Image courtesy of Colonial National Historical Park, Yorktown.

Monday, February 25, 2019

Meeting Notes: January 16, 2019

“Founding Martyr: The Life and Death of Dr. Joseph Warren, the American Revolution’s Lost Hero,” Christian Di Spigna

The emphasis of the speaker’s remarks centered on his discovery and use of primary source documents in writing the book – Warren didn’t leave any letters.

Di Spigna believes that Warren, if not for his death at Bunker Hill, would have led the United States as Thomas Jefferson and George Washington did.

Warren served as president of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress, chairman of the Massachusetts Committee of Safety, leader of the Boston Committee of Correspondence and the North End Caucus, and grand master of the Ancient Scottish Rite Masons in North America.

Warren delivered two prominent orations on the Boston Massacre and authored the Suffolk Resolves.  He was one of the most prominent and respected physicians in Massachusetts, inoculating hundreds of people against smallpox without a single death. 

By 1775 Warren was leading a sophisticated spy network. Paul Revere’s ride on the night of April 18, 1775 is the most public example of the network. 

Shortly before his death, he was promoted to Major General. Upon appearing at Bunker Hill on the morning of June 17, 1775 he chose not to take command but to serve as a common soldier.

Author Bio:
Christian Di Spigna is a writer based in New York City and Williamsburg, Virginia. A regular speaker and volunteer at Colonial Williamsburg, he is a native of Brooklyn. Christian received both an undergraduate degree and a master in history from Columbia University.

Meeting Notes:
Beginning our 14th year
Planning a 10/12/19 Field Trip to Norfolk/Great Bridge area
May meeting moving from the 15th to the 8th

--Noah Rogers

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Next Meeting: March 20, 2019

Jenna Schnitzer, "Sober and Industrious Women: Soldiers' Wives in the British Army"

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

Please plan on joining us!

University of Richmond campus map:

http://www.richmond.edu/visit/maps/print/campus.pdf