New York Harbor

When I stepped off of the Queen Elizabeth onto the piers in the New York Harbor, I was immediately overwhelmed by the hustle of a commercial city that could rival London in its business. The stereotypical inexperienced tourist, I attempted to make everything I could of the colonies in the few days I had to spare for leisure, and ended up so tired that by the time the day came for me to begin my apprenticeship, I could barely lift a finger.

They say that occupation keeps one’s hands from idle, useless work. They also say that the pleasures of laziness during peregrination are vices that should be discouraged. Of course, one can assume that they have never really traveled or they would know how much work it is (whoever “they” may be representative of). This guide is made to ease the stress from your journeys as you tour the colonies for the first time, so that you might not make the same mistakes that I did.

The South

Ah, fair Carolina! Indeed, the land here is fair, with stout palmettos dotting the windswept, sandy beaches, and wealthy villas and mansions placed strategically to overlook wonderful ocean vistas. Now three separate colonies, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, this is the place of plantations and warm weather. The climate is mild and so are the people, delighting in lavishness and luxuriantly magnanimous.

I’d suggest a stay at a seaside inn, and then heading inland for a slave auction. A trip made in the spring or summer warrants a beautiful carriage ride, as the indigo flowers are in full bloom at this time of year. Fairly used, the roads are relatively well-maintained. Further inland, more adventurous travelers can stay in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains surrounded by Nature in all her glory.

The Chesapeake Bay

Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware have much to offer in the way of attractions as well. Cooler temperatures provide an escape from the humid heat of the South.

In Virginia, visit the historic site of Jamestown, the first English settlement in the colonies. Intrepid travelers may choose to explore the Chesapeake Bay by boat, much like the celebrated Captain John Smith did upon his arrival, while botany enthusiasts can venture into the hilly, green Piedmont region on the border with Maryland and delight in the pristine land filled with trees. Beware of shallow bay waters and swampy land in some areas.

Dining opportunities are readily available, and most inns serve the simple fisherman’s fare of crab or scallops along with some harvested greens.

Independence Hall, Philadelphia

Following the Eastern Seaboard north, one would come upon the mouth of the Delaware River in New Jersey. Sandy stretches entice any seaside-lovers, while further inland, Pennsylvania is a traveler’s delight.

As you ride into Pennsylvania, immerse yourself in the scenery of the Appalachian Mountains. In this hilly colony, stay in Philadelphia, a lively city full of spirited people. Several taverns offer dining and room choice. In and outside the city, learn of new theologies at a church of the religiously eccentric Quakers, as only Pennsylvania can boast of having such a large Quaker population. While you are here, make sure to visit the exhibition at Fairmount Park, which will only be held this year, 1776.

The Greater New York Area

New York is a fine colony in which one could spend days. Named after the Duke of York, who purchased the land after a transaction with the Dutch, New York still holds much of its Dutch heritage. Tour the city, from the bustle of Wall Street to the tranquility of Long Island, where the main enterprise is farming. Spend a few days here, indulging. Or else, you might decide to set up shop here and purchase a small cottage on Broadway.

Follow the Hudson River north, stopping in pleasant hamlets along the way, before spending a night a night in Albany. Originally known as Fort Orange, Albany used to be a Dutch fur trading post, and this area offers much in the terms of game for prospective hunters. Those for whom hunting is not suited may choose to experience new culture as they search for the Iroquois who live in and around Saratoga Springs.

New England

Some of the most colorful colonies are in New England, famous for its beautiful fall foliage, restive populace, and hearty seafood dishes. From New York, head to Connecticut, where the Loyalist residents are generous and very willing to rent out rooms for overnight stays. Don’t forget to visit the great college of Yale in New Haven and compare it with a critical eye to Oxford back at home.

A night in Boston will enrich this vacation; stop for a cup of tea in one of the many streetside cafes, or protest against the drink in the many riots that take place in this city. Head north, taking in the beautiful countryside that surrounds the area. See where the Pilgrims landed at the Plimoth Plantations, and witness firsthand the hill in Salem where the witches were tried.

