Revolutionary War Archives

The Flame of Duty: U.S. Army Celebrates 250 Years of Enduring Spirit, Service, and Unity

By Chris Carosa on June 10, 2025

What makes a farmer grab a musket and risk it all?

Before the sun set on April 19, 1775, the rag-tag ruffians couldn’t believe what they had just accomplished. The British, that well-trained army of international fame, had retreated to Boston. Soon, thousands of militiamen from all the New England colonies would surround what John Winthrop had called 145 years earlier “the city on the hill.” The Revolutionary War had begun.

But it wasn’t that simple.

Two-and-a-half centuries ago, if we had remained divided, we would have fallen. The rag-tag ruffians may have won the day in Lexington and Concord, but they could not have sustained an extended military campaign. Our nation’s Founding Fathers knew that winning the Continue Reading “The Flame of Duty: U.S. Army Celebrates 250 Years of Enduring Spirit, Service, and Unity”

Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Battle of Bunker Hill, Commander-in-Chief, Concord, equality, Founding Fathers, Freemasonry, George Washington, John Winthrop, Lexington, liberty, military lodge, Revolutionary War, Second Continental Congress, Siege of Boston, The Enlightenment, U.S. Army, U.S. Constitution

The Red Jacket Medal Mystery: Lost. Found? Still Unsolved.

By Chris Carosa on May 27, 2025

Red Jacket, lithograph by Corbould from 1835 painting by C.B. King, printed by C. Hallmandel, via Wikipedia Commons

“Against Red Jacket Club,” blared the 1910 headline.¹ Marking the beginning of the end, it referred to the exclusive Canandaigua social club that defined elite prestige in grand, well-appointed fashion for two decades. Everyone who was anyone sought an invitation to its annual party, which the group limited to 100 guests.

By 1910, its days were numbered. Unlike the earlier move to disband in 1908, this would be the final nail in the organization that had formed in 1888. The financial burden of operating with dwindling membership and maintaining the nearly century-old Federal-style mansion on the corner of Main and Gorham proved to be too heavy.² Trustees representing the bondholders had no choice but to sell everything.

“All of the personal property of the famous Red Jacket Club, once the ‘swell’ organization of this village, was sold at auction… the club possesses among its relics a silver medal presented by President George Washington to the famous Indian chief, Red Jacket…”³

But the story of that shiny token goes back much further, well before the Club first laid eyes Continue Reading “The Red Jacket Medal Mystery: Lost. Found? Still Unsolved.”

Posted in History, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged 1776-1878, American Journal of Numismatics, Canandaigua, Cornplanter, Elisabeth M.J. Meagher, Ely S. Parker, Farmer's Brother, George Conover, George Harris, George Washington, Guyasuta, Howard Fielding, J.F. Loubat, James C. Smith, Jasper Parrish, Lewis Morgan, Ontario Historical Society, Pennsylvania Historical Society, Red Jacket, Red Jacket Club, Red Jacket Medal, Revolutionary War, Seneca, Six Nations, Steve Parrish, The League of the Iroquois, The Medallic History of the U.S. of A., Thomas Howell, Treaty of Canandaigua, Western New York

Story Weaving, Callbacks, And Self-Deprecating Humor

By Chris Carosa on October 15, 2024

Many years ago, a young aspiring columnist asked an established author what it takes to be a writer. “To write, you need to find your pen,” said the wordsmith. “To write well, you need to find your voice.”

“Find your voice?” What does that mean?

I never understood that expression. It seemed like a cop out. It’s what you tell a young buck when you don’t have a real answer. After all, everyone is looking for that magic bullet, that sure-fire secret that makes you a success.

