George Washington American Revolution Round Table of the District of Columbia (ARRT-DC): JUN 2025

Greetings. Our next meeting is to be an in-person only meeting (NO ZOOM) on Wednesday, June 11. We will be meeting in person at the Mount Vernon Inn at 6 p.m. (social hour) and 6:40 p.m. (dinner) and speaker (about 7 p.m.). To attend in person, please fill out the attached dinner reservation form and mail it with a check written to "ARRT" to Richard Rankin at the address provided. Walk-ins and paying at the door are accepted too. Richard prefers checks written to "ARRT" for $35 (per person). Please also let us know if you prefer salmon or meatloaf for the main course.

THERE IS NO ZOOM MEETING for this meeting, since I am unable to attend the meeting and videotape it.

Our next speaker will be our own Susan Brynne Long, who will be speaking on the “The Disagreeable Situation”: American Prisoner Administration in the Revolutionary War. During the American Revolution, authority over British-allied prisoners became a hotly contested issue. At the start of the conflict, provisional wartime governments including Committees of Safety assumed responsibility for the first prisoners of the war. The radical democratic spirit of the Revolution afforded early Americans significant power over prisoner allowances and restrictions through their revolutionary governments. In 1777, Congress established the Department of Prisoners to better pursue its interests regarding captive populations. Inhabitants in and around detention centers resisted this increase in Continental authority. This resistance reflected the endurance of the early war’s radical democracy, notwithstanding the recent dissolution of the revolutionary governments that provided a legal avenue for it. The nation’s first Commissary General of Prisoners Elias Boudinot and his deputies had to contend with popular opposition to his supremacy in prisoner affairs, as well as with the jealous pursuit of state interests regarding both American and enemy prisoners. The contest for control over prisoners during the war reflected the broader struggle for military authority in the new nation. This presentation will trace the establishment and evolution of America’s first, sprawling system of prisoner management, paying particular attention to influential figures and key detention centers.

Dr. Susan Brynne Long is Instructor of History at the University of Nebraska Omaha. She is also currently the 2024-2025 Charles Young Fellow at the United States Army Center of Military History in Washington, D.C. Her ongoing monograph project uses the American administration of British-allied prisoners during the Revolutionary War as a window into inchoate federalism and civil-military relations in the founding era. She has a forthcoming monograph from the United States Army Center of Military History about the frontier theater of the American Revolution. She has taught American history and the history of warfare at numerous institutions, including the University of Delaware and the University of the Cumberlands. Her scholarly writings have appeared in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of American History and Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. A prolific public historian, her op-eds connecting early America with modern domestic and foreign policy issues have appeared in the Washington Post and Real Clear Defense. Dr. Long regularly presents her work in academic and educational venues, including the George Washington Masonic National Memorial and the American Revolution Institute at the Society of the Cincinnati.

Two More Upcoming Special Items for You:

I. National Army Museum Revolutionary War Symposium — May 29-30, 2025 The National Army Museum at Fort Belvoir in Northern Virginia will present a full day symposium focusing on the first two years of the Revolutionary War to highlight the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army’s founding, and the opening of the Museum’s new special exhibit, “CALL TO Arms: The Soldier and the Revolutionary War,” May 29-30

May 29, Thursday, 7-8 p.m.: America at 250: A Nationwide Commemoration, a Panel Discussion with public historians Allison Wickens (George Washington's Mount Vernon), Beth Hill (Fort Ticonderoga) and Daniel Davis (American Battlefield Trust)

May 30, Friday:

