Archive for the ‘History’ Category

Your best condiment will be salt.

Alexander Hamilton seemed to suffer from digestive ailments for much of his life, along with the usual fevers acquired by people of his era. He was sick a lot, and as he got older it just got worse. I believe, as many others do, that he worked himself into this condition. Though he was shot […]

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Never is it too late

I found this anecdote from Elizabeth Gilbert most inspiring: I arrived somewhat late to my passion for the study of history, though when I look back, I can see little seeds germinating — from my lifelong love of reading, to a couple of fairly intense history books I picked up in 2007 and 2009. Anyway, […]

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Col. Tilghman

General Washington’s longest-serving and most loyal aide was Tench Tilghman. I wish to know more about him, but he is one of the many unsung heroes of the Revolution, a man who was quite famed and loved by his contemporaries, but died too soon and was overshadowed in time. Anyway, every 18th c. history enthusiast […]

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“He will be the greatest man who ever lived”

The Battle of Princeton The title is a quote by King George III referring to George Washington’s intention to resign the army at the conclusion of the war — rather than seizing power for himself. Washington was born this day two-hundred-eighty-five years ago. Ron Chernow summarizes his duty as commander of the Continental Army in […]

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knavery!

Can we bring this word back? It’s so much fun. I am losing character my friend, because I am not over complaisant to the spirit of clamour, so that I am in a fair way to be out with every body. With one set, I am considered as a friend to military pretensions however exorbitant, […]

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Lil Jimmy Madison

I stumbled across this film last week when I was curious to see if anyone had ever played James Madison in a starring cinematic role. The description of the plot reads: “Ginger Rogers is the daughter of boardinghouse owners in Washington, DC who falls in love with Aaron Burr and James Madison.” There is so […]

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Portraits

Last night I started reading a book about Abraham Lincoln’s role as commander-in-chief during his presidency. As President’s Day approaches, I am enjoying immersing myself into the stories of presidents we once had who were honest, intelligent, courageous, and humble. God, remember that? Good times. Anyway, I have read a lot about the Revolutionary War […]

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Monmouth Court House

I am watching the sun rise and drinking my coffee. The layer of light closest to the earth is a pale, fiery orange, then above it, streaks of blue and white clouds, then far above that, a long column of candy pink, then ascending to a dusty lavender, and finally twilight blue. It envelops the […]

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St Croix

enlarge hither In 1767, Alex Hamilton lived with his mother and brother in Christiansted, a grid of streets near the harbor. He was illegitimate, and was subject to scorn because of that, sometimes called an “obscene child” by people in his town. In modern day Christiansted, there are monuments to Hamilton, and streets that bear […]

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Outgunned, Outmanned

From my window I see a large moon winking from behind the twisting and swaying black forms of treetops. The wind storm is dramatic, but so far hasn’t taken electricity. I’m sure the street and yard are littered with arboreal debris at this point. This morning I read about the Battle of Brooklyn, summer of […]

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