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This week’s :
The American Battlefield Trust and Wide Awake Films lean on virtual reality to unleash new understanding of the nation’s founding conflict
Once again, the American Battlefield Trust has merged the past with the present by mixing traditional historical narratives with modern-day technology. The organization’s newest virtual reality (VR) experience, “Soldier Life of the American Revolution,” places viewers in a 360-degree perspective of what daily life would have looked like during that founding conflict. This captivating experience will show viewers the atmosphere of a military camp, the chaotic nature of woodland fighting and the perilous horrors of late 18th-century medicine and warfare.
In this Revolutionary-era VR iteration, audiences are met with panoramic views of camp life, battle and the painful aftermath of fighting. Not only through the eyes of Patriot soldiers does the audience witness these occurrences — but also through the perspective of British troops and female nurses. Those using a virtual reality headset or cardboard viewer can take advantage of the product’s directional sound, while mobile devices enable users to pinch-and-zoom for a closer look at specific details. Either method gives viewers a degree of control to explore the scenes from the angle that most interests them while tuning in to the narrator’s insightful commentary. While not every student of history can grasp the reality of life amid the Revolutionary War from a book, many will find the sensory-filled digital resource to be a refreshing tool that enhances history education.
You can check it out yourself over at the American Battlefield Trust!
This week’s :
“Revolutionary Christmas – Christmas during the American Revolution Lecture”
December 14 - 14, 2022 @ 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM EST
A virtual holiday program provided by the National Park Service Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail. Dr. Iris de Rode, PhD., will tell us about how American and allied French soldiers celebrated Christmas during the American Revolution.
During the American Revolutionary War, the Christmas tree, Santa Claus, and the Christmas Holidays had not made their way to the Thirteen Colonies yet.
Celebrating Christmas depended on religious affiliation and which state one was in. While Puritans considered Christmas a dangerous “pagan tradition” and did not celebrate it, Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, Moravians, went to church and decorated their home with holly and mistletoe to receive guests for splendid dinners and balls, and gave each other Christmas gifts. Especially in the Southern colonies, celebrations were grand and festive.
While some were celebrating, American soldiers and officers were fighting for their independence. During the war, for George Washington and his men, Christmas meant crossing the Delaware, fighting at Trenton, surviving at Valley Forge.
For the French allies, this was different, they celebrated Christmas in America as they would have done in France. In the winters from 1780 to 1783, the French allied officers in America organized grand Christmas dinners, the soldiers got special meals, and some went on sleigh expeditions and squirrel hunts.
Its sure to be an exciting lecture, so make sure you stop by and check it out!
This week’s :
The Smuggler John Lafitte
Jean Lafitte, sometimes spelled Laffite, was born in approximately 1780 in either France or Saint Domingue (modern day Haiti) and according historian H.W. Brands, Lafitte “was French, Spanish or Jewish depending on who was asking. In 1810, Lafitte operated as a pirate in Louisiana. Lafitte’s main commodity was African slaves because the United States outlawed international slave imports in 1808. Lafitte purchased slaves in the West Indies, where they were cheap, and then smuggled them into Louisiana where they were expensive because of this federal ban on slave imports. Additionally, Lafitte worked for the government of Cartagena, modern day Columbia, to sabotage Imperial Spanish commerce, which helped that former colony achieve independence. By the terms of this commission, Lafitte and his brothers could keep any commerce captured. However, American law prohibited the legal landing and selling of these stolen goods in the United States but that did not stop the Lafitte brothers who made their home base in the Barataria Bay of Louisiana, near New Orleans.
In September of 1814 the British enlisted Lafitte and the Baratarians to help fight against the United States in New Orleans. In exchange for this aid, the British offered Lafitte $30,000, the position as captain in the British Navy and amnesty from prosecution. Lafitte asked for two weeks to consider this generous offer and in that time he wrote to Governor Claiborne of Louisiana offering to assist in the defense of New Orleans against the British invasion in exchange for a pardon for his smuggling charges. Claiborne was inclined to accept this offer; however, the Louisiana legislature rejected Lafitte’s proposition. Neither aligned with the British nor the Americans, Lafitte’s base in Barataria Bay was raided and destroyed by both the British navy and American naval forces. However, in early 1815 General Andrew Jackson reconsidered Lafitte’s offer. Though Jackson initially hesitated over questions of the Baratarians loyalty and their federal indictment, he eventually relented after a judge suspended the indictment for four months because the Baratarians were the best gunners in the Caribbean and knew the terrain well. During the Battle of New Orleans, about 50 Baratarians manned the guns on American battleships and operated the terrestrial batteries. Jackson and Lafitte got along so well that the pirate became Jackson’s unofficial aide-de-camp.
