The American Revolutionary War, officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris in September of 1783 but most of the fighting ended with the Siege of Yorktown in October of 1781. Because of the treaty negotiations, the Continental Army did not fully disband until 1783. Army service does not pay well and in …
Category Archives: Ideas
Basic Colonial Brewing #2 — Brewing in the 18th Century
Beer was once considered the most health drink to give to children and vital to survival. To understand this, you must first understand that centuries of dense urban living had left the water in Europe unsafe to drink. People of the 18th Century did not understand why but they did observe that people who drank …
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Historical Tidbits — Pompton Mutiny
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 20, 1781 Pompton Mutiny — revolt of New Jersey troops On January 20, about 200-300 of the soldiers at Pompton mutinied. According to eyewitness accounts, they were also …
The Health Benefits of Beer
So, I went to this lecture at a synagogue downtown (Rodeph Shalom) and the rabbi pulled a dozen or so Talmudic[i] references on beer and brewing for the group to consider. Now I will not bore my non-Jewish readers with the esoterica of rabbinic debate but the selection we discussed was who follow this blog …
A Short History of Mapmaking in the Americas
Maps of land surfaces and charts of the sea coasts are scaled down representations of the earth’s surface. They are ideal documents to prove that a discovery has taken place and provide the means for the exploration to be repeated by others. They are tremendous assets to the military and are a great aid to …
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Historical Tidbits — Battle of Golden 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. The Battle of Golden Hill was a clash between British soldiers and the Sons of Liberty in the American colonies that occurred on January 19, 1770, in New York City. Along with the Boston Massacre and the Gaspée Affair, the event …
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Making Matchcord
Despite what you may have learned watching Saturday Morning Cartoons, cannon are not fired by lighting a fuse like you see on a firecracker which slowly burns down to the charge. Well, they are but the fuse is generally a pile of loose gunpowder or a gunpowder impregnated quil that burns very rapidly to fire …
Making Gunpowder
Gunpowder that was of vital to the success of the American soldiers in the American Revolution. Bunker Hill was lost not because of overwhelming British superiority but rather because the militia entrenched on Breeds Hill ran out of ammunition. In all of England, including the colonies, making black powder was legally a Crown monopoly. While …
“Beer” Recipe — Black Cider
One of the biggest atrocities of the Revolutionary War was committed not by our enemies the British or even the Hessians, it was committed within our hallowed halls and ultimately enshrined in the Constitution and that atrocity was slavery. Eighteenth Century white men all felt that they were morally and intellectually superior to men of …
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 …
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 