If you employ spies, it is very likely that your enemy also has spies. One very effective means of concealing the true conditions or plans in a sea of false options and making those false options more likely and more true. Today, we call this “fake news” but “fake news” isn’t something recently developed. It …
Monthly Archives: September 2022
Historical Tidbits
When reenacting or acting as a historical interpreter, its good to have a few historical dates and stories to share. This series will publish a few. September 29, 1789 – Congress created the United States Army. Following the Revolution, the Continental Army was disbanded. This act of Congress under the US Constitution created a permanent …
Colonial Spymaster (#8) — Steganography
Steganography is the practice of concealing a message within another message. The advantage of steganography over cryptography alone is that the intended secret message does not attract attention to itself as an object of scrutiny. Plainly visible encrypted messages, no matter how unbreakable they are, arouse interest whereas, steganography both conceals the message and hides …
Samuel Adams was born on September 27, 1722
On September 27, 1722, Samuel Adams was born to Samuel Adams, Sr. and Mary (Fifield) Adams. Samuel was one of twelve children only three of whom survived past their 3rd birthday. Adams went on to attend Harvard College where he graduated in 1740 and after several failed attempts to make a career as a lawyer, …
Continue reading “Samuel Adams was born on September 27, 1722”
Historical Tidbits
When reenacting or acting as a historical interpreter, its good to have a few historical dates and stories to share. This series will publish a few. September 27, 1777 British take possession of Philadelphia During the summer of 1777, the British army began an initiative to capture the colonial capitol of Philadelphia. British General Howe …
Colonial Spymaster (#7) — How the Culper Ring Relayed Information from New York to Washington
The Culper Ring developed a complex method of gathering and relaying information to General George Washington. Below is the sequence of steps the Ring would take to gather and relay the valuable information. (The process of replaying information has many different variations due to its complexity and secrecy.) Abraham Woodhull (Samuel Culper) would visit his …
Come Join the Colonial Brewer in Marshallton
I will be setting up the Colonial Brewery at Martins Tavern in Marshallton as part of the Humphrey Marshall Day celebration (https://www.martinstavern.org/) on October 8th. Samples will be available and you can have a real 18th Century tavern experience with news, toasting, period food, period beer, and tavern games (albeit outside in the ruins of …
Continue reading “Come Join the Colonial Brewer in Marshallton”
Colonial Spymaster (#6) — The Culper Ring and its Codes
Benjamin Tallmadge established a small group of trustworthy men and women from his hometown of Setauket, Long Island. Known as the Culper Spy Ring, Tallmadge’s homegrown network would become the most effective of any intelligence-gathering operation on either side during the Revolutionary War. Tallmadge recruited his childhood friend, the farmer Abraham Woodhull, and Caleb Brewster, …
Continue reading “Colonial Spymaster (#6) — The Culper Ring and its Codes”
Washington’s Visit to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, R.I. 18 August 1790 Gentlemen,While I receive, with much satisfaction, your Address replete with expressions of affection and esteem; I rejoice in the opportunity of assuring you, that I shall always retain a grateful remembrance of the cordial welcome I experienced in my visit to Newport, from all classes of Citizens. The reflection on the days of difficulty …
Continue reading “Washington’s Visit to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island”
Historical Tidbits
When reenacting or acting as a historical interpreter, its good to have a few historical dates and stories to share. This series will publish a few. September 25, 1789 Bill of Rights On September 25, 1789, the first Congress of the United States adopted 12 amendments to the U.S. Constitution–the Bill of Rights–and sent them …
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 