A panel of historians looks at various aspects of the revolutionary warera military. Topics include George Washingtons and how historians use a soldiers personal memoirs or journals. By the society for historians of the early american republic. I want to welcome you. Have for very young historians today, so i feel a generation or two beyond. I will introduce them in a moment. Before i do, a word or two on why we are actually here. All of our historians are specialists on the American Revolution with a particular interest in its military aspects. As you learn from listening to them, their approaches for the for independence very considerably. There is no microphone here. We will hear remarks about gender, personal narratives, the influence of revolutionary statery service and formation. It, i think our panelists are going to illustrate the Central Point of all military history and that is the field encompasses virtually all perspectives historians can bring to bear. Military organizatio
Well, its incredibly exciting to welcome my friend of nearly 30 years now Joanne Freeman who i got to know running the streets of charlottesville when we were both young graduate students. It was already apparent at the time that there were a lot of smart people, i dont know how i got in, but joanne was already sort of head and shoulders above her colleagues, just had an incredibly sharp mind, was already talking about this founding father guy Alexander Hamilton, who most of us were like, come on, thats sort of boring. But lots of pressient things about joannes work as a scholar. Her first book affairs of honor published in 2001, does this sound relevant today, arousing exploitation of the distopian political culture. She was gone on to edit hamiltons writing. I hope joanne with tell us about how close to being a lifelong passion for Alexander Hamilton, shes add, was it the eighth grade. 14 years old she sent me a picture of her essay which she has preserved about the duel. This is som
Good evening, everyone. Good evening. Thats good. Thank you all for being here. My name is kirk brandt, were delighted to have you here for the four evening book talks and i begin by thanking the Ford Motor Company for their partnership, and theyve done a lot for us including endowing this book talk series. Im personally able to welcome back nathaniel philbrick. And i asked to introduce him because whenever i do that, im struck by his bona fides as a true renaissance man. A ba from brown university, and he was a james duke fellow and a worked as an editor at sailing World Magazine and wrote and edited several sailing books, the yachting wind, and the parody. And hes the author of mayflower, as well as a book heart of the sea, National Book award for nonfiction. In 2010 he published a book called the last stand, it was New York Times best seller. It was a New York Times notable book and ala notable book and attempted into a 10 part tv series and adapted as we speak into a 10part series
Mornings america at war people would go we shot tomahawks, we are not at war. If you talk to people near the receiving end of those tomahawks very different response. So the danger is you have different thresholds. You are shooting at someone and they say it feels like were to me and when youre in another position you say well we are just doing surgical operations. You can get this resentment in american arrogance. Americans can be perceived as we are arrogant because we can stand up from the heavens and throw thunderbolts. Although militarily it may just read the right move if you are building up massive resentment than theres a negative cost to it. Its one of those technologies that has to be very carefully balanced as we use it. Pretty soon everybody is going to happen. A lot of countries have them now. I dont know how we will feel when somebody does it to us but i can predict. Thats a great question. Thank you. With that i want to thank bank of america for hosting this and thank yo