Next Meeting: September 19, 2012

"From Cuckoo to Charlottesville: Jack Jouett's Ride," Rick Britton

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

Preservation Update

Princeton Update!

The Princeton Battlefield has been named to the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s annual 11 Most Endangered List. This high-profile listing will hopefully garner more support for the Princeton Battlefield Society. 

Recently, a donor agreed to match any contributions to the Legal Defense Fund (up to $3000) until July 18. The Princeton Battlefield Society hopes to block the proposed development on the battle site through the court system. See their website for updates:

http://theprincetonbattlefieldsociety.com

Great Bridge Update!

Steady progress is being made at this important early-war Virginia battle site. On June 9 the park had a ribbon-cutting ceremony to dedicate the opening of its Interpretive Trail. Construction continues on the Visitor Center. For details and updates, see the website at:

www.gbbattlefield.org

Camp Security, PA

The last remaining undeveloped POW camp of the Revolutionary War has recently been saved. Camp Security held British, Loyalist, and German prisoners during the war. Located in York County, it remained in pristine, rural condition until threatened in the mid-2000s with development. The site was named to the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 11 Most Endangered Sites in 2005.

The site of Camp Security was purchased in a joint effort by Springettsbury Township, the Conservation Fund, the PA Department of Conservation & Natural Resources, and the Friends of Camp Security. 

Two good websites on the site and its preservation are:

www.yorkblog.com/universal/2012/05/11/camp-security-to-be-preserved

www.campsecurity.com

Meeting Notes: May 23, 2012

"Spies in the Continental Capital: Espionage across Pennsylvania," John Nagy

Meeting Notes: March 21, 2012

"A Change of both Men and Measures: British Reaction to Saratoga, 1777-78," Kevin Weddle

Our March 21 speaker was Kevin J. Weddle, PhD, who is a retired Colonel of the U. S. Army. After a distinguished service in the Army, including Desert Shield and Desert Storm, he now serves as professor of Military Theory and Strategy at the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Weddell has published a book titled Lincoln’s Tragic Admiral: The Life of Samuel Francis Du Pont and is currently working on a strategic history of the Saratoga campaign.

Weddle’s topic was “A Change of Both Men and Measures: British Reaction to Saratoga, 1777-1778.” His talk dealt with the reassessment of British strategy following Saratoga which is considered the turning point of the American Revolution. 

The national policy of the colonies was, of course, independence. The national policy of Britain was to suppress the rebellion and return to the status quo. Initially it was Britain’s plan to seek and execute a decisive battle and end the matter quickly. The Carlisle Peace Commission in 1778 offered an olive branch to the Americans and this authorized almost anything – short of independence. Of course, these terms were not acceptable to the Americans.

Dr. Weddell went into the history and details of the principal players in the Saratoga campaign. The campaign ended with Burgoyne’s surrender on 17 October 1777 with King George expressing a desire to end the war by 20 November. Still many British leaders thought that Saratoga was bad but that they could recover.

We eagerly await the publication of Dr. Kevin Weddle’s book on this subject. 

Mini Flag Controversy

A few months ago, ARRT-Richmond member John Millar spoke briefly to us about his recent discovery of an early Stars and Stripes flag rendering. He also distributed cards showing the flag. Here’s the link to a July 3, 2012 Wall Street Journal article about the mini flag controversy. 

http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052702304211804577501441816539490-lMyQjAxMTAyMDAwMzEwNDMyWj.html?mod=wsj_valettop_email

J. L. Bell to Speak at the Society of Cincinnati, July 10, 2012

J. L. Bell of "Boston 1775" will be in DC at the Society of Cincinnati  http://societyofthecincinnati.org/events/public speaking on

Washington's Artillery: Reengineering the Regiment Between Bunker Hill and Dorchester Heights
When: July 10, 2012, 7 p.m.
Where: Anderson House

Scholar J. L. Bell examines how George Washington rebuilt the Continental artillery after taking command of the American forces around Boston in 1775 and his decision to install an unranked volunteer, Henry Knox, as the regiment’s commander. On July 10, 1775, Gen. George Washington finished his first report to the Continental Congress on the army he had found around Boston. He listed “a Want of Engineers” as his biggest challenge, adding, “I can hardly express the Disappointment.”

If you can’t make this lecture, you can view a similar presentation on our site at http://arrt-richmond.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2012-05-02T06:56:00-07:00&max-results=7&start=14&by-date=false with a May 2 date.  It’s very interesting.

Also highly recommended is John’s April lecture in Lincoln, MA on “What Did the British Hope to Find in Concord on April 19?”  This is a fascinating talk with an interesting theory.  http://lincolntv.pegcentral.com/player.php?video=88a0d4e5ad4bb79b75b870a9fc747d61 

Next Meeting: July 18, 2012

"Paul Revere's Midnight Ride: Myth and Reality," Carl Zellner

The meeting will be held in the Westhampton Room, Heilman Center (dining hall--building 34 on the campus map), University of Richmond, at 6:15 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