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This week’s :
The American Battlefield Trust celebrates the transfer of 7.6 acres into the Antietam National Battlefield.
Just last week, the national park unit honoring the 1862 battle that remains the bloodiest day in American history grew by 7.6 acres thanks to the efforts of the nonprofit American Battlefield Trust. The property, purchased by the Trust in 2016 and stewarded until the transfer process was completed in recent weeks, sits directly across from the Antietam National Battlefield visitor center and encompasses the southern tip of the famous West Woods, scene of fierce fighting on the morning of September 17, 1862. Now that it is part of the park, non-historic structures on the property will be removed to better approximate the area’s wartime appearance with the assistance of a grant from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority and the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area.
Antietam National Battlefield remembers the September 17 engagement that witnessed more than 22,000 casualties and spurred President Abraham Lincoln to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, making it a critical turning point in the course of the conflict, as it transitioned from a war to preserve the Union to one seeking to end slavery.
Encompassing the southern tip of the West Woods and just south of the iconic Dunker Church, the site saw fierce combat in the battle’s morning phase. Confederates under command of Brig. Gen. Joseph B. Kershaw crossed this tract, where they slammed into Union soldiers in the woods. Becoming a no-man's-land for a short while, the land was then occupied by Maryland and Pennsylvanian soldiers from the Union XII Corps until they were driven out by North Carolina and Arkansas troops. The land is prominently featured in one of the famous images taken in the battle’s immediate aftermath by photographer Alexander Gardner and exhibited to public fascination in New York City.
Check out ABT's full article for more information!
This week’s : The 1776 Musical
Before Hamilton became a smash Broadway hit, there were several other acclaimed musicals and plays that all touched upon the American Revolution to different degrees. In 1934 there was Maxwell Anderson’s “Valley Forge”, in 64’ there was Sidney Michaels’ “Ben Franklin in Paris”, or even Trevor Griffiths’ “A New World: A Life of Thomas Paine” which first debuted in 2009. One of the most famous musicals out of these pieces would be Sherman Edwards’ 1969 hit “1776.”
“1776” primarily follows the founding fathers’ efforts to persuade their colonial colleagues to vote for American independence and sign the Declaration of Independence. The production won three Tony awards including the title of Best Musical, Best Performance by a Featured in a Musical, and Best Direction of a Musical. Three years following its musical release, a film adaptation was created to help reach wider audiences. The musical celebrated a revival in 1997, and was supposed to have another one in 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, the revival case can be found at the Roundabout’s American Airlines Theatre from September 2022-January 8, 2023.
Below you can find a clip from the movie which features my favourite number from the musical “Sit Down John.”
This week’s : Visit the Hartwell Tavern
The Hartwell Tavern is an 18th century, restored home and tavern which sits upon the historic “Battle Road” trail. The Hartwell Tavern is recognized today as being a “witness house” as it was present during the Battle of Lexington and Concord on Apri 19th, 1775. The Tavern’s interior is open to visitors, and patrons will gain a key insight to late 18th century life by exploring both inside and outside the building. Learn more about the Hartwell family or talk about the popular drinks that would have been consumed in the beautiful tavern room.
This historical site is part of a myriad that can be found at the Minute Man National Historical Park in Massachusetts. The Hartwell Tavern stands at the center of the Minute Man Park’s “Living History” operations which are a serious of events that are led by costumed interpreters who hold keen knowledge on many different topics related to the Battle of Lexington and Concord as well as colonial Massachusetts. The park’s operations are oriented out of the Summer and the Fall, and if you happen to be in the area, you’ll be able to participate in all of the park’s events up until October 30th.
If you happen to have visited the park already or are planning on doing so again in the future, let us know about your experiences!
This week’s : Polly Cooper
Polly Cooper of the Oneida Indian Nation helped save Continental soldiers’ lives after they suffered through the harsh winter of 1777-78 at Valley Forge. Thanks to the Oneida Indian Nation extensive oral history, Cooper’s dedication to caring for General George Washington’s army through illness and hunger endures in our memory.