Well, after years of writing, it dawned on me the answer to “How can I be a good writer?” is obvious. You need to find your voice. I can’t tell you what it means, but I can tell you it’s Continue Reading “Story Weaving, Callbacks, And Self-Deprecating Humor”

Posted in Great Speaking Tips, Great Writing Tips, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Abraham Lincoln, callback, Ferris Bueller, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Founding Fathers, Gettysburg Address, inaugural address, John F. Kennedy, public speaking, Revolutionary War, Ronald Reagan, self-deprecating humor, story weaving

Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Through Seneca Falls, East Cayuga Then A Masonic Welcome And A Final Adieu In Auburn

By Chris Carosa on July 23, 2024

Previous: Bigotry Cannot Defeat A Good And Honorable Man

In Auburn, Lafayette met at “Hudson’s Hotel” a.k.a. Western Exchange Hotel Genesee St. Image circa 1840. From the collection of the Cayuga Museum of History and Art, Auburn, NY

As early as May 12^th, 1825, the Village of Auburn expected Lafayette to travel through their growing community. Seventeen men, including two future governors of New York State were appointed to a committee charged with the purpose of preparing for the visit of the French general and American hero. They were “to make suitable arrangements for the occasion; and that they be requested to communicate the doings of this meeting, to the proper military officers, the masonick order, and the surviving revolutionary officers and soldiers, inviting them to co-operate with the citizens of the village, in the proposed expressions of publick attention, to the venerable ‘Guest of our Nation,’ and its early defender.”¹

A few days later, on May 16^th, the officers of the militia met at Strong’s tavern. Led by Brigadier General Henry R. Brinkerhoff, they, too, formed a committee to prepare for Continue Reading “Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Through Seneca Falls, East Cayuga Then A Masonic Welcome And A Final Adieu In Auburn”

Posted in History, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Alaska, Auburn, Aurora, Benjamin C. Cox, Cayuga, Cayuga Bridge, Dirck C. Lansing, E.T. Throop, Genesee Road, Geneva, Gerhom Powers, Henry R. Brinkerhoff, J.M. Sherwood, John W. Hulbert, Lafayette, Levasseur, mason, Revolutionary War, Seneca Falls, Seneca Turnpike, Seward's Folly, W. S. De Zeng, Waterloo, William H. Seward, Woolsey's Hotel

Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Bigotry Cannot Defeat A Good And Honorable Man

By Chris Carosa on July 23, 2024

Previous: Wowed Waterloo Overcomes Tragedy To Welcome Hero

Dirck. C. Lansing, after his coal black hair turned white with age. Source: Adams, John Quincy, A History of Auburn Theological Seminary, 1818-1918, Auburn Seminary Press, Auburn, 1918

Why are people so mean? What prompts them to violate the rules of decorum just to get a dig in? How many good men do we lose because of this?

It turns out the Era of Good Feelings was less universal than we think. Or, rather, within those good feelings lay dormant seeds of discord that only needed time, and a good trigger, to flower into tension and, unfortunately, eventually into conflict.

But let’s not go there yet. Let’s harken back to the source of the unity that the Era of Good Feelings recalled.

While the Revolutionary War can be aptly described as a civil war, its aftermath brought harmony through the commonality of men who served in its victory. Not only did they share the wounds of war, but they also shared within the fellowship of it.

No better manifestation of the fraternity of commonness was the proliferation of Continue Reading “Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Bigotry Cannot Defeat A Good And Honorable Man”

Posted in History, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Abolition, American Anti-Slavery Society, Auburn, Auburn Theological Seminary, Aurelius, burnt district, Burnt Over District, Calvary Presbyterian Church, Charles G, Church of Christ, Dirck C. Lansing, Era of Good Feelings, Finney, First Church, Freemasonry, Genesee Road, George Washington, Hiram Lodge No. 88, John L. Hardenburgh, Lafayette, lodge, mason, masonic, Morgan Affair, Presbyterian, Revolutionary War, Samuel Miles Hopkins, Second Great Awakening, St. Paul's Lodge No. 265, Yale

Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Wowed Waterloo Overcomes Tragedy To Welcome Hero

By Chris Carosa on July 16, 2024

Previous: The Great Central Trail Becomes The State Road

Waterloo Hotel became the Madison House before being converting into Twin Brothers’ Yeast Cake factory (pictured here). The factory burned down in 1877. Source: Becker, John E., A History of the Village of Waterloo, Waterloo Library and Historical Society, Waterloo, NY 1949, p. 81

The party began early in Waterloo on the morning of Wednesday, June 8, 1825. It was like a festive holiday. A great anticipation thrilled the small village and those visitors who had come to town for the special occasion about to unfold. Revolutionary War hero and valiant icon of freedom, the Marquis de Lafayette was about to visit.

Excitement filled the air. And cannon smoke.

