The Continental Line, Inc.
By John U. Rees Recently the proceedings of a number of British courts martial have been brought to light, providing another window on the day-to-day activities of common soldiers and their retainers (most notably in several articles in The Brigade Dispatch, Journal of the Brigade of the American Revolution). The following document, found in the…
By David McKissack – 7thVirginia, Continental Line The Road to Guilford Courthouse : The American Revolution in the Carolinas.John Buchanan. Retail Price: $30.00. Hardcover, 464 pages. Published by John Wiley & Sons. March 1, 1997. Unlike most people, reenactors know that much of the American Revolution occurred south of Philadelphia and Boston. Some are even…
By Don Hagist This article is reprinted, with permission, from “The Brigade Dispatch” A British newspaper carried an announcement for a fair called the Yattendon Revel, to be held on July 10 & 11, 1782. Among the activities was a Jingling Match by eleven blindfolded women, and one unmasked with bells, for a very good…
By Sue Huesken — 1stNew Jersey Regiment What You Don’t Know CAN Hurt You! Ticks are active during the fall as well as spring and summer. The Blacklegged tick (formally called the deer tick) and the LoneStar ticks are the two types of major concern when it comes to transmitting disease to humans. Approximately 50%…
By James E. Newell – German Regiment, 1stContinental Regiment of Foot In the 20th century, we find it difficult to place ourselves in the mindset of the 18th century. In the words of one historian, “One finds it necessary to disencumber his mind of prejudices unconsciously imbibed”. We take for granted the plentiful supply of…
By David McKissack — 7thVirginia, Continental Line Saratoga, by Richard M. Ketchum. Hardback. Henry Holt and Company, New York. 1997, 545 pp. $30.00. ISBN 0-8050-4681-X. On June 20, 1777, a body of 7,000 of the 18th century’s most disciplined and experienced troops began a campaign in northern New York which was designed to end the…
By Karen L. Hayden Religious freedom was one of the reasons people left Europe for the New World. It was no accident that each colony was formed around groups of people sharing their beliefs. By the time of the War for Independence, religion was still VERY important. Many speeches were made saying that God would…
By John U. Rees — 2ndNJ, Helm’s Company This collection of miscellaneous accounts was prompted by the discovery of a sutler’s license issued in 1782. While hardly exhaustive, the information shows the uneasy, but necessary, relationship which commanders had with these little-known followers of the army. For an in-depth discussion of sutlers and their role…
By Clarissa F. Dillon, Ph.D. The colonial housewife often functioned as doctor, nurse, and apothecary. There are some eighteenth-century plants which can be used by re-enactrors for minor mishaps. First, you MUST learn to identify weeds and wild plants. There are a number of books with excellent illustrations: Roger Tory Peterson and Margaret McKenny, A Field…
By Eric Chetwynd — 2ndMass. Regt. The following article is based primarily on Baron v. Steuben’s Blue Book, but also references similar instructions in both Cuthbertson’s A System for the Complete Interior Management and Oeconomy of a Battalion of Infantryand Sime’s The Military Medley. As original guards were on duty for 24 hours, I would suggest a…