Bøker av Michael Cecere

When the Revolutionary War erupted in Massachusetts in April 1775, no American army existed. Each colony had its own militia that required inhabitants, typically free men between the ages of sixteen to fifty years old, to defend the colony when needed. Few colonists imagined prior to 1775 that such colonial militia would be pitted against the professional regulars of the British army, but that is precisely what occurred as a result of the bloodshed at Lexington and Concord.Within two months of the start of the war, the Continental Congress moved to strengthen the colonies by creating a Continental Army under General George Washington of Virginia. Aside from providing a commander-in-chief for this new, regular army of American troops (who were to serve until the end of the year), Virginia initially supplied just two companies of riflemen to the continental army.This soon changed, however, as both Congress and Virginia realized the need for vastly more continental soldiers. By the end of 1775, Congress called upon Virginia to supply six continental regiments of over 700 officers and men each to the Continental Army. Within another year, that number more than doubled to sixteen regiments and also included two regiments of light dragoons (cavalry) and one regiment of artillery.This book explores the formation and service of Virginia's continental troops during the first several years of the Revolutionary War. Readers will discover that Virginia continentals played a pivotal role in a number of important battles including: Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, Germantown, and Saratoga.Maps, a bibliography, and an index to full-names, places and subjects add to the value of this work.2022, 5¿x8¿, paper, index, 340 pp.

In [General Mercer's] Experience and Judgment you may repose great Confidence.- George Washington, July 6, 1776. General George Washington's positive assessment of Hugh Mercer was based on their nearly twenty year acquaintance and friendship, a relationship that began in the French and Indian War. Both men commanded provincial units; Washington led Virginians and Mercer, Pennsylvanians. Unlike Washington, however, Mercer was not a native of the American colonies. He fled to Pennsylvania from Scotland in 1746 after the Battle of Culloden (part of an unsuccessful Scottish uprising against King George II). Mercer, who had studied medicine in Scotland, settled in the Pennsylvania frontier to avoid possible arrest for his participation at Culloden. When the French and Indian War erupted nearly a decade later, Mercer's neighbors tapped him to command a company of militia. Mercer quickly rose in the ranks and eventually commanded a battalion of Pennsylvania provincial soldiers as well as the garrison at Fort Pitt (captured Fort Duquesne). After seven years of military service, Mercer was discharged from the Pennsylvania Regiment in 1761 and settled in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He married, raised a family, and established a very successful medical practice. When the decade long political dispute with Great Britain turned violent in 1775, Virginia's political leaders considered Hugh Mercer for command of one of Virginia's two regiments of regular troops. After two close ballots, the Virginia Convention opted instead to appoint Virginia natives Patrick Henry and William Woodford to command. Mercer was selected a few months later to command the 3rd Virginia Regiment, but six months after his appointment the Continental Congress elevated him to the rank of Brigadier General in the Continental Army and he left Virginia to assume command of the newly formed Flying Camp in New Jersey. While he served in the northern theatre, Mercer played a critical role in the battles of Trenton and Princeton, two battles that helped save the American army and American independence. Sadly, General Mercer did not live to see the victorious end to America's struggle; he was mortally wounded at the Battle of Princeton in 1777. Congress honored Mercer with a statue that still stands in Fredericksburg and several townships and counties have honored his memory by taking his name. This book seeks to chronicle Mercer's life and service and in doing so validate the observation of Major James Wilkinson, a veteran of the Revolutionary War, who wrote that:In General Mercer we lost a chief, who for education, experience, talents, disposition, integrity and patriotism, was second to no man but the commander in chief, and was qualified to fill the highest trusts of the country. An appendix with a transcript of Mercer's Last Will and Testament, maps, a bibliography, and, an index to full-names, places and subjects add to the value of this work.

When one thinks of the American heroes of the Revolutionary War, the names Washington, Greene, Lee, Morgan, and even Arnold come to mind. Much has been written of these American patriots, and rightly so, but the attention these officers have long received has also obscured the contributions of many, many other patriots of the Revolutionary War. One such person is General William Woodford of Virginia, a man chosen by Virginia's leaders to command a regiment of Virginia regulars at the onset of war and who remained in service for over five years. William Woodford began his service in 1775 as colonel of the 2nd Virginia Regiment during which he and his men handily defeated Lord Dunmore's force of British regulars and runaway slaves at Great Bridge. Woodford was promoted to brigadier-general in 1777 and commanded Virginia troops at Brandywine (where he was wounded in the hand), Valley Forge, and Monmouth. On each of these occasions, along with countless smaller engagements, General Woodford and his men contributed significantly to the American cause. Their service came at great sacrifice, and as the war dragged on, Woodford's health declined. He remained in service, however, and when General Washington ordered the entire Virginia continental line to march to Charleston, South Carolina, to assist in the defense of that important town, Woodford led the troops. They arrived in April 1780, just in time to become trapped with the rest of the American garrison. A month of fruitless resistance against a far superior enemy force ended with the surrender of the entire American garrison. Five years of service culminated with captivity, first in South Carolina, during which Woodford's health declined precipitously, and then in New York, where he was sent in a desperate attempt to recover his health. Alas, it was not to be, and General Woodford joined the ranks of thousands of other patriots who paid the ultimate sacrifice for American independence. This book highlights William Woodford's service and sacrifice. An index to full-names, places and subjects; maps; and a bibliography add to the value of this work.

