In 1850, there was a gang so vicious that Cormac McCarthy chose to use them as characters in his book Blood Meridian. But who were these men? What did they do? And finally, what happened to them?

Join Ryan as he talks about what he learned about this villainous gang. Follow along as he covers what he learned.

Sources:

All information about Samuel Chamberlain and his life is taken from his personal memoir My Confession: Recollections of a Rogue.

John H. Eicher, and David J. Eicher, Civil War High Commands (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2002), 742.

Smith, Ralph A. "The Life and Legacy of John Joel Glanton: Soldier, Outlaw, and Bounty Hunter" (Texas State Historical Association website 1952), https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/glanton-john-joel. Revised by Sloan Rodgers on December 9, 2015.

John Sepich, Notes on Blood Meridian: Revised and Expanded Edition (Austin, Tex: University of Texas Press, 2008), 22-28.

William Carr et al., “Depredations by the Yumas,” Annual Publication of the Historical Society of Southern California and of the Pioneers of Los Angeles County 6, no. 1 (1903): 52-54, https://dx.doi.org/10.2307/41169609.

George Washington had a daring plan in the winter of 1776. His idea was to strike back against the British and give his army a much-needed morale boost, since they were still reeling from major defeats. However, to succeed, he needed to keep the enemy forces to a manageable number. He turned to Colonel Samuel Griffith and his militia men to help save his plan. These men fought bravely in Mount Holly, New Jersey.

Join Ryan as he talks about what he learned about this relatively unknown battle. He covers what happened, why it mattered, and why it's difficult to learn much about this battle.

Sources:

Daniel Bancroft to the Committee of Congress, January 10, 1777, “Supreme Executive Council Clemency File (Roll 723)”, Clemency File, 1775-1790, undated, 1775, 218-224 https://oa-psa.libnova.com/view/668823/clemency-file-1775-surnames-a-z-to-1780-surnames-a-l-roll-723?q=must,any,contains,Clemency&offset=1&limit=10

Carl Leopold Baurmeister, Revolution in America: Confidential Letters and Journals 1776-1784 of Adjutant General Major Baurmeister of the Hessian Forces, ed. Bernhard A. Ulendorf (New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1957), 75. https://archive.org/details/revolutioninamer00baur/page/n3/mode/2up.

https://founders.archives.gov/

Joseph Reed, “General Joseph Reed’s Narrative of the Movements of the American Army in the Neighborhood of Trenton in the Winter of 1776-77,” The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 8, no. 4 (1884): 392, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20084674.

Johann von Ewald, Diary of the American War: A Hessian Journal (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1979), 35-42.

George Ewing, William Cox Ewing, and Thomas Ewing, George Ewing, Gentleman, a Soldier of Valley Forge, ed. Thomas Ewing (Yonkers, NY: Thomas Ewing, 1928), 13-15. https://archive.org/details/georgeewinggentl00ewin/page/n7/mode/2up.

John Hunt, John Hunt Journal, 1776 12mo. 24 – 1787 12mo. 22, John Hunt Papers, Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College https://ds-pages.swarthmore.edu/friendly-networks/journals/sc203241

“Revolutionary Journal of Margaret Morris of Burlington, New Jersey, Ii,” Bulletin of Friends’ Historical Society of Philadelphia 9, no. 2 (1919): 65-72, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41945472.

Documents Relating to the Revolutionary History of the State of New Jersey ed. William S Stryker, vol. 1. 1776-1777 (Trenton, NJ: The John L. Murphy Publishing Co., Printers, 1901), 242-43. https://archive.org/details/ser2newjerseyrev01newjuoft/page/n5/mode/2up?view=theater.

Robert Morris to John Hancock, December 26, 1776, in Letters of Delegates to Congress, 1774-1789, ed Paul H. Smith (Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1976-2000)

Dennis C. Rizzo, and Alicia McShulkis, “The Widow Who Saved a Revolution,” Garden State Legacy (2012), https://gardenstatelegacy.com/files/The_Widow_Who_Saved_a_Revolution_Rizzo_McShulkis_GSL18.pdf.

The Writings of George Washington (New York: G.P. Putnam’ Sons, 1889). https://oll.libertyfund.org/title/ford-the-writings-of-george-washington-vol-v-1776-1777

George Washington Papers, Series 4, General Correspondence: Continental Army Court Martial, April 8, Proceedings at Mount Holly, New Jersey. April 8, 1778. Manuscript/Mixed Material. https://www.loc.gov/item/mgw450243/.

Documents Relating to the Revolutionary History of the State of New Jersey ed. Francis B. Lee, vol. II, 1778 (Trenton, NJ: The John L. Murphy Publishing Co., Printers, 1903), 217. https://archive.org/details/ser2newjerseyrev02newjuoft/page/216/mode/2up.