Following the War of 1812, Lafitte received a pardon from President James Madison for his service and resumed his career as a pirate on Galveston’s Island in Spanish Texas. He served as a spy for the Spanish during Mexico’s war for independence. In 1820, the United States Navy shut down Lafitte’s smuggling operation in Spanish Texas, which is the last known record of Lafitte.
This week’s :
ABT Unveils New Video Titles for their Untold History Series
The American Battlefield Trust expands its fresh approach to history with eight new videos in its award-winning series How We Became America: The UNTOLD History that focuses largely on the American Revolution. In concise, well-illustrated presentations of three minutes or less, the videos illuminate the Revolution’s great moments and leaders. The short programs answer questions that are often skipped, due to time limitations in the classroom, but help make the past come alive for curious, young students.
With the success of the Trust’s first three installments, which cover topics tied to the nation’s first century, the leading battlefield land preservation organization sought grant funding from the American Battlefield Protection Program’s battlefield interpretation grants to further expand its catalog with Revolutionary War content directly tied to specific locales Further support was provided by Americana Corner, an online entity that offers insight on America’s founding and expansive first century while uplifting the work of storytellers and historians who are shining a light on the nation’s beginnings. The newly released videos are the first of an expected 80 to come out of the partnership.
You can find them all on the American Battlefield Trust’s Website!
This week’s : Christmas events!!
Christmas Open House at Bentonville Battlefield at Four Oaks, N.C.!
Celebrate a Civil War Christmas at Bentonville Battlefield, site of the last large-scale battle of the Civil War. Visitors will experience 19th century period music and a stroll through the soldier's camp while enjoying cookies and cider by the fire. Ornaments will be available to decorate and take home. The event is free and open to the public!!
December 3: Iron Plantation Christmas at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site at Elverson, Pa.
Join the National Park Service on a trip back in time, as they celebrate Christmas the same way the people of Hopewell Furnace did for over the 112 years of the furnace's history. Gain insight into the diverse community that existed in a rural yet industrial space. Enjoy blacksmith demonstrations, holiday crafts, and an appearance by the folkloric Belsnickel! This free, family-oriented event is open to the public.
December 3: Christmas 1862 at Manassas, Va.
In collaboration with the Manassas National Battlefield Park, the Manassas Battlefield Trust will be hosting their "Christmas 1862" program at the historic Stone House. The program will feature Victorian-era Christmas traditions as well as caroling, hands-on activities, cider and snacks. The event is free and open to the public, but a reservation is required.
You can learn more about these events and many more by checking out the American Battlefield Trust’s extensive holiday event recommendations!
This week’s :
The NPS Awards Nearly $2 million to protect over 200 acres at four Civil War battlefields
The National Park Service’s communication office dropping a press release just this last week in which they highlighted recent accomplishments related to their American Battlefield Protection program. The NPS has awarded $1,903,065 in Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants to help protect over 200 acres of land at four separate Civil War battlefields in Mississippi, Virginia, and West Virginia.
These awards have been split as follows:
-Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission ($972,291) for preservation of 121.9 acres at Shepherdstown Battlefield in Jefferson County, WV.
-Mississippi Department of Archives and History ($136,740) for preservation of 3.06 acres at Chickasaw Bayou Battlefield in Warren County, MS.
-Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation ($536,277) for preservation of 42.19 acres at Chancellorsville Battlefield in Spotsylvania County, VA.
-Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation ($257,757) for preservation of 44.75 acres at Cedar Mountain Battlefield in Culpeper County, VA.
All efforts for preservation have been formed from a coalition of county governments, local landowners, the Land Trust of the Eastern Panhandle, and the nonprofit American Battlefield Trust. This is truly an astounding victory for battlefield preservation.