Continental Army Archives - 250 and Counting

Episodes

1. 9

   In And Around New York–October 15, 1776

   By the time Charles Lee returned to duty, the Continental Army in New York was in a sad state of affairs. Many men had been injured or deserted. Supplies were low. Ammunition was low. Morale was low. And the British were up in the Bronx, gearing up for…something, who knows what. Lee had, of…

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   Oct 15, 2026

   2m
2. 8

   Congress Does Some War Business–June 5, 1776

   Using the input of George Washington from just a few days earlier, the Second Continental Congress wasted little time putting together some Continental Army protocols to ensure that this relatively ragtag group of men would adhere to some kind of formalized behavior. But the Continental Army...

   Jun 5, 2026

   2m
3. 7

   RIP John Thomas–June 2, 1776

   John Thomas was a doctor and a soldier from Massachusetts who was in Quebec during the attempted invasion and was in charge of the withdrawal until he got smallpox and died on this day in 1776. Thomas discovered he liked military service about as much as he liked being a surgeon, so in 1747 he…

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   Jun 2, 2026

   2m
4. 6

   Meet The New Boss–March 20, 1776

   While preparing to depart Boston for New York, George Washington appointed Nathaniel Greene to run things for awhile until everything was back in order. Fortunately for both Greene and Washington, matters straightened out rather quickly, because Greene was called to join Washington just a few…

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   Mar 20, 2026

   2m
5. 5

   From John To George–January 29, 1776

   Letters from John Hancock to George Washington weren’t especially scarce, nor were letters going the other way. However, today’s letter takes on a few important topics for Washington that one hopes came greatly appreciated. There was commendation that Washington had the foresight to send troops…

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   Jan 29, 2026

   2m
6. 4

   September 5, 1775: Setback in Canada

   American forces began to move on Fort St. Jean in Canada. Unfortunately they ran into a couple of unexpected obstacles on the way, so they had to adjust their approach. This led to a six-week siege of the fort. The post September 5, 1775: Setback in Canada appeared first on 250 and Counting.

   Sep 5, 2025

   1m
7. 3

   August 14, 1775: “Stolen” Goods From Bermuda

   There’s an episode of The West Wing in which Leo McGarry explains how, several years earlier, the President wanted to meet the Dalai Lama. The problem was that China was strongly opposed to such a meeting, so they arranged for an “accidental” meeting between the two: Set up a low-level meeting…

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   Aug 14, 2025

   2m
8. 2

   August 11, 1775: Washington Gets Serious About POWs

   While today is perhaps the earliest documented instance of George Washington expressing concern for his captured troops, it certainly wouldn’t be the last. For years he worried about this, largely because the British didn’t always consider the Continental Army to be a genuine army, nor did they...

   Aug 11, 2025

   2m
9. 1

   July 4, 1775: Washington’s First Orders

   As mentioned yesterday, when George Washington came to Cambridge, he found a bit of a mess there: several disorganized groups of men, with more on the way, along with supplies still in transit. The first thing he needed to do was to get the fighting force organized, so he began a log book of his...

   Jul 4, 2025

   2m