Dispatches: The Podcast of the Journal of the American Revolution
History
About
Welcome to Dispatches: The Podcast of the Journal of the American Revolution. Each week Dispatches features interviews highlighting the latest in scholarship, news, and opinions regarding the American Revolutionary Era. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com
Episodes
- E321: Gene Procknow: A British Major’s Quixotic American Mission and True Loyalties
Author Gene Procknow joins Dispatches to discuss Irish officer Apollos Morris, who aimed to halt the American Revolution and had connections to opposing factions.
- Andrew Scott Wills: Hawken Horse: Music of the Frontier
Musician Andrew Scott Wills, known for the band "Hawken Horse," joins the podcast to discuss his work connecting the Revolutionary frontier with the 21st century through music and history.
- E319: Drew Palmer: Francis Marion's Ambush at the Great Savannah
Drew Palmer joins the podcast to discuss Francis Marion's 1780 raid on the Great Savannah. This daring action contributed to the growth of Marion's legend.
- E318: Gabriel Neville: The New Dominion: Virginia's Land in the Northwest
Author Gabriel Neville discusses Virginia
- E317: Steven Bier: Facing Washington's Crossing
Author Steven Bier joins Dispatches to discuss Hessian soldiers and their experience during the invasion of the American mainland in 1776. More details are available at www.allthingsliberty.com.
- Michael Adelberg: The Monmouth County Jailbreak of 1781
This week our guest is Michael Adelberg. In 1781, Loyalists prisoner broke out of the Monmouth County Jail in New Jersey. It was a harrowing chapter in the ongoing drama of the American Revolution.
- E315: Scott Syfert: The Mecklenburg Declaration: Fact and Fiction
This week our guest is author and JAR contributor Scott Syfert. In May of 1775, frontier Patriots from North Carolina gathered to declare independence from Great Britain. The document was lost to history, and some question whether it occur…
- E314: Tom McMillan: The Year That Made America
This week our guest is author Tom McMillan. In "The Year That Made America," author Tom Macmillan examines the critical eight months leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. For more information visit www.allthingslibe…
- E313: Brady J. Crytzer: Those Deceitful Sages: Pope Pius VI and the American Revolution
Our guest this week is author and JAR Associate Editor Brady Crytzer. During the American Revolution, Pope Pius VI spoke out passionately against the false promises of liberty and freedom, claiming that Enlightened philosophers were deceiv…
- E312: Douglas R. Dorney, Jr.: The Deadliest Seconds of the War
This week our guest is JAR Contributor Douglas R. Dorney, Jr. During a naval battle off the coast of Barbados, a ship exploded killing 300 men in an instant. It was deadliest moment of the war. For more information visit www.allthingsliber…
- E311: Geoffrey Hoerauf: Spies at Fort Detroit
This week our guest is JAR Contributor Geoffrey Hoerauf. Fort Detroit was a vital outpost of empire, but spies reigned on the frontier. For more information, visit www.allthingsliberty.com .
- E310: Stuart Lilie: Henry Knox's Noble Train of Artillery at Fort Ticonderoga, December 5th-7th
This week our guest is Fort Ticonderoga VP of Public History Stuart Lilie. From December 5th-7th, Fort Ticonderoga will host a celebration and reenactment of Henry Knox's Noble Train of Artillery. For more information visit www.allthingsli…
- E309: Brett Bannor: Snapping the Lilliputian Cords: The Founders and Gulliver’s Travels
Our guest this week is JAR contributor Brett Bannor, discussing the Founding Generation's deep affection for Gulliver's Travels. For more information, visit www.allthingsliberty.com.
- E308: Alexander S. Burns: Infantry in Battle, 1733-1783
This week our guest is Alexander S. Burns. Dr. Burns discussed his new book "Infantry In Battle: 1733-1783," at the 2025 Braddock's Road Preservation Association Seminar at Fort Ligonier in Ligonier, PA. For more information visit www.allt…
- E307: Shawn David McGhee: John Fenno and Philip Freneau's War of Words
This week our guest is author and JAR contributor Shawn David McGhee. In the early republic, newspaper editors John Fenno and Philip Freneau waged a war of words. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com .
- E306: G. Patrick O'Brien: Alexander Thompson and Declaring Peace in the Borderlands of Western New York, 1783
This week our guest is JAR Contributor G. Patrick O'Brien. In 1783, Alexander Thompson was given a great task...making peace with the British and their Native allies in Western New York. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com .