A New Hampshire Farmhouse

In Vermont and New Hampshire, drink in the scenery as you ride through the forests and mountains. Stay in quaint roadside inns as you tour these rustic colonies, and attend Mass in the small but charming chapels and churches that dot the woods. I’d recommend not to arrive in the winter, as snowfall is heavy at that time of year, and the air is even colder than in England.

In Maine, which is officially part of Massachusetts, one can find abundant wildlife and breathtaking vistas of both mountains and ocean. Enjoy square meals of buttered lobster and greens while on the lookout for whales, or set up camp in the forest and sleep under the stars in this sparsely populated colony.

Not to be missed amongst its larger counterparts, Rhode Island is a tiny colony, but full of life. Visit the Providence plantations or simply stay by the sea and let the ocean waves lull you to sleep.

Pages and pages more could be used to describe the splendor of the colonies, but even without the excess chapters and appendices, America is still the dream of every traveler, with gorgeous landscapes and vibrant people.

Around 4:00 AM, General George Washington, commander of the Continental Army, crossed the Delaware River into Trenton, New Jersey. He was going to attempt to surprise the Hessian mercenaries and drive them out of New Jersey. With the river filled with ice, it was a dangerous mission, but it was there only way of defeating the British. Everything from cannons to horses crossed with Washington and his column of troops. As he made landfall, they still had a long march to Trenton. The British weren’t expecting an attack on Christmas. It was something truly “disrespectful” and “rude to the Lord.”

That’s what’s on everyone’s mind. Christmas is the holiday when everyone stops what they’re doing and celebrates Jesus’ birth. They’ve broken the sacred law of God. As the British do the right thing and celebrate, the patriots continue doing their business. People are now considering if the Patriots are the bad guys and Britain is the good.

Local Trenton resident, James Forellan, explains what he thinks.

“How dare they break the law of God,” Forellan said. “The one thing both sides of this war have in common is Jesus and Christianity, but obviously the Patriots don’t care as much as the British. Religion comes before independence!”

Despite the colonies want for independence, religion seems to be more important. As people see General Washington, they think he won’t go to heaven when he dies. Still, they give the famous general their respects and encouragement to keep fighting the British and win the war for independence. Some also say that if he didn’t cross the river, his chances of winning have dimmed, but no one knows if he will or not. Only God and Jesus know and with his actions on the Delaware, his chances might be dimmed, but Washington thinks they’re still on their side.

    Drums were very useful for communications when the Patriots or British troops were sneaking up. Also when drummer boys were coming to the opposite team to surrender. The surrendering team would walk up next to the solider with the white flag.

     Music and entertainment always used a drum. When a team had a victory they would celebrate with music and entertainment. The snare and bass drums were mostly the beat of the songs played.

       People who were willing to sell their drums always made them themselves. The head of the drum which you bang on with 2 sticks was made out of calf skin. The outer part of the drum was made out of wood.

              Molly Pitcher was  just 17 when travling with her husband in the war. When the men would fall on the battle field or became dehydrated, Molly Pitcher would come out carrying water for them. She would run from the aid tent to men fallen on the field when guns were still being fired. When Molly was bringing water to a soldier when she spotted her husband on the ground, she ran to his cannon and started shooting until the battle was over. Her husband was dead but she knew she made a difference and she was proud.

            Another heroic women is Debrah Sampson. Deborah grew up as a enslaved servant. She went to school and got a good education and became a teacher. When Deborah heard about the war she wanted to be a part of it. Since women could’nt be in the Continental army, Deborah dressed up as a man and called herself Robert Shurtleff. None ever noticed that she wasn’t a man, but the other soldiers would tease “Robert” telling him he was short and was weak.When Deborah or “Robert” was wounded she would take care of herself. One day she came down with a fever and was sent to a hospital. When the doctor came to help she had to tell her secret. She told the doctor and he understood. The doctor took Deborah to his house away from the battle field and when she was healthy,she went back home.

          These women have made history in the  war.  They wanted to  fight for what they believed in, and it showed they wanted freedom for themselves and thier country. Today they are legendary heros.

