250 and Counting

It’s often tough to remember that when the fighting first broke out, it wasn’t a bid for independence from Britain. It was an attempt to protect and defend rights that the Colonists thought they had as part of their relationship with Britain. Reconciliation was (amazingly) still on the table, even six months after Lexington. So […]

The post October 3, 1775: Rhode Island Suggests a Navy appeared first on 250 and Counting.

It was not so very long ago that some of us sought directions from Mapquest. Then we printed them out in order to make a trip of some kind. It was only a little bit longer ago that we depended on physical maps to get places. In fact, if you’re a fan of the HBO […]

The post October 2, 1775: Whoa…We’re Halfway There!? appeared first on 250 and Counting.

We have two fun events for you today: first up, North Carolina reaches an important deadline it had set back in August. Then, by sheer coincidence, John and Abigail Adams each wrote a letter to the other. Of course, they wrote to one another quite frequently, so this probably happened more often than you’d think. […]

The post October 1, 1775: The Adams Family Letters appeared first on 250 and Counting.

Robert Adrain is one of those names that most people wouldn’t recognize, but back in the day he was a mathematical scholar in a place where there really weren’t any. At least, none of special note. Adrain made education his entire life, teaching youngsters while still pretty much a child himself, being 15 when he […]

The post September 30, 1775: Robert Adrain appeared first on 250 and Counting.

During the episode we noted that not much is known about David McConaughy’s early life. Even his adult life isn’t especially well-documented. We don’t even know who painted the portrait in today’s cover art. But there’s no question that, even if the man himself is a bit of a cypher, his legacy at Washington College […]

The post September 29, 1775: David McConaughy appeared first on 250 and Counting.

First off: let me apologize for not tutoring Mike in the correct pronunciation of “Iroquois.” I’d make him record that part again but he’s at a podcasting conference and away from his studio. (It only looks like a French word, Mike; it’s not pronounced like one.) Of course, I grew up in New York so […]

The post September 28, 1775: A Friendly Meeting With The Natives appeared first on 250 and Counting.

William Woodford got his start in the military when he joined George Washington’s Virginia Regiment, and was promoted to Lieutenant in 1761. When hostilities with Britain began to turn into actual shooting at each other, Woodford became a colonel commanding the 2nd Virginia Regiment. Based on a letter he’d received from his fellow Virginian George […]

The post September 27, 1775: Virginia Prepares For Battle appeared first on 250 and Counting.

Thomas Jefferson was a writer, an inventor, a lawyer, a philosopher, a statesman, and of course a soldier. Wait, what? Yes, indeed. Thomas Jefferson was named commander of the militia in Albemarle County. It could be argued that the title was little more than ceremonial, but then again…Jefferson saw no combat. It’s entirely possible that […]

The post September 26, 1775: Commander Thomas Jefferson appeared first on 250 and Counting.

And this, kiddies, is what happens when you don’t push the “publish” button. You get a late episode. At least the radio folks heard it today. BTW: Shout-out to Hillsboro’s News Hound, HBORO.com! Welcome aboard! Ethan Allen was part of the Green Mountain Boys and the whole contingent that went north to invade/convince Canada in […]

The post September 25, 1775: The Capture of Ethan Allen appeared first on 250 and Counting.

It could be argued that Captain Heald’s biggest claim to fame is that he was on hand for the disastrous outcome at Fort Dearborn, but at least he doesn’t eat the blame for it; it just happened to be the guy who was there. On the bright side (such as it is), the events at […]

The post September 24, 1775: Captain Nathan Heald appeared first on 250 and Counting.