I've never seen a clearer account of the Revolutionary War. I finally understand it. No bells, no whistles, no jokes, just history as it happened. Thank you so much!
I've still got about 30 minutes left, but I couldn't wait to comment. THANK YOU! It is a shame that the History Channel can't hire you, because they don't do history docs anymore.
Thanks for mentioning Gen George Rogers Clark! Too many people don’t know about him and the patriots on the Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee and Missouri frontier that fought in the Revolution. I didn’t until researching my ancestors 😀 my husband and I have many ancestors that fought, his ancestors were at Lexington and Concord one of mine was at Valley Forge
Thank you for putting the military capital of the Revolution, Morristown, NJ on the map. Few outside of NJ know of the significance of this area. The Watchung mountains were basically Washington's fort for the entire war and his bulwark against the British doing anything effective out of new york. The Continental army spent soooooooooooo much time in Central and Northern NJ it's insane. The entire Jockey Hollow and Morristown encampments (all four of them) were poorly documented and as such the rural areas around Morristown still bear remains of possible encampments. The Continental army also built several stone redoubts (poorly documented) that are still extant... Also nearby is a complete earthen redoubt from the Middlebrook encampment... one of the only complete original Revolutionary war fortifications in the country. New Jersey does a really shitty job highlighting it's Revolutionary war history.
At Jockey Hollow a plaque states: The Jersey troops were relieved by the Connecticut Line, which moved into this area in May. Although the weather had improved, the rations had not. Two hungry Connecticut regiments mutinied here on May 25th, 1780. Washington declared that the mutiny gave him, "infinitely more concern than anything that has ever happened." Interesting point about NJ not giving its residents and visitors enough information about the War. We can definitely do more. The NJ Historical Society is under the radar to say the least. Today, Trenton is more concerned with... I'll digress. Jockey Hollow is a US National Park not affiliated with the state. Washington Rock in Green Brook is amazing, yet a mere roadside stop. Other sites along The Watchung Ridge which served as lookout points between New York and Philadelphia are not recognized to my knowledge. At Rutgers, I learned that key players in the Revolution were Presbyterian Church members in and around Princeton and New Brunswick. This was over 20 years ago so I've forgotten much, but isn't that the central point of the age old saying, warning us not to forget history, lest we shall repeat it? An incredible Historical novel full of fascinating Revolutionary War facts and stories is, Bootmaker To The Nation. It largely focuses on the Morristown area and gives credit to one of Washington's greatest assets, a young female horse rider who ran messages for the General because she was among the best riders he had.
Great video! I would like to add some forgotten items: English anti-war emotion. All the English were NOT against the colonies NOR for the war. -1775 letter from a group of merchants and traders in the southwestern port city of Bristol sheds light on the economic concerns provoked by the burgeoning revolution. They wrote to the king to express their concern about the “unhappily distracted empires” and urged him to give the American colonists the freedoms they wanted rather than risk a precious trading relationship. -1776 Diary by Right Honorable Thomas Townshend that “the Government and Majority have drawn us into a war, that in our opinions is unjust in its Principle and ruinous in its consequences.” -1780 The Gordon Riots several days of rioting in London motivated by anti-Catholic sentiment. The protest led to widespread rioting and looting, including attacks on Newgate Prison and the Bank of England and was the most destructive in the history of London. Troops had to fire on the rioters. After the first march to Parliament, further riots occurred involving groups whose grievances were nationalist, economic, or political/antiwar, rather than religious. Not merely tea or stamps or newspapers, but even rabbit hair for women's hats was taxed. Ink, paper, all kinds of things were taxed. And these were nuisance taxes because the British didn't want to raise the property tax, but eventually they had to do that, too. And so the war was largely unpopular because it was an economic dent in the British. -1780, there was unrest, both in Parliament and in the country in opposition for the continuance of the war and in rumblings of domestic reform at home. Even before the news of the disaster at Yorktown reached England, all the ministers in North’s cabinet, save one, Lord Germain, Secretary of State for America and in charge of prosecuting the war, were looking for a way to cut the losses and mediate an end to the war. He, with the backing of the king, still thought the war was winnable. -1781, that “opinion was that those who could understand were against the American war, as almost every man is now…” read James Boswell’s diary entry.
These are great videos!! I have watched just about all of the revolutionary and civil war vids. Can you do a video on how generals communicated with their units? And maybe how important Calvary was and how it was used in battle? Just two topics that may be interesting.
What a beautifully detailed account of what was happening (& where) across the world. As this rebellion became an international war, the viewer can see how Indian, French, and then Spanish forces came to weigh on British decision making. Even as a long student of American revolutionary politics and battles, it's wonderful to see the entire continental aspects laid out in such a masterful tableau. I only realise now you have other videos of the American continent which I look forward to seeing! Well done, please keep it up!
Well done! Your videos are so refreshing to watch. Let’s get straight to the point with really effective maps. Keep up the good work. I’ll tell anyone who will listen to check out your work
There is suspicion that some of the British generals like Howe were sort of sympathizers. There is question about why Howe didn't just crush Washington at Valley Forge.