Many different types of soups are made by the ladies who vounteered to help out in the war. Some common types of soup are, calf head soup and turtle soup.  They don’t sound so appetizing right? Well, I wouldn’t care if I were in the war. Food is food and I would just eat what I could get my hands on.

When it comes to meat, there are very different variaties. Chicken & cattle our very common examples. If I were you I would lock up your cattle tonight. Many soldiers are stealing meat for themselves. That’s how scarce food is, and how hungry they are.  Another common type of meat is mutton. I know, what is mutton your asking, well mutton is sheep.

Many soldiers eat bread. As you know, bread can go stale over time and then the rest of the bread that was left just goes to waste. Now the soldiers still eat bread, but they are really eating Hardtack. Hardtack is very hard bread or  hard biscut.  I’m not talking about  a little crunchy, I mean hard as a rock. That’s why they usually ate the bread with wine. Wine is very common for adults and kids.

Some uncommon types of food the soldiers eat is onion pie. This is like their dessert. It is a sweet, cheesey pie with onion.  Not only is it healthy, it is a nice treat. Since soldiers usually don’t have normal food, this treat is very, very uncommon. Yet, it is made for them when possible.

They might not  have as much food as they should but the food sometimes doesn’t really matter to them. They’re not fighting to have free meals and feel like a hero. They want to have freedom! So, the scarce of food is a big thing but most people think it is worth it in the end.

Some say that we need to make peace with Britain for our own good. We don’t want to end up with all of our men dead or wounded, with punishment from King George that is greater than we can possibly imagine. Many dead men will come with a war. It is better to live a life without freedom than no life at all. Some say that we should just swallow our pride right now, give it up, and surrender.

Others, though, believe that that feeling for revenge should drive us. So many have been killed! We must fight for them. It is our duty. Imagine telling your grandchildren that you were part of the war that would make history, but everyone chickened out and weren’t brave and persistent enough to go through with it. We, the colonists, came here to be free, so we cannot allow Britain to believe they can whisk away any glimpse of that vision! We must fight for our freedom; for ourselves.

Maybe we should just, once again, ask the British Parliament to take their soldiers out of our colonies and repeal all of their acts. Maybe we should threaten to break out into war if they refuse. Maybe we should compromise like this.

Maybe we should… Maybe we should… Maybe we should…

So, what is the right answer? Peace? Or war? For the better? Or for the worse?

–Cynthia  Baseman–

As the Patriots jumped for joy, the Tories wept at the result of the war. The Continental Army was successful in their first major war and was also very successful in greatly embarrassing the British.

King George III was extremely disappointed for he thought this would be a very easy war for his highly experienced army to win. The rulers of France, Spain and Holland are now one step ahead of their arch enemy, Britain. The rulers of these places are also celebrating for they were a big part in the winning of this war.

George Washington has promised to give back all the Tory land and pay back all of the United States allies as soon as possible. Washington also said he will keep his promise in all the offers he gave these countries prior to joining the Patriot side of the war.

No one knows how the world will be without Britain running it. Some believe it will be better, some the same, and some say they think it will be even worse. Many Tories, who still believe that the British were right even after the war was over,  believe that the colonists will fail miserably and Britain will have to regain their control just to keep the world from falling apart. Patriots, on the other hand, feel that the world will be  more advanced and better than ever as time goes on. Hopefully, the people of the New World will be great rulers and another terrible war won’t have to start.

Woman following the camp

By Michelle Cai

Who have the more important duties in this Revolutionary War, men or women?  Some believe that the men are more important, but the truth is that the women are just as important as the men.  Many ladies sacrifice their lives every day treating wounded soldiers, cooking for the militia, and helping out on the battlefield.

A lady that sticks out in particular is Deborah Sampson.  She is an American woman that felt the need to help her country. She wanted to enlist in the Continental Army, but women are not allowed to join in the fighting.  So she disguised herself as a man and enlisted under the name of “Robert Shurtleff”, but  failed to be enlisted because of her feminine handwriting. On May 20, 1782, she successfully enlisted again under her now-deceased brother’s name (Robert Shurtleff).  She served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War for 3 years.  To prevent from being discovered, she treated her own wounds.  Too afraid of her true identity being revealed, she refused to go to the hospital to get two bullets removed from her upper thigh. She used a penknife and a sewing needle to remove one bullet, but the other was too deep in to be removed, so her leg never fully healed.