- E305: Patrick H. Hannum: Col. William Woodford's 1775 James River Crossing
This week our guest is JAR Contributor Patrick Hannum. In 1775, William Woodford crossed the James River to oust Governor Lord Dunmore of Virginia. For more information, visit www.allthingsliberty.com .
- E304: Richard Gardiner: Unraveling the Mystery of George Washington’s Earliest Teacher
This week our guest is JAR contributor Rick Gardiner. For the last two centuries historians have speculated as to the identity of George Washington's first teacher. Richard Gardiner provides compelling new evidence. For more information vi…
- E303: Jason A. Cherry: Vandalia Colony: American Triumph or Folly?
This week our guest is author Jason Cherry. The 14th colony was a dream of many in Colonial America, but the Revolution brought it to a screeching halt. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com .
- E302: Josh Wheeler: The Complicated History of David Fanning’s Murderous 1782 Bloody Sabbath Raid
This week our guest is JAR contributor Josh Wheeler. In 1782, a North Carolina Loyalist named David Fanning went on a murderous spree to stop state elections. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com
- E301: Vic DiSanto: The 1779 Invasion of Iroquoia
This week our guest is JAR contributor Vic DiSanto. In 1779, George Washington launched a brutal campaign against the Iroquois in Western New York. The results were catastrophic for the "People of the Longhouse." For more information visit…
- David Price: Lemuel Haynes: An Abolitionist Voice in the Revolution
This week our guest is author and JAR contributor David Price. Lemuel Haynes was an early abolitionist in the Revolutionary Era. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com .
- E299: Eric Sterner: Samuel Brady Rescues Jane Stoops
This week our guest is author and JAR contributor Eric Sterner. Samuel Brady was a legend on the frontier, and a chance encounter changed the life of Jane Stoops. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com .
- E298: David P. Ervin: The Politics of the Continental Army in the West
This week our guest is JAR Contributor David P. Ervin. The 13th Virginia was created to defend the western frontier, but troubles began when it was called to serve in the eastern theater. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com…
- E297: Elizabeth Reese: A Granddaughter’s Grief: Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis and George Washington
This week our guest is JAR Contributor Elizabeth Reese. The story of Nelly Custis is a one of hope, tragedy, and grief. Raised as the granddaughter of George Washington, her life fell apart upon the President's passing. For more informatio…
- E296: Franklin D. Rausch: The Siege of Savages' Old Fields
This week our guest is JAR Contributor Franklin D. Rausch. In the fall of 1775, a the war in South Carolina ignited in in the Siege of Saveges' Old Fields. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com .
- E295: Molly Fortune: The Papers of Francis Marion
This week our guest is SC250 CEO Molly Fortune. To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Revolution, SC250 has recently published the first volume of the Papers of Francis Marion. To read the letters, visit www.SC250.com and for more info…
- E294: Mike Cecere: Colonial Militia on the Eve of Revolution
This week our guest is author and JAR Contributor Mike Cecere. On the eve of Revolution, America's militia's stood at the ready. In time, they would become a critical part of the war effort. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.…
- E293: Jude M. Pfister: The Federalist Papers
This week our guest is author and JAR contributor Jude Pfister. The Federalist Papers stand amongst the most important documents from the Revolutionary era, and they are being reevaluated for a new era. For more information visit www.allth…
- E292: Carter F. Smith: Samuel Mason: Revolutionary Turncoat or Opportunistic Pirate?
This week our guest is author Carter F. Smith. Samuel Mason was a war hero in the west, and its most famous pirate. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com .
- E291: Andrew Lawler: Lord Dunmore's Ethiopian Regiment
This week our guest is author and JAR contributor Andrew Lawler. At the outbreak of the Revolution, Virginia Governor John Murray, Lord Dunmore, shocked the colony when he began arming enslaved men. For more information visit www.allthings…
- E290: Robert J. Walworth: The Green Mountain Insurgency
This week our guest is JAR contributor Robert J. Walworth. In the lead-up to the American Revolution, Vermont and New York tangled over territory until the Crown stepped in. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com .
- E289: Keith Muchowski: Richard Varick in History and In Memory
This week our guest is JAR contributor Keith Muchowski. From his days in the Revolution to his eventual rise to Mayor, Richard Varick was a NYC staple. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com .
- E288: Jonathan Burns: Locating George Washington's Friendly Fire Incident
This week our guest is Archaeologist Jonathan Burns. In November of 1758, George Washington accidentally opened fire on his own men in the wilds of Western Pennsylvania. For two centuries the battlefield has been lost, and Jonathan Burns b…
- E287: Christopher R. Pearl: Declarations of Independence: Indigenous Resilience, Colonial Rivalries, and the Cost of Revolution
This week our guest is author Christopher R. Pearl, discussing his new book "Declarations of Independence: Indigenous Resilience, Colonial Rivalries, and the Cost of Revolution." For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com .
