Historical Tidbits — Battle of “Bunker Hill”

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. June 17, 1775     Battle of Bunker Hill. Well actually, Breed’s Hill…  On June 13, 1775, the leaders of the colonial forces besieging Boston learned that the British were planning to send …

The EIC and Opium, a Deadly Combination

Next time you hear some politician blaming China for all the problems in the world, remember our friends in the East India Company. Unregulated, government and military backed capitalist that they were, started a WAR in order to extract a trade balance with China. Even though Europeans were eager to acquire Chinese tea, silk, and …

Spy vs Spy: George Washington’s and King George’s Spies (#6)

The Black Freeman and his Slave were BOTH Spies! — Hercules and Cato Mulligan Many know Hercules Mulligan as a character in the play Hamilton and ironically, he is the only personae in that play who actually was black. He was also a very successful spy for the American cause. Mulligan was one of the …

NO, We Didn’t All Write with Quills in the 18th Century. Some Used Pencils.

People began using pencils in Europe in the early 17th century.  Graphite was discovered in England’s Lake District and it was soon discovered that this mineral made marks on paper and other surfaces that could be easily rubbed away.  Early pencils were often a bit of graphite held in some sort of holder that allowed …

In 1797 Henry Cavendish Used Small Metal Spheres to Weigh the Earth

In 1768, through careful observation and lots of computations, the Royal Society was able to compute the distance of the Earth from the Sun.  Armed with this information, and using Newtons universal law of gravitation (1687), it should be possible to understand the behavior of the planets.  There remained, however, just one problem.  How much …

THE BILL OF RIGHTS: A BRIEF HISTORY #9

Insurrections often are propagated upon misinformation.   So too are the most recent band of domestic terrorist who like to hide behind our most sacred American institutions.  In this series, I want to explore the Bill of Rights and why some of the hype and hyperbole thrown around by the extremist is not just wrong but …

Spy vs Spy: George Washington’s and King George’s Spies (#5)

Spying for his Freedom — James Armistead “Lafayette” James Armistead was an enslaved African American who served the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War under the Marquis de Lafayette.  Acting as a double agent, he reported the activities of Benedict Arnold after he had defected to the British, and of Lord Charles Cornwallis during …

Historical Tidbits — Forty Fort

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. Forty Fort was a stronghold built by settlers from Westmoreland County, Connecticut, on the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. During the American Revolutionary War, both Connecticut and Pennsylvania …

Spy vs Spy: George Washington’s and King George’s Spies (#4)

A Master of Disguise — Sarah Fulton As a member of the Daughters of Liberty, Sarah Fulton became involved in protests and the planning of the Boston Tea Party.   Sarah is credited with disguising the Sons of Liberty as Native Americans. After the protest, the men returned to Fulton’s home, where she helped remove face …

The Regimental Brewmeister does “Talks” as well as brewing demonstrations.

The Regimental Brewmeister is happy to give talks and lectures at your site to audiences of any size. I ask that you provide appropriate auto visual projection equipment and event promotion. I typically come in 18th Century attire and conduct interactive discussions. While I am happy to consider talks on other subjects, I have delivered …