There was no way to contain the enthusiasm. Several villagers expressed this feeling by gathering at Earl’s tavern, as the Waterloo Hotel had been known. Ab Falling built the three-story brick structure in 1817. Located in the center of its west side, the main entrance faced the public square. The upper floor had a ballroom and a Masonic Hall.¹

That same year, Junius Lodge No. 291, F.&A.M. received its charter from the Grand Lodge of New York on June 5. The growing lodge began meeting at the Waterloo Hotel on July 1, 1819. By 1825, only one of the original petitioners—Dr. Jesse Fifield, Treasurer—held a leadership position.²

Captain Jehiel P. Parsons was a member of Junius Lodge No. 291.³ He wasn’t among the citizens celebrating at Earl’s tavern. Instead, he chose to have breakfast across the street at the Mill. The partiers at the tavern would show their delight for the joyous day by Continue Reading “Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Wowed Waterloo Overcomes Tragedy To Welcome Hero”

Posted in History, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Abraham Lisk, Caleb Fairchild, Captain Jehiel P. Parsons, Captain Lemuel Ruggles, Dr. Jesse Fifield, Earl's Tavern, Freemason, G.A. Gamage, Junius Lodge No. 291, Lafayette, mason, Oren R. Farnsworth, Rev. John Caton, Revolutionary War, Waterloo, Waterloo Hotel, Waterloo House

Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Pomp, Circumstance, Before Lunch In Geneva

By Chris Carosa on July 9, 2024

Previous: How Commonality Saved Captain Williamson And Western New York

Geneva a generation after Lafayette’s visit. Source: Barber, John W., and Howe, Henry, Historical collections of the state of New York, S. Tuttle, New York 1842, p. 52

General Lafayette rose the morning of Wednesday, June 8, 1825, shortly after sunrise. At 7 o’clock that morning, the French entourage bid John Greig adieu. They climbed aboard their waiting carriage and a military escort led them onto the old Genesee Road (and then the Seneca Turnpike). About ten miles down the road, at Ball’s tavern, they’d meet the committee from Geneva and transfer their precious cargo to them.¹

For the good citizens of Geneva, the largest settlement in the Greater Western New York region, Lafayette was a long time coming. A couple of weeks before, the village appointed a committee of eleven upstanding men to invite the Nation’s Guest to visit their fair village. They drafted a letter dated May 28, 1825, for that purpose. Appealing to his sense of Continue Reading “Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Pomp, Circumstance, Before Lunch In Geneva”

Posted in History, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Ball's Tavern, Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Yorktown, Buffalo, Butler, Canandaigua, Captain Bartle, Captain Bayly, Captain Dox, Captain Manning, Captain Ottley, Captain Ruggles, Captain Sherman, Captain Van Auken, Colonel Whiting, Doctor Lummis, Ensign Brizse, Genesee Road, Geneva, James Rees, Lafayette, Lieutenant Lum, Lieutenant Stanley, Monsieur Camus, Noyes, Ontario County, Philadelphia, Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War Veterans, Robert Morris, Rochester, Seneca Turnpike, Sion, Waterloo, Willam S. De Zeng, Yates County

Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: How Commonality Saved Captain Charles Williamson And Western New York

By Chris Carosa on July 9, 2024

Previous: Canandaigua Anxiously Waits Before Jubilation And An Elegant Supper

Captain Charles Williamson was responsible for developing much of the Genesee Country between Preemption Line and the Genesee River. Source: Main, William, Charles Williamson, Cowan & Co., Ltd., Perth, 1899, frontpiece

He was a proud Tory and Captain in the British army who volunteered to fight for King George III against the rebellious colonists. She was a proud Patriot whose father graciously saw in this prisoner of war a common human element.

Before we get into this backstory, let’s review why it’s so important.

In December 1786, the states of New York and Massachusetts agreed to resolve a conflict started by the kings of England. Those monarchs made a royal mess of Western New York, at one time or another granting rights to all or portions of it to no less than five colonies.

