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by John U. Rees Many histories of the American Revolution dwell on the larger aspects of the war, dealing mainly with politics, leaders, campaigns and battles. The following anecdotes show the human side of the war, particularly regarding interaction among the soldiery, both officers and rank and file. The first passage relates to the period…
By Karen L. Hayden I think all of us have a few guilty pleasures related to reenacting that the rest of the world would never understand. It is in this spirit that I picked up a copy of Sweet Liberty at the flea market. I wanted to check out in slow motion just who got their “15…
By Sue Huesken Using correct terminology for period garments is a goal for which all re-enactors and living historians should strive. The best documentation for these terms comes from primary sources. One example is “skirt,” meaning the garment worn by a lady on her lower body. The period dictionaries checked do not define skirt as…
By Lee Bienkowski Anatomy of an 18th Century Ship 101The hulls of most Eighteenth Century ships were constructed of planks laid edge to edge and fastened to a frame. The spine of the vessel was the keel, a long, square beam which ran from the bow to the stern at the bottom of the hull.…
By John U. Rees Part I“Cooking Excavations”Their History and Use by Soldiers in North America For soldiers, building a fire meant the difference between merely eating to fill an empty belly and the satisfaction of a warm, nourishing meal. Without cooking fires during a prolonged rainstorm at Brooklyn in August 1776, Captain Alexander Graydon was…
By Kim Newell Think of music and the calls as a foreign language. You don’t have to learn the whole language, just these certain phrases. Also, when recruiting, remember to recruit MUSICIANS; it’s imperative they have interest, as well as physical and mental maturity and ability. CALLS YOU’LL HEAR IN CAMP:REMEMBER—THERE ARE ONLY FIVE DRUM-ONLY…
By Brian Hathaway and Steven Sandford [Editor’s Note: This column came about in response to a topic on the Revwar MailList encouraging open discussion about “pet peeves.” Brian volunteered to collect the information, research the topics, and come up with a series of pamphlets that directly addressed each “complaint.” The result would be to encourage…
By Sgt. Addison P. Leftfoot “The oblique step is of great use on many occasions, and renders several of the evolutions much more simple and easy; by it you always preserve your front, and avoid wheelings and other motions, that are very dangerous to be attempted, when near an enemy; besides the not losing any…
By John U. Rees The recreated 2nd New Jersey Regiment portrays the men of the original unit as they would have looked during much of 1778, but the 2nd Regiment, and the Jersey Brigade as a whole, had a long, varied, and distinguished history. General George Washington’s brief but candid comment to Major General William…
By Bob Sullivan As a sutler selling eighteenth century printed material, one of the most asked questions I receive is, “Why did they use “f” instead of “s”? Well, good reader, it is not an “f”. It is an ancient Saxon character called an “eth” character. The eth character made its appearance in printed matter…