“I had to work up a lot of courage to use a knife and stick it in my own leg to remove a bullet, but it was worth it because I knew I had to keep on fighting for my country.  Nothing could get in the way of doing my duty,” says Sampson.

Today, Deborah Sampson is discharged from the war and is resting at home with her husband, Benjamin Gannett, and four children, Earl, Mary, Patience, and Susanna.

As you can see, Deborah Sampson has proved that women play an equal part in the war compared to the men. However, she is not the only woman in war. Take Molly Pitcher for example. She delivers water to thirsty men on the battlefield in the midst of  battles.  She even took her husband’s place at his cannon and kept firing when he got shot.  There are dozens of other women that contribute to the war effort. Not all of them actively take part in the violence: some are nurses, and some cook for soldiers. Another lady that helped in a more peaceful manner was Abigail Adams.  She wrote letters protesting about how women should have more freedom and representation, how they should be allowed to do all the things that men do. So many women have helped in the war, and they still continue to do so today. How could we ever win this war without our women?

Grapeshots - are they worth it?

By Alan Pugielli

Showers of bullets fly over the battlefield, demolishing everything in their paths, the bullets shattering and splintering in a lethal arc. The grapeshot method is new out of the British factory, if you take my meaning, but already British military officers are debating whether this is the right way to go.

Although these grapeshot techniques work well in that they can kill many American soldiers, this strategy is also backfiring and wounding British soldiers. Grapeshots use a 270 degree range, leaving soldiers in the same line as the firing soldier targets for the cluster shots. So the big question inevitably comes up: are they worth it? Many British generals say they aren’t.

One officer off of duty stated, “This is giving the Rebels an enormous advantage. We shouldn’t be risking our lives for the sake of who wins the war.”

A brazen soldier retorted, “Who cares if other British soldiers are getting killed? Some men are bound to die.  This is helping us gain victories over the Americans.” As you might see, dispute and arguments concerning the most ethical course of action continue.

These acts of desperation are leaving both American and British armies in chaos. But until there is a better solution, the grapeshot tactics will be used by the British military to gain an edge over the bewildered and frightened Patriots.

During this winter of 1777-1778, George Washington, the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, chose this place to stay for the winter.  Little did he know, however, that this decision would lead to hunger, frostbite, and soldiers dying right before his very eyes.  To give you an idea of how harsh and cold this area is, it is reported that at least 1200 soldiers have died so far, and more are to share this same fate.

                Howard Kirnog, a Patriot soldier at Valley Forge, is one of the many soldiers that hate this harsh area.

“I don’t know why General Washington had us march here,” Kirnog said. “The weather is harsh, I only have one boot, and my friend has died beside me.  Can we go somewhere else now?”

Yet, it wasn’t just the horrible conditions that are weakening the soldiers.  These men are almost always drilling, which will improve their skills in the war.  In addition, Baron Friedrich von Steuben, a Prussian military general, is helping Washington to drill the troops.  While this is great for the army’s battle skills, this amount of drilling is making the soldiers weaker and weaker.  Add the fact that the soldiers’ meals consist of about a pound of bread a day and “fire cake”, which is a tasteless mixture of flour and water, one could see why soldiers were very, very weak and sick.

So is Valley Forge all bad?  Well, no.  In fact, John Charg, another Patriot soldier at Valley Forge, says that Valley Forge is a good thing.

“Some people don’t realize this,” Charg started, “but this place is making us a stronger army.  In fact, if I’m not dead by the time we leave, I would say that this place is a battle we won.  A battle not of who retreats or surrenders first, but a battle of willpower.”

Besides this, Valley Forge isn’t that good of a place.  So please, when planning where you want to go for the rest of this winter, or the winters to come, cross Valley Forge off of your list.