy shifted the central theater of operations to the southern states. With a divided population and challenging physical landscapes, the fighting that occurred in the South resulted in some of the fiercest battles of the war. Weaving throughout the stories of heroic men and women and the battles…
Find out more »Lecture—The Marquis de Lafayette and the American Revolution
Having learned of the American war in the summer of 1775, the marquis de Lafayette responded to the rebels’ calls for republican principles inspired by ancient Rome, the opportunity to avenge France’s defeat by the British in the Seven Years’ War and the chance to further his military career. In December 1776, the young marquis formally pledged to join the American cause. After landing in South Carolina in June 1777, he made his way to Philadelphia to present himself to…
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