The Kemble Papers, vol. 1, 1773-1789 (New York, New York: New-York Historical Society, 1883), 596-97.

Documents Relating to the Revolutionary History of the State of New Jersey ed. Austin Scott, vol. V, October, 1780-July, 1782 (Trenton, NJ: The John L. Murphy Publishing Co., Printers, 1917), 38. https://archive.org/details/ser2newjerseyrev05newjuoft/page/38/mode/2up?view=theater.

The election of 1912 featured the incumbent President, the former President and his new party, a relatively new politician who suddenly became the front-runner, and a socialist. It may be one of the most unique elections in American history.

Join Ryan as he talks about what he learned about this crazy election. Hear him discuss the split of the Republican Party and the quick rise of Woodrow Wilson. Hopefully, you enjoy a brief discussion about the Election of 1912.

Sources:

James Chace, 1912: Wilson, Roosevelt, Taft & Debs- the Election That Changed the Country (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004), 23.

Lewis L. Gould, Four Hats in the Ring: The 1912 Election and the Birth of Modern American Politics (Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2008), 23.

Andrew C. Pavord, “The Gamble for Power: Theodore Roosevelt’s Decision to Run for the Presidency in 1912,” Presidential Studies Quarterly 26, no. 3 (1996): 633, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27551622.

Robert Dallek, “Woodrow Wilson, Politician,” The Wilson Quarterly (1976-) 15, no. 4 (1991): 111, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40258177.

J. Robert Constantine, “Eugene V. Debs: An American Paradox,” Monthly Labor Review 114, no. 8 (1991): 31, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41843621.

They guarded trains, hunted outlaws and robbers, and acted as strikebreakers. The Pinkertons are possibly the most famous private detective company in history. So who were they? Why did they get so famous? And was it right for Red Dead Redemption to make them the villains?

Ryan talks about what he learned while researching the Pinkertons, from their successful career in train protection to their disastrous attempts to hunt Jesse James and everything in between. Tune in to see what he learned.

Sources:

S. Paul O’Hara, Inventing the Pinkertons; or, Spies, Sleuths, Mercenaries, and Thugs: Being a Story of the Nation’s Most Famous (and Infamous) Detective Agency (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2016), 15-18.

Jay Bonansinga, Pinkerton’s War: The Civil War’s Greatest Spy and the Birth of the U.S. Secret Service (Guilford, CT: Lyons Press, 2011), 65-67.

“Secret Departure of the President Elect from Harrisburgh,” New York Times (1857-1922) (New York, N.Y.), February 25, 1861,

 https://www.nytimes.com/1861/02/25/archives/highly-important-news-secret-departure-of-the-president-elect-from.html.

Haygood, Wil, “A Story of Myth, Fame, Jesse James,” The Seattle Times (Seattle, W.A.), September 17, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20081229061215/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2003885037_jessejames17.html

Charles Siringo, A Cowboy Detective: A True Story of Twenty-Two Years with a World Famous Detective Agency (Arcadia Press, 1912), 138-39.

Charles Siringo, Two Evil Isms, Pinkertonism and Anarchism: By a Cowboy Detective Who Knows, as He Spent Twenty-Two Years in the Inner Circle of Pinkerton’s National Detective Agency (1915).

While researching the brutal Glanton Gang, I came across Samuel Chamberlain. Chamberlain's memoir turned out to be one of the best things I have ever read. I learned that no one loved Samuel Chamberlain more than Samuel Chamberlain. Please join me while I tell you all about Chamberlain's My Confession: Recollections of a Rogue.

Since this is a book review, all information is taken from the book My Confession: Recollections of a Rogue by Samuel Chamberlain. The only exception is confirming his position as a Brevet Brigadier General, which is cited below.

John H. Eicher, and David J. Eicher, Civil War High Commands (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2002).

In a change of pace, Ryan reviews the new Netflix show, Death by Lightning. He also talks about the book the show is based on, Candice Millard's Destiny of the Republic. Ryan compares the two and discusses what he liked, didn't like, and learned while watching the show.

Tune in to find out Ryan's opinions, and if you like this show, Ryan may do more of these.

Millard, Candice. Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President. New York, NY: Vintage Books, 2011.

One of the first Wild West Outlaws in American history, Jesse James holds a special place in pop culture. The mythology around him is strong enough that Brad Pitt played him in a movie. So who was Jesse James, and how did he become so popular?

Join Ryan as he discusses what he learned during his reading and research. Find out what he has to say about this American legend.

Sources:

Gardner, Mark Lee. Shot All to Hell: Jesse James, the Northfield Raid, and the Wild West's Greatest Escape. New York, NY: HarperLuxe, 2013.

Muehlberger, James P. The Lost Cause: The Trials of Frank and Jesse James. Chicago, IL: Westholme Publishing, 2013.

