John Adam’s Preamble to the Lee Resolution

On May 15, 1776, the Second Continental Congress passed a resolution authored by John Adams that was tantamount to a declaration of independence.  With Richard Henry Lee, he put forth a resolution recommending that the individual colonies assume all powers of government — to secure ‘the happiness and safety of their constituents in particular, and …

“Beer” Recipe: Massacre at Cherry Valley Lambic

We like to think of the American Revolution as a war fought by high-minded gentlemen and their armies who followed a sort of civilized warfare.  These gentlemanly rules of war that allowed for prisoners to be taken and even paroled.  Sometimes they were even granted the privilege of marching out with “drums beating and colours …

Historical Tidbits — Constitutional Convention

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. May 14, 1787      Constitutional Convention Four years after the United States won its independence from England, 55 state delegates, including George Washington, James Madison and Benjamin Franklin, convene in …

Historical Tidbits — Smallpox Vaccination.

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. May 14, 1796 – Edward Jenner publishes his procedure for smallpox vaccination.  His procedure differed from previous attempts at vaccination in that he injected a milder “attenuated” version of …

Historical Tidbits — Constitutional Convention

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. May 14, 1787      Constitutional Convention Four years after the United States won its independence from England, 55 state delegates, including George Washington, James Madison and Benjamin Franklin, convene in …

US Marines in the American Revolution — John Adams Reviews John Paul Jones’ Marines

13 May 1779 On 13 May 1779, soon after John Adams, American Commissioner to France, arrived at the Port of L’Orient, France, on board the Continental frigate Alliance, he and 16 other officers and gentlemen were given an elegant dinner by John Paul Jones at L’Epee Royal, a fashionable inn situated on the port’s waterfront. …

Basic Colonial Brewing #9 — Mashing and Decoction

The first major step in brewing beer is to extract the fermentable sugars and starches from the malt kernels.  This process is called mashing (from the German maisch: to mix).  The basic idea is to harness the enzymes already present in the grain in order to digest the complex inert starches into fermentable simple sugars.  …

Historical Tidbits — BATTLE OF FORT TICONDEROGA

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. May 10, 1775 – BATTLE OF FORT TICONDEROGA:  Benedict Arnold joined Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys in a dawn attack on the fort, surprising and capturing the …

Historical Tidbits — Fort Ticonderoga taken by Ethan Allen

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. May 10, 1775      Fort Ticonderoga taken by Ethan Allen. When Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys, accompanied by Benedict Arnold, silently rowed across Lake Champlain and captured the …