U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum Tour, October 16, 2013

Please mark your calendar. Laura Baghetti, who spoke at our last meeting, will host a behind the scenes tour for ARRT-Richmond members at the U. S. Army Quartermaster Museum at Fort Lee on Wednesday, October 16, from 10 AM until noon.  Their site is http://www.qmmuseum.lee.army.mil/  This visit will be limited to dues paying ARRT-Richmond members only. Details will follow as we get closer. Given budgetary issues, we were unable to schedule this on a weekend. Thanks, Laura!

11th Francis Marion Symposium, October 18-19, 2013

You're invited to register & participate in the October 18-19, 2013 Francis Marion Symposium:

Francis Marion and the Southern Campaign 

(Here's your registration form, print 1st page of this or copy & paste, or print form linked at www.francismarionsymposium.com )  Print, Fill in & send in to register in next 30 days for the discounts.

Registration Form: 11th Francis Marion Symposium, October 18-19, 2013

Name ______________________

Address____________________

City________________________

State, Zip___________________

Phone______________________

E-mail______________________

Price $95.00 ($175 / couple) (Early bird $90/165 by Sept17)

Mail to:
c/o C. Hester

11th Francis MarionSymposium
PO Box667
Manning, SC29102

www.francismarionsymposium.com Info: 803-478-2645;

Cell:803-460-7416 E-mailgcsummers@ftc-i.net

Francis Marion and the Southern Campaign

Immerse yourself in Francis Marion's world and the significance of the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution. Gen. Francis Marion played a major role in the American Revolution.      

Proposed agenda:   

Ricky Roberts:  Marion’s Bridges Campaign with McCottry Riflemen

Steve Smith:  Marion along the PeeDee River
Christine Swager: Winning in the Back-country of  Southern Campaign   
Dusty Owens:  The Role of Marion’s Subordinate Commanders in Marion’s early success 
Dave Neilan:  Marion & The Trials and Tribulations of Peter Horry
Will Graves: "Rest of the story" -the corrected version on James Williams    
Karen MacNutt: Marion in Georgetown
Jack Bachanan: “ I have not the Honor of your Acquaintance but am no Stranger to your Character and merit.”
Charles Baxley & Panel:   Southern Campaign of the Revolutionary War
Dinner Theater: Intro: Christine Swager  and Joe Stukes as Marquis d’ Lafayette

We'll share a special display of Marion owned or related items.

If you know of someone who has either an item that belonged to Marion or an item used in SC during the Rev war, please send a picture and history of it; a selection of such items will be displayed.  The site of Symposium is the DuBose Campus, CCT College, Manning, SC.

More details: www.francismarionsymposium.com, 803-478-2645 or gcsummers@ftc-i.net   

Francis Marion Advocates: Pushing back the frontier of ignorance.
Swamp Fox Murals Trail Society: New “Clarendon County Tour” history tour App
PO Box 667, Manning, SC 29102
803-478-2645, cells: 803-460-9626,  803-460-7416
www.francismarionsymposium.com  Plan now for: Oct 18-19, 2013
www.francismarioncountry.com : Living History Encampment: Feb 21-22, 2014   Huzzah, Huzzah, Huzzah!
www.clarendonmurals.com   www.francismariontrail.com 
www.swampfoxtrail.com       www.swampfoxcountry.com - Events & Sales

NYC Workers Find Revolutionary War Artifacts

A video link sent by John Maass . . . thanks, John!

http://news.yahoo.com/video/nyc-workers-revolutionary-war-artifacts-212502127.html

ARRT-DC Meeting: September 4, 2013

See: http://xenophongroup.com/patriot/arrt/arrt_web.htm   for more information on the ARRT-DC.

Those who live in, or may be planning to visit, the Washington, DC, area are cordially invited to join us for the next meeting of the American Revolution Round Table of the District of Columbia on Wednesday, 4 September 20013. 

"As great a piece of Generalship as ever was performed: Reinterpretation of the Battle of Princeton, 3 January 1777."

The 4 September 2013 program "As great a piece of Generalship as ever was performed: Reinterpretation of the Battle of Princeton, 3 January 1777." will be presented by Wade P. Catts. This illustrated lecture will present new information and in some cases, reinterpretation, of the battle of Princeton. The culminating battle of the "Ten Crucial Days," Princeton was a remarkable military maneuver that had far-reaching results for the American cause, and a major setback for the Crown. Undertaken by the Princeton Battlefield Society and funded by a grant from the American Battlefield Protection Program, the recently completed study utilizes historical records, maps, topography, GIS, and archeology to examine the battlefield.

