The First Podcast

Explore the harrowing, unromanticized reality of the American frontier in the late 18th century. By highlighting the lives Peter & Margaret Roof, James Gage, Joseph Ogle, and Isaac Bowman, the discussion reveals a world of constant vulnerability where survival depended on collective defense, physical endurance, and the strategic trade of human captives.

Uncover the gritty, irregular "shadow war" of the American Revolution through the operations of Benjamin Jennings, Jonas Cattell, John Newman, and James Lemon. Breaking away from conventional tactics, these everyday patriots utilized long-rifle marksmanship, extraordinary physical endurance, strategic attrition, and political spy craft to outmaneuver the British and shape the nation's future.

Move away from the sanitized, "marble statue" version of the Revolutionary War to explore the lives of the everyman soldier. In this episode, our featured Patriots, all fought in the war’s often overlooked southern campaign. The stories of James Moss, Jacob Braswell and William Rice offer a sobering reminder that the engine of the Revolution was fueled by people who often endured the most while receiving the least glory.

Explore how women fought the American Revolution on the home front, highlighting the incredible resilience of Mercy Travis Raymond Bedford, Frances Madison Beale Hite, Kerenhappuch Norman Turner, and Frances Hoon. Moving beyond the battlefield, see how these women used legal maneuvering, immense bravery, and fierce protection of their families to survive a chaotic and brutal war.