Historical Tidbits — Treaty of Paris

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. January 14, 1784 – Congress formally accepts the terms of the Treaty of Paris, ending American participation in the Revolutionary War.  George III will not sign this treaty for …

Historical Tidbits — Battle of Cowpens

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. January 17, 1780               Battle of Cowpens Shortly after sunrise, the American rifleman encountered the lead elements of Colonel Balastre Tarleton’s British Legion, the 7th Regiment of Foot, 71st Regiment …

How to Survey Land with 18th Century Tools — Using the Sector

The sector and the related proportional compasses (proportional dividers) were developed in the second half of the 16th century. There are several inventors, most of them from Italy but most people attribute its development to Galileo Galilei. The sector consists of two arms connected by a pivot joint. For example, linear, trigonometric, and logarithmic scales …

What Language is that written in? Understanding 18th Century Handwriting

Several years ago, I was giving tours at Independence Hall when one of the guests approached me outside Congress Hall to ask questions about the Articles of Confederations (BTW, volunteers love to be asked questions, that’s why we do this so don’t hold back.  If you ask us a question that we don’t know the …

Second Annual Cast Iron Chef at Fort Mifflin

On January 28th, Fort Mifflin on the Delaware (www.fortmifflin.us) and the Regimental Brewmeister (www.colonialbrewer.com) will be conducting a very unique program at Fort Mifflin in Philadelphia.  This is our second annual Cast Iron Chef program and it promises to be spectacular.  Cast Iron Chef is an opportunity our guest to gain hands on experience working …

Fighting the War behind a Desk

History books are filled with glorification of exploits on the battlefield and we have all heard the story of Alexander Hamilton bristling at the role of Aide-du-Camp and demanding his opportunity to prove himself in the field.  The reality of military operations, however, is very different.  Much of the real WORK of a military commander …