Wade P. Catts is Associate Director of Cultural Resources with John Milner Associates, Inc., an historic preservation consulting firm based in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Mr. Catts served on the Princeton project team as an historical archeologist. He has worked on a number of Revolutionary War sites, including Cooch's Bridge, Fish Creek (Saratoga), Short Hills, Raritan Landing, Brandywine, Paoli, the Battle of the Clouds, Valley Forge, and the site of the Continental Powder Works on French Creek. He holds a graduate degree in American History from the University of Delaware.

Looking ahead, our November program will feature Don N. Hagist, author of "British Soldiers, American War:: Voices of the American Revolution, 1775-1781"

EDITORIAL on the September Program:

Fought on January 3, 1777, the climax of the “ten crucial days” that saved our American Revolution, Princeton represented a victory that gave new life to the Continental Army as it battled for our independence.  Unfortunately, the most historically significant part of the battlefield is in danger of being lost to modern development.  The scene of Washington’s counter-attack, the climax of the “ten crucial days” that saved American independence, is outside the boundary of the state park that commemorates the event.  The Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS), which owns the property, has plans for a project that would build family housing for its faculty on this irreplaceable cultural resource.  In the past, IAS generously donated acreage to the state of New Jersey to expand the adjacent historical park, while it retained ownership of this significant parcel.  It had always been hoped the Institute would act as a responsible steward of that part of the battlefield which falls outside the park boundaries – possibly with a voluntary legal agreement such as a Historic Preservation Easement.  That appears to not be IAS’s intent.

As many of you know, I am involved with the Princeton Battlefield Society in its attempt to preserve what the National Trust for Historic Preservation recently named one of “America’s Eleven Most Endangered Historic Places.”  Such a battle requires public support and legal action to preserve the site of one of the most important turning point events in our nation’s history.  I do not usually make requests of this nature, but I hope you will consider joining me as a member of the Princeton Battlefield Society, and/ or contributing to the legal fund to save the battlefield.  Please see: http://www.theprincetonbattlefieldsociety.com for ways you can help.  Thank you.

Glenn

The ARRT of DC meets at the Fort Myer (Arlington, VA) Officers Club on the first Wednesday of September, November, March and May, from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. For more information on attending the program, or the ARRT of DC in general, go to our web page at http://xenophongroup.com/patriot/arrt/arrtprgm.htm; OR, send me an e-mail off-list to gfwilliams607@verizon.net; or call: (703) 360-9712; or write: ARRT DC, PO Box 137, Mount Vernon, VA 22121.

Meeting Notes: July 17, 2013

“The Gamecock: Thomas Sumter, South Carolina's Other Revolutionary War Hero,” David Reuwer

David Reuwer with the figurine, "Young David Reuwer," painted and presented by Woody Childs

While Fort Sumter receives prominent attention in most American history textbooks, very few of them devote much attention to the man for whom the fort is named. That man, Thomas Sumter, was the featured topic at the July 17 meeting of the American Revolution Round Table of Richmond.

David Reuwer presented an informative and entertaining program entitled “The Gamecock: Thomas Sumter, South Carolina’s Other Revolutionary War Hero.” Reuwer, a resident of Camden, South Carolina, is president of the American Revolution Association and co-founder of the Congress of American Revolution Roundtables. He is also co-editor of SCAR and past editor of American Revolution Magazine.

Reuwer reviewed the life of Thomas Sumter and compared him to South Carolina’s other partisan commanders who fought the British. While historians aren’t positive about the specifics of Sumter’s birth, the year 1734 is generally recognized as his birth year and a rural part of Louisa County, Virginia as his birth location. His father was a miller and millwright while his mother worked as a midwife.

Young Thomas Sumter had virtually no formal education and was unable to read or write until he became an adult. When he became old enough to enlist in the Virginia militia, he joined it and later served on the ill-fated Braddock Expedition of 1755.

In 1761 he served on an expedition into the Cherokee Nation, which would change his life. Serving under a friend named Lieutenant Henry Timberlake, Sergeant Sumter traveled into what today is eastern Tennessee where the Timberlake Expedition became friends with three Cherokee chiefs. The three chiefs returned with the expedition to Williamsburg and met with Virginia’s elected officials. One of the chiefs insisted on wanting to meet the King of England so in 1762 the three chiefs, along with Timberlake and Sumter, traveled to England where they met with a teenage King George III. The Cherokee chiefs were treated warmly by King George and by London’s population, which viewed them as celebrities. Sumter, who was approximately 6’ 2” tall and weighed 225 pounds, served as the Cherokee chiefs’ bodyguard.

When Sumter returned to America, he landed in Charleston, South Carolina and would set up a country store approximately 50 miles inland on the Santee River at a ferry crossing. He also became a land developer and married a wealthy widow who was 11 years older than he was and owned a large amount of land on the opposite shore of the Santee from his property. The married couple’s businesses and property flourished until the American Revolution when the British raided the Santee area and burned down their house.