O'Hara, S. Paul. Inventing the Pinkertons; or, Spies, Sleuths, Mercenaries, and Thugs: Being a Story of the Nation's Most Famous (and Infamous) Detective Agency. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2016.

Stiles, T. J. Jesse James: Last Rebel of the Civil War. New York, NY: Vintage Books, 2003.

https://www.northfieldhistory.org/1876-bank-raid

How does a man get the nickname the "financier?" How does he get credit for funding the American Revolution? These are the questions Ryan had about Robert Morris, a man known as the "Financier of the Revolution."

While learning about Robert Morris, Ryan learned about the American War of Independence and some events he had little knowledge of. Tune in as he discusses what he learned.

Sources:

Ben Baack, “Forging a Nation State: The Continental Congress and the Financing of the War of American Independence,” The Economic History Review 54, no. 4 (2001).

Jacob William Schuckers, A Brief Account of the Finances and Paper Money of the Revolutionary War (Philadelphia: J. Campbell & Son, 1874, 1874).

Farley Grubb, “State Redemption of the Continental Dollar, 1779–90,” The William and Mary Quarterly 69, no. 1 (2012).

Charles Rappleye, Robert Morris: Financier of the American Revolution (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010).

Allan Potofsky, “The Political Economy of the French-American Debt Debate: The Ideological Uses of Atlantic Commerce, 1787 to 1800,” The William and Mary Quarterly 63, no. 3 (2006).

Ray Raphael, “The Financier: Robert Morris, America’s Original Bailout Czar,” Financial History (2009).

Elizabeth Miles Nuxoll, “Congress and the Munitions Merchants: The Secret Committee of Trade During the American Revolution, 1775-1777” (Ph.D., City University of New York, 1979).

Letters of Delegates to Congress, Smith, Paul H., et al., eds. Letters of Delegates to Congress, 1774-1789. 25 volumes, Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1976-2000).

“Address to the Continental Congress, 16 June 1775,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-01-02-0001. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol. 1, 16 June 1775 – 15 September 1775, ed. Philander D. Chase. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1985, pp. 1–3.]

For one month in 1907, America's financial industry stood on the brink of disaster. There were bank runs, and the New York Stock Exchange stood poised to collapse. The financial industry needed help. Luckily, help arrived in the form of John Pierpont Morgan. Ryan learned how J.P. Morgan saved the economy from collapse in 1907. Ryan also learned how the Panic of 1907 led to the creation of the Federal Reserve. Tune in as he discusses what he discovered about this fascinating topic. Sources: Ray Stannard Baker, “J. Pierpont Morgan,” McLure’s Magazine XVII, no. 6 (October 1901): 518. Robert F. Bruner, The Panic of 1907: Lessons Learned from the Market’s Perfect Storm, (Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley & Sons, 2007), xi-xii. Jon R. Moen, and Ellis W. Tallman, “Clearinghouse Membership and Deposit Contraction During the Panic of 1907,” The Journal of Economic History 60, no. 1 (2000): 150-51, Chernow, Ron. The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance . New York: Grove Press, 2010.

Why did a group of pacifists feel the ire of their fellow colonists during the American Revolution? What led people to dislike them? Why were the Quakers outsiders in the colonies they helped found?

Ryan aims to learn more as he discovers the Quakers and the American Revolution. Follow along as Ryan discusses what he learned about this fascinating man and his most significant failure.

Quick Editorial Note: Historian Arthur Scherr is accidentally referred to as Adam Scherr. Sorry about that! Too much John Adams on the brain.

Sources:Crotty, Joseph John. "Times of Peril": Quakers in British-Occupied New York During the American Revolution, 1775-1783." Quaker History 106, no. 2 (2017): 45-71. Fisher, Sydney G. The Quaker Colonies. Luton, Bedfordshire: Andrews UK Ltd., 2020.Fritz, James. "Gathering Storm Clouds: The Pacifist Culture of York County, Pennsylvania, During the American Revolution." Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage 37, no. 3 (2014).Hinds, Hilary. George Fox and Early Quaker Culture. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 2011.Mekeel, Arthur J. "The Relation of the Quakers to the American Revolution." Quaker History 65, no. 1 (1976): 3-18. Myles, Anne G. "From Monster to Martyr: Re-Presenting Mary Dyer." Early American Literature 36, no. 1 (2001): 1-30. Scherr, Arthur. "John Adams Confronts Quakers and Baptists During the Revolution: A Paradox of the Quest for Liberty." Journal of Church and State 59, no. 2 (2017): 256-79. Thayer, Theodore. Israel Pemberton: King of the Quakers. Waipu: Pickle Partners Publishing, 2011.Weddle, Meredith Baldwin. Walking in the Way of Peace: Quaker Pacifism in the Seventeenth Century. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 2001.Whidbee, Paige L. "The Quaker Exiles: The Cause of Every Inhabitant." Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies 83, no. 1 (2016): 28-57.