1. | Title: | Thomas Sullivan Journal (1775-1778) | |
Dates: | 1775 - 1778 | ||
Extent: | 1 volume | ||
Locations: | Boston | Brunswick | Burlington | Cambridge | Cork | Darby | Dublin | Elizabeth | Fort Lee | Germantown | Halifax | Hillsborough Township | Kingston | Lake Champlain | New Brunswick | New York | Newark | Newport | Peekskill | Pennington | Philadelphia | Princeton | Quebec City | Rockport | Saratoga Springs | Tarrytown | Trenton | West Goshen | White Plains | Whitemarsh Township | ||
Abstract: | In a fragile, single-volume journal (split in two), a non-commissioned British soldier named Thomas Sullivan records his experience fighting in the American Revolution (1775-1778). Sullivan offers a first-hand account of the earlier years of the war, including the evacuation of Boston, New Jersey campaign, and occupation of Philadelphia. He studiously documents significant early battles, including Bunker Hill (p.12) and Brandywine (229), as well as reports of events he did not personally witness. Notably, before Sullivan deserts the British Army and joins the Continental Army—serving under Nathanael Greene—he describes in a lengthy entry his shifting loyalties and common cause with the colonists as an Irish citizen (404-6). Interspersed between accounts of battles, Sullivan offers descriptions of indigenous peoples in Nova Scotia (52), American loyalists in New York (71), and a peculiar lightning strike en route to Philadelphia (229-230). Sullivan maintains his journal in an ornate script, suggested that he may have intended it for publication, and stops writing abruptly after he joins the Continental Army (422). This fascinating volume ought to particularly interest scholars researching turncoats and loyalists during the American Revolution. | ||
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The "Contents" section of journal highlights key events in Sullivan's service and travels. Extracts from the journal were printed in the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography in 1910. The complete journal, edited by Joseph Lee Boyle, was published by Heritage Books in 1997. | |||
In a fragile, single-volume journal (split in two), a non-commissioned British soldier named Thomas Sullivan records his experience fighting in the American Revolution (1775-1778). Sullivan offers a first-hand account of the earlier years of the war, including the evacuation of Boston, New Jersey campaign, and occupation of Philadelphia. He studiously documents significant early battles, including Bunker Hill (p.12) and Brandywine (229), as well as reports of events he did not personally witness. Notably, before Sullivan deserts the British Army and joins the Continental Army—serving under Nathanael Greene—he describes in a lengthy entry his shifting loyalties and common cause with the colonists as an Irish citizen (404-6). Interspersed between accounts of battles, Sullivan offers descriptions of indigenous peoples in Nova Scotia (52), American loyalists in New York (71), and a peculiar lightning strike en route to Philadelphia (229-230). Sullivan maintains his journal in an ornate script, suggested that he may have intended it for publication, and stops writing abruptly after he joins the Continental Army (422). This fascinating volume ought to particularly interest scholars researching turncoats and loyalists during the American Revolution. View Full Description in New WindowThe "Contents" section of journal highlights key events in Sullivan's service and travels. Extracts from the journal were printed in the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography in 1910. The complete journal, edited by Joseph Lee Boyle, was published by Heritage Books in 1997. | |||
Selected Quotations
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Subjects: | American loyalists. | Diaries. | Greene, Nathanael, 1742-1786. | Indigenous people. | Irish--United States. | Loyalist | United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783. | Weather. | ||
Collection: | Journal of the operations of the American War (Mss.973.3.Su5) | ||
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