From nearly the beginning of the American Revolution, Sumter sided with the patriot cause and became a South Carolina militia officer. He would rise to become a brigadier general and commander of the entire South Carolina militia, and was best known for his partisan raids and gathering military intelligence against Cornwallis’ army. In fact Cornwallis once described Sumter as “our greatest plague in this country.” The British also said Sumter was such a tenacious fighter that he “fought like a gamecock.” The “gamecock” nickname stuck.

Sumter was an extremely successful recruiter of South Carolinians to join the state militia but his method of paying enlistment bonuses can be considered controversial. He persuaded South Carolina’s legislature to approve “Sumter’s Law”, which called for the payment of enlistment bonuses in the form of slaves rather than money. For example, lieutenant colonels who re-enlisted would receive 3 1/2 slaves while captains would receive two slaves. Privates who re-enlisted would receive one slave.

In 1787 when the newly created United States was debating ratification of its proposed constitution, Sumter opposed the document which he felt gave too much power to a national government. As Reuwer noted in his presentation, even though Sumter was called an “Anti-Federalist” he was actually a very strong supporter of true federalism, which promotes a more balanced sharing of state and federal powers than what he perceived in the proposed constitution.

Even though he had opposed the new constitution, Sumter served in the new U.S. House of Representatives between 1789-93 and 1797-1801. He also served as a U.S. senator between 1801-10. In 1832 Sumter died at the ripe old age of 98, and was the last living general from the American Revolution.

As for Sumter’s place in American military history, Reuwer said that Sumter was far more important than his fellow South Carolina partisan, Francis Marion. He noted that while Marion was leading bands of only 50 troops against the British, Sumter was leading a partisan army with over 1,000 troops and had 11 colonels serving under him. Reuwer attributes Marion’s greater popularity over Sumter in today’s world to the Disney television show which aired on Francis Marion over 50 years ago.

 

-Bill Seward

Next Meeting: September 18, 2013

“The Revolutionary War Leadership of Major General William Heath: A Reassessment,” Sean Heuvel

The meeting will be held in the Westhampton Room, Heilman Center (dining hall--building 34 on the campus map), University of Richmond, at 6:30 p.m. with dinner available for purchase in the dining hall beginning at 5:30 p.m.

University of Richmond campus map:
http://www.richmond.edu/about/directions/campusmap.pdf

A Message from our President

Bill Welsch recently sent the attached letter to several ARRT members and has agreed to let me post it here for wider dissemination. Having attended the Williamsburg conference in March, I can heartily second everything Bill said about it.

Hi Friends,

 

A number of you asked me, both before and after, to tell you about the America’s History Second Annual Conference on the American Revolution this past March in Williamsburg.  A few of you were fortunate enough to attend.  This is a belated attempt to answer those inquires.

Bruce Venter and his faculty of historians did an excellent job.  After the first conference in 2012, I described it as one of the best Revolutionary War events that I had ever attended.  2013 was even better, with excellent presentations and panels.  The conference was not specifically themed, which allowed for an interesting mix of content.  And I personally had a great time leading a Friday tour of the battles of Petersburg, Spenser’s Ordinary, and Green Spring.

The question and answer sessions were interesting and useful.  The vendors supplied a interesting mix of books, maps, and prints.  The location was perfect for exploring Colonial Williamsburg.  All the food and amenities were top notch.

I also attended the SCAR conference on Light Horse Harry Lee in April in Greensboro.  Again, this was an excellent weekend of talks and tours, this time with a specific theme.  All of my comments above apply equally to this weekend.  Charles Baxley and David Reuwer did a wonderful job.  Mother Nature was less cooperative on Sunday, providing plenty of moisture for our tour of Guildford Courthouse.  But I did see much new ground were actions leading to the battle occurred.

Between the two events, I heard about twenty top flight historians present new and interesting takes on a wide variety of topics, which forced me to come home and pull many books off my shelves to read more.  And I made a number of new contacts – always a delight to meet similar minded folks and renew old friendships.  Thanks to Bruce, Charles, and David for their outstanding and successful efforts.

But why, besides answering a few questions, is this email coming to you.  My greatest disappointment at both of these conferences was in not seeing more of my ARRT colleagues and friends.  Yes, I do realize that we’re all very busy with our hectic lives.  It does seem to me, however, that to keep the spirit of the Congress of American Revolution Round Tables alive, we need to support such events as much as possible.  So, I’m not attempting to initiate a discussion as to why people didn’t attend, as much as to plant seeds for any future revolutionary events.  The only way that such opportunities can continue is if we all support them to a greater degree.

Bruce’s Third Annual Conference is again in Williamsburg on March 21 – 23.  I don’t know what’s on the SCAR horizon, but I’m confident that it will be of high quality and interest.

Thanks for reading this personal rant and plea.  I hope to see you all soon at some worthy event and certainly at the next Congress in New Jersey in 2014.

Bill Welsch