- E286: Blake McGready: The Limits of Enviromental Mastery in the Highland Department
This week our guest is JAR contributor Blake McGready. The war in the Hudson Highlands was a difficult affair, made more tedious by the environmental factors. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com .
- E285: Paul B. Elmore: James Easton vs. Benedict Arnold: Anatomy of a Feud
This week our guest is Paul B. Elmore. Long before he was America's most reviled traitor, Benedict Arnold had a personal grudge with James Easton. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com .
- E284: Brady J. Crytzer: Guyasuta and the Fall of Indian America
This week on Dispatches, we share Brady Crytzer's lecture on Seneca Chief Guyasuta. A lifelong advocate of Native rights, Guyasuta served as a warrior, Sachem, and diplomat during the Seven Years War and American Revolution. For more infor…
- E283: Robert E. Wright: Cruel Bedlam: Bankruptcies and the Break with Britain
This week our guest is author and JAR contributor Robert E. Wright. In the years leading to the American Revolution, British fiscal policy was a leading factor of unrest in the colonies. As Robert Wright shows, taxes were just the beginnin…
- E282: Ray Raphael: A Kingly Government? Benjamin Franklin's Great Fear
This week our guest is author, editor, and JAR contributor Ray Raphael. When the American Executive was being considered, Benjamin Franklin had strong reservations about the scope of its power. For more information visit www.allthingsliber…
- E281: Glenn F. Williams: Dunmore's War: The Last Conflict of America's Colonial Era
This week our feature is Dr. Glenn F. Williams. On Saturday, November 2nd, 2024, Dr. Williams presented a lecture on his new book Dunmore's War at the Braddock's Road Preservation Association Annual Seminar in Ligonier, PA. He is introduce…
- E280: Tim Abbott: The Terrible Ordeal of Capt. Bezaleel Beebe’s Company of Connecticut State Levies
This week our guest is JAR contributor Tim Abbott. The story of Capt. Bezaleel Beebe is a chilling reminder of the horrors of war, and the trauma of captivity. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com .
- E279: Robert Guy: The Westmoreland Rangers and "The Suffering Fruntears"
This week our guest is JAR contributor Robert Guy. The American west was transformed into a brutal partisan warzone, and Western Pennsylvania was amongst the most terrible. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com .
- E278: Jude M. Pfister: President Washington and the Beginnings of American Law
This week our guest is JAR contributor Jude M. Pfister. George Washington was executive of a new nation, and an untested judiciary. We examine his opinions of the courts and his perspectives on early American jurisprudence. For more inform…
- E277: HALLOWEEN SPECIAL: The Curse of the "Wizard Clip" with Brady J. Crytzer
This week is our very special Halloween edition of Dispatches. In 1794, a Virginia farmer was haunted by a spiritual entity, and he called about a Russian prince-turned-priest to save him. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.co…
- E276: Colin J. Wood: Bacheller vs. Wilkinson: The Quest to Understand Benedict Arnold at Saratoga
This week our guest is JAR contributor Colin J. Wood. The legacy of Benedict Arnold is a complicated one, and new sources have revealed fresh interpretations of his service at Saratoga. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com .
- E275: Joseph Manca: Champions of Liberty: Phillis Wheatley, Joseph Sewall, and the Old South Church
This week our guest is JAR contributor and author Joseph Manca. Phillis Wheatley came to the New World as an enslaved person, but has left a lasting historical and literary legacy. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com .
- E275: Jason R. Wickersty: Reactions in Britain to the News of the Battle of Long Island
This week our guest is JAR Contributor Jason R. Wickersty. In the wake of the Battle of Long Island, news flourished in Britain. Some was highly accurate, and some was...well, not. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com .
- E274: Scott Syfert: Ramsour's Mill, The End of Cornwallis' Loyalist Illusion
This week our guest is author and JAR contributor Scott Syfert. When Charles Cornwallis looked at South Carolina, he hoped for a groundswell of Loyalist support. The Battle of Ramsour's Mill broke that illusion. For more information visit…
- E273: Geoff Smock: The Great Pillars of John Adams
This week our guest is JAR contributor Geoff Smock. John Adams was President of the United States, but he took the time to address an activist group of young people about the true meaning of America. For more information visit www.allthing…