News
“Stir Up Their Humanity”: Dr. Potts Asks Albany for Help
Posted on July 25, 2026
As Dr. Jonathan Potts settled into his role as director of the military hospital at Fort George, he had several problems to cope with. Perhaps the most pressing was the hospital’s lack...
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“The Freshest Advices, Foreign and Domestic”: Reporting the Declaration of Independence in Boston
Posted on July 22, 2026
Benjamin Edes promised in the masthead of his newspaper, the Boston Gazette and Country Journal, to provide “the freshest Advices, Foreign and Domestic.” On July 22, 1776—250 years ago...
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Lieutenant Colonel Van Cortlandt’s Complaint
Posted on July 15, 2026
In July 1776, Lieutenant Colonel Philip Van Cortlandt was feeling aggrieved. Despite his faithful service for more than a year in the Continental Army, he was still only a lieutenant colonel, while...
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Tools to Ticonderoga: Supplying the Army in the North
Posted on July 13, 2026
On July 13, 1776—250 years ago today—streams of supplies and troops were flowing towards Fort Ticonderoga. The troops were coming from the north, as soldiers fresh from the invasion of Canada...
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Bureaucracy, Blockades, and Logistics: Challenges for the Hospital Department
Posted on July 12, 2026
250 years ago today, Dr. Jonathan Potts was beginning his time in the army medical department. Potts had a medical degree and several years of experience as a local physician, but no experience in...
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The 4th Pennsylvania Battalion, Together Again at Ticonderoga
Posted on July 11, 2026
250 years ago this week, thousands of American troops were encamping at Fort Ticonderoga. Most of the soldiers arriving here had served in Canada and were sent to Ticonderoga after retreating...
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Captain James Wilkinson Burns for a Fight
Posted on July 10, 2026
General James Wilkinson lived a life full of power and scandal, serving as the senior officer of the US Army, governor of Louisiana Territory, and envoy to Mexico. He was also a paid spy for the...
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From Canada to Crown Point, John Shepard Airs His Grievances
Posted on July 5, 2026
250 years ago today—July 5, 1776—as the Continental Congress made plans for the future of an independent United States, the Northern Army was licking its wounds at Crown Point. Among them was...
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“The Most Dismal Camp That Ever My Eyes Beheld”: John Harper at Crown Point
Posted on July 3, 2026
In July 1776, the Continental Army needed ships. After its attempts to make Quebec the fourteenth colony had collapsed, the Northern Army had retreated to the relative safety of Crown Point. Their...
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“The Most Dismal Camp That Ever My Eyes Beheld”: John Harper at Crown Point
Posted on June 28, 2026
John Harper, quartermaster of the 4th Pennsylvania Battalion, spent the spring of 1776 at home in Pennsylvania, outfitting his battalion with uniforms and supplies. On May 27, he began his journey...
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What’s in a Date? Commission Dates and Seniority in the Revolutionary War
Posted on June 27, 2026
This commission issued to Edward Wigglesworth by the Massachusetts Governor’s Council is dated June 27, 1776—250 years ago today—but its written date is misleading. On June 25, the colony...
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Introducing Dr. Jonathan Potts
Posted on June 25, 2026
Dr. Jonathan Potts was no stranger to travel. The 31-year-old doctor, born in southwest Pennsylvania, had crossed the ocean to study medicine at Edinburgh University, then returned home to open his...
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