Revolution Revisited

Virginia's the source of supplies and troops for the Southern effort for the Americans, and the British general, Cornwallis, knows that, so he really wants to conquer Virginia and knock it out of the war.  

In this episode of Revolution Revisited, host Maggie Creech and historian Robert (Bert) Dunkerley explain how Britain’s shift to a Southern Campaign in 1780 made the South, and ultimately Virginia, decisive in the final years of the Revolution.

Inside the Epsiode:
After early failures in 1776, Britain captured Savannah and Charleston, where many Virginia Continentals were taken prisoner, and fought brutal, morale-shaping actions like Waxhaw under Banastre Tarleton. Despite American disasters such as Camden, Patriot victories at Kings Mountain and Daniel Morgan’s Cowpens blunted British momentum, culminating in Guilford Courthouse, a costly British win that weakened Cornwallis. The episode follows the war’s expansion into Virginia: Jefferson’s capital move to Richmond, Benedict Arnold’s 1781 raid and destruction, attacks on Petersburg and Osborne’s Landing, raids toward Charlottesville stopped by Jack Jouett’s warning, and Cornwallis’s move to Yorktown, where Washington and Rochambeau marched south to besiege him.
Featured Guest
Robert M (Bert) Dunkerly, author and historian
Robert M. (Bert) Dunkerly is a historian, award-winning author, and speaker who is actively involved in historic preservation and research. He holds a degree in History from St. Vincent College and a Masters in Historic Preservation from Middle Tennessee State University. He has worked at fourteen historic sites, written over a dozen books, and numerous scholarly articles. His research includes archaeology, colonial life, military history, and historic commemoration. He is a past President of the Richmond Civil War Round Table, and serves on the Preservation Commission for the American Revolution Round Table-Richmond. He has taught courses at Central Virginia Community College, the University of Richmond, and Virginia Museum of History & Culture. Dunkerly is currently a Park Ranger at Richmond National Battlefield Park. He has visited over 500 battlefields and over 1000 historic sites worldwide. He enjoys exploring local bookstores, battlefields, and breweries, not necessarily in that order.

Show Notes
00:00 Welcome to the Series
00:42 Why the South Mattered
03:17 British Strategy Shift
05:40 Georgia and Charleston Fall
07:34 Waxhaws and Tarleton
11:42 Camden to Cowpens Turnaround
13:44 Guilford Courthouse Clash
16:20 Virginia Giant Legend
18:34 War of Attrition Explained
20:45 Arnold Raids Richmond
25:18 Petersburg and Statewide Raids
29:15 Yorktown Trap Set
30:47 Closing and Next Episode

Recommended Resources:
Southern Campaigns of the American Revolution – The Journal of the Southern Campaigns of the American Revolution
The Virginia Continental Line, by John Settle
The Revolution in Virginia, by John Selby

Revolution Revisited™ is produced by the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of William & Karen Fralin.
© 2026 Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

Intelligence is on the docket. It is shadowy stuff, but it is not in the shadows for this early government.

In this episode of Revolution Revisited, host Maggie Creech is joined by Amanda Ohlke of the International Spy Museum to explore how espionage shaped the American Revolution, from Congress’s Committee of Secret Correspondence and foreign intelligence to George Washington’s expanding networks, paid informants, and use of deception. 
The episode traces early efforts like Knowlton’s Rangers and the failed mission of Nathan Hale, then highlights the Culper Ring’s civilian spycraft—aliases, codebooks, dead drops, and disinformation—and its role in reporting British plans and helping expose Benedict Arnold through the capture of John André. It also examines period techniques such as dictionary codes, sympathetic stains (invisible ink), masked letters, and mail interception, and includes the story of James Fayette, an enslaved Virginian spy whose intelligence aided Yorktown and whose freedom is documented through petitions, Lafayette’s endorsement, and a pension record.

Featured Guest
Amanda Ohlke, the International Spy Museum (SPY), Director of Adult Programs
Amanda Ohlke is Director of Adult Education at the International Spy Museum. As a key member of the Spy Museum creative team since 2004, she has worked on a wide variety of exhibitions and programs on topics ranging from unexpected spies to sabotage to current national security issues, and she is the content liaison for the Museum’s international travel opportunities. Ohlke was on the team that developed the groundbreaking immersive experience Operation Spy, and she was the creative lead on the Museum’s “Spy in the City” GPS-based game. Her article inspired by an exhibition she curated, “Mata Hari: Ripe for Recruitment” is included in Secrets on Display from the University Press of Kansas. Her writing has been featured in Museum magazine, H-Diplo and other history and museum-oriented publications. She is currently writing a children’s book on spying. Ohlke has appeared on shows such as “Mysteries at the Museum,” The Secret History of the Civil War” and on podcasts including Galaxy Brains, Artastra, and SpyCast. She was formerly the Executive Director of the Museum Trustee Association and has worked for the National Building Museum, Nat Geo, and the Maryland Center for Arts and Culture.

