American Battlefield Trust

08/22/2026

Ft. Stanwix in New York became a target of the British in the Saratoga Campaign, and they sent Brig. Gen. Barry St. Leger to capture it in early August 1777. When they arrived and demanded its surrender, American Col. Peter Gansevoort refused and both sides settled in for a siege. In response, the British and their allies ambushed one of the fort’s relief columns resulting in the Battle of Oriskany. While the British achieved a tactical victory there, Gansevoort, still stationed at Fort Stanwix, sent men to loot the nearby British and Native camps, which damaged the alliances between the British and Native tribes.

On August 12, American Gen. Benedict Arnold led another column of reinforcements towards the fort. Being outnumbered, Arnold ensured the British received false information that he was coming with 3,000 troops, instead of the 700 he had. This information, on top of the discontent of their Native allies, convinced the British to abandon their siege of Fort Stanwix August 22, 1777.

The American Battlefield Trust's summary of the Revolutionary War Siege of Fort Stanwix from August 2 - August 22, 1777.

08/21/2026

For , new monuments featuring lesser-known figures of the American Revolution were placed at Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C. Join Mark Maloy to learn more about the figures behind two of these new statues: Caesar Rodney and Dr. Joseph Warren.

08/21/2026

The first Lincoln-Douglas debate took place August 21, 1858, in Ottawa, Illinois. During the summer and fall of 1858, Abraham Lincoln and statesman Stephen Douglas engaged in a series of seven public debates across Illinois as they competed for a U.S. Senate seat. The primary topic of the debates was slavery. At the time, neither man was an abolitionist. Lincoln supported a free-soil platform that opposed the expansion of slavery in new western territories, and Douglas supported the states’ right to choose slavery’s fate by popular sovereignty.

The debates did not follow a traditional back-and-forth exchange like our debates today. Instead, one candidate would be given an hour to speak, followed by the second candidate, who delivered their own hour-long speech and a 30-minute rebuttal to the first candidate. The debates would conclude with the first candidate’s rebuttal to the second candidate. Thousands of Americans across the Midwest traveled to see Lincoln and Douglas speak, often standing for over two hours to watch. The debates launched Lincoln into the national spotlight. Although he ultimately lost the Senate race, the debates earned Lincoln support that helped him win the 1860 presidential election.

In the summer and the fall of 1858 two of the most influential statesmen of the late antebellum era, Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln faced off in a...

08/20/2026

The land remembers. Our responsibility is to preserve it.

Though National Make-A-Will Month is coming to a close, you can perpetually help safeguard America’s battlefields for generations to come. By remembering battlefield preservation in your will, trust, or by beneficiary designation, you will protect the landscapes where ordinary citizens made extraordinary sacrifices.

Your generosity can become part of the story forever. Request free planning resources today here: https://bit.ly/3TUV7wO"

08/20/2026

Former United States President and general Benjamin Harrison was born August 20, 1833, and was one of five presidents hailing from Ohio who served in the Civil War. Do you know who the other four presidents were? Check the comments for the answer!

We know their stories in the White House, but five of Ohio’s future U.S. Presidents fought in the Civil War before heading to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue....

08/20/2026

In anticipation of the Battle of Camden, Patriot Maj. Gen. Horatio Gates tasked Brig. Gen. Francis Marion with destroying boats along the Santee River so the British could not escape to Charleston, South Carolina. However, while carrying out his mission, Marion learned of the devastating American defeat. At the same time, he learned that his home had been burned by the British, and that a British detachment was holding 150 Patriot prisoners from Camden at Great Savannah, Thomas Sumter’s abandoned plantation.

After dark August 20, 1780, Marion launched a surprise attack on Great Savannah to free the prisoners. Startling the British sentries, the two sides skirmished, and Marion’s militia came out victorious. Ironically, 85 of the 150 prisoners refused to be liberated. They preferred to await their fate instead of being bound to Marion’s militia. By the time Marion reached his camp in the Snow’s Island swamps, all but three of the other prisoners had deserted him.

The American Battlefield Trust's summary of the Revolutionary War Battle of Great Savannah, fought on August 20, 1780

08/19/2026

In the spring of 1780, Patriot guerrillas began attacking Loyalist outposts in the South Carolina backcountry to undermine the British occupation of the state. In the morning August 19, 1780, mounted Patriots arrived near Musgrove Mill, the key to the local grain supply and the site of a British outpost. After an initial clash with the Loyalist patrol, the Patriots learned the garrison had been reinforced and that they were now outnumbered 500 soldiers to their 200 men. Quickly, they constructed a makeshift breastwork on a ridge overlooking the road to the mill. Then a small detachment commanded by Capt. Shadrach Inman crossed the Enoree River to lure the Loyalists into an ambush.

The Loyalists took the bait. They followed Inman and his men back to the Patriot camp where they were attacked. While the Loyalists initially had an advantage because they possessed bayonets, an attack on their right flank by Patriot Col. Elijah Clarke, coupled with the shooting of their Col. Alexander Innes, weakened them, and they were forced to withdraw. Even though the Patriots did not press their advantage, this victory proved that resistance to British rule had not been completely snuffed out in the South.

In the spring of 1780, the British captured the city of Charleston, giving them almost complete control over South Carolina. Seeking to undermine the...

08/19/2026

The Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C., hosted an endless list of famous names during the American Civil War, and even had a fire put out by Union troops from New York. Join Garry Adelman as he dives into the famous hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue.

08/19/2026

Despite Washington's defeat of Lord Charles Cornwallis’ troops at Yorktown, the American Revolution was far from over. In the west, the British still hoped to retain control of the Great Lakes region with the help of their Native American allies. In August 1782, Loyalist Capt. William Caldwell led a force of Loyalist troops and Native American warriors to Bryan’s Station outside Lexington, Kentucky, and surrounded the fort. Early the next day, they opened fire. While the settlers defended the fort, they were powerless to stop the destruction of their crops and livestock. When American reinforcements began to arrive, Caldwell withdrew.

That night, the Kentucky militia, led by Col. John Todd, began pursuing Caldwell. In the morning August 19, 1782, Todd’s men spotted several of Caldwell’s Native American warriors wading in the Licking River near their camp. Todd’s forces quickly advanced. However, the right side of his line was flanked, and he, along with another officer, fell in quick succession. The loss of their officers, combined with Native American forces pushing into their rear and threatening to cut off their line of retreat, caused the Kentuckians to panic and to break in a mad dash for the river. While eventually some order was reestablished, the American forces still retreated from the field, and Caldwell’s forces continued their march to Ohio. Lasting perhaps 15 minutes, the largest battle of the Revolutionary War fought in Kentucky was a resounding British victory.

Despite the capitulation of Lord Charles Cornwallis’s British army to Gen. George Washington at Yorktown in October 1781, hostilities between Great...

08/18/2026

Join the American Battlefield Trust and the Antietam Institute for a FREE Event on Sunday, September 6, 2026, at Antietam National Battlefield for a Generations Event and Hike. From 2:30 pm to 5 pm, learn about American Civil War history, try on uniforms, learn to march, discover soldiers' stories and photographs, and learn about mapping a battlefield, plus more hands-on activities as we walk in the footsteps of soldiers who fought in the West Woods. The event is free (battlefield admission included) and open to all who come with someone of another generation; registration is required.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4qjV4qx