On this day in 1781, George Washington’s aide-de-camp continues a multi-day ride from Yorktown to Philadelphia. You might know about Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride, but do you know about Tench Tilghman’s? Paul Revere’s service earned him a poem, and he’s endured in American memory ever since. By contrast, Tilghman’s ride has gone mostly unnoticed—but the effort took so much out of him that he was sick for days afterwards. Tilghman didn’t mind. He’d been entrusted with the

On this day in 1746, Esther de Berdt Reed is born. Some say that she worked so hard to support the Revolution that she literally worked herself into an early grave. She was just shy of 34 years old when she passed away. Esther was the wife of Joseph Reed, the military secretary to George Washington. Esther had moved to America with her new husband only a few years before the war began. You can imagine that she initially felt torn between loyalty to the country of her birth an

On this day in 1778, the Affair at Little Egg Harbor occurs near the coast of New Jersey. Unfortunately, “affair” is too kind of a word. It was more like a massacre.   Little Egg Harbor was a base for American privateers during the Revolution. These privateers would capture British transport ships, then take the captured cargoes inland. Some cargo was sold. At times, supplies intended for the British army made their way to Washington’s troops instead.   British Sir Henry Clin

On this day in 1780, a band of Loyalists is defeated at the lesser-known Battle of Shallow Ford.  It was the second Patriot victory...

On or around this day in 1777, George Washington’s spy ring in Pennsylvania gets to work. Maybe you’ve heard of Revolutionary-era spies...

On this day in 1780, a group of Patriots crosses the Pee Dee River and camps in the swamps of eastern South Carolina. They’d just routed...

On this day in 1740, a future Revolutionary War hero is born. Hercules Mulligan was once a little-known Patriot, but the Broadway musical...

On or around this day in 1778, the “Paul Revere of the Mohawk Valley” makes his famous run.  Unlike Revere, Adam Helmer didn’t have a...

On this day in 1780, George Washington writes a letter, imparting some sad news. A well-respected Brigadier General, Enoch Poor, had...

On this day in 1786, George Washington writes a letter on a difficult topic. His views on slavery had been changing for many years.  ...

On this day in 1765, the Sons of Liberty destroy Massachusetts Lt. Governor Thomas Hutchinson’s home. The move came mere months after the Br

On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence is signed. If you’re surprised to hear that it wasn’t signed on July 4, then you’re...

On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence is proclaimed to the public from the Old State House in Boston. That building had...

On this day in 1755, a young George Washington becomes the “hero of the Monongahela.” Only one year earlier, he’d been given an early...

On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence is formally read in public for the first time. Philadelphia’s city bells toll,...

On this day in 1776, the Continental Congress adopts our Declaration of Independence. It had already resolved on July 2 that “these...

On this day in 1776, the Continental Congress declared America’s independence! Did you know that this vote actually occurred on July 2,...

On this day in 1776, the British prepare to attack Fort Sullivan, near Charleston. They would soon go down in a stunning defeat. Perhaps...

On or around this day in 1775, John Adams gives a speech before the Continental Congress, urging delegates to create a new, unified...

On this day in 1754, Benjamin Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette publishes a political cartoon that you might recognize. It depicted a...