Did you enjoy this series? Then you'll love James Early's new show "Key Battles of American History." Check it out on the podcast player of your choice or go to keybattlesofamericanhistory.com. Listen here to a snippet of his episode where he a

237 Years After the Revolutionary War, Some Say It Was a Mistake. Are They Right?

Mar 28th, 2020 43m 18s

There are few events that would shake the world order like the success of the American Revolution. Some changes would be felt immediately. English traditions such as land inheritance laws were swept away. Other changes took longer. Slavery woul

George Washington's Spies: The Culper Ring, Nathan Hale, and the Plot to Capture Benedict Arnold

Mar 27th, 2020 55m 17s

Spycraft was seen as a treacherous craft, but it was necessary to win a war. Washington knew this, as his early attempts to gather intelligence on British-occupied New York led to an execution of Nathan Hale, a young school teacher. More sophis

The Revolutionary War Comes to an End

Mar 26th, 2020 24m 29s

After Yorktown, a truce was declared in America, although some skirmishes did break out until final peace was negotiated in Paris in 1783. In this episode, Scott and James look at what happened to the British and American generals and politicia

The Battle of Yorktown: Britain's Surrender in the Revolutionary War

Mar 25th, 2020 1h 8m

The Battle of Yorktown sealed the fate of the Revolutionary War. In late 1781, American and French troops laid siege to the British Army at Yorktown, Virginia. First, a bit of background. The partisan warfare that kept occurring in the upcountr

The Siege of Yorktown: American and France Corner Britain

Mar 24th, 2020 27m 8s

On October 14, 1781, Washington and French General Comte de Rochambeau attacked on October 14th, capturing two British defense. British Gen. Cornwallis surrendered two days later.

King’s Mountain & Cowpens: The Revolutionary War's Largest 'All-American Fight'

Mar 23rd, 2020 27m 18s

The Battles of King's Mountain and Cowpens were fought in 1781, between the Continental Army under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan and British forces under Lieutenant Colonel Sir Banastre Tarleton, as part of the campaign in the Carolinas. Dani

The War Moves South (And Benedict Arnold Commits Treason)

Mar 22nd, 2020 39m 6s

In 1788, the battle lines of the Revolutionary War moved from New England to the southern colonies. Lord George Germain, the British secretary responsible for the war, wrote to Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton that capturing the southern co

The Philadelphia Campaign: When Britain Took Over Ben Franklin's House

Mar 21st, 2020 36m 54s

The Philadelphia Campaign of 1777-8 was a British attempt to capture Philadelphia, then the capital of the United States and the seat of the Continental Congress, led by Gen. William Howe. They did capture the city, but British disaster loomed

Victory At Saratoga: France Enters the War

Mar 20th, 2020 56m 52s

Benedict Arnold’s fierce attack disordered the enemy and led to an American victory. The decisive Patriot victory compelled France to enter the war as an ally with the United States.

The Battle of Saratoga Was Won by American Hero Benedict Arnold

Mar 19th, 2020 46m 7s

The Battle of Saratoga was an incredible turn of fortunes for the United States. British Gen. John Burgoyne thought he would cut off New England from the rest of the colonies. Instead, he lost the battle and was forced to surrender 20,000 troop

How France and America Cooperated During the Revolutionary War

Mar 19th, 2020 40m 10s

The Battle of Rhode Island (also known as the Battle of Quaker Hill and the Battle of Newport) took place on August 29, 1778. The battle was the first attempt at cooperation between French and American forces following France’s entry into the w

The Saratoga Campaign: Turning Point of the Revolutionary War

Mar 18th, 2020 35m 45s

The Saratoga campaign gave a decisive victory to the Americans over the British during the American Revolutionary War. The battle also saw great heroics by Benedict Arnold.

The Battle of Princeton Proves George Washington Was So Lucky, It Was Almost Supernatural

Mar 17th, 2020 28m 25s

Washington and his men had their work cut out for them after crossing the Delaware River. Over the next ten days, they won two battles. First, the Patriots defeated a Hessian garrison on December 26th. They then returned to Trenton a week later

Crossing the Delaware

Mar 16th, 2020 36m 42s

At the end of 1776 George Washington was in a desperate situation. The Continental Army had retreated completely out of New York after losing Long Island to British General William Howe. Many of his soldiers’ contracts were set to expire at yea

The New York Campaign (2/2)

Mar 15th, 2020 35m 40s

The New York Campaign ended in a decisive victory for the British and terrible defeat for the Continental Army, which barely escaped destruction. It was completely driven out of New York fro the rest of the war, and the British used it as a bas

The New York Campaign (1/2)

Mar 14th, 2020 42m 12s

When the British left Boston, George Washington realized that their eventual destination would be New York City. He quickly traveled to NYC to oversee the building of defenses, organized the Continental Army into divisions, and prepared for the

Sidetrack Episode: The Declaration of Independence

Mar 13th, 2020 1h 9m

In the background of the opening battles of the Revolutionary War, an assembly of colonial statesmen issued a document announcing their formal separation from the British Empire. How did this document come about, what did the British make of it

The Battle of Quebec

Mar 12th, 2020 33m 32s

The Battle of Quebec, fought on December 31, 1775, marked the end of American offensive operations in Canada. General Richard Montgomery was killed, Arnold wounded, and Daniel Morgan and more than four hundred American soldiers taken prisoner.

The Quebec Campaign

Mar 11th, 2020 42m 50s

The Continental Army thought they could rally the French-speaking residents of Canada in their uprising against the British. Such thinking led to the Quebec Campaign. Although a major defeat for the Americans, it showed the dogged determinism o

Bunker Hill (2/2)

Mar 10th, 2020 49m 33s

“Don't fire till you see the whites of their eyes!” — famous words, and smart strategy for using terribly inaccurate muskets, but what were the conditions that gave rise to that advice? Find out in this episode, as the Battle of Bunker hill wra

Bunker Hill (1/2)

Mar 9th, 2020 42m 43s

With the Revolutionary War turning from cold to hot, the British made plans to send troops from Boston to break the Colonials’ siege of that city and occupy the surrounding hills. About one thousand militiamen fortified Breed’s Hill to prepare

Sidetrack Episode: British and Continental Soldiers

Mar 8th, 2020 53m 42s

The Continental Army and the British Army were significantly different in their organizational structure, levels of experience, and funding. The Continental Army was an undisciplined, unprepared fighting force with makeshift uniforms and sloppy

Lexington and Concord

Mar 7th, 2020 1h 3m

The Battles of Lexington and Concord were of minor military significance but of world-historical importance in the modern era. They were the first military engagements of the Revolutionary War, marking the outbreak of armed conflict between Gre

Background to the War

Mar 6th, 2020 51m 46s

Our series is picking up steam as we jump to the years immediately prior to the Shot Heard ‘Round the World. James and Scott discuss the interregnum between the French-Indian War and the Revolutionary War, the Sugar Act (1764), the Stamp Act (1