International Spy Museum (SPY)
The International Spy Museum (SPY) is an independent nonprofit institution dedicated to illuminating the tradecraft, history, and contemporary relevance of espionage. Since its founding in 2002 in Washington, DC, the Museum has served as the only public institution in the United States solely focused on intelligence and espionage. In 2019, SPY relocated to an expanded, purpose-built facility at L’Enfant Plaza, enabling deeper public engagement through immersive exhibitions and continued innovative educational programming. SPY houses the largest collection of international espionage artifacts on public display as well as 10,000 additional objects in our “vault.”

Timestamps:
00:00 Welcome to Revolution Revisited
00:36 Spies of the Revolution
01:57 Congress Goes Secret
03:30 Washington Builds Intelligence
04:50 Knowlton’s Rangers and Hale
06:30 Birth of the Culper Ring
09:30 Culper Codes and Aliases
12:04 Culper Wins and Arnold
13:33 Tradecraft and Gadgets
15:34 Codes and Cipher Books
18:31 Invisible Ink and Masks
22:19 Dead Drops and Disinformation
26:35 Intelligence for Yorktown
27:03 James Fayette Spy Story
29:13 How We Know the Spies
33:04 Deep Cover After the War
34:58 Why People Spy
36:16 Wrap Up and Next Episode

Revolution Revisited™ is produced by the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of William & Karen Fralin. © 2026 Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

All these guys he's recruited from the frontier, are going to be fiercely independent in general because this is their shot. For them, it's not about the war with Britain as much as it is about securing their futures.

In this episode of Revolution Revisited, host Maggie Creech and historian Eric Sterner shift the Revolution’s focus beyond the Northeast to the contested western frontier—western Virginia and Pennsylvania into the Ohio Valley and Illinois—where competing land claims, shifting Indigenous diplomacy, and British posts fueled violence. They trace George Rogers Clark’s rise from Virginia surveyor and Dunmore’s War veteran to Kentucky leader, his political ties to figures like Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson, and his recruitment of volunteers amid hints of land rewards. 
With roughly 150 men, Clark launched the 1778 Illinois campaign, seizing Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and Vincennes largely through surprise and intimidation, then later recapturing Vincennes by bluffing Henry Hamilton into surrender. The episode also highlights brutal episodes, Jefferson’s directives toward Native nations, mixed Indigenous responses, Clark’s limited success securing Kentucky, his later bankruptcy and decline, and the shifting myths and reassessments of his legacy, including his statue’s removal in 2021. 

Featured Guest
Eric Sterner, Author & Historian
Eric Sterner earned a BA from American University and two MAs from George Washington University. He worked in the defense and aerospace field, serving on the staff of two Congressional committees and in the Department of Defense and as a NASA Associate Deputy Administrator. He is the author of Till the Extinction of This Rebellion, Anatomy of a Massacre: The Destruction of Gnaddenhutten, 1782 and The Battle of Upper Sandusky, 1782. He contributes regularly to the Journal of the American Revolution and Emerging Revolutionary War Era.

Show Notes
00:00 Welcome
00:39 Why the Western Front
01:56 Defining the Revolutionary West
02:40 Treaties and Frontier Tensions
05:32 Neutrality and Dunmore’s War
07:13 Meet George Rogers Clark
09:52 Kentucky Politics and Gunpowder
13:02 Taking the Offensive Plan
15:20 Pitch to Patrick Henry
17:13 Recruiting and Corn Island
18:17 Why Men Volunteered
23:30 Bloodless Takeover of Illinois
26:56 Hamilton Strikes Back
28:29 Winter March to Vincennes
29:59 War’s Wider Impact
31:02 Violence and Native Relations
35:15 Did Clark Secure the West
37:23 Clark’s Postwar Downfall
40:01 Mythmaking and Reassessment
42:39 Closing and Next Episode

Revolution Revisited™ is produced by the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of William & Karen Fralin. © 2026 Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

The colonists allying themselves with France and Spain was not a natural thing for them… This is one of the best examples of the enemy, of my enemy is my friend… They would've been incapable of fighting without this support.

In this episode of Revolution Revisited, host Maggie Creech and guest Sam Florer of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture examine why American independence was unlikely without European assistance and how France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic became Revolutionary Allies. The episode highlights the self-interested motives that led rival empires to support the Patriot cause and widen the conflict into a global war.
 After Britain’s dominance following the Seven Years’ War, France and Spain sought to weaken Britain, despite colonists’ long history of conflict with those powers. In this episode, we will follow the efforts an unlikely cast of characters–diplomats, politicians, merchants, spies, money-launderers, and gunrunners–who found ways to covertly (and ultimately officially) support the cause of American Independence. As France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic were drawn into the war against England, covert assistance turned into official alliances, providing critical aid in the form of finances, supplies, and manpower.
 
Featured Guest
Sam Florer, Director of Public Programs, Virginia Museum of History & Culture
Sam Florer brings over a decade of museum experience with a focus on education and public engagement. He holds both a BA and MA in History from the College of William & Mary. In his role at the VMHC, Sam leads teacher professional development workshops, supports student programs, and collaborates with cultural institutions statewide to implement the Virginia affiliate of National History Day, a nationwide historical research competition. He also manages a wide range of public programs for adult audiences and works as a historical researcher and writer, specializing in 18th- and 19th-century American history.