Amazing work. Amateur, no music, no gimmicks. Just a chronological account of how things went. A calming voice and a nice satellite map showing everything. I love it!!!
This is so well done. I can appreciate the work you put into this, and I have been watching. I'm very visual and your graphics make history very clear. Thank you.
This is great! Excellent primer, on America history. When you consider how short our history is, in compared to Europe and Asia, just a couple hundred years, it’s crazy that our schools can’t even teach this much.
I've been watching since you began releasing content on the civil War a few years ago. Your videos on the revolutionary War are so in depth, detailed, and make sense of that period of time. Please continue what you are doing. Such enjoyable content.
Highly recommend downloading 'The Haldiman Papers' for a very intimate view of 'Loyalist' activity during the 'War of the Revolting Americans', their few defeats and remarkable success. Makes for some remarkable reading & tells stories of good men long forgotten by almost all.
I was just looking up your channel yesterday to see if you posted anything new lately. Then today you drop this entire documentary. Oh happy days. Thank you for your work, it means so much to me that you do what you do. Do you have outlets to be to directly support you other than likes, comments, views, and subscriptions??
Thank you so much for your kindness. The two outlets I have now for direct support are the merchandise that appears below the videos or the "thanks" button that is listed under the video (it's often in the drop-down menu next to the "download" button under the video). Thank you again for your kindness.
Great video!! I’ve always loved history, and the American Revolution is one of my favorite wars to read about. Even more so now that I’ve done my family genealogy and discovered a 6th great-grandfather who fought in it! He enlisted a day or two after Bunker Hill, fought at the end of the Quebec campaign, was at the siege of Boston, fought at Trenton and Princeton, then at both battles at Saratoga, went through the winter at Valley Forge, and his last big battle was at Monmouth. He did serve for the duration and was mustered out in 1782. After the war, he married the daughter of a New York Loyalist who didn’t sign the Oath of Allegiance to the Revolution until he was tossed onto a prison ship for three weeks.
Awesome video! You’ve earned my subscription and like! I’ve been complaining for years about every history peace forgetting or just omitting St. Ledgers part in Burgoyne’s pincher plan to take Albany. Especially the ambush of General Herkimer at Oriskany where Mohawks with the British fired upon other Iroquois that were with General Herkimer, thereby breaking the Great Peace established amongst the Iroquois nations by Hiawatha almost 400 years prior.
outstanding video, I can see why they didn't go over the whole war in school, Iam taken by surprised to know how litle i know of this most important event in American History, thank you for your time and energy to do this
This is just super. It should form the spine of a national curriculum on the subject - because it organizes the geography and time line so succinctly they can be covered in a couple of classroom hours or as a homework assignment. That would free up teachers to focus on interesting social topics of their choosing, such as what the term "all men" might have meant in a place like Philadelphia at a time like 1776.
Excellent video. I'd never heard of Joseph Brant before. He was a pretty tough nut to crack for the early Americans. Any thoughts on a documentary regarding the peace process from 1781-1783?
Can you please make a video from 1781 leading up to the American Civil War!? I’m about 7 hours in on American history thanks to you! 😂 Awesome Videos! Thank you!
That was the first thing I thought of. How did they ever manage to keep so many men, women, and children supplied in the field? They must really have been marching and fighting on almost nothing.
I just can't imagine what it was like to live in America during this time period. You were quite likely living in communities where some of your neighbors were probably very "loyalist", and some were leaning more and more "patriot". Add beer at a local pub... or, the local preacher expressing his opinion... or a neighbor all of a sudden carrying a gun with them in town. (I know, someone is going to say "look around us today... it's coming"). Let's keep this in the context of that period... as the war progressed, the local folk must have felt more and more fearful for their lives.
That.. was astounding. I LOOOVED the fact that America’s birthplace started Jamestown, just 15 miles away, in Yorktown, after 174 years, it was finally solidified. 😆 GREAT presentation
One thing I’ve always pondered is if we hadn’t rebelled against our mother country, would they have ended slavery and repatriated the Africans back to Africa?
41:47 Thank you for talking about Fort Mercer, it’s an often overlooked and forgotten important area in the Revolutionary War and the reason why Southern New Jersey was able to resist the British occupation as long as they did.
Best down to the details explanation 👌🏽But two things I was looking for is after the towns, cities and colonies of America when and how where each of the actual individual states made before the United States?
This was a great one over the world brief of this time period. But I wish you would do one a little more detailed covering the time period 17Oct1781 until the Treaty of Paris of 03Sept1783. There were still lots of local conflicts and actions going on.
I will cover the treaty in the next video on this timeline. I thought about getting to the treaty, but the video was so big. The process will be covered in the future.
@JeffreytheLibrarian Many thanks. But please cover as much as possible all the little scrapes in the South that Nathaniel Greene had to clean up and the residual loyalist action in the North.. Hit on Privateering, which was still a biggie, post 17Oct1781.. You have a great channel. Keep up the good work.
Excellent video. So much I didn't know. In my hometown of Philadelphia, there's a house (in Germantown) that has holes from musket balls from the battle fought there. I wonder: Are there other locations that still have evidence with the scars of battles from the Revolutionary War? I think history becomes real when people are able to see and touch what actually occurred.
