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. August 16, 1777 Battle of Bennington The Battle of Bennington took place in Walloomsac, New York, about 10 miles from its namesake Bennington, Vermont. The American force was primarily …
Category Archives: Ideas
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. August 16, 1787 – BATTLE OF CAMDEN: Despite the proliferation of dysentery among his men, General Horatio Gates engaged General Charles Cornwallis’s army at Camden, SC. The American Army …
The Surveyor’s Artificial Horizon
Much of what you read about celestial navigation is focused on ocean navigation where you have a reasonably unrestricted line of sight to the horizon. Terrestial navigators and surveyors often do not have this and must make adjustments in their technique. One very common approach is to use an ARTIFICIAL HORIZON. An “artificial horizon” is …
We’re Creating a Brewery and You can help
Want to Buy Beer from the Colonial Brewmeister? Help us build a Tavern and Brewery. Perhaps it the pandemic or years of working a job that while I am good at it, I really don’t love but next year, we are taking the plunge and building a new business. In 2026 America will celebrate its …
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Basic Colonial Brewing #15 — Necessary Anachronisms in Colonial Brewing
One question I frequently get asked at reenactments is “is that the really the way beer was made in the 1770’s?” For the most part, the answer is “yes” but there are some very necessary exceptions. Not all “Colonial Beers” are good and some of the methods used in the 18th Century were unsafe by …
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Upcoming Event
August 22, 2021 — 10:00 am – 4:00 pmAvoiding both the Cheval d’Frise and Shoals — Piloting the DelawareFort Mifflin Explore the challenges of piloting an 18th century vessel up the narrow and shallow Delaware River. Michael Carver will discuss and demonstrate how large vessels navigated around known obstacles in these challenging waters.. In addition …
Executive Order to take the Vaccine
This week President Biden’s mandated that all members of the US Armed Forces (military and civilian) be vaccinated against COVID-19. While mandatory civilian vaccination is a political landmine subject to religious and other objections (even if some of those objections are unfounded), Biden as commander-in-chief, has the authority to order mandatory military vaccination. Currently, active-duty …
Buff and Blue: Whigs and Tories
When George Washington choose his uniform, he could have literally chosen any color scheme, so why buff (tan) and blue. The choice was not arbitrary. The Whig party in England (not to be confused with Andrew Jacksons divisive party in the 1830’s) had been standing against the abuses of the crown since 1688. Their rallying …
Beer Recipe: Nightingale on a Stone Wall
The British army punished its soldiers mercilessly. The purpose was to inspire terror by setting an example. Soldiers were frequently whipped leading to the derisive moniker “bloody backs” by which Redcoat soldiers were frequently known. The most common offence was drunkenness, which could merit 100 lashes. The sentence was carried out in front of the …
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. August 6, 1777 Battle of Oriskany and St. Leger The Battle of Oriskany occurred on August 6, 1777, when the local Tryon County Militia attempted to come to the …
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 