The Oneida Indian Nation was an ally of the American cause during the Revolutionary War. Many Oneidas supported the war effort as warriors and scouts, playing critical roles in several engagements such as the Battle of Oriskany. But the Oneidas bravery and generosity off the battlefield also proved pivotal to the fight for American independence. In December of 1777, Washington moved the Continental Army to their winter quarters at Valley Forge. His exhausted troops struggled to survive the harsh conditions. Disease was rampant. Thousands of soldiers lacked proper clothing and food supplies. So, when Oneida Chief Oskanondonha, or Skenandoah, sent a group of warriors to join the army at Valley Forge, he also sent a gift of surplus corn with the expedition. Cooper – skilled in cooking and medicine – joined roughly 50 warriors in their mission to provide much needed relief to Washington’s men.
Cooper’s party began its journey from New York in April 1778, traveling hundreds of miles by foot to Pennsylvania. They arrived in Valley Forge with hundreds of baskets of white corn. Since white corn takes careful preparation before it can be eaten, Cooper taught soldiers and their families how to properly cook it. She also cared for sick soldiers, refusing to accept any pay for her services.
Cooper’s descendants and the Oneida Indian Nation ensure her selfless acts are not forgotten. Her descendants recorded her story and have cared for her shawl for generations. Recently, the Oneida Indian Nation donated a statue of Cooper standing alongside Washington and Oskanandonha to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian to commemorate the alliance between the Oneida Indian Nation and the United States.
This week’s :
“Grant Enables American Battlefield Trust to Elevate Black, Indigenous Connections to Virginia Battlefields”
Just last Friday, the American Battlefield trust announced that funding from the American Battlefield Protection Program has helped launch a Trust study to better integrate under-told narratives connected to Virginia’s battlefield landscapes. Their strategic study will document the material culture of Native tribes and Black communities in Virginia’s battlefields. This process and study will help make a more complete depiction of Virginia’s early wartime history and increase public understanding and awareness of the American Revolution, War of 1812, and the Civil War’s effects and impacts on these groups.
“Perspective is vital to the study of history, and this project will highlight the multifaceted significance of Virginia’s hallowed grounds,” said American Battlefield Trust President David Duncan. “We remain grateful for our wonderful partner in the American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP), as we work together to advance our many preservation and education initiatives.”
Equipped with a $94,000 Preservation Planning Grant, the Trust will conduct primary source research, oral history interviews, and non-invasive field surveys at three regionally varied battlefields in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This data will be used to fill gaps in the state’s wartime history, so that the public may experience battlefields as indigenous landscapes and settlements, sites of enslaved agricultural and industrial labor, and freedmen’s post-war settlements, as well as sites of our nation’s defining conflict.
This week’s : “The Star-Spangled Banner”
The “Star-Spangled Banner” is likely the most well-known song in all American history, and many people are taught as young the children the origin story of how Francis Scott Key wrote the poem that eventually became the United States’ national anthem. The story goes that Key was apolitical prisoner on a British ship during the War of 1812. From a porthole in the brig, Key watched the battle of Fort McHenry and witnessed the survival of the fort against all odds. Desperate to tell of the experience, Key wrote the original poem of the Star-Spangled Banner on the back of a letter or envelope. Key’s poem would later be converted into a song which became popularized in the United States until, in 1931, it was legally recognized by Congress to be the United States’ national anthem.
This is a common story told to most school children in America, but there are some myths that arise in this story that are not reflective of the context in which Francis Scott Key wrote the Star-Spangled Banner. For starters, Key was never a prisoner to the British, he was instead a negotiator who was tasked with serving as a mediator between American and British officials for the release of some American hostages. Furthermore, his status as a diplomat would have meant that he had plenty of access to ink and paper considering that he was actively doing his job while bearing witness to the assault of Fort McHenry. While the original draft is lost to history, his final handwritten copy is currently held by the Maryland Historical Society. Lastly, Key is generally recognized by historians as writing the lyrics while ALSO having a tune in mind for the piece.