Great presentation. My only disagreement is that I believe the Battle of Brooklyn (aka Battle of Long Island) was the biggest. Funny thing is that I grew up and went to school in that section and the Battle was hardly mentioned
@@JeffreytheLibrarian the serial videos which abut each other by year do not mention nor focus on ongoing motive. The fact that the American revolution was the first in modern history and got its revolutionary ideas and thoughts from the French, as well as the importance of the French helping the Americans during their struggle to win over the British are not even touched upon. These deserve at least a mention albeit brief.
As soon as I hear Paul Revere really didn't go on his poetic ride, I gotta comment. Hopefully we get to hear the actual version of American history not the tall tales passed on to us. I do wonder why we as a culture feel we must lie about it. A bunch unscrupulous businessmen wanted the land to the east, land The Crown had said was off limits and illegally purchased large swaths of it for themselves. This was indigenous lands that was being sold. Of the scoundrels was a tall, quiet, unassuming man that liked to wear his military uniform to traitorous meetings. Shockingly he was offered the job when it came up to rebel against his now former employer as he took the job as head of the Revolutionary Army. If he didn't make sure the traitors won, he of course would have been punished for breaking the law. I do wish more history was done in that manner instead of "down and trodden-on farmers to heroes against a mighty war machine and overbearing ruler". To refer to the traitors as "patriots" already assumes a version of history is to be told plus it is so overused and misused by the undeserving as of late. With that said, I realise my fellow countrymen won't appreciate this, King George actually measured and contributed to the information on the transit of Venus. Taxation without permission was just an excuse. It was changed to "taxation without representation" when we became a representative democracy. Just another alteration to our history. A couple other titbits. Franklin didn't fly the kite to determine that lighting was a big static charge, likely done in France with a pole and a wine bottle, obviously. He wrote and I severely paraphrase, that England will always be better with the American Colonies at her side. Seventeen years later he had changed his mind. The scoundrel from above, yes Washington. Fathered multitudes of slave children by the raping of women and never released not a one slave upon his death. Sure he returned to the capitol, if you could call it that, with a victorious army and relinquished command. What other General has ever done that but he did just ensure he wasn't going to jail in winning the war. Edit, almost forgot. The Liberty Bell, not battle damaged, that is how you repair a poor casting. That is all it was. Just more lies.
I have one major contention with the narrative regarding Ft. Ticonderoga, the blatant "Arnold-aphobia" is ever present. Allen had NO authority, other than buying the next round, which he infamously reneged in all likelihood.👎
@@NathanDudani I've been trying to cope homie. As a veteran myself, I'm disgusted by what the country has become since 1776 and since I enlisted in 2004. Those papers drafted in 1775 are responsible for so much death, chaos, and destruction in modern America. Time for change. Time to fight the United States and make a better, truly free country.
@@splitman1129the problem isn’t the founding documents, the problem is how far our representatives (supposedly) have managed to nullify and ignore the founding documents
The war did not end at Yorktown. June 1782 three of my ancestors were with the ill fated Crawford expedition in May/June 1782. Battle of Upper Sandusky (OHIO). All three survived and went back to Pa. Also, Israel Boone(son of Daniel Boone) was killed in action after Yorktown. The war did not end at Yorktown.
His troops ,and all the wives, children, and camp followers (which was very large ), were so short on supplies that he couldn't maintain them. That Hessian defeat in it's bid for supplies was a desperation move. The American forces had slowed his way south every way they could, felling trees and blocking roads. And, as Jeffery points out, the delay had given the Americans a chance to substantially increase their forces.
Best down to the details explanation 👌🏽But two things I was looking for is after the towns, cities and colonies of America when and how where each of the actual individual states made before the United States? And the role of France funding for the US independence.
The 13 colonies involved with the Revolution that became states had been established over the previous two centuries, beginning with Jamestown in Virginia in 1607. I have a few videos on this subject, including "First Colonies, 1565-1700" and "Thirteen Colonies, 1700-1750." So the states had been colonies for a long time before the Revolution. France bankrolled the American Revolution, and provided many troops and ships, so it was significant.
A little known fact... The first armed resistance occurred in New Hampshire. In December of 1774 (5 months before the battle of Lexington and Concord) , Paul Revere rode to Portsmouth NH to warn the patriots that the British were about to secure their munitions in the colonies. A contigent of patriots from Portsmouth NH attacked and seized Fort William and Mary. They secured 100 barrels of gunpowder and weapons and distributed them to patriot groups in preparation for an armed revolution.
I CANT BELIEVE your opening account. No mention that PR's ride was to warn Adams and Handcock AND provoke the Brits with that shot, same plan Adams had used in Boston for years, but didn't get away with it thanks to his sober brother.
Thought it was going to be in here but you skipped Grey's raid September 1778 of New Bedford, Dartmouth, Acushnet and Fairhaven...then right after to Martha's Vineyard. Every Revolutionary war thing I watch always skips this, even though it was a major raid, with 4000 landing troops and Burnt New Bedford to the ground where the fires were seen 20 miles away in Newport