Show Notes: 
00:00 Welcome to Revolution Revisited
01:08 Why Europe Got Involved
03:15 Not Natural Allies
05:16 Diplomats in Paris
07:24 Franklin vs Lee
09:17 Beaumarchais Secret Aid
13:46 Spies and Covert Shipping
15:38 France Makes It Official
17:39 Spain Joins the War
25:11 Galvez and Pensacola
28:09 Havana Silver for Yorktown
31:41 Dutch Money and Neutrality
36:58 A Truly Global War
39:02 Peace Deals and Aftermath
41:16 Unsung Backers Left Behind
43:32 Closing Thoughts and Next Time

Revolution Revisited™ is produced by the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of William & Karen Fralin. © 2026 Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

We declared independence not too long before a series of obliterating, crushing defeats were suffered by our army. The British were trouncing us time and time again, and George Washington’s Continental Army was on the brink of destruction. But Trenton reversed that. It gave the army the morale boost it desperately needed and helped convince soldiers that maybe they really could beat the British.

In this episode of Revolution Revisited, host Maggie Creech is joined by Eric Schnitzer to look at the Northern Campaigns of 1777, when the Revolution was still far from secure. They talk about the low point Washington’s army had reached after the defeats of 1776, the temporary lift that came from Trenton and Princeton, and the British plan to divide the colonies by moving against Philadelphia and Albany. The conversation also follows Daniel Morgan’s Corps of Riflemen to Saratoga, where a hard-fought American victory helped force Burgoyne’s surrender and changed what seemed possible for the war.
After the Declaration of Independence, the Revolution still had to survive on the battlefield. In this episode, we follow the Northern Campaigns of 1777, when British forces hoped to divide the colonies and bring the rebellion to an end. We’ll look at Washington’s battered army after the defeats of 1776, the renewed hope that came from Trenton and Princeton, and the danger created when Fort Ticonderoga was abandoned without a fight. We’ll also follow Daniel Morgan’s Corps of Riflemen to Saratoga, where their skill, speed, and persistence helped weaken Burgoyne’s army and set the stage for one of the most important American victories of the war.
Featured Guest
Eric Schniter, Park Ranger & Military Historian
Eric Schnitzer has worked at Saratoga National Historical Park since 1997, becoming Park Ranger / Military Historian in 2000. He is the author of Don Troiani's Campaign to Saratoga - 1777, as well as many articles ranging in subjects from correcting the longstanding error of British light 3-pounder identification (Grasshoppers and Butterflies Reconsidered) to German recruits serving in the British Army during the American War for Independence. An artist, Eric's drawings have appeared in books authored by Don Hagist, including Noble Volunteers: the British Soldiers who fought the American Revolution, and Dr. Karen Cook Bell's Running from Bondage: Enslaved Women and their Remarkable Fight for Freedom in Revolutionary America. He and his wife, Jenna, and their four wacky cats live in an 18th-century house in the White Creek Historic District near Bennington Battlefield State Historic Site, N.Y.

Show Notes: 
00:00 Welcome to Revolution Revisited and The Northern Campaigns of 1777
01:31 Recapping 1776 After the Declaration of Independence
02:58 Crushing Defeats and Washington’s Army on the Brink
03:52 Why New York Became a Major British Target
05:10 Thomas Paine, The American Crisis, and Collapsing Morale
07:12 Trenton, Princeton, and a Needed Morale Boost
08:39 Rebuilding the Continental Army for 1777
10:32 British Strategy: Philadelphia, Albany, and Dividing the Colonies
12:25 Howe Changes Course and Sails for the Chesapeake
13:51 Burgoyne Advances from Canada Toward Albany
15:06 The Abandonment of Fort Ticonderoga
16:00 Shortages, Suffering, and Life After the Retreat
17:07 Schuyler Falls Back Toward Saratoga
18:57 Horatio Gates Takes Command
19:43 Daniel Morgan and the Corps of Riflemen
22:00 Why Morgan’s Riflemen Were an Elite Fighting Force
23:12 Morgan’s Men Join Gates and Benedict Arnold at Bemis Heights
24:04 Freeman’s Farm and the First Battle of Saratoga
27:00 The Second Battle of Saratoga Begins
28:51 The Attack on Breymann’s Fortified Camp
30:36 Arnold Is Wounded and the British Position Falls
31:22 Burgoyne Retreats and Surrenders at Saratoga
32:46 Why Morgan’s Riflemen Mattered So Much
33:43 Washington’s Losses at Brandywine and Germantown
34:27 Why Germantown Still Impressed the French
35:59 Contrasting Morale in the Northern Army and Washington’s Camp
38:58 Valley Forge and the Winter of Want
39:55 The French Alliance and the War’s Next Phase
40:24 Why Independence Still Had to Be Defended
42:23 Closing thoughts

Revolution Revisited™ is produced by the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of William & Karen Fralin. © 2026 Virginia Museum of History & Culture