Christian McBurney's guest appearances

Christian McBurney

PA BOOKS on PCN

American Revolution Podcast

Dispatches: The Podcast of the Journal of the American Revolution

Revolution 250 Podcast

Benjamin Franklin

James Monroe

Harlow Giles Unger

Tom Shachtman

Colin Calloway

Rufus King

Alexander Hamilton

John Marshall

Donald Miller

Walter Isaacson

John Paul Jones

Richard Bell

Samuel Johnson

Erica Wagner

Mark Oppenheimer

OwlTail

The American privateer Marlborough set out in 1777-1778 to disrupt British trade and enrich its crew and owners by capturing British merchantmen.  The Marlborough  focused on Britain's slave trade, attacking the slave-trading port at the Isle de Los off today's Guinea. This successful raid, and other attacks by American privateers on British slavers, had repercussions for the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.  We talk with Christian McBurney,  author of  Dark Voyage:  An American Privateer's War on Britain's African Slave Trade.  

The American privateer Marlborough set out in 1777-1778 to disrupt British trade and enrich its crew and owners by capturing British merchantmen.  The Marlborough  focused on Britain's slave trade, attacking the slave-trading port at the Isle de Los off today's Guinea. This successful raid, and other attacks by American privateers on British slavers, had repercussions for the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.  We talk with <a href="http://christianmcburney.com/bio/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Christian McBurney, </a> author of  <a href="http://christianmcburney.com/portfolio-items/dark-voyage-an-american-privateers-war-on-britains-african-slave-trade/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dark Voyage:  An American Privateer's War on Britain's African Slave Trade</a>.

Dark Voyage with Christian McBurney

This week our guest is author and JAR contributor Christian McBurney. On the eve of Revolution a NC slaver tried to transport an enslaved family south. The legislature of Rhode Island stopped it in a major step toward emancipation and abolition. For more information visit www.allthingsliberty.com.

This week our guest is author and JAR contributor Christian McBurney. On the eve of Revolution a NC slaver tried to transport an enslaved family south. The legislature of Rhode Island stopped it in a major step toward emancipation and abolition. For more information visit <a href="http://www.allthingsliberty.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.allthingsliberty.com</a>.

E168: Christian McBurney: Rhode Island Acts to Prevent and Enslaved Family from Being Transported South

General Charles Lee, second in command in the Continental Army led by George Washington, was captured by the British in December 1776. While a prisoner, he prepared and submitted to his captors a military plan on how to defeat Washington's army as quickly as possible. This extraordinary act of treason, arguably on a par with Benedict Arnold's heinous treachery, was not discovered during his lifetime. Many historians shrug off this ignoble act, but it should not be ignored. Less well known is that throughout his sixteen months of captivity and even after his release, Lee continued communicating with the enemy, offering to help negotiate an end to the rebellion. After Lee rejoined the Continental Army, he was given command of many of its best troops with orders from Washington to attack the rear of British General Henry Clinton's column near Monmouth, New Jersey. Lee intended to attack on June 28, 1778, but retreated in the face of Clinton's bold move to reverse his march. Two of Lee's subordinate generals—without orders and without informing Lee—moved more than half of his command off the field. Faced with the possible destruction of the balance, Lee ordered a general retreat while conducting a skillful delaying action. Many historians have been quick to malign Lee's performance at Monmouth, for which he was convicted by court-martial for not attacking and for retreating in the face of the enemy. This was a miscarriage of justice, stresses McBurney, for the evidence clearly shows that Lee was unfairly convicted and had, in fact, by retreating, performed an important service to the Patriot cause. The guilty verdict was more the result of Lee's having insulted Washington, which made the matter a political contest between the army's two top generals—only one of them could prevail. Christian McBurney has written five books on the American Revolutionary War, including 'Kidnapping the Enemy: The Special Operations to Capture Generals Charles Lee &amp; Richard Prescott'. His published articles include one in MHQ: The Journal of Military History, on the British attempt to abduct George Washington, which was nominated by the U.S. Army Historical Foundation as best magazine article for 2017. He also publishes Rhode Island's leading history blog (www.smallstatebighistory.com). He is an attorney in Washington, D.C. Description courtesy of Savas Beatie.

General Charles Lee, second in command in the Continental Army led by George Washington, was captured by the British in December 1776. While a prisoner, he prepared and submitted to his captors a military plan on how to defeat Washington's army as quickly as possible. This extraordinary act of treason, arguably on a par with Benedict Arnold's heinous treachery, was not discovered during his lifetime. Many historians shrug off this ignoble act, but it should not be ignored. Less well known is that throughout his sixteen months of captivity and even after his release, Lee continued communicating with the enemy, offering to help negotiate an end to the rebellion. After Lee rejoined the Continental Army, he was given command of many of its best troops with orders from Washington to attack the rear of British General Henry Clinton's column near Monmouth, New Jersey. Lee intended to attack on June 28, 1778, but retreated in the face of Clinton's bold move to reverse his march. Two of Lee's subordinate generals—without orders and without informing Lee—moved more than half of his command off the field. Faced with the possible destruction of the balance, Lee ordered a general retreat while conducting a skillful delaying action. Many historians have been quick to malign Lee's performance at Monmouth, for which he was convicted by court-martial for not attacking and for retreating in the face of the enemy. This was a miscarriage of justice, stresses McBurney, for the evidence clearly shows that Lee was unfairly convicted and had, in fact, by retreating, performed an important service to the Patriot cause. The guilty verdict was more the result of Lee's having insulted Washington, which made the matter a political contest between the army's two top generals—only one of them could prevail. Christian McBurney has written five books on the American Revolutionary War, including 'Kidnapping the Enemy: The Special Operations to Capture Generals Charles Lee &amp; Richard Prescott'. His published articles include one in MHQ: The Journal of Military History, on the British attempt to abduct George Washington, which was nominated by the U.S. Army Historical Foundation as best magazine article for 2017. He also publishes Rhode Island's leading history blog (<a href="http://www.smallstatebighistory.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.smallstatebighistory.com</a>). He is an attorney in Washington, D.C. Description courtesy of Savas Beatie.

"George Washington's Nemesis" with Christian McBurney