Few soldiers contributed more to America's victory in the Revolutionary War than Daniel Morgan, the rugged rifle commander from Virginia. One of the first to answer the Continental Congress's call for troops in 1775, Morgan led a company of hardy Virginia riflemen to Boston, marching nearly 600 miles in just three weeks. Within a month of his arrival, Morgan and his riflemen joined Colonel Benedict Arnold on an epic march through the wilderness of Maine and Canada to attack the British stronghold of Quebec. When Arnold was wounded in the pre-dawn attack on the fortress city, Morgan stepped forward to command. Alas, the attack on Quebec failed and after eight months of captivity, Morgan was exchanged and back with the American army. His heroic deeds at Quebec earned him a promotion to colonel and the notice of General Washington, who placed Morgan in command of 500 select riflemen. Morgan and his riflemen performed brilliantly in two fierce battles at Saratoga in the fall of 1777 and, after the American victory there, rejoined General Washington's army at Valley Forge. Morgan was respected throughout the army, but General Washington's failure to select Morgan to lead the newly organized corps of light infantry in 1779 prompted the aggrieved hero of Quebec and Saratoga to resign his commission in protest. Congress refused to accept Morgan's resignation, however, and instead placed him on indefinite furlough. This abruptly ended in 1780 when British success in the South brought Morgan back to the battlefield, this time as a newly promoted brigadier-general. Detached by General Nathanael Greene as an independent command, Morgan attracted the notice of the British in South Carolina, who moved to trap and destroy Morgan and his detachment of light infantry. Instead, the decisive battle of Cowpens was waged and once again Daniel Morgan led his troops to a much needed American victory. Sadly, declining health forced Morgan from the field of battle within weeks of his victory at Cowpens and though he attempted to return at Yorktown, he was unable to recover in time. Morgan's absence at Yorktown did nothing to diminish his significant contributions to the American cause, contributions that were recognized by his contemporaries and perhaps best expressed by his minister at Morgan's funeral in 1802: I think we may venture to assert, that [Morgan] has not left another behind him to whom we are so much indebted for our Independence and Liberty. A wealth of portraits and maps; and, a full-name, place and subject index add to the value of this work.

The story of Americaâ¿¿s riflemen in the Revolutionary War begins with their formation in 1775. First person accounts of their recruitment, long march, and encampment at Boston, introduce readers to the flamboyant and sometimes unruly nature of riflemen. Gr

"I believe few Officers either in America or Europe are held in so high a point of estimation as you are..." --Gen. Nathanael Greene to "Light Horse" Harry Lee January 27, 1782 The sentiment above, expressed by General Nathanael Greene, an officer whose military contributions to American independence are second only to General George Washington, captures the view of most Americans in 1782 regarding Light Horse Harry Lee. In early 1782, twenty-six year old Lieutenant Colonel Lee commanded a legion of mounted and dismounted dragoons that had just completed a spectacular year of military service in the South. Lee's efforts in 1781, in conjunction with General Greene and the American southern army, resulted in the British loss of most of South Carolina and Georgia. Over the course of 1781, Lee and his legion, often detached from Greene's army, helped screen Greene's desperate retreat to Virginia and then, a few weeks later, captured or destroyed numerous enemy outposts and detachments in South Carolina and Georgia. Lee and his legion played a crucial role in the bloody battles of Guilford Courthouse and Eutaw Springs and the sieges of Augusta and Ninety-Six. The extraordinary service of Lee and his men in 1781 capped what had already been five years of distinguished military service for Lee. He had reported to General Washington's army as a twenty year old cavalry captain in 1777 and quickly earned a reputation as a bold commander. Lee's daring exploits at Valley Forge, Powles Hook and Springfield, like his extraordinary service in the south, are all chronicled within this book. Readers will undoubtedly conclude that Lee made the right decision when he declined General Washington's invitation in 1778 to join his staff as an aide-de-camp with the assertion that, "I am wedded to my sword." Illustrations, maps, a bibliography and an index to names, places and subjects enhance the text.