8-8:30 a.m. - Check-in and Late Registration. Army Historical Foundation Book Sale. Grab and go snacks in the Museum Cafe and complimentary coffee.
8:30-8:45 a.m. - Museum Director's Welcome, with Tammy E. Call
8:45-9:45 a.m. - The Roots of Conflict, with David L. Preston. What led to the violence at Lexington and Concord. Explore the contentious years between the French and Indian War and the outbreak of the Revolutionary War and the “shot heard ‘round the world.”
10-11 a.m. - The Formation of the Continental Army, with Holly Mayer. In 1775, rebellious Americans had to form a standing army to protect their rights and defend themselves against occupying British forces. How did the Continental Army come to be? Who made up its ranks? What challenges did Congress, George Washington, and his generals face as they strived to create an effective fighting force?
11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. – The Early War in the South, with Michael Cecere. Both the newly created American republic and Great Britain knew that the southern colonies were critical to any successful prosecution of the war by either side. Explore the often-overlooked southern theater of the Revolutionary War in 1775 and 1776, and the significance of several early battles in the South affected the war’s trajectory.
12:15-1:45 p.m. – Lunch on your own and gallery exploration. During the mid-day break, explore the Fighting for the Nation Galleries on the first floor. Enjoy a Simple & Fresh Lunch Box prepared by the Museum’s on-site caterer. These Lunch Box orders are $20 each and are delivered directly to participants in Veterans’ Hall. Orders must be completed no later than Thursday, May 22, 2025. The Museum Café also offers a variety of lunch options that may be purchased on-site.
1:45-2:45 p.m. – Revolutionary War Leadership, a panel discussion with Christian McBurney, Joyce Lee Malcolm, and Rob Orrison. Which commanders were effective? Which were not? Who emerged as the most successful field officers of the war? Join early American historians Christian McBurney, Joyce Lee Malcolm, and Rob Orrison for a discussion about key American leaders during the conflict’s first two years.
3-4 p.m. – Washington’s Campaigns, 1776-77, with Mark E. Lender. After the British evacuated Boston in March 1776, the New York area became the main seat of the Revolutionary War. How did the defeats at Long Island, White Plains, and Fort Washington, lead to decisive victories at Trenton and Princeton? What did George Washington and his army learn from these early hardships?
4-5 p.m. – Exhibit Sneak Peek. Be the first to explore the Museum’s newest special exhibit, “CALL TO Arms: The Soldier and the Revolutionary War.”

Saturday, May 31, 9-11:30 a.m.. History Hike: General Washington's Alexandria: A Walking Tour. Free! Meet at the northwest corner of King and Fairfax Streets. [Registration is full]

You can attend in person or virtually. Here is the Symposium's webpage: https://www.thenmusa.org/symposium2025/

II. Fort Plain American Revolution 250 Conference – May 29-June 1, 2025

The annual Fort Plain American Revolution Conference will again be held at the Fulton-Montgomery Community College's Theater in Johnstown, New York, from May 29-June 1. Rick Atkinson is scheduled to appear at one of his first appearances after the release of his second book of his planned trilogy! Speakers and Topics Include:

Pulitzer Prize Winner Rick Atkinson - The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780
Major General Jason Q. Bohm USMC (Ret) - The Birth and Early Operations of the Marine Corps: 250 Years in the Making
Alexander R. Cain - We Stood Our Ground: 250th of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, April 19, 1775
Abby Chandler - Choosing Sides: North Carolina's Regulator Rebellion and the American Revolution
Gary Ecelbarger - The Mammoth of Monmouth: George Washington's 1778 Campaign in New Jersey
Michael P. Gabriel - Richard Montgomery and the Other Invasion of Canada
Shirley L. Green - Integrating Enslaved and Free: Rhode Island’s Revolutionary Black Regiment
Don N. Hagist - Marching from Peace into War: British Soldiers in 1775 America
Patrick H. Hannum - The Virginia Campaign of 1775-76: Kemp's Landing & Great Bridge
Wayne Lenig - The Mohawk Valley's Committee of Safety in 1775
James L. Nelson - Bunker Hill: The First Battle of the American Revolution
Eric H. Schnitzer - Breaking Convention: How a Fussy Detail about British Uniforms Doomed Burgoyne’s Army to Captivity
The James F. Morrison Mohawk Valley Resident Historian - William P. Tatum III, Ph.D. - “To Quell, Suppress, and Bring Them to Reason by Force:” Combatting the Loyalist Threat in New York during 1775
Bruce M. Venter - "It is infinitely better to have a few good men than many indifferent ones": Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys Take Fort Ticonderoga
Bus Tour - We Stood Our Ground: Touring the Battles of Lexington & Concord 250 Years Later - Led by Alexander R. Cain - Thursday, May 29, 2025 - Lunch and a Copy of Cain's Book are Included.