By the end of the American Revolution, three states had claims to the Greater Western New York region: New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut (a sliver along the southern tier). With Connecticut quickly quitting its claim, New York and Massachusetts stood nose-to-nose. With the Articles of Confederation dissolving, the two states decided to circumvent that ineffective parchment and meet in neutral territory. Ironically, this meeting took place in the state of Continue Reading “Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: How Commonality Saved Captain Charles Williamson And Western New York”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, History, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Abagail Newell, Articles of Confederation, Bath, Boston, Canada, Charles Williamson, Colonel Hugh Maxwell, Connecticut, Edinburgh Regiment, Genesee Trail, Geneva, George Washington, Iroquois Confederacy, John Graves Simcoe, Joseph Ellicott, King George III, Massachusetts, Nathaniel Gorham, New York, Newburyport, Oliver Phelps, Patrick Colquhoun, Preemption Line, Revolutionary War, Robert Morris, Roger Hale Sheaffe, Route 5 & 20, Sir William Pulteney, Sodus, State Road, The Association, The Gore, Treaty of Hartford, William Hornby

Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Timothy Barnard, A Soldier’s Story

By Chris Carosa on June 25, 2024

Previous: Competing Memories Turn Lafayette’s Rochester Visit From History To Mystery

Siege of Yorktown (1781), by Auguste Couder (1789–1873) Rochambeau (center L), Washington (center R), Marquis de La Fayette (behind Washington, L), Marquis de Saint Simon (behind Washington, R), Duke of Lauzun (L, mounted) and Comte de Ménonville (R of Washington). Source: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

“Another Revolutionary Patriot Gone.” That was the lead, buried at the very bottom of the third of seven dense columns on page two in the Tuesday, April 13, 1847, edition of the Geneva Courier. Three perfunctory sentences followed.

“Hon. TIMOTHY BARNARD, father of Hon. DANIEL D. BARNARD, the distinguished ex-member of Congress of the Albany district, died at Mendon on the 29th inst. Judge Barnard took an active part in the revolutionary struggle, and for his services he drew a pension until his death. For many years judge Barnard was associate judge of the old county of Ontario, and after Monroe county was set off; he held the same office in the latter county.”¹

That was it. That was the sum total of nearly 91 years of life.

But there was more to Timothy Barnard. He represented all that made America great; that first generation of rebels turned heroes turned pioneers turned nation-builders. In a way, Continue Reading “Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Timothy Barnard, A Soldier’s Story”

Posted in History, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Anah Babcock Yates, Ashley Sampson, Barnstable, Battle of Yorktown, Bloomfield, Canfield Road, Connecticut Colony, Daniel D. Barnard, Ebenezer Barnard, Eleven Thousand Acre Trac, Forrest Gump, Fran h. Barnard, George Washington, Hartford, Hoard's Tavern, Jeremiah Wadsworth, Lafayette, Massachusetts Colony, Mendon, Monroe County, New York City, Ontario County, Ontario County Agricultural Society, R. 5, Revolutionary War, Roger Newberry, Sarah Williamson, Timothy Barnard, Township 11, Valentine Hill, Valley Forge, West Bloomfield Road, Yorktown

Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Remembering Silvius Hoard

By Chris Carosa on June 18, 2024

Previous: Fort Niagara And The Man-Made Wonder Of Lockport

Lafayette memorial on 1 Exchange Blvd. in downtown Rochester identifying the site of Hoard’s Tavern. Source: Albert R. Stone Negative Collection, Rochester Museum & Science Center

Think of history as a mosaic containing thousands of tiny stones. When you get up close, they appear unremarkable. Except for a few, often minor, variations in color or a slightly different shape, they look nearly identical. Sure, for any number of reasons, a few stand out and pique your curiosity. But all in all, they’re all the same.

Until you back away. Farther away, you see the small rocks begin to transform into a series of patterns. It’s as though each stone represents a dot connected to its neighbors. From a more distant perspective, you no longer see individual stones. You see a compelling picture. As if it was always there.

That’s history. It’s a picture you see, far removed from the original source, the original data points, the human stones that actually created the picture. It’s too easy to forget those Continue Reading “Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Remembering Silvius Hoard”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, History, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Antwerp, Charles Alexander Hoard, Charles Brooks Hoard, Daniel Hoard, David Parish, Hoar, Hoard's Tavern, Jefferson County, Lafayette, Lewis DeVillers, Louis Charles Aime LeFebvre, Nancy Mary DeVillers, Nathaniel Rochester, Ogdensburg Turnpike Company, Parishville, Revolutionary War, Rochester, Rochesterville, Silvius Hoard, St. Lawrence County, Welland Canal